OneBoot's Bones 1 Kickstarter Figures WIP (picture heavy)

[smokingwreckage]

Yes wash it exactly the same. Brush on primer should be fine.

[OneBoot]

Thanks smokingwreckage! Any ideas on the black spots?

 

Huzzah!

--OneBoot :D

[smokingwreckage]

Ah, I wouldn't like to say. Could be corrosion, but it isn't the dreaded Lead Rot, that should be white - and pretty unlikely in a tin pewter alloy. I expect it's just some schmutz that got stuck there during the casting process...

[CashWiley]

Thank you sooooo much, everybody!! Your compliments and positive, helpful comments mean so much to me, and really help a ton in motivating me to keep painting. I'm unfortunately quite good at beating myself up for something not turning out the way I envision it doing so, which can cause me to get discouraged and abandon a project. I've experienced this substantially less with painting miniatures!! :D

Welcome to my world, except it's just as bad with minis as with everything else. On the other hand, that has given me the coping mechanisms to push through and keep painting.

 

As SW said, give it a thorough washing, I give everything a thorough washing. You don't know what's on it when you get it, and you will get hand oils on it during prep. White metal isn't ferrous, so it won't rust. The spots are probably the black plague, it was nice knowing you.

 

I love working on metal minis, but that's what I started on. They're a lot more durable and less likely to be damaged like plastic during prep. I use a spray primer, so I can't address the brush-on, which I just use for touch-ups. Once the paint is on, deal it as you would a Bones mini. I put a little more varnish on metal minis, especially sticky-outy parts like swords and shields, that might take more abuse.

[Last Knight]

You can thin the brush-on primer, people do. I wouldn't recommend much more than a brush-full of water, but you don't have to cover the entire thing until you no longer see metal - a thin glaze should be enough to give you the 'tooth' to paint on.

 

I usually cover everything, though. =)

 

The usual recommendation re: sealing for gaming miniatures is two coats gloss, one coat matte to kill the gloss. Matte sealant doesn't protect - gloss does, but is by nature glossy. Quel surprise. I don't know that a base would need that much protection, but it's worth considering.

 

The black stuff is probably just shmutz. If it doesn't wash off, eh, you can paint over it.

[Shogun]

I find Priming & sealing are really important on metal.

Metals con is it can chip if not handled right BUT is a dream to paint.

More detail & and in my case paint seems to like it more. Once prepped and washed putting it on a sturdy cork (handle or whatever) where it's not going to fall over for me is the next task (cash recommends campaign corks because they have a wider base). I also spray (army painter which also works on bones) my primer and for sealing testors dull coat & testors gloss coat (works for me on bones as well) but have heard only good things about reapers products.

 

Fun metal! Will be following this closely. Nice one to push your comfort zone oneboot huzzah!

[CashWiley]

Yes, champagne corks are great! Also, I like champagne. New cork in two weeks when my truck is paid off! I might actually go for a good Laurent & Perrier, but you can get a decent bottle just buying Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine). Wine corks are tall and skinny (only slightly larger then the internal neck diameter), prone to falling over, and you damage it with the corkscrew. Since champagne is under pressure, when you pop the cork, you get a pristine cork and it flares out at the bottom for more stability. And it has a nice little neck in the middle to hook your fingers on. I'm a fan.

 

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/alecrain/alecrain0905/alecrain090500003/4857505-a-pile-of-wine-and-champagne-corks-isolated-on-white.jpg

 

No matter what you use for a mount, I still like to have a piece of blister pack foam to lie the piece down on just to be safe.

 

I will give Bones the nod as far as not worrying so much about dropping it or chipping when tipped over on the workbench. My heart leaps every time I fumble a metal mini.

 

[Doug Sundseth]

If I were to guess without the mini in hand, I'd guess that the black specks are bits of a disintegrating mold. If you can pick them out with a needle or something, that would be a confirmation. If not, it's likely scorching (again from the mold, but not as indicative of mold damage), and can be painted over.

 

For prep, wash just like you would with a PVC figure, then prime with a real primer, not with paint. There have been many threads on which primer to use here over the years. Try this Google search:

 

primer -bones site:http://www.reapermini.com/forum/

Edit: Thanks to Cash for the code tag. Edited October 28, 2013 by Doug Sundseth

[CashWiley]

BBCode has a code tag:

 

primer -bones site:http://www.reapermini.com/forum/

[OneBoot]

Thank you sooo much for your help and advice, everyone! It was most helpful. :)

 

I scrubbed all four down, and tried to pry out some of the black stuff with a pin from several places, to no avail. So, I just shrugged and primed the one I'm going to be using.

 

Primer is interesting, it felt like painting with very fine grit sandpaper, or something (which I suppose is not too far off from the truth). Also, painting on a metal miniature is...very different. It feels a lot more solid while I'm painting, which isn't surprising given that I've gotten used to the slight give that Bones have. I can see why painters accustomed to metal would perhaps find switching to Bones a little difficult and/or frustrating.

 

I used the Primer unthinned, mostly because I forgot that I intended to thin it a little, but it turned out just fine. Even if I had a spray primer, I don't know that it would have been terribly effective for this particular piece - there's about a gazillion little cracks and crevices all over the place, so with the brush-on primer I was able to get into all of those. After letting it dry for awhile, I slathered it with Brown Liner a few times (again, a gazillion tiny cracks and crevices; every time I thought I was done, I'd find another spot I'd missed).

 

I'll tell more about this piece (with pictures!) after the Halloween contest is over; I don't want to say any more because I don't want to ruin the surprise!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

 

I was originally going to keep this one hidden as well, but I'm having way too much fun painting this guy (Sir Forscale gets involved), and I wanted to share the shenanigans with y'all.

 

So, here's http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/skeleton%20giant/sku-down/77116'>the mini in question:

 

 

Here's a picture for scale (I have big hands for a lady):

 

 

And here's a picture with Forscale:

 

 

Sir Forscale: "Wow, you're a big fella, aren't you?"

 

Yura, Skeleton Lord: "I DON'T MAKE FUN OF YOUR SIZE, TINY HUMAN."

 

Forscale: "Um, I think you just-"

 

Yura: "SILENCE, OR I SQUISH YOU."

 

~~~

 

I got this guy as a birthday present to me (yay!), and when I first unblistered him, I was so curious about what his tombstone hammer said, that I busted out my Black Wash right away. Here's a close-up:

 

 

I was quite impressed that the Black Wash lasted through my thorough scrubbing, as well as a quickie "boil n' bend" (I actually just used super hot and cold water from the sink, since they were only very minor tweaks).

 

~~~

 

Forscale: "Okay, okay, calm down. So, what's your name?"

 

Yura: "YURA, SKELETON LORD."

 

Forscale: *snicker* "Actually, I think you're a ske-"

 

Yura: "SHUT UP! DO NOT SAY ANOTHER WORD OR I WILL TURN YOU INTO A ROAD PIZZA WHERE YOU STAND!"

 

(credit to buglips for unintentionally giving me the idea for his name)

 

~~~

 

I then glued his torso and left arm on (since it's back and out of the way and not blocking anything), but I left his right arm off so that I won't have to be trying to paint around it; that's the theory, anyways)

 

 

Forscale: "Hey Yura, your arm's off!"

 

Yura: "NO IT ISN'T, IT'S JUST A FLESH...UH....BONE WOUND....uh...."

 

Forscale: "Admit it, I got the better of you there~!"

 

Yura: "SILENCE! SO HELP ME, WHEN I GET MY ARM BACK ON...."

 

~~~

 

Next is a "primer" coat of Black Liner, but I'll go over that in a new post.

 

Huzzah!

--OneBoot :D

[Corporea]

Excellent work resculpting Arodin! I think your instincts are good to limit the amount of different colors you're using on him. It's easy to let a palette run wild. Using some of your main colors as accents elsewhere will help tie the piece together.

 

ok- random art musings, feel free to ignore or revisit when bored...

 

 

If you're trying to echo your eye-catching orange and help balance the piece, think about the way you want the eye to travel. When I look at a painting (which admittedly is flat, so less helpful for 3-D painting) where the artist is trying to draw my eye, I often find myself thinking in shapes such as a triangle or a circle. You want the eye to start at point A and travel "full circle" back to point A. Or, use a cascade of shapes and interest points to catch the eye and direct it in a specific direction. er, not using my words well...example:

 

classic triangular composition from Raphael

see how the light skin of each of the main figures draws the eye? Most of the rest of the painting is dark comparatively.

Next, a linear composition from Caravaggio. Kind of a cascade pulling the eye downwards

At any rate, what I'm getting at is the how/why of using color or light to balance, like you were wanting to do above. You're right- your scroll and fireball will do that. I'd also think about adding a border to your robe in your orange, or a cream like your scroll- the cream would probably look more natural. This miniature seems a bit unbalance to me due to the very tall staff. A way to combat this would be to add width to the piece by adding a base with something placed to either side of the miniature- to give it a more triangular feel. Since this is a gaming mini, probably not what you want, but just another way to think about composition. Right now you've got a nice triangle formed by the face, scroll and left hand. You also have a cascade set up from the top of the staff, through the gem on his front as well as his face to his belt, the scroll and the dangly pouches- I'd continue that cascade down by placing something at his feet that is light colored and interesting- a skull perhaps? or an object important to the character. Easier to do would be a cream or orange border on the robe. End random musings...

 

 

I really love how nice and smooth your colors are. I also like the soft blues and the bright orange- great contrast. I think the blues are different enough to stand out, without being too busy. You're doing an excellent job!

[misterc]

Lovely work as always One Boot. Your wip is inspiring.

 

For nice blocky cork for temporary basing try the cork blocks sold in DIY stores for sanding. They are easy to cut into useful sizes, and should be stable enough to stand on their own. It can also be crumbled for basing materials.

[Nocturne]

Well I never realised that was a tombstone before, it's a nice touch.

[OneBoot]

I'm self-imposing a ban on myself for the forums until Thursday night; I'm spending too much time on the forums and not getting any painting done!

 

Huzzah!

--OneBoot :D

[chaosscorpion]

But how can we see WIP progress if you ban yourself from the boards to paint? Hmmm Catch 22?