Dilvish's Awful Seeings

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

OK, let's do this.  I've been taking about doing a WIP for quite some time.  I've been painting off and on now since the mid-80s when I was introduced to 40K (Rogue Trader the only edition I actually played) and found a group of guy that actually used the little Grenadiers and Ral Parthas in a game.

 

My work doesn't really reflect the longevity due to the stop and nature of things.  I basically do ok tabletop and while I have lots of theoretical knowledge (spending way too much time reading the forums), I haven't put in the practice to actually apply this knowledge.

 

I finally made it out to Reaper Con this year and not only did I have a blast, I had the opportunity to take a few classes and caught the bug to see how far I can take this painting thing.  Plus I promised several people that I would enter the paint contest next year, and dire things will happen if I don't.

 

So this WIP thread is to help keep me accountable, display my progress, get feed back and allow others to critique my work.

 

So feel free to comment, pick apart my work, make suggestions or just make fun of me in general.  I don't get embarrassed, take things personally or get offended.  So be as honest as you are comfortable with.

 

I will start by showing some of my in-progress work that I have with me (I'm traveling and just have some travel supplies and minis).

 

Buckle in, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

Alright then let there be pictures:

 

This is my temporary paint area here at the hotel.  Right now the computer is moved and playing music while I make this post and take pictures.  Again, I don't have my normal set up so not sure how the pictures will turn out.

 

Bunch of my Overlords.  They have been mostly done for some time.  Just fiddly bits (belts, straps) and various bits of shields and such to go. I have discovered that large batches of figures are not really for me.  3-5 at a time might be good but 13 at once in a similar scheme just kills my motivation.  I do want to finish them soon just to get them done and also to work on my brush control.  Belts should be good for that.  They are grunts for tabletop but hey, if you have any suggestions for improvements (maybe for Andras and Corvus, leaders are allowed to look better than the troopers) feel free to chime in.

 

Damien Flameborn- My charecter for the 4th edition game I'm in.  Started but never finished for the Bad Boys challenge.  Staff converted to a rod.  All of the base coats are down and the first round of highlights are done on his flesh.  Trying to figure out what to do for the horns.  I want them to contrast with his hair but don't want to go with light horns.

 

My Dwarven Clr/Wiz from my 3.5 game.  Also the the first recipient of the knowledge imparted by Wren's hair class.  I need to glaze some of the mid tone hair color back in around the back of his hairline down by his collar as the highlights are too uniform.  I am rather pleased with the beard. The trim and other metal will be either copper or bronze so as to not fight with the blond hair.

 

 

I have a bunch other figs here that the pics didn't come out well enough to use.  And I'm too lazy to re-shoot tonight.  All Bones:  A Balathian that I got at last year Pax East paint and take that needs some touch up and highlighting to be done; a Bugbear that is 50% done that I started last summer; a Gnoll and Purple worm that have just been started.  Also, because I don't have enough unfinished projects, I have assembled and brown liner basecoated the large earth elemental and one of my griffins. 

 

The rest of this trip will be dedicated to getting things finished.  Feel free to comment or throw pottery.

[Chaoswolf]

>>Chucks a vase at Dilvish<<

 

Well, first off, when you get a chance, a bigger pic of one of your Overlord grunts might be useful to point things out.

 

The dwarf looks good so far; what about a dark copper color for Damien's horns?

[LittleBluberry]

I really love the pose on that dwarf, and you've got a good start on him.  Good luck on getting stuff finished!

[ub3r_n3rd]

Happy to see you start a WIP!

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

See look!  Criticism already!  It's working!

 

1. Post content.

2. Get criticism.

3. ?????

4. Profit.

 

(isn't this the revenue model for most internet sites?)

 

Got off my lazy butt and took more pics as requested. (I can hear my wife's voice in my head "Oh you'll jump right to it to do something for some random internet stranger, but something for me and the girls, like the ponies, and you drag your feet for months!")

 

Overlord grunts.

 

Andras and Corvus.  Easy thing to level up for these guys is to shade and highlight the cloaks.  After doing 13 of them at the time, I just couldn't be bothered.  It's been long enough that I could do it now.

 

Test pieces for my Gnolls and Bugbears.  I plan on varying the skin and fur tone respectively as not all people look alike so why should all monsters.

 

Balatian wizard; gonna highlight his... err.... 'face' and finish his robe trim in more metallic colors.

 

 

 

And since I was taking more pictures.  Rocky: was originally going to mimic the colors from the rock beast in Galaxy Quest, but I could also do a bunch of different rock and crystal types instead.  Still undecided.  For this griffin, I will go with a traditional lion colored body and eagle (most likely golden) head.  I have another one that I want to make a 'Turbo Griffin' with a cheetah body and Peregrine Falcon head and wings.  still not sure how to get that so the colors don't clash.

 

Moar flowwerz potz.....I needs it!

 

 

Edited as squid face influenced me to post his backside twice.  Bad monster!  Keep it up and you'll be calamari!

Edited May 18, 2014 by Dilvish the Deliverer

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

Hmmm... I begin to see a problem with waiting so long before finishing projects.  Matching paint colors.  Particularly colors from a paint and take with very few colors and lots of mixing.  Squidly was such a problem, I decided to just start semi fresh.  His outer cloak and gloves have now been repainted Sapphire Blue and his head ridges have been given a coating of Entrail Pink.  I have also tried to pick out the embroidery with a light drybrush of Clockwork brass.  Not liking it so I may just end up redoing that as well.  After the new basecoats have a chance to dry they it is onto the shading and highlighting of the cloak.  No picture this time as it is nowhere close to a point where it is fit for seeing.

[seej]

I could have written your OP mini-bio, as it describes me as well. Only would have had to change 40K to Fantasy. I've also come across the long ago half-painted mini and struggled to remember (or even still possess) the original paint. I'm trying to do a better job of keeping a paint journal I can refer back to. I'm also trying to finish what I start now. Switching from GW to Warlord and other skirmish level games helps. It is easier to take the time to make 10-20 individual minis look great, rather than try to slog through 100 and just get discouraged.

[ub3r_n3rd]

I love your idea on the gnolls and bugbears, totally agree that there should be different fur/skin colors within the same species. Humans are really varied in skin colors, hair colors, eye colors and other features, so definitely looking forward to your experimentation with those two. I'd say as far as critiques go, try to keep a painting notebook if you have trouble remembering what colors you used. The other way is exactly what you are doing now, having a WIP thread and just writing it down in here so that you can refer back to them. 

 

As far as the top of the thread goes, if you are going to keep this thread going (which I really hope you do), as the pages get further into it and you keep doing your WIP's do a Table of Contents with links to those WIP posts and your Show Offs when you finish them so that you and others can reference it easily. I stole the idea from Cash and quite a few others are doing it as well as having a link in our Signatures to our WIP threads.

Edited May 18, 2014 by ub3r_n3rd

[ShadowRaven]

I don't have any vases hand so ~chucks an empty coke can~

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

I could have written your OP mini-bio, as it describes me as well. Only would have had to change 40K to Fantasy. I've also come across the long ago half-painted mini and struggled to remember (or even still possess) the original paint. I'm trying to do a better job of keeping a paint journal I can refer back to. I'm also trying to finish what I start now. Switching from GW to Warlord and other skirmish level games helps. It is easier to take the time to make 10-20 individual minis look great, rather than try to slog through 100 and just get discouraged.

Yep, same idea here.  I have to try and start a journal but I tend to get in the zone and just go for it and then I have dozens of bottle lying about and can't remember what I used.

 

I love your idea on the gnolls and bugbears, totally agree that there should be different fur/skin colors within the same species. Humans are really varied in skin colors, hair colors, eye colors and other features, so definitely looking forward to your experimentation with those two. I'd say as far as critiques go, try to keep a painting notebook if you have trouble remembering what colors you used. The other way is exactly what you are doing now, having a WIP thread and just writing it down in here so that you can refer back to them. 

 

As far as the top of the thread goes, if you are going to keep this thread going (which I really hope you do), as the pages get further into it and you keep doing your WIP's do a Table of Contents with links to those WIP posts and your Show Offs when you finish them so that you and others can reference it easily. I stole the idea from Cash and quite a few others are doing it as well as having a link in our Signatures to our WIP threads.

Thanks Ub3r.  Another reason for trying to be regular about the WIP and get the colors in there before I forget.  Plus if I chronicle things here, it's one less thing to bring with me when I travel.

 

I don't have any vases hand so ~chucks an empty coke can~

Yes!  Another nickel!   Wait, non-redeemable!  What a monster!

 

Thank you all for looking, and commenting.

[MonkeySloth]

Wow, you've been busy. Loving the colors on the knights and can't wait to see how the rest progress.

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

Wow, you've been busy. Loving the colors on the knights and can't wait to see how the rest progress.

Well to be honest, a lot of these are miniatures that got started long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away.  The majority of the knights were painted 2-3 years ago, the squidly one was last year at PAX East, the bugbear and gnoll were during last summer's vacation at the in-laws in Florida.  The only ones started this year are Damien and the dwarf.

 

I tend to go off on a tear and then lose steam.  Hence the goal to finish some things before starting anew.  I'll have to see how well I can keep it up.

[smokingwreckage]

I do the same thing! Fortunately there have been some completions.

 

Hey, with the devil-guy, have you thought of doing the horns black or midnight blue and shading up? It would be tricky, but it might work. If you find that too close to his hair colour, maybe highlight the hair up to white?

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

That is a thought.  I could also break up the hair with streaks of grey to help differentiate it from the horns.  This requires careful thought.