77261: Nabassu with Sharpies

[kristof65]

Someone, somewhere during Bones 3 asked if Sharpies would work on Bones minis.  I have been using Sharpies to label my Bones on the bottom of the base, so I knew they would work, but it got me wondering - could you do an entire Bones mini with Sharpies?

 

The answer is a qualified yes:

 

 

This was done with a Red and Brown Sharpie for the demon, and a Grey one for the base during our D&D game this evening.  The two biggest issues I've seen so far is that the the recesses are hard to get to with a standard Sharpie tip, and it has a glossy finish. BTW, the glossy finish is far more noticeable in the photo than in person, because it's washing out the detail. 

My current concern is how well it will wear.  Update in a few days.   I think I'm going to give it a wash of Army Painter Strong Tone, then see what it looks like then seal it when I'm done. 

[Darcstaar]

I never would have thought of this!

[Pezler the Polychromatic]

Fantastic so far, with a little bit of work you could really put some details on it. Sharpie does make Ultra Fine Point markers, so that should help you with the recesses. A hit of clear matte sealer should deal with the glossy finish, I think.

[Mr Melons]

Darn it! Now I want a gummy Demon!

[Bruunwald]

One day, a number of years back, I came home from work to find my then-five-year-old son had "painted" a few of my metal figs with Sharpies. Clearly works better with Bones.

[kristof65]

So this mini has been "painted" for 12 hours now.  As I was putting my game stuff away this morning, I pulled it out and put it on a shelf so I wouldn't forget about it.  At this point, the surface is still a little tacky, and I got red ink on my hands as I handled it - though I'll admit to pinching the wings harder than I needed to.  I'm going to let it "air out" for a few days before I do anything else, but ultimately, I think I'm going to have to seal it with dullcote.

 

Pezler - I actually ordered a set of the Fine Point Sharpies last night as I was working on it for that exact same reason. 

I definitely want to try another one using this technique. I have so many Bones now (and more on the way), this technique may be a way to actually complete some of the many mooks while I'm gaming. Sharpie "painted" Bones couldn't be any worse in appearance than the unpainted bones and toy dinosaurs we fought in our game last night. 

[kristof65]

So two weeks have gone by since I did this figure with the Sharpies. It was still slightly tacky, and left a red marks on my fingers when I tried to handle it yesterday.

So I decided to see how it would handle a wash of Army Painter Quick Shade Strong Tone.

 

It looks better today - the glossiness and tackiness are gone. 
 

[kristof65]

At this point, I'm going to blast this mini with a coat of Dullcote, and call it done. 

 

It is by no means my best work, and frankly, I think the Sharpies are more trouble than they're worth - at least for trying to do a whole mini.  I did try another mini from Bones 2 - some sort of mini demon - and I had massive problems getting all the areas with the Sharpie - even with an extra fine point. 

I don't think Sharpies are going to be a viable option for "painting" Bones - though they work, you still have to do something about the tackiness, and they're harder to actually get a good "base coat" down with.  That said, my next experiment is going to trying to use Sharpies to detail a cloak on an otherwise traditionally painted mini. 

[Pezler the Polychromatic]

I've really enjoyed reading up on this, I think this  was a fantastic experiment that you've trailblazed. At least we know know how Sharpies work, and I think that there are specific situations that they might work well. If you really want something that makes your curiosity chew away at your brain, try some daylight fluorescent pigments!