Rigel's BARTON & BRADBURY CIRCUS

[Rigel]

Made up my mind long ago that I should paint A CIRCUS. I've had 50124 (Merlock the Magnificent) and 50125 (Yvette, Magician's Assistant) for a while, and also one of the Killer Clowns (50247, Zonkers). And then I found a sheet of red-and-white Big Top striped paper, and a few other things from other sources, and The Addiction set in. 

Here's what I've got so far: 


Sarastro the Mentalist there is from Black Cat, and the lady in the Romany garb is a Nolzur's dancer that comes with the barmaid. The orb was from Nolzur's Wizard's study set dressing, and you've already met Cole Stoker, the Pulp Minis stevedore. (Every circus needs roustabouts, especially ones with shovels.) 

BUT IT WASN'T ENOUGH. IT WOULD NEVER BE ENOUGH.

 

A circus needs:

-a ringmaster (50277)
-MORE CLOWNS (02216, Kosmo)
-a sinister knife-thrower (50012, Jack the Ripper)
-acrobats (50169, Lady Tiger--there weren't any acrobats under the Circus tag, but if you want spandex and eye-catching costumes, you go Superheroes)
-fire-eaters/daredevils (50196, Devil Girl; she would also work in a Weird West game)
-animal tamers (coulda used a pith-helmeted pulp explorer, but 50041 has a whip and a sweet costume)
-a strongman (50273, Herq)

And I also picked up 50121, Dr. VooDoo, because top hat, theatrics, and magic fit in well with the themes I've got. 

Had some wooden discs for targets (the half-assed paint job is on purpose, such as an underpaid clown might slap on with a very wide brush). I'll also make some cotton candy and fried food stalls, inspired by this: http://carmensminiaturepainting.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-i-made-hotdog-stand-for-my-pulp.html 

Decided to make Zonkers the "friendly" clown and Kosmo the "horrifying Grimaldi/Pagliacci" clown. My order arrived with a sample of deep midnight/cobalt blue that was perfect. 



So far, this is ArmyPainter True Red, that reaper-sample blue, white, and black. Devil Girl is also done in Reaper's Cinnamon Red (my go-to for tieflings.)



The Plan (advice and C&C welcome):
Jack, I think, will be grey pinstripes, including the top hat, the top of which is a target. 
Firefox the Animal Tamer: Brown whip, redhead, pale skin, fox-orange costume
Lady Tiger: I would give her tiger stripes, but don't want to step on the orange territory too much, so yellow cheetah/leopard pattern perhaps?
Ringmaster: Seeking advice on the trousers. White? Pale khaki? YELLOW? Stripe down the side, of course.
Dr. VooDoo: Straightforward brown skin, yellowed grass skirt, going to try to paint skull-and-ribcage makeup on him
Kosmo: that lollipop. Advice welcome. Rainbow, heavy on yellow? Peppermint? Continue his terrifying color scheme? 
Herq: I feel like he needs horizontal stripes on the tank top. Red or blue? 
Devil Girl: Also torn. I don't want that duster to be black (thinking probably tan, for the Hellboy resonance?) but that bustier is what's perplexing me.

Come with me on this journey into calliope-sounding, popcorn-scented MADNESS! 
 

[paedia]

For the devil girl, what about a dark green bustier painted with a leather-like texture? It would set off the tone of her skin.

 

I like the Pale Khaki idea for the Ringmaster's pants.

 

Rainbow lollipop on the clown would be really unsettling (i.e. good :D)

 

Using Cheetara from Thudercats as a reference for your Lady Tiger could work.

 

 

[Rigel]

2 hours ago, paedia said:

For the devil girl, what about a dark green bustier painted with a leather-like texture? It would set off the tone of her skin.

I like the Pale Khaki idea for the Ringmaster's pants.

Rainbow lollipop on the clown would be really unsettling (i.e. good :D)

Using Cheetara from Thundercats as a reference for your Lady Tiger could work.

I'd be lying if I said Thundercats wasn't an influence...
Green would also work well with a khaki trench coat...wouldn't have thought of it myself. I have Reaper's "Ancient Oak" paint that might work there.
Rainbow it is! 

Thank you for the suggestions; I appreciate them.

[Inarah]

I'd do some silver or gold metallic on the girls (think gold lame' or sequinned costumes.) 

 

Going to get some popcorn. :) 

 

 

[Rigel]

4 hours ago, Inarah said:

I'd do some silver or gold metallic on the girls (think gold lame' or sequinned costumes.) 

 

Going to get some popcorn. :) 

Good call! I do have a lot of sparkly pearl paint...and plenty of metallics. 

[Glitterwolf]

Awesome project!

 

You could include more animals, Lions, Tigers.

If you purchase a few Bones Unicorns and cut off the horn, you can create a group of horses.

Some Wizards might look great as an illusionist.

 

There are more dancing girls in Reaper's catalogue that would fit the bill.

I once visited a circus that had crocodiles and snakes, and a Kung Fu demonstration.

 

You're imagination is the limit for this.

 

[Rigel]

1 hour ago, Glitterwolf said:

Awesome project!

 

You could include more animals, Lions, Tigers.

If you purchase a few Bones Unicorns and cut off the horn, you can create a group of horses.

Some Wizards might look great as an illusionist.

 

There are more dancing girls in Reaper's catalogue that would fit the bill.

I once visited a circus that had crocodiles and snakes, and a Kung Fu demonstration.

 

Your imagination is the limit for this.

Thank you and good thinking!  I've got a couple of Nolzur panthers and a sabertooth for the lion-taming act; that Carnivorous Ape may make an appearance, and between the SpaceMutants, Deep Ones, and Cascabelle the Rattler Woman, we've already seen a good chunk of the Freaks. (And I have that hobo for an Emmett Kelly clown, too.) That orangutan I'm making over in the Sculpting forum? Also a splendid edutainment sideshow. 

Do definitely need some horses though. Unicorns are a great idea there. 
Which danceuses were you thinking of? 

Here's how things stood yesterday:


And here's today's progress:  

 

Mister Stabbs is almost done, I'd say. Red, black, white and grey, but with a horribly yellowed smile. A bit of a wash and some detail on the knife and razor handles should do. 

Here he is with that horrible clown: 


The lollipop is two out-of-step color wheels (good call @paedia ), and candied up with Citadel 'Ardcoat. It looks sticky and unwholesome. I should go over the transitions a bit. 


 

Ringmaster needs some shading, stage makeup, etc to make him come to life, but I'm happy with the overall layout. 

Here's the bulging, hairy-chested Strongman and the first draft of Doctor VooDoo: 


I like the ribcage and leg bones but am not satisfied with that skull makeup. What does it need? 

And lastly, here are our ladies (Ailura, Phosphora, and Caracal). Didn't get around to them tonight. I think that I'll put tiger stripes on Firefox there? and certainly drybrush Devil Girl's trench coat with scorch marks aplenty. And spangle the girls up all 'round (thank you @Inarah !)  

[Glitterwolf]

Great Progress!

 

Some ideas for minis that might be useful for you.

 

Dancers:

https://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/dancing/latest/03767

 

https://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/dancing/sku-down/02448

 

https://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/dancing/sku-down/60061

 

https://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/dancing/sku-down/03531

 

https://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/dancing/sku-down/02101

 

https://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/dancing/sku-down/02749

 

 

 

[Rigel]

Didn't have to move house as I feared, but logistics got in the way of posting. Painting went all right though! To be honest, making signage for these guys probably took more time than the paint job. 
Devil Girl went with the gold sequinned bustier idea (and indeed she is a bustier mini!). I tried some OSL with the flames and some scorch marks on the trench coat. 

Lady Tiger got an elaborate jaguar pattern on her leotard, and gloves/boots in a simpler Cheetarah style. She's working with carnival resources here, not superhero resources. Put her on a base that could be used as an acrobatic springboard. 

FireFox, our Beast Tamer, I decided to keep as a fox color scheme, mostly because I like the boots and the gloves in black. She's probably Irish; I tried to add some freckles. The cats and the bear are Nolzur's; the elephant is a Schleich IIRC.

 

Here's where we stand so far; I'm calling the personnel done, though I still have some props and concession stands in the works. 


 

[Glitterwolf]

I love this!

[ladystorm]

Consider 50308 and 50309 from the steampunk circus ReaperCon (2013?).

She is a rat handler and he is taller than many, without stilts.

[Rigel]

11 hours ago, ladystorm said:

Consider 50308 and 50309 from the steampunk circus ReaperCon (2013?).

She is a rat handler and he is taller than many, without stilts.

Ooo! I hadn't considered them for circus personnel, but they're both on my wishlist for an upcoming steampunk project!