Winter Throwbacks (77068, 77433, 77434, 77435, 77436, 77437)

[MoonglowMinis]

Hello all!  It's been a little bit since I posted anything.  With the weather getting colder, I felt inspired to share some old winter-themed minis I painted up nearly two years ago when I first started painting.  Though the paintjobs aren't anything to write home about, they're still interesting models, and I like looking back on where I started.  Also, I'm slowly posting all my old bones minis so it was bound to happen sooner or later.

 

 

More photos and thoughts below the spoiler:

 

Spoiler

 

Anirion, Wood Elf Wizard (77068)

First up is this classic from the Learn to Paint: Layer Up kit.  I used this kit to try and go off script.  I referenced the lessons taught in the instructions, but tried choosing my own colors.  Apparently I decided she would make a good winter-themed wizard and she became the first of my winter collection.

 

I tried painting some snow caught on her cloak.  Probably the first freehanded detail I ever attempted.  It may not work perfectly, but it at least adds some much needed visual interest.  Her face is probably the worst part, but managing to get any color in to her eyes was impressive at the time.  She has sat next to my painting desk for awhile now and is my go-to stand-in when I want a height comparison.  Her base has yellowed with age, as I likely did not have enough paint covering the baking soda I used for texture.

 

Mage Knight - Mending Priestess (#017)

Next up is my first ever repaint, the Mending Priestess from Mage Knight.  When I first got into D&D I purchased a few lots of Mage Knight minis from ebay to help populate our table.  The minis are dirt cheap and can actually be pretty interesting.  The sculpts are rough, and the paintjobs are almost always pitiful.  This mini became the target of my first repaint as I envisioned her crown as an icy headdress.

 

I cut off the big clunky base and slapped some new colors on her and made myself a fun little ice-witch or Bheur Hag.

 

 

Again, she's not the greatest paintjob, but I'm still proud of the improvement from the starting model.

 

Winter Wolf (77437)

Continuing along we have the first of the Bones 3 Chill Out set.  This beastie has seen a lot of table time as both an enemy and as an animal companion in my games.  I was determined to make sure that the fur and the snow didn't totally blend together, and I'm still pleased with how those eyes turned out.  This was the first time I had attempted any kind of glowing effect.

 

Of course this guy is mostly drybrush and washes, as that was my go-to technique at the time.  Though you can't knock it for cranking out minis and it's a great confidence booster for those new to the hobby.

 

Yeti (77433, 77434, 77435, 77436)

And finally we have the yeti.  I remember having a hard time painting these guys.  These were painted before the Winter Wolf, and I hadn't yet learned the struggle of painting white.  I was clearly inspired by the coloration of the Bumble from the animated Rudolph special.  Armed with that inspiration, I churned out a handful of spooky blue yeti.

Yeti Chieftain (77434)

Yeti Shredder (77436)

Yeti Warrior (77435)

Yeti Shaman (77433)

 

My reliance on drybrushing and washing has left these guys a bit stained and chalky, but they still do a good job of terrorizing arctic adventurers.

 

 

It's always fun looking back on old paintjobs and seeing how far you've come.  Though it's also intimidating to share some of these rougher early works with the rest of you.  I hope you found some entertainment looking back on these with me.

 

I'm looking forward to getting the new Yeti set in Bones 5 and seeing how they stand up to these classics.

 

Feel free to share some of your favorite early pieces!

 

For more recent winter-themed minis, check out my Frostrun Project Here.

 

 

[jdizzy001]

Well done. And the MK repaint is a nice touch!

[Glitterwolf]

Great work, BONUS POINTS for painting a WOLF!

[MoonglowMinis]

Just now, Glitterwolf said:

Great work, BONUS POINTS for painting a WOLF!

Was waiting for that comment when i uploaded these!