WizKids: Pathfinder Gargantuan White Dragon WZK73145 (Rimeblast)

[strawhat]

I started Rimeblast a couple weeks ago.  She's the first thing I've painted in some time.  It won't be anything special (I've got to learn how to up my game one of these days), but it's a start.

 

This won't be a real in-depth thread, just the "end of the night" update after a painting session.

 

 

Well, that was where I started.  I knew that the "white" dragon wouldn't be white.  It's not the way things are in the world where Rimeblast dwells.  But, this is the Ocean Colors triad (specifically Deep Ocean), which isn't just blue enough.  

 

So, after a couple weeks of unhappy-back-of-the-mind pondering I pull out the paints again.  This is where I am now.

 

 

This is better.  This is Sky Blue with little bits of Deep Ocean peaking through.  I'm "OK" with that.  It gives some variation so she's not (quite) all the same shade.  I'm thinking I'm going to take a heavy drybrush of Frosty Blue, and then a lighter drybrush of Ghost White, or even Sparkling Snow, to finish the scales. 

 

The scutes (belly scales) have received a coat of Foggy Grey which is, I've discovered, very close to the shade of Vallejo grey primer already on it.  I'll likely be using Pure White and Sparkling Snow to finish those up--assuming I don't go back and redo them in Rainy Grey.  I'm afraid the countershading will be a little too "bright" if I leave them at "Foggy."

 

I'm still not sure where I'm going to take the spinal ridge, crest, and wings.  The bones/supports in the wings bug me a bit.  I keep thinking that there should only be three or four support "fingers" (like a bat), and there a lot more there.  Pardon me while I over-analyze fantasy creature morphology.  

 

Thanks for dropping by!

 

Edited June 19, 2021 by strawhat

[MediocrePainter]

White and blue is always a nice colour scheme. I actually think using some stripes of pure white with some very light shading can also look really good. No need to always remove it. Especially at the belly it can look good. Just my humble opinion though.

 

What is the blue/green coulurs name you used on the first pictue? I think you called it oceandeep? I want to know what it is for future painintg projects of myself.

Edited June 19, 2021 by MediocrePainter

[strawhat]

White and Blue is definitely a powerful combination!

 

I'm thinking, though, that I'll likely go over the Foggy Grey with the slightly darker Rainy Grey.  The scutes would still end up mostly Foggy Grey with the edges in Pure White/Sparkling Snow.

 

I was wondering if I should revisit the spinal ridge with the Deep Ocean.  The Sky Blue is so vibrant and I've not worked with much with Deep Ocean, so I'm having trouble "seeing" it mentally.

 

As for the colors, I work strictly with Reaper paints.  It's nothing against other brands, it's just the way that I have chosen to focus.  Reaper has what they call "triads" for some colors with a base/shadow shade, the main shade, and a highlight shade.  In this case, the original color on the dragon was the shadow shade from the Ocean Colors Triad (09076).  I've linked to the triad (Deep Ocean: 09076, Marine Teal: 09077, and Surf Aqua: 09078) in the Reaper store.  The colors on my screen are a little more blue than the paint appears to me.

[MediocrePainter]

Thanks for the link. I want to paint some aquatic stuff in the future so that colour triade might be worth a try.

[strawhat]

They're some great colors, but I just haven't found quite the right uses for them...yet.

[strawhat]

Tonight's progress:

 

Some black on the talons, in the mouth, in the nostrils, and on the eyes.    I've gone over the scutes with Rainy Grey, and used some RG on the crest as well.  The inside of the mouth will be visited with Dark Elf Skintones in the near future.  The talons will probably receive some Nightmare Black for some "highlights."

 

 

The spinal ridge has been hit with the Deep Ocean.  It's a little uneven, but that's semi-on-purpose.  The ridge reminds me more of hair than some sort of scales, so if it's uneven, I figure that's more in keeping with hair.  I'll probably be digging out some Coal Black and putting a few streaks here or there for more variation.

 

 

Quick Review of the Pathfinder Gargantuan White Dragon (as a miniature):

 

One thing I've noticed, in general, is that my paint coverage is pretty uneven when it probably shouldn't be.  I don't know if it's the Vallejo primer itself, if the primer didn't wasn't applied well to begin with, or if I've handled it too much.  Any of those options is possible.  I've just noticed that the Rainy Grey is uneven, and that should be over a coat of Foggy Grey which is, in turn, over a coat of Vallejo primer.

 

I also wish the base weren't quite so smooth.  I usually just hit any base with some Pure Black, Shadowed Stone, or Grey Stone but that slick surface is making me think that a simple black base is going to be a bit more work than it ought to be.

 

I have also come to think that miniatures larger than "large" (a nice fit on a 2" base) should probably not be pre-assembled.  It's been a bit of a chore trying to get into some of the areas under the forelegs, to the back of the claws, inside the mouth, etc.  I suppose I could have tugged a bit at the wings and tail to see if I could have dislodged them, but I'm too far into it now.  The crest is also filled in behind the head.  With all the parts, you'd think that WizKids could have hollowed that out instead of leaving it filled.  It's a minor thing, but would have made a significant impact.

 

The plastic is also a bit rubbery, which wouldn't be a real problem if there was a better connection point for the flight post.  There's too much weight on a small area, and that's stretching the connection point.  If the post went in another quarter inch, I think it would be sturdier and less prone to lean so far.

[strawhat]

I can't believe it's been a month and a half.

 

Life was very busy getting in my way (personally and professionally) across multiple paths.  Things seem to be settling down now, so it was time to finally dig out some paints and brushes.  It honestly felt very weird to be painting again .  I would also describe it as "awkward."  It was like I was having trouble remembering what I was supposed to be doing with the brush and having trouble "seeing" what I was working on.  That's either due to poor eyes or lousy lighting in the dining room.

 

Some streaks of Coal Black applied to the spinal ridge, and Frost Blue with a heavy drybrush (dampbrush?) over the body.  And the merfolk (Dark Depths) have been blasted with Brown Liner.  Those aren't really part of this, but working on some smaller pieces helps when the gargantuan project starts to overwhelm.

 

 

 

 

 

[strawhat]

A little more done today.  My painting stamina has been in decline since last December.

 

But we "upgraded" the dining room light from the yellow (and insufficient) incandescent to a brighter and "cleaner" white LED.  It's helping.

 

So, I gave the spinal ridge another dry brush of the Deep Ocean to even things up and bring the Coal Black into the fold.  I also hit all those wing talons with Pure Black.  Seriously, who designed those wings?  That weird shroud both on top and on the inside of the wings?  Teeth have been given their Stained Ivory and Yellowed Bone base shades.  The tongue and mouth got a little attention with Dark Elf Shadow and Dark Elf Skin.  Not a lot of progress, but at least it's noticeable progress.

 

 

I'm still weighing options on the leathery wings, larger scales on the legs, and the hands/feet.  I'm thinking that I'm going to drop a shade or two (starting maybe at Sapphire Blue, or even Nightmare Black).  I'm trying to work under the assumption that, like polar bears, the fleshier bits would be darker.  I don't want them the same shades as the counter shading.

[strawhat]

She's ready for her closeup, Mr. DeMille:

 

 

I've gone with Sapphire Blue on the leathery bits.  I was originally going to use the same coloration on the hands/feet, but I've decided I don't much care for that.  So I'll have to go back and redo those.  The skin folds between the spines will stay darker.  I'm actually considering hitting those areas with a Nightmare Black wash to darken them a bit.

 

I've also hit the tongue with tongue and roof of the mouth with the Dark Elf Highlights. and the teeth with the final touch of Creamy Ivory.

 

 

Ugh...nothing by missed splotches on the wings.  I really wish that WizKids had hollowed out the back of the head under the crest, but after just trying to get the Sapphire Blue on there I'm glad they didn't.  Painting under the wing and arm of the Southbound End of the Northbound Dragon is awkward to say the least.

 

 

The more I work with those wings, the more I wish the sculptor had done things a little differently.  Up to FIVE layers of wing membrane?!  It kind of looks cool, but it's weird.  Too weird now that I've noticed it.  The layers on the underside of the wing should really have been left off.  Probably the layers on the tops, too.  But definitely on the bottom.  I've also noticed that the "grain" of the membrane runs forward/backward on the topmost layer, but left to right on the second and third layers.  I can't un-see it now.  I'm not painting talons on the largest (middle) section of membrane, but reserve the right to reconsider.

[strawhat]

I got some answers to a personal situation that took a tremendous amount of stress away, and since the Game Envy goodies arrived today, I felt the need to paint again!

 

Tonight's progress:

 

 

Drybrush of True Blue over the wings and various membranes (head crest, fins on the arms).

 

 

And I decided that the Sapphire Blue was too dark for the hands/feet and the associated scales.  So I went with True Blue.  That will be drybrushed with Sky Blue and Frosty Blue to tie everything together.

 

Even though I'm starting to feel like this will never be finished, I have to remind myself that I haven't spent that long on it--about seven hours (I'm horribly slow) including the initial missteps that I had to redo.  I'm also seeing lots of tiny missed spots.  I'm hoping that whatever wash I use (Sapphire Blue, Nightmare Black, or a mix of the two) will help hide those.

[strawhat]

In the midnight hour she cried, "more, more, more!"

 

 

True Blue, Sky Blue, and even a touch of Frosty Blue.  I'm going to have to clean up those claws, though.  It's like I should have waited to do some of that in the first place.

 

 

Marine Teal and Surf Aqau on the spinal ridge!  I like it, but it doesn't "pop" as much as I would like.

 

 

Moonstone Blue on the scutes over the Rainy Grey base.  I'll be bringing in Sparkling Snow to take it up again.

 

 

 

She's starting to come together (or at least reach the point where I decide I've had enough).

 

 

R-A-W-R!

[mousekiller]

Exactly how I feel with the fire dragon!!  

 

She is coming along very nicely!  Keep it up!

 

[zoroaster100]

Coming along very nicely.

[strawhat]

I think I can see the finish line...

 

So tonight was a continuation of the scutes and some other clean-up work.  After the Rainy Grey and Moonstone Blue I wanted to try Sparkling Snow.

 

 

Yeah...That was a disappointment.  You only really see it on the lower part of the tail where the light is really bouncing off the pearlescent hue.  I also gave a little Sparkling Snow drybrush to the top of the wings and the crest on the back of the head.  Overall, I wouldn't do it again.  I think I'd go to Ghost White instead.

 

 

Speaking of Ghost White (a really useful color I love), I gave a light drybrush to the scales on the body of Ghost White.

 

 

And cleanup on the claws.  That was mostly just hitting all the claws with Pure Black again.  Man, that thing has a lot of claws/talons.

 

So, after all that, what's left?

 

Not much (thank goodness):

• Nightmare Black to give the claws some depth.
• Eyes!  I'm not looking forward to this.  I've been dealing with simple black orbs for now, but that can't last.
• Sapphire Blue/Nightmare Black wash over the whole body to cover some of those difficult to reach places.  I might change that from Nightmare Black to either Coal Black or Deep Ocean to bring in some of the other colors for a bit more unity.
• The base.  I don't do much with bases.  I would just give an appropriate color to the surface and a ring of black or other color around the edge.  I'm a little concerned about the finish on the base being so smooth and shiny, but I'll figure something out.

Thanks for stopping by!  I promise y'all, it'll be over soon!

[strawhat]

FINAL UPDATE:

 

She's done, or as done as I can get her without A) really messing things up and B) completely losing my mind.

 

 

The base.  This is mostly Ceramcoat White with Sparkling Snow brushed across it.  The goal was to give a flat base some "drama"...loose snow blown across an icy surface or something like that.  I think it mostly worked, except for that blotch by the tail which I meant to fix but forgot to do so.

 

 

 

 

 

In retrospect, the wash I made out of Nightmare Black and Sapphire Blue may have been too dark, and it didn't quite cover how and where I really wanted it. 

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Time to find a new project...