More Warmachine

Here's another of the Warmachine models that came in the starter set: a Destroyer from the Empire of Khador

This guy was a good learning experience, since I tried out some new techniques: two-brush blending on the armor, lots of glazes to shade the axe, and snow and tufty grass on the base.  I'm still sticking with the zenithal highlights, though I didn't use my airbrush on this guy.  There's room for improvement of course, but I'm happy with the model's overall impact.  He looks really imposing, and that axe looks sharp!  I may touch up the snow a bit, since it picked up some red paint from my filthy palette, but otherwise he's done. 

Sculpting Fire

I picked up a few new models recently.  They're Warmachine models from Privateer Press, and this particular batch is a bunch of giant robots built by religious zealots who like fire, along with some holy knights with flaming swords.  For that reason, I decided to try my hand at sculpting some flames:

The green bits are the parts I added, made from a two-part epoxy putty usually called "green stuff."  The flamethrower on the last fellow doesn't look quite right, but I'm pleased with the other two.  Hopefully I'll get around to painting them soon.

Ezekiel Finished

A finished (and brighter) photo of the fellow I was working on in my last post:

Overall, I'm happy with him.  The one thing I don't like about this model is how busy it is.  There's loads of great detail, but it almost overwhelms the model's basic silhouette, which I think takes away from the "I'm a scary space marine with a big glowing sword coming to kill you" vibe.  I may revisit him at a later date, but for now, he's done.  Now I need to work on his buddies...and my dissertation.

New Space Marines

It's been a while, but here's something I've been working on lately:

The model is "Ezekiel, Dark Angels Librarian," from the Games Workshop sci-fi range.  I've always loved this model, but I never got around to painting him somehow.  He still has a ways to go, and will probably get a new base before the end, but he's done enough that I thought I'd put him up.

Weekend Warriors

Some Dark Elf Warriors (Games Workshop) painted over the weekend.  I basecoated them with my airbrush, using the same zenithal highlighting technique I've been talking about lately, and then went in to do the details with a brush.  The highlight isn't as smooth as I'd like it to be, but that comes with practice, I guess.  In any event, these guys are basically cannon fodder, so they're a good choice for practice.  They'll be getting snazzy bases and shields once I decide how to paint them.

Snow Day

In honor of the snow, here are my latest efforts at making model-sized winter scenery:

These are all 25 mm bases decorated with a variety of "found objects."  On the bases with the black rims, the snow is made from a paste I bought at the craft store.  It was a little grainy for my taste, so I made my own mix of glue, baking soda and white paint, which can be found on the base with the brown rim.  I mixed it a little too thin, but that should be easy enough to fix.  I have some ideas about cool ways to use this technique, but that's for another day.

Sourced Lighting

Life has been busy of late, so here are some more in-progress shots of the sorceress.  She's a ways from finished, but you can see the sourced lighting I'm trying to develop.  I personally think it looks best from the rear, but you can see it on her face and arm as well.  The goal here is to make it look as if the orb in her hand is glowing, casting light onto nearby surfaces.  It's a tricky thing to paint, but it looks awesome if you get it right.