Work In Progress – ToadChapel Minis

Cormac (28 X)

I’ve passed a crucial threshold with Cormac, bringing in the vibrant Autumn leaves to set the tone for the whole miniature. Hopefully now it is clear that Cormac himself represents the season and its fleeting beauty.

I find that my minis tend to evoke for me the circumstances of their creation, the time, goings on, and attendant emotions. I knew this year I wanted to capture the striking, fiery colors of the Fall foliage in western Pennsylvania (USA for those not familiar with American geography), playing into my sentimentality by making a kind of visual record of this special time of year.

Cormac 26 X

I have more progress to share with you on Cormac. I’ve been able to paint nearly every day recently, often for nice stretches, and I’ve built up good momentum as I’ve worked through most of the major areas on the mini. Still a lot of work remains, though, as the details will require care to do justice to the sculpt and my vision for it.

Textures have always been an important part of the way I paint, and I hope I’m achieving finer and more interesting material effects now than ever before. Certainly as I strive to fulfill the artistic course I’m charting, I want to incorporate the continued and conspicuous use of textures in my work.

Cormac 20 X

It’s been sheer joy painting Lucas Pina’s Cormac bust (Black Crow). Every pose and gesture is super expressive, and the face shines with humanity. It’s my first time painting one of Lucas’s sculpts, but it will definitely not be my last.

I’m daydreaming of painting Cormac when I’m at work, eager to explore his character and effects. I have a clear plan of how I’ll handle the various textures, but the spirit of discovery will guide my brush.

Cormac 17 X

I’ve gotten in the habit in recent months of mostly showing finished minis around ToadChapel, and I figured it might be fun to work through my next project with more of a log running. My next model is Cormac, a classic bust from Black Crow Miniatures that has been painted well in a variety of styles.

I’m hoping to bring to this project a clear aesthetic direction and the patience to see it through. I’ve been thinking a great deal about what I want my figures to look like, what my style is, and I intend to apply the fruits of that reflection to this model.

Rogue Robot

I was getting a little tired of painting space marines (my tolerance isn’t that high!), so I reached into my box of models and pulled out the Rogue Robot by Trovarion Miniatures. I was attracted to the variety of materials and textures and the interesting mix of familiar and fantastical elements.

This is a WIP shot, with substantial development still to come.

Exotic Meats

From the outset I’ve had in mind a exaggerated tall narrow wall behind the kobold to reinforce his diminutive stature and shabby urban surroundings. It took a while to get the finish right, but I’m finally happy with this:

For some reason the phrase ‘exotic meats’ sprang to mind to provide a little ominous backdrop to this sinister character. He clearly doesn’t do much cutting himself anymore, but he keeps that old knife sharp.

I still need to try to kill the shine from the many ink washes and I’m planning some streaky slime on the wall and a few plants sneaking between the cobblestones. It may actually take a while before the project is finished, but it’s mostly there.

Let me know about the little fellow’s new home.

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Sinister Shorty

After a delightful break from all mini related activity, which involved several days in the woods with my family, I’m back at this kobold (whom everyone calls a leprechaun) and starting to think about wrapping up the painting.

Here is where he stands now, needing gold NMM buttons, buckles, and bits and the inevitable tidying up before I move on to basing him.

A Full Figure at Last

After a good string of busts over the last few weeks, I got the urge to paint a full figure mini again. I dug this kobold from Blacksmith Miniatures out of the box and felt he’d do nicely. This is one of the models from the J.B. Monge line they did, which I kickstarted a few years back.

He’s 54mm, but short because, you know, he’s a kobold. Still, he’s got an enormous dome, so that is nice to work on.

Headed to Hastings

I’m still cranking out the projects here in the Chap. This time it’s a historical piece, a 1/16 scale bust of a Norman warrior at the battle of Hastings.

This is another great model from FeR, whose line has become a favorite of mine. These small busts are cheap and offer a good chance to practice different textures and ideas on a project you can complete in a matter of days.

Thanks for stopping in. Let me know what you think!

Papa Smurf

Though my posting has been sparse, I’ve been getting a lot of time on the hobby bench lately. Progress on Maulg is steady, but there’s often not a lot to show for it, as I’m going very slowly and trying to paint as well as I possibly can. It’s intimidating to approach a figure this way, but liberating at the same time. To just recognize that you’ll aim for your absolute best, but that it’s still a learning exercise, that you’ll fail some things you try, and that it won’t be as good as you can perhaps imagine helps to explode hang-ups and open the doors to improvement.

Here’s my boy. He’s starting to look a little closer to finished, though there are still entire bits left to paint and some major adjustments still to come.

Using a very similar palette on all elements of his ‘clothing’ and ornaments posed a challenge, but I wanted to avoid drawing attention away from the face and other more important sections.

I’m taking feedback from a few sources, which has improved the quality of the painting already. Feel free to add your thoughts, too!