40k – Page 2 – ToadChapel Minis

Touille

A few days ago I finished painting Touille, a delightful new miniature from Blacksmith. The model gave me a chance to continue my exploration of strong saturated colors, complex color composition, and vivid skintones.

I enjoy peaceful, happy, whimsical minis. Too often I show my enthusiastic two-year-old daughter a figure I’ve painted, only to have her point out that he’s ‘really grumpy’ or ‘really scary’. When I find an excellent sculpt like this one, then, that I know will catch her eye, I’m excited to get my hands on it. To be clear, these are also the kind of miniatures I like to paint most. I have no more fondness for demons clutching severed heads than my daughter does. Ok, maybe a little.

Cormac (2 XI)

The time came to fulfill the Saint Francis vibe on Cormac, providing him with his little woodland friends.

Mini bust of Cormac by Lucas Pina for Black Crow

While these delightful little animals offer the possibility for strong secondary focal points, I chose to paint them as humble, somewhat drab creatures rather than colorful personalities.

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.

Sansa Looking Severe

My most recent project is a 1/10 bust of Sansa Stark. The figure is ‘Queen of the North’ by Nuts Planet.

I had a lot of fun painting Sansa, while also pushing against my artistic & technical limitations. This was my goal!

Rolf, My Boy, See If This Pot Fits on Your Head.

I have put the final brushstrokes on another bust from ZabaArts. This is Rolf, a dwarf with a, er, versatile hat.

As with all Zaba characters, Rolf has a ton of personality that is a joy to draw out and interpret with your brushes.

The Acolyte

A week or so ago I finished this wonderful little mini bust from Maxime Penaud, AKA the Secret Workshop.

This model was a blast to paint, with interesting expression, volume, and materials, served up in a bite sized package that kept me focused on the achievement of my painting goals.

Project Space Marine 2: Big Blue

I’ve been slow to post the latest entry into my space marine project, but here he is in all his transhuman glory. Working my way around the color wheel from green took me into Ultramarine territory.

I feel like I learned a good deal on this fellow and improved in some respects over the green meanie.

Android Antihero

I finished up the rogue robot from Trovarion Miniatures, and I’m very happy with how he turned out.

I made significant changes to the mini, all intended to place maximum focus on the face(plate). The most notable was the switch of the color of the bags.

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.