Miniature Mushroom Tutorial

Spend any time around ToadChapel and you know I’m plum crazy about the fungus. I like the way mushrooms look and I like learning about them, so I photograph them, I draw them, and I use them extensively in my miniature projects. I’ve developed techniques for creating a variety of mushroom shapes suitable for 28mm, 54mm, or larger scale mini scenes, and I’m happy to share my approach with you. Depending upon how you paint these, you could produce many actual mushroom species and an unlimited number of fictional fungi.

These mushrooms are sturdy and small enough to use on gaming bases, especially if you place them intelligently, but they’re delicate enough to add a lot of dazzling detail to display pieces. Read on to learn how to work some minuscule mushrooms into your next modeling project.

Another Base without a Face

I’ve found time here and there to complete another little vignette. This one features a dead tree, which I haven’t done in a while. As usual, this one is a kind of lesson to be applied in basing minis, as well as a little imaginative refuge in its own right.

A detaile base featuring a forest scene without a miniature.

The base is 1.5″ square. I like the challenge of telling a story or creating a scene dense in interesting details on a very small scale. Continue reading “Another Base without a Face”

Against Burnout

I’ve been off the blog for a little while as I visited my parents and spent some time in the woods. I’ve got some nice pictures from my little adventure for you to enjoy.

I chose not to bring any hobby projects with me, though it’s a good place to paint & concentrate. Pushing myself hard this Summer both in my painting and in my efforts to create a more exciting website left me a little lacking in direction as I finished up the painting phase of Yarry. Many people believe that you simply have to paint all the time in order to improve, but I’m not certain that’s true.

Sometimes it’s best for me just to recapture the desire to paint and the desire to better yourself as an artist before you get creatively burnt out.

Continue reading “Against Burnout”

Disaster Strikes!

The squad of marines, fearless heroes all, moved among the crumbling walls and dilapidated mausolea of the hive cemetery. The only sounds were whispered battle chatter across the vox lines and the clank of boots on the metal pathways of what had once been a thriving Imperial city.

According to reports, strange warp activity had been detected in this area. Chaos? They were taking no chances.

Then, as if from nowhere, the enemy were among them, swinging cruel blades and discharging blasts of freezing flame. As the Astartes fanned out to create a defensive net, the blur of dark and horrible shapes engulfed them.

It’s time for another Kill Team battle report. Past time! Sorry for the wait.

But imagine how I feel. I preordered Elites, and didn’t play a game with the new rules until tonight!

You can imagine how excited I was to get some of the new units I’d painted on the board, bold Space Marines as yet unblooded on field of battle… Continue reading “Disaster Strikes!”

Papermodeling Principles

Until I met g0rb on CMoN, I had never heard of papermodeling. Chris Venter, as he is known outside the hobby community, is a regular visitor to the Work In Progress forum on Cool Mini, where he astounds us with his amazing vehicles built from cut paper and other found materials. I have been very impressed by his attention to detail, creativity, and commitment to improvement. Chris is definitely an artist to watch as he continues to evolve and develop as a modeller and sculptor. I asked him to share some reflections on his papermodelling. As you’ll see, his approach to papercraft bears on other aspects of the miniature hobby, and on the creative process itself.

Papercuts – or, How I Get from Cereal Box to War Machine

Over the last year or so I’ve fallen in love with scratchbuilding models. My weapon of choice is paper.

A detailed Warhammer 40k Landraider made from paper.

Land Raider, 2018 Continue reading “Papermodeling Principles”

How to Paint Rust like a Champ

John Margiotta joins us again to teach how he approaches one of his specialities: rust, grime, and corrosion. He’ll be painting up a classic 40k Plague Marine mini to show us how it’s done. Grandfather Nurgle will be proud!

Hello all, BaM here. On today’s tasty menu at the Chapel I’d like to introduce a small tutorial on how I went about painting the rust on my beautiful Deathguard that you may have seen in my gallery.

Continue reading “How to Paint Rust like a Champ”

Grim Reaper

Slowly I’m still adding to my Warhammer 40k Kill Team options. Here’s progress on an Intercessor Sergeant with a chainsword.

I kind of avoid painting these guys until after the wash stage. From that point on it’s fun, but the blocking in of colors is pretty mindless.

If you’re interested in the process, check out this tutorial to learn more.