Kitbashing for Necropolis

With October right around the corner, it is time to make some spooky miniatures to match the season. My local group decided to give Necropolis a go! I knew from the start I wanted to make some skeletons. One because skeletons are cool and two I already had some skeletons to use. Before I started kitbashing, I spent some time thinking of a concept for my skeletons. I wanted them to be more than just bones. Luckily, when my friend Anthony was visiting some game shops, he found a sick Skeleton King and that sparked my idea. My Skeletons are led by a Witch King, who resurrected his dead knights from the grave. This also gave me the idea to include dirt and sticks on the model to make them look like they recently emerged. 

To get started, I clipped out some skeleton bodies from the sprue. One pose was more static while the other is shambling forward. Since I had the concept of knights, dirt and branches. I knew I wouldn't be using skeleton arms for all the models. Some would be more armored then others. Like it was showing the ranks of the knights. 

Since I needed natural looking bits. I combed through my bits box and pulled out all the syveneith bits that I had. Most of these were bought off of ebay for 20 bucks! This resulted in a bunch of random parts that I wasn't totally sure how to use. But that is just an excuse to experiment. 

Looking though the bits, I quickly found some dryad arms as an alternative. I like how wicked the fingers are and how the texture on the arms added a different look. The arms also added a nice amount of movement. There were some awkward gaps in the shoulders, but that will be fixed later. Adding asymmetry to a model is one of my favorite ways to add visual interest. Using the spindly branches from a bunch of kits, I added branches sticking out from the tops of the shoulders. I even used some to create halos around the skulls that are inspired by medieval artworks. 

To fix the awkward gapes on the shoulder, I super glued coffee grounds on the shoulder. I wanted the branches to feel like they are growing out of the skeleton. The model started out with the dryad arms then I added the halo of branches. While searching my bits pile, I found these vines. I wasn't sure how to use it at first but then shoved it under the ribs and liked how it looked like organs falling out. One the vines were glued in, I threw some dirt on top. For good measure, I shoved a branch in the eye socket. 

Soon enough, I had a bunch of skeletons kitbashed! Here are 3 from the warband. The metal bodies are metal casts of sculpts by Garden of Hecate which fit this warband perfectly! I'm glad I found the right project to use them for. 

Where this skeleton came from, I have no idea. It showed up in my bits box one day. I think some one threw it in there during Under The Dice Fest. I imagine this character to be the first knight of the Witch King. I swapped out the sword for a larger blade and added a dryad arm to the other side. 

This model needed very little kitbashing! All It needed was a new pauldron, sticks added to the shoulder and a staff fit for a necromancer.  

An old Warhammer Fantasy skeleton I painted years ago. Added some branches and a new axe and he was all set to go. I really love the shield on this guy and had fun painting it but thats for another post.

With all my skeletons kitbashed, it was time to paint them up! Next post will go into the process of how I painted the skeletons. The technique and look of the models are a bit different from what I normally do. 

Now go paint some spooky models for Halloween! 

Cool Dudes Chilling: Warhammer Fantasy Campaign Session 2

After our first game was completed, we met again to continue our campaign in the land of Chaos. Dellon set up the scenario and game mastered the session. 

Photo by Mike

After being ambushed by the Skaven of the Scourge of the 13 Plagues and ultimately both parties retreating from a rogue Giant, the dwarves of Thordak's Powder Company made camp miles away on a fortified formation of rocks. They carried their heaviest of cannon to the top and pointed it in the direction from once they came. This cannon was crafted for the dwarven lord Thordak as a token for slayed dragon. Little did they known that the Skaven and Demons joined forces with the goal of eliminating the pesky dwarves from their lands. 

Out of the dust of the wastes, the Demons of Lord Birfday and The Scourge of 13 Plagues emerged. Quickly the Dwarves volleyed canon balls into the ranks of Demons. Unfortunately, during the panic they were unable to properly aim with many cannon balls flying far over the battalions. Quickly the Skaven clashed with the Dwarves, with Lord Ratscratch leading the charge with his plague weaver blade. The Skaven surrounded the dwarves taking many of their gunmen out but not with out deaths on their own side. 

The Demons charged forward to clash with the Dwarves on the other side of the cliffs. The General commanded the Dwarves to quickly build additional fortifications to prevent the Demons from ascending the rock. But the ferocity of the demons could not be stopped! 

As both armies of Chaos swarmed the sides of the cliff as the dwarves fought for their ground. Lord Ratscratch and Thral Blackblood saw an opening in their defense and ascended the rock. The Plague Weaver blade of Lord Ratscratch cut through the heavy armor dwarves and the plague beast of Thral quickly thinned the ranks. With the dwarves nearing their end, Thral snatched the Dragon Cannon taking it home as a trophy for battle.

And that was our second session of the campaign! Next game reunites the forces for a search of a strange relic in the dunes of the Chaos Wastes. 

Kitbashing a Sci-Fi Monster

My favorite thing to kitbash are big monsters. I much rather make a mutant weirdo then a person. Which is usually why when I kitbash people there tends to always be something monstrous about them. My local group is planning to play Planet 28 next year which means we are all creating new warbands to use. My warband is very much inspired by the Cantina Scene from Star Wars and Aliens of Mass Effect video games. Still figuring out the color pallet but I'll share the whole painting process in the future.

While thinking about color theory, I decided I wanted a big brute alien to be an option for my wareband. To get started I looked through my bin of extra miniatures. There I found an Umber Hulk model to use as as the base. The Umber Hulk is an iconic D&D monster which means I have to chop it up. I cut off the head and the arms first thing. I opened up the bits box and found new head very quickly. It added a bug like quality to the miniature and the mouth was off putting. Next i found some Tyranid arms I acquired at Adepticon. I was very happy to finally have a miniature to add them to. I liked how it gives the monster hands but not the expected look. Since this creature is for a Sci-fi setting, I looked for machinery to add. 

Rummaging through the bits box, I found lots of cool bits to add to the shell of the monster. It was a puzzle to fit it all together cohesively. There were definitely times where I ripped bits off the shell after finding something better. I knew I would green stuff any awkward gaps after I finished kitbashing since I wanted the machinery to feel like it's embedded in the creature. 

After all the super glue dried, It was time to sculpt. I mixed up some green stuff and got to work! To start out I bulked up the arms to make the transition more cohesive. Then I added a more refined crest to the top shell of the creature. To connect machinery on the creature, cables were added from the backpack to the chest plate. I felt like the eyes were getting lost due to their small size and added more mass to the face. The lower back plates also felt a bit thin compared to the rest of the model. I added more green stuff to bulk out the back and add balance. 

After all the green stuff dried, I evaluated the model to see if further changes were needed. I am super happy with the silhouette and details on the model. I threw down some coffee grounds on the base and placed it next to the rest of the warband to prepare for paint. 

While I figure out the color theory for the warband, I am leaning towards a mostly green model with pops of yellow. Very much inspired by the original Aliens movie poster. But who knows when I sit down to paint the models, I might change my mind!

Cool Dudes Chilling: Warhammer Fantasy Campaign Session 1

After getting our armies together, it was time to play our first game for The Cool Dudes Chilling Warhammer Fantasy Campaign. We decided to start with 3rd edition. Dellon was kind to walk me and Mike through our first game. We ranked up or models and deployed our units!

The Dwarven army of Throdak's Powder Company marched into the Chaos Wastes led by the mighty Dwarf Thordak Powder Lord, Son of Thorkal Drake Feller. The Dwarves are chasing the Skaven out of the Dwarven territory. The Skaventide of The Scourge of 13 Plagues thundered across the wastes hearing tales of a warp stone mine in the land of the Thordak's people. During the chase, the Skaven managed to escape out of the eye sight of the Dwarves and waited. As the Dwarves passed through the plains, the Skaven ambushed the army springing up in front and behind. 

Even with the edge of surprise, the Skaven did not stand a chance against the mighty cannons of Throdak. Cannon fire obliterated a battalion of Plague Monks thinning their ranks quickly. But that did not stop the Skaven from pushing forward.

During the heat of battle, Munster clashed with the Minotaur. The Minotaur with its strength and giant axe swung its axe. But the Vortex of Chaos obliterated dwarves! 

The Plague Monks struggled to hold back the dwarves, but Munster Lord of the Brine strode forward with another blast of the Vortex of Chaos. 

Before either army could push forward, the ground quaked not from an earth quake but the heavy steps of a Giant wandering the land. Both the Dwarves and Skaven knew that this Giant would make quick meal out of each army and quickly retreated to fight another day,

Hope you enjoyed this narrative summary of our first game. We have played two other sessions and I'll be posting those in the upcoming weeks!

Studio Tour

I always wanted to have my own studio. A hole in the wall, where I could work on projects and not have to worry about making a mess. 

Last year, I moved! It wasn't a far move (it was literally moving from the second floor to the first floor) but it meant I became a home owner which freaked me out. It also didn't help that about a month before I bought the house, I was laid off from my job of nearly 7 years. I felt many emotions all at once and in waves. But I also saw a chance to really figure out my future. I was fortunate to find a new job quickly and in the gaming/miniature space. All while learning a completely new job, I built my dream studio space.

Most people would use the largest room in their apartment as a TV room or entertainment space. I knew that I would be spending the most time creating. That meant the TV room became my studio. As I stood in the empty room, I was like holy crap this is the biggest space I've had to just dedicate to art and making. In my head, I laid out where I wanted everything. Where to place the book shelves, work tables, display cabinets and most importantly storage for art supplies. 

I did need to make a trip to IKEA to get a few more things to complete the space. Two storage cabinets and a metal drawer to store all my drawing supplies by my drafting table. Its funny to be an illustrator in the miniature space, I've gotten more illustration work off of showing my miniatures than displaying my drawings alone. 

A few pieces were donated to me like this large glass cabinet that my older sister left for me. She inherited a larger cabinet herself from my grandparents and I knew this would be the perfect way to display my miniatures. I also like that its the first thing seen when walking into the house. (My dog Scooter makes some appearances) 

Another cabinet was found for FREE off the internet, my twin sister saw it and gave me the directions to pick it up one day after work. This is where I display all my warbands and old warhammer miniatures.  It’s not in the best condition but the lights work and it’s the best price which is free.

I personally prefer to listen to physical media when working. I like hearing the grain in the sound and using large speakers to fill the space. The stereo was my Dad's when I was a kid. For the past two decades it lived in a cabin where I rescued it to for listening to my cassettes. Over the past year or so, I became collecting Dungeon Synth cassettes as a wall to support the artists directly and have a new way to enjoy music.  On the shelves, I store all of my game books that includes my lifetime collection of Dungeons & Dragons as well as an entire shelf of indie games that I’ve collected over the past 15 years. On top of the shelves, I have random figures I’ve collected as well as more storage because I could never have enough zines.

I do not consider myself to be organized which is why I like having these cabinets to hide my mess. I promise there is a small bit of organization! Like all the model kits are together, paper, extra minis that are stored away, spray paint and all that jazz that I wouldn't want a kid or animal to get into.  I also have a large cabinet with many drawers for storing miscellaneous supplies. This includes popsicle sticks, random pieces of wood, marbles, and other small do-dads.  On top of the supply drawers, I’d like to keep some of my favorite figures, including some vintage Yu-Gi-Oh! figures, my small collection of the beholders, and some of my kitbashed Miniatures. Oh and of course dinosaurs you can’t go wrong with dinosaurs.

Next, we have my work table, which is where I spend most of my time in the studio. I would like to say that I always work neat and tidy, but I absolutely cleaned off the table before taking these photos. I usually have things stacked all around me, lots of different projects because I never working on just one thing at a time.  I always keep my tools within quick reach on a small cart. This cart also holds all my miniature paints. It’s nice and easy to tuck away when I use this table to host games. All over the walls, I have art and figures that I’ve collected over my whole life. This includes some original drawings as well as many prints and a few signed pieces of artwork. I find that Having lots of inspirational objects around me, fuels my creativity. 

Overall, I’m very happy to have my own studio and be able to share the space with my friends where we can work collaboratively and host games. While most people wouldn’t dedicate the largest room in their home for their art, I find that it works perfectly for me. 

 Bonus photo of Scooter, the dog tearing apart her pirate chicken.