Kingdom Death Ringtail Vixen ~ Kitsune

 

Painting this gal felt like walking into a minefield: it was so easy for it to look kinda trashy like a sexy Halloween costume, or like a furry. I don't have a problem with the latter; I think my value judgement is pretty obvious in my description of the former, and I wasn't going for either look, regardless.

This is a mix of more traditional (the grave markers are based on my time in Japan, and the mask is actually fairly strictly based on a specific papier-mâché festival mask I have) and more pop culture (referencing a few versions of more stylized anime etc. horror sources). I tried to get something simultaneously more naturally shaded (with a lot of blues and browns mixed in to avoid pure colors) while working with an almost chalky white that shows up in both early modern prints and in some anime.

Compulsion to Repeat - Kingdom Death White Lion set

This guy is practically where it all started, for me and KD: the White Lion is the first monster I painted, and one of the earliest KD models I painted.

He was also the first that I converted, I believe the first base I cast, and one of the first I later revised, all of which I've done a lot in the years since.

The Eyes of the Cat - Arena Rex Leo

It's been ages since I've painted an Arena Rex model, but I got the itch, and it was time to get out one of my few unpainted minis from the game.

I just love how they've handled animal design. Short (*ahem*) of some back legs that seem like they were sculpted last, and needed to fit the model on the base, the anatomy of Leo is just superb and natural. I think it has exactly the right movement and weight of a jumping/lunging lion, and manages to avoid the problem of many such models which look like they're tripping.

I'm quite happy with the texture I got on him, with the only real issue being that I had a little more depth on the mane, but it kept getting scratched off through basic handling (it's been a while since I've worked with how sharp resin edges can be) so I needed to flatten down the highlights a bit so the color would stick. I normally don't like this sort of scarring, but I think I got some nice, subtler stuff that clearly reads as scars, but not as completely fresh ones.

Om Nom Nom - 1.5 edition Screaming Antelope & Friends

There's a special place in my heart for the fleshy, gross monster that is the Screaming Antelope, and it was the first of my Kingdom Death monsters that I was really pleased with, but that doesn't mean that I couldn't improve on it, too. While it's been slow progress, with 1.5's release, I've taken the opportunity to tune and update my own collection, too.

Hunters/Hunted - Kingdom Death Core Quarries

Because the first portion of this set of blue guys got a few requests, I'm starting off with a photo of how they look on the table.

Fire in the Belly - Kingdom Death Phoenix

Despite it being extremely frustrating to build, I think the phoenix just looks so cool when it's done.

I've played around with this model a lot over the years, and think that on this one I've hit a very nice balance of spectacle and darkness on this one. While the lighting is a bit artificial in how broadly it hits the model, I'm really happy with its core, and how the light accentuates the feather texture.

By the way, blending between teal and orange is... pretty rough. Don't try this at home, kids. It took a lot of tricks to make that one feel at all natural.

A Squall in the Dark - Kingdom Death Homebrew scenario (also, First Story + Antelope + Butcher)

With the first set of Kingdom Death expansions on the horizon, this seemed like a nice time to try introducing the first of some rules I've been developing for them.

Indiana Jones... Or Lucas McCabe... Or Illinois Smith? - Sculpting project

It's fairly rare that I get such a specific conversion project... I got to browse a ton of Indiana Jones photos to get the style just right.

The Hunter-Hunter Hunter - Kingdom Death early survivors and monsters.

...which would be the Butcher, I guess.

Either way, I think these guys look pretty snazzy together. The Butcher and Screaming Antelope have a bit more pop than I've given them in the past, but are pretty similar to ones I've done before. I feel that I've gotten the Survivors and White Lion notably better tuned, specifically in lightening up their shadows a lot and giving the Lion some stronger texture.

Creepy Crawlies - Spidicules and Kingdom Death Campaign years 5.1-10

The Spidicules was one of my favorite minis from the first Kingdom Death KS. I've griped plenty about how impractical it turned out to be, which is why it's not still a favorite, but think it's a cool model, and think its little spiderlings are just charming, in an ugly sort of way. I'm particularly happy with how all their eyes came out.

A Deadly Realm - Complete Core Kingdom Death

So, I'm pretty darn happy with this collection.

Spoils of War - Mordheim Beastmen Raiders, part 2

One bit I really like about working with heavy object source light is playing tricks with color saturation.

A-Hunting We Shall Go - Mordheim Beastmen Raiders

Okay, I admit it-- when I was a young 'un, I always kinda wanted to do a Beastmen set when I played Mordheim, but had way too many gangs already. So, it was pretty neat when someone not only liked an object of my nostalgia, but wanted me to work on a group I'd never approached.

Money Ball - Guild Ball Union

My first foray into Guild Ball involved many hats.

From Ashes - Kingdom death Phoenix + Phoenix Surviviors

So, another take on a teal Phoenix, this one's more of a departure.

Telling it Again - Kingdom Death First Story

A quick one, today-- I've done a few of the First Story sets by now, but I think this is the best I've gotten the lion-- my client asked me to include a light source on the base, which had me shifting the angle of the source light strictly to under-lighting (with general allowances for what made an interesting look), and the result, I think, was a pretty intimidating lion.

Don't Take Any Shit - Kingdom Death Dung Beetle Knight and Survivors

The Dung Beetle Knight definitely ranks highly among my favorite monster designs in any game.

Screaming Out of the Darkness - Kingdom Death Monsters

The Screaming Antelope's one of my favorite monsters, in how quietly really gross it is.

Back in the Truck Again - Kingdom Death First Story Models, and Beginning a New Campaign

After a bit of a gap, another combo painting and KD campaign report...

The Dogs of War - The Butcher Unleashed

One of the most iconic guys in the Warmachine setting, the Butcher just keeps getting bigger.