The Tools for the Job - Kingdom Death Lion Knight, Butcher, and Survivors

 While I feel particularly with Kingdom Death I've more often been doing models on the gloomier side, more recently I've been interested in more vibrant paint jobs, even when the midtones or general sentiment has been darker. With this set where my client asked that I do something that I felt fit each piece, the unifying characteristic is a general reference point in more classic fantasy book covers and movie posters, or just an older sensibility of miniatures painting.

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.

Like a river's flow, it never ends - Kingdom Death Legend of Zelda Homages

So, it's been quite some time.

I don't know how frequently I'll be doing this, but I'm starting my blog up after a dry spell, because I know I could use something a little lighter than what's become my day-to-day that, like everyone else's, has been pretty derailed these past weeks.

I'm starting off with some nostalgic homages to my favorite ol' N64 game, plus a note about my absence.

Who's Laughing Now?! - Harlequin Wraithknight Conversion

So, this guy started as just a simple re-pose, but became something far more elaborate.

Did You Forget? It's your Birthday! - Wind Waker Link Conversion (Super Dungeon Explore)

One of the only things my sister-in-law and I had in common when we met was a fondness for the Legend of Zelda series.

Black Operations part 8: Wyches

 Expanding the continuing Mandrake army, I've put together a couple new units.

Black Operations part 7: Command

Rounding out the continuing Mandrake army with some command. Two pretty liberal interpretations of Dark Eldar command, they have roughly inverted colors.

Gather 'Round for a Story - A Life Update (also, a pretty Kingdom Death Lion Knight)

Some of you readers may have noticed my posts have been a bit sparse, recently. So, this post will be a little different than usual, in that I'm stepping a little outside gaming, painting, or reviews, to say a little about myself.

The short version is, describing my life right now as "tumultuous" would be an understatement.

Mobile Command Convertible - Astral Claws Rhinos and Variants

So, until my Astral Claws graduate to larger scales of games, my footslogging characters will be riding around in this guy.

Gloomhaven - Unlocked Sun class, and campaign part 3

Our group's first unlocked character!

Guess what? There'll be some tame spoilers, because I can't show a model without showing it!

Black Operations part 5: Venoms and Starweavers

It would hardly be a Dark Eldar army without some vehicles, right?

Black Operations part 4: Mandrake Scourge Conversions

Another quick* post today, continuing the Mandrake force I've been working on, and wrapping up its infantry units.

Conceptually, these aren't much different than the previous Witch conversions, but I'm still very happy with how I got these wings to look.

* That would be short, not speedy subject matter.... and yeah, probably no one else saw that unintentional pun.

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all - Kingdom Death Intimacy minis

This project just happened to line up closely enough that today felt right for the happy couple from the land of gloom and doom.

Black Operations part 3: Mandrake Hellion Conversions

Continuing this dark and glowy army, next up are some Hellions, incorporating a fair amount of kneadatite and Doomfire Warlocks' heads and torsos.

Black Operations, part 2: Mandrake army conversions

Continuing the Mandrake army, this is my take on Dark Eldar Warriors for my client's army, in what feels a lot more like a collaboration than many commissions I've done, as it's often a bit of bouncing ideas back and forth for these conversions. It's a little odd that they're segregated by sexes, but, with very similar color schemes, some more obvious visual cues should make an army of little dark pointy elves easier to tell apart. The purple ones are, again, the unit leaders, while the blue ones are special weapon troopers. I went out of my way to find shield and armor pieces for these ladies, to try to emphasize a slightly more defensive mode than the standard Mandrakes.

Unlike my preference for "Drukhari" over "Dark Eldar," I definitely don't prefer GW's switch to calling these base models "Witch Aelves," since, most naturally, that means that the entire race should be being pronounced "Eelves" which just sounds silly. The models are nice, though, and the freehand runes came more naturally than I expected.

Fearful Symmetry - Watchmen's Rorschach

When I saw that Knight was putting out a Watchmen set of miniatures, I knew I had to paint Rorschach's. I'm still on the fence about the others, since they're all based on the movie iterations, and those diverge more for the other characters, but, well, Rorschach was too classic to mess with.

Crowning Achievements - Kingdom Death Dragon King and Campaign Conclusion

It nearly slipped by me I'm hitting my 500th post... well, I had to do something a little bigger for that, didn't I? (Note the 35mm model on the bottom...)

Sewing Circle - Widow Weaver and Bandersnatch

The Widow Weaver's one of my favorite Malifaux models, and I was glad that the plastic version was 90%+ just a materials update.

It's Dangerous to Go Alone! - Messenger of Courage (Kingdom Death Link Homage Mini)

(Guess what game series I like, probably too much?)

Command Restructuring - Astral Claws 2nd Company Command, for 8th Edition

My kitbash for Captain Corien Sumatris is one of my favorite Space marine models.