Nazgob's painting blog - Long time coming

[Giraffe]

Michael,
So, if I start painting NOW, I'll be a painting god too by the time I'm...54!!

No, Karate-conditioning-training-nerve-damage says otherwise...DAMN those makiwara's (makiwari(pl)?).


Checked on the Royal Mail Tracking site for the stuff I posted to you 15/6 13:45PM, and it said:

"Item AH879081212GB was posted at 25 - 27 Wellingt PO7 7ED on 15/06/11 and is being progressed through our network for delivery. "

Surprised, as I sent recorded 1st Class...is the postie round your way scared of your dog?

But hopefully when he gathers up enough bottle, you'll finally receive the few extra line-norse and the Snow Troll for the Thrudball Auction....

6 weeks 2 days to go today (hence why I was in work at 5am thrudball organising like mad!)
Thrudtastic!!
Frank
P.S. Wait till you see the Thrudboards this year, they are gonna be AMESOME!!

[nazgob]

I now know the pain of a failed attempt to varnish your minis. Misty? Yes. Ruined? Yes. Reperable? Not right now. I need something to cheer me up.

*goes off to cry quietly in a corner*

Note: I did not ruin Thrud minis

Note 2: When test coating with varnish, endeavour to use a random model, not your least favourite from the team you wish to varnish. It may be your least favourite, but I'm willing to bet that you still care for it.

[Buggrit]

Given the weather we've been having recently I'd guess that was humidity!! I've had the same thing happen varnishing in misty/damp conditions.. Bum innit??

[Giraffe]

Michael,
Any more Teaser pics on the Thrudball Norse Team?

If you're too busy painting to blog then thanks, I understand and sorry all in one!

Thrudtastic!
Frank

[nazgob]

Now Frank, I am working my fingers to the bone - you're a harsh, harsh taskmaster. But seeing as you asked so nicely, I actually finished some of the models that I'd put to one side. One the things I find about my painting is that I get things almost finished and then go on to do other things. I had 5 models at varying degrees of readiness and 11 others basecoated/inked, but I've been inspired to pull my finger out and actually get them finished. But first, there's time for something a little different.

To me, the most important part of a model is the base. Oft overlooked and yet easy to do. The simplest is of course to paint the base green. The most complicated is, well, complicated beyond measure. I think that mine is somehwere in the middle.


I always paint my base brown (the edge of the base varies from team to team), and then add a layer of sand. Neatness is important as you don't want sand on your model's boot, but complete coverage is less essential. I've also never understood the idea of painting the sand. Many people paint it and drybrush. In fact, many people will base the model before undercoating. Personally, I'm quite happy with using the sand's natural colour. If I don't like it, I can always find a different material.


I then add a layer of flock. This is why complete coverage with the sand is uneccessary - the flock will fill in the gaps. I don't completely cover the base. The intention here is to give the finished base areas of deep green.


I then add a thin layer of glue (all glue is PVA) over the flock and some of the sand. The areas with/without flock will give the effect of thicker/thinner grass.


Then I dropped static grass onto the base. Dropped on mass, then the base turn upside and tapped to knock off the excess.


Using a cocktail stick, I make the static grass stand on end, securing it in place at the same time. Without this, I find that static grass can lie very flat.


Finished.

* * *

And if anyone has actually read this far, kudos to you! If you just skipped to the end, I am very disappointed to you.

[Dave]

maybe it's an idea to drybrush the grass with a little, little bit of bleached bone .. that makes them less 'explosive green'.

[Giraffe]

Michael,
I never knew there was so much to just doing the bases. I feel even guiltier now for taking up your valuable time...send an EXTRA apology to your other half for me?

They are Superb though, you're going to help us raise a fortune!
Thrudtastic!
Frank

[nazgob]

@ Dave: I find your drybrushing with bleacehed bone intriguing, and will experiment. Expect my response at a future date.

I was asked for a How To on painting white, so I threw this together.

I do several different types of white, but this is what I would describe as 'Simple, Dirty'. And we'l have none of your sniggering on the back rows, please. Yes Mr Buggrit, that means you. Now, what so I mean by 'Simple'? Its a basecoat followed by a wash and two highlights only. And as for 'Dirty', I mean the type of finish. All painted white will work from a basecoat that is off-white. Its just the way these things work. For clean, I start from a blue-grey, and for dirty I start from a brown-grey. Typically I use Astronomican Grey for 'Clean' or Denheb Stone for 'Dirty'
Stage 1:

A simple basecoat with Dheneb Stone.

Stage 2:

A quick wash (fairly heavy, no dilution) of Devlan Mud. If I wanted a 'Clean' white, I'd be using Badab Black instead.

Stage 3:

Reapplication of the basecoat. Putting a highlight straight onto the wash creates far too harsh a contrast for the smooth white I'm looking for, so I reapply the basecoat in most of the areas. I leave the recesses dark and settle for a flat colour elsewhere.

Stage 4:

A highlight 1:1 mix of Skull White and the basecoat (in this case Dheneb Stone). Make sure your paints are nice and thin and that you have a decent brush, or this could get ugly.

Stage 5:

A final highlight with Skull White.

n.b. I have taken a bit of a cheat here. White is easiest to paint in areas of small detail. Large flat areas of white are incredibly hard, one of the hardest things in miniature painting as far as I'm concerned. However, the same basic principles should be applied, just scaled up.

When painting whites, the best tip I can give you is to keep your paints thin. Very thin. You really will notice a difference.

Hope this helps someone. Sound off if you have any questions or comments.

[ogshadow113]

really like your 'evolution' of painting pictures, you've got very good very fast! i am jelous, love the skin tones you are doing on your latest models

[nazgob]

Well, Thrudball has been and gone. And so has the Norse team - sold for the benefit of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. It was a great weekend, but before it went, I made sure to take a few photos of the completed team.
















(this is a close up of the Snow Troll's arm - it says nazgob in Viking runes according to google)


I really enjoyed painting them, even if I did hit a wall part way through. I just don't have the patience to paint 16 models to the same colour scheme. Unfortunately, my next project is likely to be goblins. Ah well. I'll start work soon, but only once I start some real work.

***edit***

I almost forgot.

I took my Wood Elves to Thrud and am very pleased to say that I won this:


To say I'm pleased is an understatement. Thanks to everyone who voted - it really made my weekend.

[Spiky]

Nice job on the Norse!

Can I ask where you get your basing sand from? The stuff I use is... sand... so it needs painting in order to look like earth as it looks to beachy unpainted.

[nazgob]

A local model railway store. Find yourself a decent one and do some investigating. They will have a variety of colours and grades.

[Giraffe]

Thanks a million Michael for all your efforts on the norse, which by the way folks also won the best painted auction item!

AND he won the Most Thrudlike Contest, despite giving himself Brain Freeze drinking 2 pints of Guinness "Extra Cold" far too quickly...

the Norse went for £170 and were probably still worth more...

And the event should raise somewhere in the region of £3500-£3700

Michael may paint something for us next year but probably not a whole team...

But thanks Mike, you are, as we say at BRGA, "Thrudtastic"!

[Slackjaw]

That's a splendid team! Perfectly executed and those models are on my shopping list (I'm a future far far away).
The Snow Trolls face freaks me out though, but maybe that's just me.

Keep it up, love your work.

[Buggrit]

Spiky, Spot On Models (Fleet Street) should have what you're looking for if they're still open!!