Trollkin Skinner

I was finally able to meet up with the San Antonio DL's Press Ganger, and swap models. It's a real shame I wasn't able to make it to the steamroller down there. I'm excited about the new rules that are being established. I'll have a chance to experience them during the next steamroller coming up in January.

So, I ended up with a fantastic-looking Gorman di Wulfe. I was given the choice of painting either Targ, a Trollkin Skinner, or Tharn Ravager Whitemane. I was very excited about painting any of them, but Dragon's Lair only had the Skinner in stock. I thought about ordering in Targ, but they've been a bit sketchy about customer orders recently. In the end, I chose the Skinner.

I used a combination of GW, P3 and Reaper paints. I chose to prime it in small sections, and apply the gesso with a smaller brush. This allowed me to fill in each portion of the model fully, and prevent any excess build-up.

I used some GW paint for the tips of the boots, and then Reaper's Muddy Brown for the rest of the boot. I thought about using black, but I felt like The GW black I have was a tad too shiny.

I used P3's Bootstrap Leather for the pants. I like how the P3 and Reaper paint contrast each other. I used the same Reaper paint for the belt and the pouches. GW's Dwarf Bronze was used for the belt buckle. I was thinking about using silver for the three circles on the buckle, but I wasn't sure if that would be too "bright." In the end, I stuck with the bronze.

The Skinner has a scabbard for his machete/sword that attaches to his belt. I chose to paint it separately, and finish out the rest of his pants.

I went with the Dwarf Bronze for it, and added Reaper's Muddy Brown. The cloth that is wrapped around it is Thornwood Green, a P3 paint. It's the same green I used for the weird sash-like thing hanging between the Skinner's legs.

Another angle for the scabbard.

The base proved to be fun/difficult to make. I used by typical method of white glue and sandbox sand. I had planned to pile up a few small rocks from our defunct fish tank as well. I wanted it to appear that the Skinner was climbing a hill. However, I also wanted to add some form of foresty scenery. I used some green flocking, for bushes, and added a few broom bristles to look like trees. I painted them brown, and added some watered-down flesh wash to fill in the cracks and gaps. Unfortunately, I underestimated the size of my fish tank gravel. I found a few small rocks, and glued a few down to the base. I then applied two balls of green stuff, and stuck the model to the base. I tried to attach a few rocks to cover the green stuff, but the rocks were just a bit too large. After the green stuff dried, I painted it with gray paint to simulate a rocky, mountainous area. It's not exactly what I was going for, but I think it looked good.

I'm coming to skin you...

I used P3's Greatcloak Gray for his skin. I really enjoy using that color because it has a slight bluish tinge in the light. I wanted his fur hat and fur cloak to be slightly different. I began with P3's Morrow White. It's a very bright, vibrant white, and really stood out against the rest of the model. I then watered down some Reaper Muddy Brown, and by watered down, I mean it was nearly a wash-consistency. I then gently applied a layer, let it dry, and then applied another. I did this another three times, until it looked as much like a wolf's pelt as possible.

Back with attached scabbard.

I went with P3's Khador Red Base for the eyes. I think it makes him look very fierce and dangerous.

Overall, it was a great experience. I was very happy to paint something for someone else. I look forward to doing it again next year.

Steamrollin'

There's a 35 point Steamroller tournament at Dragon's Lair tomorrow. It's a great way to wrap up the Journeyman League. There are no restrictions, so I decided to use the following list:

• pVlad
• Drago
• Juggernaut
• Man-o-war Kovnik
• Destroyer
• Widowmakers
• Widowmaker Marksman
• Kovnik Joe
• Winter Guard Rifle Corps

I've never actually used the Rifle Corps. I have a full unit that's been sitting around for quite some time. I thought I'd toss a half-unit in, and see what they can do. The plan is to marshal the Destroyer to the Kovnik, and have him drop bombards while my Widowmakers and Marksman pick off enemy infantry. The Rifle Corps will get a boost from Kovnik Joe, and drop their suppression fire AOE to funnel wayward units towards a speedy demise. Meanwhile, Vlad, Drago and the Juggy will be running up the field for the win.

That's the plan anyway. We'll see if the reality matches it.

I finished painting Kovnik Joe and Vlad today. I was hoping to get the Rifle Corps finished, and then work on the Man-o-war Kovnik, but time got the best of me. For all of my models, I use Bob Ross black gesso to prime them. I tend to be a bit heavy-handed with the gesso from time to time. For Joe and Vlad, I tried to use two light coats, rather than one ginormous coat. For their bases, I used Elmer's glue and sandbox sand. Once that dried, I used two coats of watered-down Muddy Brown. It's part of Reaper's "Master Series." I prefer Reaper for cloth, because the matte finish is very smooth...and looks like cloth. I'll probably add some flock just before I clear-coat them.

For the base of Joe's coat, I used Greatcloak Gray from P3. I followed that up with some Blood Red by Reaper. The boots, medals, and sword were done in GW paints. The gun handle and Joe's gloves are more Muddy Brown.

I am horrible at faces. I've often thought about contracting them out. Joe has a very expressive face, so it was slightly easier than others have been. I find the Khardic Flesh to be a bit too dark, so I mixed a bit of Morrow White into it, and applied it. I followed that up with some GW Chaos Black for the beard.

For Vlad, I wanted something different than the standard Khador red armor. I went with Chaos Black and Dwarf Bronze, with a little bit of Boltgun Metal.

Vlad's cloth leg things are painted in Blood Red. I was going to use Carnage Red from Reaper, but I liked the way the Blood Red contrasted with the black.

So far, I've only done one light coat of armor wash. I'll probably add a few more to Vlad, so I can dull the bronze a bit more.

Fullness...

I did some painting, but the memory card on the camera was full. Once it's cleared out, I'll post a few images. I'm in the process of tweaking pVlad's color scheme. Finally received the Manhunter and Yuri the Axe. Yuri looks nice, especially his cloak. The PP site has it painted grey. I'm not sure if I'll stick with that. I was also not fond of his running pose. I went out to the yard, and found a small piece of limestone which I then broke with my sledgehammer. I glued a piece of it under his leg to look like he's standing on top of two rocks, rather than launching himself off of one. After that, I partially assembled eSorscha. However, I'm leaving her un-primed until I found out more about the Journeyman League.