On The Horizon for March

February certainly began on a productive note.  The Pirate project was coming along nicely, miniatures were being painted at a fairly good pace (for me), and several items of scenery were moved from the design phase and actually built.  However I had company for the last two weeks of the month and I found myself doing everything except hobby stuff.   Now I am behind where I wanted to be at this time and I'm forced to move nearly every project back a month.

My work plan for March now resembles what I had intended to accomplish in February but with a few changes and additions.  Perhaps the most obvious change are the miniatures in my queue.  The pirate project is still going strong but I have noticed more fantasy miniatures creep into the lineup.  Is this one of my infamous interest shifts in the beginning stages?

The miniatures in the rack look similar to last month.  In fact, there are several that have progressed little, if at all.  Among these are the two Sarumans and three Reaper pirates.  Also nearly untouched is my Candian that was to be used as a color test model.  A nearly completed pirate, a burly innkeep, and a pasty-faced governor are the only new additions.

The rows of miniatures in front of the rack are all new in the queue however.  In the first row closest to the rack is a pirate from Artizen, two privateers from Black Scorpion and two fantasy figures from Reaper.  The second row consists of two able bodied seamen from Black Scorpion, a female fantasy miniature from Reaper, and two harlots - one from Black Cat Bases and the other from the Reaper's Townspeople sets.  The last row is mostly comprised of Royal Marines from Black Scorpion and a few fantasy Reaper miniatures.

In addition to the miniature painting, work continues on Port Antigua.  I am nearing the point where I can start texturing and painting the buildings. Of the structures created thus far, I have to say that the Governor's house is my favorite.  I've also been working on a few other items of scenery - mostly for LotR.  Building a Rohan watch tower has been on my list for several years and I finally got around to starting construction.  I've been using a combination of templates and tips from various sources, along with a bit of trial and error, to build my tower.  Now that I have the legs and main platform squared and even, the rest of the structure should be fairly simple to finish.  Just as Port Antigua will be the centerpiece for my Pirate campaigns, I plan on having a full Rohirric village or perhaps even Edoras itself as the focus of a future LotR campaign.

 With my lack of free time during late February, I never got around to painting up a Cadian test model.  Of all the goals I missed last month, this was the most disappointing.  A huge Cadian force has been sitting on my shelves for several years awaiting my attention.  It was a resolution this year to finally get them painted and the first step to attaining that goal is to test the color scheme I have in mind.  Even if I have to put my pirate project on hold, I will get that mini painted this month!  Of course that means that March will no longer be titled "March of the Cadians".  I'll have to push back that effort until next month.  "April of the Cadians"....  Hmmm, not nearly as clever and witty as the previous title but as long as they finally get painted, I'll be happy.

I also plan on posting part 2 of the History of the Waywatchers of Cardolan.  The first post proved to be quite popular amongst visitors.  Indeed, it is the single most visited page on the blog.   It's not very professional to leave your readers hanging on the edge of their seats for the conclusion for too long (although George R. R. Martin seems quite content to do so with his series...not that I am comparing myself to such a talented writer by any means.)  The next installment will cover the middle years from the RP Split until the Rise of the Grand Story Arcs.  The final chapter will then cover the last year and a half and appear sometime in April.

Finally, even though my time will be sparse with so many projects, I feel I need to add one more.  Looking at my blog stats, I can't help but notice that the search term that brings the most visitors is "How to Paint a Balrog."  I started this little experiment/tutorial back in May of 2010.  I intended to finish it but the curse of too many hobbies struck once again and the Balrog was placed on a back shelf.  Well, for those who have come here for tips on painting Tolkien's spirit of fire, you will be pleased to know that he has been dusted off and moved to the work area of my painting table.  I should have text and photos of the next steps posted soon.

It looks like March will be a very busy month for me.  What are your hobby goals and intentions for this month?

Painting the Balrog

I have owned this miniature from Games Workshop for probably six years or so.  It has been primed and sitting on my hobby desk for so long that the black primer was starting to look gray from the dust accumulating.  For some reason (OK, for many reasons) I just could not bring myself to start the project.  One of those reasons was that I've never had much luck using bright/warm colors on my miniatures.  The opacity does not agree with my style I think.  I've always been one to paint dark/drab miniatures to represent the gritty and dirty view I have of a fantasy world.  But when it comes to fire, I really have no choice.  So instead of painting the most fearsome beast to appear in the Lord of the Rings, he sat in the corner long forgotten like some lost relic. 

Flipping through an old issue of White Dwarf magazine I came upon an article on painting the Balrog (issue 265).  The Painting Masterclass section showcased a step by step tutorial on painting the miniature and most importantly, tips on bringing the fire to life.  The miniature in the photos certainly looks stunning in its finished form but I did not like the look of the flames on the "mane" of the creature.  They looked too washed out and took away from the realism of the model.

So, like a fool, I decided to try to create my own version of otherwordly fire.  What follows below is my version of the Balrog.

I forgot to take photos before starting to paint so I "cleverly" left one side unpainted to illustrate the process.  Here you can see that after priming the miniature in black, I went into each and every crevice that will eventually be "fire based" and painted an additional undercoat of white.  In doing so, the reds, yellows, and oranges used to create the fiery appearance of the Balrog will show through with greater vibrancy and illumination. 

A view of the Balrog after the additional white undercoat.

After going through the painstaking process I began to wonder if spraying the Balrog white first then going over the high spots in black would be easier.  As I do not plan on painting another Balrog, I guess I will never know.  Have any readers tried doing it the other way?

Another view of the undercoated Balrog.

 My next step was to mix up an appropriate fiery color to represent the flames and burning flesh.  I started with a mix of GW Golden Yellow mixed with Skull White and a bit of red ink.  I used this color as a base for the fire.  I then mixed Vallejo Model Color Orange Fire with a bit of red and orange ink for the next step.  I made the mix quite watery to allow some of the yellow to show through.

The flames of the Balrog are starting to show through.

The plan is to continue the process throughout the model.  In places where I feel that a more subdued "smoldering" type fire would be appropriate, I will tone down the flames with a darker wash.

At least one side of the Balrog is seeing progress.

 

After getting the initial flames completed, I started to add a bit of detail with orange and red inks.  Again I made the mixes quite watery (even for inks) so that the color would pool in the deeper areas of the flames where one would expect a deeper/hotter flame. 

The Balrog erupts in flames.

As I began to work on the facial areas, I wanted to emulate the fierce heat erupting from the mouth and nostrils as seen in the movie.  I added both Skull White and Vellejo Moon Yellow to the standard mix to bring intensity to the flames.  I also wanted a bit of a different color scheme on the face to differentiate it from the rest of the body.

 

A sight I most certainly would not want to see in real life.

Once I get the other side painted and matched up I will post more photos then get started on the skin and base.