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.

What Am I Waiting For?

As Gaffer Gamgee told his son, "it's the job that's never started that takes the longest to finish".  This sage advice attributed to the old Gaffer and repeated by Sam in the chapter "The Mirror of Galadriel" certainly applies to this blog.  Many months ago I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get everything in order and ready for posting.  Oh I had such grand designs and planned to post frequently on my various projects, games, and ideas.  But, as one can tell by the dates, I've failed epically in the task.

It's not that I've ignored the blog.  The problem is quite the opposite actually.  Immediately following my last post, I began to document every project, game, or notion that came along.  Photos were compiled, notes taken, drafts created but absolutely zero output was placed on the blog.  The reason?  I wanted everything to be perfect I guess.  I kept gathering more and more material and telling myself I need to edit this or rearrange that before making a post.  My plans kept getting in the way of execution until I had such a backlog of material and ideas, that the simple task of putting those on the screen seemed overwhelming.

Well no more.  It's time to get started or to retire the blog that never was.  Over the next few days, I'll open the flood gates and let all those posts that have been building for the past several months come pouring out.  Hopefully the outcome will be less of a natural disaster and more along the lines of a controlled damn release.

So Gaffer, I'm taking your advice and getting started.

Lord of the Rings Movie Marathon

So I saw on one of my favorite websites a notice about a Lord of the Rings Extended Edition movie marathon occurring today. As big of a fan as I am of the movies, I've never watched all three of them back to back in one sitting (that's about 12 hours viewing for those of you not familiar with the length of the extended editions). I thought it would be great fun to watch the movies back to back to get a better feel for the epic-ness of the story. In addition, according to the website, during the marathon, movie fans from all of the globe would be watching at the same time, all the while chatting online on TORN's servers about the movies. So I decided to give it a shot.

I settled in just before 10am with the first movie loaded on my desktop with my laptop nearby...ready to watch and chat.





Update: It's now 2:20pm and I've finished the first movie and about to start the second...The Two Towers. Watching with up to 100 others in an intimate setting (even if it is online) is certainly a different experience. I like it.

Update: It's now 9:30 pm est and we are about to start disc two of the Return of the King -the final disc. Can't believe I've almost made it. Can't feel my legs from sitting all day but still in a great mood.

Update: It's now 11:37 pm. I made it but I'm exhausted! Who knew watching three epic movies back to back would be so exhausting? It's been so much fun but I'm mentally drained...gotta stretch my legs then go to sleep.

Final Update: It's been several days now and I thought I'd post my final thoughts. First of all, I'd like to thank Maegwen from TORN for putting together the LotR Marathon, keeping all the participants in sync during the viewing (in sync via well planned stops every 30 minutes or so to keep all the viewers in roughly the same spot in the movie), and for moderating the chat for almost 14 hours. I'd also like to thank all the folks that dropped in during the day. I'm not sure I could have lasted that long without the all the great comments, jokes, and discussions from some of the greatest LotR fans in the world. But most of all I'd like to thank the four of five others that lasted the entire marathon with me. You were all great fun.

Now that it's over, would I do it again? Yes...definitely. It was a long day but totally worth it. I only wish there was a way for me to watch the movie more closely while keeping up with the chat. I'll have to experiment with a few options before next year's marathon.

Wings of War Table

I recently finished making a gaming table for the Wings of War game. The project came out OK but I would definitely make a few changes.

Wings of War table with planes ready for action.

First of all, I'd purchase a different type of wood. I tried to go the cheap route and get the least expensive in the size I wanted. Unfortunately the wood proved to be less than ideal for the project. I'm not sure what kind of coating or residue was on the wood, but some of the paint would not set correctly during application. The blue for the river was especially difficult. I had to wipe of the paint several times after it clumped up and pooled. It was almost as if some type of oil was on the wood.

Notice the sheen in the blue river. Perhaps from an oily coating on the wood?

Also, as you can see from the side profile photo below, the wood is a bit on the thin side and is already starting to droop. I could get something a bit thinker or maybe even put some support rails underneath the table along the edges. Actually, this thickness might have worked but I suspect that the South Florida humidity played a role in the wood warping over time.

Even supported correctly, the wood is starting to bow and curve.

Secondly, I'd want the paint to be lighter to represent the fact that the features below are being viewed several hundred feet up in the air. Though I kept the nozzle a good distance from the wood to keep the pigments light, the effect just isn't what I had in mind.

Finally, I'd like to try putting in a few man-made features such as battlefield bunkers, hangers, and a few bombed out buildings. But just like the issue above, the most difficult part would be creating the features with the effect of seeing them from altitude. Spray paint will not work for such details I think so I'll need to experiment with options.

The full board completed and ready for action.

Even though it's not perfect, the table does the job it was intended for....playing Wings of War. Now I think I'll start on a playing board for some of my miniature games.

From the Ashes....

OK, so it's been over two years since my last entry. Not quite what I had in mind as far as posting frequency goes when I started this little project. Maybe this time will be different.

I've actually been working on several different projects lately. A couple of them have been related to a heraldric design I use as my personal SCA device and Kinship symbol for LotRO. It's an eight-pointed star with the southernmost ray slightly elongated. The star is painted in white (or argent to use proper heraldry terms) on a field of black (sable). I'm quite fond of it for asthetic reasons and for the symbolism it has both in my real life and in my created roles.




The design, which I affectionately call the "Argent Star" has found it's way onto several projects. One is on another SCA shield, which I will use for display only. I'm still torn about adding the three ships above the star which can be seen on my fighting shield (see the post below for a pic). I may just leave the chief blank or experiment with another design.

The same decision holds true with the banner I made. The Argent Star looks pretty good by itself and adding other elements may make the banner look too "busy". Whatever I decide, I still need to mount the banner on a pole. I've stained the upright but still need to work on the cross staff. The last step (besides trying to clean the white spot from the right where I spilled some paint) is to finish sewing the upper corner and attach the tabs for the cross staff in the back.

I'm also in the process of adding the Argent Star to a few leather books I made last year. I'll post a photo as soon as I'm finished.

No More Loaner Gear

Wayland Blackwarden, a humble member of the Shire of Forth Castle, located in Savannah, Georgia, finally has all of his own armor. No more will he be armed and dressed in a motley collection of loaner gear. He is now well equipped and ready for battle. With the acquisition of a fine gorget, the final piece is in place and fighter authorization is in the near future.