Some miniatures for Song of Blades and Heroes (Rust Monster face reveal)

[Severian]

Some grand additions in the last page or two (I particularly like the RP troll, and the beastman) - and lots of intriguing technique tips. I gave in and ordered some gesso (black and white both) in what I may represent to the authorities as a moment of inattention (because I obviously don't need any more paint...).

Good luck with the painting-of-new-arrivals resolution. I've occasionally tried to do something of the sort, but don't usually get much beyond sticking to pennies and undercoating before the next thing arrives to distract me. But I live in hope.

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks! The painting of new arrivals is definitely an ambition rather than an absolute rule, but I think it's a good principle to reach for.

Here, in contrast, are a couple of miniatures I've had kicking around for a good year: Reaper snakemen. They're figures that are better in the whole than the parts, I think, so I decided just to paint them very quickly with washes over a white undercoat (spray rather than gesso in this instance). I'll rely on gloss varnish to do the rest. To my eye, they're demonic-looking rather than natural creatures, so I gave them "dungeon" basing rather than an outdoor look.

My kids call these two Nag and Nagaina.

[Hobgoblin]

And here's a batch of WIP Oathmark goblins. I'm trying to see how far I can push this speed-painting thing, so these have been done very quickly over black gesso: blocked-in base colours, drybrush with silver grey, armour painted steel, washes. I might add some further highlights to the skin, and I need to think up an emblem for the shields (maybe a white device of some sort).

The one with the horned helmet and spear has the body and arms of a Gripping Beast viking - the goblin heads fit perfectly.

[Ethelred the Almost Ready]

Oi! Those goblins are green!  I thought you used to argue they weren't green

Again, great paint work.  I presume the black gesso is some company that made your white gesso.  It's nice to see that the plastics can cope with speed painting.

[Hobgoblin]

Oi! Those goblins are green!  I thought you used to argue they weren't green

They're actually grey drybrushed silver grey and washed with sepia - the same scheme as the ones below, but without the intermediate warm tone. They do look a bit olive. But as I'm going to use them as D&D(ish) goblins, I don't care!

Again, great paint work.  I presume the black gesso is some company that made your white gesso.  It's nice to see that the plastics can cope with speed painting.

Thanks! I used Pebeo black gesso.

As I've got most of a box of Gripping Beast vikings kicking around, I'm going to transform the bulk of them into goblins with the extra heads. The goblin arms with mailed sleeves won't fit (because the Gripping Beast mail is cruder), but the non-mailed arms should reasonable well.

I'm also planning to paint up a batch of Mantic orcs in a similar scheme as "hobgoblins" in the D&D sense.

For Middle Earth gaming, the Oathmark goblins make excellent uruks. I wonder if any smaller scouts/trackers will be forthcoming at some point.

[StreetBushido]

This thread has been a delight since the first pictures. And it just keeps delivering!

Those goblins are excellent! How long does your speedpainting method take to achieve that level of finish?

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks!

I think it took about two hours for those six - excluding undercoat, bases and a little black-lining to tidy up the next evening. They were certainly quick enough that I had to wait for washes to dry, which has never been a problem for me in the past.

Something I'm going to do in future is to have a few of these assembled and undercoated so that I can paint one or two in the course of doing something else.

[Hobgoblin]

To reinforce these goblins in the dungeon, I want some hobgoblins: hobgoblins in the Jacobean (and D&D) sense rather than the earlier (and Shakespearean) sense. So, foul fiends, not Robin Goodfellow!

I've got loads of the Mantic orcs kicking around (a sadly departed local shop allowed me to buy a huge amount of sprues for a fiver or so, and then gave me dozens more), so I thought I'd use those. No, they're nothing like the Oathmark goblins. But I thought I'd experiment with the same extreme speed-painting and see how it looked. Here's the first one - a really goofy figure, what with his top hat, but I thought I'd go for maximum goofiness with the pose and then see if he'd come out the other end looking even slightly menacing. So here he is. I've still got to think of a shield emblem, and I'll probably add some Wych Elf/silver-grey highlights to the lips, etc. But he'll do for now. And I'm going to see whether I can get another one done in the next hour.

[Severian]

Oh, he certainly works! especially alongside the (very nicely done) Oathmark guys. Rather a ridiculous figure, as you say, but you've done him proud: the contrast of size and his general air of lumbering brutality work very well.

[Hobgoblin]

Cheers! The main function of these fellows is simply to make the players go "Oops!" when they come through a dungeon door in support of the little chaps.

Here's one more (he'll need a bit of remedial work tomorrow):

[Ockman]

I really have to try your speed painting technique, it gives a great result!

[swiftnick]

Great stuff old sausage but always sad to hear about the demise of another shop.

[Garanhir]

Your extreme speed-painting. Sigh. I spend five times as long for results a quarter as good. I tend to procrastinate over palettes.

In that, I think, this thread is an inspiration AND an education. Just get the buggers painted, and it'll be worth whatever effort you can  put in, this thread proclaims. A rallying cry for all of us who preside over hills and mountains of unpainted lead and plastic, tin and resin.

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks, chaps!

@swiftnick: yes, it's a real shame. The one that closed recently had a huge amount of bits and second-hand stuff, which made it great for foraging.

Just get the buggers painted, and it'll be worth whatever effort you can  put in, this thread proclaims.

Yup, that's the idea!

Here's a barghest from Descent. I actually began painting this one more slowly, but then sped up and finished it off pretty quickly. In the megadungeon I'm planning, there'll be a large area patrolled by the undead. This beast and his ilk will fit in nicely there.

[Hobgoblin]

And here's another Descent monster - a "merriod".