MagpieJono's assorted fantasy stuff

[Schrumpfkopf]

Wonderful thread, nice mix of minis and excellent painting. Keep em coming please! 

[MagpieJono]

I've been focusing on the undead army again. I've decided not to rebase it but just to seal the flock to stop it coming off. The green bases fit just fine on a green gaming board.

First up I've completed 8 more of the old plastic skeletons to make this unit up to 30 strong.



Next up an old Citadel Liche. Either a strange sculpt or a dodgy casting, he seems to have an right eye but just an empty socket on the left. Painted in the theme of the rest of the army.




And finally for today... The vampire was painted a while back but in 3rd Edition WHFB he can change into a bat or a wolf and so I've painted one of each.

[Hammers]

Clean and efficient work. Very nice!

[MagpieJono]

Last of the Garden of Morr kit now painted. Last bits for this year. The Wights have has a trip out of the display cabinet to pose...

First three Mausoleums




and some more wall/fence sections

[mweaver]

Love the graveyard pieces, and an excellent job on the figures for the Mordheim warband (still huge Mordheim fans around here).

Any plans to redo the green bases on some of the (older?) undead to match the graveyard?

-Michael

[Anselm van Helsing]

You have a very fine, clean painting style. It brings to my mind the modern computer painting style in many fantasy/scifi settings. You're a digital painter?

Second the idea of redoing the bases of the older skeletons.

[HerbyF]

A little dark stain varnish well thinned out could be painted onto the bases. It would darken them up and help stick any loose flocking to the base.

[MagpieJono]

You have a very fine, clean painting style. It brings to my mind the modern computer painting style in many fantasy/scifi settings. You're a digital painter?

Second the idea of redoing the bases of the older skeletons.

Thanks for the compliment about my painting style. No I'm not a digital painter. I'm a Policeman! Its just how my painting has evolved really. I've been painting miniatures for quite a long time.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on the basing of the undead army I have. I have decided that at this time I will leave them as they are. I might add some thinned down PVA to stick the flock on better. They will mostly be used on my grass mat for mass battle games and the green bases fit in nicely with that.

I'll have to set up a group shot on the gaming table at some point.

[MagpieJono]

I've been continuing to make some scenery pieces over the last couple of weeks. Specifically some wall and fence sections.

First cut some bases from 2mm sign board in the same way as the gravestone bases.


Then constructed some simple fences with assorted sized balsa wood.



Next I made some walls. I did try the method where you make a mould from Lego bricks and fill it with a mix of small stones and PVA. However I did not really like the results and so tried another method. I used some of that thick grey/black spongy foam that is used for making the interlocking sheets for garage floors etc. I cut it into thin strips using stout scissors and then cut the strips into brick sized pieces. I then made bricks look more like stones by cutting bits off them and trying to make them look a bit more organic. I then glued them into wall sections with wood glue.


This might sound like a lot of work but it actually doesn't take too long at all when you get going. I made all these in an evening's modelling.


Bases were textured with small stones and rough sand.


Before they were primed with cheap grey car primer.


Bases painted and fences painted brown.


Walls painted a greyish brown colour and then drybrushed gently.


Added some green flock as moss, some darker geen clump foliage and finally after varnishing, some static grass patches.





I've based and painted some blank bases too. I plan on making some hedging and glueing it onto them. I am experimenting at the moment with different materials to make the hedges. I'm hoping for a natural looking mixed hedge of assorted plants and bushes. Any help or suggestions welcomed.

[Anselm van Helsing]

Simple, effective, beautiful.

Good how-to-do too. 

[Neunfinger]

This is a very nice looking collection of miniatures and terrain.

I like the clean painting style with well defined contrasts, it's working great on both your models and terrain.

[StreetBushido]

Beautiful stuff, and very inspiring!

[MagpieJono]

Finally got some bits finished this year. I had a couple of weeks rest from modelling after the new year as I was a bit burnt out by last years efforts. Then during February, Grandfather Nurgle and his many contagions came to our house en force... We all got very ill, my wife and I had it worst but the kids were poorly too. So no modelling boo hoo.

Anyway have continued with the terrain and have built 9 hedge sections. I was aiming for irregular wild looking hedging with different coloured bushes in different heights. Like you'd see on many a country road.

I made some bases the same as the wall and fence sections.

I made individual bushes from pan scourers.

Got these, 20 for £1 from B&M.


Probably not the best for actually cleaning pans as they're quite thin but perfect for what I wanted.


I cut them into strips and then into rectangles.



Before making the pieces more organic looking.


Before hot gluing them together on a kebab skewer a seen in the last photo.


Given a generous covering with diluted PVA before dipping them in a tub of flock. I used some commercial flock and some home made.


I then just clipped the skewer off at the bottom of the bush and the clipped end can be sharpend with a craft knife and the skewer used again. They're very sturdy when dry.

I also bought two different colours of Jarvis hedging foliage. It's actually pretty good stuff and at only £1.75 per bag from the FLGS cheap too.


Hedges assembled. Used hot glue again to stick the bushes and hedging foliage down. added some bits of clump foliage and flock to make them look a bit more interesting.

I'm pretty happy with the results. It maybe looks a bit more like garden hedging than wild country hedging but it'll be fine for what I want and its nice and sturdy which is a good.

A few photos of them with the trusty archer.

[Anselm van Helsing]

Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to your next project!