The Troll Cavern

Harrison McQueen is the man behind this wonderful new blog.

It some ways it sparks a similarity to my own, predominantly Lord of the Rings but with smattering a of other areas.

I am sure this will develop and I look to many ventures with Harrison.

For now though, he gave me the honour of being interviewed about, as you would perhaps expect, my three trolls diorama.

Please read and enjoy and bookmark this blog to your reading list.

http://thetrollcavern.blogspot.co.uk

Smaug - Head and Neck Finished

I am just about hoping this section is finished. I have taken a slightly different slant at this by glazing over the hard scales and spines with a green. I am pleased with the way it looks and hope that the client agrees.

There is possibly more highlight work to do but my plan is to finish each section, assemble it and then see what attention is required.

Next up is the body, now that thing is ridiculously large...

Smaug - Skin Work

So after what seems an eternity of day to day life I am starting to get some colour into the skin.

The airbrush has gone away and the brushes are out.

It is slowly taking shape but I think I need tops the contrast a little more, it hasn't the depth I want just yet, but at least it is taking shape.

Speed Painting the Elven Way

My latest commission. The client needed these very quick so I have seven evenings, with a couple a days thrown in to get this lot done.

40 Mirkwood Rangers and an armoured Captain.

After an evening and a half I had then all assembled and primed, now just to paint them.

I decided to go about these in batches of 10, usually thats was too big but somehow it just seemed right, don't ask me how.

And thankfully I got them all done in time.

I had to cut down the quality, no time for eyes and some of the highlighting / shading I would usually put in.

I did opt to use Army Painter Quickshade to dip all the figures. The first reason being it gave them a bit of definition and the second it was a good varnish for them to stand up to the gaming.

I had time to give the Captain a little more, he got eyes and some shading and highlighting as there should always have a little more.

And there we have it, a very quick job accompanied by some quick photos.

The client is happy with the results and so am I for such a quick turnaround.

Eye of Smaug

Here you can see some colour to the big fella.

I have been working the eye, on something this big to spend the time I have getting this to look right, I feel is worthwhile. He needs to look alive and menacing and I am pretty happy that this has been achieved. I applied some purple in the folds around the eye and glazed in some black and blue inks to create the contrast.

I tend to work the deepest details out so the next part is the mouth, then I can properly work the skin on the face and down the neck.

Smaug Update 1

Here we go then, hopefully I have the base finished !!!

There was that much little detail here that I think you can never be 100% sure you have got everything.

I may look to adding some pigments at a later date but for now I am happy to leave this and move on to the big fella himself.

Smaug Has Come

Within weeks of starting commission work I have landed this big brute and i can tell you I am excited to get this one going.

He will be done to Display Standard so I will be aiming for him to pop.

The client has done some green stuff work that needs some cleaning up, so with that and all the joining, sanding etc it will be a while before paint appears.

I want everything dry fitted as snug as possible before the glue comes out then I have something else for join filling.

Here is how he arrived and that little bloke in the middle is a 54mm figure, it gives the idea of scale.

Here is something new I am trying for doing filling, modelling paste.

You apply with a brush then go over with a wet brush to smooth.

I am already liking this, so much quicker to greenstuff and it sands down nicely. For only £5 for a big pot it should last an age, provided it doesn't dry out !

There will be plenty of updates along the line as I aim to get this finished as soon as I can, though I will be doing some other jobs in-between to stop me going a little Smaug crazy...

Lurtz and Scout Uruk Hai Commission.

Next up on the production line is this nice little set of Scout Uruk Hai, led by Lurtz with Ugluk ever ready to hack off the odd head.

Merry and Pippin are tiny folk, even tinier are the sculpts, damn near microscopic but are still clear enough to give them some detail. 

It's the eyes for me, even on my lowest level they need to be there are right to give the figure life. Lurtz is a good example of how this affects his look to make him have that sinister feel.

As with the client request I have done these to a table top standard.

1st Completed Commission

I have finally got something to show and give you an idea of the type of finish you can expect.

First up is Thrydan Wolfsbane.

I have done him to an ' Above Table Top ' standard.

A lovely sculpt to work on

And here we have a set of Beserkers completed to a ' Table Top Standard '

I am a little annoyed with myself as I photographed everything before packaging, to find that a few photos of the other came out rubbish, damn me for not checking properly.

They included a mounted Saruman and some more Uruks.

I should have taken more time on the photos as these are much better in real life.

More great things to follow and watch this space for something very big...

Zombie !!!

What can you say about this bust, fantastic and can't wait to get my teeth into it

Sculpted by Peter Muller from Next Step Painting entitled ' The Infected ' 

Back from Hols

Life has been busy of late and it seems I haven't had much chance for painting. After my paternity leave I am back to the grindstone at work but I have lots to look forward to.

I have the currentcommission to complete, about40 figures and another little commission job on the way.

In other big news I have been fortunate to win a competition with Arkhareon Miniatures. The prize being a stunning 54mm vinaigrette.

More on that one at a later date and of course The Glottkin needs more attention.

So my apologies for no updates on late but keep tuned, there's plenty to follow.

Rorke's Drift

I've picked up this wonderful sculpt from Beneito, it's my first historical

Piece. 54mm high on a scenic base.

I've always loved the look and had to have it after all who doesn't love the Zulu film ?

Glottkin - Part 11

I think this part of the figure could be the most time consuming, working my way around all the tusks and horns. each need blending from black to almost pure white and that in itself is a challenge.

On the plus side I do seem to be getting there and doing this amount of blending work can only be good for me.

I am about a third of the way through them so little by little I will get there.

Glottkin - Part 10

As you can see I have made a start to the tusks around the head. The big one in the centre is finished, you can see different stages of the next 3 to the right, from 90% done to about 50%.

Part of my reason for including this update is to show you the amount of detail this figure has. There is literally so much that unless you get to see one in the flesh you will miss so much.

Glottkin - Part 9

The three additional sections have been completed and stuck in place.

The steel parts have been done using Scale 75 Metal n Alchemy steel set, a gorgeous range of paints. They have super fine pigments that do not separate when thinned, so fine you cannot see them.

I know I am an advocate for Scale 75 but these metals are the best I have ever used.

The copper was Warcolours Copper which I have tested for them prior to the launch in a couple of months. This is simply the most vivd copper I have ever seen, it is copper piping in a paint pot.

I have also included the first green ooze coming out of the eyes on two skeleton heads, there will be more of this on the rest of the figure.

Now these parts are done I will work on the rest of the horns to frame the head.

Glottkin - Part 8

Started some of the detail now to finish the head, though this little detail is still pretty big.

I have worked the wood to have more of a nurgle feel, throwing greens at it and designing some freehand wooden grain.

The flame just had to be blue, nothing else would seem to do.

Glottkin - Part 7

After what seems like an age I think I have the top of the head done. I have done my best to throw all sorts of transition to give this thing a life like feel.

In the bottom left corner you can see some veins that I painted a mid blue to help them stand out, edged with purple and then a thin green glaze over the top.

View from one side

And then the other

There are three pieces to paint up to complete the top, these are torch you see and two others. These will be next on my list.

Glottkin - Part 6

Bit more done to the top of the head. I have gone for a demonic summoning area as this is where one of the nurgle lords will sit.

The fur has been blacked out and it's now a case of working the remainder of the head to get it all looking together.

Glottkin - Part 5

The final horn on the head has been done, obviously there are all the surrounding ones, but they will be later.

I am slowly going to a darker palette as I move up the head and think the top section will go red.

I have completed the first eye. There are several dotted around the figure so I wanted to see what they would look like.

I have chosen a light pink for the white of the eye, Warcolours Purple 1 and went about making it look bloodshot, it just adds more feel to it and helps it look alive.

Glottkin - Part 4

It may only look like a little more done but what you see from last time is about 5 hours work.

I wanted more contrast in the face and added things like magenta, turquoise, greens, browns, dark blue all to give that effect.

The tusks have also been done around the mouth to see how they look. I think I am happy with them though they may need a little touch up.

I used the Warcolours purple range for the 'dangly bits' to the side and under the jaw, blending them into the green.

Glottkin - Part 3

I am starting to wonder how many parts this thread will get to before I'm finished !

So as you can see the face has had some more work and I am pleased with how its coming along.

The photo is one of my better ones as the colours shown are near as damn it to reality.

The head will get some more attention then I will be thinking more about the teeth and tusks.

I think I am starting to get a feel for this figure and how it will progress. Needless to say I think I'm about 1% done so there is a bit more to do.

Glottkin - Part 2

I spent an hour or so working on the eye last night. Just getting a feel for the figure.

I have never painted anything nurgle so I want to try to get the look right.

At present I am thinking of a paler face, something undead perhaps but lets see where that takes me.

Glottkin - Part 1

Now my EFGT is out of the way it is time to work on my Glottkin.

I assembled this an age ago and it has been sat staring at me as I work on other stuff, but not any more.

I have tried some new things for me.

The first is a zenithal black and white priming technique.

First I airbrushed black and then directly from above with white.

The idea here is that black primer makes a colour darker while a white primer makes it brighter so it should extenuate the light and shadow effect.

Next up was to hit it with Scale75 Toxic Waste, still mainly working from above.

Now for something new

Warcolours Purple 5. 

A brand new paint range that I will be reviewing on here soon

So far, so good.

This will be a very long project as this beast has so much detail in it.

I also want to push myself to a new level so for that reason alone I want to take my time.

I do envisage doing some other figures along the way, just to paint something different and keep my motivation high.

For Sale - Lord of The Rings Figures

BOXSETS
Mines of Moria Box S £50

Mines of Moria Starter Set £10

ON SPRUES

12 x Goblins £5

12 x warriors of Minas  £5

Uruk Hai Engineers £5

IN BLISTERS 

All £5 Each

Mounted Aragorn King

Orc Shaman x 2

Orc Banner Bearer

Dain

Uruk Hai Beserker 

Gamling

Easterling

Lurtz Sword

Ghan Buri Ghan

PRIMED METAL

Orc on Warg £5

Uruk Hai Berserker £5

PAINTED METAL

Gorbag £5

Gollum £5

Gandalf Khazad Dum x 2 1 sword missing £7

King of the Dead £5

Tom Bombadil £7

Minas Tirith Standard Bearer foot £5

Uruk Hai Battering Ram £20

Uruk Hai siege ballisters and crew X 2 £20 each

Cave troll with hammer £20

Faramir mounted and foot - armoured and ranger. £15

Merry and Pippin captured by Uruk Hai £15

PAINTED PLASTIC

Uruk Hai sword x 25 £12

Uruk Hai pike x 63 £30

Warriors of Minas Tirith x 24 £12

If anybody has any interest in buying any of these then please E-Mail me at 

mally1049@gmail.com

The buyer will cover postage as you would expect.

Thank you for looking.