Thx to Jon Page and his sphereproducts, now I can transport my works in a fashionable way;]
Now I'm ready for FigureWorld and all other mini related events.
And it's even airplane proof due to the custom dimentions.
Isn't it a beauty?
cheers
'eM
29 Jun 2013
New ride arrived:D
Finally I have a decent mean of transportation for my minis!
Thx to Jon Page and his sphereproducts, now I can transport my works in a fashionable way;]
Now I'm ready for FigureWorld and all other mini related events.
And it's even airplane proof due to the custom dimentions.
Isn't it a beauty?
cheers
'eM
Thx to Jon Page and his sphereproducts, now I can transport my works in a fashionable way;]
Now I'm ready for FigureWorld and all other mini related events.
And it's even airplane proof due to the custom dimentions.
Isn't it a beauty?
cheers
'eM
28 Jun 2013
Einstein's apron - leathers SBS
This time I'd like to show you the process of painting the leather like on my Einstein. The bust at this moment is still in progress, so you can check my earlier posts to see how it's progressing so far.
As you can see leather apron Einstein is wearing is very distressed, dirty and full of all sorts of discolourations and stains. It wasn't really planned this way from the beginning, but was more like heat of the moment improvisation.
Because I don't have any photos picturing particular stages of the process I'll try to recreate the same effect on different piece (most probably the cartboard or something like that). To be fair I must admit that I'm curious myself if I can do that.
If you're interested here's my other tutorial about painting leather
1. Basecoat
First step is pretty basic. Just apply more or less even layer of a base colour. In my case some sort of mixture of: Graveyard Earth (GW), Desert Yellow (GW) and 'Jack Bone (P3).
The exact colours are really not that important, you can use your own pants and mixtures, but I'm gonna list them just in case anyone will find it helpful.
Because I'm trying to speed up my painting as much as I can, for such big pieces, at this stage I'm mostly using airbrush to block colours and do initial shading. But you can easily do that with the brush, especially because you don't need an extra smooth surface.
2. Basic shades and lights
For this step I also used an airbrush and simply sprayed some Graveyard Earth facing nozzle from the bottom of the bust, and then added few extra glazes with brush at the very bottom and in the recesses. After that few layers of 'Jack Bone on his shoulders.
I don't think I was worried too much about the shadows on the edges at this point, as I was planning to take care of them closer to the end.
3. Introducing texture, some colour variations and more contrast
After blocking first shadows and lights, I used thin glazes of various shades of brown, green, black to create some slight colour variations and more contrast. More 'Jack Bone and Dessert Yellow was used to brighten top parts of the apron.
At this stage I wasn't really going for smooth transitions. In fact some roughness, especially in 'light' areas was deliberate, and used to create leathery texture (vachetta leather - without a shine and rather dull when compared to the grain leather)
4. Splashes
When step 3 is finished the fun begines. Using thick and rather stiff brush, a toothpick and fairly dilluted paints and washes I created colourful splashes on the apron, trying to concentrate them on the middle part of the apron, where they're most likely to happen in real life.
This metod is quite random and seems messy, but with all the 'non leathery' parts of the mini covered with Tamyia tape, and a bit of practice (to establish how dilluted part you should use) you can really go to town with it and create cool effects. And if something goes horribly wrong, you can always cover that area with base/shade colour and start over again. It not only won't ruin the piece, but can even add a bit to the texture.
It's entirely up to you what colours you use for that step, but here's the list of those I used:
- 'Jack Bone (P3)
- Badab Black (GW Wash)
- Agrax Earthshade (GW Wash)
- Ogryn Flesh (GW Wash)
- Seraphim Sepia (GW Wash)
If you're not entirely happy with your splashes and dots you can add some with the brush. At this point I used slightly dilluted washes to create 'coffee print' effect with a paint pooling to the stain's edges, but it's really up to you what dillution you're gonna use.
5. Glazes of different colours to blend splashes and the whole surface together a bit
I used some Graveyard Earth, brown and black washes to blend, and green, red and maybe even blue to add some colour niuances to the leather. After all, years of extensive use in different circumstances, had to left some marks and discolourations.
7. Edges
With the middle of apron more or less ready I took care of the edges. Bright colour applied with the side of the brush to the shapr edges of the apron and some glazes in the little holes and indentations under them made the trick.
The same goes for all little holes in the surface. I applied some dark/black wash inside and then highlighted the bottom edge with Menoth White Base (P3)
8. Final touches
For now the apron is finished, but with whole bust painted I may add some more contrast or maybe few more stains. At some point I was thinking about making him more like a car mechanic, so there would be added some oil stains on the apron, but I'm not sure yet.
Well I guess that's all here.
I hope you'll find this tutorial helpful. If you have any questions, please ask. I'll try to help as much as I can.
cheers
'eM
As you can see leather apron Einstein is wearing is very distressed, dirty and full of all sorts of discolourations and stains. It wasn't really planned this way from the beginning, but was more like heat of the moment improvisation.
Because I don't have any photos picturing particular stages of the process I'll try to recreate the same effect on different piece (most probably the cartboard or something like that). To be fair I must admit that I'm curious myself if I can do that.
If you're interested here's my other tutorial about painting leather
1. Basecoat
First step is pretty basic. Just apply more or less even layer of a base colour. In my case some sort of mixture of: Graveyard Earth (GW), Desert Yellow (GW) and 'Jack Bone (P3).
The exact colours are really not that important, you can use your own pants and mixtures, but I'm gonna list them just in case anyone will find it helpful.
Because I'm trying to speed up my painting as much as I can, for such big pieces, at this stage I'm mostly using airbrush to block colours and do initial shading. But you can easily do that with the brush, especially because you don't need an extra smooth surface.
2. Basic shades and lights
For this step I also used an airbrush and simply sprayed some Graveyard Earth facing nozzle from the bottom of the bust, and then added few extra glazes with brush at the very bottom and in the recesses. After that few layers of 'Jack Bone on his shoulders.
I don't think I was worried too much about the shadows on the edges at this point, as I was planning to take care of them closer to the end.
3. Introducing texture, some colour variations and more contrast
After blocking first shadows and lights, I used thin glazes of various shades of brown, green, black to create some slight colour variations and more contrast. More 'Jack Bone and Dessert Yellow was used to brighten top parts of the apron.
At this stage I wasn't really going for smooth transitions. In fact some roughness, especially in 'light' areas was deliberate, and used to create leathery texture (vachetta leather - without a shine and rather dull when compared to the grain leather)
4. Splashes
When step 3 is finished the fun begines. Using thick and rather stiff brush, a toothpick and fairly dilluted paints and washes I created colourful splashes on the apron, trying to concentrate them on the middle part of the apron, where they're most likely to happen in real life.
This metod is quite random and seems messy, but with all the 'non leathery' parts of the mini covered with Tamyia tape, and a bit of practice (to establish how dilluted part you should use) you can really go to town with it and create cool effects. And if something goes horribly wrong, you can always cover that area with base/shade colour and start over again. It not only won't ruin the piece, but can even add a bit to the texture.
It's entirely up to you what colours you use for that step, but here's the list of those I used:
- 'Jack Bone (P3)
- Badab Black (GW Wash)
- Agrax Earthshade (GW Wash)
- Ogryn Flesh (GW Wash)
- Seraphim Sepia (GW Wash)
If you're not entirely happy with your splashes and dots you can add some with the brush. At this point I used slightly dilluted washes to create 'coffee print' effect with a paint pooling to the stain's edges, but it's really up to you what dillution you're gonna use.
5. Glazes of different colours to blend splashes and the whole surface together a bit
I used some Graveyard Earth, brown and black washes to blend, and green, red and maybe even blue to add some colour niuances to the leather. After all, years of extensive use in different circumstances, had to left some marks and discolourations.
I know that the effect is not exactly the same with Einstein's apron, but I guess you got the idea how it was made so far. Changes I was doing from now on are rather hard to reproduce on the cartboard, so I'm gonna move back to the mini.
6. More contrast and weathering
After blending the whole surface a little, I reintroduced contrst with dark glazes (on the bottom of the miniature ans in the recesses, and light colours in the brighter areas. Slightly 'chalky' finish in the highlights added some texture and worn finish.
7. Edges
With the middle of apron more or less ready I took care of the edges. Bright colour applied with the side of the brush to the shapr edges of the apron and some glazes in the little holes and indentations under them made the trick.
The same goes for all little holes in the surface. I applied some dark/black wash inside and then highlighted the bottom edge with Menoth White Base (P3)
8. Final touches
For now the apron is finished, but with whole bust painted I may add some more contrast or maybe few more stains. At some point I was thinking about making him more like a car mechanic, so there would be added some oil stains on the apron, but I'm not sure yet.
Well I guess that's all here.
I hope you'll find this tutorial helpful. If you have any questions, please ask. I'll try to help as much as I can.
cheers
'eM
27 Jun 2013
JMD Octopus - review
Today I'm gonna show you another bust, beautiful Octopus. I can't really decide if it's a he or a she, but eitherway it's one of my favourites minis.
The mini:
Name: Octopus
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: VDB007R
Sculptor: Romain Van Den Bogaert
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: 1:10
The box:
This bust also came in a plastic bag with a tag on top. This time it was a bit more risky, as the bust has some rather thin tentacles. But hopefully, in a parcel sent via post, it would be protected by some bubblewrap.
In the box:
Quality of the cast:
The level of detailing is excelent here. All the little wrinkles and texturing of the skin is really amazing. But as you can see on the photos, there are some flaws. They're not hard to remove, but you need to be prepared to some cleaning.
Some little blobs of resin where tentacles are touching the skin, little mouldline on the left shoulder under the tentacle. And of course the big one... the mess on his neck at the back. It's gonna be mostly hidden under a tentacle, but still some work needs to be done to make sure it doesn't show after assembly.
Assembly:
With a little bit of practice with driling and operating in tight spaces it should not be a problem. Tentacles are thin, but not too much, there is still place to drill a nice holes for pins and make sure that everything is securely fixed together. Just make sure that the joining line is not visible.
Summary:
I must say I'm a big fan of this bust. Not perfect, but absolutely cute and the face... it's simply suberb.
Here you can see what I've done so far on him.
Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Demon
Persian Assassin
Drummer bust
cheers
'eM
The mini:
painted by: Alban Berger
Name: Octopus
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: VDB007R
Sculptor: Romain Van Den Bogaert
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: 1:10
The box:
This bust also came in a plastic bag with a tag on top. This time it was a bit more risky, as the bust has some rather thin tentacles. But hopefully, in a parcel sent via post, it would be protected by some bubblewrap.
In the box:
Quality of the cast:
The level of detailing is excelent here. All the little wrinkles and texturing of the skin is really amazing. But as you can see on the photos, there are some flaws. They're not hard to remove, but you need to be prepared to some cleaning.
Some little blobs of resin where tentacles are touching the skin, little mouldline on the left shoulder under the tentacle. And of course the big one... the mess on his neck at the back. It's gonna be mostly hidden under a tentacle, but still some work needs to be done to make sure it doesn't show after assembly.
Assembly:
With a little bit of practice with driling and operating in tight spaces it should not be a problem. Tentacles are thin, but not too much, there is still place to drill a nice holes for pins and make sure that everything is securely fixed together. Just make sure that the joining line is not visible.
Summary:
I must say I'm a big fan of this bust. Not perfect, but absolutely cute and the face... it's simply suberb.
Here you can see what I've done so far on him.
Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Demon
Persian Assassin
Drummer bust
cheers
'eM
26 Jun 2013
JMD Persian Assassin - review
Short review of an iconic piece: Persian Assassin.
The mini:
Name: Persian Assassin
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: RT001R
Sculptor: Remy Tremblay
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: (1:35) 54mm
The box:
I am fully aware that the box on the photo doesn't belong to the mini I'm talking here, but all of them are exactly the same. Plastic box with the mini in a plastic bag, and smaller bag for smaller parts. Not the most secure packaging, I know. But luckily for me all ordered miniatures arrived undamaged.
On the other hand it might be the packaging provided by the middle man.
In the box:
Quality of the cast:
What can I say... It's not perfect. And for some reason I wqas expecting more from this mini.
Delicate, but still visible moudlines on his legs, and arms may be tricky to remove. Damaged/moved detail on his sword will most probably end up gone completely, and I can only hope that the inner side of his right arm will be invisible after glueing the piece together.
Other thing that worries me here are these extemally thin parts of his robe. They're integral parts of this mini's charm, but it may be a problem to clean them and glue in place.
Luckily for me, the face and other crucial parts of the mini are nicely casted. Surfaces are smooth and if I'll be able to fix the aformentioned issues and glue it together without breaking anything it should be pleasure to paint.
Assembly:
As you can see mini consists thin and fragile parts. Only for that reason it's gonna be a difficult task demandind steady hands.
And I'm not quite sure If I should paint it fully assembled or in parts...
Summary:
I must say, I was slightly dissapointed when I checked my copy of this pretty iconic miniature. Still full of charm, and rich oriental feel, but the cast could be better.
Of course it doesn't mean I'm not gonna paint it, or enjoying doing it. But I just feel that JMD accustomed me to better quality, and this one feels a bit like a downfall
Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Demon
Drummer bust
cheers
'eM
The mini:
painted by: Remy Tremblay
Name: Persian Assassin
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: RT001R
Sculptor: Remy Tremblay
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: (1:35) 54mm
The box:
I am fully aware that the box on the photo doesn't belong to the mini I'm talking here, but all of them are exactly the same. Plastic box with the mini in a plastic bag, and smaller bag for smaller parts. Not the most secure packaging, I know. But luckily for me all ordered miniatures arrived undamaged.
On the other hand it might be the packaging provided by the middle man.
In the box:
Quality of the cast:
What can I say... It's not perfect. And for some reason I wqas expecting more from this mini.
Delicate, but still visible moudlines on his legs, and arms may be tricky to remove. Damaged/moved detail on his sword will most probably end up gone completely, and I can only hope that the inner side of his right arm will be invisible after glueing the piece together.
Other thing that worries me here are these extemally thin parts of his robe. They're integral parts of this mini's charm, but it may be a problem to clean them and glue in place.
Luckily for me, the face and other crucial parts of the mini are nicely casted. Surfaces are smooth and if I'll be able to fix the aformentioned issues and glue it together without breaking anything it should be pleasure to paint.
Assembly:
As you can see mini consists thin and fragile parts. Only for that reason it's gonna be a difficult task demandind steady hands.
And I'm not quite sure If I should paint it fully assembled or in parts...
Summary:
I must say, I was slightly dissapointed when I checked my copy of this pretty iconic miniature. Still full of charm, and rich oriental feel, but the cast could be better.
Of course it doesn't mean I'm not gonna paint it, or enjoying doing it. But I just feel that JMD accustomed me to better quality, and this one feels a bit like a downfall
Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Demon
Drummer bust
cheers
'eM
25 Jun 2013
JMD Ghoul bust - review
Today, quick review of a simple 'one piece' bust, simple, yet impressive.
Ghoul sculpted by Romain Van Den Bogaert.
BTW first, and so far only, JMD miniature I ever painted.
The mini:
Name: Ghoul
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: VDB002R
Sculptor: Romain Van Den Bogaert
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: 1:15
The box:
Again, this bust came in a plastic bag with a tag on top. But again, there is nothing that can be broken, and I bought it during the show, so it was not a problem at all.
In the box:
Sadly the bust was a bit dusty when I was taking the photos, and I had no intention of using this photos for a review...
Quality of the cast:
Outstanding, simply outstanding. There was some issues with his upper teeth and palate, and slight line through his head, but all that was really easy to fix. And the level of detailing and texture is simply awesome. Especially when you keep in mind scale of this bust and the fact that it's over 2 years old already. Below you can see some details of the bust.
Summary:
Like I said at the very beginning, this bust may look very simple, but at the same time is very impressive. With interesting sculpture (especially the spine at the back), face full of expression, and big eyes perfect for some experiments, it is a very interesting canvas for painting.
Below you can see what I was able to achieve with it almost two years ago. I must say I'm s till proud of this paintjob. Hopefully today I'd be able to paint it betterm but bare in mind this is my first bust ever.
Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Demon
Persian Assassin
Drummer bust
cheers
'eM
Ghoul sculpted by Romain Van Den Bogaert.
BTW first, and so far only, JMD miniature I ever painted.
The mini:
painted by: David Waeselynck
Name: Ghoul
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: VDB002R
Sculptor: Romain Van Den Bogaert
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: 1:15
The box:
In the box:
Sadly the bust was a bit dusty when I was taking the photos, and I had no intention of using this photos for a review...
Quality of the cast:
Outstanding, simply outstanding. There was some issues with his upper teeth and palate, and slight line through his head, but all that was really easy to fix. And the level of detailing and texture is simply awesome. Especially when you keep in mind scale of this bust and the fact that it's over 2 years old already. Below you can see some details of the bust.
Summary:
Like I said at the very beginning, this bust may look very simple, but at the same time is very impressive. With interesting sculpture (especially the spine at the back), face full of expression, and big eyes perfect for some experiments, it is a very interesting canvas for painting.
Below you can see what I was able to achieve with it almost two years ago. I must say I'm s till proud of this paintjob. Hopefully today I'd be able to paint it betterm but bare in mind this is my first bust ever.
Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Demon
Persian Assassin
Drummer bust
cheers
'eM
24 Jun 2013
JMD Demon - review
Mighty demon... for me personally the best mini JMD released. One of the best minis there are.
Kinda reminds me of Diablo, and probably that was the sculptor's intention.
The mini:
Name: Demon
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: JAG001R
Sculptor: Jacques Alexandre Gillois
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: (1:35) 54mm
The box:
Now, that looks much better you must admit. Proper, stiff cartboard box, with a nice photo on the top.
But this particular mini was bought by me almost two years ago, so I have no idea now it looks now.
In the box:
Quality of the cast:
For such a complicated miniature, the quality of the cast is great. Crisp details, nice surface and what's most important, amazing texture on the whole mini.
There are some flaws, some delicate mouldlines, but all that can be easily removed and if you add a little extra effort to restore texture around the fixed area, it will be invisible.
Assembly:
I did most of the assembly over a year ago, and I don't remember any tricky parts. You just need to remember to mask the joining lines with the surrounding texture.
To be fair the only question you need to ask is, if you want to paint it completely assembled or in few bigger pieces. It is important, because his left hand is very close to the knee, and it might be tricky to operate there with a brush. I guess I'm gonna do that as whole, if I'll find a courage to finally paint this demon.
Below you can see how the mini looks at the moment, after initial priming, but before final fixes around joining lines.
Summary:
I'm not objective here, that's for sure. For me, this demon is one of the most beautiful miniatures ever.
I guess that's the best summary I can give you.
Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Persian Assassin
Drummer bust
cheers
'eM
Kinda reminds me of Diablo, and probably that was the sculptor's intention.
The mini:
painted by: Jéremie Bonamant Teboul
Name: Demon
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: JAG001R
Sculptor: Jacques Alexandre Gillois
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: (1:35) 54mm
The box:
Now, that looks much better you must admit. Proper, stiff cartboard box, with a nice photo on the top.
But this particular mini was bought by me almost two years ago, so I have no idea now it looks now.
In the box:
Quality of the cast:
For such a complicated miniature, the quality of the cast is great. Crisp details, nice surface and what's most important, amazing texture on the whole mini.
There are some flaws, some delicate mouldlines, but all that can be easily removed and if you add a little extra effort to restore texture around the fixed area, it will be invisible.
Assembly:
I did most of the assembly over a year ago, and I don't remember any tricky parts. You just need to remember to mask the joining lines with the surrounding texture.
To be fair the only question you need to ask is, if you want to paint it completely assembled or in few bigger pieces. It is important, because his left hand is very close to the knee, and it might be tricky to operate there with a brush. I guess I'm gonna do that as whole, if I'll find a courage to finally paint this demon.
Below you can see how the mini looks at the moment, after initial priming, but before final fixes around joining lines.
Summary:
I'm not objective here, that's for sure. For me, this demon is one of the most beautiful miniatures ever.
I guess that's the best summary I can give you.
Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Persian Assassin
Drummer bust
cheers
'eM
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