Monique and the Dragon - Step 2

This afternoon I primed Monique and the Dragon. Here are the latest pictures:



I've never primed in black before. It is supposed to make the colors a bit duller with built in shadows. White primer tends to make colors brighter, or so they say. I thought I'd experiment with the black on the dragon. Besides, my can of white primer was almost empty and I didn't have enough for the both of them. I'm curious to see if it really does make a difference.

I've already had my first mishap, though. I've learned that I can't go tipping the dragon willy nilly around on its base. It fell off a few minutes ago and clanged down onto the table. It does weigh over a pound, after all. I'm just glad nothing broke. Those wings are solid metal, but they just seem fragile.

Monique and the Dragon - Step 1

I got my new minis in the mail yesterday and spend some time assembling them for painting. Here's some pix of pre and post assembly.



I'm going to hold off on gluing Monique's left arm and shield and also the scabbard until after painting. If I put them on now they would prevent me from getting at some hard to reach places.

The base that the dragon is sitting on will be the final base that I mount both of the figures on.

The next step is to prime them and then mount them temporarily on a wooden block using putty so that I can pick them up easily and pivot them around in a dozen different directions without having to touch the figures themselves.

I also have to decide on a color scheme. At the moment I'm thinking of painting the dragon red with a cream colored underbelly. The wings might also be red, but I'm considering painting them and the top row of spines on his back black with gray highlighting. I'm imagining Monique with blue and black armor and blond hair.

Jungle Queen - The Final Finale

Well, after many months of working on it just a little bit at a time... here it is.


The figures are held to the base with a combination of putty and super glue. Then I painted the white putty brown, getting it as close as I could to the color of the base. So far it seems to be held there very firmly.

And, just to make it easy to compare the finished product with the original... here's what they looked like after I primed them:



All in all I'm very pleased with it. I had originally planned to decorate the base with shrubbery and whatnot, but I kind of like the minimalist feel of it. Now I can put it on the mantle with the others and feel good about finishing it.

Next up is a more ambitious project. It will be another two figure diorama, but this time it will be two separate figures that weren't packaged together.

Yesterday I put an order for a dragon called Deathsleet and a vampire knight from their 54mm master series named Monique DeNoir. Here are their pictures from the online catalog:


Well, she's supposed to be a vampire, that is. I haven't decided if I'll paint her that way. I've already picked up and stained a large wooden base to mount them on. I plan to mount them together in one diorama that I guess I'll call "Monique and the Dragon".

My lovely bride going away all next weekend with the kids and I'll have the house to myself. So, I ordered these minis and a new video game and I plan to rent a bunch of movies and pretend that, at least from Friday afternoon until Sunday, I have no responsibilities in the world except to enjoy my hobbies. I just hope the minis and the new game come in the mail in time!

The Queen's Lion

I had a burst of energy yesterday and finished the cat that accompanies the Jungle Queen. I had originally planned it to be a leopard but without intending to I ended up creating a mountain lion. Or maybe a lioness. I was a bit intimidated by all those spots anyway.

Here it is:


Now I have to coat them with a matte finish and then design the little base they'll be standing on together. I may actually be finished with it by later this evening.

I'm kind of proud of it, but I do have to honest. When I see a completed work like this one, I have to admit that I don't really know what the heck I'm doing. I'm stunned by the level of detail and the ability to shade and highlight that some painters have.

But still, I may not have enough skill to really feel like an artist, but it is very pleasant to spend so much time working on a mini and then have that sense of accomplishment when I'm done.

Queen of the Jungle - Part 5 - Pretty much finished

I think I'm more or less done with the Jungle Queen figure. I've lightened her skin up a bit and highlighted her hair and done my best on her lips.



Now I just have to work on the cat.