#BloodBowl - Orc Team - TO DONE!

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been #PaintingWarhammer on my Orc Team and they are TO DONE! Inspired by  Tyler Russo's amazing Orks at Billion Dollar Clown Farm and this Orc Team by Robbin Cruddace. After the Dirty Down Rust I think I've ended up more towards Tyler's style than Robin's 

There's so much orange in play, matched with the green skin, red accent, black, silver and bone/white there are far more colours than I originally intended.

Now, although I do like what I've done and how they came out I'd say these pictures aren't great and so they're influencing my overall perception. Add in the fact the rust hasn't quite come out how I expected - the Army Painter Anti-Shine seems to have encapsulated most of it.

I usually expect it to have some effect, which is why I don't worry too much if I go overboard as the varnish helps remove some of powders.

But in person I just get the impressions it is clear it's behind a transparent layer. It's not frosted or ruined it's just there so I'm less happy about it than I should be.

But it's the wealth of colour that's making me feel slightly disappointed.

I know, me complaining about colour!

It's not so much  I don't like it, it's just now I see it and remember a previous step I genuinely wish I'd stopped where I was at.

I've a picture later one, when we get to players 9, 10, 11 and 12 that hopefully will illustrate what I mean.

But let's talk Dirty Down Rust - still not right, not what I thought it would be like but a slight improvement.

But most of the orange here is from my Vallejo Model Wash Rust, mixed with weathering powders.

It's great in places so I shouldn't complain and I'm sure further down the line I'll look more at these as they are and marvel that I actually did it.

But right now, I think I expected something else and although what I expected was probably more within my capability of what I normally do the style would have been more restrained.

Somehow I've done something I would consider technically outside of my norm, but visually more in keeping, it's an odd turn of events.

And the varnish, well? Blood Bowl players do take a lot of handling so regardless of what I hoped to achieve that varnish needs to be one, no matter what.

Here's the illustration of my problem, this was the previous point, before the rust FX and I think I prefer where it was at. It might be cleaner, more uniform with unbroken blocks of black but I like it. The better picture also helps.

I just like the sharpness to it all whereas the rust has gone a bit OTT in places. What do you think?

I do like the markers though, particularly choosing to do different different scales of checks on the gauntlet.

The Blessed Verdigris coin is also pretty cool, although I'm not sure if I should have done a rusty silver metal instead. It does still work but it'll be a question I'll continue to ask for years to come.

And with that a GREAT Big RUSTY Stamp of Approval. 

But I'm not finished yet, because of course I also painted Varag Ghoul-Chewer whop gets his own slot in my pantheon of TO DONE! this season.

The Ghoul himself was something I was concerned about as I had no idea where I was going to go with him. I winged it a bit but I think he came out alright.

The picture on the left looked awesome when I took it, really seemed to show all the detail and colours I'd managed to achieve. However, on closer inspection it's another slightly disappointing pic. I don't know what's going on with my photography set up but it's beginning to dampen my sense of achievement with lacklustre pics 😔

It highlights all the paint marks, which I'm down for and my Camera360 app was previously enhancing to the point of cartoon but these are genuine blobs and strokes.

But the quality of pics just seem to have gone downhill and I don't know why

I really liked how the horns on his jaw came out.

And with that a GREAT Big RUSTY Stamp of Approval. 

Subsequently I took some pics of them on their pitch. I don't know if they're better but at least the bases match. I'll share them tomorrow, cos you've had plenty of pics so far today.

#BloodBowl - Orc Team - Troll - TO DONE!

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been #PaintingWarhammer on my Blood Bowl Troll  and he is TO DONE! Well, sort of.

He certainly was at this stage, or so I thought. I'd varnished it at the very least. I was overjoyed at the the repose I'd made and so much happier with it as an addition to my roster.

But as I mentioned It's the back I can't reconcile. The darkness of the scales bleeds into the darkness between them, making the whole ill-defined.

So, having taken these pics I decided I'd throw in the heavy red shade that would help make that definition between scales - if you can't go darker, go lighter!

Otherwise I was happy, although that varnish bubble on the Goblin's head was not something I was happy about 😫

The freehand 14 came out really well and the subtle green mildew made it look pretty cool alongside the rust effects.

The belly could have done with some more highlights I suppose but part of me likes how scrappy it is. Subtle nod to my Middenheim Marauders on his 'kneepad'.

His face turned out much better than I expected and now you can see it! The cut is practically unnoticeable on his left arm.

The extra couple of scales on the back and top hide whatever join is underneath seamlessly.

Very limited highlights on tabard, hope it doesn't look like a cop-out and the Porkbelly Stuffers cloth patch worked out OK too.

Some rust on the armour.

OK, so I took the plunge and washed his back.

Definitely happier with the result.

I like how the red picks up on the pink bits on the Goblin, ties the elements together.

Definitely the right choice and an important lesson that even after it's varnished I can still take a gamble. I'd already learned to take risks cutting the arm off even after painting it but this has been a great lesson in doing what needs to be done, even if it feels like a step backward. It's better to do it and be happier with the result than to be constantly disappointed with the finished article. To be fair though I have spent many TO DONEs saying that I'm just happier something is complete rather than because it met my expectations and I'm comfortable with 'finished, not perfect'. I guess it's about knowing when to take that risk and when not, which in turn is a decision and open to stalling a project... Who ever said this hobby was good for reducing stress?

And with that a GREAT Big RUSTY Stamp of Approval. 

#BloodBowl - Orc Team - Troll - final highlights

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been #PaintingWarhammer on my Blood Bowl Troll. Following on from yesterdays dramatic decision to take clippers to my half-painted figure I'm now completely back on track and SO much happier for taking the risk. Highlights for all the skintones and scales.

Now, if I'm honest the scales aren't quite what I expected, although unhappy might be too strong of a word. The issue is I can't seem to resolve what is going on, the definition of each scale has gone and it's almost difficult to look at [exactly how they always describe anything remotely chaosy...]

Maybe I added to much shade washes and all that red inbetween has been obscured. The irony, or perhaps the saving grace is that as I write this it is complete and varnished and I still haven't come to terms with it. But, now I look at it and compare to yesterdays post and I think perhaps another thin heavy red wash inbetween the scales might bring back that definition. Do I take the risk? Well I just did with the clippers on his pose and was pleased with the results...

Anyway, having added some red to the Goblin, I threw on some white ready for the Fluoro Magenta so he can be in my Mongrel Horde team.

I also highlighted all the claws on the troll.

A bit of pink fabric, but this scrap will be from my Porkbelly Stuffers Halfling Team.

The moon badge on the glove, may not be the Mongrel Horde's logo but it'll still be pink to match the gobbo. His eye and the highlight on the skin came out alright in the end. Pure luck.

Almost done then and I think I need to gamble on this red wash. VGEO Heavy Red washes have never let me down before, they've always look awesome and if the fact it's too dark is failing to reconcile what's going on then maybe I need to go lighter...?

#BloodBowl - Orc Team - Troll - surgery

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been kitbashing on my Blood Bowl Troll. Although I think this is a great model, the pose has always irked me. The raised hand, although perhaps accurate for a throwing pose covers up the Trolls face - both hiding it and making it difficult to paint. I;d seen a number of conversions where it had been reposed and one very recent which was so good I was gutted I'd got this far down the road where I couldn't cut and shunt my model to something I was happier with... or could I?

I just got out my clippers and snipped under the armpit and behind some back scales. When it was removed I could tilt and rotate it down with the same scales somehow managing to form a pivot point and still stay mainly attached at the top of the shoulder. The gap in the armpit I filled out with bits of sprue - support which would be covered up with greenstuff.

I was so much happier at this point. You can see the Trolls face, which is amazing but also means I have to do a decent job on it! Having smoothed the armpit most of that will be in shadow anyway so it didn't have to be anatomically correct Some veins on the belly too.

I added a few scales onto the shoulder to help blend it in with the rest of the scales. The armpit is slightly more sculpted on the back, it looks something like skin and muscle stretching but it doesn't need to be perfect, luckily. You should also have noticed I've used a heavy red wash inbetween all the scales to make them look angry. I was using my turquoise Genestealer Aberrants for inspiration here.

Now that that unforeseen diversion has turned out for the best, it's back to painting this monster.