Sunday 25 October 2015

Off the Painting Table (Oct 2015); part 2


My experiments using the Kings of War rules forced me to rediscover a box of old fantasy figures that I had acquired second–hand over the years, that has lain unloved and forgotten in the attic. The good news was that they are largely unpainted and therefore my painting stocks were suddenly increased. I had previously thought my stock of unpainted lead was very low, but I was not inspired about what to buy next. If I don’t have a painting project on the go, I tend to become restless and make foolish purchasing decisions!

001.JPG

After completing the intricate uniforms of my Napoleonic British Hussars, I needed something light-hearted to paint, so Goblins seemed a good choice. Normally I paint 28mm figures in small batches of 1-2 dozen figures, but for some reason I decided to paint all 60+ Night Goblins as a single batch! Also, contrary to my opinion that fantasy figures can use any colour palette, I decided to stick with the ‘traditional’ GW palette (just in case I wish to sell these figures on).

003.JPG

I am happy with the final results, and must admit to enjoying painting these characterful, cartoonish figures. The black cloaks were a pain to paint: Black cloth is always problematic, the Wargames Foundry 3-tone scheme for black comes out too grey, so I used a panzer grey on a black undercoat. This gives the right dark appearance whilst the ragged nature of the cloth is still clear. The strange thing with these figures is that they only come ‘alive’ once the red eyes and white teeth are painted in, up until this point they looked rather bland. Also painting the bases really helps because these dark figures need the contrast with a lighter base. The only thing I’m disappointed about is the dark blue used on the banner, a brighter mid-blue would have been better.
I think the next figures to be painted will be some more Goblins, this time riding giant spiders! It is strange because I’m still not ‘convinced’ about the fantasy genera, but I will ride with it until a new historical bug bites!

No comments:

Post a Comment