Warlord Games - Red Devils Session 2

I was able to get another session in on the Red Devils tonight. I mounted them all up on bottle caps with white tack. As I normally do I started out with the skin. I'm trying to keep the shadows more dramatic on these than normal, trying to apply at least a little of the theory I worked on over the weekend. I'm happy with where the skin tones are at right now. There are a couple of areas that are a bit darker than I would like but I think that's okay. We don't have to blend everything together shadows are often straight hard edged lines as well.

For these I started with the Reaper Bronze Skin Tone as a base with a little Golden Highlight adding in to bring back a little warmth. Since they were looking a little pale at the end I applied a final glaze of Liquitex Transparent Burnt Sienna, an acrylic ink. So far so good. I didn't have any problems with paint adhering to the Badger Stynylrez thinner so that's looking like a winner so far. I haven't managed to rub any off the minis at this point but then I really didn't try to hard either. The Burnt Sienna has a bit of red in it and as Banshee says "red is life".

The group shot. I can see the white background is picking up the red of the bottle caps.

A bit of a close up, but not to close

Warlord Games - Red Devils Session 1

After the intensive workshop this past weekend I decided I needed something to help relax with. I know I have a number of other projects going right now and I promised myself that I wouldn't start the British Paras but I didn't put the box away fast enough.

I pulled out the files and started cleaning up the mold lines. I think at least half of these minis have the mold line going right down the face. I realize that there isn't much to be done with that but I think there could have been cleaner and better choices made when the mold was created. Overall nice solid figures that should look pretty good once they are painted. My German Fallschirmjagers and US Airborne are both from Artizan Designs and I'll be fleshing those forces out from Artizan when I get back around to them.

After the filing was done I brought out the Badger Stynylrez primer to see how it handles metal. So far no problems with it. I'll see how happy I am with it once I have applied some paint to the minis. I'll need to get a little paint on the BONES minis I primed as well.

The results of an evening of prepping.

The two packs I decided to start with. One 10 man squad of Paras and Vickers MMG and its para crew.

Not to many minis, I should be able to do this

All silver and waiting on primer

Tonight's Primer

Definitely not silver now

Rifles and Sten SMGs

Rifles and Sten SMGs

Rifle and Sten SMG

The section's Bren Gun

The Vickers MMG. The loader actually looks bored.

Reaper "BONES" miniatures and Badger Stynylrez Primer

Despite the fact that you don't need to prime BONES miniatures from Reaper, there are many that can't give up the habit. However, finding a primer that actually works on BONES has been difficult. Many of the spray primers react poorly with the plastic BONES is made from. For a pretty comprehensive list of primers that can be used and not be used check out the Reaper Forum.

After a bit of discussion on the Reaper boards I was made aware of a new acrylic primer from Badger; Stynylrex. Its either very popular or not well marketed because this stuff is hard to find. But thank goodness for Caboose Hobbies. They had one three pack of 4oz bottles available for $30 (cheaper than Amazon) which contained one each of white, black and grey. I don't like the coloring in the grey off the bat so I mixed a nice grey using the white and black primers in a small squeeze bottle.

I brushed it on one Bones miniature and shot it through my airbrush onto the other (undiluted at about 20psi). It dried quite quickly (not unusual here) and seems to have a pretty good grip on the BONES plastic. I flexed both minis and couldn't get it to crack or peel off. So if you feel the need to prime your BONES minis I would recommend the Badger Stynylrex Primers,

A large orc that I brushed the primer on

Some hooded villain type that I airbrushed the primer on.

Now I need to sit down and apply some paint and see how it handles my various brands of paint.

Day 3 with Alfonso "Banshee" Giraldes

Sunday has been a bit more laid back. I tried to put apply the theory to the miniature and a couple of times I came close but then managed to veer off track. In the end I'm not happy with it but I could probably have fixed it if I wasn't so burned out at this point. Plus there were a couple of time eaters today, a demonstration by Alfonso and a final lesson for selecting color for the composition of the mini or even a whole scene. It was a great class, I learned a lot and if you have the opportunity to take a class from Banshee just do it!

Some of us are already hitting the brushes hard

Alfonso is trying to wake up with coffee and doughnuts

Really guys, its like this

Not a bad start

Better, closer to that dramatic lighting effect

Lunch outside in the Colorado sun

Alfonso opts for the shade and a beer, well Corona which isn't beer in my book

Color composition time

The crowd gathers

Lili Troy, organized the whole thing

Shoshie take a picture of the busts

The group bust shot

Busts on the right

And on the left

Another workshop done, I wonder what's in store for next year.

Day 2 with Alfonso "Banshee" Giraldes

Day 2, the morning seemed to come quite early today. First up was finishing up the color exercise that had started on Friday. It was tough and I didn't really finish it but I learned quite a bit. I might endeavor to finish it once we are done with the class though. We followed this up with a bit more theory and another exercise although Alphonso really did this one himself while we watched (He sat in Michael's spot of this one saying it had good energy). A somewhat random assortment of paints were selected and we determined if they were warm or cool and in what order they should be in, we added white to desaturate them and determine what the range of the color might be in the process. Some of the ranges were quite short, red in particular, while others were longer these typically had a lot of blue or yellow in their makeup.

Then it was on to the busts. I really struggled with this today and I'm not happy at all with how well I'm doing. I understand the theory but putting it into practice is not easy. We are going with a very extreme lighting style, which I like a lot, but I'm having a difficult time with the placement of shadows and highlights and how to mix the mid tones. I was getting better by the end and hopefully I can pull it out of the fire tomorrow.

Alfonso is not a morning person

  

"O" Group time

The warm/cool exercise in action

The results. Holy Cow! I really need to add the Vallejo florescent colors to my collection.

"Hey guys! Listen!"

I'm already in trouble, way to orange to start with.

This is a face

Illustrator style

Alfonso's demo busts

I don't think that's how its suppose to go.

It must be serious at this point, Michael has his visor on and the door is close, perhaps even locked.

I'm not sure that's the way I would have done it.

Chains, Chains!

Shoshie and Scott look quite skeptical here

See? You can add tones like this.

Day 1 With Alfonso "Banshee" Giraldes

Today was the first day of our three day painting workshop with Alfonso Giraldes. Its been an eye opener I can tell you. I'm still trying to really process everything he tried to show us today. I headed out quite early so I could run by the Union Pacific locomotive yards and get a good parking place.

It was a long day and well worthwhile but I'm not going to disclose, by Alfonso's request, anything specific to his course. He does get paid to teach it after all. So you will get the day in photographs instead.

Oh and I'll post the UP shots when I have a chance. I grabbed the wrong camera and I have to find my card reader that can handle the large size card that comes in the Nikon D70s (not to be confused with my Nikon N70 which is a film camera).

Not really related other than its near the light rail station this is the Buckhorn Exchange one of the oldest restaurants in Denver and in operation over 100 years now. They specialize in wild game so if you have a hankering for something a bit off the beaten path this is the place to go. A bit on the pricey side though. 

Perhaps my most important discovery of the day. Just a couple blocks up from where we are having the class is the tasting room for the Breckenridge Brewery one of our local micro breweries.

The calm before the storm, the empty classroom. I still need to run the power cords so we have power for the lights

Alfonso will get to spend his time standing around by that flip chart in the front.

The crowd begins to gather

Poor Joshua gets to sit next to me

Of course we had to do the classic color wheel exercise although this one had a bit of a twist that I, obviously, was having trouble with.

Lunch Break! Pulled pork sandwiches

Lunchtime discussion

Expounding on something while using Anthony to demonstrate on.

I understand what he was doing but he does it so fast that Its hard to follow.

Shoshie bribing Alfonso with popcorn

Michael and Phil pouring over the exercise we were working on at the end of the day. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this one too. I think its time for beer!