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That is a killer case! Very successful thrift indeed.
We got wood burning sauna, so I can imagine that you must of had super relaxing day of painting! Keep that up, that is a good combo: sauna, audiobook, solid drink, and a mini to paint.

Also, I found your sketch It is instructive and purposeful with good composition.
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/764420.page#10167107

Sidenote, this one was very inspiration for me, check it out, and also, get inspired.

That’s one awesome looking cabinet full of lovely painted Warhammer goodness! Looks like you had a fun game with the speed freaks. Belladonna is living up to her name too!

Absolutely beatiful work on the previous page! I've always admired your work, but I feel that with these larger scale models and busts you've really upped you game! But that's not to say the smaller stuff is lacking, Belladonna is shaping up to look incredible, and those D&D minis look great as well. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the diorama!

Mothsniper wrote:We got wood burning sauna, so I can imagine that you must of had super relaxing day of painting! Keep that up, that is a good combo: sauna, audiobook, solid drink, and a mini to paint.

Also, I found your sketch It is instructive and purposeful with good composition.
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/764420.page#10167107

Sidenote, this one was very inspiration for me, check it out, and also, get inspired.

Spoiler:

Wood burning sauna is the best!
We have one at our summer cabin as well. Which is just a traditional old little cottage near the woods passed down a few generations, like in many Finnish families. Not an actual huge summer house, like those rich folks have in other countries haha!
There's of course a sauna at our home too, but that one has an electric stove.
Haha, I had forgotten about that sketch! Did it's job I guess!
Great video, thanks for sharing!

gobert wrote:That’s one awesome looking cabinet full of lovely painted Warhammer goodness! Looks like you had a fun game with the speed freaks. Belladonna is living up to her name too!

Thank you gobert!

mcmattila wrote:Absolutely beatiful work on the previous page! I've always admired your work, but I feel that with these larger scale models and busts you've really upped you game! But that's not to say the smaller stuff is lacking, Belladonna is shaping up to look incredible, and those D&D minis look great as well. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the diorama!

Thank you sincerely for your kind words. I'm glad you have found my work enjoyable!
Over the last year or so, I have focused more on learning new techniques and trying to up my game.
One reason is the fact that we had no place to play for a long while, so I started painting for display rather than the tabletop. For me it was a completely new way of approaching miniature painting Instead of trying to get the models done as quickly and effectively as possible, I decided to really focus on them. Meaning of course, that it took way longer to paint a model than I had gotten used to. Those busts and this Shadowheart took somewhere between 50-70 hours per model to complete. In the past, my patience usually run out at the 20 hour mark at the latest haha!

On the other hand, I have to thank the good folk of Dakka and the Finnish group dedicated to display painting called "Cold Tone Society" (you can find them on Instagram or Discord).
All the feedback has been valuable and the great community truly makes this hobby so much more enjoyable!



To the matter at hand: Shadowheart is finally finished!
After a four month break with the model, I wanted to finish her for good.
There were a few hardly painted areas and the breastplate required more brightness, so that the thigh would not steal the show too much. I also redefined most of the golden parts, clothing and the base.

The scary part was to paint the slight reflections and bounce reflections from the candles. I wanted to keep the effect fairly light and focused only on her left leg.
I can tell you, that I was very afraid to start messing with the red and yellow paints on top of the finished leg armor! I used a real candle and a few shiny metal objects to get some idea on the reflections.
The effect might not be the most realistic, but I'm quite liking it!


Before showing the model, a few thoughts about my journey with Non Metallic Metal.
I put it in spoilers, as it kind of got out of hand. Completely optional!





Well, here she is.


She can finally join Karlach in the cabinet, so she does not have to fight the dust monsters alone!

Thanks for looking!

Phenomenal. Your game is getting so tight, it's scary.

Absolutely on point. You are going to have one hell of a cabinet.

If you hadn't told me that wasn't a concept piece done before BG3 was produced I wouldn't have been able to tell. Excellent work. Highly impressed!

Glorious! The NMM is lovely and an all round gorgeous piece

Those are gorgeus pieces sir

Thank you so much for the comments youwashock, muette, blockade23, gobert and The_Retromancer!
I'm glad you liked it and the NMM effect worked

Once again, took a while to write an update post.

I've been painting Belladonna of House Escher.
She's a model I've been wanting to paint for a very long time and finally decided to do it.

I happened to have the "Hoven Cloof" album with one of my favorite John Blanche artworks, which I used for inspiration.



At this point, I have already worked on this for a month or so.
Some progress pictures have been posted to the "Centerpiece" Dakka Challenge thread.

Here's the current state of the model.


I'm going with the "official" color scheme, with a hint of inspiration from John Blanches artwork.
Not going to do the yellow patterns on her armor, as I wanted to play with the volumes a bit more.

I built a display base for her using foamcore and some old Necromunda terrain pieces. The cracked floor is from one of the new GW buildings.


The wires are from greenstuff, using a GSW "Roll Maker". I decided to do some tentacles for the bottom floor using the same tool.
The floor is from a textured plastic sheet, also from GSW.


After messing around with "Futuristic graffiti" and enamel weathering, it looks something like this:







Hopefully I'll be able to tie the model's bright tones to the base. I want to make her stand out, but also look like she is fitting the scene.
Maybe by slightly adding some pigment powder to her feet and adding a small purple shimmer from the light, could that be achieved.

Thanks for looking!

Stunning work, Belladonna is looking amazing!

Looking beautiful, excellent work!

Everything about that is amazing.

Pro-fessional! The base is a masterwork. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Looking fantastic Ezki! She’s going to look great on her base for sure

Thank you all!
I'm glad you like the base. It was an experiment of many different techniques, including "matte NMM" haha.

I've been working quite hard for the last few days, as the yearly role playing convention "Ropecon" is at hand, and with that the painting competition, "Cold North Open".

This year the competition has changed to "open" format, meaning that you can take part in each category with multiple entries. You can still get only one price per category, but you don't have to choose just one model to enter. Furthermore in an open competition, there will be more bronze, silver and gold medals rather than the usual one of each. This means, that each work that deserves a gold medal, will get one. More or less like in the "big global competitions", Golden Demon being the exception for some reason.

I have decided to take part in the Bust, Large Miniature, Single Miniature and Vehicle categories.
I had many ideas for the diorama category as well, but did not have the time to work on them!


The convention starts in 12 hours. I decided to take it easy before bed and do a little "retrospective" here.


Firstly, I managed to finish the base.


As usual, during the final 24-36 hours I get the feeling that everything is going wrong. I start second guessing every decision.
I nearly drove to the local hobby store to buy some rats or something, as the tentacles I created (GSW roll maker for the win!) somehow looked "wrong". I'm glad they did not have any on stock.
"Trust the process" and so on.

Cleaning the edges and integrating the tentacles to the base AFTER it was painted was not smart. Took quite a bit of work to make it look somewhat natural.
Lesson learned: plan the sub assemblies better!

Slight tweaks were done to the model as well, such as moving some of the brighter volumes and refining the NMM on certain parts.


Gluing the model to the base was a mess.
Every position looked wrong, even though I had originally decided it. I removed it multiple times and had to fix the glue stains. Not fun.


I do not have the proper finished picture just yet, but will post one after the convention when I get the camera out!


Next up I decided to dust off the old Stompa!
Many broken parts were glued back together, so it may stand proudly. This guy won't win any medals, as the magnets are very visible and there's a ton of mold lines visible. Might surprise though.
Anyway, I thought that due to the sentimental value and the history of this model, it deserves to take part in an event!



I applied some A&K Interactive "Ultra Matte" varnish to most of the models, as I have grown fond of matte surfaces.
Usually matte finish looks better, as the real light will not change the shape of your highlights. However, on flat surfaces with minimal contrast the end result might be a bit too bland. Lesson learned.
I also had a crisis with the Busts' stands, as I applied way too much varnish and it started peeling off while trying to attach them to the models. Another lesson learned.



I actually wanted to paint one unit: a group of Hunters from the Bloodborne miniature game, thinking I could finish them "in a few hours".
Now, at 4am I suddenly decided that "No, this is not fun anymore" and put down my brushes. I will finish them some other time. Lesson learned.

Last year, I finished the diorama at 6:24am and slept like four hours before the convention. Not something a sensible person does haha.
Trying to learn NOT to start last minute projects, but that might be nigh impossible.


Gang lined up and ready to go for tomorrow:



So, many lessons learned. Especially over the last month and more so over the last couple of days.
Will get back with pictures after the convention!

Thanks for reading!

Good luck at the convention. Have fun. I’m sure you will do well with your entries, if your results from our own little long running international competition is any gauge.

Onnea Ropeconiin!

Great stuff keep it up!

Wow, that necromunda diorama is amazing, and you have really captured the mood of a slice of the underhive.

Love the narration of the finalisation of the diorama (base seems totally inappropriate!) - this is the usual process that I am sure many of us find familiar, but good to see someone else articulate it for me and remind me it is not (merely) my own madness..

Thanks for sharing

Wow Ezki, you have been busy.

Good luck at the completion.

Cheers,

CB

That's a batch of pretty minis, Ezki. Good luck in the comp!

Those minis are incredible, I really really like that Belladonna, all the best for the convention

Thank you all for the encouraging and kind words.

tauist wrote:Onnea Ropeconiin!

Kiitos paljon!

Nevelon wrote:Good luck at the convention. Have fun. I’m sure you will do well with your entries, if your results from our own little long running international competition is any gauge.

Thank you Nevelon. The Dakka Monthly Challenge is the first competition I have ever entered and to this date, it has a special place in my heart. It is one of the things that have motivated me to push my brushing skills more and more with each entry!

IGtR= wrote:Wow, that necromunda diorama is amazing, and you have really captured the mood of a slice of the underhive.

Love the narration of the finalisation of the diorama (base seems totally inappropriate!) - this is the usual process that I am sure many of us find familiar, but good to see someone else articulate it for me and remind me it is not (merely) my own madness..

Thanks for sharing

Thank you! I'm happy that you say it captures the mood, as it's just what I was aiming for.
Building a diorama or a display base (which many times means the same thing more or less) is an interesting topic for sure, as you have to think about the narrative. Every element should be painted in a way that it looks coherent ant that they work together seamlessly. At least that's what I've learned from painters far beyond my skills. Not an easy task for sure!


So, the convention is over. What an event it was once again.
I will do a small "event coverage" first, but those who wish to see the finished pictures of Belladonna, can skip to the bottom of this post


The convention run through Friday to Sunday. Containing many workshops and talks covering various topics, the painting competition was just a small part of the whole event. For me though, it was the main attraction.
I brought my entries on Friday and the prize ceremony was to be held on Sunday afternoon.
I was really worried to carry all my entries to the competition, as many of them were fragile 3D prints. To my relief, every piece survived the trip.

However, all did not go as planned.
I had attached my entries to a large cardboard box with blue tack, which seemed to work just fine. While removing the entries from my carrying box, Yennefer managed to slip from my hands.

Boom. She was a goner.


Many loud swear words were spoken at that moment. I'm admit, that I can be rather harsh with my language at times. A trait I got from my father for sure.
At a public events and such I contain my words. However, I did not manage to do so at the time.

It felt like a bad dream. For a moment, I hoped someone would pinch me awake. I just stared at the broken piece in disbelief, trying to hopelessly attach the arm and the bird in place. Without glue.
I took a few breaths and placed the other pieces in their places. I was lucky in a sense, as the competition area was a 20 minute drive away from my home and the deadline for the entries was on Saturday.
This meant, that I would be able to fix the thing in the evening when I got home.

The rest of the day went quite well, even thought the broken model shadowed my thoughts all evening.
I took part in a Improv workshop and a dinner with fellow painters that took part into the event.
For my great surprise, the Guest of Honor, Alfonso Giraldes "Banshee" attended the dinner as well. Sharing my thoughts and hearing other stories from such incidents from various trips eased my mind.

When I got home around midnight, I sighed and sat at my hobby desk. I knew, that I had to sacrifice some sleep to get the model fixed.
I glued the parts back together and applied some greenstuff to the cracks. Then, I carefully replicated the tones and fixed the paint job.

All was good.


The next day, I brought Yennefer to the competition area in one piece. I was so relieved.


The rest of the convention went great. I met some amazing people, painters, artists and other nerdy hobbyists.
I even managed to meet the fellow who played Captain Fakov and Captain Festerbester in the Finnish cult classic movie "Star Wreck". I'm guessing not many of you are familiar with it haha.
That, was truly a moment when my inner child woke up. While taking a picture with him, I was not able to contain my smile.

And like mentioned earlier, I met Alfonso Giraldes "Banshee". In addition to the dinner, he organized an eye opening 90 minute workshop.
He talked about how the miniature painting world is obsessed with "clean and smooth" paint jobs and how we so easily forget to paint with our hearts.
His philosophy is: "F*ck smoothness". Something I should think about, when working with larger display miniatures.


On Sunday morning, all the finalist entries were marked with "Commended Entry" tags.
To my happy surprise, all of my entries got the little cardboard piece. Except for the Stompa, but that was to be expected as all the magnets and glue stains were visible.



Then, we move to the prize ceremony.

Triss and Yennefer busts did not get a price. Understandable, as they were painted "smoothly" rather than "interestingly". The standard was really, really high.

Shadowheart managed to get Bronze in the "Large Miniature" category. "Wow. Among all the amazing entries, this was truly a surprise."

But then, we moved to the "Small Miniature" category. The judges showed the pictures, one by one. Two bronzes, nothing. Three silvers, nothing.
I thought this was it. I would have to up my game for the next year. No way I would win gold with that.

First gold...
Second gold...

"And the last gold, and the best in the category: Belladonna".

I was flabbergasted. I could not believe it. Still can't.




During the Spring, I had tentatively mentioned to the painting group that I would take part in Golden Demon in Germany this year.
I stepped down from the trip, as I started feeling stressed about not having an idea for an entry. It felt relieving.
I thought, that I would first want to at least get a prize in a the local competition, before even thinking about it.
And then, this happened. My mind raced.

After asking for feedback from the judges, one of them mentioned: "I'm sad that you stepped down from the trip. This could do well in the Necromunda category".
Not a promise of a price of course. But for a guy who thought that he was not ready for such an event, that truly meant something.
I would have to fix a few things before that though, such as the volumes on her left arm. They are mirrored to the other reflections, so it looks a tad unnatural.

In addition to that, the entry I thought was the "sloppiest" and took the least amount of time, was the most successful.
That is a huge lesson in itself.

It seems that I have a lot to think about.


A few words of the model itself.

For the first time, I wanted to build an actual display base for a single Warhammer 40k miniature.
I was worried, that the base would be too large. But as I heard, it was well within the limits.

The goal was to use very desaturated colors on the base itself, while the model was painted very brightly to create contrast and draw the eye.
Purple was chosen for the tentacles, as it is the opposing color of the yellowish rust. The whole display follows the "60 / 30 / 10" rule of colors (Rusty orange, Green on the model and purple on the tentacles).
The weathering was done using AK Interactive enamels and pigments. Metallics on the base were mostly dry brushed and slightly glazed.

While painting the model, I was not overly stressed about smoothing the transitions. Rather, I focused on volumes and contrast. It seems to have paid off.

Right. Enough words. Pictures.




Took the opportunity to change the profile picture as well.
In hindsight, a guy holding a cigarette might not have been the best of pictures to begin with


Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to share a thought or two again.

Thank you for reading!

I knew you could do it! Grats on the wins.

Huzzah and well done!

Your work is the intersection of skill, patience, imagination, practicality, and eye for color coordination and flamboyance. Rock on!

Well worth it!!!! Congrats!!

Fully deserved! Watching her come along so nicely over the past few posts has been a privilege. Hopefully you can get a spot at GD in Germany and chance your arm with her

Congratulations for that gold, that model is incredible. Totally deserved

Congrats on the gold! Indeed, "feth smoothness" is something I wish more painters went with, results in very doll-like finishes at times, even when it might not be appropriate. The eye loves texture