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2022/08/09 02:17:02
Subject: Re:Syro's projects: Sculpting and painting D&D miniatures
It's been a while since I posted, I've been really busy with real life. I have spent a few days crafting that I forgot to upload, so here it is.
I started and finished three fume drakes for D&D today. There's no art for them that I can find. The are described as looking like small legless dragons formed from green smoke. This is how I decided to represent them.
The steps of making them
Spoiler:
Molded Hobby Lobby dragon head and hot glue squiggles.
attaching the heads and bulking up and positioning the bodies
on bases
trying different paint to find the best translucent effect.
finished with fiber fill
I have also made 8 giant snails that can also be used as flail snails for D&D. They still need to be painted.
I have an armless female Mage Knight miniature that I gave a quick conversion to a dryad.
And finally I have made a D&D rabbit person (Harengon) standing on a clock face for a base, wearing a top hat and cape. (still needs painting as well)
Harengon is amazing sculpting- cn't wait to see it with paint!
The snails are cool and you certainly are hitting some obscure entries in the DnD Bestiary.
My vote is for vapor dragon #2, although if they travel in packs maybe a bit of a mix of colors would bring more identity to them, whilst still being part of the greater whole?
Rock on!
"He fears his fate too much, or his desserts are small, who will not put it to a single touch; to win- or lose- it all."
Montrose Toast
2022/08/10 06:56:22
Subject: Syro's projects: Sculpting and painting D&D miniatures
That dryad conversion made me laugh. Comedy stuff.
The fume dragons are looking great. Simple but effective. And the rabbit and flail snails are looking very interesting too. You’re a hot glue wizard. Now there’s a character. A Glue Wizard!
Looking forward to seeing the snails and the rabbit with paint on.
@Camkierhi: Thanks Cam, I'm surprised and pleased with how well they are turning out.
@Meer_Cat: Thanks Meer I was originally just going to make a single flail snail for fun, since they are quite obscure like you said. But then I started musing about different techniques to make them, and ended getting started on three. I didn't touch them for about half a year, and now I'm reading an adventure that has a giant snail race with eight snails. I don't think you actually need miniatures for it, but I decided to go hog wild and make eight anyway
And thanks, I think vapor dragon #2 turned out as my favorite also.
@theCrowe: Thanks theCrowe, I might have to try to make a hot glue wizard mini now I've primed the rabbit and started painting the snails. I'm glad you enjoyed the super lazy dryad conversion
In the adventure, the heroes are traveling by rowboat when they meet the vapor dragons/fume drakes. So, I made this:
Thanks Cam, I'm not familiar with Bugman's work. Does it have anything to do with the GW miniature and paint "Bugman's Glow"?
I'm happy to say that I have finished my snails.
I made this one with a stripped down electric tealight inside.
I have also finished making and painting four fey gnome clowns representing the four seasons.
Thanks so much Meer
And perceptive question about which is doubling as a racing snail.
Spoiler:
All eight of them were actually made to double as the eight racing snails from the D&D adventure "Wild Beyond the Witchlight".
I didn't know about racing snails from Neverending Story, maybe that's where D&D lifted the idea from. You are more likely to know than me where the original fantasy racing snail idea is from.
I painted my three zombie/undead wolves from Reaper Bones V Kickstarter, today. I'm happy with how they turned out, and I really like the sculpts on these.
And thank you. I'm quite happy with how they came out. These particular ones seem hard to find, but Reaper calls all its zombie and undead wolves "dread wolves".
Talking with you also made me realize that I haven't painted that many of my miniatures from Reaper Bones V yet.
Love the snails turning out amazing.
Those wolves are cool. Always wish I had bothered with Reaper, but probably a good thing, cus I would have even more unpainted stuff.
2022/08/27 00:55:44
Subject: Re:Syro's projects: Sculpting and painting D&D miniatures
Thanks so much Cam
I admit the amount of Reaper miniatures can be intimidating/over whelming. But they are fun to have.
I realized that my new hot glue sticks are much more clear than the ones I have had in the past. This made it the perfect time to try to make an ice elemental. I love how it turned out.
I also made and finished making this slime monster.
Very cool elemental !
Did you experiment with how different types of varnish (matte, gloss) interact with hot glue ? I've seen people doing nice things with clear resin+transluscent ink+gloss varnish, might work as well with such material.
@Camkierhi: Thanks Cam, I've been wishing I had some clear/translucent paints. I'll check those Tamiya paints out.
@theCrowe: Thanks so much
@KernelTerror: Thanks I was tempted to try a gloss varnish on the ice elemental, but it turned out so well I was terrified I would mess it up if I tried anything else. I did put a gloss coat on the base though. I should go back and experiment. Maybe make an extra elemental if it works well.
These aren't as impressive as what I was recently showing, but I've finished these four models. Some kind of celestial D8 creature, a copy of a Magic the gathering tangleroot elemental painted up as a magma elemental, a real quick mud snake elemental, and another chaos starfish since they are fun to make.
Some WIP: I'm making a mini shambling mound, a sun fish, and I've finished filling the holes in the rabbit guy.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/08/27 22:39:12
I have finally finished painting up my rabbit magician. The flash around the face is bothering me, but to my eye without the camera it wasn't too noticeable. I really like it over all.
Two simple monster place holders: A tentacle beast and a mini shambling mound
And so many gnomes
four tinker gnomes
Six gnomes representing elements (Greek: fire, air, earth, water & Chinese fire, metal, wood, earth, and water)
Thanks so much Meer I really like the look of the hat and cape too. It's funny how the easiest part can sometimes look the best. You probably remember how the top hat was cut a section of hot glue stick cut off with some flattened hot glue for the brim.
It's hard to believe the rabbit magician started off as a cast of my giant rat sculpt that I chopped into sections and crudely stacked up like a snowman. I originally wasn't putting much effort into it, but as I worked, I liked it more and more, and put more effect and skill into making it.
I'm glad you like the gnomes, and the mini shambling mound. Not bad for the latter basically just being a chunk of styrofoam that I rolled through the spice rack
I'm hoping and expecting that my full sized shambling mounds will look better. I piked them up and started working on them again after stopping part way through 3-4 years ago, but have gotten distracted again
I have finished the last of my Fey Wild D&D adventuring team: The circus cannon that fires the dwarf and the lizardman. I have re-sculpted the lizardman to be clutching a pot-belly because he has been spending the entire carnival visit only participating in and winning the cupcake eating contest.
Snails are surprisingly realistic, Syro! And Your glue experiments keep amazing me. I'd also comment Your rabbit magician, flash and bubbles are annoying but hopefully not really noticeable in gaming environment. Keep up and push on!
Painting progress tracker:
2017: 50 of 50 planned; 2018: 80 of 60 planned; 2019: 75 of 75 planned
Pledge 2020:
6 to sculpt, 75 to paint (2/57 done)
2022/09/14 02:07:23
Subject: Syro's projects: Sculpting and painting D&D miniatures
All looking fantastic, love the cannon, just pure fun. Rabbit looks OK. And like you say in game no-one will notice. Or as I often say..."a blind man on a galloping horse at midnight would be lucky to see it!"...
2022/09/15 23:15:29
Subject: Re:Syro's projects: Sculpting and painting D&D miniatures
Thank you both. And luckily, I don't think all the imperfections in the rabbit are noticeable on the tabletop. Hopefully in the future I will learn to hold my self to a higher standard to start with. The school year has started, I'm so tired and busy that it's hard to know when I will have time for a hobby update. But, I will continue to enjoy your blogs
Wow. You've been a production machine on these models. The ice elemental is brilliant and very well done. The entire collection is inspired. I was in a D&D group from '18 to '20 and I painted all the miniatures for the group (the DM would give me 3-5 different models for next session so I would not know exactly what we might encounter) and even with frugal shopping it gets quite expensive to compile a complete bestiary for an adventure. That, plus there are some creatures that don't have any models.
I hope the school year settles in and you have more time for yourself soon.
Gitsplitta wrote: That's.... dirt... Skalk. Actual dust. (09/08/2021)
2022/09/22 20:47:09
Subject: Re:Syro's projects: Sculpting and painting D&D miniatures
Thanks Skalk, it's good to see you back
I hope the school year settles soon too, it would be good to get some more hobby time in. Last weekend I made some nonsense demons, but I haven't started painting them yet, so they're not much to look at. Buying just the models needed for D&D is a smart way to do things, but you're right it does get expensive fast. I don't know if my way of buying unpainted D&D miniatures in bulk and then sculpting my own instead of painting the ones I bought is the best way, but it's working for me
The creatures without models can be my favorite part