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Man that's a lot painted up! Great job in all of those.

Amazing round up Ezki, the quality and consistency has really ramped up of late. The confidence from those competitions seems to have helped too. Cracking start to 2025 too, the quick nmm is ridiculous, I thought it was done with metallics at first.

Thank you muette and gobert!


No real done since last update, but I've been working with a few display miniature concepts, both old and new.


First is the corrupted sister.

I think I posted some concept pictures of her back in late 2023. Finally got fed up with staring at the bits collection I had gathered for her and wanted to refine the concept.
I'm thinking of creating a snowy base for her. There will be ashen footprints behind her, leaving a "trail of darkness".
She will be holding either a skull or a sister's helmet. Thinking of naming the piece "Are we still sisters?", inspired by the TV show Arcane.



The bits are still held on with blue tack, but I'm starting to like where it's heading. Since taking the picture, I have filled quite a few gaps and cleaned some mold lines.



Next up is a new idea. Or rather a newly defined idea.
I have painted all my traitor guardsmen except for this sergeant. I have always liked the sculpt and wanted to save him for a display or a diorama.
Suddenly got the idea of the fellow standing on top of a smoldering ruin. I think I'll be painting quite a bit of fiery OSL, sparks and embers.






Last but not least, another old concept: "The Wounded Battle Sister" (name pending).
I've shown a concept for this before. Since then, I have been pondering how to position the characters and what to do with in general.
While building the traitor guardsman, I got some new ideas.

Everything is still held with blue tack and the ruins will not stay the same.
But I want to create a dark scene, with more saturated and bright colors in the middle (where the main characters are).
I'll also try to create a sense of depth with silhouettes of sisters / kriegsmen marching in the background.






I think I've spent a better part of 10 hours cleaning mold lines, fitting parts together and filling gaps with sprue goo / green stuff.
I've always loved building and converting, but it's a lot scarier when done for pieces meant for display.
On tabletop miniatures a gap here or there won't hurt, but especially in competitions a single visible mold line could ruin hours of painting. It's something I'm not overly stressed about, but still try to avoid if possible


Not sure when I have the time to start painting these, but I'm already feeling very excited!

And speaking of tabletop minis, I even got to play two games of 40k with my "Space-Dark-Elf-Vampire-Pirates" (Dark Eldar).
Had a blast!

That's great to hear that you got some games in!

Some great work going on there, Ezki. Sure to be some astounding pieces.

This is going to be great, already the prep work looks amazing!

Those are going to look awesome when finished. They look awesome now, of course, but we know what you can do with a brush…

Great looking scenes already Ezki, the plans for the painting sound epic too

Thank you all!

Some progress. Lot's of hours, not much new to show. Mostly just cleaning, sculpting and repositioning bits.

Here's a few pictures in any case.

Built the hand for the corrupted sister.
Also filled the gap from the custom shoulder pad (don't even remember where it was from, maybe from some of the cultist kits?).



All primed.




I think it turned out surprisingly clean!
Feared that the file marks or the putty would be visible after priming, but that's mostly not the case. Most of the small mistakes can be hidden with actual paint.


Also primed this guy. Sprayed some red tones with an airbrush to sketch out the OSL. Sprayed way too much though!



Now I just need to figure out the color schemes for these chaotic individuals!
Something quite dark I'm guessing.

In other news, the kriegsman for the diorama has been nearly built. Tilting his head downwards was quite the effort, but it's done. No pictures of that yet, but I'll take some soonish.
Also built the Hospitaler and some other miniatures that will be used for gaming in the future.

Thanks for looking!

Excellent progress already. That corrupted sister looks like the potential seed of a whole army!

The corrupted sister looks cool!
Skull shoulder pad is from the Goliath gang sprue if you need more of them.
Looking forward to seeing how the mini-dioramas turn out...

I really like how your vignettes are coming out. Those conversions are really impressive.

blockade23 wrote:Excellent progress already. That corrupted sister looks like the potential seed of a whole army!

Thank you!
Converting and painting whole army with this phase would take an... eternity! Would be cool though no doubt!
Maybe I could build a chaotic sister predator or something in the future!

Guardling wrote:The corrupted sister looks cool!
Skull shoulder pad is from the Goliath gang sprue if you need more of them.
Looking forward to seeing how the mini-dioramas turn out...

Ah, that's where the pad was from! Thanks for the notion. I started building the concept over a year ago, so had totally forgotten.
Thanks Guardling!

Warboss_Waaazag wrote:I really like how your vignettes are coming out. Those conversions are really impressive.

Thank you Warboss_Waaazag!


Took a small trip, so have not had much time on the painting desk lately. Some progress painting wise nevertheless.


Did some airbrushing / drybrushing on the background.
I was supposed to use this plinth for the Lady Maria Bust with a moon in the background. Got the idea of trying it for this one!


The location might change a bit and some painted ruins might be added. Still undecided.

With this, I wanted to create light effects from two sources: the moon and the burning ruins. Both will be very strong and impactful, without leaving much space for other colors on the miniatures clothing.
Instead of realism and perfectly following "the rules of light", I'm going for a cool effect and try to practice mixing colors and creating contrast.

Backside is quite bluish. Still very much in the works:


Spent a lot more time on the front. First it looked very dull, as I was afraid to push the contrast far enough.
Took a break and went back at it with more courage.


Doing a palette check against the background.



Still quite a bit to do, but getting there!
I'm trying to keep this as a "quick" project when it comes to hours spent. Might lower the scary bar of experimentation!

Thanks for looking.

Extremely bad ass! Love that effect, really well done!

This is looking exquisite! Looking forward for updates!

Amazing work Ezki! The conversions are stunning and the light effects on the Traitor Chieftain is already beautiful

Thank you so much Olthannon, muette and gobert!


I've been very lazy on my writing side once more.
But I've not been idle on the painting side.

I will post my recent works in a few separate updates, trying to keep them somewhat thematic.
Starting with the first and last pieces I have finished. Both for display purposes.


I finished this Traitor Sergeant for the February Dakka Challenge a few weeks ago.
It started as a quick concept, which developed more and more while working on it. I had wanted to paint this model for ages, but lacked the idea how I wanted to present it.

Object Source Lighting is something I have feared to do for the longest time (much like NMM some time ago).
I have understood however that one can theorize and plan for ages, but learning comes from actually doing the deed and moving away from the comfort zone. So I did.
In addition to the lights from burning ruins, I wanted to create a cold counter light from the moon. Instead of smoothing everything, I focused on volumes and trying to place the colors somewhat correctly.

Here he is:



A good friend of mine suggested adding a "rim light" from the moon to the character. I think that's a good idea and could fix the problem of him not standing out enough. Will definitely try to do that at some point.
In hindsight, I could have used more red than yellow, such as I did on the background ruins.
Other than that, I'm still fairly happy with the result. I'm especially happy for finally doing this project and getting the finished piece in my cabinet!



The second project is another display piece, which I finished painting yesterday: an fairly old Succubus model from Reaper Miniatures.
I was browsing my D&D miniature collection, while the idea of a "cozy scene" suddenly hit me. I cleared my desk from all the other projects and got to work!

I wanted to depict the character in an alternate environment. Something these types of creatures are rarely seen I guess. Imagined her living happily in a cozy cabin somewhere in the woods.
The project was built and painted over the course of a few days. To be honest, I spent quite a few hours on it, but it was still a fairly quick one!

The size difference between the character and the base elements was kind of a happy accident.
I did some miscalculations while building (actually, did not calculate anything as I probably should have), so the character is smaller than originally intended.
But in the end, I think it actually adds to the scene. Who knows how tall these creatures really are, so I guess some of them are way shorter or even halfling sized!

As the model is fully unclothed, I will post her in spoilers.


This was kind of a "feel good" project and I had so much fun working with the base!
Turned out kind of cute, kind of cozy. Just what I aimed for!


Anyway, thank you for looking!

Fantastic!!! OSL effects are great. I love the background, with the fire wisps? effect and the glow of the moon.

Love it all thanks!

Stunning work Ezki! That traitor guardsman is a masterpiece. I actually quite like that the foreground is more yellow than the background, gives a feeling that he’s closer to the source I think. The base on the little lady is fantastic, really realistic, looking like a little woodland glade quite a break from the grittier works

Thank you so much!

 gobert wrote:
Stunning work Ezki! That traitor guardsman is a masterpiece. I actually quite like that the foreground is more yellow than the background, gives a feeling that he’s closer to the source I think. The base on the little lady is fantastic, really realistic, looking like a little woodland glade quite a break from the grittier works

Thank you gobert! I agree, that the yellow might make it look that he's closer to the source. Regarding the succubus, I wanted a little break from all the grittier schemes I usually do!


Continuing with my unposted works from the backlog:

Spent an evening painting an Elven Ranger from Reaper Miniatures.
Approached this project with a "oil painting like" mindset, with very visible brush strokes and texture. Turned out quite alright for a few hours of work!







A couple of weeks ago I did some progress on the slowly growing sister army.
While listening to the "Book of Martyrs" audiobook. As the main character in the first story is a Hospitaler, I thought it would be fitting to paint one!
Continuing with the grim white / magenta theme.








I needed a new Sister Superior / Canoness for the army. I got an old metal sister gifted to me by a good friend, so I thought it would fit the bill. Added the backpack from the Repentia Superior.





Also finished painting the five Seraphim I started some months ago, but I don't have any good pictures of them. My phone camera has some real difficulties on taking group photos. Should set up the photo station and try to take some with the old DSLR.

Thank you for looking!

Love it all bud!

Love the elf, for me the visible brush strokes add interest and fit the character well. A good little dnd addition.

The Nuns with Guns are really coming together fast now, the hospitaler looks particularly grim dark!

Too long since I last posted here! Fabulous work all around, both display painting and "tabletop standard". Looking forward to seeing that Sister/Kriegsman diorama finished, I think the idea of soldiers fighting in the background is brilliant! You could maybe paint them something like the traitor sergeant, red light from flames illuminating them.

I've been meaning to ask, how do you think painting display and competition minis to a high standard has affected your "tabletop" painting?

Love those Sisters, Ezki! Especially the original metal Superior.

Thank you all! Appreciate the love.

 mcmattila wrote:
Too long since I last posted here! Fabulous work all around, both display painting and "tabletop standard". Looking forward to seeing that Sister/Kriegsman diorama finished, I think the idea of soldiers fighting in the background is brilliant! You could maybe paint them something like the traitor sergeant, red light from flames illuminating them.

I've been meaning to ask, how do you think painting display and competition minis to a high standard has affected your "tabletop" painting?

Good to see you!
Hmm, reddish light might be a good idea! Will have to ponder about it while thinking for color schemes.
At first I read the first half of your suggestion - "paint them something like the traitor sergeant" - and immediately began thinking of scenarios, where a traitor would show some humanity and come back from the darkness. Even for a while. Ideas are happening...

To answer your question, whether painting display and competition minis has affected my tabletop painting: yes, very much so. But it's complicated.
I'd say the biggest impact is related to the use of color and being more brave with different techniques.

Over the early years of my hobby, I was impacted most by the 'Eavy Metal painting style both from the Warhammer box covers and the official tutorials. This style stayed with me for the longest time and I tried replicating it the best I could. To specify, there is nothing wrong with that style, but it definitely values smooth transitions and clean lines. Following these guidelines, I became nearly obsessed with trying to smooth everything out all the way to the point that I actually avoided certain colors or models just because I could not make them smooth enough. This is not particularly the fault of the said style, but maybe the mindset many miniature painters have.
Mind you, I'm still learning not to be obsessed with these things, but it's a long process.

When I started entering competitions and paint display projects, I began looking at miniatures very differently. I took note on color schemes, techniques and visible brush strokes. Even trying to find intentionally rough color transitions that I might have previously thought as mistakes. After taking part in short workshops by Roman Lappat and Alfonso Giraldes, I finally began to understand the basics of color theory, ambiance and the importance of "contrast over smoothness" (contrast meaning both tonality and temperature). Hearing feedback from the judges and having discussions with other artists in events have further broaden my understanding of these topics. But in a way, I have also understood that the main difference between painting tabletop minis and display pieces is more of a mindset, rather than a set of certain skills.

All this has impacted my tabletop painting quite a bit. Instead of replicating the box art, I atleast try to bring my own touch to each piece. I do still follow the official color schemes and / or artworks of various minis, but I try to focus on what's important, whether it's the actual color scheme, the weathering or a set of textures for example. If a miniature is supposed to be rough, I make the paint job rough. Sometimes I still struggle with this, but "letting go" a small part of the perfectionism has actually made painting gaming pieces a lot more fun. However, I have started to find batch painting horrendous, which is kind of a negative when it comes to painting full armies. Luckily I do have quite a few painted 40k minis in my collection!

Hopefully this made some sense. I have a lot of thoughts regarding this topic, but it's hard to turn them into words.
It was a really good question! If we were to meet in an event one day, I would be happy to discuss this further!




Speaking of display projects, here's my newish entry. Which I now realize I actually finished nearly a month ago.
Have not finished any new models since, but I've definitely been hobbying. More of that later.


This was my entry for the Dakka challenge with the "Space Marine" theme titled "From Another World".
It does not have a finalized base yet, but will have one when I can figure out how to realize my idea.

The most keen eyed of you might recognize the color scheme from a video game character. To be more precise, D'va from Overwatch.
I have not played the game, but I liked the colors. And the character is quite a popular choice for cosplay.

Which brings me to the actual idea: the theme for this year's Ropecon (Role Playing Convention) is "New Worlds".
As a theme entry to the convention's painting competition "Cold North Open", I wanted to create a piece, that would combine elements from various worlds and realities.

The model in question is from the Infinity miniature game, but I wanted to paint her as a cosplayer. She is currently taking part in a cosplay contest with the same theme, "New Worlds".
As her entry, she is depicting an alternate version of D'va, from a dystopian future where she is more mundane an meaner version of herself.
I purposefully painted her very roughly, trying to mimic the foam / worbla texture that was maybe used to create her cosplay props.

For the background, I'm thinking of a photobooth or a stage, where the Ropecon logo would be visible with the title "New Worlds Cosplay Contest" or some such.

Anyway, tot sure if this will catch, but it was a fun idea and I had to at least paint the model for it!







Bonus pic for scale. A friend suggested, that I should do more of these.




In other news, I've been working with the wounded sister diorama quite a bit.
I will compose another post discussing that soonish. Hopefully on the weekend.


Thanks for looking!

Painting is spot on as usual Ezki! I think it's the first time I see a cosplay themed job, curious on how the final piece will look. Keep it coming!

Thank you muette!
I don't think I've seen any neither. Not sure if the final product will look like cosplay though!



Right. I've been busy within the hobby and outside of it.
A trip to Italy, getting the summer car ready and hosting a painting workshop at a library has kept me busy. But I have managed to spend quite a few hours with the "wounded sister" diorama.


I showed a small concept of it a few months ago. It took me a long while to decide which ruins and models to use, as I began to overthink everything.
It does not have to perfect, as it will not likely be a Golden Demon work, but I still wanted to make it as good as possible. But to once more quote Roman Lappat (I think I have mentioned him like a dozen times already): "Just glue it!".

So I did. Glued the ruin pieces and the base bit from the Hospitaller kit. I added some Milliput and putty to break the even surface.
The initial sketch had an intact window piece. I really liked the window effect on that one, but the composition looked off. This is more symmetrical and gives a nice triangle shape to the piece.
Not that I actually know much about composition.



Then the ground was covered with different texture paints. I used Dark Ground from Vallejo and Stirland Mud from Citadel.
Took me a few iterations to hide the molded base piece and all the gaps.


I wanted to make the other side look like the inside of a chapel. I iterated with a few different floors, using textured plasticard and readily cut tiles, but they all looked wrong.
Decided to use Milliput to sculpt the floor tiles myself. The seams were sealed with sprue goo.
Fun fact: a few people on Instagram commented, that this looked like a cake. They are not far off!


Added some debris and piping to make it more interesting.


Drilled a few bullet holes to bring narrative elements to the piece. Test fitting the background heroes.



Some more narrative details!
Barbed wire, to show the that the battle has been going on for a while. Tossed Lasgun to emphasize the Kriegsman's disregard for his own safety.
Open water bottle, which was offered to the sister, but then dropped from her hand. The cap is there too, but I doubt it will be very visible.
I have drilled many bolter / shoota barrels, but drilling one for lasgun was quite interesting.



Everything still felt too symmetrical and the top was "off" somehow.
I played around with different ruin pieces and decided to add a simple ornament on the top. To add to the interest, I think I'll add a cherub there too!
Some flying pigeons will join him in the future.



And boom! After a couple of dozen hours, the thing is finally primed!
I bought the Hospitaler kit almost a year ago, so on some level this has been in the works for quite a while.



The primer is currently drying, but I will be adding a zenithal highlight on the diorama later today. Then it's off to painting!
I'm still trying to decide the color scheme for the kriegers and the terrain, but I'm so excited to start slopping paint on it!

I think the diorama will be called "The Final Prayer" or "Pray With Me".


Thanks for looking!

Fascinating to follow your build/thoughts process.

Off to an amazing start

Great insights in to your hobby world Ezki. Judging by your diorama though I’d say you’re pretty good at composition, the positioning of the minis is good but the extra little ornaments gives it loads of extra interest and fun things for you to paint on them.

Also loving the seed of a new diorama that mcmatilla laid