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Made in gb
Mastering Non-Metallic Metal







Interested to see where the ponies go... I'll rephrase that...

Interested to see what you do with the ponies.

I went pony-trecking once. Only time I've ever sat on a horse-like entity.

Mastodon: @DrH@warhammer.social
The army- ~2295 points (built).

* -=]_,=-eague Spruemeister General. * A (sprue) Hut tutorial *
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Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka





6 foot underwater

And interested in how you approach the super-ponies..... It's all part of the hobby, and new stuff is new stuff

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Made in lt
Druid Warder





 Meer_Cat wrote:

Thanks kestrel! I suppose with the last set of four I could get Wirecat to sculpt me a team leader, fasten firkkin' laserbeams to their heads and use them for a kill team!


*Spills some late-night tea over the table*

Hey, stop giving me weird ideas! Now... look what mess You have awakened!



I will have to decide between Bravestar and Saber Rider, but jokes aside - when my wolfen are finally off the table I can think about these ponies too.

Terrain is shaping up impressively. Personally I envy everybody who undertakes terrain-building projects of this scale.

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) 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

 Syro_ wrote:
I suppose with the last set of four I could get Wirecat to sculpt me a team leader, fasten firkkin' laserbeams to their heads and use them for a kill team!


That's one of the best things I've read in a long time


Thanks Syro- that was my best Dr Evil voice going there!

 Theophony wrote:
 Syro_ wrote:
I suppose with the last set of four I could get Wirecat to sculpt me a team leader, fasten firkkin' laserbeams to their heads and use them for a kill team!


That's one of the best things I've read in a long time


Need power hooves too


The power hoof will be their primary weapon! Well, the power hoof and fear, their two primary weapons! And surprise! Yes, power hooves, fear and surprise, their _three_ primary weapons! And...

 Dr H wrote:
Interested to see where the ponies go... I'll rephrase that...

Interested to see what you do with the ponies.

I went pony-trecking once. Only time I've ever sat on a horse-like entity.


Ponies go pretty much wherever they like, Doc I think I know what you meant though, this will be fun new change because I've never tried 'toy' finishes before or anything even remotely like the chibi style of manga. And I'm already booked for two follow on projects!

 monkeytroll wrote:
And interested in how you approach the super-ponies..... It's all part of the hobby, and new stuff is new stuff


Thanks Monkeytroll! A lot of it will develop as brushes touch pieces. The attitude that I see in the figures' faces is really reflective of the real ones. A lot of people don't have the patience for ponies because they are smart and they can be willful- you've got to know what you're working with and remind yourself that you're the one with the opposable thumbs every now and again!

Wirecat wrote:
 Meer_Cat wrote:

Thanks kestrel! I suppose with the last set of four I could get Wirecat to sculpt me a team leader, fasten firkkin' laserbeams to their heads and use them for a kill team!


*Spills some late-night tea over the table*

Hey, stop giving me weird ideas! Now... look what mess You have awakened!



I will have to decide between Bravestar and Saber Rider, but jokes aside - when my wolfen are finally off the table I can think about these ponies too.

Terrain is shaping up impressively. Personally I envy everybody who undertakes terrain-building projects of this scale.


Thanks Wirecat- and the picture is hilarious! I showed it to my wife and she thinks it captures the essence of the critters perfectly. And the firebase I built from the picture frame was bigger, but this industrial 'cobbled together' chem plant piece is much more involved, more complicated. I'd have never tried without the LOER contest to give me a push!

Thanks all for looking in- more follows soonest!

"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


 
   
Made in be
Liberated Grot Land Raida






Belgium

Rainbow Dash with an attitude... Gotta love it

A Squeaky Waaagh!!

Camkhieri: "And another very cool thing, my phones predictive text actually gave me chicken as an option after typing robot, how cool is that."'

Meercat: "All eyes turned to the horizon and beheld, in lonely and menacing grandeur, the silhouette of a single Grot robot chicken; a portent of evil days to come."
From 'The Plucking of Gindoo Phlem' 
   
Made in ca
Hurr! Ogryn Bone 'Ead!






Penticton BC Canada

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I love it !!!!!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/09/08 01:53:39


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Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated- it only seems like I fell off the face of the earth for the last little bit. As Miracle Max tells us "When someone is _all_ dead, there's only one thing to do- go through his pockets and look for change."

After the push to complete the LOER project, I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to be 'between' projects to get some niggling things caught up.

The project of the moment of course, are the Chibi Shetland Ponies (Phase I: Normal Alter Egos). [Phase II will be Super Pony Attack Team and Phase III will be Chibi Pony Kill Team). These need only the grass and some bits added to their bases and they are pretty much done:



Next up was a tiny little detail for the anti-aircraft gun mount (the 20 mike mike quad) from one of my earliest posted projects- the ack ack tower from the Imperial Fire Base. The guns needed their magazines to be really complete, so- now those are done:



Next, and this does not count as a project (my rule that I've been pretty good about following is only one project at a time, lest I get overwhelmed by the fact that I now have - I think- more stuff than I can paint in my lifetime) is the prep, assembly and priming of these Grimskull 'Emperor's Sisters' (really, Sisters of Battle). This is my second time working with resin, and as opposed to my experience with the Raging Heroes, this went very smoothly. The figures are fantastic in their crisp detail and lack of mold lines. There was literally no flash anywhere on these pieces and I highly recommend them. I was preparedfor the worse, so dutifully scrubbed them in a dilute liquid dish detergent solution, thoroughly dried them and then glued them up- with absolutely no trouble at all. I used Gorilla Glue Super Glue Gel, and they all stuck together the first time around with no fuss. Freakin' unbelievable, after what I went through last time. The only place where I used a tiny piece of greenstuff was the join between the shaft and the shrine of the standard- it's a small join with a lot of top heavy weight, so I wanted it strong. The pics are the command group, the squaddies and a singleton of the grenade thrower- beautiful piece:







The squad leader (probably soon to be a platoon leader, as I'm ordering in enough of these- they're from Poland, I think- to make two full squads) and the heavy dual-melta gun are on temporary bases- those are their bases out in front, to be painted separately.

Lastly, Insaniak gave the link for these laser-cut shipping containers and mine came in a couple days ago. These are a very thin MDF and very precisely cut. At US$5.50 (that includes shipping) each, I'll be ordering more. These first two I built just to see how they go together- the next pair will be shipping configuration with a lot of customizing and the last pair (they come three each to their set, I got the 'space' ones and the 'standard' square ones) I have something in mind for. I'm brush painting these, as I want some good depth of weathering and fading, but I do recommend using spray cans or n airbrush to do these to get a smoother coat. Part of my problem here is I'm painting cheap craft acrylic paint over top of Rustoleum spray primer, so there may be compatibility issues there:



That's an Eisenkern stormtrooper in the foreground and an old Rogue Trader adventurer on top, for scale. They both need base coats finished and then weathered, but I wanted to show what all I've been up to.

Next is to finish off the containers, the bases for the ponies and prep the next set of four ponies (the superheroes). I also got my Occulte Predators Blood Bowl Kickstarter figures in (I don't even play Blood Bowl, but daaaaang! these are some sexy players!) so those need to be prepped. I'm trying to get a lot of my resin cleaned up and together now, as I have _a lot_ more stuff coming in (Empire of Men- you guys need to get your stuff in one sock and get me my figures! )

Oh yeah, and (looking at the pics of the Emperor's Sisters) I need to build a display board to take better pictures on.

More follows soonest.

"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


 
   
Made in us
Is 'Eavy Metal Calling?





Affton, MO. USA

I like the approach your taking on the horses, should be very interesting.

Never been a huge fan of the whole Sisters of Battle, but those models are lovely. Looking forward to the board you’ll be making.

LOL, Theo your mind is an amazing place, never change.-camkierhi 9/19/13
I cant believe theo is right.. damn. -comradepanda 9/26/13
None of the strange ideas we had about you involved your sexual orientation..........-Monkeytroll 12/10/13

I'd put you on ignore for that comment, if I could...Alpharius 2/11/14 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

I've never done SOB before either- but the detail on these was so exquisite really wanted to have a go. I mean, really, who doesn't like an Order that considers a flamethrower a close combat weapon? (I had a buddy years ago who referred to Sisters of Battle as '*itches in heat' and then wondered why no female personnel wanted to game with us. Great infantryman, not so good with the diplomatic skills.)


"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


 
   
Made in be
Liberated Grot Land Raida






Belgium

For pony! (LFG webcomic reference for those who don't read it)

Those conainers look real interesting, the 'space' one would look great as a pillar as well, by the looks of it.

A Squeaky Waaagh!!

Camkhieri: "And another very cool thing, my phones predictive text actually gave me chicken as an option after typing robot, how cool is that."'

Meercat: "All eyes turned to the horizon and beheld, in lonely and menacing grandeur, the silhouette of a single Grot robot chicken; a portent of evil days to come."
From 'The Plucking of Gindoo Phlem' 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

True- I hadn't thought of that, but looking at the space type container it would make an excellent pillar. The base foot print is about 3 inches square and I think the more mundane raised ridges pieces could be replace with more elaborate scroll work, if one wanted. You could use them to line the sides of a large floor leading to a throne or something- would make for a great gaming area- dodging around pillars and getting snap shots off!

"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


 
   
Made in gb
Mastering Non-Metallic Metal







Good job on the ponies and good start to all the other things.

Mastodon: @DrH@warhammer.social
The army- ~2295 points (built).

* -=]_,=-eague Spruemeister General. * A (sprue) Hut tutorial *
Dsteingass - Dr. H..You are a role model for Internet Morality! // inmygravenimage - Dr H is a model to us all
Theophony - Sprue for the spruemeister, plastic for his plastic throne! // Shasolenzabi - Toilets, more complex than folks take time to think about!  
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

Thanks, Doc.

"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


 
   
Made in gb
Gargantuan Great Squiggoth





Not where I should be

Ponies are great, nice work all round on them.
The Sisters are cool, was always disappointed at the limited supply of them. Nothing for or against myself, just thought it odd at the limited options.
Love the containers. Messed about making some but can't compete with the laser cut stuff. Good start on them. And like the pillar idea.




 
   
Made in lt
Druid Warder







Just crazed enough. Perfect! Staying for more!!!

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) 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

 Camkierhi wrote:
Ponies are great, nice work all round on them.
The Sisters are cool, was always disappointed at the limited supply of them. Nothing for or against myself, just thought it odd at the limited options.
Love the containers. Messed about making some but can't compete with the laser cut stuff. Good start on them. And like the pillar idea.


Thanks Cam. Same here- I liked the Immolater tank that the original SOB had, but once you're past the flamethrowers, not a lot of variety. I plan on blending these 'Emperor's Sisters' in with a bunch of VASA Archangels (from Urban Mammoth) that I've been collecting for years- time to do something with them.

Wirecat wrote:


Just crazed enough. Perfect! Staying for more!!!


Thanks Wirecat- the wife has already actually lined up orders from other of her horse/pony owning/riding/driving friends! You can't really see in this pic, but the figures do have accurate markings (socks, blazes, stars and snowballs) to match the real Shetlands. Now her pals want ones for their critters too. These are nice problems to have: a wife that supports the hobby and an appreciative audience. I have to check eBay and see if the Russian outlet that I got the last lot from still sells them!

And instead of any of the other projects that got temporarily put on hold during the last build for the LOER, I think I'm going to go forward with the 'disappearing carriage' planet-based, orbital defense gun. Yep, a heavy artillery piece, manned by on-board crew, intended to take on warships in orbit. Or, conversely, provide direct, irresistible fire support against ground targets. I read somebody's sig file that says "If your irresistible force isn't working, you're not using enough!'. It'll let me use up the B4 Howitzer barrel that has been kicking around on my desk since the Phaethon went from being the gun to being the ammo hauler. (I already have a different plan for the gun to go with the Phaethon.)

"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


 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

Another change in projects- but I think this one is going to stick, it really appeals to my mood of the moment. I'm dealing with a real-life, nasty situation at work and it has, naturally, affected my tone with my motivation to paint or model.

Some time ago, I used my Hirst Arts molds to build a gatehouse for a castle. Altogether, I'm fairly pleased with the end result, although- as you'll see- I need to pay more attention to my right angles and use a ruler to keep my walls straight a bit better. Before it was properly finished, I got interested in the possibilities of using the multi-picture frame from the Goodwill store, which resulted in the Imperial Firebase project.

So now it's time to finish the castle gatehouse. Here's a shot of the overall project:



The gatehouse stands more than 16 inches tall from moat to turret top and weighs more than 12 pounds. I should have based it on a piece of plywood, but didn't have any at the time, so to move it, I have to take it completely apart so as not to damage the foam board and pink insulation board base. Every level comes apart for total gaming. I used Hirst Arts molds 40, 52, 61, 87, 200 and 222 with multiple castings from each to get to this stage.



I need to finish sculpting the bank of the moat with my hot wire foam cutter, paint and apply ground cover:



This brooch is from the Goodwill- I think I gave 50 cents for it and will be painted up as the coat of arms for the noble family that resides in the castle and- more practically- will help hide some of the seam you see between the left and right sections of the 1st story (for us on the west side of the pond, the 2nd floor):



The moat itself needs coloring- I've some ideas from when I was engaged in model railroading to try here, and also the drawbridge pilings need to be painted and weathered:



I painted the three high elf noble and guards in the 80's, the elf mage in the 90's; I think I showed some slight improvement, but still couldn't do faces worth a hang:



These archers are probably from the mid-90's; some ink washes and I reckon they'll do:



I found this stuff by Testor's at Michael's Craft store, but I don't think it's really all that different from Artist's Medium, and roughly the same price. I figure to use it to make strings of 'vines' or ivy growing up the sides of the walls to help hide the more egregious gaps:



This is a shot of the back side of the gatehouse- I really like how the small fighting overlooks came out:



These next shots show how the whole thing comes apart. Roofs come off the turrets, so you can fight from them:



Here are archers inside the topmost room of the tallest tower (points to anyone who gets the movie reference), the spiral staircase runs the whole way from top to bottom:



The towers open up onto a fighting platform (3rd story); you could probably mount a heavy weapon here- catapult or ballista:





There are archery embrasures on both the 2nd (shown here) and 1st stories:



And the 1st story lifts off to reveal the ground floor. I may cut murder holes into the floor of the 1st story, overlooking the main passage coming from the drawbridge:



And here's the noble party on the drawbridge, showing the ground floor. It doesn't show well in the picture, but those archer embrasures are actually canted towards the centerline of the drawbridge and set to converge at the far end of the bridge- allowing for direct fire against the far bank and all the way across the drawbridge space:



So, there are several things to do here:

* Finish the base coat on all the stonework (after dusting the blooming thing!)
* Apply 2nd and 3rd weathering coats (light grey and then white)
* Paint the coat of arms
* Apply the ivy vines
* Finish the far bank of the moat
* Paint and texture the water in the moat
* Do a little sanding where I can to make the joins a little tighter here and there

Like I said, overall I'm quite pleased with the result of my first major project using Hirst Arts molds. Now it's time to finish this project off!

More follows soonest.


"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


 
   
Made in be
Liberated Grot Land Raida






Belgium

Quite the change in direction, but a lovely model! What's holding you back from adding the plywood base at this point? Sorry to hear about the work situation, I hope things turn out for the best!

A Squeaky Waaagh!!

Camkhieri: "And another very cool thing, my phones predictive text actually gave me chicken as an option after typing robot, how cool is that."'

Meercat: "All eyes turned to the horizon and beheld, in lonely and menacing grandeur, the silhouette of a single Grot robot chicken; a portent of evil days to come."
From 'The Plucking of Gindoo Phlem' 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

Thanks, CK! As for that, I guess there really is no reason not to add something to strengthen the base, it's not like it's finished, after all. I was a bit concern at one point that it would raise it up too high, though. The original concept was to make multiple wall, tower and keep sections that could fit together to make a battle board, with surrounding pink foam board terrain sections that would allow for terrain relief to be built in- especially for the moat. It's heavy enough that 1/4 inch ply might not be strong enough anyway, and I'd really hate to 1/2 inch (or thicker!)- it just really gets clunky then.

I could also always leave it as is and add a warning note to be careful lifting it out of the box....

The work thing is one of those "you're hired to do a highly specialized job because you're an expert, the customer doesn't listen to your advice (as is their prerogative) but then blames you for not doing your job when things go smash" type deals.

I swear, it's like working for orks!

"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


 
   
Made in jp
[DCM]
Incorporating Wet-Blending





Japan

Wow, that's a magnificent piece of terrain. I can't wait to see where you go with it from here.

Also, I admire your willingness to post photos of models that old. I can barely bring myself to look at models I painted that long ago, much less share them with the world. You've really come a long way in your painting.

Now showing more Samurai Marines, Bad Squiddo Amazons, and an Oldhammer Chaos Thug!

Painting total as of 3/28/2024: 21 plus a set of modular spaceship terrain

Painting total for 2023: 79 plus 28 Battlemechs and a Dragon-Balrog

 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

Thanks Josh! I might start building a wall section, while I'm applying finishing touches to the gatehouse. The goal of course, would be to complete an entire castle system- but I might not live long enough!

I get what you mean about older figures, too. I hate to change them in any way, because I'm not the person anymore that painted them, and for better or worse they are a part of my 'growing up' in the hobby. On the other hand, I do have different skills now, and maybe applying some touch ups that improve the skill level but leave the basic look intact would satisfy both ends of the equation.

In ay event, more than 40 years later, still having fun!

"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


 
   
Made in us
Is 'Eavy Metal Calling?





Affton, MO. USA

Topmost room of the tallest tower....isn’t that where the dragon keeps princess fiona?

Wonderful project. I’ve thought about doing hurst molds before, but they are more expensive on this side of the pond, and so many other options on scratch building. Luckily my eyes have been on Sci-fi stuff for so long that a castle is not in my work list. I will have to live vicariously through your blog on this one .

LOL, Theo your mind is an amazing place, never change.-camkierhi 9/19/13
I cant believe theo is right.. damn. -comradepanda 9/26/13
None of the strange ideas we had about you involved your sexual orientation..........-Monkeytroll 12/10/13

I'd put you on ignore for that comment, if I could...Alpharius 2/11/14 
   
Made in gb
Mastering Non-Metallic Metal







Good castle-i-ness you have going on.

Mastodon: @DrH@warhammer.social
The army- ~2295 points (built).

* -=]_,=-eague Spruemeister General. * A (sprue) Hut tutorial *
Dsteingass - Dr. H..You are a role model for Internet Morality! // inmygravenimage - Dr H is a model to us all
Theophony - Sprue for the spruemeister, plastic for his plastic throne! // Shasolenzabi - Toilets, more complex than folks take time to think about!  
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

 Theophony wrote:
Topmost room of the tallest tower....isn’t that where the dragon keeps princess fiona?

Wonderful project. I’ve thought about doing hurst molds before, but they are more expensive on this side of the pond, and so many other options on scratch building. Luckily my eyes have been on Sci-fi stuff for so long that a castle is not in my work list. I will have to live vicariously through your blog on this one .


Exactly the source of the quote- I shall have to mail you a cigar! I originally bought only two molds to use, they are a bit pricey, but word got around my family and everyone managed to find one that no one else had gotten, so I've a fairly complete set for castle making. I mostly do WH40K, but every now and then one just has to scratch that Lego itch...

 Dr H wrote:
Good castle-i-ness you have going on.


Thanks Doc. Getting back in to finish this one a little more completely has me stirred up to build another piece to go with it- probably a wall section to place on one side or the other. That was the original concept: everything modular and everything game-able. With all the sci-fi stuff I have lying about, it is a major exercise of restraint to _not_ buy up bunch of fantasy pieces- there are so many interesting things coming out.


And then there's Bushido, and the Aliens series, and …..



"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


 
   
Made in lt
Druid Warder





Impressive. Most impressive. (c) one dark lord

Stone texture looks quite believable too, great!

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) 
   
Made in ca
Hurr! Ogryn Bone 'Ead!






Penticton BC Canada

Love the castle, makes me think of the movie " Willow "

"Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" MDCXX "Blaze away all day!"

Imperial Guard - Emperor's Talons Sentinel Walker Company ~ https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/704269.page
Imperial Guard - Vendetta Gunship flyer eBay Recovery ~ https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/749735.page
Imperial Guard - Air Wing Detachment: Vultures and Valkyrie ~ https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/757074.page
Imperial Guard - Hive Ganger Militia Steel Legion PDF ~ https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/756076.page
Imperial Guard - Armoured Company ~ https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/763343.page
Imperial Guard - Storm Trooper Strike Force ~ https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/764007.page 
   
Made in gb
Gargantuan Great Squiggoth





Not where I should be

Impressive castle bud, always tempting, I think everyone wants to build a castle. Doing a great job so far.




 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

I haven't actually dropped off the face f the Earth, things are still a bit chaotic at the moment and finding time to get to the _really_ important things lie modeling can be hard.

The gatehouse had sat for quite awhile waiting its turn, and I left a couple of things unfinished that are taking some time to rectify. First off, the question about "whether" to add some plywood to the bottom has been answered. When I went to add some matt polyurethane to the bits where the moat is going to be (I want to try my hand at water effects), this happened:



So I hied me hence to the local DIY shop and grabbed a piece of 5 mil underlayment, trimmed it to shape and started over positioning things on it. However, this artillery emplacement is one of the first things I made using foam board base and pink insulation foam board, and it worked fine- this is why I keep thinking I can use foam board; but no longer, now it's plywood or mdf all the way:



Next, the 'farside' embankment was a piece of pink insulation foam that I had started to carve with an actual electric knife (I didn't have my hot wire foam cuter yet). I didn't finish it, and when I went back to complete it, the fused parts were so dense that the wire cutter couldn't get through them. So I remade the whole thing:



So now I'm ready to actually, you know- make some progress on this biotch! I went over all the pieces and touched up where the spray can grey hadn't covered completely with a brush (Bruce Hirst, on his website, recommends using a 2 inch trim brush for the basecoat). I then tried to drybrush the light grey layer, which is to be followed by an even lighter white drybrush. I learned two things:

1) I found that the most effective way to apply a light drybrush was to hold the brush at a small angle to the surface- almost parallel. This way I'm getting the tiny amount of paint along the length of the bristles, rather than working from the impractically small amount at the tip of the brush. When I tried to use the tip of th brush- like I would on much smaller items- it sploged for the first half and then ran out of paint for the second. I got to where I could really control how much paint was delivered by laying the brush ferrule almost parallel to the wall surface being painted and using a REALLY light hand.

2) After viewing the picture below, I have learned that if you are doing large, homogenous surfaces, like a castle gatehouse wall, even though it breaks apart into eight separate pieces, I need to drybrush the exterior all as one unit. I can (must) do the interiors separately, but the exterior has to be assembled so that the drybrushing is more uniform. I think what is happening is that even though I'm trying to be uniform across the piece, I am unconsciously 'lighter handed' at the edges and 'heavier handed' as I work in. Doing the whole exterior as one piece will help me blend from section to section:





I can see that this drybrush coat is too heavy, still. I put the basecoated pieces to show the contrast and it's telling me that the light grey is 'way too much. The good news is that all I have to do is basecoat it again and start over. The relief on the castings from the Hirst molds is so good that I can get away with this at least once. More than that, and I will have smooth concrete walls and no need to drybrush any more....

I'm not really discouraged; I've never tried to paint a stone building like this before, or drybrush anything this large (I used really different methods on the fire base), so this is all good. Ad my 'water making' supplies (pun intended) have arrived and I'm wild to get to try that, so all good. And I've got the idea for a climbing vine effect that I still want to try.

More follows soonest.

"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


 
   
Made in gb
Mastering Non-Metallic Metal







Good show.

Coating the other side of warped pieces with the same mixture as that that caused the warp can help fix the warp.
This is why, when I do my CD coated in tissue/PVA bases, I wrap the tissue all round the base from the start. = no warping.

Dry-brushing. Always good to go light/gentle at first and take a step back to see how it looks before adding more.
For your case, I'd have given the light DB on the joined pieces and then further work on the individual pieces.

Still, it's easily fixed. Sometimes only a dark (or base colour) wash is enough.

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Yep. Wash is Your friend in fixing these things. You can even try one of the Angel Giraldez recipies for dummies - add spots of very contrasting color like green-grey and pale yellow-sandy to some of the stones before "unifying everything with a common wash. So before reverting to basecoating again You can try something new and look whether it works for You.

On the other hand, the embankment looks very believable for a clay-and-sand eroded by moat waters.

One more thing - get some fake moss in between these large stone blocks, that should draw attention from any less than perfect paint.

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) 
   
 
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