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 Commander Cain wrote:
Loving the crazy writing! My only suggestion would be to take a very fine detail brush and add some paint streaks underneath the words and chaos stars, something like this maybe?

Spoiler:

Weathering is also super fun to do once you get the hang of it. I am particularly fond of using a sponge to dabble on spots of paint as it gives a nice random effect unlike a paintbrush. You can also grind up some coloured chalk, dilute it with water and add to any recesses to create a nice rust or mud spatter effect (or just buy the awesome weathering powders from FW).

Thanks for the suggestions Commander Cain, I'll try them out

I consider these two scarecrow minis finished. I based them on descriptions from the two adventures I've seen them in:

Spoilers for the Haunted Cornfield one shot by James Haeck


Spoilers for Waterdeep Dragon Heist:

Jeepers Creepers (Parts 1 and 2)! Nicely done!

I was in the mood to make beds for D&D today. I'm using what a learned from a DMScotty video for the larger beds, and am making piles of straw of my own design for goblin beds. Not very far yet, the watered down PA glue is taking forever to dry.


I've also been working on the third and most complicated scarecrow mini:


And being that I am easily side tracked, since I've been thinking a lot of about making beholders, and I need a spectator eventually for the campaign I was DMing it makes perfect sense to instead see if I can make a gazer, right?

The elf king is only there for scale.

I've continued working on the gazer, and I am super happy with the results:


I have also been sculpting a rat familiar for D&D, I still need to make the ears (The apprentice wizard is for scale)

Fun stuff! Especially the pumpkin-headed scarecrow. A bit stiff, but it fits him. These small things really liven the game and provide a good immersion for players, not even saying anything about the creative hobby side... Cheers!

Thanks for stopping by Wirecat, I'm glad you like the pumpkin headed scarecrow. Also thank you for your kind words, I really enjoy making all the little extras for my dungeons even though it takes forever.

I think in only three days I managed to to built a mini from scratch and have it fully painted. That's really unlike me (Maybe I secretly had Cam visit, to do it for me). My gazer mini is now done, I'm very happy with how it turned out.


I've also worked some more on the beds, here are the bunk beds getting close to being done, and being tried out by some adventurers (and a zombie).


Thanks for stopping by.

I love the scarecrows and the gazer. They look great, I can't believe they are scratch-built.

Thanks so much Josh! I hope you like this newest addition too. Yesterday, I started making a flame skull for D&D and finished it tonight.


I started with a Hero Quest skeleton head from a mold I made. Simple gray primer, Ushabti bone paint with a brown wash (Army painter: strong tone)


I made the flames with my hot glue gun. Small blogs of hot glue dragged out into spikes with the hot tip.


I took this pic because i thought the flame skull looked so much like a super saiyan.


Yellow base coat with orange and red highlights directly on the glue to leave with some light passing through it


Scale shot

Thanks for taking a look, I hope you like it

Great idea for the flames! I might have to steal that technique for my Thousand Sons sorcerers

I'm glad you like it, and by all means please do use it if it would be useful. A little extra info is that I do all the hot glue work on a silicon baking mat, it all peels up very easily. Each little bunch of flames was made separately, peeled up, and then I clean it up a little with a hobby knife or scissors if needed. Then I melt the bottom edge and maybe add a little new hot glue to attach it. If you go this route, best of luck

Flame skull? Is that a thing in 5e? I have the books, but haven't had the chance to really look through them.

I have been seeing a lot of hobbyists working with hot glue recently. I may have to experiment with it myself.

@JoshInJapan: I find working with hot glue to be a lot of fun. Plus there's much less wait time. I understand your feelings about the flameskull. It is a monster in the starter set campaign, which is why I am making it, but I haven't seen it in any other campaign book or adventure I have read. They are kind of interesting, they can cast spells, shoot fire out of their eyes, and at CR 4, it is the second highest challenge rating in the campaign.

I just finished making my third and final scarecrow mini for D&D. Does anyone recognize him?

Great work on the gazer and scarecrows are really fun looking projects . The flaming skull is fantastic though, well done.

Love it, crazy stuff all looking fantastic.

Turnip Head!! Who knew he'd show up in D&D of all places! I mean considering face down in a rock on a mountain.....it's possible...

@ acrowsperch: Woohoo! I'm happy to know someone recognizes him and the movie he is from. I admit it is pretty strange to put him in D&D, and I'm not sure if I have the heart to use him as an evil scarecrow... I may need to make an additional scarecrow

@Camkierhi: Thanks Cam!

@Theophony: Thanks Theophony, I'm glad you like them. I'm also interested in how the flame skull seems to be your favorite of the group. I'm personally more proud the of gazer.

Not as much progress today, but still some:


I've started painting my gricks and alpha grick. They are still WIP and I think I need to darken them


I finished my goblin beds. Made to look like piles of hay with a rough dirty blanket thrown on top

Thanks for stopping by

I've been getting back to work on some of the D&D models that I started 5 months ago (like the gricks) I sculpted a baggy sleeve for my evil wizard "Glass Staff" to match the wizard arm I made from molding Gandalf's arm.


I also finished the rat mini I've been making for D&D, just need to paint the base


I was also running out of white and black paint. Being how useful these two colors are I went overboard and bought myself half a gallon of each

 Syro_ wrote:
@ acrowsperch: Woohoo! I'm happy to know someone recognizes him and the movie he is from. I admit it is pretty strange to put him in D&D, and I'm not sure if I have the heart to use him as an evil scarecrow... I may need to make an additional scarecrow

Depends on what side of the war you are on! I think it'd be great for some adventurers to work through a tough area and then, suddenly, instead of respite all of a sudden appears *thunderclap, lightning crack* TURNIP HEAD

@acrowsperch: I really like the idea of Turnip Head, just appearing out of no where during a dark stormy night. Thanks, I'll have to try to work that into an adventure.

Sorry it's a little blurry, too much caffeine today is my guess. But I have finished my evil wizard "Glass Staff" mini and I wanted to show how it has changes from the Thorin Oakenshield mini I converted him from. (Luckily, I started with 2)


I have also finished painting all my gricks. I didn't push myself too hard on the paint job (remember I slapped these together really quickly from aluminum foil and hot glue mostly), but I think they are good enough for the one to two times they will appear in the game.


Also because of the very generous deadline, I've entered the 27th round of the League of Extraordinary Riveters terrain contests. I'm going to build a cistern/fountain out of a nerds candy cardboard box. So far I've only done some measuring.


These contests are a lot of fun, and the encouragement everyone gives each other is really great for improving. I think most people who visit my blog already take part, but just in case you can click here to check it out (or the one in my sig):

There's also more than two months left to finish our entries, so why not join?

Been a while since I checked in, you have been busy!

Love the Gazer scratchbuild, great work especially on such a tiny, fiddly miniature. But my favourite thing of your scratch builds is the flameskull. Brilliant work, it looks awesome!

I think the Gricks look proper creepy and if I was a player and you plonked that down in front of me in a dark, dank tunnel I would be pretty intimidated.

Thanks so much Da Boss, it's great to see you around again. I'm very happy to hear that you like the stuff I'm been making. Has the beginning of school been keeping you busy?

Today was a good day for hobby time, so I've done some more stuff since when I updated earlier today. I've put together the parts of the nothic that I have sculpted and chopped off the scythe witch from Sedition Wars. Don't mind the bed, it's jsut holding up the arm while the green stuff cures.



I've also decided to try to sculpt the last of my 12 zombie minis from scratch. This is the armature for it.

Thanks for stopping by

That Nothic is creepy as hell. Like it already.

Other works are good, Gricks in particular are looking great.

Good luck with the sculpting, patience is the key, that's why I am struggling with it.

Very cool Gricks, well done !

@Camkierhi: Thanks Cam. And unfortunately you are totally right. Patience is key when sculpting, especially with apoxie putties. It furstrates me that I have to wait when I want to work on it, and then later when I'm busy or don't feel like working is when I should be doing the next step. When I'm excited about the art I'm doing I get impatient, that might be why I enjoy working with hot glue so much, very little wait time. For you, who works hard and gets so much crafting done in a day, it must be agony waiting for the sculpts to dry.

@KernelTerror: Thanks!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I think this will auto-append, but I've done some work on the LoER terrain comp.

I made several mistakes as making this unfortunately, but the build is still going alright for making this cistern.


I've started sculpting a hawk head statue that will be spitting out water into the pool. This cistern in in the basement of Tresendar Manor (Lost Mines of Phandelver). The only information on the Tresendar family was that one of the family members was known as the "Black hawk". I decided that the a hawk could be the family crest (as apposed to a helicopter):

Way too many cool things to comment on individually! It is a lot of fun following Your progress and more of it to see finished stuff in detail. Keep going, You are really getting places! Thanks!

Thanks so much Wirecat! The compliments mean especially a lot coming from such a great sculptor. I'm glad you're enjoying my work.

I have started attaching the spikes on the nothic's back (more of them to come)


I've filled out the armature a bit for the zombie, still a long way to go


Gap filled the cistern for the LoER contest


And attached the beak on the hawk head statue/fountain


More to come, thanks for stopping by

Some more progress on the nothic, zombie sculpt, and hawk head sculpture