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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Mustering a Welsh warband!

Tuesday night, I got a package of Gripping Beast minis with the makings of a 9 point Welsh warband.  53 foot figures, 13 mounted and loads of variety and poses.  I'm shelving my Vikings and Normans to dive into the Welsh.  New love is like that-overboard with the old, in with the new!

I'm going to try something new with this project.  I almost always wait till my figures are complete before posting up pics.  This time, I'll post as I go including more work in progress pics.  I've been finding WIP posts very helpful to understand how my fellow bloggers got from "A" to "Z" results.  The only downside is I'm relying on my cellphone camera so until I break out my real camera, the photos will be decent but not great.

Being addicted to painting, I immediately set about prepping all 24 of the Welsh levy figures.  I primed white and followed with an acrylic ink wash (Umber Brown).  You could prime brown and work up but I really like the effect of working up from the inked mini.  The ink settles darkest into the low spots, giving a nice smokey shadow to work with.  The ink wash is fairly quick and the only downside I can think of is that you do tend to get one very brown hand.  
These fellows are the javelin-armed Strathclyde levy. Being peasants, I kept the palette very limited for these lads.  Once I get to the Welsh warriors and hearthguard, I can loosen up a bit!

When I block paint, I paint neatly to keep the brown shadow in place around the belts, edges of clothes, folds, fingers and toes.  I follow this with a wash of GW Agrax Earthsade.  I've shelved the Army Painter dip/brush on technique for the time being.  More on that later.
Highlights over the wash. I'm painting the eyes for this lot.  They're quite small on the GB figures but the white does pop nicely off of the Umber Brown.

Here I've skipped a bunch of steps on account of forgetting to take photos while in the heat of the battle.  Thank goodness I'm not a war correspondent.  A quick shot of the PVC/ballast step.
Near the finish line.  I still need to put down a protective coat, hit with anti-matt, give the base 2 steps of progressively lighter drybrushing followed by static grass.
Pupils round 1
Round 2-bigger, better
These Welsh sculpts are fantastic.  They're the best Gripping Beast figures I've painted to date.  Very crisp detail, very lively and full of character.  Honestly, they're a bit like crack When I'm not painting, I'm thinking about painting and when oh when can I paint again?  Is there a 12 step acrylic program for folks like us?
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35 comments:

  1. BrentMarch 24, 2013 at 5:04 PM

    Wonderful figures, Monty. I look forward to seeing more!

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    1. MontyMarch 24, 2013 at 6:24 PM

      Thanks Brent!

      You'll be seeing them up close and personal soon enough. Coming soon to a basement near you, Hugh's Welsh Warband!

      Delete
    2. BrentMarch 26, 2013 at 6:52 AM

      The Irish are wondering how many heros a table can hold!

      Delete
  2. GaresonMarch 24, 2013 at 5:15 PM

    They look good overall to be sure! Friendly suggestion...the eyes need a little work. I recommend enlarging the pupils a little...too much white is showing. I like that it gives them a 'crazy eyed barbarian' look...but it's a little overdone. The thick black liner you've chosen around the white part should maintain that effect even if you enlarge the pupils though. Nice work so far in general though!

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    1. MontyMarch 24, 2013 at 6:02 PM

      The good part of WIP is that you can revisit it. I'll play with expanding the pupils a bit and see if I can find the sweet spot between too little and swallowing the whites entirely. Thanks!

      Delete
    2. MontyMarch 24, 2013 at 6:43 PM

      Fixed and thanks for the feedback. I blotted out an eye with too big of a pupil and overcompensated. I'll keep my eye on that for the rest of the project. ;-)

      Delete
  3. Stig of the DumpMarch 24, 2013 at 5:20 PM

    looking good!

    Steve

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  4. thefrenchjesterMarch 24, 2013 at 5:30 PM

    Hi Monty,

    Well done and thanks for the WIP, you're mastering the dilution of the ink! they are top !
    the result is superb!they are looking very proletarian and rustic;


    Cheers

    Gilles " garage ink ;-) "

    I copy below my reply to your message of the precedent post just in case,ok it's unserious as usual ;-)
    the only stooges I really know was Iggy pop ;-)

    I would prefer the Marx brothers for the "in period " delirium ;
    and don't forget if you run, you will only die tired;-)
    better chance to stay hidden in your ghillie suit in a corner even if it's uneasy to be hidden on a ring ;-)

    Cheers

    gilles " hidden below a towel ;-) "


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    1. MontyMarch 24, 2013 at 6:06 PM

      Thanks Gillies! You jester you. I appreciate your sharing the inking tip with me, and all of your other tips. People like you are the reason I love this hobby and blogging so much!

      Iggy "No Shirt Required" Pop is an interesting character, for sure. You joker you, I bet you even have a Lust for Life. ;-)

      Delete
  5. UnknownMarch 24, 2013 at 5:46 PM

    Most of the initial learning I did came from people who posted W.I.P.'s and tutorials.

    I have never worked up from an inked mini before. I will use inks. I'll give that a go on some of my smaller scale stuff.

    Nice work Monty!

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    1. MontyMarch 24, 2013 at 6:09 PM

      Anne, thanks so much! I've really enjoyed WIP posts lately. Even if it doesn't stick or doesn't apply to what I'm doing right now, it's always interesting to see how someone gets their results.

      I'm only speaking from personal experience but when I tried inking with 15mm, it didn't seem to pay off the way it does in 28mm. But then again, I might have been doing it wrong!

      Delete
  6. DeanMMarch 24, 2013 at 9:10 PM

    Wow - interesting and impressive approach. Great step by step tutorial shots too - I will have to try this method someday. Best, Dean

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    1. MontyMarch 24, 2013 at 10:07 PM

      Thanks Dean! I did manage to skip the middle passage but for me, it's a step in the right direction.

      Delete
  7. fireymonkeyboyMarch 24, 2013 at 9:26 PM

    Monty, what paints are you using? GW, like the wash? Pigment / coverage looks really solid.

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    1. MontyMarch 24, 2013 at 10:14 PM

      Markus, thanks sir! My paints are almost all Vallejo. I love the dropper bottles and being able to ration out my paint. I like the Foundry system so I take my Vallejos & line them up by gradient as a poor man's triad system. I'll see if I can add a shot of my, um, system.

      The GW Agrax is decent but I miss Devlon Mud. I'm told that Army Painter's acrylic wash is almost a dead match for Devlon Mud. If I could find it locally, I'd give it a try.

      Delete
  8. YoriMarch 25, 2013 at 1:31 AM

    Great paintingjob! Look very nice!

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  9. PhilMarch 25, 2013 at 2:09 AM

    That's the way to create such beautiful units! Very impressive Monty!
    Phil.

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    1. MontyMarch 25, 2013 at 12:34 PM

      Thanks Phil! I'm still thinking about Phyrrus and the inopportune tile.

      Delete
  10. DalaupprorMarch 25, 2013 at 2:43 AM

    Very good start Monty !

    Nice to see that you continue with the 28´s

    I to got me a bunch of Welsh mens for a SAGA warband, will see if I ever get around painting them...but I sertanly will get the inspiration by following your project, just see if I get the time...

    Best regards Michael

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    1. MontyMarch 25, 2013 at 12:36 PM

      Thanks Michael! I'm enjoying 28mm greatly and hate to leave any time soon.

      You are a bit busy with the heathen hordes and M &T, and more I'm sure.

      Delete
  11. JonathanMarch 25, 2013 at 8:57 AM

    Monty - great WIP photos of the new warriors! Like you, I really like seeing and learning from the process of others.

    And watch your back, those Vikings can't be happy at all about being shelved.....

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    1. MontyMarch 25, 2013 at 12:36 PM

      Thanks Jonathan! Good point, a bunch of Berserkers could just ruin my day if they get loose.

      Delete
  12. Iowa GrognardMarch 25, 2013 at 9:55 AM

    You're painting faster than I can decide what to purchase next...

    Not to mention your work keeps getting better, can't wait to see what comes next.

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    1. MontyMarch 25, 2013 at 12:38 PM

      Maybe something will strike your fancy!

      And thank you very much for your kind words. It's a numbers game, right? The more reps we get in, the better we get. That's the theory behind 10,000 hours!

      Delete
  13. Christopher(aka Axebreaker)March 25, 2013 at 11:07 AM

    They are really looking nice!

    Christopher

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  14. Artar İnciduzenMarch 25, 2013 at 3:15 PM

    I loved the eyes! (And scared a bit) :)

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    1. MontyMarch 25, 2013 at 4:54 PM

      Artar, thanks!

      I hope you're having a great and warm Spring in Istanbul. We're still waiting for 2 feet of snow to melt off from December here in Minnesota.

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    2. Artar İnciduzenMarch 27, 2013 at 4:10 PM

      Snow from December!!!???? I am sorry for you :(
      But I will enjoy spring for you too :)

      Delete
  15. Jonas MMarch 26, 2013 at 3:46 AM

    That's a great start! Looking forward to the rest.

    But painting the eyes? You're crazy ... ;)

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    1. MontyMarch 27, 2013 at 7:24 PM

      Thanks Jonas! I may not make that a regular feature. To be continued. ;-)

      Delete
  16. MatthewMarch 26, 2013 at 7:44 PM

    Hi Monty, just wanted to say that I've been following and enjoying your posts. The Saga figures are looking great! Good luck on the Saga field of battle :-)

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    1. MontyMarch 26, 2013 at 8:06 PM

      Thanks so much for your feedback and for following, Matthew! I have to get an AAR posted up...when there's enough light for good enough pics!

      Delete

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