I have been a very busy Goblin.
Over the last few weeks I have got into a painting routine of sitting down after work in the evening and just getting some painting done. I have been really quite enthused by the idea of Turnip28, and really love the look of my Undead Napoleonic British conversions. I tried out a few test models, and figured out way of batch painting, and then just went for it! The outcome of this has been (including the test models) me painting 108 miniatures in a month! :)
Now, the paint scheme is a lot easier to complete than perhaps a more normal paint scheme. The approach is a little less precise, and a lot less complicated. But still, there were several stages to work through, and several things to consider.
The actual painting was quite simple, with only dry-brushing used. I only used highlighting on the parts of the banners, and the drums. The painting started with a black undercoat, and dry-brushed dark brown (Vallejo Game Colour Charred Brown). Then dry-brushing the red for the jackets, white for trousers, grey for blankets, and Citadels Karak Stone for the bones. Add a few details such as gold for the buckles, gunmetal for the guns, etc. If need, I gave a few miniatures a thin black paint wash to tone down and add some depth. Finally, I dry-brushed in places the whole models with Vallejo Game Colour Earth, to give it all a dried mud fell, and to tone down and tie-in the colours. Bases were just the Vallejo mud, highlighted with the Vallejo Game Colour Earth, and Vallejo Game Colour Charred Brown.
The mass of infantry are organised into regiments of twelve. This makes nine regiments of twelve, each including one Officer one Sergeant, one Standard Bearer/Ensign, and one Drummer. I have really enjoyed painting these, and it has given me the idea of converting another undead army up, that of a an undead version of the French army of the 1812 Russian Campaign, complete with skulls, mud, and snow.
By the way, I have also painted eight Big Hat Chaos Dwarfs as well this month. I will update concerning them at a later date. I am currently most of the way through my last two (for now) regiments for Turnip28: a Rifle Regiment; and an Undead Mutant Regiment.
Enjoy :)
I added an old scythe from the 1980's Warhammer Undead Skeleton Horde box set, to give the Sergeant a more Undead feel. I have also added random shields from the latest Citadel Death rattle miniatures, just for effect all through the regiments.
The animal skulls, as also all of the Humans Skulls, are from Citadels Skull current box set.
I gave the Officer a pistol, and a metal gas mask head with plastic hat for variety. I also gave the Sergeant another Scythe.
The composition of the Regiments, in that particular Officers or Sergeants, etc, to particular regiments is not fixed, so I can mix and match he look. The same is true for the Troopers, although I do wanted to keep all the marching ones together, and the firing ones together, as it looks better and makes sense.
I green-stuffed a form of Turnip/facemask/mutant head on the Officer, as well as some others throughout the army. I wanted to give a little of the look from the old Traditional Irish Turnip Jack o' Lanterns, or the look of a sack covering the head with just eye-holes.
The Officers sword in from the Citadel Death Rattle Skeletons.
The banner plaque is an old Citadel Shield, I think from the Death Rattle again.
I love the Officers head with the hole in it. It gives a very 'dead' feel to the Undead.
Again, another greenstuff head for the Officer. I wanted to give the Officers that feeling of something extra sinister going on with them, with stronger magic involved in them, in a similar way to Undead Heroes in 3rd Edition Warhammer.
I might go back and add some more details to the tattered flag later, making it a ragged Union Jack.
The Sergeant is my favourite, standing there with attitude and a little sorrow.
I sculpted another of the Greenstuff heads on the Standard Bearer to give that other-worldly look.
Wow. :O
ReplyDeleteThey look unsettling, what a fantastic refurbishing. The creepiness they instil works at many levels, some of them more obvious and some other more subtle. The desaturated palette and the uniformity are a total win, I love what you are doing here.
Thank you Suber, unsettling and creepy is a great way of describing what I wanted to achieve.
DeleteI wanted to not just go for an Undead look, but give an extra, unsettling, aspect to them, like there is some other thing at work with them.
Glad you like them, they are great fun to do, and an interesting change from my other projects.
Excellent progress Lee, your really knocking them dead with this project ! LOL
ReplyDeleteI see what you did there! LOL
DeleteYes, thank you, I have really made a lot progress with this. I have really been enjoying the change of project, something different from Oldhammer (which I still love, and have plans for too).