Caution: Flying Paint

I need to work on lighting for these setups.

In anticipation of only 2-3 days of painting this week, I put some work in today when I had the opportunity.  Painting inside to outside, I got going on the flesh.  About halfway through I realized I had missed an inside-ier part: the eyes.  Me and eyes don't always get along too well, but this time they didn't put up much of a fight and I got them all right the first time.  After finishing the skin I rolled into the green.  Highlighting went better on this batch, perhaps because I did it in two steps instead of one.  Whatever the cause, I didn't end up with the too-bright areas that have cropped up previously.  I considered the reds as a finale, but instead went with the metals.  The Tamiya Smoke I got from EV worked quick and well on Ivan, so I used it again here.  The finish is a bit slick, akin to a varnished area, so it might be fun going back on the officer's blunderbuss to do the wood bits, but it should work out well enough.

Spray that way.

Speaking of the officer, I've really come to like the model.  The face is large(ish) and painted up well.  She's been getting something akin to the caster treatment, along with Irusk, though I'm trying to not dawdle too much with either one.  The pair has gotten an extra layer or two of highlights, plus I've been extra attentive about where my brush is going with them.  Not that I'm a sloppy painter, but I am trying to push through the rank and file.  That approach is about to pay dividends.  While considering my approach for the next time I can sit down at the painting table, I realized this group is close to finished.  Still outstanding is: red, brown, black, hair, metal studs, basing.  Of special note, and not featured on that list, is the banner.  It's big and ugly at the moment and not likely to improve much.  On the smaller surfaces I can get away with dabbing some paint around and calling it done, but the banner just hangs out over everyone and draws attention.  Maybe I can hope my way into having it turn out decently.

This model has no eyes.  I approve.

From the bits n bobs file, I tried out the new snow approach of combining glue and snow into a paste.  At first blush, I don't like it.  The big globs of snow are very uniform and look more like a slurry of glue and little white flecks than snow.  Perhaps after it dries it'll look more like the examples of this approach that I've seen around.  Assuming I like how it looks in the morning, Ivan and the Manhuntress (my victims subjects) will get a final coat of gloss, then a Dullcote, then they'll be done.

Last week at the FLGS I got two brand newbies.  First was a pDenny + Bane Thrall list (30 points), which I faced off against with the same list I ran against EV in the marathon game, minus the Great Bears.  Things went fine until Denny landed Crippling Grasp on Orsus, then feated, then walked out of combat with my Kodiak (who knew she had Parry?), and poked the Butcher a couple times.  Even with Iron Flesh up and camping some Focus, the debuffs were too much.  At least I took out Tartarus with a Bombardier when he strayed too close to my lines.  I lost this game fair and square.  Next up was a pKreoss list with a Choir and a Vassal (20 points).  Time was a factor in this one, so I cobbled together a pSorscha list with a pair of jacks and a pair of solos.  This time I have an excuse in that a couple guys who know what they're doing were showing my opponent the ropes.  I had Sorscha screened well enough, but Kreoss' feat just works on everything unlike Sorscha's that needs LoS.  pKreoss looks like a bad dude on paper, and I imagine he'll be popular with the starter boxes and all, so any lessons learned will be helpful.  And now it's far later than I intended.