Dungeons and Doggies in the frozen wastes

One of the problems I have with getting work done is that without a definite end game I tend to stall out and dump things into my ever growing pile of…potential.

My old club runs a casual painting competition every month and in March 2022 the theme was ‘Underdog’. A friend pointed out these miniatures would be an easy win for the theme so I began to brainstorm what I would do with them when painted.

I don’t play D&D much any more so I was unlikely to ever use them as intended but with the great variety in model type a skirmish warband for some game or other seemed possible.

I toyed with the idea of Burrows and Badgers but those models have a character all of their own and are much more anthropomorphic with human hands etc.

Eventually I decided on Frostgrave as its a game I love and it’s the perfect way to use eclectic fantasy models.

As a dachshund owner this had to be one of the first models I tackled. I decided to go with a classic black and tan coat.

Base coats – (Vallejo Model Color paints)

Cape – Dark Red

Fur – Black

Shirt – Iraqi Sand

Harness – Khaki Grey

Knife handle – Green Grey

Trousers – Dark Seagreen

After base coats, a liberal coat of Agrax Earthshade mutes everything down.

Highlights and details

Cape – Carmine Red then Dark Vermillion

Fur – Black Grey

Tan patches on muzzle and paws – Initially 3 parts Red Leather with 1 part Tan Earth. The next step is the same colours in a 1:1 mix.

Shirt – Buff

Harness – Japanese Uniform

Knife handle – German Camo Beige

Metal details were painted with Natural Steel.

The chest medallion was painted with a Copper surround. The central detail was a undercoat of Magenta with Deep Yellow over the top. The demon’s eye detail was then painted in with Black.

The eyes were painted in English Uniform with Black pupils.

Having no idea what a Blue Heeler looks like, Google images was my friend. With a stock photo sorted painting began.

Base coats – (Vallejo Model Color paints)

Hood – Flat Green

Rope – Stone Grey

Feathers – Sky Grey

Bedroll and shirt – German Camo Orange Ochre

Fur – Black Grey

Metals – Natural Steel

Crossbow and quarrels – Burnt Umber

Saddlebags – German Camo Medium Brown

After base coats, a liberal coat of Agrax Earthshade gets us ready for highlighting.

Highlights and details

Hood – Uniform Green

Feathers – White

Bedroll and shirt – Yellow Ochre

Fur – To try and copy the coat from the images I applied a stippling of Neutral Grey to all the grey areas. Then I painted the pale tan areas on the muzzle and inside the legs with a mix of Tan Earth and Sunny Skintone. Lastly a very light drybrush of White on the face and tail achieved a close approximation of a Blue Heeler’s coat.

Crossbow and quarrels – Beige Brown

Saddlebags – Khaki grey

The eyes were painted in English Uniform and the nose was painted Black.