Burrows and Badgers Draws In 144Artist

Despite it being Summer break I am way behind in my hobby posting, well, behind in my hobby in general.  This lovely, lethal, lady cat has sat on my table, mostly finished, for a year now.  I don’t know why but she just kept getting dropped in priority.  I’m happy to say she benefitted from another of my “Finish The Close Ones” sweeps and I am really happy with how she came out.

I realized I had an undead miniature to paint or Mist Ghast as they are called in this game.  There are more coming from the latest Kickstart campaign so I figured it was a good time to get this guy done.  Now my necromancers have someone to summon.

I’ve got a lively looking orange tabby looking for a duel or two.  He’s quite dapper with the bright feather tucked jauntily into his hatband and the billowing cloak.  Almost enough to make one overlook a few errors.  Oops.  Ah well, as I’ve heard others say, Finished is my favorite color and I can always fix and reshoot.

The final stages of Object Source Lighting (OSL), or “make the fireball look like it’s glowing” as a friend of mine would say, are done.  I’m still not 100% pleased with all of it but I think the majority came out well so I am calling him finished.  As I mentioned in the previous post I really liked all the opportunity for small details this sculpt offered.  Lines and freehand can be intimidating until you realize, just like writing, it’s really just lines and dots.  Stripes on the end of a sleeve or cloak are an easy place to start practicing as you are just following parallel to the sculpted edge and mess ups are easily cleaned and/or weathered over, as the case may be.

I keep meaning to put together a tutorial…

I just love this Otter Mage miniature with a photo-like captured moment of motion as he summons a spell.  It said, “Fireball” to me so I’m going with that.  A great sculpt with lots of great surfaces just screaming for lines and dots plus the spell makes Object Source Lighting a must.  I have to confess that this technique is not one of my strengths but that just means I have to practice more.  It isn’t finished yet but I’ve begun with multiple layers of Lamenters Yellow glaze as color filter.  It is starting to read in places, the blue cloak especially.  Being almost complimentary to the yellow that isn’t a surprise.

While California may not be in official Lockdown right now I am practicing continued isolation.  Okay, not practicing so much as mastering at this point.  I will admit that teaching at a distance is far more exhausting than in person and it has taken energy from my hobby.  This week, being Thanksgiving holiday in the US, I got a brief respite and inspired by the depth and variety of the Lockdown Leisure League I got to work on some of the half finished minis on my table.

This little fellow is one charming reptile though I’m not sure how he writes on all those seals let alone carries that big staff.  Being a Rowen Aitchison fan I had to make this a Black Adder.  Seemed a cunning plan though I’m not sure how well the black on grey patterning worked out.

It bears repeating that I think Oathsworn make some of the nicest resin models I’ve ever worked with.  The mold lines are minimal and usually easy to deal with, details are crisp and well delineated, and I think I can count the total number of air bubbles I’ve had to contend with on one hand.  Add in the amazing work the Lovejoys do sculpting these little beings with such character and you have a fun miniature to paint.  The Beaver Mercenary was especially so.  I seem to have a soft spot in my painter’s heart for the big minis as I have painted a number of them. I still have a raptor waiting as well.  The bad news is that I am running out of unpainted B&B minis but the good news is Oathsworn have announced an upcoming Kickstart campaign that will probably crash right through my will power.

Now, if I could just play the game to see if I like it as much as the minis…

Been a while since I finished a Burrows and Badgers mini and this guy sat on my desk, waiting for final details, for months.  In the end I changed a couple of my original color ideas and pushed through to get him table ready.  Like so many of these minis, the movement and character are wonderful. He really looks pissed off.  I have the feeling I am heading toward a squirrel gang vs a dog gang as there are a few more tree hoppers in the catalog I haven’t ordered yet and everyone knows how much these two groups hate each other.

I have to admit I am unsure of the effectiveness of a knight errant small enough to ride a beetle but his foes probably just give in to his immense adorable factor.  He is another that would look perfect with Lady Daisy so was painted in the gold and scarlet of my rebels.  The beetle was the perfect excuse to try out the Vallejo Colorshifting paints that I picked up a while back.  WOW! This stuff is amazing, literally changing color depending on how the light is hitting it.  I used the GreenBlueViolet over a gloss black base.  I had my doubts initially as the paint is a sickly, pale yellow and very thin but as soon as the first brushstroke was down all doubt vanished.

It must be obvious to any who actually play Burrows and Badgers that I have painted way too many Huge figures.  I can’t help myself really, they are such nice figures I just have to paint them.  At least I will be spoiled for choice once I actually do get to play the game. This guy has seen some action and swung that club for quite a few years.  I wanted him to look like a grizzled veteran who’s still looking for that last big score or maybe a cause worth fighting for.

Now I really need to make some Burrows to go with my Badgers…

Another lethal lady, a lovely vixen, if you will, that I just adore.  Such movement and character combined with another accurate animal sculpt.  To be honest, I didn’t even look at the figure’s name when I ordered it so didn’t even know the gender until she arrived and I saw it on the shipping list.  Seems I just fall for dangerous women without even looking for them.  Might explain my dating life…

I had to paint another deadly damsel also armed with a bow. Like the hedgehog, this rabbit looks like she means business, like she has already racked up a body count.  I find the vegetarian archer a little more intimidating as she has mastered the bow strictly as a martial skill, she doesn’t need to hunt after all.  As usual, the sculpt is lively with a lot of character.

This deadly lady is a Hedgehog Huntress.  Another nice sculpt and I love the confidence she exudes as she takes aim.  Looks like a graceful little thing as well so I better get some terrain together for her to dodge through and around.

So not only is my collection gaining firepower but another tunneler at that. This charming little fellow looks like he has popped up to make sure he’s still on course.  The gun isn’t for show, however, and by the size of it looks like it would do a fair bit of damage.  I thought I had a miscast or couldn’t see one of his feet but it’s there, just under the dirt as he is stepping out of a hole.

One of the Kickstarters had these great little pieces as rewards though I know they are available on Oathsworn’s site.  Fun little bits of flavor that will help tie games more clearly to the world of Burrows and Badgers as opposed to a generic fantasy one.  I’m really going to have to build some bespoke pieces next. Something like burrows with doors and mailboxes, like Bugs Bunny would live in.

As previously mentioned, I love dogs, all dogs really, but Border Collies are my favorite so when Oathsworn released this lovely lady I picked a couple up immediately.  Yes, I know I can only have one Huge character in a war band but the second one will make a nice gift.  Another charming, characterful pose as well a clean, smooth casting.  I was immediately struck with how much she looks like my late, much loved, pup, Daisy. With that, Lady Daisy, rebel leader  was ingrained in my head.  I figure she and Tico would be natural allies so her clothes were painted in matching colors.

Decided to increase the numbers of my nocturnal air force and have finished the Owl. Like the tortoise, he seems a wise old fellow and so I felt his armor should look a little older, well worn.  It is obvious to me how much the Lovejoys are inspired by the real life creatures they anthropomorphize into tiny fighting toys by the details and character included.  That, in turn, is what I find inspiring…

that and @brennon’s delivery crew…

and @robert’s tartan skills…

and the amazing enthusiasm and support of OTT members.

Two for one with this post as I completed two Town Watch Mouse models, one with a crossbow and one with a halberd. They look like the kind of fellows who might back up Tico so their livery was painted to match his.  They make a charming little team but not sure how effective the tiny team will be at thwarting crime. Maybe like Sgt Colon and Nobby Nobbs of the Ankh-Morpark City Watch they will succeed through dumb luck.  Regardless, they are adorable if not intimidating.

With all these animals getting painted I’m on my way to a village full of them. Time for some leadership and organization in the form of a Frog Burgher.  Not sure what his role in the game will be but I had to paint this jaunty guy.  He’s probably good at paperwork at least.

If I’m going to collect miniatures for Burrows and Badgers I should really have a badger in the collection.  So the Badger Sage is finished and ready to advice.  He does look like a wizened old guy, lean from years of travel and adventure. Despite those years, he still looks capable and ready for action.