From the workbench of Zebraoutrider
Recommendations: 754
About the Project
This blog details my attempts to reduce my own ‘pile of shame’ which is totalling 100s of miniatures that need constructing, basing and painting. The blog will focus on 25mm and 28mm fantasy minis from Reaper, Dark Sword, Diehard, Dunkeldorf, Midlam, Grenadier and ‘Oldhammer’ Citadel Miniatures. I won’t be necessarily logging the preparation of the miniatures, as you can read about WIP on other projects that I have completed, so this blog will focus on the end product of my painting efforts. I don’t use an airbrush, preferring to use blending, dry brushing and washes to get these guys to the table top as playable characters rather than display or competition pieces. My painting style is rather grim-dark and gothic, normally utilising black under coats and with some influence of Blanchitsu to create a ‘dirty’ impression. I paint for pleasure and not for profit. I will be seeking inspiration as I go along from what I see, read and from those I interact with in this great hobby. Hope you enjoy my adventures…
Related Game: Dungeons & Dragons
Related Genre: Fantasy
This Project is Active
St. Georgina and the Nightmare Dragon
‘St. Georgina and the Nightmare Dragon’ - the paladin knew that a bladed weapon would not harm this manifestation of the dark. So clasping her trusted morning star she leapt forward to send the beast back into the light… Models chosen: Dark Sword Miniatures Female Paladin with Morning Star SKU: DSM7404 sculpted by Jeff Grace mounted on a 30mm lipped base and Citadel Miniatures Nightmare Dragon SKU: DS8 (1987) sculpted by Nick Bibby. Dragon is a non-slotta base and so is remounted on a scratch-built base incorporate a Fenris Resin treasure pile and green stuff and then positioned on a 60 mm round base. Both bases flocked in similar styles with scatter grass. 
Taking inspiration from @scribbs Spring Clean challenge with some Oldhammer miniatures, I’ve revisited my active projects. The fantasy pile of shame reduces… this was approximately 6 hours of painting without including drying time and painted in my usual gothic, dirty style using dry brushing techniques and layers of washes. This is a marrying of one of my favourite Dark Sword Miniatures and my favourite Citadel Dragon just waiting to spar. Unfortunately the dragon s long OOP and appears to only be available at extortionate prices on eBay. The Plucky Egg Thief
When the big thaw comes each year, it means Spring is in the air and the Frost Dragon returns to inspect her precious eggs. It knows that it’s only a matter of time when the eggs hatch. With only being able to lay between 2-3 eggs each Autumn, it knows how valuable a single hatchling will be, but it also knows how vulnerable this youngster is from carnivorous predators but particularly from a more recent threat in those hairy-footed little people who steal away with the unhatched eggs, never to be seen again!
“The Frost Dragon Mother” - Model chosen Grenadier Miniatures Dragon Lords Frost Dragon (1985) SKU 2519 sculptor unknown. OOP. 
“Baby Frost Dragon” - Model chosen Reaper Miniatures Ice Dragon Hatchling SKU 03691 sculpted by Kevin Williams.
“The plucky egg thief” - Model chosen Citadel Miniatures C11 Halfling ‘Lotman Lowlegs’ (1986) sculpted by the Perry Twins with metal Citadel Miniatures shield. OOP.
Base - 100mm lipped plain round base from Secret Weapons. Real stones, polyfilla and Grass tufts from Serious Play to form the nest. Eggs made from green stuff. This was a dry-brushing wonder-lust. The detail on the dragon scales and hair and face just lent itself to my style of washes and highlighting. This is the second Grenadier Frost Dragon that I’ve painted… the last one being in 1987!
The Egg Thieves
I like to try to create a narrative around the miniatures that I pull out of my pile of shame. In this case I mounted a loose dragon-like mini on a 50mm round lipped base with some green stuff and decided that rather than it become a pet (the initial plan), I would marry the beast up with a tough fighter and a nimble thief who are attempting to steal the dragon’s eggs from the nest.
“The Bearded Fighter” - Model chosen Reaper Miniatures Castrus Vile Evil Mercenary SKU 03496 sculpted by Guy England. Mounted on a 30mm lipped round base with green stuff. The miniature is supposed to carry two axes, but the one in the right hand broke off when I got him out of the package! So rather than stick it back on, it gave me the opportunity to sift through my bits box and cut down a GW chaos marauder’s double headed morning star to replace that weapon. The sculpt reminds me of the actor Stephen Lang who played Khalar Zym in the 2011 Conan the Barbarian film. 
“The Nimble Thief” - model chosen Reaper Miniatures Human Rogue Serris, SKU 02997 sculpted by James van Shaik. Mounted on a 30mm lipped round base with green stuff. I’ve painted her as a rendition of “Red Sonia” to go with the Conan theme… 
“Mama Dragon” - model chosen Ral Partha Wyvern SKU 01-050 sculpted by Tom Meier. Mounted on a 50mm lipped round base with green stuff. Eggs made from green stuff and tall grass from Serious Play.
Nighttime Encounters - out with the hunt?
If the adventurers find themselves outside after dark without a warm bed for the night, they may encounter the sleep-walking Duchess, the Vampire Hunter or indeed the winged Vampire! Models chosen: Dark Sword Miniatures SKU DSM5003 Melisandre, Priestess of R’Hllor sculpted by Tom Meier with a 30mm lipped base and sculpted insert; Reaper Miniatures SKU 02743 Human Rogue, Tara sculpted by Werner Klocke. Another 30mm lipped base with sculpted insert has been used; Freebooter Miniatures SKU VAM001 Raven sculpted by Werner Klocke. The base is the original 25mm square with integral, metal insert. This miniature is an early Freebooter mini and is out of production. It is one of my favourite models of all time from Werner Klocke and when it does come up for sale on auction sites, sadly it tends to be at a typically extortionate price!
The Sleep-Walking Duchess - with a pallid complexion, what is causing this noble lady to venture outside when there are so many dangers? Is something or someone calling her in her dreams? ??? Layers of white washes over flesh paint used to capture a fitted nightdress. 
The Vampire Hunter - nimble but brave. With her gaunt expression, she is focussed on her nemesis prey. 
The Winged Vampire - out for a nighttime feed? Themed, batch painting is certainly the way forward for me to keep motivated and to produce minis I’m happy to give away or be used in games. 
I hope you’ve enjoyed my journey so far? Since this project started in July 2021, I’ve managed to get around 90 miniatures to the gaming table. All inspired by a 12 year old lad taking an interest in D&D and giving me the opportunity to pick up my brushes and paint him some adventurers. I’ve still got plenty of fantasy miniatures from a variety of indie manufacturers as well as the behemoth of GW in my ‘pile of shame’, so this project will continue into 2022 and beyond…Arabian Encounters - whipping up a sandstorm…
Back in the dry desert, our adventurers face huge risks from sandstorms to dehydration and Arabian roaming bandits. Throw in a Jekyll and Hyde-like Vizier who can either conjure up a genie to grant wishes or a dust devil to suck out the life energy of our travellers depending on his mood and our intrepid explorers may have met either their saviour under the heat of the sun or increased their suffering? Miniatures SKU 60115 Human Wizard, Genie Binder sculpted by Tim Prow; Reaper Miniatures SKU 60155 Shazathared, Marid sculpted by Bob Ridolfi; Reaper Miniatures SKU 14245 Dust Devil, Nefsokar Monster sculpted by Jason Weibe. The Genie Binder has GW Chaos Space Marine transfers on his robes and is mounted on a 30mm lipped, Micro Arts Halodyne base, while the Dust Devil and Genie are mounted on 40mm Halodyne bases. 
The Vizier - a help or a hinderance? 
The Genie - can she grant you the wish that you want? Look into her piercing eyes…
The Dust Devil - with four arms and four swords, he comes in pretty handy should you annoy the Vizier… Painted to match the sandy base as if he was conjured direct from the ground.
Wilderness Encounters - when shall we three meet again?
Out in the wilds, three mysterious ladies come a wandering, each with a mission for the adventurers. Will they take up the offer from the priestess, the red-headed sorceress or the young, blonde hunter? Models chosen: Dark Sword Miniatures SKU DSM7436 Female Mage sculpted by Jeff Grace; Dark Sword Miniatures SKU DSM1168 Evil Female Mage sculpted by Patrick Keith; Dark Sword Miniatures SKU DSM7301 Female Beast Master with Spear sculpted by Dave Summers. I’ve used 30mm lipped bases filled with green stuff and flock to incorporate the integral bases. Again, a grim-dark but simple palate has been used to bring these three to life. 
The Priestess - blending, washes and dry-brush highlights employed here. 
The Sorceress - black leather robes, black leather clothes, black leather boots… is that a clue to her potential alignment?
The Hunter - she seems to have lost her trousers… do you think that maybe that’s what she needs help in hunting for?
Dungeon Encounters - the witch and the succubus
If you pop down a nearby dungeon, then perhaps you will encounter this friendly witch along with her paladin and cleric companions? Models chosen Reaper Miniatures SKU 50128 Krissy, Modern Witch sculpted by Bob Ridolfi; Reaper Miniatures SKU 02725 Human Paladin, Alaine sculpted by Werner Klocke; Reaper Miniatures SKU 02825 Human Wizard, Jolie sculpted by Werner Klocke. Now if your luck is out your adventurers may encounter this succubus instead! Model chosen Reaper Miniatures SKU 02098 Lillith the Succubus sculpted by Bob Ridolfi. Again, painted in my grim-dark, gothic fashion with the use of Fenris(?) 30mm lipped bases. 
The Friendly Witch and her cuddly familiar. This is actually a Reaper Miniatures Chronoscope heroine but is suitably fantasy-like to include in this collection. 
The Paladin…
The Cleric looking puzzled by an entry in her book.
The Succubus…
Tavern Encounters - the Bookkeeper’s Offer
Here we have a potential Tavern Encounter - the Bookkeeper, the Bookkeeper’s Apprentice and the Bookkeeper’s Bodyguard. Keeping a control on expenses and recognising that his employer may need to recruit a band of adventurers to recover a missing object from his inventory of valuable assets, a trip to the local public house may be fruitful? Models chosen: Reaper Miniatures SKU 03956 Townsfolk: Money Lender sculpted by Bobby Jackson; Midlam Miniatures SKU KS2016-01 Wizard’s Apprentice with Books sculpted by Martin Baker; Dark Sword Miniatures SKU DSM3032 Female Pirate with Treasure Chest sculpted by Dave Summers. Bases are 30mm lipped and green stuff used to sculpt floor boards. The Apprentice’s base has a candle from Dunkeldorf Miniatures and a book from the Citadel Miniatures Mordheim Accessory Sprue. The Bookkeeper’s base has a barrel from the Citadel Miniatures Ogre Trooper sprue. Painted in my usual grim dark fashion with GW transfers used on the hem of the Apprentice’s robe and on the fallen book.
The Bookkeeper
The Bookkeeper’s Apprentice 
The Bookkeeper’s Bodyguard 
The Tavern Folk take a Seat at the Table (Phase 3)
First up we have three companions relaxing after an adventure. The veteran soldier, the young bard and the joyful sergeant are all in the black and yellow colours of the colours of the mercenary unit that set off into the dessert. Perhaps this trio has either returned successfully or is waiting for their companions. Either way they are currently enjoying the tavern food and song. Miniatures Chosen: Dunkeldorf Miniatures - Uwe the Old "Sailor"; Guidobaldo de'Foscari the Merchant; Ulrike the Bard.
The Dunkeldorf Patrons enjoy the tavern offerings. 
Next up we have the drunken companion of the floored drunkard. Miniature chosen: Dunkeldorf Miniatures - Helmut the Drunkard. He’s very reminiscent of an old Citadel Miniatures FS68 ‘Grumpy Old Boozer’ from 1982 - I may have this chap in a box somewhere and if so I may add him to the scene?
In the snug we have Dunkeldorf Miniatures - Bertha and Bull (the cat) conspiring with Mischa the Courtesan. Perhaps they will prey on the mercenary trio once they have consumed enough liquor and enjoyed sufficient food to ensure that a nap is in order? 
I was absolutely gobsmacked to receive a Golden Button in November. Thank you so much…. Thank you so much for the Golden Button and your enthusiasm for my collection on the CoGs Sunday Weekender… I am very, very humbled. ? I will shout out to young Thomas who inspired this project and for me to paint and give him a set of minis for his D&D campaign and reduce my pile of shame. Thanks to him I got to 50 minis painted by September and now I’m onto the next 50 to hopefully paint by Xmas… we’ll see ? Many thanks again.Painting the Tavern Furniture (Phase 2)
After a bit of a slow couple of weeks due to work commitments, I’ve managed to get the fine detailing done on the Grendel Miniatures tavern scenery. In essence, I’ve used plain, primary colours using a foundation and wash to get the effect that I’m looking for… I need the scenery to look good, but to not detract from the Dunkeldorf Miniatures for Phase 3 of this mini project within the project. Citadel Paints used: Abaddon Black, Nuln Oil, Macgrabbe Blue, Drakenhof Nightshade, Lothern Blue, Leadbelcher, Averland Sunset, Carriburg Crimson, Retributor Armour, Mephiston Red, Blazing Orange, Reikland Fleshshade, Cadian Fleshtone, Agrax Earthshade, Dark Angels Green, Thraka Green, white Scar, Wraithbone.
Painted as a batch to try and keep a consistency of colours and tones throughout the vignettes. A bit of ‘ardcoat here and there represented spillages of food and wine. The house speciality is Chicken Tikka Bara Korma… a delicacy I used to enjoy in Leicester, UK - a mild, yellow curry with a creamy topping and sliced, hard-boiled eggs… delicious (see the mini cauldrons on the corner boxes of two of the vignettes)! I like the idea of incorporating great memories into my painting. ??
These are 50mm square vignettes and the actual detail from the floorboards to the tableware is absolutely fantastic. There are a couple of manufacturing defects in a couple of the pieces, but nothing significant. A real joy to ‘bring them to life’ with the touch of colour. 
The sculpts of the two seated customers is not the best in resin - the faces are not particularly striking, but this is a dated piece and computer-based sculpting has pushed the detailing and potential quality much further. None-the-less, with a sympathetic paint job, these integral minis will merge into the background. 
I may add a bit of weathering powder to this vignette and the fallen chap once I’ve added some companions to complete the scene.
I used a 005 Micron Archival Ink fine pen to create the table cloth lines 
Next up… Dunkeldorf bar flies to populate the tavern as ‘permanent’ fixtures. Painting the tavern furniture (Phase 1)
Before I can start to paint up some barflies and customers, I really need to paint up some tavern furniture. In my pile of shame I’ve had a load of resin tavern vignettes for at least 10 years, but probably longer. So it’s time to get them painted ready for some Dunkeldorf patrons…
In effect, this is a mini project within this project so perhaps is worthy of a bit of Work In Progress reporting as it will probably take me around three weeks to complete…
Phase 1 is painting up the tavern furniture woodwork.
Phase 2 will be fine detailing the bottles, barrels and bar detritus.
Phase 3 will be painting up the Dunkeldorf seated patrons.
Resin tavern furniture and other scenic items all from Grendel Miniatures. The tavern stuff all come from the original Griffin Inn kit which is not available SKU: F0002 Green Griffon Tavern sculpted by Peter Flannery and Steve Trinket, but other items that you can still get from Scotia Grendel Miniatures are: SKU: 10006 Pub Snug SKU: 10023 Apothecary’s Shop SKU: 10035 Tavern Kitchen SKU: 10038 Treasure Piles SKU: 10067 Tables and Chair SKU: 10106 Barrel Cluster
After washing the resin pieces in warm, soapy water and left to dry, the furniture was undercoated with black spray paint. 
Dry brush with Mornfang Brown followed by a wash of Reikland Fleshshade and a further highlighting of Zandri Dust, wash of Seraphim Sepia and another dry brush highlighting with Wraithbone.
A final wash of Agrax Earthshade to darken the floorboards and snug walls and allowed to dry before I can move on to Phase 2 - fine detailing.Batch painting by using one colour and moving through the items allows for enough drying time before moving onto the next colour. I also want a consistent set of vignettes so that they all appear to come from the same location.
Next up I need to add non-brown colours by detailing the metalwork on the barrels, and vibrancy to the curtains, cushions, food and bottles and goblets…
A trio of tavern talent worth saving…
I think the intimidating innkeeper probably surrounds himself with people he can manipulate, coerce and bully, hence here are three more bar staff who perhaps have no choice but to work in this tavern due to their circumstances and use their ‘social skills’ to keep the patrons happy, when the adventurers arrive they may be able to discover what hold the innkeeper has over them and liberate them or at least change the ‘management’?
L-R ‘Strumpet’, ‘Brigitte’, ‘Gretchen’…. First up we have the Reaper Miniatures - Townsfolk II (Strumpet) SKU: 02584 Sculpted by Bobby Jackson. She is mounted on a 30mm lipped round dungeon base most likely from Fenris? Although she does have an integral base, it was sufficiently small and thin to reduce and enable the mini to be incorporated into the resin base. Like the previous bar staff, I’ve tried to keep the paint pallet simple to reflect her status. Next is Reaper Miniatures - Gretchen, Oktoberfest, Fraulein SKU: 50118 Sculpted by Werner Klocke. Mounted on a 30mm lipped round dungeon base again from Fenris (I think?) I know Klocke’s sculpts can be an acquired taste, but he actually packs a huge amount of character and detail into his minis and I hope I have done justice to the sculpt with my actual painting and style of painting? You’ll have to decide… but I think she’s ready for the bar room. The final one in the trio is Reaper Miniatures - Brigitte, Naughty French Maid SKU: 50084 Sculpted by Werner Klocke. Also mounted on a 30mm lipped round dungeon base probably from Fenris. This is a Chronoscope Steampunk mini, but I think she fits in with the bar staff, especially as the base I’ve mounted her on has an integral spilt bottle. The mini comes with a tab, so it was easy enough to clip off before affixing her to the base. 
L-R (Reaper Miniatures) Strumpet, Innkeeper, Gretchen, Wench, Barmaid, Brigitte 
Oh… that Lloyd Shot is a must to behold!Next up, the bar flies and other assorted tavern patrons…
And now onto the next 50…
I’ve decided not to prepare an entry for GW’s Armies on Parade this year, instead I’m taking instruction from young Thomas who inspired this project. He congratulated me on creating and painting 50 miniatures in two months and set me the challenge to paint another 50 by Christmas. Challenge accepted Thomas… but what theme? Back to the Arabian Adventures? Across the wilderness? Down to the beach or further Beauties with Beasts? Well, all great D&D adventures seem to start in a tavern or inn… so that’s where we will go! I think some NPC Dunkeldorf pub customers may be useful for our adventuring party… but first let’s meet some of the tavern staff…
Reaper Miniatures - Townsfolk I (Innkeeper, Wench, Barmaid) SKU: 02583 Sculpted by Bobby Jackson. Mounted on 30mm lipped round bases as trying to remove their integral bases was too much faff. I’ve deliberately given the barmaid with the tray a black eye as if the Innkeeper is not that nice a bloke - hopefully some honourable adventurers will teach him a lesson for being a bully? I’ve painted this trio with simple, plain colours to reflect their status and dirtied their aprons to suggest that they work hard for their customers. 
Lloyd Shot…Next up… some extra help for the bar?
The 50th Miniature…
‘The 50th Miniature Painted…’ Model selected Dunkeldorf Miniatures - ‘Dieter the Scribe’ sculpted by Sonny Bundgaard. To mark this painting milestone I decided to capture myself as ‘The Chronicler’. In my day job, I spend a lot of time at a desk, particularly during the last 18 months thanks to the pandemic with restricted access to people in the ‘physical’ world. So it seems apt that this miniature can symbolise my existence. The desk and chair is taken from the Mantic Dungeon accessories, along with the stack of books. The items on the desk are mainly Dunkeldorf Miniatures accessories including ‘Adler, Dieter’s Cat’, which I was originally tempted to paint as ‘Bagpuss’ (c1970s) but instead went for a ginger Tom. The little black chest on the desk comes from the Citadel Miniatures Bretonnian Men-at-Arms sprue. The loose papers are images reduced in size via the computer and printed out in an appropriate size. The base is a 50mm round and plain lipped base that I have sculpted floorboards onto using green stuff. I’ve painted the chap (me) with yellow and black livery to tie in with the mercenary unit I sent out into the desert earlier in this project. To accompany the Chronicler, I’ve mounted two Dark Sword Miniatures ‘Fae Greyhounds’ SKU: DSM7645 sculpted by Patrick Keith, onto the base to represent my own two rescue dogs (Bingo and Anjee) that I adopted after the passing of my previous greyhound (Ollie) last year. These two are inseparable and spend a lot time sleeping in my office or chewing the furniture! So, we ought to say they are now minis 51 and 52! The adventure continues…
The messy desk, loose papers, stacks of books, etc. lends itself to my dirty style of grim dark painting. Really enjoyed bringing this together and indeed forgetting about company-restrictions on competition entries and mixing minis from different manufacturers has enabled me to be more creative and unburdened. These guys are for playing with rather than as painting competition entries…
Not in picture… the Hydra, The Thief and the Dragon Moneylender…two months to complete 50 minis whilst working on my day job and with other distractions, I think is not too bad going. Now I have the big decision to continue with this project or turn my attention to GW’s Armies on Parade which I’ve not done during the pandemic - some degree of reticence here because in-store rather than on-line would be my preferred choice of submission and display. Hey ho… I’ll probably go with what inspires me…Beauty and the Beast - Take 3!
Beauty and the Beast Take 3 - models chosen Dark Sword Miniatures Female Assassin - Easley SKU: DSM4108 sculpted by Jeff Grace and Citadel Miniatures C23 Ogre Warrior Priest (1985) sculpted by Jes Goodwin. I wanted these two to be absolute, polar contrasts with this Ogre lending itself to being extremely dirty and bestial in appearance, while the Assassin is the epitome of cleanliness and perfection. Hence the dirty colours and dried blood on the Ogre and the clean, flower-patterned leggings and clothing on the Assassin. I’ve given the Ogre a ‘dirty’ rat familiar from the OOP Citadel Miniatures Rat Swarm to accompany him but also to suggest he may have magical abilities? The Ogre is mounted on a 40mm lipped round Micro Arts Troglodyte base while his counterpart is mounted on a plain 30mm lipped round base with some green stuff to hide the integral base and some Citadel Miniatures brass ferns as decoration and to link the context of the two miniatures. Again, the aim is to create some playable characters (and NPCs) for D&D., etc. and hopefully I’m achieving that… well I’m having fun anyway before Autumn ends, Winter sets in and COVID rears its head again!
Lloyd Shot… Beauty and the Beast - take 2
Beauty and the Beast Take 2- Models chosen Dark Sword Miniatures 5th Anniversary Mini - ‘Melissa’ SKU:DSM1309 Sculpted by Tom Meier, Citadel Miniatures C23 ‘Oriental Ogre’ (July 1985) Sculpted by Jes Goodwin and Dunkeldorf Miniatures ‘Isolde the Guard Chicken’ sculpted by Sonny Bundgaard. Following on in the same style as the previous Beauty and the Beast entry, here we have another great sculpt from Dark Sword Miniatures. She captures that ‘Conan the Barbarian’ or D&D feel through her rather revealing outfit which I guess reflects the perceptions of heroines during the the 1980s hay day in fantasy war gaming. As with the Elven Princess, I’ve used x3 Citadel Miniatures Bretonnian Knight’s Dear shield transfers to give added detail to the cloak. She is accompanied by two Schnauzers that come with the mini, but I’ve discarded her original base for a stepped 40mm Fenris? dungeon base. The same style of base has been used to mount the Oriental Ogre who has a really horrible flash/mould line across his face, that I had to incorporate it as a big scar. Similarly to Skrag, I wanted to give this ogre a companion and chose the similarly simply-armoured chicken from the recent Dunkeldorf Kickstarter. maybe this Ogre is a follower of the Rooster? I’ve got a load of Dunkeldorf Miniatures in my pile of shame from their Kickstartera, so perhaps they need to jump the queue to be seen next?
Lastly… the Lloyd shot!Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast - Models chosen Dark Sword Miniatures Elven Princess SKU:DSM1167 Sculpted by Jeff Grace, Citadel Miniatures C23 Ogre ‘Skrag the Slaughterer - Ogre Renegade’ (July 1986) Sculpted by Jes Goodwin and Degra Miniatures Bulldog sculpted by Edgar Skomorovski. The Elven Princess was in a job lot of unwanted random miniatures on eBay some years ago and needed to be stripped of several layers of black paint (undercoating had obviously gone wrong) and re-bending of the staff. Surprising amount of effort required just to retrieve the detail and repaint in my own style. I’ve used x3 Citadel Miniatures Bretonnian Knight’s Pegasus shield transfers to give added detail to the skirt. Skrag the Slaughterer is another favourite that has been resurrected with a new paint job and rebasing with an apt companion - they say an owner looks like their dog, so what better than to include the Degra Miniatures Bulldog as his pet. Ogre is based on a 40mm Micro Arts Troglodyte base, while the Princess’s integral base is mounted on a 30mm lipped round base with green stuff and flock. A great double act. 
I’m finding that batch painting 2,3 or 4 miniatures based on their size and the pallet I want to use is certainly helping me get through this pile of shame. By grouping miniatures with themes is also helping to ensure that this doesn’t feel like a never-ending chore and hence would be so demotivating. Since Thomas’s Adventuring group that inspired this project, I’m now nearing in on 50 miniatures that will have been painted in 8-9 weeks. ? Unfortunately, the ‘pile of shame’ still looks pretty large! ?
The Money Lender… a nice dungeon encounter?
‘The Money Lender’ - Model chosen Grenadier Miniatures Shire Dragon (1985) sculptor unknown. One of the smaller dragons from Grenadier’s Dragon Lords series in the 1980s but packed full of character and detail. A real favourite of mine from this series - I’ve got a few more in my ‘pile of shame’ that I will resurrect for this project! The scales on the Shire Dragon lend themselves to my dirty wash technique of painting while the wings have subtle sculpted skin creases which also can be shaded through washes. I’ve deliberately chosen a restful pallet of pinks and yellows to exude the dragon’s peaceful nature. I wanted this chap to align with lawful good, yet by adding a Citadel Miniatures Mordheim sprue treasure chest and Reaper Miniatures jars, I can give him the contextual appearance of a wise old money lender. Hopefully a nice dungeon encounter for any quest? Mounted on a 50mm lipped round base with flocking in line with previous creations. Integral base overlaps the base but does not detract from the overall appearance and enables mini to be a playable RPG character.
Don’t forget the Lloyd Shot…
A meeting of heroes…
Size comparison of Shire Dragon and Spectral Dragon II from Grenadier Miniatures, including Reaper Miniatures ‘Gavin’ on the column in the background.The Dragon Slayer
The Dragon Slayer - Models chosen Grenadier Miniatures Spectral Dragon II SKU: 9612 (1989) sculptor unknown and Reaper Miniatures Fighter-Thief ‘Gavin’ SKU: 02857 sculpted by Bobby Jackson. To start the new month, a large piece to paint. When you think of dragon slayers, you often think of orange haired dwarfs and axes, but in this case I’ve opted for a ‘Jason of the Argonauts’ inspired creation. The dynamic pose of the fighter suggests he’s going to leap on the blind hydra. The fighter model can be removed to become a playable mini for a RPG. The column is from a wedding cake and is also removable. The base is a 120mm Fenris (I think?) lipped, round dungeon base with added green stuff rocks to incorporate the integral rocky base of the Spectral Dragon. Flocking used to keep in style with earlier creations. I’ve used wet blending techniques to get subtle graduation on the dragon and used purples and reds to contrast with the silvers and golds used on the Slayer. I imagine the Slayer has climbed the column using the Citadel Creeping Vine. A real joy to paint and create and probably took me best part of a 20 hours across the week (not including drying time).
Never forget the ‘Lloyd Shot’…Have a little faith…
The Death Druid - Model chosen Reaper Miniatures DARKRASP, DEATH PRIEST SKU: 02957 sculpted by Tim Prow. Mounted on a 40mm lipped round base with green stuff and flocked with play sand. A fantastic miniature from my loose box of minis. I hadn’t realised who the sculptor was until I looked him up… so this project does appear to be a bit I’d love-in for the work of Tim Prow! I didn’t want the observer to immediately think this chap was evil, so I avoided traditional black and red colours in favour of a more earthy pallet. I did incorporate black through the Imperial Guard Skull transfers on his cloak. 
The Grail Knight - Model chosen Diehard Miniatures Thrain-Grail Knight SKU: DFTP06 sculpted by Tim Prow. Mounted on a 30mm lipped Micro Arts Halodyne base. I could have painted this guy in bright colours that are normally associated with grail knights, but I decided to opt for black to contrast with the brighter gold and silver armour and iconography. He’s a worldly wise chap.
The Dwarf Cleric - Model chosen Citadel Miniatures (May 1985) CO6 Dwarfs Tribesman sculpted by the Perry Twins. Mounted on a 30mm lipped Micro Arts Troglodyte base. A real oldie here, who’s expression reminds me of the stoical characters that I like to play and RPGs have taught me about the value of stoicism. With his plate armour and adventurer’s backpack, he’s a suitable foil to the keener Grail Knight. 
The Arabian Princess - Model chosen Diehard Miniatures Zena-Warrior Princess SKU: HNTP15 sculpted by Tim Prow. Mounted on a 30mm lipped Micro Arts Troglodyte base. A left-handed fighter to accompany and act as the local guide for the men of faith. I’ve used Imperial Guard Aquila transfers on her cloak and a Dark Angels insignia on the shield to provide further details. 
The followers of the faith will use the protection of the gods in the harshest of environments. In seven weeks, I’ve managed to reduce my pile of shame by 40 miniatures - roughly one a day! ??
