11/17/14: Terrain Tutorial: From Birdhouse to Burg!

This city, is my city, and I love it! Yeah I love it!

Patrick Stump aside, howdy folks!

Just a fun little project to show off! With my new studio, I've been wanting to add a table for gaming and pictures to give commissions that extra edge. Putting around online, I came across TerrainThralls, who have a lot of nicely done scratchbuilt terrain tutorials and pictures. The one that really stuck with me, though, is from Rob Hawkins. He did a lot of Games Workshop's and Privateer Press' huge terrain tables, so I really watch his stuff for tricks and tips.

The basis of this project is a wooden birdhouse, some plasticard, extra bits, and a little paint!

MATERIALS

• 1 Wooden Birdhouse (Mine is from Michaels and cost all of $5.
• Various sheet styrene (thick stripping and wood texture are ideal)
• Cardboard
• Vallejo Oxid Paste (Though simple spackling could probably work too)
• Various Warhammer Fantasy and 40k bits

A quick walkthrough on this one! I popped the windows off, the door off, and removed the hole at the top for the bird to enter. A WHFB fortress door was added to cover the door, a plastic brick wall was added at the bottom to add detail, and the attic hole was covered with a plastic Orc shield. The shingles are done with cardboard strips, and were angled as they went up to give a drooping, pointed look. Also, you can see the scale is perfect for 28mm tabletop gaming!

The windows are textured plasticard, while the hinges on the windows are little bits of plastic tubing added to the sides. The trim of the house is plastic stripping; while not necessary, they help add wall detail and texture. The walls were covered in a thin layer of Vallejo's Oxid Paste. Its decently thin and sandy, which gives everything a spackled texture. 

I also picked up a second one while I was out. All you really want these for are the shape; all the texture and detail is added by you. I also added a gutter to the smaller one, you can see it towards the middle of the picture.

Painting took less than an hour! I primed it grey, then sprayed the walls with Vallejo Model Air Ivory. The roof was sprayed with blues and greys, though it's up to you what color you spray them. The windows were brushed the same color as the roof, then were sponged with Ivory to give them a chippled, battered look. I also used weathering powders to created grime and dust on the walls and windows. 

The gutter was painted with Leadbelcher, then washed with Agrax Earthshade. A touch of Athonian Camoshade was added at the base to add detail. The posters were found on Google; I wanted to keep these fairly generic, so there's a mix of Mordheim and 40k posters. These were printed, cut out, tattered, then glued to the wall using white glue. When dry, I hit them with weathering powders and washes. 

Note: Mordheim posters from Cianty's Tabletop Wargaming; this site is amazing for terrain ideas, as well as general gaming info!

Even as a backdrop for 40k, they look excellent, and the big one isn't even finished yet!

I hope you guys find this helpful, this would work perfect for Mordheim, 40k, Fantasy (especially Blood on the Streets), Malifaux, or Wild West Exodus. Now, go to your local crafts store and start buying birdhouses!

Granesh

5/28/14: ROADTRIP! Finished: Good Games WHFB Table #1

Hey folks!

I know I promised this post yesterday, but I had a lot of unexpected stuff come up yesterday and, alas, I was unable to post. I'm pleased to report, though, that my car is now running in tiptop shape after making some strange noises coming back from Farmington! I also had to set up my new phone and get some supplies for the airbrush, along with some other errands. But I digress!

This terrain set is the first of five WHFB-themed tables for Good Games; you all might remember the 40k tables I did for them over the last year or so. The next four are going to feature scratchbuilt terrain heavily, which should be a lot of fun! This table had deadline written all over it though. They got to me late, shipping took a while, which left me about 3 days to try and get this table finished around other commissions. I threw on my Sonic shoes and got to work!

The table has a Garden of Morr theme; lots of dead trees, fences, mausoleums, and a foreboding wizard's tower, perfect for the Watchtower scenario.

The ghostly oxidized copper color is Nihlakh Oxide sprayed with an airbrush.

Who doesn't love trees?!

You thought 40k buildings had a lot of skulls? Think again!

This kit is really nice but, like GW's other circular towers, just doesn't go together very well! 

My favorite pieces are the hobbit hole hills. A combo of hill and building, I wish I'd had more time to spend on these; time constraints suck sometimes! The doors are two doors from the Fortress gatehouse trimmed and glued together, the bits are from the Garden of Morr kit, and the window is an old 25mm base!

I also dropped off the Legio Titanicus commission to my client! He was very happy, as you can see!

And they look great on any table!

Alrighty! Next up is more terrain, another Warhound Titan, some necrons, and some Daemons! I've also been working on my own stuff recently, I'll try and get a post up tomorrow of some speed-painted cultists!

Stay tuned!

Granesh

11/5/13: Extra Life 2013; Alpha Legion and Terrain WIP

Hey guys!

So its finally come and gone! Extra Life 2013 was November 2nd and 3rd, and boy howdy, was it fun! Didn't get a lot of tabletop gaming in, but my thumb is still killing me from playing too much Super Smash Bros on the Wii! Not a lot of pictures, but I'll let them do most of the talking!

Sonic's my usual go-to character when I rock out Brawl. Good to have some actual challenges this time around! Played a little Sega Genesis too, but the Wii was our major focus. I did get a game of 40k in for the Badab War Campaign; I got my face stomped by the Raptors (damn you Lias Issoldon!)

My buddy's wife and her sister brought some snacks to keep us going all night. The Mario Mushrooms are made from Rice Krispies with a marshmellow bottom. Delicious!

RTGamer and the rest of the Fantasy guys got some Triumph and Treachery in, and seemed like they had a blast with it! Lots of laughing, yelling, and excitement was had! Their first game took forever, but I don't think they minded! I need to get my Vampire Counts up and running!

There was also some FIFA involved, a little Magic, lots of yelling, and a ton of fun! Overall, Durango Diceworks raised about $400 towards Extra Life and the Children's Miracle Network! Huzzah for the group, thanks to all my contributors and well-wishers for helping us towards our goals! I've got some bigger plans next year, we'll see how they culminate!

I've also jumped back into some projects, both personal and commissions. First off is a redo of my Chosen Champion. I wasn't happy with his color, so I scrapped the model entirely, and opted for a darker, greener tint. The glow effect on his backpack, chest and eyes is Moot Green dusted once dry with a lime green soft pastel. By taking your hobby knife and dragging it down the pastel, you can make your own powders; great for weathering, they help immensely with glow effects and tints. I may have a tutorial on it soon! 

And the commission! It consists of the Imperial Defense Emplacement here and two Defense Lines (4 sections). Gotta say, they paint up quickly and really nicely...until you get to the Cadians on the bases. They don't paint up quite as well, and the fact torsos and skulls just stretch on to oblivion just drives me nuts! Going to try to get 2 pieces done tonight and the rest done tomorrow, but we may just wait til Thursday. Depends on work tomorrow!

Alrighty! Back to work! Following the terrain, I'll be rocking out an Uhlan-heavy Khador group and an Imperial Vulture! Should be fun, so stay tuned!

Granesh

10/16/13: WIP: Alpha Legion Warp Talons, Murder Lord, and Skaven Screaming Bell

Hey guys!

Just a quick post to prelude what should be coming tomorrow and the end of the week. After finishing those High Elves, I decided to take a little break to jump into one of my own projects I've had sitting around for quite some time. When the Chaos Codex came out, it took me a little time to really get into it. When I finally did, though, I picked up the Aspiring Champion clampack and a box of Raptors/Warp Talons to really get a feel for the book. I've had all 5 Warp Talons in various painting stages, and the Aspiring Champion had a Warriors of Chaos sword added in lieu of his axe and a Jump Pack added to make a super-dangerous Lord with Murder Sword. I finally decided to knock more of those Warp Talons out though, just to keep progressing on my Alpha Legion.

 

This is Warp Talon #3. The armor is done by basecoating the model in a 1:1 mix of Kantor Blue and Abaddon Black, then mixing Moot Green into the mix and gently overbrushing on the armor to achieve that nice blue-green. The trim is based with Leadbelcher, which is then washed with Nuln Oil. Once that's dry, I carefully brush Runefang Steel onto it, being sure to leave the shade around the bolts and middle of the metal. 

The Power Weapon effects are achieved by blending Abaddon Black to Warpstone Green, then into Moot Green and finally white. With the claws, I just stuck with a perfect blend on both sides to the tip. With the sword, I opted for a switch blend on each side. It creates a nice effect on the blade to switch the blending on both sides, as you can see with the Murder Sword in the picture.

You can see the underside of the sword was done in the same style, of course. I also did the Power Weapon effect on the Warp Talon's feet, as they're supposed to be Lightning Claws as well!

And the current group! The unit champion is in the back, so I only have 2 more to go. I also need to add a Sorcerer with the Burning Brand of Skalathrax, but we'll tackle that when I get there. I've been running the group as Mark of Tzeentch so the Lord gets a 3+/3++ (Sigil of Corruption) and the Talons get a 3+/4++. Sure they're expensive, but when they hit, they do a LOT of damage. I also like to take the automatic Gift on the Champion to give them a little extra oomph. 

This week has been an exercise in glow effects, as I've been rolling through a quick commission (super-secret on who its for!) of a Skaven Screaming Bell. First off, there's a ton going on with this model, so I found it best to leave the Rat Ogre, Grey Seer, and Bell off for separate painting. I started this kit in earnest Monday night after work, and spent all day Tuesday really getting it rocked out.

The highlight of this kit is the Warpstone. Games Workshop opted to paint the stonework in the middle as, well, stone! I decided I wanted to play a little more with the glow, and turned them into two gigantic blocks of Warpstone the Skaven had just tied to the contraption and built from. The glow effect was incredibly easy, and perfect for a gaming model; if this was more of a competition piece, I'd blend it by hand. The Warpstone was basecoated in Caliban Green, then overbrushed Warpstone Glow (fitting, right?), then up to Moot Green and white. The woodwork around it was lightly overbrushed with Moot Green to create an eerie glow. Focus on the areas that would take the glow from the stone, of course.

Here's the bell as it sits now. The bell was weathered and tarnished using Brass Scorpion as a base, then adding Gehenna Gold, dulling it with a black weathering powder, then washed with Nuln Oil, Agrax Earthshade, and watered-down Hawk Turquoise. Finally, Runefang Steel was sponged onto the model to create pitting and weathering.

All I really have left on the model is to get the Grey Seer finished up and to do any touch-ups on the kit itself. The picture above doesn't have the brazier added, and there's a little work that needs to be done on the straps and rope. Should have it done tonight, and will have pictures up on Friday, so stay tuned!

Next up is some 40k terrain, a little Forge World, and that charity Cygnar group! I may even get my Warp Talons finished, but we'll see!

And don't forget, we're just over two weeks from Extra Life 2013, so if you can afford it, swing on over to my page and support the cause! Anything is appreciated!

Granesh

10/13/13: Smells Like Charity...Again! Extra Life 2013 and Charity Gaming Event

Hey guys!

Its been a busy two weeks! This post is going to have a little bit of painting showcase, but I really want to focus on the more important aspects this time; namely, more charity work!

Those of you might remember this time last year, Smells Like Wargaming participated in two charity events; Extra Life 2012, and the Breachside Benevolence Ball. Both were for great causes, and greatly helped out their respective groups. Lets break them down again, shall we?

With Extra Life 2012, myself, along with two other members of our gaming group, Durango Diceworks, raised over $800 for the Children's Miracle Network. We got in some 40k, Warhammer Fantasy, plenty of Magic, Xbox, X-Wing, and....*shudders*...Nitro Dice...

There may have been some...drinks involved...too...

For those of you unfamiliar with Extra Life, its a charity group involved with raising money for your local Children's Hospital by getting pledges to play games for 24 25 hours. Its for a great cause, and we all have a ton of fun gaming and raising money for the kids. Its all about the kids, ya'know!

This year, I'm hoping for an even greater turnout and results. You can't go wrong with raising that much money for charity, but hey, we've always gotta aim higher! For those of you interested, here's a link to my Extra Life page: Granesh's Extra Life Page 

The Extra Life page recommends a dollar an hour ($25), but anything works. My personal goal is $250, but I'm hoping that's a glass ceiling that we smash through! Honestly, any money raised for this group will make me happy!

Believe me though, I've got more going on than gaming for charity too. I'm always happy to donate my talents to these endeavours as well! Again, my good friend Magilla Gurilla came to me, asking if I could donate some vouchers for painting for his Charity Gaming Event, taking place in Southern California November 9th. I one upped him, as I like to do, and offered to paint up a Cygnar Battlegroup to be raffled off for charity. 

Again, for those of you who don't remember, I painted up a Seamus Crew and redid some models for a second crew (for some reason, I can't find pictures) for Malifaux; the two crews raised about $150 towards charity. Magilla approached me again, as I said, looking for some support, and I figured it'd be better if we had a set of models the bidders could see in the flesh. I opted for a Cygnar Battlegroup, as Warmachine seems to be bigger in their area than Malifaux at the moment. Pictures should begin next week of the progress, I'm very partial to that Colonel Striker model from that set...

Blue and Brass? I think that can be done!

Expect shots of this project over the next week and a half. I'll be out of town for Halloween, so we'll have to get it done in that timeframe. 

I apologize for the lack of updates, Facebook and Twitter seem to be a little easier for posting, especially WIP shots. I was working my butt off last week on High Elf stuff to get them ready for my client who was traveling with RTGamer and my boss to Feast of Blades. For those of you who haven't seen it, here's the freehand on the Dragon Prince's banner:

Alrighty! Got a game of Blood Bowl today (Don't lose too many skinks...) and I'm doing some work on my Warp Talons to relax, and monday, expect some Skaven and Cygnar goodness!

Granesh

9/28/13: Finished: Lots and Lots of Terrain!

Hey guys!

So here's what the last week of work has been leading to! I'm really happy with how all this terrain came out, but I'll let my pictures speak for me, as usual! Lets go!

The Shrine of the Aquila. Opted for a NMM-effect on the aquila, I'm really happy with how it turned out.

 The base of the building is an overbrush from dark grey up to white. Everything is then sponged in a light silver to create chipping, then details were added.

 There is a lot of freehand all over the buildings, it really helps to add the urban feel to everything.

 

 

 Personally my favorite piece, the rust is FW weathering powders, and the billboard is the client's business card glued to a piece of plasticard, then a frame was built. Then I masked the picture, painted, and weathered it! Turned out perfectly!

 

  And the interior, lots of weathering powder on this guy, along with my standard freehand. This 'SLW' guy is everywhere!

 The Governor's quarters, the balcony adds a nice touch to the battlefield.

 

Spent some time to get those monitors looking sexy too!

 

 A broken Imperial Basilica, really digging the green with the bronze.

 

You again!

 

 Honored Imperium and Battlefield Accessories. Nothing too crazy, but all the Accessories have waterslides on them to add to the Imperial effect. Its little details like those that will really make your battlefield terrain.

 

More craters. Been there, done that!

 

 There's a set of three forests; first off is an Autumnal grove.

 

 Second is a summertime meadow.

 

 And lastly, a burnt out grove, perfect for Sylvania, the Chaos Wastes, and Armageddon alike!

 

 Added some extra leaves to the bases to make them look more natural.

 

 Look Ma, more freehand!

 

 Veterans of the Cadian 317th hold off cultists in a bombed-out Imperial city.

First time my IG have hit the table in a while!

 

 And High Elves face down the minions of Festus the Leechlord!

Whew! That's a lot of terrain! Like I said, incredibly happy with how it turned out, and the client was just as happy as well! Next up is some more terrain, a little Forge World, and more Elves! Here's a sneak peek at the next group:

 

May be a slow week on the painting front next week, but have no fear, the mojo is in full flow and I've got a lot of stuff coming up!

Granesh