Voice of Ynnead - A Ynarri Army

Hello out there! I am making a post so that means back from the distant galaxy of the space elves with another finished army. This time, Ynarri!

 The main request of this army was a parchment and cherry blossom theme, keeping the palette limited. Similar tones in shading across the colors gave it a nice subdued feel, but powerful at the same time. A very unique scheme and a slightly different challenge and process made it something very special and a lot of fun.

 The same color theory was applied to the display, which is all hand sculpted. Decided to do something a little different this time and post the in progress shots later on, with my thoughts after the fact. So look forward to that coming up soon.

 The display is dual purpose - the front section is designed to fit over an existing wheeled cart for smaller tournament games. The back half locks together with the front with latches and aligning pegs for really big or team games. I am excited to share the whole process of how it was built, but will save more for later.

 I always say I enjoyed painting an army, certainly because it is true, and I love painting anything. However this one was a little extra in no small part to the client. Wonderful person, has been a treat to work with him, and a good sport putting up with my flurries of texts at weird hours. Plus because of the display I got to do an in-person hand off and got to meet the guy, which isn't common, and had a great time and awesome conversation. Anyway, you know who you are and thank you very much.

 Lots more fun stuff coming up. Thanks for checking out the pics, and see you later with the display blogging.

GMM's Giant Parade Part 1 - Freehand Covered Titans

(Hello out there! Recently BigRed over at Bell of Lost Souls asked me to do a couple of throwback articles to Titans I have done. Thought I would try and post it over here too. Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by!)

Today join me looking back at some of the larger models I have done. Today we look at the “Sistine Sisters”, a Warlord and Reaver titan like you’ve never seen before. The release of Titanicus and interest in that, both my own as a hobbyist and that of clients booking Titanicus projects and working with them on color schemes, has me looking back fondly at some of the larger scale Titans and Knights of the past.

I’m a pretty focused person when I work, and on one project at a time, so when I get a chance to stop and look back at older things it’s a nice, fresh rush of excitement and fond memories. Anyway, let’s get to the pictures!

Elysian Air Cav Project Gallery

Hello out there!  The Elysian airplane batch is all done, and for you today a gallery full of thick ladies to make a Mechanicum priest blush.

This project was pretty special to me because the scheme is similar to a Krieg army I did many, many years ago, and being able to revisit that in my modern style and quality was a real treat. A little extra rewarding in that regard.  The client had the basic request of tan and run through heck and back, so together we came up with a color palette that is analogous but striking and an instant classic in it's simplicity.

The weathering is all done by hand and is a lot of fun.  I really enjoy sitting and freehanding it all.  On these large panel vehicles there is quite a large canvas to paint on openly and give character. Very relaxing and a different open challenge when compared to the other side of the spectrum, infantry.

Bases and flight stands, credit goes to Dragon Forge Design.  I've used them for years and every time I get a big batch of these flight stands I really appreciate them all over again. Being able to vary the heights makes photography fun and are much more solid than the basic stand.

That's it for this round.  Hope you enjoyed and thanks for looking.  See you in the next one!

Thoughts On Paint and a Dark Eldar Revisit

Had a conversation recently with a friend about painting, both for others and for ourselves.  What we find rewarding.  Having not been a "casual" hobbyist in about a dozen years it's always healthy to stop and appreciate the situation.  I certainly remember the days of doing the usual paint at night for the upcoming event, and fondly, and that conversation brought back those memories and how things have transitioned over the years naturally. I could empathize with him in his mention of having little time, and really only wanting to in order to relax.  Over the years, and having done this for so long my personality has simply changed to one where I get more enjoyment out of painting for other people, and not so much myself.  The relaxation still remains and luckily never fades even in long days of painting, but a  new primary natural high and reward comes from essentially giving a gift of a dream army to someone who can generally imagine it, but doesn't have the time and/or skill to make it a reality themselves.  I get the fun of giving gifts at Christmas multiple times a year and I enjoy that more than the reward of painting for myself these days.  Spontaneous conversations such as those are nice to stop and smell the roses and appreciate my Santa complex that keeps me going and very fulfilled.

~ Scorpion Gang ~ A Dark Eldar Army

Hello out there.  I'm posting, so you know what that means - another finished project! This time a Dark Eldar army with a desert theme.

For the army the client and I had a good long back and forth on specifics and taste.  Starting with two different schemes and a writeup on each of what I thought optimal, and then taking one and running with it.  Essentially the idea was Dark Eldar with a Desert theme, balancing those two to get a worn desert raider look with the color and contrast often found in Dark Eldar armies.  A little bit of Tatooine flavor and the Star Wars "used future" aesthetic draped over a core contrasting and vibrant Dark Eldar color scheme, with colors chosen to fit a desert raiding party.  A group that in background might never leave the planet, living on their skiffs, fighting in between other groups and pillaging shipwrecks and anyone who crash lands or attempts to colonize the planet.

A lot of fun both in execution and result.  It was a treat working back and forth with the client tweaking ideas between the theme itself, color theory, and his own personal taste.  In the end a result I am quite proud of, a good balance of color in variety, contrast and theme.  I certainly love set palette armies, but it is a fun and different beast doing such a mixed color contingent, both in the challenge of balancing each unit and each one also feeling new as I go through the roster.

Hope you enjoy, and thanks for looking.  Next up will be the charity army for the Adepticon Raffle!  See you then.

Hexfleet Virules - Huge Nurgle Army Showcase

Hello out there! Today I have for you many photos of the finished Hexfleet Virules army. Quite a massive army at that. Possibly the biggest one to date in my many years of painting. ​

This army was lovingly converted by the owner over many years, and he keeps a blog of his modelling work under the name Hexfleet Virules, the name of the army itself. Popular army blog, and for good reason as you will see. Wonderful conversions with untold hours of work put into them. Once you see them, won't really need to explain how much a treat they were to paint and quite thankful for the opportunity to do so, sharing our collaborated efforts here today. Hard to really put into words my excitement when setting up this army for photography, for what has been about 8 years of modelling for him to finally come to completion in full and in one moment. My biggest motivation and what I get the most enjoyment and rush from is the aspect of giving people what they can see in their mind, in reality. Every army is a surge of adrenaline at the finish line but the stakes and scope of this one are just off the charts. The best feeling in the world.

Hexfleet Virules Display Finished

The Hexfleet Virules backdrop is finished!  As far as photography backdrops, my most rewarding and fun to work on yet.  Working on these projects, especially the bigger, longer ones, you really get to know the client.  Lots of conversation about inspiration, tastes, and random other things too.  Turns out this client and I have a lot in common on the topic of our childhoods, toys we loved, and their influence on what we do today and what we enjoy.  If you've been around here for a minute you know one of my biggest fuels is nostalgia and just being a big kid when it comes to working on minis.  I get to do in much more powerful and fun ways what I would have loved to have done and had as a kid.  Similar to how when we get older we buy the Magic cards or build the Lego sets or ideas we always wanted to but couldn't, and I get to do it in the miniature way every day.  

Anyway, turns out we both had a lot of the same interest in toys as kids, and how we would play with them making up whatever out of whatever in the house.  The biggest being Ghostbusters and Ninja Turtles.  With that in mind, and being fitting for the army in some ways as you will see, I went wild and had a lot of fun coming up with this backdrop.

For now, time to put some final touches on the army, and get some final photos taken.  Going to be quite a massive army and gallery, and very excited!  See you soon. 

Hexfleet Virules Urban Display, Part 1

The giant Hexfleet Virules Nurgle army is pretty much a wrap!  That means backdrop time.  This is my biggest one yet, at seven feet wide and five feet deep. Needs to be quite large and also structurally stacking with "shelves" of space in order to get the army in there, and also give good images of every model. Each model being much more accessible than on a flat plane.  Couple that with always wanting a really good and solid urban backdrop, and you have most of the inspiration for the work so far.

Still a very long way to go.  This is simply the modelling basics.  Paint as well as detail are each another third or so to go.  There will be a lot of fun signage, silly references, and other interesting things to see and find.  The most fun part yet lies ahead.

Will post paint updates with before and after as progress is made.  The display is so large, in order to paint it each block of buildings is a separate sub section. Two clusters on each side, back buildings split up, and the base for a total of five.  Once the buildings are painted, they will be attached and the concrete finished.  This will also correct the uneven bits as they arent glued down flat in these photos.

Going to be fun!  See you soon with more.  

A Rumble in the Workshop Jungle

Hello folks!  Got another one ready to roll. Even unpainted it is very impressive, and wanted to share before I get to work.

This is a Nurgle 40k army, heavily converted by the client.  Not only huge, but lots of love, care, and creativity in the conversions. He has been collecting and converting this army over the past 7 years, and recently finally put the finishing touches on, packed it up, and sent it off to me to get painted! He loves the army so much it has its own blog - Hexfleet Virules. There he posts updates, thoughts, and ideas over the course of building the army (and soon, playing with it). You can find a link here to his facebook version, but you can also find it on Bolter and Chainsword.

Really amazing stuff in the conversions, and urge everyone interested in Nurgle to check out the conversion WIP photos on his blog of the different units. What I would guess as pounds of green stuff and excellent skill working it.

Quite an honor to say the least to be able to paint such an army, and add the other half of creativity and love.  Should make for some exciting work, great pictures, and of course will need to make a fancy new backdrop to celebrate, which progress will be posted as that goes down. Going to be quite the experience from start to finish, so I will keep this short and get to work!  See you soon for updates and work in progress photos of the new backdrop for these guys!

The Lost and the Damned - An Eldar Ulthwe Army

Hello friends.

Another army commission post for your clicking pleasure.  This time Eldar Ulthwe.  The client asked for in general classic Ulthwe with some specifics: a mossy base style ("Yavin 4" being the descriptor used most of the time), some specific conversions including two unique Wraithlords, and freehand in the masks and banner.  Lots of fun.  A classic scheme strengthened by some specific touches, techniques, and freehand. Particularly enjoyed the classic Ulthwe lightning markings.  Traditional and tribal but getting a balance of each being unique but not overpowering the other gives an organic feel. 

A Stormcast Eternals Army - Congregation of the Burning Star

Hello world,

Another post, that means another finished army commission! Back from Adepticon and spring in the air, feeling rejuvenated and that poured into this project. More black!  I love painting black.  Like painting anything really, but black is fun.  Sort of like painting everything as a giant opal gem. 

Adepticon Warm Up

Hello friends.  It's that time of the year yet again - Adepticon prep and packing.  Only a week to go and ahead of schedule!  Not bad. Doing the booth again with some upgrades.  More pictures, more Victorian hoardings. Looking forward to seeing you all that are going again this year.  Get liquor while it lasts or someone takes it away.

Will post again at the event.  Until then, safe trip to the rest of you going!

Clan Lachesis Part Two - Primaris, Preheresy, Legion of the Damned

Hello friends.  I am back.  Only two things in life that do not cease, time and myself.  So let's kick off a new year and a new project!

This time around it's a part two for the original Clan Lachesis army, a homebrew chapter of the client's.  One part Preheresy reserves, another Primaris, and also a custom Legion of the Damned subsection I am really excited about.  All custom, built up from bits and painted with a lava effect that was fun to work up.

Very happy with the black on this one.  Black is a color that seems simple, but with practice and awareness of the amount of grey used, as well as shading as one would with any other color, can get a depth and gemlike quality.

Something like half of this year's armies are black as well, which I am looking forward to in order to further refine it army to army. Never really get tired of any color, and to be honest the opportunity of working on one color several armies in a row is a relatively rare and exciting opportunity.  I am all about brutal efficiency while increasing quality, so instead of a color once a year it is a melting up of experience and results in a short span. 

Anyway. Did the pictures a little different this time.  Little more random.  There are a few factors to army galleries that are always a struggle.  The close and the gestalt.  The balance of action and representing the model for the client.  The OCD of wanting to show a linear progression as one would click through them.  And the absolute worst is being equally excited about every model, so Johnny Marine in picture 47 I want in the front as well as the Dread in picture 12.  An hour of shuffling. So lets see how this goes and let me know what you think.

Thanks for looking.  Thanks to the client for the opportunity.  Have a good day.  

My Commission Work - Looking Back

Happy New Year everyone!

It is that time of year.  Looking back, looking forward.  Every year I do a little recap of the previous's work, but this time digging through my folders I was hit in the feelers by some of the older stuff.  I get so wrapped up in paint that, while I never forget any of them and they stick with me, I get a little tunnel vision and there is an effect of looking through an old photo album and memories come flooding back.

So this time I grabbed a handful of older stuff too, some projects from the past and a few of my favorite pictures from them.  Not really what it is about, but it does always feel a shame to spend a month on something then the effort and fun celebrated just for a fleeting moment.

With that, here is to 2018, and the awesome projects it holds in it's potential.  Great deal of big, thematic and fun armies.  I always try and make each year better than the last, and between that motivation and the vision of my clients lined up for 2018, it is more than possible.

Thanks to all of them, and you, and see you next time.

Early Presents

Christmas came a little early for me this year, in the form of these two boxes.  Two of the biggest that have rolled through at that, the larger one standing almost six feet tall on end.  Felt a bit bad for the UPS man who lugged it up to the porch at 8PM.

The best part - these contain the entire catalog, in some instances twice over, of Tabletop World.  These will all be going underneath huge Game of Thrones armies late next year, each house getting a spot and a themed board and terrain to go home with them.  I used Tabletop World in the skeleton throne Adepticon display and am excited to dig into the rest of the current line.

Thanks to all of my clients who allow me to play Santa as well as kid on Christmas morning every single day of the year.  Nothing else is as rewarding and fun, and am grateful to be able to do it.

To all of you, happy holidays and safe modelling. To this crazy guy and his ilk - "Merry Christmas ya filthy animal!"

The Mountain of Mad(ness) - A Khorne AoS Army

"YARGABLARBLA!" - Dremora Lord

Time to celebrate another culmination of a great deal of hard work and good times painting away. While painting is what keeps me mellow and content, there is a huge rush to the last couple days of a project, and for this army especially so being one of the longest spanning in terms of weeks. Always a good feeling to sit down after a ton of hours in a project and see it on the computer screen.

Personally happy and glad to be able to paint red again, which I have not in some time. Pleased with how the backdrop came out as well. Originally I kept it a bit simple for space and time, and felt it could have been a lot wilder. However with the pictures taken it actually worked really well, and I underestimated the impact of a mess of Khorne models which balanced it out in heft. Proves sometimes simple is better and learned I should probably watch adding complexity for it's own sake, as simple can in this case be just what it needs.

Up next - Marines! More reinforcements for the Clan Lachesis army. That will likely take my next project post into 2018, so an early Happy Holidays to everyone if I don't have anything for you until then. Thank you as always.

The Last Voyage of the Crusty Anchovy

"Ello, I wanna munch ya" is da thing to say
on a bright, humie huntin' day.

Dat's da island greeting dat we send ta you
From da land where fat guts sway
Here ya know yerr bones will be white and bright
Da sun will shine by day and the spit at night

"Ello, I wanna munch ya" is da Butcha's way
to say get in my belly, to you!

Bon voyage and other well-preserved cheese to another project. A bunch of Alestorm, Kraken and late nights wrapped up in one final set of pictures. The customer wanted some tribal Ogres, a little bit realistic and menacing, a little bit silly, fitting for the inherent character of Ogres to begin with.

Stormcast Eternals Army

"You come.

I forge.

We talk.

You good friend.

I very happy."

- G.B.

It is finished!  The big Stormcast army is a wrap, and here is the full gallery.

The army went well, lots of time spent, with some stories to tell at a later date.  Overall very happy and the original scheme idea worked great with only minor tweaks.  The customer wanted something similar in layout to the traditional scheme, but with a much darker feel.  Antique and royal, but also brooding and ethereal.  Ancient armor that has seen some stuff, but still on this side of "good." Personally love this sort of aesthetic so it was a whole lot of fun from start to finish.

Feels good to be done with what is my longest spanning project in terms of time involved.  You never fully see it, despite all the time spent with them in my face, until pictures are taken.  It is extremely rewarding. On the other hand, there is always a bit of postpartum, for lack of a less dramatic term, when an army is finished.  I enjoy being in the thick of it and that is what allows me to do things like this alone.  But that is life, and there is always another cool project waiting for me to get my mitts on it.

So until next time, thanks for following along with the making of it, and see you for the next one.

Orruk Ironjawz Army

I am back from the desert fortress of Gordrakk himself, and brought a whole bunch of other gitz! An Ironjawz army big enough to choke Mork.

It had been a minute since I've done yellow or the green boys, so a real treat. The new Orruk stuff is very well designed, lots of character and a pleasure to paint up.  This summer is Fantasy throughout, mostly Age of Sigmar, and looking forward to getting into the other armies.  Next will be Stormcast Eternals, digging into those as soon as I hit post.  See you next time!

Adepticon 2017 Recap

Back home again in Indiana, and back to work!  This year's Adepticon was, as always, better than the last.  Sounds cliche, but trying new things and refining what I do, it is true.

Saim Hann Adepticon 2017 Charity Raffle Army

Hey out there. I am back with this year's Adepticon charity raffle army, and this time it is Saim Hann. If you will be at Adepticon next week, be sure to pick up some raffle tickets to try and win. For two good causes - Disabled American Veterans, and the W.D Boyce Boyscout Council. Last year the army raised into the five digits and hopefully we can do that again. 

As for Adepticon itself, I hope to post something when I get there with more information, but for now I will be in booth 57 in the vendor hall all weekend, so by all means stop by and say hello! Plans for the booth are pretty fun, with a little reunion tour of a few of the big displays and a couple other things. 

Until then, safe travels to all of you going, looking forward to another fun weekend.

Once Upon A Time in the Wyrd - A Malifaux Gang

Why howdy par'ners!

It's been two shakes of a rattler's tail and I'm back with a new project, and a whole mess o' varmints, outlaws, and weirdos.  This sleepy little mountain town litr'y ain't big enough for all of 'em. Tarnation, etc.

Little bit of Mailifaux with a western vibe, mixed with the dark and spooky flavor the game is known for.  Another set of models with a lot of variety, each little subsection painted separately but using a rough chunk of the same core colors.  

The block of skirmish games is over for just a minute, on to a big Orruk army and then some Eldar.  See ya then, cowpoke.

Infinity: PanOceania

Another Infinity army, this time PanOceana. A bit different from the norm, rather than using a predominant color with secondaries such as with a Marine army, it has many complimentary colors balanced across each unit and tied together with their placement and primary shading colors. Somewhat similar both in color and concept to the Covenant in Halo - different units in both form and uniform.  

Fun to be able to flex my color muscle a bit, as it required painting each small batch separately, but advancing them all at the same rate to ensure balance.  A real pleasure and one I am glad rolled through.

Lot's of skirmish games around here lately by coincidence.  That's going to continue for one more project, to the Wild West of the Malifaux universe.  See you then.

Hotline Heresy - A Grey Knights Army

HOTLINE HERESY

ACT 1 SCENE 1

Fade from black to skyline shot of hive city at night.  Storm rages behind neon urban sprawl.  A thunder clap followed by purple lightning striking a tower. Camera pans down to street level.  Group of Grey Knights led by our hero KALDOR DRAIGO walks down main drag.  Loud sound of marching ceramite boots builds. Halts. Panning shot of Terminators.  Acid rains peppers their armor, streaking in neon pink bolts before fading.  A lighting flash illuminates.

2016 In Review

It's that time again, another year of projects down and time to look back. Always a bit surreal to stop and remember what the schedule looked like on January 1st.  Each one a little flicker of imagination, each one coming to life through the year. They grow up so fast, but wouldn't want it any other way.

To all of you reading this, thank you very much for being around.  Your support and enjoyment of my work always means a great deal, and is one reward I get excited about through the late nights of a project.

To those who's projects are featured in this recap, a special thank you goes out for your trust and opportunity to make these ideas reality.  You give me the mental fire to run the gauntlet every day, every week of the year.

The opportunity to paint these sorts of projects, and as often as I do is only thanks to you.

Happy Holidays, happy new year, and thank you.  See you in '17.

- Brandon

Infinity: Aleph

Hello everyone.  I'm back with another - this time some Aleph for Infinity. A little break from 40k for a minute, with some quite nice sculpts and enjoyable to get some use out of the city again.

The client requested a scheme similar to Ghost in the Shell with it's white and black with military green over pale flesh tone, adding in a bit of red glow.  Quite an appropriate range for it, and had fun making a few adjustments to the color placement to give it a little more GitS flavor.

Looking forward to some more Infinity projects in the future!  Up next I am going back to the 40k universe for some Grey Knight Paladins.  See you then,

Wrath of the Khan - White Scars Army

Hello out there.  I am back with another project - this time some White Scars!

This project originally started as a traditional Scars bike army.  Over time the client asked about adding some flavor, and after discussing it back and forth came up with what is before you today.  Something of a Space Wolf version of White Scars; bikers that are a bit feral and live on their bikes on some plateau planet.  Mongols in space.  

Throw in a palette throwback to Frazetta Conan paintings with orange and blue tones, a ton of conversion and bits and you have King Khan on his throne bike and some mean hunters on 41st century horseback.

Both very happy with what is a relatively common army turned into something very unique. 

Have a dream army you have wanted to make reality? Get in touch.

See you next time! 

Sistine Sisters - Freehand Warlord and Reaver

Hello everyone, I am back with another project, and it's a big one! A Warlord and Reaver, decked out in freehand and marble.

This project started as a rough idea of something for the glory of the Imperium, a set of parade Titans in gratuitous celebration of deeds and characters of all sort from across the universe.  The customer's base request was a walking Sistine Chapel, kicked up a bit over the top to blend in with the 40k universe.

To begin he sent me a massive folder of all of his favorite images he had collected from the 40k background.  I then went over all of them and began to compose them across the panels of the Titans.  It was important to him I kept to the general original look of the art, so instead of tweaking them, the existing colors and composition of each artwork was arranged to match the placement of the panels themselves with an overall eye to color from panel to panel. 

The marble was a natural choice to fit the aesthetic of a chapel, and much better than any single solid color for any panels too complicated for freehand to look right from all but one angle.  Once this was figured out, it was a matter of finding a style to balance the freehand and marble to the eye overall, then it was off to the races.

All important parts are heavy magged, with swappable weapons.  Head, torso, weapons, wrists, and more on each are magnetized and separate and articulate. Any point that would take one, has a large roofing nail acting as a massive pin.

The bases are 3/4" cut plywood, then sculpted over with clay for a crumbling tile look.  The Tians attach to the bases with heavy 3.5" deck screws counter sunk into the bottom of the bases, so they are removable.  The pictures are deceptive, the Warlord titan base is a good 2-3" thick in the tallest bits.  The models present on the bases are painted to match the customer's Imperial Guard army that these will be fighting alongside.  These models were actually a surprise for him, and the tanks removable for play.  Funny a Macharius is a very exciting model, but by the end by comparison it was the least of surprises.

Well that about wraps this one up!  See you next time,

The Big One

If you've been around for more than a minute, you know I have some big armies roll through here.  This one is about to break a few records.  This Ultramarine army will be so big, it's the first time a project has had "assembly" be it's own scheduled spot in the calendar. This army has more Drop Pods, Land Raiders, and Super Heavies each, than most armies have individual units!

To budget the army, the customer has put forward I do each subsection in scheduled groups a couple a year and been so kind as to allow me to hang onto them, for one insanely huge post at the very end.  Looking forward to painting some Ultras, and some really great updates in the next couple years.

Next project is a Warlord Titan with some very special paint, so keep an eye out and see you then!

For the Motherland: A Khador Warband

What's that noise? Straight out of her icy fortress, it's Sorscha and friends! Brand new Khador army commission and a with a little bit of everything big and small.  

After this summer of blue projects a Khador army was a nice change of pace, and I love painting red.  A nice variety of models in size and sculpt as well, with the solos blended in with the traditional scheme making the whole thing wrap together nicely in the overall.

Enjoy and until next time,

Tau Invasion - Part Two

The sequel to last summer's big hit - Tau Invasion is here, with more suits, more big toys and a brand new setting.  Action, drama, communism - a film for the whole family.  Can the Tau cleanse a rundown shipyard of human corruption and crime?  They're the protagonists so you know they will.  Ebert posthumously states "a groundbreaking new standard in cheesy action. Samurai Cop is no longer my favorite movie." Thanks.

Anyway.  Round two of a set of Tau I did last summer in blue and grey. The last set was the essentials, so this one is all of the new releases and some more really big kits.  All really nice models that painted up well, especially the big guy.  A new custom Farsight made up of a few kits, and scratch built basing.  I have fun painting anything, but the square panels of Tau are always extra enjoyable and get along well with my style of hand shading and highlighting.

The backdrop is a new addition to my now overflowing photo room.  A shipyard is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and earlier this summer got with Alex of Ironheart who laser cut my designs for the big buildings.  The entire thing is about 6x4' and wood framed for wall mounting.  The big buildings are sunk into the concrete pad and roofs removable.  Will be doing a set on the making of it as well.

Up next, a Warlord covered in freehand!  "Blue summer" is over but work is always in a state of just getting started.  See you again soon.

High Elves of Caledor

Blue summer continues with some High Elves of Caledor.  The customer wanted a balance of traditional Dragon Prince scheme mixed with a few Lord of the Rings influences such as Dol Amroth which you will see in the uses of darker gray and whites.  The Sea Guard were, as a lover of all things nautical, a set of models I had wanted to paint for a long time and the sea green addition turned out to be a nice touch to set them apart that doesn't pull them out of the army.

Up next - a new photo backdrop I have been excited to start all summer, and more blue and grey Tau to go on top of them.  Stay tuned as this will be the best one yet and lots of build images will be posted on Instagram and Twitter.

Until next time,

Mantic: New Empire of Dust Army

The latest addition to the gallery, the official Empire of Dust army for Mantic, which will be releasing for purchase soon.  Some nice models and good options for anyone wanting this style of fantasy army.  

New backdrop as well.  Needed something with a tomb theme and it will surely find plenty of use in the future as well.  Loving the box frame base for these as I am gathering so many they have to be hung from the wall.  In the future will do a write up on it's building.

Up next a High Elf army, then straight into some Tau.  As the Royalettes said it's gonna be a blue, blue summer! Looking forward to it, and thanks for dropping in.

Heresy-Era Iron Hands: Clan Company Lachesis

Another one down, for the glory of the Emperor. Heresy-era Iron Hands with a Greek twist. This army was really something special, from pulling in the background written by the client, to modelling the great preheresy armor, to the custom terrain to compliment the army in photos.  A real adventure and a little sad the ride is over, but it feels good to see the finished result, send out fresh pictures, and celebrate a bit.

With that, see you soon with some behind the scenes of making the terrain, some new backdrops I am working on, and of course armies as far as the eye can see!  This is going to be a great summer.

Golden Throne Recap

Have Instagram? Check out my page!

With the spirit of Adepticon still lingering, and a bit of downtime with the new army and terrain in the works, over the next couple of weeks I will be doing a recap of the Golden Throne with old WIP photos next to finished, and some in depth thought process analysis I haven't spoken on much before.

Also last month recapped the Marienburger build, which you can find further back in the feed. These are a lot of fun and if you're interested in thoughts, WIPs and finished pictures in a quickly digestible format, check it out as well.

Until next time,

Showcase - Adepticon 2016 Charity Raffle Army - Admech

The 2016 Adepticon charity raffle army is ready to roll out to one lucky winner!  Reminder to win the army, one needs to attend Adepticon and purchase raffle tickets.  All proceeds this year are split between two great causes, Disabled American Veterans and W.D. Boyce Council of Illinois.  

I am very happy with my decision this year to skip the personal display and focus all of my time and energy in the charity army.  All the fun I usually have this time of year and a little extra goodness in being able to help a good cause.  As I stated in the WIP posts, this will be my ninth year at Adepticon and it was an honor to make an Adepticon themed display for my favorite Con that will be a sort of mascot for this and future charity raffle armies.

Not only that but it allowed me to work more closely with Alex Landing of Ironheart Artisans.  Usually go these things alone, so it was nice to have his input and work in what proved to be a very great team.  The merging of laser design, modelling and painting and working that line of blending them together, making the best of both and better than the sum of each half's parts was a new and successful effort that was very rewarding.  I see a lot in store in the future for the both of us working together, and this is certainly just the tip of the iceberg in big and over the top displays.  Thank you Alex.

The painting of the army went very smooth, and in keeping with "Adepticon" it is Admech in red.  A brighter red, weathering and character went a long way to make an army full of life. When time is put into the basics, bells and whistles aren't required and make for a classy and traditional army.

Thank you to everyone involved - Greg Sparks, Hank Edley, the rest of the Adepticon team, Chaos Mail Order, Alex Landing, and Games Workshop themselves for donating the Forge World items.  

Now go buy tickets!

WIP - Adepticon Charity Raffle Army Display Pt 2

​Making good progress on the display to hold the Adepticon charity raffle army! Just a few more touches, some small objects, and it is back to the army to finish up and photograph. I consider Adepticon my "home con" and this will be my 9th year, so it feels really good to make a mascot display for this and future charity armies. 

Again a big thank you to Alex of Ironheart Artisans for designing all the laser cut elements. He is amazing!

Up next, the full raffle prize army photography on the display. Time to get some matching basing.​

WIP - Adepticon Charity Raffle Army Display Pt 1

Work begins on the display for the Adepticon charity army raffle.  A big thanks to Alex Landing at Ironheart Artisans for all the laser design and cutting.  He is a mad genius of mdf!  More updates as the convention draws closer.

29 Imperial Knights Pt 5 - House Aeschylid

Time for part five, some purple and white Knights themed around Greek mythology and a big upcoming Sons of Medusa preheresy army with similar themes.  The freehand on these was a much different beast from the more painterly style freehand of the Samurai Knights.

Back to work on the Adepticon charity raffle army and it's massive display.  Until then,

Want More Updates?

Want more than the finished project updates? Be sure to check me out on the rest of the internet.

GMM Lab Notes - Project finishes as they go out to clients, before the web. Plus insider schedule information, specials, news and more.
Signup form: http://eepurl.com/7tJhv

Instagram - New projects and thoughts, reminiscing on past projects, random behind the scenes.
instagram.com/gmmstudios

Also you can find me on Bell of Lost Souls and Spikey Bits! Articles on finished projects and more.
belloflostsouls.net
spikeybits.com

Thanks, and see you soon with the Adepticon charity raffle army. Lots of models and a huge display!

29 Imperial Knights Pt 4 - Rebel Admech In Depth

Time for part four of this recap of the 29 Knights project, and this one is the biggest.  Individual photos of all 14 Rebel AdMech Knights, and plenty to flip through.   Nine Forge World Knights, five Games Workshop, with lots of individuality and conversion.  Each knight is pinned throughout in posing with 2mm brass rod atop hand-made bases Every part and panel hand painted.

Lots going on behind the scenes in the meantime - the Adepticon  charity army and a huge Iron Hands preheresy army with a Greek theme.  Will post as I finish, so stay tuned!

Just Another Day at the Office....

Finishing a project and sending off great pictures is one of my favorite things, but another often unsung and unseen is the very next day getting knee deep in another one.  As a commission painter, I am very lucky to have so many customers trust to just send whatever they like to be sorted into their own personal bins until project start.  When the time comes, it's like Christmas - ripping open and oogling boxes and baggies.  Taking my lists and checking them twice.

In keeping things professional there isn't much shown of the behind the scenes here.  It's really just a couple a couple very optimized bedrooms and a garage, and so many armies in storage and in the queue they have taken over an old bathroom.  So I wanted to take a moment away from all the fancy pictures to say thanks to all of my clients who trust in not just my painting ability, but myself as a person.

Thank you.  Now back to work!

29 Imperial Knights Pt 3 - Rebel Admech Overview

Time for the second batch of Knights from the set, and this one is the biggest - 14 Imperial Knights, just short of half. 5 GW Knights in mix of Paladin and Warden, and 9 Forge World Knights also with a mix of each type. These Knights will compliment a future army, and the client was after a dark rebel Admech army in black and red. Using a smoky black and deep red with brass, the final look is something straight out of a steampunk Victorian dystopia. Not quite chaos, but a rebel group of Admech on Mars. Emblems based on a cracked cog of the Mechanicum and a black sun.

All bases handmade and Knights pinned throughout. Each Knight individually posed with the addition of a ver conversions and dynamic poses with Death Korps models.

See you next time for all the close ups!

29 Imperial Knights - Pt 2 - House Terryn

With the overview posted, time to go into each individual set of Knights.  First is batch one of two House Terryn.  These feature the upgrade kits, couple of Forge World Knights and Dragon Forge bases.  Lots of freehand alongside a smooth shade of blue - all shading, blended highlighting and weathering hand painted over solid basecoats.  The Acheron is a gifted Knight from the Mechanicum, blending the iconography of both together.

The most traditional and "standard" of the set, for the anti-heretical out there.  Very proud of the reds and blues on these and the weathering within them.  Very tedious but worth every hour.

That's a lot of Knights but still only 5 of 29!  See you next time for more.

29 Imperial Knights - Pt.1 - Overview

Four different schemes, five different clients, one massive update to kick off 2016.  One of the biggest projects I have ever done and it feels good to get them posted! It would be a shame to post all 200 images and all groups at once and drown any one out, so here is an overview of the project and a few teaser images of the individual groups.  Over the course of the next few weeks each group will be posted individually, which consist of:

Terryn 1 (5) - Traditional Terryn heraldry with a gifted Archon from the Mechanicum.
Terryn 2 (3) - Terryn with a twist in the heraldry.
Rebel Admech (14) - A dark version of traditional Admech
House Aeschylid - Unique purple and white house to accompany a future Sons of Medusa army.
House Yakuza - Koi, Samurai, and Sakura Knight.  A fun and off the wall exercise in blending Imperial and Japanese inspiration.

Plenty for everyone, from the traditional Terryn to the wild Yakuza knights. All blended by hand over solid basecoat, giving a realistic, deep and smooth finish.  Bases built out of clay for the most part.  All resin pinned with 2mm brass rod, and long torso rods for transport.  Quite a few conversions and lots of posing work as well.

Want in on group projects in the future?  Sign up for the mailing list for specials and regular news:
http://eepurl.com/7tJhv

Thanks to all clients involved for being a part, and coming along for the ride.  Sad it's over, but there's always more to paint.  Back to work!

2015 - A Year In Review

2015 is a wrap and with that comes the yearly tradition of recapping all the projects I have completed through the course of the year.  Modelling and painting are my life, but the last days of a project, photography and sending the finished images to the client, are an exhilarating cherry on top of what is always a long labor of love.  It is a shame that in today's fast paced world that moment is always fleeting, so these yearly collections are a great excuse to go back and remember the fun that was had and for some of you possibly catch something you may have missed.

This year was especially packed with projects, each one as unique as the last.  2016's schedule is looking equally as promising, so happy new year and see you on the other side!

The Thunderbelch Tribe - Ogre Kingdoms Army

I have returned from a long journey to the frozen north, and brought back for your viewing pleasure a massive Ogre army with an icy theme.  The paint scheme for this army was very particular, and a fun challenge, based on the client's taste in older fantasy art and specific tastes in color.  I have painted so many armies now that it is second nature, painting is it seems my natural resting state, so the added mental exercise of the original and unique armies that have been coming through are a lot of fun and add another layer of enjoyment to the process.  I feel I nailed his original mental vision without a doubt, and that is as rewarding as actually finishing such a large army.

Great things are in store for the rest of the year and 2016.  Up next is a project of 28 Imperial Knights in one go, and of course the new year and the wrap up of 2015, with a look back at this year's projects.  Until then have a wonderful holiday season!

SPACE HULK

In the fresh brightness of the near future, someone is going to be playing Space Hulk!  This is the fourth commission set I have done over the years, and always enjoy the challenge of matching them to the box art.  The bases as usual are Dragonforge Tech Deck bases integrated in with the original bases using plastic stock.  They always add a little more professional look than the stock bases.

Want a similar Space Hulk set, or have your heart set on a Blood Angel or 'Nid army?  You are in the right place, so drop me a line.  Until next time.

Wrath of Kings House Goritsi

"It is a strange world, a sad world, a world full of miseries, and woes, and troubles; and yet when King Laugh come he make them all dance to the tune he play. Bleeding hearts, and dry bones of the churchyard, and tears that burn as they fall -- all dance together to the music that he make with that smileless mouth of him.” - Dracula

Another project under wraps - Wrath of Kings House Goritsi for Cool Mini or Not, coming to a demo table near you. The variety of projects that come through here is something very appreciated.  Going from a large uniform army, to a project like this where each unit is unique and must be painted separately, is an enjoyable back and forth of painting process.

Special thanks to Alex Landing of Ironheart Artisans for laser cutting the large church windows.  The backdrop is overall, and not fully pictured, a full 6x4x3.  It's full size will be apparent in an upcoming massive project that prompted it's creation, but the timing of finish and theme was perfect for this army.

See you next time!