Sunday 20 December 2015

Melantia the Enchantress

Introduction

This'll just be a quick posting tonight.  Partly that's because I spent some of today playing my annual Christmas-themed game with my sons.  I've taken lots of pictures, but it will take some time to sort them all out and edit them into a coherent article.  Expect to see that in a few days time.

There is another reason why I haven't made much figure-painting progress in the last few days.  Read on and you'll find out why...

Melantia the Sorceress


I've just completed yet another old model, ready for Frostgrave.  In this case, the figure is an old Brettonian sorceress from Games Workshop; one of at least 2 such pieces that are in my spares boxes.  I've named her "Melantia", though this isn't written anywhere on the model and could be changed easily.


Now, this figure has a great deal of detail on it.  This took quite a while to paint, but that's not really the issue.  No, the real reason why the model has hampered my progress is the problem of interpretation of that detail.

Sometimes, we can see features on a model, but we aren't sure what they represent.  At least, that's true for me!  Is that dangling bit a tress of her hair, or is it a ribbon attached to her belt?  She's resting her right hand on something, but what is it?  A sword hilt?  A potion bottle?  What are the items attached to her staff?  And so on.

It might seem obvious when looking at the painted example above, but the answers to questions such as these were anything but straightforward when I examined the bare metal model.  Working out the answers (or at least, my answers) takes quite a while; I'm hesitant to put paint to figure in case I've got it wrong.  I sit there forever trying to decide what to do without actually doing anything.

Does this ever happen to you?


16 comments:

  1. Yes all the time mate, takes me forever to decide and then I paint it generically anyway....

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  2. Ahh the art of painting procrastination I know it well! Far too well. I will also be using a GW Bretonian Enchantress when I manage (if I ever do) to cast that Beauty spell on my wizard!

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    1. That's a good idea - I hadn't thought of having a "beauty" substitute figure.

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  3. This happens all the time, especially with fantasy figures. Less so with historical. I usually work it out, although sometimes only after I've painted it!

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    1. Hmm, I never really thought that the effect was different for historical and fantasy miniatures. I must ponder on this...

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  4. Oh good Lord yes, I can spend longer looking for examples of a painted miniature than actually painting it myself - the more detail the worse the situation gets. Well worth the effort here though.

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    1. Thanks, Michael. There seem to be a lot of replies agreeing with me; I'm relieved, but not entirely surprised, to find that I'm not alone in having difficulties with "detail identification".

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  5. I can empathise with your problem C6, the intrciate detailing on some figures has mystified me too in the past - but Google is your friend, which is where I look for solutions amongst the hoards of images.
    Good looking model btw

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    1. Of course you're right, Joe: if an already-painted example can be found then that is a good guide as to what the various bits represent. Mind you, I often find myself just copying the manufacturer's colour scheme rather than creating my own...

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  6. Lovely job C6! I find a white undercoat and a shading wash defines everything beautifully!

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    1. Thanks, Bob. I usually spray with a grey undercoat; it's great at showing that detail is *present*, but doesn't always assist in *identifying* that detail.

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  7. Very nice. I love the Brettonian range it has some really awesome sculpts in it. Your paint job is brill and fits Frostgrave nicely.

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    1. She seems well equipped for it, though the sword is perhaps a little unlikely. I would have thought that this damsel would rely on her servants to do the dirty hacking and slashing whilst she concentrated on her incantations and talismans. But hey, what do I know?

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  8. Such is the lot of those who paint other than massed ranks of the same figure, the additions of bits & bobs. It certainly does add to the painting, trying to decipher some things. Nothing worse than painting what you think is a stripe & it turns out to be flash!

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    1. Ah, I've seen pictures of beginners' models where a connecting piece of metal or plastic hasn't been removed. After the responses above, I imagine we've all been through the same issues ourselves.

      In the past, I'm sure I've removed from a figure what looked like a tab, only to realise later that it was an important detail :-( .

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