Orcs in the Webbe

As if the Witchland Gods were playing an evil trick on me, I volunteered to paint up some of the Ferach swordsmen from the Lady Wintermore’s Fangs box set just as the temperature plummeted and the threat of snow loomed!  Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

Craig had asked if I could supply some new Flintloque/Deadloque photos to illustrate the Orcs in the Webbe 2010 Advent Calendar.  He also asked if there was any chance of an On-Line Build article (see my Blog for further examples) to link in with an article on the updated Lady Wintermore’s Fangs rules and background story.  I have had the 5005 box set for some time and with the exception of the five Ferach swordsmen all the miniatures have been painted and based (or in my case – based and painted!)  I thought that it was about time these duelling Carabiniers were painted and the On-Line Painting Article could then be included in this years Advent Calendar.

I chose two of the Deadloque/Lady Wintermore’s Fangs box set miniature swordsmen as the subject of this article as I was not sure I could achieve the short deadline if I had tried to complete any more!  I usually paint my miniatures in the shed down the bottom of the garden - if the water in my brush cleaning jar freezes then I know that it is too cold.  On day one the water froze and I knew then that I was in for a chilling time.

The figure with a cape needed more cleaning-up than the second in particular the join between left arm and sword glove.  I trimmed the arm to a point and forced the ‘stump’ into the glove. Once I was happy with the join I added some ‘gel type’ superglue and reinforced the joint with Green Stuff.

Both miniatures were mounted on to 2p UK coins and the groundwork was built up with Milliput, further texture was added with some sieved sand over uPVA glue and the pair were left to fully set.

Once dry I spray painted them with Games Workshop Chaos Black. Any areas missed with the spray paint were later touched-up with acrylic paint.

By the time that I started painting proper, the water had thawed and I started, as is usual with me on the face, a base coat of GW Snakebite Leather and subsequent and highlighting coats of Snakebite Leather and GW Skull White.

Next up I painted the uniform GW Midnight Blue, highlighting with GW Enchanted Blue. (With dark blue uniforms I only highlight once, any more and the uniform can look too light).

Against all the perceived wisdom, the next area I painted was the breastplates. A GW Tin Bitz base lightened with just a touch of GW Mithril Silver and a highlight of some Mithril Silver. 

At the same time I painted the red epaulettes GW Gore Red base and highlighted with GW Blood Red.

Both miniatures have long hair – a feature of the Flintloque/Slaughterloo Ferach figures. I paint all of my Ferach in the same Black hair and Pale flesh colour scheme.  There is little to say, just a quick stroke of very Dark Grey over pure Black.

To give some variety to the pair, I painted the trousers in different colours, the first cream (Snakebite Leather and Skull White) and the second grey (Vallejo Stonewall Grey and Skull White).  The gloves and sash are Skull White over Stonewall Grey.

In an attempt to ‘tone-down’ the starkness of my (poor) blending, I washed all of the miniatures with GW/Citadel Washes, Sepia and Black.  I tend to water-down these washes and just ‘tint’ the colours rather than using them ‘neat’.  The washes meant that the white areas in particular needed to be re-defined with pure Skull White.

The helmets and crests were painted with Mithril Silver, Burnished Gold, Chaos Black and some Scorched Brown.  There is very little seen on the hooded figure but the second miniature needed much more care.  The cape was painted with my favourite Snakebite Leather and Skull White mix, not too much highlighting this time as I wanted a smooth transition and I sometimes have a tendency to over highlight.

I am conscious that my modelling and painting ‘On-Line builds’ can be a little haphazard, in fact I think I have defined a new painting style Haphazard!  For those who are used to the pristine and organised painting tutorials found in magazines such as White Dwarf, my painting style and order of painting can seem a little strange.  Strange being a mild term for my tutorials!  I would hope that I could be forgiven for this little foible as readers will no doubt have their own method and order for painting miniatures.  I hope that you enjoy your painting as much as I do.

Brrrrrrrrrrr, shiver, sneeze and sniffle.  The water in my paint jar is again frozen solid, in fact one of my Citadel Washes is also frozen and I’m sitting in my shed-at-the-bottom-of-the-garden paintbrush in (shaking, blue) hand trying to add detail to these two Ferach!  I must be mad, well madder than usual! Back to the pair of duellists, and the next area to be attacked with my trusty GW Standard Paint Brush is the base (I told you I don’t approach my miniatures in the usual or structured manner), which was first given a watered-down GW Snakebite Leather and when dry was given a second coat.  I then drybrushed the base with a Snakebite Leather/Skull White mix, lightening the mix with each successive layer.  The odd stone was picked out in Grey (a mix of Chaos Black and Skull White) and finally ‘washed’ with the Badab Black Wash.  One hint that I regularly use is to add a black wash around the feet/boots of the painted figure – I find that it adds a slight shadow to the figure and rather than floating above the groundwork, the boots and the base blend into one another.

After pouring some hot water into my water jar, it was on to the final detailing, the scabbard on figure one was painted dark grey with a dark brown hand guard and metal final, which was later highlighted with GW Dwarf Bronze and GW Shinning Gold.  The second and cloaked figure had the sword painted with GW Tin Bitz and highlighted with GW Mithril Silver, the rope decoration and strapping was painted first with Vallejo Stonewall Grey and then highlighted with GW Skull White.

I checked out the figures from different angles to make sure that I hadn’t missed anything, and after a couple of touch-ups, gave the base another Wash with Citadel Badab Black Wash.  There Finished!  Well not quite, I still have to varnish them, but in this cold weather this will not be easy.  Let’s hope that it warms up soon.

WARNING:  The cloaked figure has a very sharp point on his upright sword.  I have the scars to prove it!

OK – That’s it!  I’ve just invented (discovered) a new pastime – Extreme Miniature Painting.  Eligible participants must follow these rules;

1: The water in your brush pot must be fully frozen (not partially frozen or just odd ice cubes).
2: Hats, scarves and thermal underwear are optional or in this case a necessity.
3: Fingerless gloves are NOT ALLOWED, a bit like that all-over swim suit that Olympic swimmers were using!
4: Any shed, out-house or office space that has a heater is disqualified and users should be ashamed of themselves, the only exception is a hairdryer for drying miniatures, and even then the output should not exceed 800watt.
5: Points should be awarded for the use of old or frozen (solid) acrylic paint.
6: Hot drinks are allowed – no more than one every hour, alcoholic drinks should be available to all, preferably a large glass of single malt Whisky!
7: Bunny-Ear Pink Slippers will earn extra points, for style.
8: Night-Nurse, Hot Cocoa, Hot Toddy and various Cough Mixtures are not deemed performance enhancing drugs.
9: Hotwater bottles are for sissies – I have one covered in a knitted jacket – and finally;
10: Any long term hospital treatment due to Frost-bite, Hyperthermia or Pneumonia will be seen as ‘throwing the towel in’.

Seriously, what on earth am I doing? I actually took boiling water down the shed, to add to my brush cleaning water pot, to get rid of the ice and placed a tin of Ronseal Hard Glaze into a jug of boiling water to un-freeze it prior to varnishing these two figures. I deserve a medal, that or being sectioned! Craig – you have a lot to answer for!

Gloss varnishing is now completed, I use a hairdryer to keep the figures warm and they are now in the garage – as apposed to the shed.  They should be fully dry sometime tomorrow!

Given all of the above the matte varnishing went smoothly and without a hitch.  I still needed to take some boiled water down the shed – to clean my brushes with.  When studying the (what I thought was a finished) pair or miniature figures, I notices a couple of bits that needed additional painting, The cloaked figure had some Snakebite Leather on his shinny boots, which I over painted with a Dark Grey mix and the second figure still needed the cords which are attached to his sword painted.  I had missed this when painting.  To add even more variety I painted these cords Red – a base of GW Gore Red and then a highlight of Vallejo Blood Red.  I used Galleria Matt Varnish which I brushed on in two coats and drying the varnish with a hairdryer.

The final piece of the jigsaw was the adding of static grass.  I use a mixture of static grass which started out as Games Workshop static grass many years ago.  However today it has been corrupted with many different makes of grass.  I paint on a little uPVA Glue and then place the static grass with a pair of tweezers.  There is also a tall grass clump which in this instance is Wildgrasbuschel Mix Hellgrun from Green Line. 

Finished.  I hope that you have enjoyed this On-Line Build, my first for Orcs in the Webbe, hopefully not the last.