Uruk'ta - Leben Studio

I think you all know Leben Studio and it's great range of miniatures and busts. I've recently been in touch with it's owner, Benoît Ménard, who did propose me (thanks!) to paint his last model : Uruk'ta. 

It is a very big orc bust, with sort of an inca style headdress and a lot of ornementations on the back with feathers, bones, leaves and many other things. So the first time i saw it i was a bit scared. I did never paint something that big and the amount of details could  make the piece very difficult to read. It is a very challenging model to paint so i was very happy to give it a try.

After a lot of back and forth during the painting process due to the size of the piece and my lack of experience with big scale busts, i reached a point that satisfies me : 

Hope you like it, cheers ;)

Viking Raider - Northern Winds

Yeehaa i'm back on the blog with something that made me really happy! Maybe you have seen on Facebook or here the wips of the Viking sculpture from Matthieu. Well, he finished it and i loved the pose and the details of the sculpt. He didnt eat too much proteins, he is quite old and begins to lose some of his hair on the forehead and he looks almost peaceful. Not the typical viking sculpt we are used to see. In some ways it also reminds me the old and famous Latorre range. 

Cherry on the cake, Matthieu asked me if i wanted to paint the boxart. Of course i said yes and i started thinking about the colors as i didnt have to follow any concept. I wanted something quite simple and effective with a lot of textures and without fancy freehands. For a boxart, i think the main goal is to show the quality of the sculpture, without painting too many "distractions". 

 

The first choice has been a blue for the tunic and it guided the tonality of the other elements. For a historical piece, it is often better to stay quiet with the colors and to think about achieving a realistic effect. Well, i didnt paint many historical miniatures yet, but i did my best ;) . 

 

If you like this sculpt as much as i do, you can find a copy on ferminiatures.

Here are also some WIP shots:

 

Cheers! ;)

 

The Raider - Nocturna Models

Today i would like to show you a kind of "in between"project...a small viking bust I wanted to do for a long time. First of all I like this kind of exercise. Painting a bust is something very different than painting a "on foot" model...the attention is entirely focused on the face as a focal point and you still have to find tricks to make the subject interesting. The atmosphere and the colors used are very important to put the character in context...with a bust you don't have a baseground to create the athmosphere...only colors and textures...only painting techniques. On one side it's easier...but on the other side...a lot of questions arise. With this one I tried to create a cold environment...with alternating warm and cold hues and get an interesting contrast between materials, textured equipement and soft blending on the face. It was a great fun to paint...I tried to keep a spontaneous painting and explore shades that goes in a different path already seen versions...hope you'll like this viking raider. 

Viking Raider: 1:12 scale bust produced by Nocturna Models

Have a nice day...cheers!

-Matthieu-

Dwarf - FER Miniatures

This time i want to show you another finished project...the "Random Encounter" dwarf produced by the FER Miniatures range. This dwarf, sculpted by Jonatán Monerris, was the subject of our last painting class in Lyon with Martin. This miniatures is now finished and was a great fun to paint.

And to finish, some wip pictures to show you a part of the painting process...

      

Hope you'll like it...see you soon with some new paintjobs...cheers!

-Matthieu-

Morbag Blacksmith Miniatures

It's time for another finished miniature...my last commission's work for Blacksmith Miniatures. This time it's a creepy and greeny goblin called Morbag. This one was sculpted one more time by Valentin Zak...and it was a real fun to paint...as allways! No more words...have a look at this little scabby goblin...hope you'll like it!

Cheers!

-Matthieu-

GOB'Z'HEROES - Skulls Mini

You dont know the GOB'Z'HEROES kickstarter yet? Well check this link, everything happens there!

My friend from SkullsMini behind the project was cool enough to give me some little gob's from the campain. I also had the opportunity to test the beta version of the game some time ago and i loved it. The rules are easy to understand, the games are fast & fun, the abilities & spells are hilarious... it was enough for me! So i decided to take some lead and to already paint three little fighters.

They are small and easy to build (most of them are in a single piece) so the prepping work went very fast! Just a few mould lines to sand, only two little air bubbles to fill over the three minis and it was done. Considering they will be painted for the game and to add a little personal challenge, i wanted to not spend more than 5 hours of painting on each one. I also and obviously did put them on gaming bases. Here they are :

In the end, only the mutant and the zombie needed some more time (maybe 6 or 7 hours to finish) as they have a lot of skin and im always slow to paint this stuff... I think sometimes it's a good exercise to force yourself being fast and not to go too much into details. It also creates good and purely relaxing painting sessions, only thinking about having fun ;).

I hope you like them and be sure more will come in the future! Cheers!

-Martin-