My First Sculpt

[Thri Keen Priest]

Hello, all,

I'm getting back into miniatures again, and since it was raining today, and my kneadatite just arrived in the mail, I decided to sculpt a mini. I've done lots of conversions, but never a single completely original miniature. Here's where I am after the first mix. He's 17mm from toe to eye, and I'm shooting for a classic 80's Citadel look.

I think I went a bit to far for the first application; the eyes got washed out a bit. After dinner, I'll go back in with a fresh batch and add some clothes and armor..

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Retro-Dwarf

Ok, 2nd application: It's coming together, but before you say it, yeah, I agree, the chainmail looks awful. I did a bit of reading and did a quick study. I think I'm getting the idea. It'll be better on my next one. Meanwhile, here's where he stands:

 

[ten ball]

Very nice, loads of character in the face

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Very nice, loads of character in the face

Thanks, yeah, that's the only part I'm pleased with so far. Thankfully, most of this cheese-mail will be covered up by his tunic. Stay tuned...

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Day 2

Ok, the nice thing about being awful at something is the quick pace of learning. It's coming along, and I'm starting to see a dwarf emerge from the emaciated gnome I started with. I'm constantly surprising myself at how much smoothing remains to be done once I snap a photo and blow it up on screen.

I'm not liking the mace, but I'm planning on sharpening it up once it sets. I'm satisfied with the belt and buckle, (even if it still needs smoothing,) and I like the way the tunic looks so far.

I'm wide open to suggestions for improving my technique. So far, I'm using a small ball-end, X-acto knife, and have discovered a needle is much better for chain mail than the dental tool I was using yesterday.

Pics:
View attachment 52938

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Day 3

Ok, third night of working on this dwarf for a while after dinner.

He's still not done. Won't be a proper dwarf until I do his beard and moustache.

The chainmail coif came out much better than the sleeves and booties. Still room for improvement. Comments welcome.

View attachment 52989

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Ok, adde3d a beard, pouch, and dagger. The pouch and dagger were making him look maybe too big, so I scraped them off. I may sculpt them separately and reintroduce them to this piece. Here's where he stands. Looking for feedback.
View attachment 53007

 

[Captain927]

Hey Priest,

Looks really good. The chainmail coif does look much better than the rest, but it's still pretty good. You may even be able to get away with him not having a dagger or pouch. I'd still do one of the two.

The only comment I have is that the handle of the mace looks a bit thick. Perhaps it is just the pictures, but it stands out for me.

Overall, excellent work! I look forward to seeing more sculpts.

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Hey Priest,

Looks really good. The chainmail coif does look much better than the rest, but it's still pretty good. You may even be able to get away with him not having a dagger or pouch. I'd still do one of the two.

The only comment I have is that the handle of the mace looks a bit thick. Perhaps it is just the pictures, but it stands out for me.

Overall, excellent work! I look forward to seeing more sculpts.

Thanks, Captain, your feedback means a lot! Yes, I agree on all counts. I plan to do a bit more cutting and filing on the mace. I used Apoxy Green, (actually 50/50 Magic Sculpt/Kneadatite,) so it should react well. And yeah, lol, the chainmail looks terrible, but that's how we learn. I definitely learned a lot making this mini. I've already started on the armature for my next one, incorporating everything I learned from making this first one. Expect better chainmail, better eyes, and, hopefully, a smoother overall surface.

Pics soon to come...

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Finished Dwarf

Ok, in the end, I agreed Captain927 was right, and he needed at least *one* item on his belt. Since having items on his hips made him a bit wider than I wanted, and he was indeed suffering from a worrisome lack of booty, I've added a pouch in the heinie-region. I also trimmed down the mace quite a bit. Thanks again to Captain927 for his excellent feedback! Liking him a lot now. Hence, I declare him complete.

With the extra putty left over, I began my second miniature: At first, I had another dwarf in mind, but he may well become a gnome thief.. just a feeling.

Stay tuned...

Pics:
View attachment 53019

 

[Captain927]

Hi Priest,

The pouch on his rear looks great! Glad you picked the pouch. As a heavily armoured dwarf, I would assume he'd have enough of a job wielding a war mace to fiddle with a small dagger. Great job.

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Hi Priest,

The pouch on his rear looks great! Glad you picked the pouch. As a heavily armoured dwarf, I would assume he'd have enough of a job wielding a war mace to fiddle with a small dagger. Great job.

Heh, thanks, yeah, I decided he wears it in back because there's healing potions in it, and he doesn't want them to get smashed if he takes a hit to the body. Can't wait to get home tonight and get back to work on the second one!

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Caught in the Act

It's become my evening routine to come home from work, have dinner with my wife, and mix up some putty to sculpt as we watch a movie. Here's the progress I made tonight:

I added boots, a cloak, and the beginnings of a chest of treasure to my gnome thief. For his facial expression, I'm shooting for a "caught-in-the-act" look on his face. We'll see how it paints up..

Speaking of which, I primed my imperial dwarf fighter. (see inset) Tomorrow I'll start laying on some colors, and will close in on my first 100% "putty-and-paint" miniature.

A note about these bases: I print them myself! I've sculpted *lots* of stone floors on slotta-bases, and decided that the brick floors were consistent enough that I could print them up. We'll see how they look when painted. If there's enough interest in them, I'll post the models on Thingiverse so some of you can give them a try.

Meanwhile, pics! More to come...
View attachment 53044

 

[ROTTEN_FACTORY]

I like them ! they look very oldschool for me. Great job. I think You should work a little bit on chainmail. When i sculpt chainmail first i sculpt a main shape, and after 4 hours i add a very thin layer of GS and sculpt chainmail .
KEEP GOING ! hope to see more great dwarfs here

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

I like them ! they look very oldschool for me. Great job. I think You should work a little bit on chainmail. When i sculpt chainmail first i sculpt a main shape, and after 4 hours i add a very thin layer of GS and sculpt chainmail .
KEEP GOING ! hope to see more great dwarfs here

Thanks, RF, yeah, I'm intending to imitate the 80's Citadel style created by Trish Morrison, Michael & Alan Perry. That's the stuff I grew up with, and it's still my favorite.

I see your point about the chainmail. I've had problems with distorting the shape when adding the texture. Will definitely take your advice on my next chainmail mini.

I love your stuff, dude! I don't collect chaos much anymore, but I really want some of your zombie mounts! After playing a game called "Chaos Reborn", I've developed a serious love for zombified beasts of war.

Highest regards,
Jack

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Thief III

Got home from work today and went straight to my hobby bench! Teased a bit more putty onto my gnome thief, (or is he a gully-dwarf?)

I'm going to have to spend some time studying fabric and how it behaves. I'm just not satisfied with how his liripipe (hood) is hanging about his face. I'm planning on applying a bit more material, and changing the hem around his face.

On the other hand, I'm fairly happy with how the treasure chest is coming together. The tiny padlock (smaller than a sesame seed) still needs a bit of patching up, but that will have to wait until it cures for a while..

Meanwhile, here are the latest pics of my second miniature:
View attachment 53050View attachment 53049

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Thief IV

Ok, I was unhappy with the hood on the left side of his face, and was going to grind it away and re-sculpt it, but then I decided to add some sort of object there, explaining the shape of the fabric. At first, I thought a tiny ferret on his shoulder would be good, but then decided it would be too "BeastMaster", too powerful for this character, a goofy 1st-level at best. I decided to add a rolled-up carpet over his shoulder as part of his haul. I still need to add one more layer to it, along with little embroidered details and frills. I also detailed the treasure chest a bit more. It's coming along, but still needs lots of work. I'm going to have to sculpt actual *hands* this time! Well, there's a first time for everything...

View attachment 53083

I also started to lay in some paint on the dwarf I sculpted. All I can say is, ugh, it's been a long time since I painted a mini. It definitely needs more work. I welcome constructive criticism.

View attachment 53084

 

[Captain927]

Hey Priest,

I like the idea of really loading up the Gnome Looter, though a fine rug may be a little greedy of a theft. How about having things sticking out of it as if he just threw a bunch of stuff onto a rug then rolled them all up in it? Sword hilts? Candle sticks? Just a thought. It's really coming together nicely.

The dwarf looks good with some paint on him. For the base, It could use a bit more something. Perhaps some moss or grass coming up in the cracks?

Good work so far!

 

[Thri Keen Priest]

Yeah, the dwarf still needs work. I'm planning on adding moss, but also was considering patches of snow. (Frostgrave?)

As for the gnome, I'm making a tiny goblet that will be on the floor behind him, perhaps, as you suggest, fallen from within the rug. In my mind, the goblet has fallen, making a racket, and alerting the guard, or whoever he's facing. I like the candlestick idea too; maybe I'll do that too...

 

[SaintToad]

I am really enjoying these very old-school (totally agree w/ Rotten Factory's assessment there). The dwarf certainly has areas where I expect you to improve, but it looks remarkably good for a first effort and reminds me very much of the first minis I bought probably close to 30 years ago (though I didn't know then that people liked to paint them!). I am enjoying the great character you're creating around the thief, too. Excellent job!