The circle is complete...
...because following part 1 and part 2 of this series I have now put the final six locked characters that I painted for Gloomhaven below. - Triangles
- Saw
- Cthulu
- Music note
- Three Spears
- Lightning Bolt
As with the other posts, once we go below the *SPOILER* line I'll list each character one-by-one with a couple of notes, their real class names and the names of paints used. I used Games Workshop colours, simply because they are what I had to hand. This was a mix of Contrast Paints, "regular" paints (base paints, layer paints etc.), and washes. I've included one or two links to online tutorials that I found useful - painting gems being a good example.
As with the other twelve characters, these were painted with speed in mind and just to look good enough for the gaming table. For the most part this means using Contrast paints wherever possible (anything organic like cloth or wood), washes and maybe a highlight or some drybrushing. Sometimes I spent a bit of time on a gem or some jewelry so there there was some detail.
Previously I saved time by doing only the simplest of bases, but this time I tried to branch out a bit. I did three of these bases as hexes (Saw, Music note,Three spears), using similar colours to those of the dungeon tiles used in the game itself. I also added a couple touches to Lightning Bolt's base for a bit of fun. Not perfect but nice to try something different.
Here we go.
Triangles (Savvas Elementalist)
The Elementalist is great because at "heart" he has some nice bright colours, reflecting his mastery of the different elements in the game. This is in stark contrast to the the Cragheart, with his fractured heart and focus on earth. For painting, 90 percent of him can be done with contrast paints so he feels quick to do except his belt, where I spotted an opportunity to give him a couple of gems. There are lots of good gem tutorials on YouTube and different blogs, and I used this one on creativetwilight.com to help me.
I'll be honest and say that the Contrast Iyanden Yellow cloak is an acquired taste and I keep going backwards and forwards on whether I like it or not. However I've decided to leave it as is - just one application of the paint - as the model feels "good enough" and adding layers of yellow would take more time! Scroll down for photos and paints list.
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| Elementalist |
- Skin / face: Contrast Snakebite leather. When dry, lightly apply Dheneb Stone (drybrush)
- Eyes: Abaddon Black, then Corax White pupils
- "Heart": Contrast Ork Flesh, Flash Gitz Yellow, Mephiston Red or Khorne Red, Contrast Aethermatic Blue
- Cape: Contrast Iyanden Yellow
- Loincloth/ sash: Contrast Talassar Blue
- Metal belt:
- Mournfang Brown, then Dwarf Bronze.
- Red gem: Abaddon Black, Khorne Red, Mephiston Red, Corax White (reflection)
- Blue gem: Abaddon Black, Mordian Blue, Lothern Blue, Corax White (reflection)
- For a great gems tutorial, please visit this website.
- "Back plate/ shoulder plate": Dwarf Bronze, Nuln Oil (wash), Auric Armour Gold (highlight), Runefang Steel (edge highlight, where gold might be rubbed off)
- Metal Bracers: Mournfang Brown, then Dwarf Bronze, Nuln Oil wash, Dwarf Bronze highlight.
- Base:
- Rocks: Mechanicus Standard Grey, Agrax Earthshade (wash) finally a Russ Grey (drybrush)
- Sand/ earth: Watered down wood glue, dipped into modelling sand, then Contrast Cygor Brown (when dry!)
- "Grass": Middenland Tuft grass (Available from Games Workshop). I often like to add a tuft onto the rocky base as I think it looks good.
- "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish.
Saw (Sawbones)
The Sawbones turned out better than I'd hoped!
At first I was worried that there would be too much grey and that his hair, white robes and the grey furs would all blend together. However once everything was on there was still plenty of contrast between the different parts of the model. Also the red trim on his robes and the potions provide nice points of interest for the eye.
Some people don't like GW's Contrast Apothecary White because it isn't actually "white" when compared against a traditional white (like "Corax White"). Instead it looks very, very, very greyish white, showing a greyish blue where it puddles. If you can get over the fact that it isn't a bright white this still works well on robes and as a quick painting solution. White is notoriously challenging for organic materials as it isn't easy to add shadow without a lot of work. This is where Apothecary White comes into its own IMHO.
Some people add splashes of blood on his robes and surgical saw. This can be done by flicking a brush to get a random pattern, but I preferred to keep him "clean" (er...pre-surgery?)
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| Sawbones |
- Skin / face: Contrast Guilliman Flesh, Tallarn Flesh (highlight), finally Tallarn Flesh/ Elf Flesh 50/50 highlight.
- Eyes: Abaddon Black, then Corax White, then Abaddon Black pupil
- Hair: Contrast Spacewolves Grey
- Furs: Contrast Spacewolves Grey
- Robes/ headband: Contrast Apothecary White, then fringe of Contrast Fleshtearers Red.
- Leather belt, quiver, potion bag, boots, bracers: Contrast Snakebite Leather, buckles in Leadbelcher, followed by a Runefang Steel highlight on the buckles.
- Arrow fletchings: Contrast Black Templar.
- Potions: Contrast Aethermatic Blue, with small highlight of Moot Green.
- Spaulders (shoulder armour): Leadbelcher, followed by Nuln Oil wash, then Leadbelcher again, finally Runefang Steel highlights.
- Base:
- Hexagon design: Paint the whole base Mechanicus Standard Grey. Then use a ruler and measure each side of the hexagon at 14mm very gently marking down the hexagon with pencil. Once satisfied, paint over the pencil using Abaddon Black or a dark browna nd a very thin brush. Finally, paint along each side of the hexagon lines using a lighter grey (e.g. Russ Grey.)
- Grass: Middenland Tuft grass (Available from Games Workshop). In this case I added the smallest size of tuft onto one of the black lines of the hexagon, so it looks like it is peeking out.
- "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish. To keep the feeling of a "hex" from the game, the black is only painted to half-way up the rim.
Cthulu (Plagueherald)
Cthulu is certainly an apt name for this character. Just looking at it reminds me of something from a Lovecraftian nightmare. What made me very happy though was that 99% of the model is organic, and therefore speedy to paint using Contrast paints. Only three small metal buckles and a brooch gem would require some time-consuming attention.
One trick that I tried here was to give the Plagueherald a sense of forward motion and extra corruption. An easy way to do this was to add some drips of corruption trailing behind the Plagueherald. These dabs of Moot Green scarring the earth also add a touch of colour to the very simple base. An optional further touch is to lightly drybrush that corruption around the "feet" of the model. This could either represent an unholy aura or more dripping corruption.
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| Plagueherald |
- Tentacles/ "Face"/ fingers: Contrast Ork Flesh. Optional: Moot Green highlight or drybrush, with a final highlight of 50/50 Moot Green & Corax White.
- Leather belt, belt pouch, mask (in hand): Contrast Snakebite Leather.
- Buckles: Leadbelcher, followed by an Nuln Oil wash, then a Runefang Steel highlight.
- Brooch gem: Contrast Magos Purple, with a dot of white as a reflection. For great tutorials on gems, please visit this website or check out this guide!
- Optional: it might be fun to paint up the mask as a human face, giving the impression that the Plagueherald hides behind human skin..."Face off" style.
- Robes, hood, shoulder cape: Contrast Black Templar. To add a bit of interest, I did a Mechanicus Grey drybrush on the arms and lower robes. This means the hood and shoulder cape stay darker.
- Base:
- Watered down wood glue, dipped into modelling sand, then Contrast Cygor Brown (when dry!). Middenland Tuft grass.
- Behind the biggest tentacles, paint small dots of bright green (Moot Green) in straight lines. (Optional) very lightly drybrush Moot Green around the bottom of the legs on the ground to create a glow of corruption.
- "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish. To keep the feeling of a "hex" from the game, the black is only painted to half-way up the rim.
Music Note (Soothsinger)
This little fellow definitely deserves to look like a troubadour right? With that instrument, feathers in his cap and a nice billowing cape (and jaunty scarf no less!) he looks ready to party. Look a little closer though and you'll see his smile belies his readiness for dungeon delving: scale armour on his chest, armoured knee caps, vambraces and a blade tucked behind his back...
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| Soothsinger |
- Skin / face/ arms/ hands: Contrast Guilliman Flesh, Tallarn Flesh (highlight), finally Tallarn Flesh/ Elf Flesh 50/50 highlight.
- Eyes: Mordian Blue, with Corax White pupils.
- Hat:
- Brim/ hat: Snakebite Leather
- Feathers: Contrast Magos Purple, Contrast Talassar Blue, Contrast Ork Flesh
- Musical instrument: Mournfang Brown (wood), Runefang Steel (strings), Dwarf Bronze with Auric Armour Gold (highlights)
- Scarf: Contrast Ork Flesh. Then Corax White drybrush on the scarf tassels.
- Cape: Contrast Talassar Blue (Optional: Mordian Blue/ Lothern Blue highlights on the cape)
- Armour (chest, shoulders, vambraces): Mournfang Brown, then Dwarf Bronze, apply Nuln Oil wash, then drybrush Auric Armour Gold.
- Arrow fletchings (just behind his right shoulder): Contrast Black Templar.
- Trousers: Contrast Ork Flesh.
- Cloth Robe: Contrast Magos Purple
- Base:
- Hexagon design: Paint the whole base brown (e.g. Mournfang Brown). Then use a ruler and measure each side of the hexagon at 14mm very gently marking down the hexagon with pencil. Once satisfied, paint over the pencil using Abaddon Black or a dark brown with a very thin brush. Finally, paint along each side of the hexagon lines using a lighter brown (e.g. Vermin Brown.) For this model I added a few cracks before adding the grass.
- Grass: Middenland Tuft grass (Available from Games Workshop). In this case I added the smallest size of tuft onto one of the black lines of the hexagon, so it looks like it is peeking out.
- "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish. To keep the feeling of a "hex" from the game, the black is only painted to half-way up the rim.
Three Spears (Quartermaster)
With his large backpack, bandolier, and gear this fellow looks ready for anything - including a fight. I really like his spaulders (which reminds me of a Megacity 1 Judge with that winged-eagle motif), and that he seems to have four, (yes four!) swords.
In terms of painting, he was much more time consuming than the other models. He has a lot of detail - something you'll see from all the bullet points below. As with the Sawbones (above) I decided to give him a hexagon style base.
- Skin / face: Contrast Guilliman Flesh, Tallarn Flesh (highlight), finally Tallarn Flesh/ Elf Flesh 50/50 highlight
- Eyes: Abaddon Black, then Corax White, then Abaddon Black pupil
- Hair: Contrast Black Templar
- Coat/ Robes: Contrast Ork Flesh
- Leather belt, bandolier, backpack, boots, leather gloves: Contrast Snakebite Leather
- Backpack: After Contrast Snakebite Leather, drybrush lightly with Dheneb Stone.
- For buckles, use Leadbelcher, with a Runefang Steel highlight
- Arrow fletchings: Contrast Spacewolves Grey
- Parchment: Gryphonne Sepia wash
- Armour:
- Spaulders (shoulder armour) and knee pads: Dwarf Bronze, followed by a Nuln Oil wash, finally Auric Armour Gold drybrush.
- Brassart (upper arms) and vambraces (lower arms): Leadbelcher, followed by Nuln Oil and a Leadbelcher or Runefang Steel drybrush.
- Kneeplates, feet: Leadbelcher, followed by Nuln Oil and a Leadbelcher or Runefang Steel drybrush.
- Weapons:
- Javelins: Leadbelcher, followed by Nuln Oil and a Leadbelcher or Runefang Steel drybrush.
- Swords:
- Scabbard: Contrast Snakebite Leather, followed by Ushabti Bone (or Dheneb Stone) highlights or drybrush. (Optional: For the ferrule - the metal cap at the bottom of the scabbard - add a touch of metal using Leadbelcher/ Runefang)
- Pommel: Leadbelcher, with a touch of Runefang Steel on top.
- Grip/ sword belt: Contrast Cygor Brown (or another dark brown)
- Base:
- Hexagon design: Paint the whole base Mechanicus Standard Grey. Then use a ruler and measure each side of the hexagon at 14mm very gently marking down the hexagon with pencil. Once satisfied, paint over the pencil using Abaddon Black or a dark brown and a very thin brush. Finally, paint along each side of the hexagon lines using a lighter grey (e.g. Russ Grey.)
- Grass: Middenland Tuft grass (Available from Games Workshop). In this case I added the smallest size of tuft onto one of the black lines of the hexagon, so it looks like it is peeking out.
- "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish. To keep the feeling of a "hex" from the game, the black is only painted to half-way up the rim.
Lightning Bolt (Beserker)
Finally, the last model of this blog post - and one of my favourites! The Berserker was really nice to paint. I like the red colour scheme from the images provided by the game and the double axes are unique in the models that come in the box.
For the other models I used paints to differentiate the bases. In this case I customised the it by adding two elements - a sword (from a Games Workshop High Elf archer sprue), and a skull (from an old Tomb King set). I notice now though that the scale isn't right. The skull in particular is too big, but overall these items add some engaging detail - and a bit of menace.
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| Sword pommel gem |
- Skin: Contrast Spacewolves Grey
- Face tattoo: Contrast Blood Angels Red
- Bone spurs (?) on head: Contrast Skeleton Horde
- Bodice, furs, boots, bracers: Contrast Gor Grunta Fur
- Belt and teeth: Wraithbone
- Leather straps (leg, upper-chest, back): Contrast Snakebite Leather
- Knee armour: Contrast Skeleton Horde, then a Wraithbone drybrush or highlight
- Axes: Blades and points are Leadbelcher, with Runefang Steel highlights. Handles are Contrast Blood Angels Red
- Base:
- Watered down wood glue, dipped into modelling sand, then Contrast Cygor Brown (when dry)
- Grass: Green flock, sprinkled over watered down white glue
- Sword: Cut in half to seem like it is stuck in the ground. Rust was simulated by watering down Vermin Brown and washing onto the blade
- Grip: Contrast Ork Flesh, then Moot Green highlight
- Pommel: Dwarf Bronze
- Pommel gem: Mordian Blue, then a light blue highlight at the bottom of the gem, and then a spot of Corax White towards the top. Info on painting gems here at coolminiornot.com
- Skull: Contrast Skeleton Horde
- "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish
And there we are! The final six models from the 18 that come in the Gloomhaven box. I have enjoyed painting them, and I hope you've enjoyed the images and info above. Tonight's game of Gloomhaven will be a happy one knowing that I've painted everything up, ready for our mercenary group to enjoy as we continue our journey.
:-)
Cheers!
