Mertaal's Wip: Barrow Wights and Tom Bombadil p17

Erunion · **Posted:** Mon Dec 30, 2013 6:21 pm

There they are. I guess I missed them when everything was still blue, but I see the steps now. Looking good!

GothmogtheWerewolf · **Posted:** Mon Dec 30, 2013 6:28 pm

Wow, that is one nice-looking piece, perfect for Azog & The Witch-king to host theor parties

Oldman Willow · **Posted:** Mon Dec 30, 2013 6:59 pm

The snow detail has caused me to be less decisive with advice.
I usually use warm grays for stone. The snow finish might look better with cold grays. Mix blue with the black for gray instead of brown. Dry brush toward a slate blue/gray. Then tone down with a raw umber wash.
I don't make much use of snow.
You are making great progress

mertaal · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 9:35 am

Oldman Willow wrote:

The snow detail has caused me to be less decisive with advice.
I usually use warm grays for stone. The snow finish might look better with cold grays. Mix blue with the black for gray instead of brown. Dry brush toward a slate blue/gray. Then tone down with a raw umber wash.
I don't make much use of snow.
You are making great progress

Thanks OMW- I had a feeling someone brighter than myself might have a perspective on the snow, which is why I mentioned it. In the end, following your advice on the bluer tones of stonework, and adding a few green and brown weathered areas here and there, I ended up with this:

I was planning on doing as you said, and washing with a dark brown to tie it all in. However, before going to bed I decided to do a small "test" area with the snow flock, which I've never used before.

And this morning I woke up, liked what I saw and decided not to wash the brickwork, as the snow is quite dominating (as I thought it would be) and so since the brickwork is the only thing you can see really, I thought I'd rather have it really pop.

Anyway, thanks so much for the advice- it worked out very much the way I was hoping it would! Finished model on the next post.

mertaal · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 9:46 am

So, because we couldn't get a cat sitter, "her ladyship" is visiting her family in Holland for New Year, and I am home alone, hence my breakneck speed on this project. I rarely get long periods of time off at home, and being home alone is a rare luxury!

And thus, voila! Winter at Weathertop, or Amon Sul in the Snow, if you prefer

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The snow is Woodland Scenics, and I'm very pleased with the way it sits compared to Games Workshop's "white static grass".
I've been using WS' "scenic cement". I was impressed by how much of the flock stuck using this cement stuff, i must confess, however, the bottle sprays very poorly (either a drenching or nothing at all- certainly no "fine mist", and I have to confess I'm a little worried long term about how durable this is going to be as a gaming piece. I've shaken it, but I haven't prodded or poked to see how solid the snow really is. I've always been suspicious of flock, so I'm hoping that "scenic cement" is the answer.

A few more pictures here: http://mertaal.wordpress.com/2013/12/31 ... eathertop/

Bandobras Took · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 9:59 am

Beautiful! An excellent piece of terrain making :yay:

I shall have to try some of that snow. My only experience with modelling snow is unfortunately GW's "White Static Grass" and it looked terrible.

Once again great work! :yay:

Fëanor, the mighty elf · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 11:25 am

Brilliant! Great painting, good terrain-making and quick work!
The snow indeed looks a lot better than GW's white static grass!

Dreadknight · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 11:30 am

Amazing! Such an inspiration.

Gandlaf the Grey · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 12:33 pm

Great to see someone making best use of their time. This is a wonderful diorama and an excellent alternative view, being a winter depiction which I have not seen done before.

Oldman Willow · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 1:23 pm

The Slate color turned out well with the snow.

I have had bad luck with the WS spray bottle and the child safe glue for the wire tree armatures. I can recommend everything else Woodland Scenic makes. I save old cleaning product spray bottles for the scenic cement. A few applications destroy any spay applicator. Bleach bottles seem to last a bit longer.

Looks very nice :yay:

garmenhord · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 2:47 pm

looks great, lovely snow landscape

Harfoot · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 3:56 pm

Very nicely done, the snow is the most effective, realistic I have seen. You could use this in your WW2 games as well :-)

JamesR · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 4:26 pm

WOW! That is an impressive piece of work. Well done sir

Mortaal · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 7:03 pm

Now that weathertop looks top notch! God how I love snow pieces

brilliant.

Regards,
Mortaal

Feanorthenoldor · **Joined:** Wed Sep 02, 2009 6:44 pm **Posts:** 879

That is absolutely beautiful

mertaal · **Posted:** Wed Jan 01, 2014 5:24 pm

Thanks guys, for all the kind words. It's turned out better than I'd hoped.

I love winter and summer, so it seemed like an obvious choice to make a winter themed board, as I'm one of those contrary people that just has to do things differently. I got the basic tiles done ages ago, alongside some glacial type terrain you can see in my first post of this thread. At the time I was playing infinity, and so working towards something a bit more "anime" style, which fits that game nicely. I'm not especially an anime fan, but it suited. The idea was that it would be a very modular terrain set, with varying levels, walkways etc- all things that lend themselves to a game with very powerful shooting, which requires very dense terrain.

Anyway, now I find myself with that project only half finished, and now playing Bolt Action and SBG- both of which lend themselves to a much more realistic style! I'm not so sure how the two will blend. Pictures incoming, most likely Friday.

I've just made two forest areas, and a few pieces of rocky scatter terrain. Just in the nick of time, because I'm all out of Scenic Cement!

They're drying, but I'll photograph them when they're done.

Crucium Giger · **Posted:** Thu Jan 02, 2014 12:29 pm

Great work on Weathertop, the winter climate certainly makes a nice change.

mertaal · **Posted:** Thu Jan 02, 2014 1:14 pm

Thanks Giger. I like that it's different, but on board, it doesn't make for good photographs (At least not with the iPhone, anyway!).

Some forest bases (need to do another four of these):

The modular river/cliff/high ground tiles I painted yesterday:

And a weather top scatter piece:

Unfortunately i ran out of scenic cement, and so the forest and scatter pieces haven't stuck very well. I have another bottle on order, and have instructed her ladyship to clean like hell to free up a couple of spray bottles, as per Old Man Willow's advice!

I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel here!

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Dead Marsh Spectre · **Posted:** Thu Jan 02, 2014 1:26 pm

How do i keep missing these fantastic pieces? The weathertop with snow is amazing!!! Best I've seen!

Oldman Willow · **Posted:** Thu Jan 02, 2014 1:55 pm

The new photos are cool

I am looking forward to more

Mertaal's Wip: Barrow Wights and Tom Bombadil p17

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