Mertaal's Wip: Barrow Wights and Tom Bombadil p17

Rognarr · **Posted:** Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:14 pm

Looks great already! Now finish it please!!

Gandlaf the Grey · **Posted:** Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:28 pm

Nice work Mertaal. The base is a real step aside from anything else I've seen and I will watch this unfold with interest.

mertaal · **Posted:** Fri Jan 24, 2014 7:50 am

Thanks guys- I hope to finish him over the weekend, as he's for the monster competition. I was hoping to have at least 2 of them done by now, so that I could choose which one to enter, but since her ladyship has started her new job I've been doing half the cooking, and we've been eating later. Net result, less time in the evenings.
I also give up Alcohol for January every year, which has no real negative or positive effect on how I feel. This year though, half way through the month I decided I drink too much caffeine. Giving that up (it'll be 2 weeks on Monday) has REALLY kicked my [word deleted]!

Anyway, enough whining. Here are a few pics I snapped this morning of Tom on his base. I need to texture the roots a little more, seal the base with PVA and then I'll start to paint. I plan on using reasonably muted tones of orangey brown for the roots, while the base itself will be a darker brown, using pigments and gloss varnish to keep it wet looking. I might add some water effects, moss, etc, and definitely some of the mushrooms I made, further up in the thread.

Dorthonion · **Posted:** Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:08 pm

Beautiful painting and lovely intricate work on the base.

Barnsley Burglar · **Joined:** Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:32 pm **Posts:** 126

Base looking real good. Magentising him is an excellent idea too.

Harfoot · **Posted:** Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:42 pm

Great work, the face with red nose is excellent, well done on giving up alcohol, just for January or on going? I gave up 3 and ahalf years ago, still miss it but can justify to Mrs.Harfoot spending money on GW figures instead of wine! Love fresh coffee to much to give that up!

mertaal · **Posted:** Sat Jan 25, 2014 8:21 am

Thanks guys!

The alcohol is just a month- every January in fact. The coffee might be more permanent. I was quite shocked by how much it effected me, and so I think that's probably a sign it's time to cut back. I think I'll switch to de-caf, but the real killer is energy drinks and bottles of Dr Pepper, which I will give up permanently. They've just become a really bad habit over the last couple of years, so time to knock it on the head.
Honestly, I feel tired and lethargic far too often, and so am looking for reasons why. Having such a big reaction to caffeine cold turkey leads me to wonder if I've not been living on a caffeine and sugar boom and bust cycle every day for the last few years!

Oldman Willow · **Posted:** Sat Jan 25, 2014 6:02 pm

The paint looks good. It always does. I am inspired by the roots and the natural wood very well done.

Quote:

Honestly, I feel tired and lethargic far too often, and so am looking for reasons why.

Check your blood sugar.

mertaal · **Posted:** Mon Jan 27, 2014 9:08 am

Cheers OMW- I shall do so.

Further troll base progress. Slow going. This is basecoat and pigment. I plan to vary the shades of pigment, add some moss and stuff, and a puddle or two.

Still need to pick out the leatherwork and do a bit of weathering on the troll- dirty hands and feet, and such!

Dead Marsh Spectre · **Posted:** Mon Jan 27, 2014 9:12 am

Absolutely fantastic!!!!!!! The base gives the model a really atmospheric look to the model. Your hard work is paying off.

Gene Parmesan · **Posted:** Mon Jan 27, 2014 10:51 am

Really coming together nicely.

garmenhord · **Posted:** Mon Jan 27, 2014 11:22 am

looks great with all those mushrooms on the base - nice atmosphere u created around the troll

Sithious · **Posted:** Mon Jan 27, 2014 1:44 pm

Looks fantastic, really nice skin tones.

Even with such a great paint job I am still reluctant to buy these models.

Gandlaf the Grey · **Posted:** Mon Jan 27, 2014 2:21 pm

A lovely slimy base, this will be an awe inspiring piece when done. I'm so pleased your not rushing it, the times spent is really paying off.

Crucium Giger · **Posted:** Mon Jan 27, 2014 5:00 pm

As other have said, lovely piece. In fact it is almost a mini diorama.

mertaal · **Posted:** Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:29 pm

*whew*

Finished.

Well, not exactly. As always with deadlines, I had to rush a bit at the end, and am still not 100% happy. There are a few things I may do with him at a later date- I rushed the painting on the mushrooms and am not happy with them. I also think perhaps I should have gone for red and white- it'd bring out the red of his sore nose and runny eyes. I was thinking of tying the base in to the green snot, but in the end I found some moss tendrils which do that job well enough already, so they might turn red at some stage. There are also finger prints on them, which bothers the perfectionist in me (only a lesser part mind!).
I've also retouched the eyes a little, and forgot to put a splash of gloss varnish over them, which gives them a really "coldy" watery effect which accentuates the look of his being unwell.
The mud splashes on his legs are also a bit unnatural looking I think. I was tired and rushing last night, as I'm out tonight, and the "good" photos are taken at work, so even if I had a chance on Friday night to work on him, i wouldn't be able to take the pictures in time for the deadline.

So he's submitted for the monthly competition for better or worse. It's not about winning anyway, it's about doing a job I'm pleased with, and the "pressure" of a competition helps me raise my bar. I learned a lot while painting him. Especially the base.

Next week I think I shall go back to batch painting 12 uruk berserkers though!

Harfoot · **Posted:** Thu Jan 30, 2014 3:37 pm

Superb, you will have my vote Sir!

garmenhord · **Posted:** Thu Jan 30, 2014 3:54 pm

this looks awesome! well done.

Gandlaf the Grey · **Posted:** Thu Jan 30, 2014 3:55 pm

Ok, let's get started.
You have pushed yourself with this job and set yourself a very big ask. You have answered the questions admirably.
The painting is first class, an excellent job that deserves heaps of praise. Your OSL is good and the base work is fantastic. I think the mud splatters work perfectly and do not need any touching.
He looks I'll to me, his eyes tell me so and he touch with the snot is fantastic.
You have raised your bar and put yourself in the great painter category.
To work on for the future I would study OSL more, perhaps a touch of shading to the bicep to set the light from above but that is being highly critical.
You have my total praise.

Oldman Willow · **Posted:** Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:48 pm

Very well done. I like the green mushrooms. Everyone does red.

Mertaal's Wip: Barrow Wights and Tom Bombadil p17

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