Amazing High Elf General Miniature

More incredible painting by Jose, not a Warhammer Fantasy miniature but certainly an example that you can use for inspiration.

I'm going to let these pics speak for themselves (I often say that and then add loads of my own comments !)

Anyway, even though this is a 54mm model it still makes me want to pull out my paint brushes and call in sick for the day - although I am suffering from err... "painters block" at the moment.

The miniature is called Ithramir and on first inspection it looks very much like it's by the same sculptors (Andrea Miniatures) who made Varathar, the Dark Elf General / Lord. However, in actual fact it isn't - much to my surprise. This is a "Green" painted brilliantly by JMPN (Jose) (coolminiornot.com nickname) and sculpted by someone named Freeman. The miniature won a Golden Demon - personally, I'd give it some kind of lifetime "beat this is you can" award !

This guy has definitely seen some hard combat. He clearly maintains that High Elf royalty-like nobility but check out the slightly faded, dusty barding and cloak and the less than shimmering armour. This guy looks like a veteran of many battles to me and, frankly, not to be messed with by anyone less than Malekith !  If I was riding into a fantasy battle I'd like this guy by my side or Gandalf !

Note also, the attention to fine detail on the base - the foliage looks real, not modeled.

Miniature photos used with Jose's very kind permission. Thanks very much Jose.

Fantasy Painting Masterclass - Dark Elves (Druchii)

Amazing Dark Elf fantasy miniature sculpt and masterful artwork from JMPN

I found another amazing paint brush magician on coolminiornot, his nickname is JMPN (Jose) and he is one hell of a painter (in fact, he rates 5th on cool mini !!!).

Jose has very kindly granted me permission to show off some of his awesome modelling and brushwork skills. He's working on a new website right now so I cannot share a link with you (until it's finished) but you can find him on coolminiornot if you'd like to tell him how great his work is.

To start with, I chose one of his most highly rated miniatures to share with you, a Dark Elf Lord. This miniature is so good it almost looks like a computer generated image for a film. Actually, it looks better than that and I'd love to see it in combat with it's High Elf counterpart.

The miniature is 54mm scale and a lot more "life-like" for it. I guess it's not completely fair to compare it with Warhammer miniatures which are all (in the modern era) 28mm (in the old 1980's era 25mm) but when you check out the pics you'll see why I was keen to post them here.

---

A Dark Elf General on Cold One

Let's get straight to the point, this model is utterly brilliant. The scale comparison between mounted and mount, the elf's posture and the realistic "feel" make this miniature next to perfect. On top of that the incredible painting, colour selection, textures, armour, shading and attention to detail (check out the snow on the cloak and the saliva dripping from the Cold One's lower jaw) make this one of the best miniatures I have ever seen (the base alone is outstanding !)

Enough said, just enjoy the pics. This model rates as 10/10 without a doubt in my mind.

I'd like to show more pics but these are all there are (click on them for a close up).

Apparently, this miniature now belongs to a private collector. Here's what Jose has to say about it:-

"One of the idea for this character it's the diferent's materials. For me, the elves are magical creatures, so I try to represent different materials in weapons and armor, looking for a combination of metals (sword, ornaments ...) and magical stone (obsidian, etc ...) to the armor.


This figure has win diferents awards, including Best of show and best of painter, but probably the greatest award was able to make more time with this work and enjoy this great work."

If the private collector brought this along to a Warhammer battle I would have to let him use it (as my miniatures cringed in badly painted self-conscious embarrassment !). Let's face it, this could be Malekith on a very angry giant Cold One or Carnosaur (strength 7, toughness 7 with 7 attacks !).

Although, if my opponent didn't cost the unit at well over 1,000 points I wouldn't be inviting him back for another game - unless he was prepared to play "winners takes all miniatures" :D

This miniature is named Varathar and is from Andrea Miniatures, a very top notch fantasy miniature outfit.

Painting Chaos miniatures - to boldly go...where ever you please !

The Daemon army might not be as all conquering in the 8th edition of Warhammer as it was in the 7th but there's still one big reason to continue to envy a Daemons of Chaos player and indeed, to some extent, Warriors of Chaos generals...

They can paint and even construct many of their miniatures any which way they choose. With daemons, every paint pot can be used, no colours are out of bounds (imagine painting your Dwarf Hammerers pink !). Similarly with Warriors of Chaos characters although you probably have a little less scope with the rank and file who would also look a bit silly dressed in pink !

Here are a few examples to inspire...

---

The New Daemon Prince (released July 2010) painted and constructed by Dims (website: www.dimsgalleries.com). Dims painted this new mini at the request of his local GW hobby shop staff.

Check out the very original mottled effect wings and the variety of colours. It's all very pleasing to the eye and, Dims tells me, very enjoyable to paint.

You can contact Dims through the Battle Reporter forum or via Facebook (Pascal Rooze). He does commission work if you're interested.

The next example is from Alexi_Z's live journal (http://alexi-z.livejournal.com). Alexi has won numerous painting awards and is very highly rated on coolminornot.com (13th top artist out of thousands !).  Alexi has also just started selling her own DVD painting guide which you can find on her site or coolminiornot.com.

Khorne troops tend to be red, Nurgle green and brown, Tzeentch blue and pink and Slaanesh... actually there doesn't seem to be a general Slaanesh colour. However, I would argue that because they are from the realm of ultimate Chaos where there is little semblance of order then you can paint your Chaos miniatures any colour you choose.

And finally, some colourful examples from Chest of Colors just to give you some more examples of the striking look and feel you can aim for when painting Chaos miniatures. I wonder how many people select their fantasy battle army based on which models they will get to paint ?  After all, these models must be more fun to paint than hordes of gobbos, skaven or zombies that you have to remove from the battlefield in handfuls !

Note: there are a lot more pictures of these miniatures (and at a higher resolution) on the Chest of Colors website.

This last miniature has to rank highly in my all time favourites. It's not actually by Citadel / Games Workshop, it's a 28mm scale Hordes miniature (I believe Hordes is a PrivateerPress game). It's a superb model and has been given a superb paint job to match by Ana. They should really use this miniature pic in their advertising, it's better than the one on the official hordes site !

All miniature pictures have been used with the kind permission of Dims (Pascal Rooze), Alexi_Z and Ana & Mahon from Chest of Colors.

I would like to point out that I'm in no way associated with the painters (except for Dims being a member of the Battle Reporter forum which I administer) and I don't receive a commission or anything like that for showing off their miniatures, I just think they're great and thought you might think so too.

Painting "Fantasy Quality" Miniatures

Study other people's Warhammer Battle models to help you paint "Fantasy" into your minis.

I have had real trouble in the past injecting that elusive Fantasy feel into my miniatures. Some miniatures make it a lot easier than others because they already look the part but I have struggled in the past to make some of my models really look like they occupy the Warhammer world. My minis tend to come out looking somewhat rough and errr... ruddy. It's not always easy to emphasize the detail or make them look fantastical and, for want of a better word, "real".

I stumbled across Alexi's miniatures a couple of weeks ago and she has kindly granted me permission to display some of her awesome pics in my gallery blog. Alexi ranks as the 13th best Fantasy Miniature Artist on coolminiornot (Alexi_Z) out of thousands of painters and you will see why below.

Alexi's ability at making models look like they really exist in a fantasy world is second to none. Her vibrant colouring, shading, lighting and freehand skills are virtually peerless and she is one of the finest miniature painters in the world. Her metal work is particularly impressive, check out the High Elf Dragon Princes and Caradryan.

Here are some examples that show off Alexi's skill at turning fantasy into reality.

---

High Elf miniatures Masterclass
(I'm using these pictures for painting inspiration, I hope they inspire you too).

  finally, with the perfect musical backing (if you turn your volume on)...



More of Alexi's miniatures to come in future posts, involving fire and lava effects, bringing the magic to life in sorcerers and other "wizards" and the most realistically painted WFB miniature I have ever seen.

The Best of the Best Fantasy Miniature Painters ! (telling tales).

A truly magnificent miniature painting and modeling masterclass.

This is another post in my expert series which follows some of the finest Warhammer Fantasy miniature painters on the planet.

All of the below images are from Ana the owner of the Chest of Colors website and have been used with permission (all rights reserved by Chest of Colors)

The site's catch phrase "painting your imagination" is quite apt because what you will find below are not only inspirational examples of fantastic painting and modeling but a rarely paralleled attention to imaginative detail and, in my opinion, story telling.

Ana, is clearly one of the finest modeler / painters in the world and she ranks in the top 20 out of thousands of miniature painters on coolminiornot and has been awarded several Golden Demon awards, including gold !

Note: check out the Warhammer Fantasy Battle gallery at Chest of Colors for higher resolution pictures.

---

Chest of Colors boasts thousands of miniature pics, a forum, blogs, mini auctions and tutorials. You can find Ana's miniatures on eBay by performing an advanced search by seller id "chestofcolors". 
Ana will paint for commission and can be contacted through webmaster@chestofcolors.com

---

first up... a Golden Demon award winner ! (GW Poland - Gold in Monster category)

The more I look at this miniature the more I wonder at the scene. This diorama certainly tells a tale, it's not just a miniature, it's a story. Check out the daemonic looking dog - named "dog fish" :) swimming in the frozen waters. Now check out the Rhinox, it looks like it's sniffing at the ground... can it sense something below ? The "dog" maybe or is something else bothering the Rhinox ?

This Ogre is clearly a veteran of many fights, check out the bretonnian banner he's using as a saddle cloth. The shields strapped to his mount and his shoulder suggest he's seen off Empire, Dwarfs and maybe Skaven, it looks like he's managed to amass a fairly large sack of booty too, or is it full of human body-part snacks !?

The ogre looks pretty aggressive with his raised blade so I'm guessing he's psyching himself up for a fight. But who's he fighting and where are they. Why are they "risking it" on the ice, why is there a "dog-fish" moving in concert ?  Does the "dog" know something the rider doesn't ?

The gnoblar clinging to the Ogres's patchwork shirt looks a bit manic (or maybe he's nervous !), is he urging the Ogre onwards, or trying to warn him about something to the Ogre's right, while the Ogre is looking to his left.

Check out the drips of water on the wooden base from the melting ice. This diorama feels almost alive. Now read this....

"The inscription says 'And whoever stands here he will die, because it's curs....'  The end is intentionally washed off by the pool of water leaking from the crack on the back of the base."  (Ana)

Now that's what I call using your imagination !

I'll be posting my thoughts on some more of Ana's wonderful miniature modeling; you will find them all under the ** Extreme Masterclass ** label in this blog. Thanks again to Ana and Mahon for kindly allowing me to share their images with my readers.

Having fun with Warhammer Army Banners, Standards and Shields - "A dream to some... a nightmare to others !"

Every Fantasy Battle General needs a great Army Standard to rally his troops around and they don't come any better than these !

Flat surfaces are a rarity on fantasy miniature models so make the most of it when you get a relatively even banner, shield or tunic to paint. It's your chance to place your own personal stamp on your units, give them a consistent, uniform look (if you want to) and to make some great centerpieces for your army.

I was surfing around looking for inspirational pics of banners and shields when I stumbled across IronHalo.net. I had never seen the site before but was extremely impressed.

The site is owned by a lady named Rachel. Rachel has been painting professionally since 2001 and has won 5, yes 5 Golden Demons, 2 of which were gold !!!

Thankfully, Rachel responded to my begging letter and has very kindly granted me permission to show off some of her awesome banner / shield work.

To check out IronHalo.net click the banner below or see the foot of the Blogroll. They provide terrain and bases* in addition to painting services, some painting tips and an absolutely awesome miniatures gallery.

* I didn't realise this at the time but Rachel tells me that Philfy used some of the IronHalo.net Valhalla range of bases in his Lizardmen to Daemon Army Conversion (it goes to show what a small Warhammering world we live, hack, slash and die in !)

PS. Rachel is available for commission work if you want to have the best painted army on the planet !!

---

---

An enormous amount of modelling and conversion work went into this BSB miniature (click the image at the top of the page to enlarge it). The miniature was for the Australian Golden Demon 2005 competition. You can read all about it in the Iron Halo gallery. All of the below pics come from the Warhammer > Bretonnians section.

This is the pic I really wanted to draw your attention to. Check out the fabric look, it's meant to be French Tapestry. Can you imagine anyone being able to achieve a better effect ?!  To me this just looks incredible.

Check out the level of detail ! I particularly like the leather / gold stud effect on the scabbard and the horses barding and indeed the overall colour combinations and the way they contrast (click pics to enlarge).

More Bretonnian Banners...

A very grand Holy Grail Battle Standard or possibly a Grail Knight Standard Bearer.

(enlarge the pics to see them in a lot more detail)

The Bretonnian King, Louen Leoncoeur himself...


It sounds like this model was a bit of a pain to put together but produced a satisfying end result. Note that the banner is custom built, it does not come with the model.

The banner itself is less detailed than the first BSB at the top of this thread but King Leoncoeur's standard will appear more striking and stand out better on the battlefield. Remember that the first banner I showed you was specifically for a Golden Demon competition and therefore a lot of close up scrutiny.


Bretonnian Shields and Heraldic Uniforms

<>

<>

Take a look at the heraldic shield designs, they really draw the eye and give the models a nice sense of purpose and pride - the shields almost make them look more virtuous !

Also note how a different palette can achieve a completely different "feel". These models are quite similar but look very different due to their contrasting colour schemes. The first one seems more fantasy like while the second, which I personally prefer, has a more "let's get down to business look".

Both are superbly painted and there are more pics on Rachel's IronHalo.net site of these miniatures.


One last example to give you hope that you can achieve something similar...

This Knight bears the Chivalric Virtue of the Impetuous Knight (+d6" for his first charge and any unit he's with). Look how simple the design is and yet how much it adds to the model. Go for it, give it a go !

Motivating yourself to convert and paint your Fantasy Battle Miniatures

Starting a Warhammer hobby blog can be a great way to keep you motivated.

The best Fantasy Battle content on the internet is undoubtedly in the Warhammer Blogosphere. That's because the blogs are created by people who have so much passion to share.

If your modelling and painting is withering under a motivational drought then why not start a blog to share your creations with the Warhammer world ?

Three reasons to do it:-

1) It will keep you motivated.

Painting and modelling blogs are really popular. I guess it's because people simply love looking at cool miniature pics and imaginative fantasy creations. The Wargamer community is, in my experience, a very friendly one (I suppose we're all geeks together !) and people are happy to applaud your efforts and share their thoughts and ideas with you.

2) People will become followers.

Once you capture people's interest they will visit again and you often find a nice rapport developing. Lots of bloggers share their sites with one another and encourage each others projects.

3) It's a piece of cake !

just get a gmail account and use google's blogger - it's free !

---

An example of a superb Warhammer Army project, perfect for blogging !

---

Anyway, without further ado, below are pics from a site I stumbled upon the other day. It's by a guy called Philfy, from New Zealand. He's a talented modeler and clearly very creative because he has converted Lizardmen units into a very original looking Daemons of Chaos army. As you will see he's also a very good painter.

Philfy has written a diary of his progress from start to finish. It includes all sorts of info which he delivers in a really friendly and relaxed way. Philfy is basically sharing his project with the world and it makes for an inspiring read.

Here's a very brief summary of some of the conversion work:-

Bloodthirster - a carnosaur with wings. Herald of Tzeentch - a converted Slann Mage Priest. Flesh Hounds of Khorne - include a couple of salamander bodies. Horrors of Tzeentch - skink heads and a variety of weapons. Chaos Furies - skink heads, harpy wings and horrors of Tzeentch arms.

The unit bases are also very impressive, they perfectly mix the Lizardmen / Daemonic theme.


You can read all about the projects's trials and tribulations under the "Daemons" label on Philfy's blog which is called "Warhammer NZ" and has been added to this site's blogroll. 

Fleshhounds of Khorne

Daemonettes of Slaanesh

Bloodletters of Khorne

Horrors of Tzeentch

Flamers

Furies

Images used with Philfy's kind permission. Many thanks.