tauster
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Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 26, 2013 7:49:05 GMT -5
That is seriously one of the best crafting I've ever seen. In fact, I think this crossed from crafting into art a few miles back - and is still accelerating.
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 24, 2013 8:36:58 GMT -5
Since I watched miniGirl's tutorial/ad for stamping 3D structures into bases, I was looking for some stuff I could use... Here's what I cam up with today. The clay is still drying, so painting will be done in a couple of days. Plaster i.imgur.com/heWwDlT.jpgI really like this effect and can't wait to hit it with color! I found several meters of rollen mesh in the workshop and pressed in the clay using the rolling pin (wrapped in foil to avoid getting clay on it). i.imgur.com/Aia4Moi.jpgNot sure how I'd call this, but it looks very organic, a bit like honeycombs: grown but still kind of regular. i.imgur.com/Inpd77n.jpgGuess what I used to create this... If you really want to guess, don't click on this link: i.imgur.com/XN33xGG.jpgSeveral ornaments i.imgur.com/2W6CA51.jpgI have a bag of old passive cooling fans that I had intended for steampunk projects. Turns out they good for other things too! i.imgur.com/8rZG6gV.jpg
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 24, 2013 1:31:45 GMT -5
I get many of my inspirations for adventures, NPCs, locations and other roleplaying elements from pictures and fotos. And this also applies to crafting: Each time we're crafting stuff, there is an inspiration at the beginning of the process. For me, this was up to know mostly the shared creations of other users in this forum. But I find myself again being drawn to pictures giving me ideas where to spend all my cardboard, hotglue and colors - so let's have a thread where we share pictures and other art forms like sculpting that inspires us! I haven't seen something similar, but if there is and I simply overlooked it, I can move my post to the existing thread. One of my treasure troves for great fantasy art is deviantart.com; there are literally thousands of pictures there that give me tons of inspirations (if inspirations had a weight)... Here's a user gallery I found this morning, with three pieces that inspire me to take up the gluegun. In future posts, I'll post not only the picture link but also a include the thumbails (whenever possible) plus a few words about what inspires me. I also will give each picture a consecutive number for easy reference. jambi20.deviantart.com/gallery/1) Arachnoid Nestjambi20.deviantart.com/art/Arachnoid-Nest-352354621- The way the eggs are spun in a cocoon is great: Just enough web strands to hold them in place, with enough free space between them to see what's behind. - The giant glowing egg looks really evil. I love the way it is held in place by strands from all sides so that it is not touching the ground. And the glow is an added plus. Great way to include some of these cheap blinking and colorchanging mini-LEDs! 2) The Guardianjambi20.deviantart.com/art/The-Guardian-325760153All the trappings of a great earth elemental: - glowing eyes - rocky spikes - great ball of fire 3) Clockwork of Lifejambi20.deviantart.com/art/Clockwork-of-Life-84377657...simply wicked! This would be a great centerpiece / mission goal in an encounter. You can do this with a steampunk theme (more brass, less dirt) or with a hellish theme (more rust, gore & dried blood). What's really wicked? Give it a celestial color scheme: Clean (no dirt), shimmering, pearly white hearte and gold tones for the chains!
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 23, 2013 15:43:55 GMT -5
I have just started creating dungeon tiles so my collection isn't up there quite yet but i have used tea bags strings for my spider webs terrain. I also have pics of some other stuff i have collected and actually put together quite easily. I have used the bottom of a french fry container as well as a lid that went on a chili container. I also have deconstructed a empty pack of cigarettes and used that as well. When i look at something now i wonder what it could be used for and usually as i start brainstorming it just slaps me in the face.
I hope yall enjoy theses ideas.
Some creative upcycling in your dungeon, I like that! I started collecting all kinds of containers (food, cosmwetics, electronics, etc) about 2 years before I came to crafting roleplaying terrain because I was heavily interested in crafting steampunk stuff. Now all these things won't be reborn in another victorian age flux compensator but as dungeon or cave parts. Which is just as well for me. And since trash & junk is almost everywhere, there are always these tiny voices screaming 'take me with you, use me in some project, save me from going to the landfill!' that I most of the time have to ignore. If nobody looks and I have something with me to put this stuff in, I can take it with me. But that is rarely the case - I don't really feel like rummaging in trash in front of others (especially not in my neghbourhood where those others know who I am), so I have to let 90% of those cool stuff go to waste, quite literally. But that's the crafter's dilemma I guess...
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 23, 2013 13:47:19 GMT -5
Wow, great result! And thanks for the detailed tutorial, I could take a lot of things away!
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 23, 2013 13:24:44 GMT -5
Tauster, Have no experience using inkjet ink as a mini's wash, however, I will warn you that the ink is water-based, and it will dissolve, quickly, if it get wet, so varnishing may prove challenging, after you get it the way you want it. I would suggest a light application of a solvent-based sealant. Best of luck with the experiment. Thanks for the warning. Here's what I have done anyways... 1) 2 poker chips pasted with modeling paste to get waves. For better durability, the waves are actually pretty shallow; lightsource in the picture is very low and from the side for better visibility i.imgur.com/eAq4ZSd.jpg2) the test 'color': 2 different shades of blue; a mix of inkjet printhead cleaning fluid and whatever solved in that stuff (approx. 4 hrs each) i.imgur.com/QP3Wb68.jpg3) kind of basepainted with lightblue (regular acrylic color), stippled on only lightly. The left chip has already the first wash of the dark 'ink' on (picture taken a minute after whasing, so it's still totally wet). The right chip shows the basepaint (I want to wait with the washing to see the difference between washing on wet and dried basepaint ). Several pictures taken with different lighting variations. i.imgur.com/pnQNOWf.jpgi.imgur.com/XztLoiL.jpg i.imgur.com/NUEvqWc.jpg 4) 1st base almost dry, 2nd base washed after basepaint dried. (ink is still wet in the picture) The difference between both ways: If you wash when the basepaint is still dry, the higher parts - in this case, the wave crests and most of the areas where the color does not pool, i.e. everything that is not a wave trough - will lose their paint to a degree. Again, two pics provided with different light settings so you can see better what I mean. And this is actually something quite valuable to know (at least for a paint noob like me). i.imgur.com/8cGuyGd.jpgi.imgur.com/CtP25Mv.jpgI'll edit this post to add pics of additional steps. 5) Update after 1 night of completely drying i.imgur.com/i2DdAI8.jpgi.imgur.com/XUv0bWR.jpgTwo shots in clear daylight... I like the left one definitvely better, so in the future I'll apply the wash immediately on the wet basepaint. Still I haven't experimented with the lightblue 'ink', so I will give the right base a good wash with it and see what happens. After that step I will try some white drybrush on it. The left one (my favourite) will be left alone as I am satisfied with it's looks. The lower one in the center is an earlier water base where I just stippled several colors over each other, also without waiting for each color to dry. Please ignore the glued-on metal scrap - I discovered only after gluing it on that the pokerchips have a magnetic metal core... Thanks for the link, but I didn't mean to buy a new printer. I have a 10 year old model that is still working - apart from the print head I assume. Noname ink cartridges cost less than 1€ for each color, so I don't have a cost problem. However my next printer will be a color laser printer, should I ever switch. I simply have too many pdf ebooks that I would want to have printed out in a better quality than my old epson stylus color can provide. Btw: Both the brush and the aluminum can could be washed out completely - the color did not cling to it. So it seems you won't ruin your brushes with that stuff. ...oh, and since this is the 'lets keep those junk and do something with it!'-thread, here's another little thing: If you have cat like me (or a dog), you probably have recognised those aluminum cans. They are perfect for mixing colors in, and can even be washed out times and again.
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 23, 2013 1:10:08 GMT -5
While Reaper's Bones II Kickstarter project hits it's final 3 days, there's a new extra stretch goal: Mashaaf the Great Old One. It's not exactly a Purple Worm, but the posture, the ridged belly section and especially the maw reminds me on our most beloved miniamacroture. A little time ago I wouldn't have dreamed about being able to create something like that myself. But after a few months of being here, I find myself picking out the details of this beast and recognising that I know how to build much of it myself: - General structure of a large, wormy body? Scotty's Purple Worm. - The posture? Like the Purple Worm. - The maw? Purple Worm . - Ridged Belly? You guessed it: Purple Worm. - Tentacles on the Maw? I know how to build tentacles, thank you. - Little deco stalacmites on the base? Shouldn't be too hard. - Fleshy folds? C'mon... - Rocks embedded in the carapace? Are you kidding me? That is Crafter's 101. - Pustules on the skin? Yawn. Simply press the Hotglue gun tip in the glue. - Crater-like pustules? I don't know exactly how, but I have some ideas... - Bones and scythe for the upper 'antennae'? Not sure, but I'm confident I find a solution in the board here. And that's what I love on these boards: So much learned in such a fast pace! I don't think I will sculpt it very soon (I still have a largely unfinished Purple Worm waiting on my desk!), but I now have the confidence to dare such a project. I think I will spent the extra 12 $ on this beast, just to be able to examine it with my own eyes and learn from close up. I think that way I'm learning even maw more than from the pictures.
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 22, 2013 15:06:59 GMT -5
As my inkjet printer was on strike, I had to clean the printhead today. After a few hours of sitting in a bath of cleaning liquid, the stuff had a deep blue-black color. Which immediately made me ask myself if this stuff could be used as color/ink for washing miniatures.
I am leaving the pot with the liquid on the balcony (secured against the autumn winds - I don't want that stuff on my carpet!) so that some of the alcohol and other chemical solvents can evaporate overnight. I'm curious if this works out!
Using leftover inkjet printer ink, highly watered down for washing effects - has anybody tried something like that before?
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 22, 2013 15:00:31 GMT -5
The wall of thorns got me thinking about walls of fire. I think you could cut out a wall piece with wavy flame shapes, then use hot glue to create more flame shapes on both sides. It could then be primered, and painted up as flames. Simple and easy if you don't own a foam cutter. If you do have a foam cutter, you can do something like this: WIP pictures i.imgur.com/DyUDT65.jpgi.imgur.com/zqsp0Hm.jpgi.imgur.com/i2lrvOC.jpgThe end result: i.imgur.com/eeH5obz.jpgA different variant, more in line with the 2.5D philosophy, would be using modeling paste, stippled on whatever you want to use as base. Scotty has done a turorial on flame balls, but it works also on flat surfaces like lollypop sticks which are ideal for flame walls. Firewall marker i.imgur.com/H7m7QT2.jpgi.imgur.com/65wpbqt.jpgi.imgur.com/CjZV1n0.jpgi.imgur.com/BSvbB2T.jpgi.imgur.com/NbPNxOB.jpgFlaming Spheres & small fire circle marker i.imgur.com/BCFqLUN.jpgi.imgur.com/ozWAyXR.jpgi.imgur.com/nM6l2Ng.jpgi.imgur.com/IbnFRfe.jpgI also tried modular tiles made completely out of styrofoam, but I'm not happy enough with the result to continue that way: I got hold of a 'pillar' of polystyrene (10x10x100 cm) and cut small panes with 3 cm thickness. I cut along the edges of the square as if I would want to bisect it to 1,5 cm thickness, but I made the cuts not very deep. Then I broke the piece in two (i.e. ripped it apart along the cuts), which left me with two halves that were wonderfully irregular in the middle. I painted the edges black and experimented with different fire color schemes, without finding something I liked enough to continue... Maybe I'll try it again somewhere down the road (I still have this polystyrene pillar...), but at the moment I have too many other projects waiting. i.imgur.com/Fy7QiJ4.jpgi.imgur.com/0LJYRJV.jpg...so much for fire. Sorry for derailing the thread!
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 22, 2013 12:22:29 GMT -5
Fantastic! I am sooo going to blatantly steal this idea and copy it...
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 22, 2013 7:34:01 GMT -5
I just saw one of miniGirl's new tutorials, where she shows some templates for brick surfaces that she sells on her website. tutorial: 4-PACK Mix Brick Stencil Templates: www.hobbyhottips.com/4-pack-mix-brick-stencil-templates/While the price is only 8 USD (and worldwide free shipping, something I learned to appreciate after the Bones II Kickstarter...), I immediately thought what materials to use for this purpose. I guess we'll find some packing materials and other free stuff... Of course I could make most of these stencil template simply by taking a strong sheet of plastic and really exactly working with a cutting knife or scalpell. With a hole puncher you might be able to recreate the round forms. Mind you, I don't want to cut in her business (I already feel bad for trying to find free substitutes *g*), but I always try to find some way to do things myself before I buy something. I really love her way to create the 3D-effect on bases, and I'll try to recreate that very soon (although I'll probably use clay instead of green stuff, if only for cost savings). I'll try to find a way how to do larger tiles with this, not only small bases. If I could find a way to 'stamp' a 10x10 cm area, I could make lots of modular tiles. Long story short, let's open the brainstorming!
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 21, 2013 14:33:15 GMT -5
..what skunkape said: Great paint job!
I love the 'just before jumbing' posture of the blue one - I wouldn't dream of placing my miniature right in front of it!
My opinion: They work both as medium and large creatures. After all, this is a game of imagination - I don't think being a teensy weensy bit too small or too large will matter. Posture and base decoration are more important than size anyways.
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 21, 2013 3:55:30 GMT -5
Finished the 2nd batch. All tiles in one shot, plus one of the 1st batch and fleshy monster models for color reference: Some close-up's, to show the whole glory, gory mess of this terrain: i.imgur.com/Isug5Fp.jpgi.imgur.com/wwkVP35.jpgColor reference: 1st batch vs. 2nd batch vs. fleshy tentacle... I'm satisfied with how the colors match. It's not completely the same, but as written before, since this is an organic setting, variances are OK. The tentacle and especially the converted Gorgon Mud are a bit darker, but so what. I don't think it will diminish the horror. i.imgur.com/5BBnNCY.jpgLessons learned:1) Before doing the 2nd batch, I was a bit sceptical whether this is possible at all to 'go 3D' with it and add all those veins, humbs and bumps. Only after I accidentally pushed a little too strongly with the bark I use for stamping the texture (see postings above for details), I realized that this is ridiculously simple! You just take your piece of bark and shove the clay sideways into a hump until you like what you see. A cakewalk. 2) Thickness: The 2nd batch is considerably thinner (~ 2 mm, sometimes less) than the square tiles of the 1st batch (solid 3 mm strong). I even have ripped some holes in the clay where I pressed the bark too strongly into the clay, but this is OK since it creates a disgusting effect of open pustules (juck!). Interestingly, applying the acrylic transparent gloss varnish changed the thinnes areas: Before the varnish they broke very easily, after the varnish dried, these parts became a bit elastic. I still have to glue the larger ones on pieces of thing but strong cardboard to prevent them from breaking. 3) Color: ...surprises me every time. After I basepainted them with the fleshy color (sorry, no picture), I had some serious doubts whether I've mixed the right shade, even if it looks almost the same as the rest of the paint I had kept from the 1st batch. Only after whashing it with a watered-down reddish purple and seeing this color dried (takes several hrs), I was convinced that it's OK. Still I was unsure how it would look after varnishing it, and I had absolutely no idea if the color schemes between the batches would match up. 4) General lesson, a.k.a.: Pseudo-philosophical rambling With all the doubts during the different stages, it turned out everything was totally OK and worked out very well. So the lesson learned is to be a bit more optimistic and/or confident in future projects. So far I haven't really ruined anything, and taking risks while crafting seems to be rewarded. 5) Safety & health considerations Remember that 4) applies only to risking your project - risking your safety & health is another thing! Yesterday I got my first serious hotglue burn while making a toilet paper rocket for my son. I spilled a large swath of liquid hotglue over a finger. While I had some skin contact with hotglue before, it was a) never this hot and b) never this much. I could get it off my finger quickly, but it still took some large patch of skin with it. Lesson learned: Never work with hotglue (or knifes, or any potentialy dangerous stuff) if you are distracted or even potentially distracted. Having an 19 month old kid standing behind you without someone to reign him in is a distraction guarantee . It could have been worse - after all, it was only me who got this stuff splashed on. It could have hit my boy's face as well... Next flesh project: 1) More tiles! I still need more regular square tiles, and some large 15x30 cm cardboard terrain tiles with rock chips glued on and empty patches where I can flexibly put the small flesh tiles from batch two. 2) The Mother ...yes, with a capital 'M'. My main motivation (and concern) at the moment is the centerpiece for this theme set: I want to do something like a deepspawn* that is about 10x20 cm large and at least 5 cm high. With multiple eyes and mouths and removable tentacles. * Basicaly a monster that can create multiple clone of creatures it eats. The clones are intelligent, indistinguishable from their original and totally loyal to the deepspawn. Click here and here for more information. Background story (not relevant for crafting)It will be the mother of all the lizard tribes the party will have meet (and probably battled) in the sessions before. These lizardmen will be backed up by improbable allies: kobolds, even one or two svirfneblin (good or neutrally aligned deep gnomes), one or two giants, perhaps even some real monsters like ropers. As far as I know my players, they will already suspect that there is some unifying figure behind these combos.
My players will be led to think that all this festering flesh growing in the tunnels and caverns is the ancient remnant from Torog's travels. After all, this is what they know as common underdark history. But Mother lairs in a cave set wherethe aboleths dumped ((i.e. teleported away from their laboratory, just to get rid of it) a failed summoning circle centuries ago (see 2nd posting of this thread, plus future updates). The arcane & psionic 'residual radiation' of the still-not-completely-inactive arcane circle (artifact-level power at the time of it's creation), combined with the longterm influence of Torog's residues on living beings, has created this monster. Mother has been down here for centuries. 'She' is very intelligent but with a healthy(?) touch of madness, unable to grasp or acknowledge her origins. However madness means that even if she is evil, she won't immediately attack the party. If they behave, they might even be able to forge a perverted alliance of some kind with her. After all, this thing can spawn creatures that are totally loyal to her... Sure, this alliance will end at the absolute worst possible moment (for the players of course), but that's exactly what I want. ..anyways, back to topic: I need to practice making maws and more important, eyes. The eyes really intimidate me - I still have an unfinished beholder waiting to be assembled and having it's central eye painted...
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Doors
Oct 21, 2013 3:05:48 GMT -5
Post by tauster on Oct 21, 2013 3:05:48 GMT -5
Sliding something in... that's one heck of a genius idea. Hats off! I don't know so far what to do with it, but I'm sure it will pop up in some future project.
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 21, 2013 1:13:33 GMT -5
I like that very much. The material and the way this is assembled should make them very sturdy. Having said that, I probably won't back this one. I already have two crates full of modular dungeon elements, some of which aren't even painted after several years. I think I have used them twice or thrice, in all this time, not more. And since I started crafting, the probability of using premade stuff went down even more... So as long as I have the time (which is an important cavaet), I could craft so much terrain pieces, including dungeons, for the amount of money I would normally want to sink in this project that my wife would throw that stuff out of the next window the moment it is finished...
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 20, 2013 10:23:36 GMT -5
First of all, as an overseas buyer, I just suck it up.. I live thousands of miles away by sea or air, I am used to buying specialist goods at high shipping cost, and "cargo container crap" dirt cheap, just like anyone else. The ironic part, is the carbon footprint is less for me, than it is for someone in the continental US.. your stuff gets freighted by truck, using loads of fuel.. mine gets here by jet or cargo ship.. relatively light on fuel over a greater distance.Go figure. Anyway, unless they can send it in bulk via shipping containers, and unload to send it locally when it gets here, they will never be able to ship it for free internationally without incurring some fairly staggering costs. Unless you pick your stuff up in the seaport, it also gets shipped by various trucks and cars up to your home. Of course if you buy a whole 20' container full of reaper minis, your carbon footprint really is better.
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 19, 2013 13:52:46 GMT -5
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 19, 2013 13:46:07 GMT -5
Hey if they break you just craft more =) Or you could just boil them for 8 minutes, add some fresh garlic, olive oil, and a few shaves of parmigiano reggiano and BAM! Dinner is served. Urgh, I don't even want to think how you would feel after eating those painted stuff!
But here's another thing, this time not found in the supermarket but on ebay (once again...). You all know those super-kitschy polyresin figures: faeries/elves, dragons, angels (the latter ones commonly used as chinzy decoration on graves )... They are perfect for us roleplayers! I found an ebay seller who got dozens of different models; here's some of his stuff. Some is not exactly cheap for our purposes, but some auctions are really cheap. I'll post prices for some sold autions, just for reference. All LED lights are color-changing. Add about 5 € shipping, plus 0,5 € for each additional auction after the first. dragons: 1) dragon head with LED ball. 12 cm high, 17.5 cm long (12,10 €) i.imgur.com/3VR0aTV.jpg2) dragon with crystal ball, 12,5 c high, 12 cm long (9,50 €) i.imgur.com/7Q1scLE.jpg3) dragon warrior with armor and sword that's too large even for a dragon, 20 cm high, 10 cm long, (9,38 €, another version ended at 5 €) i.imgur.com/B221nmG.jpg?1angels: 4) angel standing on rock, 21,5 cm high, 9,5 cm long (5,5 €) i.imgur.com/ncfoPxL.jpg?15) angel on pedestral, with LED light, 20,5 cm high, 10 cm long (6,1 €) i.imgur.com/USzmJBq.jpg?16) set of two angels, sitting in some kind of 'feather shell', with LED lights (11,95 for two pieces), i.imgur.com/UGw2Dxh.jpgAll LED lights are color-changing. Add about 5 € shipping. I got hold of all three angels and am still hunting for one or two dragons. This will probably add up to a total of a bit more than 30 € - which can't really be called cheap anymore - but here's what you get for that money: 4) This one is very high, and will make a outstanding centerpiece in a (ruined?) temple. If this was a miniature, it would have been priced way above 5,5 €! 5) & 6) I will probably convert the angels, carefully sawing the figures off so I can use those stands/pedestals otherwise. The figures will be used as statues (if you scratch them a bit and break off some limbs or even the head, you have great additions to a ruin set!), and the LED lights will surely find some nice use elsewhere. I try to get one or two dragons, but I'll limit myself to approx. 5 to 6 € each. I already have three smaller dragon statues (8-9 cm high), and one of these larger ones would be a nice centerpiece statue. If there's a LED light in, I might be using it either as is (after all, this is a great dragon magic effect that comes already built-in and requires no additional crafting!), or I gut it and use it elsewhere. It's probably not reasonable for most of you to buy from a German ebay seller, but here's his shop anyways: myworld.ebay.de/jl-warenhandel/There should be plenty of this stuff on eba.com or other national subsites, I guess.
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 19, 2013 9:08:29 GMT -5
No problems - both types are pretty sturdy. Nothing broke while I crafted them. Of course if you drop them, they will probably break...
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 19, 2013 6:00:49 GMT -5
I finally did something with my noodles... *ahem* I got two nice and weird-looking types of pasta... ...glued them together, painted 'em black and drybrushed them with a metallic goldgreen: Obviously I still have to paint the hotglue, but I figured I take some pictures now because they show better how this was done. Here's an example how I apply the 'one- bit-of-scrap-metal-glued-to-each-tile-and-dungeon-deco-piece-with-a-neodym-magnet-inbetween' - method: i.imgur.com/ConGwDc.jpgYou can barely see that the deco pieces are levitating a few mm above the ground. While this effect is neither wanted in play nor intended during the crafting, it not very distracting. And when all is painted up, this should be camouflaged even better. i.imgur.com/W26pDYU.jpgi.imgur.com/QfkSAb3.jpgPoplar twigs, treated with the same color scheme: i.imgur.com/VaIEIjv.jpg
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 18, 2013 14:29:14 GMT -5
The direction I'm going with hills is to create a cardboard piece with multiple layers, then I'll add a very light slope using either toilet paper or paper towels. The main idea is to make it of a slow increase in height, that minis can still stand on without falling over! Once I get some pieces done, hopefully this weekend, I'll post some pictures. I've tried that method some years ago... Be prepared that the cardboard will warp very much!
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 18, 2013 10:31:26 GMT -5
The "theatre of the mind crowd" think we're all loonies... to them I say merely... BRAINS! Brains? Been there, done that: I found a great brain ice cube tray. At first I used it only for its original purpose*, but then I realized, that... well... * i.e. making some superbly creepy ice brains. It works best if you freeze cherry juice and then drop the bloodred brain in orange juice: The juice freezes in the dints, making it look like... something very nasty. My friends shuddered!
...it would make a great addition to my miniature zoo. So I bought another one and use it as a mould... The brains in the picture are about the height of an average miniature, so if you have an illithid elder brain (...or a dozen of them... *shudder*) in your campaign, they are just perfect. p.s.: sorry for derailing the thread - back to topic please!
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 18, 2013 6:17:30 GMT -5
The gloss varnish on the converted Gorgon Mud dried, so this is another finished piece for the Torog-Subplot of my underdark campaign. Even though the brush strokes are still visible, I am really happy with the overall result. As usual, the gloss varnish is what brings it from "proper creepy" to "urgh, that is gross!"... Seen from outside: i.imgur.com/W0HwQl5.jpgDuring the sculpting, I tore a large hole in the wet paper and left it to harden. Then I carefully created a hotglue strand from one end to the other. After painting & varnishing, I find the resulting effect simply ... scary. i.imgur.com/OfFjhGc.jpgi.imgur.com/jruk2xh.jpgi.imgur.com/2R9n9WT.jpgWhile the outside of the thing has too many flat and almost smooth surfaces (which is why the brush-strokes are visible so prominently), the inside got plenty of texture: i.imgur.com/VIDtc8w.jpgBefore I applied the gloss varnish, I worked on another project and did a black basepainting job. Some of the black color splashed on the upper pseudopod; I saw this only after the gloss varnish had dried... i.imgur.com/IFdSNZC.jpgI absolutely love this effect! These black spots look totally out of place, like a skin disease. If this flesh-thing had skin, this would be a black cancer. This adds to the general creepy-ness of the sculpt, which is already very high on the creep-o-meter.
On related news, I started the 2nd batch of tiles: i.imgur.com/97R9Jbj.jpgI concentrated on irregular tiles, i.e. not the 10x10 cm squares I did initially. I made two with 10 cm long sides that can be put next to the squares, but the others are completely irregular. I will do some more large (15x30 cm or even larger) rocky terrain cardboard tiles with metal scraps glued in between the rocks. Only this time I will leave some areas completely empty, so that I can put the irregular flesh tiles in there - and still use them without the flesh in future encounters without the Torog theme. As you can see, I modelled in some folds and humps. I figured that this will not only look 'nice' (where 'nice' means 'creepy' of course), it also will cause the players all kinds of headache or goosebumps while they try to figure out what's below these raises. Or how to avoid anything bursting from it.
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 18, 2013 3:24:01 GMT -5
Good tips so far! Using sand on desert-themed tiles has the advantage that you don't have to paint it up. I recommend doing some research on dunes; my guess is that they are normally so large and high that building them as terrain with the right scale would require immensely huge terrain pieces. Just a guess... If you really want to put some effort into this, take a look here. Michael from TerranScapes is a professional terrain crafter - his works are pieces of beauty that are so well done that thay can really intimidate you sometimes. For me, he is one of the gods of terrainmaking. He did a series of videos on his desert gaming tiles: I haven't watched this series so far, just saved them for later inspiration because desert tiles are quite high up on my to do list. So please do post your progress and end results here, I am mightily interested how they turn out!
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 18, 2013 3:14:11 GMT -5
I see now... But if I understand correctly I would have to make a LOT of metal squares and glue them on my board. Then I would also glue metal sheets at the bottom of my wall pieces and use magnets in between to make them stick... That would work but man thats a lot of cutting metal and glueing them to the board. The cutting was done very quickly; what required the most time was cutting off the round edge of the cap. Cutting one large cap (approx. 10 cm diameter) in little scraps took about 1 to 2 minutes. If you want to secure your walls, you can use longer strips instead of small squares, which saves you some of the cutting. Use strong but old scissors, as cutting metal will kill their sharpness. Use a very strong glue - neodym magnets are very strong and might ripp off the metal from your board & tiles. I don't think this will take much time, at least not when I did it. You can buy neodym magnets in all shapes and sizes on ebay (or elsewhere). Compared to a few years ago they are almost dirt cheap now. I bought 200 square ones (5x5x2 mm) for 15 euro, shipping cost already included, by end of August. I have used about 80 since then, but I have crafted very much, and mostly I glued the magnets on, since the idea of glueing metal scraps on both tile and decoration occured to me only a while ago. The only thing I don't like is that their production causes very much environmental damage, something I normally try to avoid as much as I can...
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 18, 2013 2:08:24 GMT -5
I solved the magnet question for my crafted stuff the following way: I cut these twist-off caps with a strong but old pair of scissors in little pieces (approx. 10x5 mm and some 5x5 mm), which I glue with whiteglue on my tiles, wherever I want them. For large general tiles like for example a 15 x 30 cm piece of rocky terrain (little rock chips glued to the cardboard), I sprinkle about a dozen metal chips in. If I would want to secure a wall like you do, I'd glue some metal scraps on the side of the cardboard piece in a row. I paint everything up so that the metal bits are camouflaged by the paint, but still usable. Then I either glue little neodym magnets to the pieces that I want to add to the tiles later (dungeon decoration like mushrooms, trees, tentacles, flames or whatever). The main advantages are: - I can use dungeon decoration and the tiles more flexible and in combination with other tiles - easier storage (deco goes in a box, tiles remain flat and can be stacked One variant: Don't glue a neodym magnet on, neither on the tile nor on the decoration piece - instead glue a metal scrap on both of them and keep your magnets separate. Advantage: you will need far fewer magnets in the long run, plus you don't have to care for magnet polarity. Hope that helps! I dont quite understand what you mean. "twist-off caps"? Some magnetic/metallic pieces that you glue on top of the tiles/floor? Then attach some magnets to the walls? re. twist-off caps: I'm not sure this is the correct english name, just what my translator gave me... if you do a google picture search, this is the stuff that I mean. They come on glasses in all sizes, just browse your local supermarket. For the purpose of cutting them into pieces, the bigger the cap is, the better for you because you'll have less scrap from the round and curled edge. This is what I end up with. As you can see, I also use other sources of metal, like broken blade pieces from xcacto knifes. I then glue the metal bits on my terrain pieces and paint them over like the rest of the tiles, which camouflages them. I used to glue small (5x5 mm with 2mm thickness) neodym magnets to the bases of my 'dungeon decoration' pieces like these toadstools. I now can use the toadstools on all kinds of different terrain pieces like these small discs I intend to use as terrain markers. If you look carefully, you can still see scrap metal bits from the twist-off caps on the tile, but when used in play, you and the players will (hopefully!) easily overlook them. The other variant I mentioned in my last paragraph is a bit different because I don't glue magnets to the bases anymore; instead I glue on the same metal scraps on them that I glue to the tiles. Of course metal on metal does not stick, but if you put a magnet between them, they do. The advantage is that you need far less magnets that way because they are not glued down to any piece.
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 18, 2013 1:33:07 GMT -5
I do not know for sure. But if I had to guess I would say that they probably work about the same when they are wet. But after they dry the flexible will bend without snapping as the regular might break. Just a guess. I never used flexible paste so far... but if that is true, than I really should have gone for the flexible modeling paste when doing my flame markers! Those teensy, weensy spikes break so easily...
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 17, 2013 16:34:55 GMT -5
One has already gone to pieces over my scalpel work along with my thumb. I will keep you up to date but I am notorious for starting a project and never finishing 1) I second Scottie's advice: Take cate with sharp blades. Fortunately I haven't hurt myself (or others) so far while crafting, but I had some very close calls with the circular saw bench* and also when cutting glass bottles**, but nothing drew blood so far. * the rotating sawblade cracked and embedded itself in my jacket. without that old jacket, the whirring blade segment would have hit in my belly. ** advice: don't work with fast-rotating metal grinders on glass. never. 2) Looking forward to seeing how you do this! So if it's not a great deal, please post work in progress updates (with pics, if possible).
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 17, 2013 14:58:11 GMT -5
I solved the magnet question for my crafted stuff the following way:
I cut these twist-off caps with a strong but old pair of scissors in little pieces (approx. 10x5 mm and some 5x5 mm), which I glue with whiteglue on my tiles, wherever I want them. For large general tiles like for example a 15 x 30 cm piece of rocky terrain (little rock chips glued to the cardboard), I sprinkle about a dozen metal chips in. If I would want to secure a wall like you do, I'd glue some metal scraps on the side of the cardboard piece in a row.
I paint everything up so that the metal bits are camouflaged by the paint, but still usable.
Then I either glue little neodym magnets to the pieces that I want to add to the tiles later (dungeon decoration like mushrooms, trees, tentacles, flames or whatever).
The main advantages are: - I can use dungeon decoration and the tiles more flexible and in combination with other tiles - easier storage (deco goes in a box, tiles remain flat and can be stacked
One variant: Don't glue a neodym magnet on, neither on the tile nor on the decoration piece - instead glue a metal scrap on both of them and keep your magnets separate. Advantage: you will need far fewer magnets in the long run, plus you don't have to care for magnet polarity.
Hope that helps!
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tauster
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 184
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Post by tauster on Oct 17, 2013 3:47:31 GMT -5
All mounds have been painted; I used several slightly different pinting methods and color schemes to see what happens. I'm happy with most of the results, although I like some of them better than others. All flesh crafts together. i.imgur.com/rQJP7iH.jpgYou can see that there are many different shades, which is OK because after all, these things are organic - i.e. they grow, and that means that they are supposed to be different. I'm toying with the thought to give these different color shades an actual meaning. Maybe the darker ones are old growths and in a dying stage, while the ones with more reddish tones have a highened blood circulation and are more active: Something is about to emerge - how soon....? Close-up of the mounds i.imgur.com/KAQ6moP.jpgThe former Gorgon's Mud is not finished yet but has receives the first washing. I'm not really happy with it because the brush strokes are very prominently visible. I'm not sure ow to change that, perhaps this is the result of the the glue surface being very smooth (compared to the bark-treated other tiles). I think I'll just give it a 2nd wash and see what happens... i.imgur.com/s6kYZ0U.jpg
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