Reaper Miniatures Familiars 2 - 77196

This was a bit of whimsy but I needed a small spirit for an upcoming Dungeons & Dragons session and I believe this mini will do nicely.  Was thinking about maybe a cool green or blues, but settled for red to yellow.  My original intent was to bring each layer up vertically onto the model, but then I'd lose the features as this is really such a tiny mini, therefore I did a bit of both layering a highlight color on top of another while also bringing the highlight vertically to the top.

This is also just one of the miniatures in what's been grouped as a package of familiars - I originally received as part of a previous Reaper Kickstarter.

Painting Instructions for Familiars 2 (Reaper Paints)...

Step 1: Use Crimson Red on base edge
Step 2: Use mix of Crimson Red and Rusty Red on base middle
Step 3: Use Rusty Red on base center and entire figure
Step 4: Use Burning Orange at bottom of figure and bring to top
Step 5: Use Fireball Orange at about the figures knees and bring to top
Step 6: Use Golden Yellow at figures hands and bring to top
Step 7: Use Pale Saffron at figures head and bring to top
Step 8: Use mix of Pale Saffron and Solid White and just hit the tips of the top

Kickstarter paint total: 143 + 1 Familiar = 144

Reaper Miniatures Creature of Blood Reef - 77189

I dug into my bones pile to find some sea creatures and these guys turned out to be a bunch of fun to base and paint.  As they're supposed to be down in the bottom of the sea I moved away from my normal rock/stone basing and made something a bit more fitting - I thought about painting the sides blue but decided against it.  They'll be put to good use soon in our current D&D campaign as the party travels up and down the Sword Coast.  I'm sure they'll be guarding a sunken ship broken against the reef.

It's been awhile since I used my Reaper Paints - they're so nice - just amazing.  I went that direction as I wanted to base these in an old Reaper color called Clouded Sea - just a fantastic blue/green which I figured would do these guys justice.  The Reaper paint is just beautiful to use - silky smooth off the brush and dries to a flat.

Another point about this - I'm not a fan of drybrushing but I want to get these on the table quickly.  So this is a "classic" basecoat, drybrush, wash, pick out the details - although I did spend a bit of extra time layering up some red to orange color on the fin.  I figured the opposite of blue/green on the color theory is red/orange.

Painting Instructions for Creature of Blood Reef (Reaper Paints)...

Step 1: Use Clouded Sea on everything but fin and claws
Step 2: Use mix of Creamy Ivory and Clouded Sea (60/40 - 3 drops to 2) - drybrush entire model
Step 3: Heavily water down Spruce Green and wash the entire model
Step 4: Use Rusty Red on the fin and claws
Step 5: Use Burning Orange on the fin and claws as initial highlights
Step 6: Use Fireball Orange on the fin as final highlights
Step 7: Use Solid Black on the eye socket
Step 8: Use Burning Orange as eyeballs
Step 9: Use Griffon Tan on base
Step 10: Drybrush Desert Tan on base
Step 11: Use Creamy Ivory and the stippling technique on the base (stippling is like drybrushing but instead of dragging across you dab onto the model with a down/up technique to put little dots onto the model)
Step 12: Use watered down Umber Wash (Vallejo) on base

Kickstarter paint total: 138 + 5 Creatures of Blood Reef = 143

Wizkids Fountain - WZK73865

Probably the easiest "miniature" I've painted - this is actually quite a good size miniature standing on a two inch base and reaches a few inches in height - it's part of the Wizkids Deep Cuts line. This model is really a fantastic set piece and will be great to introduce in an upcoming gaming session.

Painting instructions for Fountain...

Step 1: Disassemble the pieces - the fountain has three pieces and 2 clear plastic pieces representing water
Step 2: No need to primer - already done
Step 3: Use Ghost Grey (Vallejo) on entire model representing the fountain
Step 4: Use Pale Grey wash (Vallejo) over Ghost Grey on entire model representing the fountain
Step 5: Use watered down Ice Blue (Reaper - they're a bit less opaque and have really good coverage when watered down) on the clear plastic pieces
Step 6: Reassemble the pieces

Reaper Miniatures Treasure Pile - 77138

This actually comes as a multipart from Reaper with a pair of candleabras.  Originally I picked this up with one of the Bones Kickstarters, so I'll need to go dig for the two candleabras and do those up next.

Painting instructions for Treasure Pile (used my Vallejo Game Color)...

Step 1: No need to primer - already done
Step 2: Use Charred Brown on wood
Step 3: Drybrush wood with Filthy Brown
Step 4: Use watered down Gunmetal Metal on metal bits
Step 5: Wash all wood with Umber Wash
Step 6: Wash all metal with Black Wash
Step 7: Use Bright Bronze for coins
Step 8: Wash with Umber Wash
Step 9: Use Black on base

Kickstarter paint total: 137 + 1 Treasure Pile = 138

WizKids Chests - WZK72590

Some more set pieces to fill a room - Wizkids is knocking it out of the park with these minis.  Combine this with mimics and you can host a fun encounter - 2 chests - one's a mimic - one is filled with treasure.

Painting instruction for Chests (used my Vallejo Game Color)...

Step 1: No need to primer - already done
Step 2: Use Charred Brown on wood
Step 3: Drybrush wood with Filthy Brown
Step 4: Use watered down Gunmetal Metal on metal bits
Step 5: Wash all wood with Umber Wash
Step 6: Wash all metal with Black Wash
Step 7: For open chests use Bright Bronze for coins
Step 8: For open chests wash with Umber Wash
Step 9: Use Black on base

WizKids Hanging Cage - WZK73874

I have the perfect encounter for this set piece - can't wait until we get to that stage of the adventure.  This was so much fun to paint up and it's a working cage - the bottom comes off and there's an old man that goes in and out.  Another awesome Wizkids Deep Cuts product.

Painting instruction for Hanging Cage (used my Vallejo Game Color)...

Step 1: No need to primer - already done
Step 2: Use Charred Brown on wooden posts
Step 3: Drybrush Beasty Brown on wooden posts
Step 4: Drybrush Filthy Brown on wooden posts
Step 5: Drybrush Bonewhite on wooden posts
Step 6: Wash entire wooden posts with Flesh Wash
Step 7: Use Gunmetal on all metal bits
Step 8: Wash all metal bits with Black Wash
Step 9: Use Black on base and rock
Step 10: Drybrush Cold Grey on rock
Step 11: Drybrush Stonewall Grey on rock
Step 12: Drybrush Dead White on rock
Step 13: Use Bonewhite on skulls and bones on base
Step 14: Use watered down Dead White to highlight skulls and bones on base
Step 15: Use watered down Flesh Wash on skulls and bones on base
Step 16: Drag the string provided through Sepia ink
Step 17: Use Bronze Flesh on old man skin
Step 18: Use Scarlett Red on old man shirt
Step 19: Use Leather Brown on old man pants
Step 20: Use Charred Brown on old man boots
Step 21: Wash old man with Black Wash to give a gritty/dirty feel

Reaper Miniatures Lysette, Female Elf - 77076

Sometimes simple is best - we had another D&D home campaign which we started about 3 years ago and my wife was playing an Elven wizard.  Prior to the start, everyone painted their own miniature and this Bones figure from my Kickstarter pile was painted by my wife.  I added the eyes and the bit of white to the gemstone in the staff, but the remainder was all painted by my better half.  :-)   I could do some highlighting and shading, and pick out some details, but this wonderful mini was used well on the battlemat and it looks great as is.

Kickstarter paint total: 136 + 1 Elf Wizard = 137