While in MSS this year I picked up this gladiator miniature from El Viejo Dragon wich is in scale 1/30 (about 7cm from it´s feets to top of his head), so quite big if you are use to paint 28mm miniatures like the once from GW, Wyrd or some similar companys.
The miniature itself is casted in white metal and comes in three pieces, body and his hands. The sculpt had some mouldlines in some hard places like under his arms and so both the most of them came of without to much of a trubble. It´s a heavy piece and I´m quite happy about the cast apart from his face wich at some places seams a bit odd, but maybe the paints will solve that.
My intention on this pice was to place him in the arena and not on the resin base wich came with him (floor) and I also wanted him to have a weathered look. Life as a gladiator won´t be a picnick, right?
I started with a grey undercoat and then did the middletone of the skin with my airbrush to get a smooth cover. Then I started with the shadows and highligts adding brown, red and purple to the skintone. For the highlights I added Ivory. I won´t give any recipe on the skin since I honestly cant remember every little step, I just had fun!
The base was done in the same way as I do snow, with Sodium and PVA glue. I then painted the basetone with a sand colors, did one highlight and then went over it with some different kinds of pigments. I did som blood on the base so it would look like he just went from a fight. It looked ok, but I wanted something more to break it off. At this point it was a rather dark, bloody base so I decided to reduce the blood and instead add some roses. The audience will for sure throw roses at there favourite pet! Or at least that´s the story I wanted to tell. Now it´s time to stop writing and start posting pictures!
Roses!
The base with roses.
Gladiator WIP
More colors
Now it was about time to test him on the base.
Still, he looked not the way I wanted so, let´s give him some hair in his face!
Starting to look the way I aim for so let´s arm him!
The lamp actually made his har look rather light…
So, what´s left to do then?
He will get som dirt on the shoes, and clothing. Then the skin, and face will get som attention, especially around the eye´s (he will even get eye´s!) and some texture on clothing, metal, skin and hair. Then I think I will call it a day! This is my first “historical” miniature of this scale (maybe even the first) and so far it´s been both fun and challanging!
Untill next time, keep your colors wet and your brushes pointy!