All things Fantasy

When I first was getting into this Hobby, I went through time and again the various factions of Warhammer Fantasy Battles and after months of this and watching painting tutorials, I fianlly decided on Wood Elves. I went to the local GW store to buy my first ever paints and miniatures.

However the new Age of Sigmar range had just launched and so I waited watching the AOS ranges increase and the old factions decrease. I eventually dived into AOS getting Orruks and Sylvaneth and have enjoyed a few games.

I’ve resisted the Old World for a long time but I knew I’d not be able to resist the Wood Elves if they released a good starter box. And of course they did. I’ve bought one, I’m considering a second and I should have a test mini prepared soon.

As a Dibbun I read all, and I mean ALL, the Redwall books. I loved the world and the creatures in it. The sense adventure, battles and sieges, Cluny the Scourge and the Hares of Salamandastrom (spelling it from memory).

So the metals from Oathsword are the perfect way to paint and play this world though using their Burrow and Badgers ruleset.

I bought one of their starter sets and everytime I need a palette cleanser from painting a squad, regiment or something large I  paint one of these using contrast paints and I love it every time.

Mouse Mother Muriel will be a healer type (I think this is a thing in Burrows and Badgers…)

Just a quick project update; adding a Spirit of Durthu to my Sylvaneth army. Painted much the same way as the Tree Lord and Tree Lord Ancient I experimented for the first time wet blending. I used GW Contrast paints, an orange, yellow and red. I kept the majority of the blade yellow and the red went to the base of the blade with a thin strip of orange as an mid-range blend. Keeping my brush wet and working quickly this actualy provided alot of versitility and I’m satisfied with the overall effect.

After a painting hiatus I’ve hit a hot painting streak and have painted more in the past four months than the past four years. Included in this is the continuation of my Sylvaneth army painting. Above and below are the latest units I’ve finished. I completed the last 15 Dryads and a Tree Lord.

The Tree Lord was a bit more plain as compared to Durthu or a Tree Lord Ancient, to give it a bit of interest I used Vallejo Pink to paint it’s mushroons and fungi. Then Magos Purple for the Tendrils coming from its hand.

These minis have magnets attached to under their bases; they can be placed in a Really Useful Box which I’ve superglued magnetic sheet to the bottom of. Though if you’ve ate your way through some tins of biscuits the magnets will stick to these too. My excuse for eating a tin or two of Scottish Shortbread.

Part of being a Sylvaneth player is needing GW Wyldwood Terrain. The idea for this scheme came from painting the Tree Lord Ancient. I really liked the effect of the Gore Grunta Fur Contrast paint and was looking for an excuse to use it.

So autmunal trees was as good an idea as any and the Silver Birch bark seemed a good contrast to the rich leaves.

I started on the base useing Cygor Brown for mud, Apothecary White for rocks, Bsilicanum Grey for fallen branches, Skeleton Horde for bone. Finish with a light highlight of Ushabti Bone to tie it all together.

At this point I found it was difficult to paint the tree trunk (Basilicanum Grey) and leaves (Gore Grunta Fur) and painting the base made it more difficult as I had less areas I could hold the mini by. The fungus was painted first with Skeleton Horde and the mushroom tops with Blood Angel Red.

The leaves looked good but lacked something. So to complete the autumnal feel I chose my brightest green (Moot Green), red (Evil Sunz Scarlet) and yellow (Flash Gitz Yellow). With these I stipled the leaves using some scrap foam and this completely lifted the look of the leaves. I may have gone too light asit isn’t too noticable from a distance so I may add more.

After a break I’ve come back to this project and dived in with the Kurnoth Hunters. The Main colours are the sames as the Treelord Ancient.

Again on the bigger models I find the Wyldwood cotrast paint is enough without the need to drybrush. Also a second coat can add some added depth to the recesses.

The Branchwych is my second one and has a blue bug instead of red to differentiate them.

The Main difference is that I used Bronze on the bows for the handle and the tips of the bow. In my mind this is like a lightsaber and the blue zzzzmm’s out from bronze bits. These are highlighted with silver which actually gives a good effect – I had been dubious when I saw this being done on Utube.

Next up is my first go at the Wyldwood terrain.