Oldhammer Minotaur by Nick Bibby

Scratch one from the leadpile. Serious old-school excellence from arguably (discuss alternatives below), the best metal-mini-monster-maker in the 80's, Nick Bibby.  

~J~

Of Nick Bibby...

Ohhhh dear, where has the time gone? Over two years since my last entry, two years of no hobby activity (aside from some purchases and a KS campaign or three.) The first year was an abstention through necessity (no time to spare, in other words), the second because model hobbies are all but impossible when living out of a suitcase. I should rename this blog: Diary of a Relapsed Painter!

Anyway.

Enthusiasts of Golden Age Citadel will know all about Nick Bibby. On many occasions I have wondered what he has been doing for the last 20 years, with little evidence of him on the internet. A few years ago I learnt that he has been dedicating himself to sculpting wildlife subjects, and eBay listings sometimes turn up these pre-painted cold castings of animal dioramas like wolves and eagles.

So what has changed? Turns out he is on Facebook. Not sure how long for, but I've been following him for over a year, maybe two. His work is nearly all about life-sized bronzes, and it is incredible stuff. As worthy of blogging as this all is, it pales next to the news of what he is now doing...

Yep. Its a dragon alright. I think this might be his first since the 90's. Waste no time and visit his FB page for more images. For the ardent hobbyist, he has described his method for building the wings. This is VERY interesting and one day I will apply this method to the Great Spined Dragon.

~J~

www.nickbibby.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NickBibby.Sculpture.Bronze

Unintentional Halloween Post

This pair of Night Horrors just happened to get painted this month - no other reason. But, at least the theme is apposite. First, a Jes Goodwin Wight. Only took three days from first application of paint to varnish :-/

I confess to be very pleased at how well and how easily the Wight came out. I think my style is well suited to undead subjects. I would happily paint a whole army. Am annoyed that I sold nearly all the skellies I had.

Next, an Elizabethan Ghost from the Perry's. I was going to use an airbrush on the base. I cut out a rough mask to spray through for the glow area. Came unstuck when the white ink I had suitable for airbrushing turned out to be very thick and gloopy, even after some thinning with distilled water. Had to make do with dry brushing.

The painting was simples. It already had a 20 year old base coat of Citadel Electric Blue. I went over that with Horizon Blue to bring down the intensity (and garishness), followed by washes of blue with increasing amounts of white. This created a shading inversion to promote an ethereal effect. White shading, in other words. Slightly concerned that the head doesn't draw any focus, but that would do more to detract than add.

My basic lighting set up doesn't do anything to help bring the paintwork to life - they look so much better with the unaided eye. The Ghost needs a proper lighting tent to eliminate all that self-shadowing.

And. Earlier in the month I chalked up my 16th finished and varnished mini - a classic Nick Bibby Minotaur.

When budget allows I'll get some of those nice resin bases rather than muck about with milliput, though I have used some of that putty on my renovation of Nurgle's Palanquin. Hate using it.

There was a time I would paint like a demon. I would go three months straight doing nothing but paint and would do a hundred figures. Then something or other would come along and break the rhythm, and it would take weeks to get back into it. Weeks turning into months and then years.

The fact I had suddenly got three figs done, the Wight done over a couple of nights, is a good sign that my recent 'more is more' rationale is working. I've dug out every miniature that already has a coat of primer, primed a whole bunch more, assembled and primed even more, on the basis that the more things lying around begging to be painted, the more likely I am to get a sudden bout of inspiration and start chucking the paint on. The Wight was done like that.

To future productivity.

(and a happy All Hallows Eve)

~J~

Gnarly Dragons

Dragon Ogre (1989)

A venerable member of my collection, as well as a (personal) all time favourite paint job. In those early years I was inspired much more by John Blanche's paintings than by his own miniatures (apart from his Minotaur, which is still and always will be amazing). I took my visual cues from the cover art from some Warhammer roleplay supplement, which featured a lone fighter crossing a causeway through rough seas to a decrepit old keep. The colours in it were an inspiration; I wanted to give my Ogre a similar feel, with deep, rich contrasts. Paint job is very much 'of its time' and very personal.

Mordax, Great Imperial Dragon (1993)

Very old, very gnarly, very not quite dead. Another one from my Bright period. I just wish I hadn't used purple on the wings. Does. Not. Work! Can't bring myself round to overpaint it, even though I want to.

Must get some NEW stuff done...

~J~

Fearless Frost Dragon (1993)

If there was a CMoN back in the early 90's, I would have posted this. Painting is 'Old School' by today's standards. The photo was taken just as an inventory shot, so nothing fancy about the set up, but its nice and clear with good depth of field.