Saturday 26 April 2014

A Warhammer Bestiary: Goblins!


It was hard not to resist the allure of the goblin while interviewing Kevin Adams. Luckily, goblins were the next stop on my Warhammer Bestiary painting project so I searched through my collection for a couple of early Goblinmaster miniatures. 

These two models represent a common goblin (the model on the left) and the lesser known chaos goblin (on the right) and were some of the few pieces in my collection. I was hard to get decent light today where I usually photograph models due to the inevitable rain outside, but I think they will do.


These were fairly quite paintjobs. I base coated the models as I usually do before washing over the entire piece with a green/brown/chestnut ink wash. These creates the depth that is so important in models and also helps me spot all of those little details. It was then simply a case of beastcoating and highlighting each item that required it. 


My method for goblin skin is quite straightforwards. I mix a little yellow ink in with the original Goblin Green paint and highlight up from there, adding white to the mix until satisfied. I use purple along any lips that are on the models and then highlight this by mixing in the goblin green highlight. 


I chose red scale armour for the chaos goblin, linking him perhaps to the worship of Khorne (or whatever the goblin equivalent would be) but chose the traditional browns and blacks for the common goblin. As a word of note, I used a chestnut/brown/black ink wash to dirty up the chainmail and metal pieces on the models to give the goblinoids that filthy look that their race requires. 


How do you think I did?

Orlygg

16 comments:

  1. Very cool indeed, this series is such a brilliant idea!

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    1. Thank you Mr Paul. Its a bit stop and start as I search for suitable miniatures. I am looking for a Citadel half-orc at the moment is anyone has one spare! (:

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  2. I like them, especially the mohawk. Could that be the chaos goblins mutation seeing as how goblins aren't meant to have hair?

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    1. Actually, the other goblin has hair too, and that dangles down from under the helmet. I think these were made before that design choice was made. Though the chaos goblin could have the mutation 'crest of hair'!

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  3. These are lovely. The yellow-green through to white flesh is definitively of the era and executed here so beautifully.
    Great work!

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    1. As I said, achieved with a drop or two of green ink. Though I have heard that back in the '80s the 'Eavy Metal boys used a yellow glaze over the finished skin to get that classic look!

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  4. Your brush work is exquisite as always. One aspect I really like is how the colours are sort of more 'pastel' like. I'm sure there is a technical phrase which is eluding me, but by that I basically mean they look like all the lovely paint work of the earlier periods of GW before the move to more stark colour schemes. Anyway, hopefully you can fathom the intended complement from my cryptic description!

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    1. The pastel look is achieved with a good old fashioned white undercoat and white being used for all the highlights. Its the addition of the inks to the mix that prevent that washed out look you can get with using white.

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  5. Really nice job on those gobbos. I like the models a lot - I hadn't seen those before.

    Joao

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    1. They are very early goblins from '85 if memory serves, the chap with the bow was one of Kev's very early goblin ranges.

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  6. These are really good and have a great old school feel to them! Out of interest would you mind telling me what colour you used as a base coat? Thanks!

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    1. For what, the green skin? Goblin Green of course, though I added yellow ink to the mix and highlighted with increasing amounts of white.

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  7. I love how much choice of green there is with gobbos, and i love the almost minty colour of the Goblin Green with white mix you've got here. The chaos gobbo is lovely.

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    1. Thank you Phil. I can see why people used too (and still do) get obsessed with painting orcs and goblins. Though, the choice of models was much greater back then.

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