Bones 1 Miniatures: Orange

We proceed through the color wheel with Orange, a color valued for its high visibility; today worn by construction workers and hunters, and placed on road repair markers and electrical cables to force us to take notice for safety. Yet it paradoxically appears on wild cats so that they disappear into tan stalks of tall, dry grass.

Approaching from the left side of the panorama are our heroes and their magical companions:

• Janan, Female Dragon Slayer by Julie Guthrie (SKU 77039)
• Kieran Tallowmire, Wizard by Bobby Jackson (SKU 77034)
• Shroomies by Jason Wiebe (SKU 30072) (not from Bones 1)
• Possum from Itty Bitty Possums by Archie McPhee (https://mcphee.com/products/itty-bitty-possums-bag-of-8)

These heroes are wearing orange to draw attention of, or perhaps terrify, their enemies.

Painting the Dragon Slayer orange is an easy choice: 'Attack ME! Not the person who will heal me after the battle!'

First, our heroes must deal with some kobolds in Orange. 

• Kobolds from "Kobolds (Bloodscale)(6)" by Ben Siens (SKU 77010)

I think these are the last of the kobolds, at least from Bones 1.

On their way to the main encounter, they must avoid, negotiate with, or (tragically) fight these noble, fearsome big cats.

• Possibly Animal Companions: Ferocious Felines by Richard Kerr (SKU 02198) (Metal; not from Bones 1)

My players would absolutely NOT want to hurt these big kitties.

And finally our heroes face the real villains of their adventure: paralleling the heroes; a magic user and a warrior, guarded by 3 goblinoid minions.

• Hobgoblins based on "Goblins (6) by Ben Siens (SKU 30096)"
• Anval Thricedamned, Evil Warrior by Bobby Jackson (SKU 77055)
• Sinessa, Hellborn Sorceress by Bob Ridolfi (SKU 77119)

I feel a little bad casting this unfortunate Hellborn sorceress as a villain; she can't help how she was born. Maybe she can get a redemption story arc.

I tried painting many of these with brownish-orange paint, but the resulting color just looked like a peanut butter-tan. I repainted with straight vibrant orange, and unfortunately many of them now look like they should be on the highways laying asphalt. This inspired me to buy additional shades of orange paint to give me more orange options. 

I'm getting close to the end of my Bones 1 miniatures, but these are definitely my last miniatures for the season. 

Bones 1 Miniatures: Red

We re-enter the rainbow with Red, the lowest frequency of visible light. I daresay red excites human beings more than any other color on a primal level; because when a caveman sees red come out of someone, it is a warning that they are injured. I used Red as my inspiration for choosing and painting these miniatures.

Approaching from the left side of our panorama are our sheroes and their magical companions:

• Faun Warrior by Christine Van Patten (SKU 44165) (not from Bones 1)
• Seoni, Iconic Sorceress by Bob Ridolfi (SKU 89006)
• Shroomies by Jason Wiebe (SKU 30072) (not from Bones 1)
• Animated Rag Doll from Familiars 2 by Various (SKU 77196)

I couldn't resist giving these sheroes reddish skin because of the Red theme, but Seoni the Sorceress wears red clothing anyway.

Of course I couldn't resist painting the mushroom person with a Red cap.

I had difficulty understanding what I was painting on the Animated Rag Doll, because of the poor definition on the casting, but with the Red theme, I decided to paint it a bit like beloved classic rag doll Raggedy Ann, with red yarn hair, 1 button eye, and a pink dress. 

First, our sheroes must deal with some kobolds in Red. 

• Kobolds from "Kobolds (Bloodscale)(6)" by Ben Siens (SKU 77010)

These are not the last of the Kobolds. Expect more to appear in the future, perhaps in Orange.

Next up, some fearsome fire elementals.

• Large Fire Elemental by Julie Guthrie (SKU 77082)
• Medium Fire Elemental by Bob Ridolfi (SKU 77083)
• Wall of Fire from "Wall of Fire (3) Spell Effect" by Kevin Williams (SKU 77080)
• Burning Sphere from "Burning Sphere (3)" Kevin Williams (SKU 77081)

One of the advantages to casting miniatures in plastic is that you can change the color of the plastic; these miniatures were cast in translucent Red plastic. It took me YEARS to work up the courage to paint these guys. I used fluorescent orange and chartreuse paint, which dries to a translucent film, and I just kept adding yellower layers and reducing my coats to the tips of each lick of flame. I also hung them upside down to dry, so the wet paint was drawn to the tips by gravity.

Only now I realize I screwed up: I planned to paint fluorescent blue points for their eyes, like the blue cone at the center of a candle's flame, to give them some personality. I just plain forgot!

And finally they come face to face with the Hag whose unspeakable crimes forced our sheroes to action.

• Witch from Witch, Cauldron & Cat by Julie Guthrie (SKU 03549) (metal: not from Bones 1)
• Weasel from Familiar Pack I by Julie Guthrie, Richard Kerr (SKU 02018) (metal: not from Bones 1)
• Altar of Evil by Bob Olley (SKU 77139)

I discovered there is a fearsome "Blood Hag" with vampire-like abilities and (happy coincidence) various fire-based powers and resistances. I took some liberties with her appearance, imagining her to wear Red because otherwise blood would stain her outfit.

I wanted to paint my mustelid miniature, and I discovered the Least Weasel has a lovely red-brown pelt. Again, I took liberties; the Least Weasel is WAY smaller than this miniature might suggest. Maybe the Hag has been enchanting it to make it bigger. Hey, it's magic; I don't need to explain it.

I figured the evil altar would get plenty of blood on it from all the gruesome sacrifices, so why not make it red. As long as those skulls stand out and tell players: 'evil'.

As I write this, I estimate I have fewer than 50 fantasy miniatures left in my Bones 1 shipment. In spite of this, I lose interest in painting these as Spring brings its own color and shifts into Summer.

Bones 1 Miniatures: Brown

Because I am still out of the color wheel, I have the opportunity to paint some things brown. Scoff if you want, but lots of creatures naturally thrive in brown coloring because natural camouflage can be SHOCKINGLY effective. One man dressed like a deer in tan flannel for a paintball tournament as a joke ("The Deer Shoot Back!"), but with his brownish costume he was AMAZED how close he came to the other team before he was spotted. Of course, military fatigues are in drab colors for similar reasons. 

Proper handling of human remains is crucial, and a Gravedigger has been hired to undertake the (literally) dirty task of putting some bodies in the ground, aided by a mighty clay golem, a halfling scout, and their animal companions.

• Townsfolk II Gravedigger based on Townsfolk: Gravedigger and Henchman by Bobby Jackson (SKU 30113)
• "Golems" Clay Golem by Ben Siens (SKU 77170)
• Half-Sized Heroes halfling assassin based on "Hellakin Goregutter, Halfling Thief" by Werner Klocke (SKU 77165)
• Vulture and Falcon (metal) from Familiar Pack VIII by various (SKU 02969)

Our adventurers' flying animal companions warn them away from 2 ferocious magical beasts!

• Griffon by Sandra Garrity (SKU 77157)
• Owlbear by Jason Wiebe (SKU 77156)

(In my own defense, the clumsy position of the owlbear is partly due to the pose of the sculpt and the rubbery Bones material. Better, more modern Owlbear sculpts are available on the Reaper website.)

The smell of decay will attract scavengers from miles away.

• 2 Hyenas by WizKids (NOT by Reaper!)
• Vermin: Rat Swarm (2) by Sandra Garrity (SKU 77129)

And here we have the tragic results of improper burial: ZOMBIES! 

• Zombie by Stefan Niehues (SKU 77014)
• 2 Zombies by Bob Ridolfi (SKU 77053)

(I imagined that without circulation, the zombies' blood has sunk to their lower extremities and turned them dark brown. I did a lot of dry brushing on the top.)

With this batch, I did a lot more 'dry brush' highlighting; and homebrewed some 'reactive paint' media to thin my paints, especially for lowlighting.

According to my estimates, I have approximately 52 unpainted miniatures remaining from the hundreds delivered by the Bones 1 Kickstarter. I have been driven by the milestone of finishing off all of the Bones 1 inventory.

Bones 1 Miniatures: White

I wanted to paint white-themed miniatures for this batch, but instead of just using the primer on these miniatures and calling them done, I decided to go through the color wheel as pastels. Please imagine a paladin-led party of brave adventurers assaulting an awesome foe in a deadly environment. Most of these miniatures are from the Bones 1 Kickstarter. I also decided to choose models in boy-girl pairs; are they family? Fellow countrymen? 'Just good friends?' I continue to experiment with skin tones to add ethnic diversity.

Let's start in the back, with the adventurers' attendants; I imagine a grizzled chirurgeon and a dutiful nurse to bandage these warriors and tend their wounds when they are badly injured. These decent, hardworking folk are of common means, and their plain clothing reflects this.

• Bartender from Townsfolk I by Bobby Jackson (SKU 02583) (from Bones 1 "Townsfolk")
• "Townsfolk: Grandmother" by Bobby Jackson (SKU 77088) (from Bones 1 "Townsfolk")

Next up are the noble financing this expedition; and a druid, perhaps newly called to the duties of a paladin--can she revere nature AND serve the demands of a Lawful Good deity?

• A bearded man (noble?) with a fluffy coat, cloak, and sword down (metal, probably Reaper, but I can't find it in their catalog)
• "Danra, Female Druid" Sandra Garrity (metal, SKU 02693)

And here we have the main force of paladins, and a cleric.

• "Halbarand, Cleric" by Todd Harris (SKU 77089) (from Bones 1 "Heroes")
• "Isabeau Laroche, Female Paladin" by Werner Klocke (SKU 07129) (from Bones 1 "Klocke Classics")
• Man with sword across and notched shield (I can't find it in the catalog) (from Bones 1 "Fighters")
• "Aviriel Tellerion, Female Elf" by Werner Klocke (SKU 77070) (possibly from Bones 1 "Heroes")

All of these pastel characters have thin coats of pearlescent particle paint on select weapons and clothing, representing a sheen effect of the holy enchantments on their equipment.

And scouting ahead, we have a large cat, and a Blink Dog puppy.

• Cat from Familiars 4 by Julie Guthrie (SKU 07088)
• "Sparky (Blink Puppy)" by Kraken Dice

The cat is actually a familiar for a player's character; I sketched the model, and asked my player to color the sketch with colored pencils. My paint job came pretty close to the colored drawing.

The blink puppy I painted with an undercoat of orange to represent the Arcane School of teleportation magic used by the supernatural Blink Dog.

We approach the boss monster's lair, and we find these animated skeletons. Perhaps to repel nuisances, perhaps a speed bump for incoming hazards, perhaps simply to make some noise as an early warning system for the Boss Monster.

• 2 Skeletal Archers by Ed Pugh (SKU 30024) (from Bones 1 "Skeletal Horde")
• Skeletal Swordsman by David Pugh (SKU 77017) (from Bones 1 "Skeletal Horde")

And finally we find this fearsome White Dragon, who lives in snowy climes and dispenses misery with deadly cold elemental magic.

• "Ebonwrath, Dragon" by Sandra Garrity (SKU 77102) (from Bones 1)

The dragon stands on a 4-inch "Gargantuan" base. I painted the dragon with a pearlescent craft paint to give its hide an mineral-like appearance of impenetrability.

I'm completing this batch shortly after Easter, and vanquishing this terrible icy dragon represents an end to this dreadful Winter season. May the pastel-painted paladins remind you of the colorful Easter eggs appropriate to the Holiday, reflecting the vibrant hues of blossoms emerging from the slumbering earth this Spring.

I confess I usually use the "Minwax Dip Method" wherein I apply a coat of polyurethane varnish with built-in pigment to the miniatures, which serves as an all-over clumsy brown wash, simulating dirt and skin-tone shadows. It's cheap, easy, and effective, but I fear this technique is holding me back, because I'd like to try other types of washes and shading techniques, and the brown varnish is somewhat oppressive. So I didn't use the brown varnish with this batch.

Bones 1 Miniatures: Black

The previous batch was purple and violet; we have come to the end of the rainbow. I have these minis and I thought to paint them black. Of course, lots of animals and fantastic creatures are colored black, and lots of people wear black, so I gave them their own batch. But pure black would be boring and hard to see, so I made most of them off-black.

Here, 2 stout felines bravely accompany a pair of magic users on a mission.

• "Slynx the Cat" (metal) by Bombshell Miniatures 
• Bones 1 "30 New Bones" cloaked human caster from "Satheras, Male Warlock" by Bobby Jackson (SKU 77040)
• Bones 1 "Heroes" elf caster with polearm from "Elquin the Daring" by Werner Klocke (SKU 30158)

I once had a pair of clever and fierce and loving black Maine Coon mix kitties, Hansel & Pretzel. They crossed the rainbow bridge many years ago, and I still miss them. I bought and painted these cat miniatures to honor them, thus the Rolling Stones video link above is doubly appropriate. The worst thing about black cats is that they shed dark fur on your pale carpet. The second-worst thing is that they are hard to photograph. If you're superstitious, I had a Friday the 13th during this batch!

They come upon a powerful party of Dark Elves, but these are NOT their objective! With careful negotiation, these elves COULD provide valuable assistance...

• Bones 1 "Dark Elves" cleric from "Tierdeleira, Dark Elf Cleric" by Werner Klocke (SKU 77122)
• Bones 1 "Dark Elves" ranger from "Dark Elf Warrior" by Bobby Jackson (SKU 77124)
• Bones 1 "Arachnid Archer" by Gene Van Horne (SKU 77182)
• Bones 1 "Shaerileth, Spider Demoness" by Patrick Keith (SKU 77180)
• "Many Eyes (Spider)" from Kraken Dice

The cleric is tinted with yellow/gold, the ranger is tinted with orange/copper, the archer is tinted with red/red metallic, the spider demoness is tinted with violet, and the spider is tinted with blue (inspired by the metallic blue tarantula).

Finally, our adventurers approach the lair of the big, bad, evil guy (BBEG); including these stealthy dire black rats. A friendly skeleton promises that he is just an employee of the BBEG, and will not resist. "It's an unliving," he meekly offers in his own defense. 

• Bones 1 "Dungeon Attack" Dire Rats, based on "Dire Rats" by Sandra Garrity (SKU: 07036).
• Bones 1 "Mr. Bones" by Julie Guthrie (SKU 77195)

Dire black rats inspired by the black rat.

Mr. Bones was the mascot from the original Bones Kickstarter! I imagined him as a menial grave- or ditch-digger, so I painted him with a black robe heavily dusted with dirt.

And the BBEG is... a vampire. I hate vampires. I think this miniature was a freebie.

• Reaper's "Kaspar Von Mondstein, Vampire" by Bobby Jackson (SKU 07073)

The vampire is in black, tinted with red for blood. I also put some glitter on his skin, because recent documentaries have revealed that vampires sparkle.

My spray primer came out spattery and thin this time and clogged my original nozzle (last time) and replacement nozzle (this time). I of course don't need a lot of primer per batch of minis; so I own these cans for a long time, and because the paints are composed of (I assume) organic compounds, I suspect the spray acrylic just went bad in the can, and/or obstructed the parts inside the can. Still, the minis got enough primer on them to accept paint, and the surfaces were not bumpy with blobs of congealed paint, so it all worked out. I bought a new can, anyway.

Bones 1 Miniatures: Purple & Violet

It's another miniatures adventure, with a purple & violet theme! 2 magic users on a journey to spooky Dark Elf territory. All of these are cast by Reaper Miniatures, and most are part of the Bones 1 Kickstarter, which started soliciting pledges way back in the time before COVID: July 2012.

We open with our pair of surface-dwelling spellcasters and their familiars:

• Bones 1 "30 New Bones" Wizard in a floppy hat from "Galladon, Male Wizard" by Bobby Jackson (SKU 77054)
• Bones 1 "Familiars" Bat from Familiars 1 (02018) by various (SKU 07048)
• Bones 1 "30 New Bones" Lady caster in a big dress from "Devona, Female Wizard" by Werner Klocke (SKU 77036)
• Bones 1 "Familiars" Fairy from Familiars 4 by Julie Guthrie (SKU 07088)

They stop to get directions, supplies, and perhaps to enjoy a rustic meal with a household of country folk and their farm cats:

• Bones 1 "Townsfolk II" Pitchfork man from "Townsfolk: Village Rioter" by Bobby Jackson (SKU 77140)
• Bones 1 "Townsfolk" Mom with 2 kids from "Townsfolk: Mom & Kids" by Bobby Jackson (SKU 77087)
• 2 Cat familiars (metal) from Familiar Pack I by Julie Guthrie, Richard Kerr (SKU 02018)

I imagined that these hardworking farmers would wear clothes in faded pinkish and lavender colors; unlike our wealthy eldritch travelers in rich, deep (perhaps illusory!) colors.

I painted these cats to honor my own beloved brown & orange tabby cats.

The magicians are sure they're on the right track when they encounter lots of big purple spiders! Purple spiders actually exist, including the Avicularia purpurea "Purple Pink Toe" spider. As with other domestic pets, I imagine that these spiders have been selectively bred (by Dark Elves) to maximize their attractive pigmentation. 

• 2 Bones 1 "Vermin" Spiders from Vermin: Spiders by Kevin Williams (SKU 77126)
• 2 Bones 1 "Vermin" Spider swarms from Vermin: Spider Swarm by Shannon Stiltz (SKU 77128)

You may notice some skulls littering the bases under these (and other) minis. I put these skulls under some minis to remind you that these monsters are deadly, kind of like a skull & crossbones "poison" symbol. The skulls are from Games Workshop. 

And finally they arrive at their objective, meeting with a pair of Dark Elves.

• Bones 1 "Dark Elves" assassin from "Zalash, Dark Elf Assassin" by Bobby Jackson (SKU 77123)
• Bones 1 "Dark Elves" caster from "Liela, Dark Elf Wizard" by Werner Klocke (SKU 77121)

Although the D&D Drow Elves are described with 'obsidian' skin, I was inspired by the purple theme and painted these as World of Warcraft Night Elves with purplish skin. Humans have different skin color variants, why not Dark Elves? 

I try to paint these miniatures for about an hour each evening. Each batch takes about 2 weeks to complete. During these 2 weeks, I bought a blind bag of mystery D&D dice, and inside each transparent die in the bag was a blue plastic spider (COOL!). Then I finished reading a dreadful nonfiction book, and I was looking for a fun novel to start on. I remembered this ONE book in my queue; I was painting spiders, I randomly got spider dice, it was the perfect time to start reading "This Book is Full of Spiders" by Jason Pargin, originally published the year the Bones 1 Kickstarter started, bringing it all back to 2012. 

Bones 1 Miniatures: Blue

Here we see 4 elven heroes approaching an adventure's complement of monsters. This batch of miniatures represents a bite into the last ~100 miniatures I plan to paint from the Reaper Miniatures' Bones 1 Kickstarter, which started soliciting pledges back in July 2012. 

My color theme with this batch is "blue", so I imagined these as blue-oriented characters. Please imagine a rocky, mountainous setting...

Let's meet our heroes! I didn't have many Elves in blue, so I decided to fill in that gap with these 4: 

Bones 1 "Elves" woman with staff, based on "Autumn Bronzeleaf" by Jeff Grace (SKU 77069).

Bones 1 "Klocke Classics" woman with sword & staff, based on "Lysette, Elven Mage" by Bobby Jackson (SKU 30001).

Bones 1 "30 New Bones" Elf sword to sky, based on "Turanil, Male Elf Paladin" by Bobby Jackson (SKU 77044).

Bones 1 "Elves" (Probably? In the Kickstarter, they only had concept drawings, and the sculpt changed a bit) man 2 swords, based on "Elladan, Elf Ranger" by Werner Klocke (SKU 77071). 

First, they pay their respects to the deceased this fine sarcophagus. I tried to make this crypt look like some kind of expensive blue granite. It's part of Bones 1 "Dungeon Dressing", based on "Sarcophagus" by Bob Ridolfi (SKU 77137).

They encounter these Bones 1 "Dungeon Attack" kobolds, based on the "Bloodscale Kobolds" by Ben Siens (SKU 77010).

Slightly more challenging are the 3 gray hobgoblins, like in the Pathfinder 1e Bestiary; gray also seems to go with the blue color theme. These are Bones 1 "Dungeon Attack" goblins, based on the "Goblins" by Ben Siens (SKU 30096)

Finally, they must deal with these Bones 1 Storm Giants, based on "Male Storm Giant" by Julie Guthrie (SKU 77163) and "Yephima, Female Cloud Giant" by Patrick Keith (SKU 77162). I decided to paint these Storm Giants blue, like the sky, with blue storm cloud clothing, etc.

These encounters may seem vastly out of proportion, until you realize that blue is the color of the United States Postal Service, and our heroes are delivering the mail. Go Postal Unions!