posted by roman, jarhead, kong

Heyho Jungle!
Your Team of Massive Voodoo wishes you all a happy new year with all the health you can carry and tons of happy moments. If you want to change something - do it. If you won't - don't. But always remember:

"You have to be the change you wish to see!" Mahatma Gandhi

Go forth with all your strength to execute your plans and therefor we wish everyone success in your goals...
Keep on happy painting!
Best Regards
The MV-Team

PS: Here is a little addition - great video found - you can use its content for yourself, think what this means for your own - no message included by me :)

Posted by Raffa, Picster, Capuchin,....

Hey everyone...

Just a small moment before moving into my beloved bed (ohhh how hard it is to get out of it! I could stay in bed the whole day!).

Worked on the base and some conversion of my actual project a bit :)
Buuut enough words, here are some pictures... remind that the base is far from finished, especially the lower part.



Hope you like it and surely i'm open for feedback!

Cheers,
Raffa

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

In this issue:
- Cover art by Hammertooth
- From the Gut by Randroid and Barney
- Ask Aunty Doreen by Aunty Doreen
- The Feeding Grounds: 8th Edition Overview by Sandals, Rocdocta, Lexy, Avian (We Iz Orcs) and Malorian (The Orc Tactical Team Podcast)
- Butcher's Cauldron: How to Paint Blood by Jarhead
- Tactics For Tyrants: Gut Magic Tactica by Entreri Bloodletter
- Gastronomic Rumblings From the Butcher's Pot: A Question of Why by Eric J
- Tales of Conquest: Ogre Kingdoms vs. The Empire by Mercules
- It's a Trap! by Ultra-Mega Bob
- Blood Bowl Ogre Team Overview by Three Die Block
- Armies of the Stronghold: Feastmaster Tribe by DonTheDime and Barney

Thanks to the Bellower Team and all our content contributors for another great issue!

The fourth issue of the Stronghold's free Ogre Kingdoms webzine is available to download now!
You can find it over here, where you also can check the older issues - all PDF!

And there is also again a colour butchery theme by Massive Voodoo included! :)

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

...finally i've come this far again - realizing that i don't have to think about what i am posting in the jungle... switching off the brain also helps me painting these days - this kind of music keeps me going... dandandarandan dandan!

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

Early in the morning to tiny small sprites still pumping colours through their brains and brushes... some Work in Progress Impressions of a beautiful monday night painting session still going on.... WIPs by Raffa and myself, click to enlarge:




Keep on happy painting and good Morning everybody...

posted by roman, jarhead, kong



And another wonderful Monday Painting Night starts with Raffa in the kitchen and me in the jungle, muhaha! :)

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

This posting just cleans up my saved links. I hope you can find inspiration behind one or the other:

Eliza's Banana Blog
the 40 most creative and sophisticated advertising
Ghost in the Shell 2 Opening Theme
Spartacus - Gods of the Arena Trailer
Chromaticus Stimulus: Using Stewalin to build up a wall

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

Hi.

I hope everybody had some relaxed Christmas days. Just a short posting after i am still a bit tired of too much turkey. Another Jungle Warfare has been finished.

I did read a lot lately about Vietnam back in those 70's - got really intense experience from reading some books and informing myself - this is what comes up when i later on did a little recall on a miniature. Corvus Belli's Infinity again was a great inspiration for these Warfare parts i sometimes do. The palm and jungle stuff comes from Fredericus Rex and is called the Green Line - so let's hope this Black Ops down there in the Nam won't get bid by a jungle snake, struck by a booby trap or eaten up by mosquitos as he still has to fullfil his mission to be out of the perimeter and try to learn how to move in the jungle like the jungle itself does... big task, no time to play - hoping he won't cross the red line with his next steps...



I will soon do a little article about how i did create this little tiny jungle scene by using Fredericus Rex Green Line Products and other stuff. Keep an eye out.

Hope you like it!
Feel invited to leave a comment or any other thought that might pop up your mind...
Keep on happy painting!

Best Regards

Roman

posted by Mati/Badsmile/Orang Utan:

I wish you all a very merry christmas with your families and friends. As present I leave you this great song to finish this year.

click me hard


A big thank you to all our readers and to the monkey crew for being the friends they are.

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

Heyho jungle!
This might be a good moment to wish you all a blessed Christmas time and some nice seasonal off days with your loved ones - i got do this now, because i don't know if we could make it better as time is running so fast these days...  the Massive Voodoo Team wishes you some blessed days within your family and friends.

Here you will find a little video that Big Ben Komets did to show some of your apes doing a fine Christmas dance - hope you will enjoy it!

Don't you think our Christmas wishes are a bit short this year - there is really a lot of stuff going on in winter these dasys, guess you all know that. I got another important thing to tell. It is about Carl and his Christmas gift - as it seems the post office is too slow and nuts to deliver a parcel to the UK from Germany in 2 weeks. That made me sad, but my hands could not clear this situation from my place. Carl? You are allowed to check this link on Christmas eve - Link!

I am sorry about these circumstances and hope the model will find its way soon to yours.

Here are two little WIPs out of the jungle. The Nubian Guardian soon finished for my parents for Christmas and a Food and Water Riot Police light Recon Vehicle (FWRPVlight31)...


Also Raffa did finish something ... loco croco, ayayyyyaaayyyaaaaayyy!! Esta bien una muchacho! A Nurgle Marine painted by Raffa...






Stay focused, enjoy your days and save up some love from such days ahead to keep the cold out! And listen to Palak, this lady really says it all...

Keep on happy painting!
Best Regards
Roman

Posted by Palak

by all means go forth
create
with love in your heart
respect in your voice go forth
with trust in yourself
giving in your spirit go forth
your dreams are your realities waiting to be lived
ask, are they of the highest?

posted by Robert, muhani, chimp

... finished something. This time two Death Korps of Krieg.

As this minis are based on the uniforms of World War 1, I stumbled across the book "All quiet on the Western Front", while I was searching for some inspiration. The book was written short after WW1 and provides some terrifying impression about the living and dying in the trenches during the war. There is also a movie based on this book that was filmed in 1930(!).

Well, maybe too much thinking again .... the scene became dark and muddy - somehow ... in my oppinion it became nearly war-glorifying, what was the exact opposite of what I wanted.
That's why I decided to place Rackham's Rose in position in order to turn the effect into another direction. That's it. And dead rats. Hope you like it.



Here is a cmon-link: http://www.coolminiornot.com/267510.
Critics are very welcome.

I take the opportunity and wish you all happy Xmas! Enjoy it with your family.

Cheers,
Robert

Posted by Raffa, Picster, Capuchin,....

Heeeeeeey everyone!!!


Big jungle party time!!! Let's bring the best coconut glasses and bake the very best banana cake we can afford! It's celebration time again! 500 follower!

It seems like yesterday i announced the 400 celebration.... and it's sooo great to have you all here!
May the gods bless your brushes and may send you to paint side by side with the fellow brothers of the painting jungle!

Gratitude to all our fellow readers who fill the jungle with the life and spirit that it has developed over the time. We hope you have a great time here!

And now for the best part of every jungle celebration.... you can win a free miniature!

As you have maybe already guessed from the banner i created especially for celebration purposes this time you can win a deamonette lady!

Again, it has been painted by our austrian friend Robert aka Muhani aka Chimp and he has given it to us as a gift for the 500 celebration. YOU'RE DA MAAAAAAAN!!!!

Here's a photo of the mini... you can click it to see some more details!

Sooooooo, you maybe already know what to do!


In about 3 Weeks (11th January 2011) i will randomly ( http://www.random.org/ ) choose out one of the mails and this person will get the mini!

You don't have to pay shipping or anything, it's a completely free gift as a thanks!

Try your luck!
The Massive Voodoo Crew

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

Oh dear - we reached 500 followers on the blog in just this moment of time... oh dear, celebration again!! There will be a miniature to be won soon, but we are still in the celebration preparation of this event... oh dear!!

Gratitude!

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

Hiho jungle friends and followers. Raffa did show me a cool video last night while we had our Monday night painting time. A very handsome and sympathic guy shows how he works on a monster Manga robot with tons of skills. I don't get a word of the language he speaks, i guess it is japan but i've learned many things by just watching this 2 videos - i hope you enjoy and really don't worry about japanese, there is without doubt a ton of tricks in this video - go have a look:





I hope you liked it the way we did :)

Keep on happy painting!
Best Regards
Roman

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

A true classic for the modern Miniature Painter:



It always should be an epic moment when you are painting at your little shrine of colours :)
May your painting time be blessed!

posted by Raffa, Picster, Capuchin, ...

Heeeeey everyone!

As the "Hunter or Hunted" step by step is a bit delayed (it will be printed in german in the next "Tabletop Insider" so i delay 2 month ... exclusivity etc.) i thought i could maybe give you at least a small part of it.... how i made the socket label.

The goal of this tutorial is to create a socket label that somehow looks like a old parchment.

The first step is to cut out a piece of brass sheet (you can also use aluminium or copper) in the size you want the socket label to be. I also sanded it a little bit so the color sticks better to the metal.


Now you have to destroy it a little bit... at first i cut some edges in with a hobby knife and cut out smaller pieces with a small scissor... use whatever you want!
When you stressed the edges, bend the corners of the sheet inside....


To work with the label i sticked it onto some kind of holder with pattafix/bluetac.
Then i put a coat of white basecoat on the metal and painted a basecoat with dheneb stone.... you can basically use any parchment style color... like bleached bone + fortress grey or graveyard earth + white.....
I used Sepia Ink from Vallejo Game Color to bring a brownish color gradient to the edges.
To do this i used the technique i showed Here around 7:50min (sorry.. german, but the technique is understandable without words... ;)


In this next step i added some more gradients into darker colors. I used a mix of Sepia Ink and Vallejo Model Color Dark Sea Blue that was glazed into the dark corners.
Again i used Sepia Ink to make those splotches with a blister sponge.
The large stains were created by putting on a pool of color, waiting some seconds until the border of the pool is drying and then pulling the color down with a damp brush.
I added some highlights with bleached bone following the rules of zenithal lighting.


At this point i made a sketch of how the text should look like.


With a technical pen i copied the design to the label and painted it with diluted dark sea blue.
To bring in some interesting contrast i used red to give the Letters a twist ;)

The label is now finished and can be applied to the base with superglue.
Hope you liked this small tutorial :)

Cheers,
Raffa

posted by Roman, jarhead, kong

This ain't a tutorial, just a little thought of mine that might help the one or the other - i mostly paint my sockets black because it is neutral and gives a good view to the model. Most of the time i do paint my miniatures (small scales, busts, big scales, etc.) on a fixed display or gaming base.

After bringing up the first colours on the models there comes a moment where i take some black colour to paint the socket black. The model is not finished yet and might be still in early process but it helps my eye to get a good focus at the model when the bright wood colour disappears. It helps me to see how it will look in the end, it helps me to get a clearer view. I am really doing this in the beginning after the first colours. By holding it in my hand there will be some damage on the black that i have painted earlier but i just clean this up with another layer after the model is finished.

I also got an example on how the black socket or base edge helps me focus to the important area on the model. Here you can see some of my actual Work in Progress again and taking a closer look on both the Roman Matrona busts shows that a black socket helps the eye more than a bright socket, the bright one somehow distracts from the model itself - at least it works for me:


I have no idea if this might be of interest for you, but i hope so... it really helps my eyes to concentrate - am i getting old?

Keep on happy painting!

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

"We can fight our desires,
but when we start making fires.

We get ever so hot,
whether we like it or not.

They say we can love who we trust,
but what is love without lust?

Two hearts with accurate devotions
but what are feelings without emotions?

I am going for the kill, i am doing it for a thrill,
I'm hoping you'll understand and not let go of my hand.
I am going for the kill, i am doing it for a thrill,
I'm hoping you'll understand and not let go of my hand. 

I had my hopes out on the line,
will they be ready for you in time.


If you leave them out for too long,
they'll be withered by the sun.


Full stops and exclamation marks,
my words stumble before i start.


How far can you sent emotions?
Can this bridge cross the ocean?


I am going for the kill, i am doing it for a thrill,
I'm hoping you'll understand and not let go of my hand.
I am going for the kill, i am doing it for a thrill,
I'm hoping you'll understand and not let go of my hand."

These days i am totally stuck to this song by La Roux. Don't watch the video at all, just listen to the song is my recommandation - so powerful, so full of meanings, so much freedom... love it while swinging the brushes in high circles :)

I hope you are all doing some serious Happy Painting around these cold days! Keep it warm in your heart with some colours!
Best Regards
Roman

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

posted by roman, jarhead, kong



This Miniature Unpacked is done about the already seen Nubian Guardian bust i am painting at the moment. The model comes from SK-Miniatures and is sculpted by Carl Reid in 200 mm, who did a fantastic job. The promo paintjob is done by Song-Eon Lee whose skills i admire very deeply.

As i plan this bust as a Christmas gift to my parents i was really excited when the model arrived. It looked like this when it arrived(click to enlarge like always):


The price is not low, but you really get a high quality sculpt which looks incredible real and alive for your money - so from my side it is truely worth every penny. Opening the box made me a bit unhappy as the parts where somehow loose in the box. There was foam for sure but it didn't help to make everything lay tight.


Looking at the parts which are included in the box makes this bust even more enjoyable. The torso and head do come as one part. Here is a list of the parts that are waiting for you in the box:

1x torso with head
1x right arm
1x right hand holding the sword
1x gun
1x knife 


Taking a closer look on the resin cast i fast realized there will be hard work ahead. There is a lot to clean up from the production process and this makes this bust not really easy. For example i really had some hard fights with some mould lines, also i had to recut a clean connection between the face and his turban. These minor spots really are sad, but the face made it all good for me. The overall quality is well, but far from perfect.


I truely fell in love with the sculpt and love to bring paint on him, but i really got to say that cleaning and preparing up this fella was not an easy task. So keep this in mind when you get hold of one - whatever, it is a great piece. Here are some more shots of the assembled model:


As mentioned i've already started painting him. I will try to stay close to the box art as Christmas is rolling in as fast as snow falls here in germany. Here is an early Work in Progress shot of the bust:


I hope you like this Miniature Unpacked and hope to see some painted versions of this guy around someday. This face is so stunning...

Best Regards
Roman

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posted by roman, jarhead, kong

... came these days from my friend Peter, who is still in Kairo and will return in several days after 6 months there. Thanks for these cool links - i hope you enjoy:

The Big Picture - Boston.com
Great daily photo updates

Here is a photo series taken out of the page
Wonderful

Peter also sent me the blog of his workmate, who does some impressive photos in Kairo:
Maximilian Pinno - wordpress

So far, i hope you enjoy the inspiration if you find one... i did for sure :)

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

As some of the old jungle visitors might know, there is a project taking its time on my workbench. I'll do Pegaso's Arkvenger as a comission piece and also write a step by step article about him, when he is finished. I am not sure if all of you might remember this one and as we got a lot of new folks around here i try to collect everything together so far - here you go:

Miniature Unpacked - Arkvenger
How to prepare a metal miniature
Prepared Arkvenger photo

Primed Arkvenger version 1.0
First colour sketch to find my way into the model
How to strip a miniature from Colour

Rebirth...

The Tutorial also starts in Italian over on Legio Pictorium

A little conversion on the head is done, first colours up and i got plans of the base

This all happened in about one year - it seems i really had my problems finding a visions for this model i want to catch. I will write the Tutorial together when i am finished, but i keep track in here - so don't you say goodbye to the Arkvenger, he says hello :)

Something is happening on him again and i really found fun on him the last couple of days again...  here are some photos and a little briefing on what i have done after the last Work in Progress shot done somewhere in August, i guess...


 As i really got inspired by using Oil colours for the future together with all my acrylic skills i just fell in love with the Arky again. It really struck me so it is always the same - there comes the time and a neverending try of progress, experiments and improvement will find it...

I wasn't really sure about what to do on him so i started working on his skin with some Oil Colours up on the acrylic basic you can see above, therefore i have used different skin tones from different manufacturers (i am in testing mode) and some Indian Red and a bit of Burnt Umbra in the shadows. This is just the beginning and i let this basic dry now. I also worked my way to green - i feel green on him... somehow a kind of Aztec god or Megamarine from the USMC in the year 2342, whatever, i love painting on him and using Oil Colours make a lot of fun and you get your deserved breaks on your miniatures because it has to dry for some days - so there you can switch around in your WIPs with a reason... love it!

I've used Vallejo Model's Air Colour 71020, German Green for the main colour on the greens. I did put in some Enchanted blue or Hawk Tourquise to keep it intresting on different materials, still basic. I used several thin glazes of these colours on the head-thing, which i guess will become a crown, for making it look like intresting material... i am planning some gold on him, as i would love to call him Ra, haha... you see fun is back - here are the photos in historical order while he is drying... next will be attention to the skin and then working out the details on the greens and everywhere else...

posted by roman, jarhead, kong

Hi.

This one was a miniature were i did test my first oil colours on and did some experiments. I only had burnt Umbra as my first colour so this colour seems to be everywhere on this one. I did learn a lot and doing some more exercises with using oil colours in combination with all my other stuff - i will talk about these experiences in the jungle soon, maybe - i mean when i got enough to tell or talk - i mean when there is content to talk about :) - I also choose a pretty simple base for this one - no idea why, but i liked it on him, the base is from Artefactory's Carlos.

This one is painted to Kurt, a good friend from Graz as a gift, because he is one hell of a nice guy everytime we see and even if we don't see us, haha - so this is a thank you gift. The miniature is already in Austria but the next time i'll see it i have to go at a little french rose on the flag as  a freehand - i wasn't able so far... i will do it, Kurt - got my word... thanks Andi for the photos:


Hope you like it!
Keep on happy painting!
Best Regards
Roman

posted by roman, jarhead, kong



After the decay disease is spread at my house he now is on the hunt for another home to get you infected... Fair starting price like always - Feel invited to check the auction here!

Happy Bidding!