Guild Ball: ‘Nother Round

More Brewers for Guild Ball! Set ’em up, barkeep.

The team gets a good veteran midfielder in the form of Spigot. I love the pose for the figure, at a full run on the pitch, with a full pint in one hand and broken bottle in the other. I painted him with distinguished grey hair and beard to show off his vet status. I posed him a little off-kilter on his base to show his level of intoxication. The mug was painted to look like frosted glass, with base coat of GW Balor Brown, washed with Seraphim Sepia and Agrax Earthshade, followed with highlights of Averland Sunset and White. The sloshing beer was done the same way, except with a base coat of Doombull Brown.

Stave is one of the big guys for the team. The sculpt shows off his massive bulk, twisting as he prepares to deliver another cask bomb to his opponents. There’s lots of animation to the model, arms counterbalanced and his legs planting. The size of the model allowed for lots of extra detail, with bandages, leg wraps, and folds of fat and muscle. I liked the foam spilling out in an arc as he goes through his delivery. The beer was painted in the same fashion as the splashing drink in Spigot’s mug, though with more white mixed in the highlights to show the foam more. I painted his skin flushed with exertion (not easy being a big guy).

Last is the team cat, Scum. I decided to keep him a more or less solid tabby color instead of a different breed. I figured he’s a small model so needs a solid color to make him appear better on the table. A few white spots on his muzzle, tail, ear, and socks added some life. One eye is clouded from some injury, while the other is a fierce green-yellow. He got a taller base to make him stand out.

I have a few more members to go, as well as the team goal.

 

Guild Ball: Brewers

I haven’t painted Guild Ball in a while now, so I decided I wanted to do the Brewers. They’ll play very differently than the Morticians, and will certainly present different painting challenges. The prevalence of lots of hearty bare skin, leather, fur, and cloth is a sort of ‘uniform’ for the members. Another ubiquitous element is stitching in the clothes and bandaged wounds, showing that these are folks used to a good brawl. These three are the starting box.

The most common elements are the little kegs they all carry and the tartan patterns, used on kilts, wraps, and bonnets. The tartan pattern is actually a simplified version of the Fraser clan’s hunter pattern (my own ancestral colors). I used a base of warm brown, with red, white, blue, and green lines. Lots of shades of brown were used in their clothing, as well as dull greens, greys, and tans.

Tapper is the captain, and he has a nice gruff demeanor. A forceful pose, swinging a boat hook, still puffing his pipe in the middle of a match. His pose was very forward moving, so I mounted him on a tiered base to emphasize it (and to elevate him). Lots of detail on him, with the bandaged fingers and patched kilt.

Friday is the sole female team member I have at the moment. Consequently she’s much more willowy compared to the big burly dudes of the team. Her kilt is mostly just a wrap, but it still has the tartan pattern. I gave her a white top for an Oktoberfest feel (appropriate for the Brewers, though they seem more like a melange of Scots and Irish/Vikings than Germans). Friday’s skin was a little paler than the men, but I made sure to give her flushed cheeks, since like the others she goes into play with a few drinks on board. Her more static wide-legged stance suggested a relatively flat base.

Last is Hooper, one of the midfielders for the team. Like Tapper he dives forward, swinging his favored weapon, this time a boat oar. He wears a tam o’shanter (or a beret maybe) that got the same tartan pattern as his kilt. Overall, I like his pose, even though it’s too close to Tapper’s. Other sculpts of Tapper alleviate this somewhat, but there is a sameness to them both. I put Hooper on a base to really highlight his momentum, leaping forward to smash someone with his oar.

All the team are based on resin bases from Scibor Miniatures (some instead use Micro Arts Studio bases). These bases have a mix of masonry and industrial ruins, with random moss overgrowth and Celtic designs. Grey stone and moss serves as a strong contrast to the warm color scheme of the team.

More to come!

Guild Ball: Masons Team

The Masons team for Guild Ball is complete. I have finished the last members (so far)- Mallet and Harmony, as well as the ball and goal. I assume Hammer will be forthcoming, as well as any Union members brought in as free agents.

Mallet is a nice sculpt, with a good forward animation. It really gives a sense of momentum.

Harmony is less interesting, being low on details compared to the rest of the team. The pose is dynamic though.

The goal for the team is a Reaper Bones Stone Golem. He is mounted on the same style of base as the test of the team. I kept his colors as simple as theirs, with only a gleam of gold in his eyes.

Guild Ball: We Can Do It!

More Masons for Guild Ball! They follow the blue/black/leather brown/silvery armor color scheme of the rest of the team (as seen in previous post).

Flint is the generically handsome roguish player, hated by players of every other team. The model is as close to a standard dude you could ask for, which is say rather boring. At least the sculpt is nice, with some good detail on his armor. The chaps are a nice touch.

Chisel is a mopish waif, armed of course with a gigantic hammer. I like the pose- coy, innocent, with the hint of a smile of someone ready to smash your shins. I kept her color scheme dark to slim her visually.

Brick is just the Hulk. He’s big and broad, but lacks any real visual oomph. The armor is nice though. I think he’s the only player in the game with bare feet, which makes him stand out.

Marbles is the Mason team mascot. Who doesn’t like an angry monkey? I painted him up as a mandrill. The bright red and blue of the face and yellow jaw gives him lots of color compared to the dull grey-black of his fur and the small armor plates.

Only a few more players to go!

Guild Ball: Masons, etc.

 

I am working on the Masons team for Guild Ball. This is for the same client as the Alchemists I posted before.

The first I’ve finished are Honour and Brick. Both follow the standard Masons color scheme. However, I used a brighter armor color- Boltgun Metal base, Asurman Blue wash, and Mithril Silver Highlight. This gives the armor a vibrant, clean gleam.  Warm dark leather gives a good contrast.

Honour has a nice fluid pose, befitting the captain and her versatile role. The sculpt does sort of depend on a frontal view to look best though.

Tower has more to offer, with more skin showing to add some color to the simple scheme. He sports a detailed tool belt and extra gadgets as well.

In addition to the Masons, I have a late addition to the Alchemists in the form of Compound. This big guy follows the green/black color scheme of the rest of the team. However, his wooden bionic arms and pallid bare skin help make him stand out. The chemical flasks on his back device brighten him up as well.

Morticians 5

 

The Morticians team for Guild Ball gets a few more reserve members!

Bonesaw is the 2nd Season recruit, a fast and capable striker. I’ve already had him do wonders in my games (turn 1 goals are nice), though he seems a glass cannon so far. The sculpt is one of my favorites for the team- great posture and details for a relatively simple design. There’s a nice near-kung fu vibe to his pose, with the titular saws held ala war fans. I kept his color scheme similar to the rest of the team. His greyish skin gives a  necrotic feel, appropriate for a guy who gets up after being taken out of action every turn.

A little mercenary help arrives with Minx from the Union. She’ll step into the striker/winger role when it suits her (she parrots a lot of Cosset’s rules but benefits from armor and extra speed). The model is kind of a mess of details, so not my favorite. The mix of leather and fur, as well as a skull mask, makes for a confusing model. The skull at least fits for the Morticians. I gave her the Morticians’ team color scheme to make her fit in. However, the fur hood/cape and blood red hair separate her nicely.

Guild Ball: Better Living Through Chemistry

A change of pace for Guild Ball. This is the Alchemist Guild team I’ve done for a client. I’m not a big fan of the sculpts, considering them a bit drab and lacking character. Their ‘shtick’ just isn’t for me. However, not my team…

The client wanted a green/black color scheme, with accents of white and bronze. The members are further linked by the little test tubes and flask bottles they wear, as well as the same leather boots and belts. The color scheme gives them individual character but ties them all together.

The goal was pretty simple. The barrels are a pile of plastic barrels painted up to look like wood. They are covered in alchemical symbols (gold, iron, copper, salt, etc.) as well as the old gunpowder XXX.

I’m sure more teams are in the future.

Guild Ball Morticians 4

The Morticians for Guild Ball are finished (at least until I add stuff). The last member is Cosset, the crazy moppit of the team.

Cosset got the team color scheme, with black and yellow almost the whole of her colors. Her skin is chalk white, with cool brown-grey in the recesses. She got a little red around her crazed eyes. I like the ribbons swirling around her body in some sort of ghostly wind. Her fork is stained with blood and rust.

With the team done, I have a team photo. This would be the typical lineup for a 5-player game +mascot. They have a nice unified look, but have enough variation between them to mark them as individuals.

There will be more team members following, as well as some planned Union freelancers.

Guild Ball: Morticians 3

 

More Morticians for Guild Ball. This time it’s the team captain, Obulus, and the mascot Dirge.

Obulus is another study in a limited pallet. He uses the team colors of black and yellow, offset with white metal and brown leather. I toned the yellow ribbons down with purple wash. His skin as well got a purple cast, using a base coat of deep purple, followed by a mix of purple and light tan, then white. His eyes are glowing dead white. This all gave him an otherworldy look.

The mascot Dirge was very simple- black, with minimal highlighting on the edge of the feathers and beak and talons. The wooden stand is the only color on the model, other than the glowing yellow eyes.

The team’s almost done…

Guild Ball: Morticians 2

 

More for the Morticians team for Guild Ball…

Silence is one of the team’s midfielders, which seems odd for a wizened wizardly type of guy. The visual of him dribbling the ball, robes cinched up as he runs, is pretty amusing. I did like his design though. The billowing robes and lack of visible feet gave him a floating ethereal look (compounded by the base, where he is only attached via a single hidden pin). I decided his hood gave him the look of Pazuzu from The Exorcist (the scary face that shows up here and there in the movie). I made his skin sallow and pale, with black pits for eyes.

Since I had free rein to create the team’s goal, except for the 50mm base, I dug around my bits box and brainstormed. I decided on a cemetery statue/mausoleum, topped with Death, patron saint of the Morticians Guild. A Caern Wraith from Warhammer served perfectly. The plinth was from a random set of terrain pieces. The statue is separate from the base to make transport and storage easier.

And yes, that’s an Ultramarines transfer, flipped into the guild’s symbol, the Ω .