Another Echoes of Death Miniature: The Necromancer (Painted 1/8/19)

Painting the Fighter from the Echoes of Death Series 1 compilation was a lot of fun, so I wanted to try out another of the miniatures from the same series. I was able to put together the Necromancer and the Sorcerer, but I messed up the Sorcerer up a bit (I forgot to put in a portion of her cape). Since I mucked up the Sorcerer I decided to work on the Necromancer next. Sometimes the universe decides. Maybe by the time I start up with the Sorcerer, I'll forget what she's supposed to look like...

It was the beginning of 2019 when I started up with the Necromancer miniature and I wanted to try something different. In previous months, I'd paint maybe two days in a week but I'd get a lot done. Still, waiting to paint was starting to drive me nuts. This year, I decided to dedicate at least a few hours a day to painting. So almost every day, I'd wake up three hours or so earlier than I normally would wake up, and paint. The Necromancer is a culmination of 4 days of work (started 1/5, finished 1/8).

I started up this miniature with the same strategy that I usually have when working on a new miniature: focus on details and focus on the artist's design for the miniature. However, for this miniature, I had one big caveat. Care to take a guess what that was?

So I decided on the change in color scheme for two reasons:

1. I started working on the base first and wanted to highlight the faces with something other than the regular lighter grey color scheme that I use.

2. I've never really worked with purple before, and I wanted to fix that. I'm not a huge fan of the color, but I felt that it's been left out...

I started with the skin, as I usually do, and used the layering technique to bring out some tone and depth. Personally, I think I did a better job with the Fighter, but others have said that this one was my best at the time of finishing. I'll take the compliment.

I'm also really happy with how the hair came out. A while ago, I bought a brown wash paint from my local hobby shop. I normally use the paint when I'm doing eyes (the base for the white eyes). This time, I wanted to try something new for the hair so I used the brown wash paint as a base. The end result is what you see; I only applied one hefty layer and it worked great. The white primer helped lighten the brown wash, therefore acting as a sort of highlight while the wash still acted as good shading. The result was totally by accident but I'm very happy with it. I'll likely use this technique again.

Another aspect of the Necromancer that I wanted to comment on was the skirt. The original artist design was a simple matte white color. However, since I was going full in on the purple, I wanted to include it with the skirt to add some additional depth of color. I created a light purple wash, then painted in the crevices, going deeper in color the further in I went. I tried to keep the majority of the skirt white, which is more notable when you look at the miniature from the back.

I followed the same strategy with the gloves. I gave an matte white base, then applied a light purple wash to the entire surface, making sure to apply a bit more wash to the crevices. Unlike the skirt, I tried some free-handing and painted purple lines on the ends. The lines were clean so I'm satisfied. For now.

The rest of the Necromancer was pretty standard. The leather cuirass was painted using my regular strategy; leather brown, strong wash, and then some lighter brown for the dry-brushing highlights. Same technique for the top part of the skirt and the fur boots. I used the dark iron metallic paint for the metallic bits (plates, chain rings, etc) and then lightened the metallic paint to use in highlighting. The white fur parts on the armor, weapon, and boots were done with the same off-white that I typically use. After the off-white base, I used an Army Painter flesh wash to give it a bit of a shadowed, dirty look. Nothing really special in the techniques overall, but I always relish the opportunity to practice.

Of course, I had to take my time with the lantern. Like the Fighter, the Necromancer's lantern was unique and a joy to paint. I used the purple theme to represent the lantern light. I used my growing favorite metallic paint - rough iron - to color the lantern itself. In addition, there seemed to be what looked to be a vine wrapped around the lantern, so I went ahead with that and painted the vine a paler off-green. The end result is what you see, no big deal.

A detailed view of the base.

One thing I will say about this experience - since I wasn't able to finish the miniature in one sitting (like normal), I never really got a full sense of satisfaction upon completion. Working on the miniature a bit at a time leaves me feeling like there's still more to do. I'm not thrilled by this, but at least I'm able to paint most days, so there's that. Also, I've been working every day lately, so the alternative is no painting at all, and I'm not for that.

I've found that the act of miniature painting is incredibly relaxing and rewarding (more so than most hobbies that I've ever had). While I still don't feel really done with the Necromancer, I guess in the end, none of us miniature painters are ever truly finished with a miniature unless we quit painting miniatures entirely. Or die.

Anyway, with that nugget of wisdom, I'm finished with yet another KDM miniature and blog post. I hope that this showcase is enjoyed by all whom read it. Please, please feel free share any comments or critiques. If you find my blog enjoyable, be sure to follow and subscribe. Not sure what either do but it should be fun either way.

 Thanks very much!