Brush Blush

My friend Josh loves making me uncomfortable with off-color humor. I'm not a prude (I suppose that's what all prudes say), but I've never known how to react to jokes that are outside how I normally think.

I'm finding this to be true of painting miniatures as well. When I browse through galleries like DakkaDakka or CoolMiniOrNot, I'll sometimes run across something like a nude female barbarian, or even a horse's genitalia, and just raise my eyebrows at them. Not that I'm such a homeschooler that the idea of body parts makes me blush, but the idea of having to find the right color for pewter nipples and spending time getting the shading just right (especially since it's such a focal point, let's be honest) seems a bit out of my comfort zone. I recently had a commission with an anatomically correct horse, and having to interact with its body parts wasn't a highlight (pun mildly intended) of my night.

However, it's not just anatomy that makes me shift in my seat. In what must be an epic conspiracy to mess with me, I've had to paint two models I've never really looked forward to. The first was the Nightmare I posted awhile ago. I'm one of "those dads" who doesn't like violence against children in art and entertainment. So when I sat down to paint a very haunting model, I felt a mixture of respect for the sculptor and hatred for the piece itself.

I mean the story it tells is incredible. It portrays how terrifying Cryx is, and using a child to show how little regard they have for life is powerful. Still, I have a daughter, so it also gives me that protective anger in the back of my mind. Let's just say I can't wait to smush this thing with my Conquest!

But what got me thinking about this topic today was another model I'm painting for Josh. It's probably one of the most well-sculpted models I've painted, but man is it ugly. It's called a Bloat Thrall, and with good reason. It remind me a lot of the fat vampire from the first Blade movie, with its rotted flesh barely able to hold together under the strain of its ooze-stuffed insides. To top it off, the thrall has tubes violently shoved in to its flesh that pulls ooze out of the body and feeds it in to its gun.

Although I'd seen the model before, I'd never seen just how well it had been sculpted. The areas where the flesh puckers is very dramatic, and the "fat" rolls everywhere almost look painful, especially knowing that it's actually a corrosive acid trying to burst its way out. But the mechanical spider legs, the bursting seams, the hose... everything tells such an amazing story that I love it.

By the time I finish making this guy look properly disgusting, I have a feeling I'll love the model. But still, looking at this thing just after eating lunch was a rookie mistake. And continuing to work on him right before I eat cheesy enchiladas might be even worse.


See you tomorrow!

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