Midpoint of the Game of Thrones project reached and the next noble house is unbowed, unbent and unbroken

With only eight Bretonnian Knights to work with, I have now reached the midpoint of my Game of Thrones paint-job conversion project. In keeping with my aim to continuously work with different colour schemes, the noble houses of Westeros I have completed so far all sport very different colours namely red for House Lannister, yellow for House Clegane, mid-green for House Baratheon of the Renly faction and light sky blue for House Arryn. Pleased at having achieved this mini-milestone, I felt it fitting to take a group shot of all four knights together side by side for the first time.  

Knights of House Arryn, House Baratheon, House Lannister and House Clegane

For better or worse, contrast on the knights was intentionally kept low because if the difference between the highlights and shadows was too drastic it would have resulted in a satiny look on the caparison (decorative cloth covering the horses). Instead, I wanted a more cotton-like texture for the caparisons. Although I do not know for sure what material was used to make caparisons during medieval times, I doubt that satin (likely to be expensive both historically and in an epic fantasy setting such as Game of Thrones) would have been used on a knight/warhorse set to go into battle.

Getting each house heraldry on the shields and caparisons afforded me plenty of freehand painting practice

Each knight's helmet was chose to reflect descriptions or story plots in George RR Martin's books

I have been fortunate in that the existence of appropriate and relevant parts from the Bretonnian Knights miniature sprue enabled me to customise each knight's helmet to reflect the characteristics of each individual house or at the very least portray parts of the storyline of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books. House Lannister and House Arryn was fairly straightforward with bronzed lion (albeit a winged one) and a falcon respectively adorning the helmet; so too was House Baratheon with the antlers. Meanwhile, a bronzed boar with a knife sticking out its back was a House Clegane homage to their masters the Lannisters who had masterminded King Robert's death-by-accident.

Opposing factions face off against each other to decide the fate of Westeros

Any enthusiasm to paint a knight and warhorse from my current favourite noble house i.e. House Targaryen was quickly doused when I realised I haven't quite figured out how to do a miniature freehand version of its heraldry which is a three-headed dragon. Until I overcome that significant obstacle, I am proceeding with House Martell which has a predominantly orange colour scheme. As with the other knights, I managed to find the perfect helmet for House Martell ... one with a coiled serpent around a spear-of-sorts. The horse's pose was also perfect as it captured a dynamism of a serpent springing forward which complemented the angled lance attached to the knight's right arm.

Assembled knight and warhorse (shown sans shield) for House Martell

It's ironic that as my Game of Thrones miniature project gathers pace I find myself stuck at Book Four of the A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) series. For some reason I seem to have lost the urge to turn the pages. So I decided to take a short break from George RR Martin's book and get myself reacquainted with the Star Trek Universe, specifically the books that pick up the story right after Star Trek Nemesis, the final movie involving the original cast of Star Trek Next Generation.

Taking a break from 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series with some Star Trek books

Resistance, Before Dishonor and Greater Than The Sum deal with the Borg who are now unlike how they were portrayed in the movies and TV series while Q&A sees Picard saving the universe with Q's help. Sword of Damocles is a story involving Riker's new command Titan that occurs sometime around the happenings of the other novels. I have finished four and am in the midst of the fifth book, all in less than a month. That's how good a read they are. There are actually many more books after the ones you see above, around 36 in total and counting, so I have barely scratched the surface of must-read Star Trek fiction. Something to keep me occupied during any free time not dedicated to painting miniatures and until I eventually pick up where I left off in Martin's A Feast for Crows. 

Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C. [Completed as Ser Gregor of House Clegane]

Working on miniatures of a larger scale than your average gaming variety - the Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C figure stands at roughly 70-mm from head to toe (base excluded) - has been a real help in my quest to be a better miniature painter. It lets me concentrate on improving basic painting techniques without the added worry of working within the confines of a small surface area. You are also less likely to get away with painting errors that are harder to notice in a smaller miniature, so you inevitably have to 'up your game' as it were. An added bonus is larger models have fantastic details. 

Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C. painted as Ser Gregor Clegane aka The Mountain

Closeup of some blood splatter on Ser Gregor's chest area

With regard to the blood effects, there were two things I could have been done differently. I shoulda coulda woulda painted slightly less blood on the front of the sword and added more blood splatter to the chest area of Ser Gregor's tunic. But blood effects, in my opinion, is one area where two painters looking at the same miniature will have largely differing opinions. It's more of a personal preference and as such there is no real right answer as to how much blood effects a miniature should have. 

Washes played a prominent role in giving the metals more depth

Ser Gregor's back is largely devoid of any blood effects save for the blood dripping from the sword onto the top of his cloak. After all, one shouldn't expect to be able to land any cheap blows to the back of The Mountain now would they? Though that didn't stop a low slash to his calf (see below). 

Bleeding wound on left calf is one of many small cuts endured by Ser Gregor

One of my weaknesses is painting metal. But at least this time around I didn't completely mess up the metals on the Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C. miniature. For Ser Gregor, I relied quite heavily on paint washes to give the metal a more realistic look. It can be improved upon but I am happy with the results nonetheless. It helped that the priming process came out better than usual for this miniature.

House Clegane heraldry on the shield was painted freehand

After gaining valuable experience in the freehand painting of heraldry designs on some Bretonnian Knights paint job conversions (for House Lannister, House Clegane and House Baratheon), I found it so much easier to paint the heraldry designs on a larger scale. This was one case where working on smaller miniatures helped me on my larger scale projects. There are no blood splatter on the shield as I envisioned Ser Gregor would have had his shield to the side when he cut at his enemy instead of hiding behind the shield while he swung the death blow. So blood splatter on tunic = none on shield.

Greyish-blue and yellow is one of my favourite colour combinations

Ser Gregor's official colour scheme is yellow tunic atop greyish metal but for this miniature, I used a greyish-blue colour to complement the traditional House Clegane yellow. This is one of my favourite combinations because I find the colours play off each other extremely well and is pleasing to the eye.

A wonderfully sculpted cloak that made painting it a pleasure

Paint work for the base was fairly straightforward. Comprising primarily of dry brushing with various shades of grey and some black and brown washes, the only 'special effect' I attempted was some patches of green mold on the stone work. Meanwhile, there was a broken spear tip lying on the ground that had the usual aged metal look with both grime and some rust painted onto it.

Painting the cloak and tunic allowed me to practice wet blending and layering

360 view of Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C. as Ser Gregor Clegane
For a 360 degree view of Ser Gregor Clegane which was painted using the Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C. resin miniature, please check out the video below. Unfortunately, the video lost a great deal of quality and did not really capture the colours as accurately as the photos above mainly due to the basic video editing software I was using - Microsoft Movie Maker. For videos of other miniatures that I painted, please check out my YouTube channel FourEyedMonster Miniatures.

Painted using the Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C. miniature, Ser Gregor Clegane is one of my best works so far. Of course, that's definitely not saying much when compared to some excellent miniature painters out there in the blogoshpere (in sporting terms ... I am not yet fit to lace their boots), but it's still a huge personal satisfaction to see myself improve ever so slowly over time. Hopefully I can continue to grow as a miniature painter and get up to that next skill level.     

Happy Lunar New Year of the Horse 2014 ... and a quick update on Ser Gregor Clegane's weapons and shield

Woo hoo! Happy Lunar New Year! Here's wishing those who celebrate the lunar new year a healthy and prosperous Year of the Horse. As for those of you using this holiday period to return to your hometowns, please stay safe and have a good holiday rest.  

I haven't been able to get much painting done as my family prepared to welcome the lunar new year. However, I did manage to make further progress on my Ser Gregor Clegane painting conversion using the Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C resin miniature. 

Ser Gregor's weapons and shield (with freehand painting of the House Clegane heraldry)

Completing the freehand painting of House Clegane's heraldry was easier this time around as I had some practice on a previous paint job conversion of a Bretonnian Knight into a Game of Thrones House Clegane knight. Incidentally that miniature is shown above in the lunar new year greeting as he was one of only two horse-themed miniatures that I had ever painted. The design for the heraldry is based on a version painted by Jennifer Haley, a miniature painter whose work I admire greatly. 

Flip side of Ser Gregor Clegane's weapons and shield

Work on the flip side of the shield was kept simple because about 90% of it will be hidden from view. Both the sword and warhammer were given some blood effects. With that, Ser Gregor Clegane (aka Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C.) is at 85% completion. Hopefully I can squeeze in some painting during this long lunar new year holiday period. Cheers and thanks for reading!

Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C [WIP - Cloak & Tunic]

Work on Ser Gregor Clegane is coming along nicely as I make steady progress on the paint job conversion of the Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C resin miniature. This phase saw me completing Ser Gregor's cloak and tunic as well as a version of the House Clegane heraldry on his chest.

Ser Gregor Clegane - Work-In-Progress on his cloak and tunic

As with my previous experience when painting the face, the job of painting the cloak and tunic was made so much easier by the fantastic sculpture of the resin miniature. A well sculpted miniature always makes a painters job easier, and in this case the sculpted folds of the cloak and tunic made determining where light and shadow fell on the clothing a fairly easy task.

Both the cloak and tunic on the Nocturna Models miniature was wonderfully sculpted

Some possible additions to tunic (or even cloak) might be to bloody it up or to make it look dirtied up. But such stains on the clothing will have to wait until after Ser Gregor's chain-mail armour has been painted. If you look closely you will notice some rents in the armour which would be ideal locations to paint blood while other areas show wear and tear which could be suitable for dirt stains. I want to wait and see if I can get away with not having any stains at all on the cloak and tunic.   

Chain-mail armour is still unpainted

Admittedly, the colour choice of Ser Gregor's cloak is not an official one as the character as depicted both in the books and HBO series do not indicate bluish-grey as part of House Clegane's colours. I used it because it complemented the yellows of his tunic, not unlike the original X-Men uniform.   

A shield will be placed on the upper mid-section of the cloak

Painting the symbol of a dog - a version of House Clegane's herladry - was very difficult for me to conceptualise and make into reality. More so as I have never tried to paint any designs or symbols onto a crumpled clothing before. I tried my best to distort the heraldry based on the folds of the tunic.

House Clegane heraldry on the crumpled tunic of Ser Gregor

What remains to be painted are the hands, weapons and shield of the Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C resin miniature. They have been primed in light grey using the Tamiya Fine Surface Primer.

Weapons and shield of the Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C resin miniature

Thanks for following the progress on my version of Ser Gregor Clegane, a character in the Game of Thrones by George RR Martin. The toughest task lies ahead of me namely a detailed heraldry depicting three hounds on a shield. With the shield's larger size (a result of this resin miniature being in 1/28th scale), it will harder to get away with a badly painted freehand design. It's a task that I approach with a fair bit of apprehension. Till then, have a good week ahead, and be well and happy!  

Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C [WIP - Face]

Work finally resumed for my paint job conversion of Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C. into Ser Gregor of the Game of Thrones House Clegane. Leaving the rest of the miniature at the basecoat stage, I proceeded to paint the face to near completion by going with a weather-beaten or tanned look. For this purpose, I used a mixture or Reaper and Citadel flesh acrylic colours.      

Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C. as a proxy for Ser Gregor Clegane

As my painting style gravitates towards a minimalist approach, I am always trying to get the job done with as little colours as I can get away with. Although I am fairly satisfied with the skin tone I have achieved for the face, I will likely do additional work on the beard to give it a more contrast as well as an aged look. I am guessing this might involve a wash and perhaps some grey or white highlights. A final decision will be made after I have completed painting the greyish-blue cloak on Ser Gregor.

For the face, I tried to achieve a weather-beaten or tanned look

I was sorely tempted to paint some hair on his scalp to simulate the hairstyle that you would find on a fresh army recruit otherwise known as a buzz haircut. Though I might still do this, it is highly unlikely as I feel that I neither have sufficient painting skills nor the brush control to pull it off.

Do I look macho without my hair?

After I have finished painting the rest of the miniature, I may perhaps have to revisit the face and add more colours to it to enhance the contrast and depth, especially to the beard as mentioned earlier.

Back view of Ser Gregor's head

Painting the face of the Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C miniature was made easier by the fact that it was extremely well sculpted. So much so that the face practically paints it self. Well, that's my progress so far on this Ser Gregor Clegane paint job conversion. Thanks for reading!

House Clegane Knight & Warhorse [Completed]

Completing the second knight in my Game of Thrones was a very enjoyable experience. I not only got to practice painting freehand heraldry designs, but also managed to experiment further with getting smoother blends and transitions for the colour yellow. It helped that I have started using a wet palette to paint miniatures. This made the blending of colours so much easier.  

House Clegane knight on a warhorse aka Ser Gregor

Side view (left) of the House Clegane Knight

Banner tied to the lance was intentionally left free of any heraldry designs

Although the bluish grey headband and horse reins which accompanied the predominantly yellow colour scheme are not officially present in House Clegane colours, I added them in because I felt that they made the yellow stand out more (in a complementary colours kind of way). The overall colour scheme for my version of Ser Gregor Clegane is largely inspired by X-Men of the Marvel universe.

Lance was set an a 45 degree angle to add some dynamism to the miniature

Side view (right) of the House Clegane Knight

Boar with a knife in its back was coincidentally rather symbolic of the king's passing

Front and back view of the House Clegane Knight (or Ser Gregor)

House Clegane heraldry revisited
Differing slightly from my freehand heraldry paintings on the warhorse, the House Clegane symbol on the shield was based on a particular scene from the Game of Thrones TV series. This necessitated a more detailed painting of the heraldry in two colours - black and grey - with the latter used to finely paint the eye, eyebrow and muscle definitions of the hound.   

House Clegane heraldry on the shield

Four step process on painting the House Clegane shield heraldry

As shown in the photo montage above, the House Clegane shield heraldry was painted in a simple four-step process detailed below:
1) Rough sketch using a pencil
2) Area blocked out using grey paint
3) Area filled in using black paint
4) Eye, eyebrow and muscle definition done using grey paint

360 view of the House Clegane Knight
For a 360 degree view of the House Clegane Knight, please check out the YouTube video (see below) of the miniature. For other videos, check out my YouTube channel FourEyedMonster Miniatures.

Thanks for checking out the latest work on my Game of Thrones miniature painting project. More miniatures are in the works for this project, including a bigger version of Ser Gregor, so stay tuned!

House Clegane warhorse, complete with heraldry

Barring some final touch ups to the House Clegane warhorse especially on the metal studs and leather reins, Ser Gregor's equine ride is largely finished. Just a year ago if you had told me that I would be painting freehand on a more regular basis I would have called you crazy. But a desire to paint and bring something one has read (or seen) to life can sometimes override the mental block that prevents a painter from trying out new techniques whether due to lack of confidence or pure laziness. 

Painting the House Clegane heraldry, an alternate version in freehand

Although I am not entirely happy with the final results due to an annoying inability on my part to paint the hounds in a consistent manner, there are still some positives that I can take from this experience. For example, I am slowly coming to grips with my paint brush handling skills and learning to mix paints in a way that facilitates freehand painting. It also provides me with a foundation towards painting more complex freehand designs that contain more than just one colour.  

House Clegane warhorse (side view, right)

House Clegane warhorse (side view left)

So the stage is now set for the Clegane knight (there is only one I know of and he is Ser Gergor) to be seated atop the warhorse. All I have to do is paint the knight and arm him with a shield that contains yet another House Clegane heraldry. However, this time the freehand painting design I have in mind is different from what you see on the warhorse. I am planning to paint just one hound but in more detail as depicted in the Game of Thrones TV series. Pulling that off will be easier said than done.

Figuring out how to paint the House Clegane heraldry

One challenge facing me as I attempt to paint Game of Throne's Ser Gregor Clegane is to find a way to paint the House Clegane heraldry in miniature form. With that in mind, I sought inspiration from three main sources - a vector design of the official heraldry, a picture of Ser Gregor on HBO Watch and an actual miniature painting by Jen Haley which was done for Dark Sword Miniatures.

House Clegane heraldry by Thomas Gately of liquidsouldesign

A vector design of the House Clegane heraldry by Thomas Gately of liquidsouldesign gave me some insight on how the official heraldry design looks. While the complicated looking design could be painted on the larger 1/28th scale Nocturna Models Crusader XIII C miniature model, it would be significantly more difficult to do so on the smaller 28-mm scale Bretonnian Knight. Luckily, I managed to find a much simpler design on HBO Watch which meant that the House Clegane heraldry can still be successfully painted on the smaller scale of 12mm by 15mm. 

Ser Gregor Clegane as depicted in HBO Watch

Meanwhile, a painter I have always admired - Jen Haley - had also done a fantastic version of the House Clegane heraldry on a miniature she painted for Dark Sword Miniatures. I noticed that due to the shape of the shield, Jen Haley's painted hounds became gradually smaller towards the bottom. This is something I also experienced when practising to draw and paint the House Clegane heraldry.  

As painted by Jen Haley for Dark Sword Miniatures

So using all three designs as a foundation to work from, I settled upon an amalgamation of sorts of all three designs to come up with what worked best for me based on my style of painting. Below are pictures of  some doodles and test paint jobs of the House Clegane heraldry that I did to instill some muscle memory into my hands before I attempted the real thing on the warhorse.

Repeated drawings and paintings of House Clegane heraldry to instill muscle memory

How to paint the House Clegane heraldry ala FourEyedMonster's noob friendly technique

As for progress on my Game of Thrones project, I have managed to finish painting most of the Clegane warhorse so the canvas is set for the freehand heraldry paintings. Hopefully, I have properly prepared myself to do a good job and not mess up the work I have done on the warhorse until now.

Warhorse awaiting freehand painting of House Clegane's heraldry

Getting practice on blending a smooth transition of colours for the yellow cloth

Up next will be the warhorse complete with freehand heraldry designs. Till then stay well and happy.