Hello, folks. I've been admiring the work I've seen on this site for years but have been quiet up till now (don't like to comment on others' work without presenting my own for comments/criticism), mainly because I've been unable to take decent photographs of my miniatures. I recently came across the milk jug lightbox thread in the Photography Workshop section, however, and am pretty happy with the results, so I thought I'd post them.
Over the past few years the focus of my collecting and painting has been on Rhovanion and (to a lesser degree) Eriador in the tumultuous period shortly before the events of the Fellowship of the Ring. The miniatures I used to test the lightbox - and thus the ones I present first - are supposed to be the troublemakers Saruman has sent into Breeland.
Some Dunlendings, come up the Greenway to do Saruman's bidding.
Two half-orcs. These are Perry plastics with Orc hunter heads and some Bretonnian bits. I did them a while ago and am thinking of repainting the skin (was going for the sallow tone Tolkien describes).
Ruffians. The archer is from Red Box Games with Perry hands. Both heads are Perry Russian infantry heads with forage caps, which are my only source of almost-bare plastic heads for conversions. Plus, most of the faces are a bit grimacey, which makes them good for rogues and brigands. The one on the right is a bit bibulous and has a red nose to prove it. The archer is painted to resemble a member of the Blackwolds, a gang of bandits from Lord of the Rings Online that pesters eastern Bree. As you will see, I get a lot of inspiration from this game. Basing still incomplete.
Sharkey himself, on an incognito trip from Isengard. I tried to blend some brighter colors into the robe, but only the pink is really visible in this photo. I was trying to recreate the subtly shimmering quality of the robe he wear as Saruman of Many Colors. The bird in front of him, which is one of his "spies," is painted as a common grackle. I see them in my yard at certain times of year, and their cunning yellow eyes, shimmering iridescent feathers (which seem to change color), and shifty behavior always remind me of Saruman.
A Bree militiaman. Perry Agincourt plastic miniature with an old Warhammer shield. This is a test for a "Breeland Defense Force" project I've had in mind for a while. Basing is undecided until I do more of these. In LotRO, the Boar's head is the emblem of Bree proper, and it's a nice little image to paint. Tolkien writes that Breelanders have somewhat swarthier complexions than other men in the North, so I gave him the same skin-tone as the Dunlendings, who are not-too-distant cousins to the Bree-men.
Image is a bit too bright, but I'm pretty pleased with Gollum, especially the fish. Finished him last night.
I'm eager to hear what you all think. C&C welcome, as are tips for normalizing the photo colors a bit more. Hope to have more photographed soon.
-Gangleri
