Hot off the Desk: Shadows of Brimstone Corpse Pile

Finished product. Super fast, nothing too fancy.

So, last night I was rummaging around in an old Amazon box that I've repurposed for nerd storage.  I happened across the SoB plastic Corpse Pile package that I bought ... sometime? One of those things that you forgot you had.

Anyway, these pieces replace cardboard tokens that come with the Swamps of Death core box; they're basically terrain pieces that spawn zombies.

I stared at the package for a few minutes, then reached over and turned on the compressor.  These guys were getting some paint!

Total time investment is maybe 45 minutes.  Nothing too fancy.  I've seen guys spend the effort to detail all the individual bodies, paint the clothes, boots, and bits.  But there's a fair amount of smearing between distinct details; I think that a more abstract approach probably works better.  I also wanted to test some speed-painting techniques combining a few of my prior methods.

Steps 1 and 2: Stynlrez primer, followed by AP Necrotic Flesh at a 45 degree angle.

I mounted each CP to a cork and used my proprietary cork holder (aka 2x4 with holes in it) to hold them while drying.  The Stynlrez went down smoothly, and I left them overnight to dry.

First thing this morning, I hit them with some color.  ArmyPainter Necrotic Flesh is a perfect color for undead baddies.  I used the Sotar 2020 and mixed the paint fairly thin.  I held the airbrush about 45 degrees above the table and gave them a quick zenithal treatment.  This took maybe 5 minutes, including the time to mix paint and clean the airbrush, then it was time for breakfast.

Step 3:  AP Strong Tone ink applied.

Mid-morning I came back and found my bottle of AP Strong Tone ink, which is a deep brown. 

Added a few drops into a 1oz solo cup, and added a few drops of airbrush thinner (this was more for my ability to brush the result than to reduce its intensity), call it 6:1 or 6:2.  Apply the wash liberally all over, then go back and wipe away any bubbles.  Also look for areas that have pooled; wipe your brush on a paper towel and blot those away.

Walk away and let that dry.

Step 4:  dry brushing: AP Necrotic Flesh and Fang Bone.  Harsh booth light.

Late morning I came back late morning and picked up the dry brush - more Necrotic Flesh and some AP Fang Bone white to bring out some details.

Finally, I fired up the Sotar again and hit the edges with Burnt Umber all around, followed by Burnt Sienna in the brighter area (Sienna is more 'orange').  FW Payne's Gray ink (also via the Sotar) reinforced some shadows that I lost.  I did a correction pass with the dry brush and again with more Payne's gray and called it done.

Step 5:  Airbrushed inks and adjustments.  Softer bench light shown here.  Airbrushed inks (Liquitex Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna) give the lower edges some definition and color interest.  I also (very) carefully added some shadows with FW Payne's Gray, mostly to the back side but also in the front side on a few places.

This last session was maybe half an hour total, so I think I knocked these out in about 45 minutes total time.  I may go back and put some neon green in some eye sockets, but will sleep on that.