Project Log: The Tombs of Tithing, Part 11

The repairs are completed, and everything is built, primed, and ready for painting!

 

 

I was able to patch up the stonework on the front of the tomb with wood filler putty. It was a simple matter of smoothing over the pitted stone faces and recapturing the grooves between each stone, but you can see from these images just how much of the surface needed work.

 

 

For the rear steps, I ended up completely rebuilding them with Aves Apoxie Sculpt. I formed the steps over the original foam, and then carved them to get nice, sharp edges. (I wish I had just done this in the first place!)

 

 

The bottom rungs of the fence were rebuilt with plastic rod. To put it back in place, I used Liquid Nails and some super glue to hold the plastic post against the putty of the steps.

 

 

Then, I smoothed over the foam with wood filler, coated it with wood glue, and added sand and ballast.

 

 

I fit the gate in place, and added sand to fill in the gaps, but I left the gate loose so that I could paint it separately. Before spraying this time, I gave all the foam a coat of Mod Podge, and then painted it with black paint. 

 

 

I used the plinths as a painting test to see how I would work around the steps and the piled bones. I primed everything black, and then gave them a dusting of grey primer and Testors Model Masters Light Earth on the bones. (On a side note, I was disappointed to find out that Testors has discontinued its Model Masters range of enamel paints and sprays. I'm no fan of enamels, but Medium Green and Light Earth have been two of my go-to colors since I began this hobby. I guess I'll have to compare FS numbers find a matching alternative. Thanks again, 2020!)

 

 

To paint the stone, I first washed it all with GW Nuln Oil to darken it. Next, I drybrushed it with a mix of Formula P3 Bastion Grey and Army Painter Uniform Grey. I washed the stones in places with some greens and browns, and then drybrushed with the greys lightened with a little GW Screaming Skull and white to pop the edge highlights.

 

 

I basecoated the bones that weren't caught by the brown spray with a mix of GW XV-88, brown ink, and a bit of Screaming Skull. Then, I overbrushed the bones with Screaming Skull, taking care on the smaller pieces not to get any paint on the stones. The bones were then shaded with a mix of brown ink and Agrax Earthshade, thinned with Lahmian Medium. Once the shade was dry, I finished it up with a drybrush of Screaming Skull, and a little Army Painter Brainmatter Beige for the final highlights.

 

 

The same techniques were used on the plinths, but I did it in reverse so I could wash and drybrush the skulls more liberally, and then touch up the stone around them.

 

 

Here are the finished plinths. They came out pretty nicely, and picking out the bone wasn't as painstaking as I had feared.

 

 

The priming of the small tomb went off without a hitch this time, and I even got a break in the wind, rain, and freezing temperatures so I could go outside and spray it. (It was a Christmas miracle!) The larger tomb had been sprayed previously with greys and browns, so here's a look at it all: 

 

 

I'll be painting the tombs early next year, although I probably won't do any step-by-steps of the painting process. I'll post showcase of gallery images once everything is finished, but until then, this marks the end of this project log. Thanks for following along! (Edit: I have extended this project log and cover the painting process in part 12. It's not done yet!)

From my Bonetithe Nexus and Sigmarite Mausoleum kits, I still have three full mausoleums, some of the fence, the central nexus statue, and the chests and barrels. So there's definitely more graveyard scenery in my future!

 

 

'Til next time!