Miniature Monday – Desert Thing (UPDATE)
This week, terror waits below the ground, when we discover different versions of a horrible sub-terranean monster which seems to consist only of teeth and tentacles…!
(posted by Dirk)
My mini was inspired by the mother (or father?) of all ground dwelling monsters…the Sarlacc 🙂
I painted it to use it for a fantasy campaign in a desert environment, but you could use it just as easily for a sci-fi-setting. I literally buried the mini in sand for the photo, but it will be added permenantly later; I plan to place the monster at the base of a funnel, like an ant lion.
Antonia chose a jungle theme for her “Thing” – she intends to use it for an ongoing D&D campaign which takes place in a tropical pirate setting, so the beast can look forward to be fed with rum-flavored characters! Arrrh!
I especially like the fleshy interior of the mouth (perhaps some leftover from the last victim?) and how well the monster is integrated into the base.
Jims creature this week is presented in an otherworldly purple which works great to show how strange this thing actually is!
Jim meant that his monster looks more like a beach thing (which is also a cool idea), but my first impression was that of an alien planet. I also like the shiny interior of the mouth, just as it is covered in saliva. Jim, is it an effect from taking the photo, or did you use gloss varnish? However, it looks great!
UPDATE:
William sent in his version of the Desert Thing too, just a little belated (and we caught the email late, too, but anyway.)
Here it is, in all its colorful beauty/ugliness!
William used quite vivid colors, especially on the tips of the tentacles. Very organic looking, well done! Nice color gradients, by the way, they remind me of tropical molluscs.
Did you paint the mini on your ownor did you have “little helpers” again? 😀
Each participant used another color sheme this time, and each monster has it’s own unique style and charme. I like them all, and I think there are many more possible styles to try…
This weeks gallery:
Coming Next:
08/29/16 Brass Bull, scaly Monster a.k.a. Gorgon (Core set)
Comment: A rather big miniature, but since its surface is mostly scales, you could paint it really quickly with the help of inks/washes- on the other hand you could go wild with layers of highlights or even non-metallic metal. Let’s see how you do it!
Want to participate in next week’s post? Email the pictures of your minis until 08/28/16 to
09/05/16 Warg, Gigantic Wolf (Core set)
09/12/16 Beastman Champion (Core Set)
09/19/16 Show me your army/project
09/26/16 Hordlings, small demons/familiars (Core Set)
10/03/16 Egregis Darkfathom, Dark Sea Priest (Core Set)
10/10/16 Companion Animals – Feline, Hawk, Wolverine, Wolf, Bear (Core Set) -> paint as many as you like
10/17/16 Stone Lurker, classic dungeon monster (Core Set)
10/24/16 Kar Drakir, Reptile Warrior (Core Set)
Caffeineforge 
Nice range of color choice, everyone!
Yes, the shine on the inside of the maw is just gloss. I also tried to paint a little forced perspective depth in the throat, but it’s hard to see. The pic was taken outside in natural light, which is actually my preferred method.
The sand I used is actually beach sand from a local lake, hence: Beach Thing! I could be an alien beach, however. The mini just cried out to be some really vivid hue and I couldn’t get purple out of my mind. The base still needs some work, so any suggestions are appreciated.
Hi Jim, now that you write it I can (somehow) imaginge the forced perspective in the mouth – hard to distinguish from this angle but a really good idea to pursue!
I mean, there are street artist who paint the grand canyon on the pavement and it looks real, why not add that kind of “trompe l’oeil”/illusion style painting to miniatures!
Concerning the base, perhaps you could bring some variation in the surface by building “dunes” from glue and sand – depending on where on the beach your monster is buried, the surface could be flat like your mini shows it atm (near the water) or rather bumpy.
Personally I like to play with modeling putty and add some footprints etc to tell a story about who passed by (or ended up being eaten).
Perhaps there’s some inspiration for you in here, have fun 🙂
First, I’m flattered that you dignified my effort with the term “trompe l’oeil”. You can definitely see it better from above, but still worth it.
Second, I think you are right on about the base being a little too flat. As usual, I wasn’t really thinking ahead, but just throwing it together as I went. I think I can still go back and add to/improve it. Thanks for the advice.