I'd originally intended to do a step-by-step for these guys but I also intended to do them quickly so those decisions proved to be mutually exclusive. After I primed them black I did the bases first. I thought as there was more area to the base than figure any overspill from the dry brush could be covered easier afterwards than try and paint round the model.
After a quick base of craft brown acrylic and subsequent lighter brown drybrushes I used my Vallejo BoltGun equivalent, the green that was supplied with my LoTR starter set [not bad considering it's 12ish years old] Mechrite red on the clothing and browns on various bits of leather.
I then washed it twice with my Army Painter Strong Tone [Devlan Mud replacement]. I was after a much darker effect than a single wash - to try and replicate the darkness of the movie goblins, even though I've introduced reds and greens. I'd intended to do one set of highlights but I was already feeling these were too bright and so many times I've just wanted to 'wash and go' with my painting because I believe they actually look good without the highlighting anyway. My only annoyance is that archer with the helmet. I'd pulled a stone off that was too big and it brought a lot of sand with it. It blended OK with the browns but I suddenly thought a dark pool of water would look good too so filled it with black no it looks exactly like someone pulled off the basing sand to reveal the slotta base beneath - DOH!
Maybe some clear varnish will solve this. As overall I decided just to 'let go', this was always an exercise in speed. Doing something for the fun of it and things that work OK will suffice, no need to overegg this pudding.
One last thing to do was add some grey teeth that were washed and some bulging luminous yellow/green eyes. One concern is just how obvious the mold lines are in these close-ups. luckily they're less evident to the naked eye but it's slightly annoying.
I'm really chuffed with the end result, to think these were still on the sprue a week or two back and had been languishing for a decade or more and now I've painted them up. Can't wait to have a little go on PeteB's Goblin Town board with them.
When we get chance to have a game I'll take some pics too. His Goblin Town has come out really well, supplemented by coffee stirrers. He's achieved a really realistic wood effect, I'm sure mine would have been much more cartoony.
Here's one of the before shots when I'd done the basing sand.
