Realistically Wrapped Weapon Grips

I've used string before on bows, though that's a much more subtle use than you're going to see today. The idea here is to wrap an entire weapon grip such as a long axe shaft in this case, though you could easily apply it to sword hilts, terrain columns, large battlefield weapons like catapults and more. If you read my terrain tutorials, you'll see I often work with real supplies because I feel it adds an element of realism and credibility to your art which brings our miniatures to life.

What I'm trying to change is the basic sculpted leather wraps. As you can see in the photo here, there's a difference.

Janissa Tauren [Final WIP and Photos]

This is one I've been working on for a while and you've seen the progress if you've been following on Facebook.

The hair I'm particularly fond of, but a lot of things have brought the whole model together.

As I've said before, when I went into detail on how I painted her hair, she's come to be fondly referred to as "Maybelline". Some think her hair looks like a cloak, but I tell them "Maybe it's Maybelline." Love it.

Also, curious how I sculpted her? Take a look at the beginning process and how I bulked up some of my other Tauren minis. A process I think I've gotten better at as I built the heads and then the shoulders of my Warders.

Basing the Mountain King

Often overlooked is the importance of the base for your model. It's not the focus, but it should accent what you've created and cheaping out will detract. I'm also a firm believer in using as many natural items to base with as you can to place your miniature in a believable context.

This becomes extra important on a project the scale of the Elemental King. Last week I looked at applying terrain on the Mountain King's body and today we'll apply it to the base.

The Plan

The whole time I'd intended to have him striding through a river that came up to roughly his ankles. So the base needs to be a rocky/sandy bed that ended at a shoreline. The wood was planned the whole time, but here I have to blend the land and water together.

Basing the Mountain King's Body

One of the parts of the Elemental King Project was that he's supposed to be covered in moss / grass. Originally, I was going to go overboard - if it was skin, it was going to be covered in moss. As he came together, my vision changed. I really liked how his skin turned out and didn't want to hide that. Instead, I decided to have the moss growing from the stone outcroppings, thicker where it met the skin.

The neat thing about an elemental, is I'm mixing my basing techniques with the actual body of a miniature. This creates a unique dynamic not often seen in miniatures.