Shattered Sword Paladins

Here are a couple Relic Knights minis that I got painted up a bit ago, but for some reason never got around to posting them.

 Navarre Hauer and Rook

 

Zombie Hunter Wedding Cake Toppers with Silent Weapons

I've read the zombie survival guide, and while I haven't necessarily started stockpiling arms and watching the news for signs of outbreak cover-ups, I've definitely made myself familiar with what makes a good anti-zombie weapon. Accuracy and silence.

 As almost any non-head shot will result in a maimed zombie at best, it is important to use something that can reliably hit the target.

 And silence. The advise against chainsaws seems good. The heavy gas powered weapon can quickly make mince meat of any immediate zombies, the noise is guaranteed to alert any nearby zombies to your location. Fire arms tend to have some of those noise troubles as well- the much lauded AK-47 is a noisy weapon after all.

 Here are some cake toppers I made for couples that know how important silence is during a zombie outbreak.

 The crossbow is an excellent weapon- nearly silent, but quite accurate (at least if you've practiced enough with one).

 

And melee weapons tend to work well. A sword is a classic so long as you can find a quality blade. On the other hand, we have drumsticks. But hey- a weapon you're familiar with is often better than a superior weapon you've no experience with.

 

Zombie Survivor Cake Toppers- Improvised Weaponry

Zombies don't really announce that they'll be coming back from the dead to eat you (unless you count the horrific groans that herald their craving for human flesh).

 While many of the cake toppers I make represent people who have planned ahead- who have an M4 and plenty of ammunition around- every once in a while, you just need to grab whatever heavy object is closest and start bashing heads.

 At least no one is trying to throw vinyl records at them (yet).

 I think the thing I like most about this little set is that I know for certain that the couple owns the guitar that she's using:

 

Mushroom, Mushtoom!

Here is one of my favorite sets of minis, of all time. They're the Fungal Growth Spawn point for Super Dungeon Explore, and I based the color schemes on the various colors of mushroom monsters from the Dragon Quest series.

 

Goldur and Seoni- variations on skin tones

Here are a few minis that I got to paint for a client. They're both pewter, since I'm sure someone is curious. I've got a bones Goldar that I've been itching to paint up, and I'm sure I'll get to do him sometime soon too.

 The skin tones were definitely a centerpoint for both of these. In the past, I made the mistake of using a too light and too pink skin tone on a half naked barbarian, and he really looked as though he'd get sunburned.

 So here, I went with a more tanned color that I think presents itself as more natural for the super shirtless guy.

 Interestingly enough, Seoni has an extremely pink skin tone. That's my client's choice, but it is one that I think works very well for her (and matches the artwork in the Pathfinder books).

 Anyway, here they are:

Mix it up: Fantasy and Science Fiction Cake Toppers

A lot of the cake toppers I make express a fandom of some sort. They range from very specific (like the Halo or Tardis cake toppers) to broader areas (like fantasy armor or weaponry).

 Now, I don't know that I've ever met a fan who was only a fan of one thing. So a lot of the toppers that I make like to mix some elements from one or another sort of fantasy universe. Here are a couple cake toppers for couples that mixed it up that way:

 

 

Highborn Dragons

Here are two dragons that I painted up for a High Elf force. I had previously painted up a dragon for this client, so I'd bet that he's been fielding all three as a Highborn Dragon Host.

 And here they are:

 

Harlequin Solitaire

Here's a solitaire that I got to paint up just a little while ago. He goes with one of a couple forces of Harlequins that I've painted up in small batches- starting from before they had a codex of their very own.

 Each of the other Harlequins in the troupe have strong black and white patterns with one bold color added. This Harlequin has each of the other colors incorporated into it (sort of a sign of his position).

 

Cake topper gonna take out some zombies

Most of the cake toppers I do are posed back to back. Some of the brides and grooms I work with like to have something a little more dynamic to their poses.

 Here's a topper I made recently of a couple that really wanted to look like they were in the thick of it. Something feels right about using blades meant for whacking foliage on the zombies (machetes and a scythe).

 I don't know why it is, but those weapons just seem so badass to me.

 

Super Cake Topper

The wedding cake toppers that I make are all made to order. While a lot of my clients take the images from our galleries as a starting point, some of them really go out on a limb and have me make completely different toppers.

 Here's a topper I made for a couple that asked for something completely different. They wanted a pair of costumed heroes on their wedding cake, and I was more than happy to create it for them.

 

Arena Rex Medusa

I feel like there have been many renditions of Medusa in miniatures. She's even become a species according to some of the older Dungeons and Dragons stuff I have around here. They even had pictures of child medusas (and it isn't like I wouldn't paint a cute little Medusa, you know?)

 Well, Arena Rex has some brilliant artwork and sculpting behind their line, so I was very happy to get to paint up their wonderful Medusa. The client really let me make the decisions on this one, so I got to create the pallet as I see her.

 

Wedding Cake Toppers for Actual Ninjas

Here are a few cake toppers for brides who truly love their ninja.

 I'm a little surprised that no one has had me make the bride into the ninja yet- but I suppose it is hard to resist the lure of having me match the beautiful wedding dress.

 



 And here's a different sort of topper. While most of the toppers I've made have been for weddings, some have been for anniversaries or other occasions. Here is a topper I made for an actual ninja master's birthday. He teaches the arts of Bujinkan Ninjutsu at his dojo, and decided to have this topper made for his birthday cake:

 

Kasaro To- Super Dungeon Explore Oni

Way back when Relic Knights was being Kickstarted, Sodapop miniatures introduced crossover characters for their already successful Super Dungeon Explore.

I painted this guy up just a little while ago, but now, with the release of Ninja All Stars, I think he would fit nicely into a Ninja Themed Super Dungeon game.

I went with a very controlled color pallet- keep a strong sense of light and dark among the purple, with a strongly contrasting NMM gold.  I think the pallet worked well on him.



 

Romantic Zombie Wedding Cake Topper

Here's a cake topper I made for a couple that clearly believe strongly in "Forever and No Matter What." It is really great to have found someone who will always love you, no matter what side of the zombie apocalypse you both end up on.

 A little while ago, I made a similar topper to this one- but from the other side, the couple were still alive. I believe the cake they put them on was half white and half chocolate, and they thought it was a great idea to have the couple be zombies from one side but not the other.

 This couple went fully undead. I really liked matching the tattoos especially.

 

Bette Noir, but with red and yellow

When I'm choosing a color scheme for my own minis, I generally shy away from the official color schemes from artwork or studio paintjobs.

 I'm not totally sure why I do this. You can paint a mini great in studio colors (and I often do that as well). But I really like to re-imagine the character in a very different light- and you can often fundamentally change a character simply by choosing different colors.

 Well, here's Bette Noir- there's a clear color scheme suggested in that name. But my client chose a color scheme that was very far from the official one:

 

Romantic Halo Cake Topper

Now, this isn't the first cake topper I've made for fans of the Halo franchise. In the past, I've had several brides and grooms ask me to make them into spartans.

 But, this is the first cake topper that I've made to feature the franchise' favorite protagonist- John 117, the Master Chief. Well, here's a romantic cake topper that features him with his true love:

 

 

Knight Cerastus x2

Just a little while ago, I got to paint up a few Knight Cerasti with a relatively simple color scheme (give the amount of freehand I often do on knights like these). 

Here are some pictures: 

Cthulhu and Mermaid Wedding Cake Topper

I get lots of different kinds of projects for Wedding Cake Toppers- themes range from Zombies, videogames, swordfighting, fantasy roleplaying, comic fandom and beyond.

 This couple had a very specific idea of the couple they wanted- that's not so unusual actually. Since I'm making all of the toppers myself, I can create a lot of things that no one has ever thought of before.

 They wanted a Cthulhu groom carrying his Mermaid Bride- all done with a much creepier style than what I normally make for cake toppers. In fact, I actually considered a number of ways to make the scales and transitions on the mermaid herself, but they wanted something very specific.

 And I really love how it came out. I get to work with the best people.

 

Rabid Squirrels for Super Dungeon Explore

Well, I don't have quite everything painted from my Forgotten King set. I know, there are Ninjas about to descend upon us, and I'm about to be buried underneath some of that Kickstarter craziness.

I've discovered that the money for Kickstarters isn't an issue in the least as long as I only get in on Kickstarters in as much as I can finish painting the minis.

And that puts me in a place where I really can't get in on very many of them.

 Anyway, I'm excited (and a little intimidated) so see the next set of SDE and Ninja All Stars show up, so it is good to have a few more creeps done:

 

Doctor Who TARDIS Wedding Cake Toppers

I have had a lot of requests for some interesting cake toppers. Here are two sets that I created- both of the couples independently decided that they'd like to see Doctor Who's TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension In Space) on their wedding cakes.

 First- here's what the TARDIS looked like all by itself:

 

 The first couple wanted to be running into the TARDIS (with the door a little open). I think it is the vehicles that's taking them on their honeymoon. I like how they wanted her to seem just a little more eager to get in there than he is:

 

The last ones wanted their clothing to show off some of their other fandoms. For some reason, I feel like crossovers with Doctor Who just work really well- I always imagine that he can arrive in any place/time/dimension that the TARDIS takes him to: