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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 6, 2017 16:35:07 GMT -9
One thing I've been doing a lot of lately is re-coloring some of the best figures I've acquired over the past few months. Sometimes, I'm recoloring to turn a generic figure into a specific, major character, but that sometimes involves a little more modding. Much more commonly, I find myself taking a single great figure and creating several variants with different color schemes, so that when I want to assault the player characters with a mob of orcs, skellies, wolves, or whatever, I'm not using 6 or 8 or 12 identical figures.
After a fair bit of practice, I've developed a system that lets me recolor a well-drawn and -colored mini in twenty minutes or less. I import the original PDF into GIMP, and copy-paste the figure I plan to recolor into a new document. Then, I make a copy of the figure on a new layer and use Color>Desaturate to convert this copied layer to grayscale. Next, I use Color>Colorize to apply a new hue to the desaturated layer, making the color right for whatever part of the figure I'm working on at the moment (the cloak, for example). When I get the color right for that part of the figure, I apply a layer mask to the colorized layer to make it show that layer only on the relevant part of the figure. I merge this masked layer onto the main layer for the figure, and then repeat the process for any other portions of the figure that I intend to recolor (such as the hair and beard, for example).
I'll use this thread to share pics of my recolored figures on the table, but since most or all of them are based on copyrighted and commercially-distributed figure sets, I can't share printable PDFs. If there is interest, maybe I'll write a brief tutorial for my method.
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 6, 2017 16:42:53 GMT -9
Trash Mob WolvesThese are modded from the wolf in the Lycanthropes pack from Trash Mob Minis, by chiefasaur. I made 8 color variations from the original gray wolf, which can be seen on the left in the back row of the photo. The large wolves in the photo are about 5% smaller than the original art, so that I could fit 8 of them on a single letter-size PDF page. These fit on 40mm bases, and I see them as dire wolves. The medium and small sized wolves fit on 25mm bases. I call the medium ones regular wolves, as they are about man-sized; the small ones, I think of as coyotes. Working from Chief's original gray wolf, I was able to pretty easily create a wide variety of believable wolf color patterns; if you watch a wolf documentary, you'll see a wide variety of colors in a single pack. The tan ones at the lower right look especially appropriate as coyotes, I think.
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Post by whisper31 on Jan 6, 2017 17:52:10 GMT -9
One thing I've been doing a lot of lately is re-coloring some of the best figures I've acquired over the past few months. Sometimes, I'm recoloring to turn a generic figure into a specific, major character, but that sometimes involves a little more modding. Much more commonly, I find myself taking a single great figure and creating several variants with different color schemes, so that when I want to assault the player characters with a mob of orcs, skellies, wolves, or whatever, I'm not using 6 or 8 or 12 identical figures. After a fair bit of practice, I've developed a system that lets me recolor a well-drawn and -colored mini in twenty minutes or less. I import the original PDF into GIMP, and copy-paste the figure I plan to recolor into a new document. Then, I make a copy of the figure on a new layer and use Color>Desaturate to convert this copied layer to grayscale. Next, I use Color>Colorize to apply a new hue to the desaturated layer, making the color right for whatever part of the figure I'm working on at the moment (the cloak, for example). When I get the color right for that part of the figure, I apply a layer mask to the colorized layer to make it show that layer only on the relevant part of the figure. I merge this masked layer onto the main layer for the figure, and then repeat the process for any other portions of the figure that I intend to recolor (such as the hair and beard, for example). I'll use this thread to share pics of my recolored figures on the table, but since most or all of them are based on copyrighted and commercially-distributed figure sets, I can't share printable PDFs. If there is interest, maybe I'll write a brief tutorial for my method. I would be very interested in a tutorial for GIMP on how to do this. I have figured out most of what you have done, but for some reason, masks still elude me. A tutorial (maybe with screen captures) would be quite helpful.
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 6, 2017 18:18:39 GMT -9
I would be very interested in a tutorial for GIMP on how to do this. I have figured out most of what you have done, but for some reason, masks still elude me. A tutorial (maybe with screen captures) would be quite helpful. I'll put it on my to-do list, then. Masks are pretty dope once you have them figured out. I learned them in Photoshop before I switched to GIMP because of the CC pricing scam, but they work exactly the same in both programs. And yeah, without screenshots, a tutorial is pretty much the steps I listed above, in a numbered list.
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 6, 2017 22:53:29 GMT -9
Okum AnimalsI've recolored several of David Okum's fantastic animal minis. Here are some samples: Man's best friendsThese dogs and mules are from Darkfast Dungeons Set 5: Dungeon Explorers.
The original dog is the brown one, second from the right. The larger dog in the back I did as a mastiff to use with my Dwarf armies in Kings of War, so it's scaled up a bit from the original size. The original pack mule is the one in the middle. My mod on the right is different only in that I removed the bow from its tail. The one on the left I reskinned in donkey colors. Spiders and Snakes
The spiders are from Darkfast Dungeons Set 8: Dark Elves. The big one in back, in the 50mm base, is original size. The little one at the lower left is the original, drow-compatible color scheme; the rest are my recolors. The middle-sized spiders are in 40mm bases, and are about the size of a horse. The little ones in front are in 25mm bases, and work out to be about the size of a big dog. These cobras are from Beasts and Barbarians Set 2: Nandals and Cultists. The tan color (middle row, left) is the original skin from the set. The big ones in back are in 40mm bases, the original size, which would probably make them anaconda-sized. The middle-sized and smaller ones are in 25mm bases.
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 6, 2017 22:59:44 GMT -9
Trash Mob HerpsThese recolors all come from the Scales and Slime theme pack from Trash Mob Minis. FrogsThe left-most figures (green bullywug, red toad) are the original colors. The others are my alterations. SnakesThe purple ones on the left are the original versions, and the rest are my recolors. I had a green cobra finished out, but now I can't find it...
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 6, 2017 23:13:43 GMT -9
Google FindsThese are all made from images I found with Google Image searches. These cave bears came from the Paleopedia blog (a great resource; keep scrolling down to find the cave bears). I made them in adult (40mm) and cub (25mm) sizes. The two in the middle are the original colors; I made a redder version and a darker brown one. I found this image of a bulette with a Google search; not surprisingly, it's from some D&D book or other--I'm not sure which one. I think the bluish one at the top left is the original color scheme, but at this point I'm not sure. I made them in 50mm, 40mm, and 25mm sizes, though this picture only shows the two larger versions. This cockatrice came from someone's D&D blog, though I don't have any idea where they found it. The green one is the original skin. I've got some basilisks around here somewhere, too, but I can't find the full set of recolors to post them.
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Post by migibb on Jan 7, 2017 2:02:33 GMT -9
Love them all!! A fantastic - and prismatic!! - selection you have there!!
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Post by chiefasaur on Jan 7, 2017 7:54:22 GMT -9
These turned out so great! A real rainbow of mayhem!
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Post by chiefasaur on Jan 7, 2017 13:44:31 GMT -9
Also, looks like you have enough cobras to fill all your cobra needs.
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Post by Papercraft Warrior on Jan 7, 2017 13:51:25 GMT -9
Also, looks like you have enough cobras to fill all your cobra needs. You never know. He might be filming a new Indiana Jones movie...
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 7, 2017 15:15:09 GMT -9
Also, looks like you have enough cobras to fill all your cobra needs. You never know. He might be filming a new Indiana Jones movie... Why did it have to be snakes? If i were feeling really brave, I'd pick one of the cobras, and remove the hood to make a viper or rattlesnake. Put THAT on my to-do list, too...
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 21, 2017 12:06:06 GMT -9
Trash Mob ReptilemenThese are also from the Scales and Slime theme pack from Trash Mob minis. For both figures, the original figures are the green ones at the left; my recolors are the ones in the middle and on the right. This is a great set for my purposes...six distinct, dynamic figures that really recolored well. I got a lot of value for my investment in this one!
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Post by okumarts on Jan 21, 2017 12:18:50 GMT -9
So great!
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 21, 2017 12:22:11 GMT -9
Trash Mob Bonethrower CrewThese skeletons came from Trash Mob's Bonethrower model kit. I've recolored the skeletons, but I haven't bothered to recolor the bonethrower itself. Maybe some day... Orc SkeletonsFor these, I've shown fronts and backs for all versions. The originals are on the left, with the red shield device and spear decorations. The other three versions, green, black, and brown, are my recolors. Each version has a slightly different color of loincloth, boots and gloves, too, but that's pretty subtle on all but the black one. As usual, I've also printed out a left-right flipped version, so I've got both lefties and righties in my crew. Dwarf SkeletonsAgain, the originals are on the left--the red-haired version. My recolors have brown, black, and blonde hair. Since there wasn't much to change on the fronts of these figures, I've only shown the fronts of the original and the blonde recolor with black leather. Even so, I did alter the hue of the leather on all recolors just a bit. There are lefty and righty versions of all recolors, too. I was hesitant to invest in this kit at first, since I was originally mainly interested in the figures (of which there are only two), and I hadn't started recoloring yet. I finally picked it up when the Skeleton Army pack dropped, once I saw how well this set fit in with those. I'm glad I did--I really like the bonethrower now that I've built it, and as my interest in tabletop miniatures wargaming grows (as opposed to RP gaming), I'm going to get a lot of mileage out of the bonethrower kit. An aside...I notice that the color balance in these photos is quite different than it was on the previous "photoshoot" for this thread. I've got a new Nikon D7200, and I'm still learning how to use it, so bear with me. Despite the variations, I'm very happy with it so far.
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 21, 2017 12:28:45 GMT -9
Don't think I'm only picking on chiefasaur, David! The Trash Mob minis are super fun to play around with, but I've done some fiddling with yours, too, as you've already seen! Stay tuned...
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Post by chiefasaur on Jan 22, 2017 6:31:22 GMT -9
These are looking fantastic! I love the look of the armored orc skeleton horde! I try to work in large distinct "blocks" of color, so I hope that makes palette-swaps a bit easier. I'm so happy you like the Bone Thrower! It was totally an experiment to see if I could make something with some dimension that would "work" in the same universe as all my flat monsters. Also, models of siege machines tend to be expensive, figured I could provide tabletop gamers a more affordable alternative. If you need a skeleton army to go with your Bone Throwers... I went a bit overboard with designing skeletons, but I really like the idea that in a fantasy world, why would a necromancer settle for boring old human bones when there are so many great creatures to "recruit."
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 22, 2017 20:35:40 GMT -9
These are looking fantastic! I love the look of the armored orc skeleton horde! I try to work in large distinct "blocks" of color, so I hope that makes palette-swaps a bit easier. I admit, I have re-colored more of your minis than from any other source, at least lately. This is largely because your art style--bold outlines separating blocks of color--really lends itself to my strategy, allowing me to get excellent results in a very short period of time. My approach to recoloring is super simple. For example, when working on your bone thrower orc skellies, I would work first on the skull device (on the shield) and the ribbons/stripes on the spear hafts, since I want these elements to match. I'd begin by duplicating the figure onto a new layer over the original art, and then desaturate that duplicate layer. Then I Colorize the entire layer, adjusting the hue, saturation and lightness until the skull device and spear stripes looked right--a deep, earthy green, in one case. Of course, doing this renders the entire figure in monochrome green on the duplicate layer, but that's easy to fix. I add a layer mask to the green monochrome layer, set for full transparency (black mask), and then paint white on the mask to reveal the green only on the shield device and spear stripes. On those skeletons, after I did the shield device and spear trim, I also adjusted the brown leather of the loin cloth and boots, just to make each figure a little more distinct. Everything else I left its original color. The whole process took maybe three minutes per figure. I actually spent less time coloring the figures than formatting the page, flipping the figures and aligning them so I'd have right- and left-handed versions of each color variation on a single-page PDF for efficient printing, scoring, and cutting. Because your figures usually have bold, black lines separating different colors, it's super easy to do this masking at the heart of this method using a simple, unfeathered round brush. If you had a lot of fine detail or different hues that bumping or fading into one another (like a blue area and a yellow area touching without a black line to separate them, or even worse, feathering into one another), this approach wouldn't work well at all. Yeah, the utility of the bone thrower wasn't apparent to me when I first saw it, but once I got interested in miniature wargaming, I had to have it. I've still only built the one in the background of these pics, but I'll do more when I start working on an undead army. I'd be very interested in seeing more seige weapons from you. At the moment, I'm looking for cannons and ballistae that would fit in with the dwarven army I've modded using okumarts dwarves. That's an excellent point--why just humans, with so many other choices available? I mean, orc corpses are a dime a dozen, and always readily available to evil sorcerers. And it seems like over- and under-sized skeletons, like ogres and goblins, would be better than human skellies under certain terrain conditions. I've finished one set of your Skeleton Army, but I haven't started recoloring them yet. I'll dive in on those hardcore, once I have a few more dwarven units ready for the table.
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Post by chiefasaur on Jan 22, 2017 22:44:34 GMT -9
I receive pretty regular criticism that boils down to "Your style doesn't work for me, so I won't buy your stuff." Which is fine, no reason to tell me that, but, whatever. On the other hand, it's very nice to hear that my monsters are "Modder Approved!" I honestly haven't gotten much feedback (or sales) on the Bone Thrower, so I haven't really considered doing any more siege machines. Maybe I'll start developing another one, once my 8 other pending packs are in the can... Either way, I am thrilled to see all these great mods you're doing! I think you're really going to dig the upcoming hobgoblins and "Big Trouble" packs!
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jan 23, 2017 23:59:52 GMT -9
I receive pretty regular criticism that boils down to "Your style doesn't work for me, so I won't buy your stuff." Which is fine, no reason to tell me that, but, whatever. On the other hand, it's very nice to hear that my monsters are "Modder Approved!" I can see how self-styled "serious", simulationist roleplayers might not immediately appreciate your style, but that's their loss. Even so, I have to wonder if the folks who would be more open to your work have drifted away from playing on a grid, and moved into the Dungeon World, theater-of-the-mind style of narrative roleplaying. I'd like to see an RPG system that managed to bring together modern, narrative sensibilities with a lightweight, fast-playing skirmishy battle system. I've read a LOT of RPG rules in the last few months, and I've seen a lot to like in a lot of games, but I haven't found one that manages to marry Dungeon World-style narrative emphasis with traditional, minis-based tactical combat. Oh no! Fingers crossed...wait, did you say EIGHT new packs in the near future? Gimme, gimme! I think the key to selling things like seige engines is getting the tabletop wargame crowd to notice and use your figures, rather than RPers. Not sure how you do that, tho... Thanks! I'm glad it's clear that when I mod a fig, it's because I appreciate it enough to invest my own time into it, and not the opposite.
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Post by jeffgeorge on May 8, 2017 16:50:09 GMT -9
Haven't photographed much lately, but here's something to show that I don't just pick on chiefasaur : Printable Heroes Merchant DudeThese are recolors of the merchant from the NPC Dude Crew from printableheroes . The original is the dude on the left; the rest are my recolors. If I recall correctly, the merchant was a reskin of the noble in the Tier 2 version of original set. The way Marshall's Patreon tier system works, anyone can download a mirror-backed version of his minis for free; Tier 1 gets you the figures with back art; Tier 2 gets you a reskin of the original figure into an entirely different character; Tier 3 gets you the original, the reskin, and several color variants on the original. So there was only one version of the merchant, and I liked him enough to want some variants of my own. The bases in this photo are the 20mm bases from the new version Dungeons of Olde tile set, btw.
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Post by printableheroes on May 19, 2017 10:16:53 GMT -9
I receive pretty regular criticism that boils down to "Your style doesn't work for me, so I won't buy your stuff." Which is fine, no reason to tell me that, but, whatever. Fools. The reason to buy your stuff IS YOUR STYLE. The rest of us are mucking about in the same muddy sandbox and taking our fantasy games way too seriously and you're bringing something wonderfully new to the whole experience. It's so exciting to see your library of miniatures grow and to think about how it will be influencing/contributing to players games for years to come.
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jun 13, 2017 20:52:57 GMT -9
I really enjoy recoloring great minis, much more than I seem to enjoy writing and photographing instructions for my own tileset! Here are my latest recolors: Trash Mob Minis Lycanthropes 2 Animal FormsPart of why I love Trash Mob's lycanthrope packs are the great animals in each set. Even if you don't anticipate needing a werebear in your campaign in the near future, everyone can use regular (if big!) bears, jackals, and boars. In all images, Trash Mob's original coloration is on the left, and rest of the minis in each pic are my recolors. I've also noted the size of the Litko acrylic bases in each image, for scale. Jackals 25mm basesBoars 25mm basesBears 50mm bases
I've recolored bears from other sources in the past (scroll up for some examples), but this is the first time I tried to make a brown bear into a polar bear for the Norse-style sandbox campaign I'm slowly building up in my copious spare time. I think it worked out pretty well! These are all from the new Lycanthropes: Theme Pack 2 from Trash Mob Minis, of course!
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jun 13, 2017 21:01:25 GMT -9
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jun 13, 2017 21:11:44 GMT -9
OkumArts GriffonsThe bonus figures in the Darkfast Classic Fantasy Set 7: High Elves from OkumArts are griffons and elven griffon riders. These minis are HUGE--I had to trim the base tabs to get them to work with Litko's large 50mm bases. But the result is worth the effort: these griffons are really impressive on the table! Griffons 50mm basesThe figure on the left is the original grey-feathered griffon coloration, with the elven archer on its back. My dark-feathered and white-feathered recolors are based on the riderless version also included in the set. Although these look pretty cool as is, thanks to the quality of David's original artwork, I may work on my alternatives a bit more. The black-feathered one probably needs a similarly dark fur coat on its lion parts, and maybe even dark eagle talons as well. The white-headed one probably needs a dark brown lion body, to finish its bald-eagle color scheme. If I do make those changes, I'll post the updates back here.
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Post by chiefasaur on Jun 14, 2017 9:07:30 GMT -9
A fantastic round of mods! Y'know, I think more people are excited about the beasts in the lycanthropes packs then the actual lycanthropes. One of these days, I'll have to take the hint and make a pack of just beasts (with wildshape, familiars/companions AND animal summoning spells, it could be pretty useful on both sides of the table) Great job on the polar bear! Also, Armed snakes/snake arms... nice
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Post by jeffgeorge on Jun 14, 2017 10:00:35 GMT -9
Y'know, I think more people are excited about the beasts in the lycanthropes packs then the actual lycanthropes. One of these days, I'll have to take the hint and make a pack of just beasts (with wildshape, familiars/companions AND animal summoning spells, it could be pretty useful on both sides of the table) I'm always on the lookout for "mundane" animals, wild or domestic. They are useful not just for fantasy, but for virtually every genre except maybe a galactic SF campaign hopping between alien planets. You simply can't have enough of them, and there are always more species to create or collect. Thanks! At this point, if I can desaturate a figure to a range of mid-tones, I can pretty much turn it into anything from white, like a polar bear, to "black", like my dark-feathered version of okumarts griffon. This leaves me feeling a bit drunk with power, though it's a trivial, silly power that I can't use to make money in any way...
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