papierschnitzel

Viking Knarr release coming soon

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am in the last steps of the Knarr development and very excited about it. I couldn't have imagined that a boring old trading ship would turn out so cool.

After completing the second test build I found no further issues so I called this projects iteration cycle done. I added a sailing rig as the final embellishment and started taking promo pics for the release. I also was taking instruction pics during the build so now all that's left is making the instructio...

Viking Knarr taking shape

Ladies and gentlemen,

today I can show you the progress I made on the texturing of the Viking trading ship and how far I got with the first test build.

The first texturing run was very smooth as my experience with and the templates from the Longship taught me a couple of shortcuts I could use. So now I got almost all the core parts textured and was ready to start a first testbuild.

...

Next project(s)

Ladies and gentlemen,

it's time again to start talking about where I am going next!

With the Grenzwacht #2 set done, I want to do go back for a quick detour to the Viking setting and complete the Viking KNARR, the trading ship. Maybe even do the FAERY rowing boat too. As you can see in the pics I have the prototype shape locked down and even added the raised decks, so we have a proper submerged storage deck.

I have started the texturing and got a first try on the exterior an...

Grenzwacht#2 release on Monday!

Here's a quick reminder that the release of the next set is coming beginning of next week.

I wanted to share these promo pics showcasing the interior with some of the basic bits I have made in the past and that would make sense here. Very happy how these turned out :)

One thing I wanted to talk about is the going up and down with this building. For me the natural place for stairs would be in the tower, so if you combine the tower and the barracks/armory it will make much sense. Bu...

Final Grenzwatch #2 WIP

Ladies and gentlemen,

the past days I have worked on an interior build to see if there was anything missing and how it went together. As you can see in the pics it works really nicely. With this test done I will now go into release preparation mode ... check the files, split them up (right now it's two huuuuge files with all parts and thousands of layers :) ) and make sure everything is ready for release. I have taken pics during the test builds so I hope to get the instructions done to...

Bunkbed bits coming soon!

Ladies and gentlemen,

here are a couple of pics of the bunkbed bits I am working on for the barracks. As you can see they are pretty much done and I just need to compile a little instructions PDF as they are assembled with glue-on-edge method.

I have even included a couple of options for the cover sheets!

I hope to have this ready for release here by the end of the week latest.

More GRENZWACHT WIP

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am very happy to show the results of the second exterior build. This time with the low and high extensions and even a base added! I added each to one side. Obviously you can have the low or the high extension on both sides depending on what kind of look you want to have.

I have added pages for all the possible layout combinations. Also for adding the tower to it (a...

Barracks / Armory WIP

Ladies and gentlemen,

here's where I am at with the upcoming Grenzwacht building. I have completed the simplest configuration build and am working on one with the extensions in the front and back. Both of these are easy exterior-only builds.

For this lower extension I am using on the front side I want to add some timber framework between the balcony and the roof, so the extended roof has ...

The GRENZWACHT story continues ...

Ladies and gentlemen,

now that your guard has raised the watchtower at the border it's time to expand the outpost with a larger structure so we got a place to sleep and store stuff!

I have started working on the barracks/armory building and created the schematics that will be the base for the final texture painting phase.

For detailing the table with more bits, I have started adding a blue/white checkers option to the AUG2021 Advanced Banner Bits as I want to dress my outpos...

A friendly collaboration!

Summer is in full swing and the adventuring has moved out of the dungeons and onto the beach! 

In this zip file you'll find these fun little treats:  

Minis 

Bikini Oni by Trash Mob Minis 

Crabkin by Okumarts Games  

Kraken Priest by 2022-08-01 17:29:41 +0000 UTC View Post

The Outpost series has a name: Grenzwacht!

Ladies and gentlemen,

die upcoming sets with the outpost theme just got a name. I will call them the Grenzwacht series. In German this means the-guard-on-the-border!

So the Tower set is very close to finish as you can see from the promo pic. I have added an optional moss roof layer ...

... and included a "Dark Tower" skin option for your not so light-forces!

2022-07-27 13:25:24 +0000 UTC View Post

Texturing the Barracks Tower

Ladies and gentlemen,

now that I have the geometry locked and the prototype build working, it is time to start painting the surfaces! So today I want to write how I go about painting or texturing a model.

I usually start with making some schematics, meaning I draw whatever details (wood planks, metal bars, stones, doors, windows etc) as very rough and single color shapes. These placeholders allow to get the basic overall look of the details right.

Next I start to paint the e...

Testing the geometry prototypes

Ladies and gentlemen,

After the last article showing the design and sketching approach I took to arrive at the final look of the barracks/armory building, I got a lot of very positive feedback on how you guys enjoy this kind of behind-the-scenes stuff. I will try to go into more detail with the upcoming steps so you can see how I do it all.

I am very much enjoying the process of creating this new building and today I am going to show you the prototype builds for the geometry.

Designing the Barracks and Armory

Ladies and gentlemen,

today I want to walk you through the steps I have taken in finding and designing  the next project I want to work on. In the picture above you can see part of the design process through some of my sketches and although a picture says more than a 100 words I thought I would in fact use some words to describe the journey :)

With the Viking Longship model completed my Norse series came to a end - at least for a while - and it was time to think about where t...

Archery targets coming next week!

Ladies and gentlemen,

I wanted to release the targets today but I got some feedback (some really liked the arrow bits) that made me add some more options and details and I think you will love them!

I have added a little grass base, made a page with separate stand and target circle and another with a separate tripod stand parts and target circle so you can do some creative stuff with the parts.

For the target circle I can imagine using a 1-2mm thread and gluing it in a spiral...

Back again and next bit coming

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am back safe and sound and eagerly jumped into working and finishing the archery target bit!

These pics show the flat build but I have also included options for separate parts (frame and target) and also for tripod stand build. If you look at the frame you could go really crazy with doubling up all the single planks, make the target part thicker and make a awesome 3D model.

I finally added some small arrow parts for if you want to dress your target (o...

What's next ... vacation!

Ladies and gentlemen,

as I will be going on vacation - yesss, the first proper one since pandemic - I thought I share with you my vision of what I plan to do once I come back again!

I have a couple of themes I am working on and one is a armory/barracks building. For that I obviously need armor and weapons! So I started working on weapon racks and archery targets and am sharing where I am at with them now. They are not finished but give a good impression of what I want to do. ...

Before the release ...

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am almost done with the final steps of the Longship set! Here's a pic showing how many 1" base minis I was able to fit on deck (and if you optimize and squeeze a bit I guess you can pack in some more).

I have completed checking all the files (hull, mast, sail, extras plus the single shields and chests), making cut files and creating the instructions PDF. In addition to the usual step-by-step pics I have also added some illustrations to show an overview of h...

Starting the final build of the Longship

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have just returned from a couple of days with the grandchildren am in the process of working towards the release by completing the final build (and everything required for it).

As you can see above the main hull is done. I have added the color shield version part and an alternate option for the raised decks in the bow and stern (bottom left corner one).

I hav...

Viking Longship - final options being added

Ladies and gentlemen,

this week there has been a lot of consolidation, error corrections and bug fixing going on. I was able to add the ornament plank options for the top plank on the outer hull. This could be used to add variety to different ships of a fleet or show which one is the chieftains ship!

I also added all the options for the oar slots. The base is a neutral round hole. Further options include open or closed "covers" so no water can enter during sailing mode. And I also...

Next Longship WIP

Ladies and gentlemen,

it's been a long week and now it's time again to show the progress I made with the Viking ship! 

First of all I have updated all the texturing features that I found missing, like planking seams (see the bow section of the hull for example). This inspired me to maybe make a skin or an optional part for metal plating in the bow!

I also added a fir...

Viking Longship WIP

Ladies and gentlemen,

first of all I have to apologize. I was away for a week at my girl friends fathers place taking care of him. I thought I had prepared everything on my little laptop I use there but apparently I forgot to add my Patreon login. So while I was happily showing WIP pics on social media I couldn't show it here. 

Now that I am back at my place I will show it and tell you a bit more about what is going on with the ship!

Above you see some texture previews....

Starting the Viking Longboat!

Ladies and gentlemen,

The past days I have tried to work on the roof tusk addons for the ork-hut but so far this part is unbuildable for me. I tried it with the round polygonal approach as seen in the Blender screenshot I have shared before but I think I will have to try again with just a three sided version like I have done with the small huts. So this will take some more time to optimize geometry for good looks and easy of build ...

In the meantime I have started texturing the V...

Work room clean up (off topic WIP)

Ladies and gentlemen,

after the latest release I wanted to clean up a bit and this turned into a full blown clean up frenzy, so here comes a little off topic WIP report on my progress on this front :)

It all started with my two scratch built boxes for filing sketch ideas. I have built them out of corrugated cardboard with railings so I can hang these red filing folders in there. They worked well in theory except that they were always put someplace I had a hard time accessing the f...

War drums WIP

Ladies and gentlemen,

have a quick peek at the mighty war drums in their textured glory :)

I have added three different skins (wood, bone/tusk and metal body) and two different drum stick sizes (for either one big drummer or two regular ones). In addition to the mighty (a.k.a. very big) war drums I have added a page with medium and small sized versions of the drums so you can more easily match it with your mini size (or make a full tribe drum band!)

I am getting all the file...

Totem pole texturing WIP

Ladies and gentlemen,

here is a look at where I am at with the texturing of the totem pole. I have been struggling for a while to get the right "look". My first attempts looked like a child drawing :) But after some trial and error with this I am finally starting to be happy with how it looks. I am hoping it reads as carved into the log and then painted over.

I am going for two versions of "faces" on the three height levels. Each can be turned on or off. That should give enough op...

Tribal totem pole and drums WIP

Ladies and gentlemen,

first of all: welcome to the new Patreons and thanks for your support. Hope you enjoy all the stuff here :)

Here is a first look at my prototype builds and sketches for the tribal drums and totem pole.

The drum will have a leather top tied down on the sides, a wood/bone body and some ropes around for good measure. I will have to reduce the size a bit to make it work for 25-30mm figures. This one is way too large :) Then I can fit more on one page too. I...

Meat racks and monster hides!

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am back from a couple of days of caretaking duty. My girlfriends father, after the loss of his wife last December, needs some cheering up and being taken care of so we are taking turns in the family. I tried to work from there but my small laptop I brought needs some extensions (large keyboard, mouse and screen) so that I can work properly. I cannot work small anymore :)

So I only got some inital sketching done for the roof tusk extensions I want to add to ...

First tribal bits WIP

Ladies and gentlemen,

here are pics of the first scatter bit I designed for the tribal setting: the tanning hide rack! 

The basic options include the leather in the same colors as the big hut. A bonus layer will give you access to some beast hides (leopard, tiger and bear).

Next I will create some dried-meat racks for both meat strips and fish. Once I got those done I will release them sometime next week.

And then I will check my long list of stuff for this settin...

Working on tribal bits!

Ladies and gentlemen,

with the big hut done and released, I will start working on some basic bits for this setting.

So here is what I am planning on doing! I am looking into racks for tanning hides and drying meat/fish first and have also started sketching something like totem poles. Another thing I want to pursue is making bones/skeletons but I think this will need some time to play around with geometry and really nailing it into something that will both look good and be not too ...