Brother Barnabas, a monk serving with the Order of Fries, was an ambitious man with a small mind. Desirous of a life of comfort, the monk began removing the finger bones from corpses and selling them as relics from the hand of Saint Agatha of Christie. It wasn't long before Bishop Bellevue caught him, stripped him of his orders and threw him out into the countryside.
Where he became a Hedge Knight.
And not a very good Hedge Knight either as he kept turning his back on his enemies.
I really enjoyed painting this guy up. He's a 28mm sculpt from Hell Dorado with loads of character.
I've included a picture to show scale for those of you who have never seen a tabletop miniature.
I did the basing using Paprika and Parsley-cheap, quick and easy. The scenery I scratchbuilt some time ago.
Some of you may have noticed that my blog has had a Holiday makeover. I'd like to thank my friend Dez from The Hollywood Spy for designing the banner and the background. I may have to do some tinkering with it after Dezzy sees it later today as I'm not certain if I got the background in the right way.
Well folks it's Wednesday and we're halfway between the place we were and the place we want to be. So put on your most comfortable pair of trainers and amble on down the road at a slow pace enjoying the scenery along the way. I know I will.
Order of Fries, hehe I love it :)
ReplyDeleteNice job on this guy- he got a raw deal: just selling people what they wanted to buy.
Thanks Ferret. This was back in the days before GW!
DeleteI bet he smells really nice too with all those herbs!
ReplyDeleteLove the scratch-built terrain. It makes a great backdrop to photographs.
The hedge knight himself looks superb, especially the skin tones.
Thank you Templar. For me, this guy was a speed painting job. Only 3 days!
DeleteI do like the little festive redesign, it looks nice. So does the figure and it's really quite amazing how many stories start with a single idiot.
ReplyDeleteMost of the stories of how we all came to be born start that way. Except it begins with a drunken idiot!
DeleteNo comment .... painting and light is perfect !
ReplyDeleteGood work Anne
Slainte!
Thank you Vincent!
DeleteSlainte!
Again a nice looking figure and a great story to boot. I love the Order of Fries as well. Several LOL moments in the story
ReplyDeleteIan
I'm going to try to keep this story a bit on the funny side. Some good jokes coming up in future!
DeleteVery good indeed Anne! He doesn't look much like honest Abe however!
ReplyDeleteGreat work, with detailed shading.
It's hard to say what was the bigger crime with this guy-if he was a crook or an imbecile!
DeleteThis guy sounds like a nasty bugger but I love your painting job of him, awesome work Anne. I know several village idiots like him in real life who would turn their back on their comrades in a heartbeat unfortunately haha. It's a massive shock to me how tiny he is too, he looks so big until I see the coin and how tiny he is in comparison, amazing job to be able to paint him in such detail when he's the size of a coin!
ReplyDeleteWe all photograph these figures in macro so they look large. I mailed a figure to my niece and she was shocked at how small it was. There's a lot of squinting involved when painting them and I hold them about an inch or two from my eye.
DeleteThe blog looks awesome as usual and I am loving watching you create all these amazing characters. They are so very small, I think I would be crosseyed painting them
ReplyDeleteI get terrible headaches from it when I forget to take breaks. It's worth it when they're done though.
DeleteWell done Anne and I like your blog header!
ReplyDeleteChristopher
Thank you Christopher. My friend will be glad to hear it!
DeleteHola AMIGA
ReplyDeleteBuena mini y mas le queda bien con la historia,si es que no hay que profanar y luego vender los huesos,o si lo haces que no te pillen JAJAJA.
Un Saludo
Hola mi Amigo,
DeleteEs terrible que los monjes utilizan realmente para hacer esto.
Slainte!
I adore the banner Dezz did for you at the top of the page! They look fantastic. He is one talented man, our Dezzy!
ReplyDeleteThat Brother Barnabas, what a terrible, terrible monk. That small mind did a lot of damage. I can't wait to see what you have in store for him Anne. Will you be setting up a character page so we can keep track of everybody?
Did you get my email the other day?
I couldn't get the background to fit the way it should. There should be some presents showing up on it. I'll get it fixed in the next couple of days though. I hope Dezzy likes it.
DeleteI hadn't thought of a character page for this one. This is so short, I don't think I need it. For the other story, it's a good idea.
I haven't checked my email in over a week. I'm not really using it anymore. I'll get to it tonight though.
the background looks OK now, Annzie, since you managed to fit it and stretch it. The picture can never be seen fully since your main bar is too wide, so don't worry about that. But you do have to know that all of you who choose a very wide main bars risk not being read by a lot of people who use laptops and smaller screens :) I have a big screen so I have no problem with it.
DeleteI have a laptop and a 15 inch screen and it's okay. I have it set up like this because the photographs are everything. You know I didn't ever consider how it could look different on another computer until you told me that.
DeleteI've noticed that on other people's computers with smaller screens or on laptops (like yours) the background over at my site is almost invisible and they see only a small part of it on the sides :( You do know that when you click on photos over at my place you can see them bigger size, yes? :)
DeleteI know you can click on pics and see them larger and in a slideview. When you put up my Christmas Gerard Butler, me will be making that large, downloading it and making it my screensaver!
DeleteHoly banana boat! I was at my rockin counselor last night just typing up a storm, replying to you with this great comment all excited about how I was going to tell you that I could see not just see the bells but also part of the presents on the phone and then she called me into her office and the damn thing timed out. Grrrr!!!!
DeleteI'm glad you'll be checking your email - it's kind of timely.
Also, for folks like me (aka, scatterbrained) a page with your characters would help. I was toying with having a Facebook for this account but, gaw, I can barely keep up with these two blogs, okay, I can keep up but I'm a bit lazy logging in, logging out, it's all so tiresome =P Plus, What will Facebook do for me? Not much unless I want to go public and I can't do that.
Oh, pictures - from a CIS degree chick - umm, unless you post with your own host and pay for it, you are limited, however....that being said which negates what I just said entirely, you can drag windows larger to make more of the actual screen show if you're limited with older equipment. If I'm on my cell, only the parameters for the cell will show. If I'm on my PC, what's set for a PC will show - it's how YOU have it set on YOUR (and I mean whoever) has it set on their computer. You can try changing display, You can jack with the little black arrows when you hover on the edge of the IE, Firefox, Safari whatever it is, screen and drag it to make it wider. Eventually it will make it blank on either side of fill it with constant wall paper. Just like HD. You can even fill the entire screen with just internet.
Okay, off my soapbox and back to writing for the contest. =)
Click on the link, but only if you're brave enough, and don't tell anyone it's tooooo naughty :)
Deletehttp://onemalecelebrities.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/moviestar.jpg
OOOOOHHHH Mamma likes :)
Delete2@Elsie-I didn't see an email from you. I use Facebook mainly to connect with my gamers. English isn't their primary language and everyone speaks in their native tongue. So we communicate with pictures and music. And it helps me keep up with news in Europe as that's of big importance to me.
Deleteit's fake but it looks so real :) Let us fantasize about it being real for a half an hour or so.... :)
DeleteThats a nice makeover Anne, puts me in a festive mood
ReplyDeleteThank you Andrew!
DeleteGreat fig and lovely new design.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteGreat job on this model there Anne, Love the back story as well. And agree with LF.. Order of Fries.. :)
ReplyDeleteEvery now and again I come up with a good one!
DeleteGood day to you too.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen you in and age Stas. And to you as well!
DeleteExcellent story-telling AND painting! As I wrote elsewhere, I can see him 'moonlighting' in your 'Pirettes and zombies setting.
ReplyDeleteI tried to follow your blog, but couldn't find the follow button. Where is it? HELP!!!!
DeleteHi Anne, nice figure and an interesting story I've never heard about. I like the scenery you put behing the figure.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for this work!
Slainte!
Thank you Kike. This is a short story about the Origins of Zombies and the salvation of mankind by a Pirate Babe named Suzie Swagger. I'm using some of the characters from my big story in this and adding a few really strange figures to it. This one I can get done by years and and feel like I've completed a total project. I'm still painting figures for the big story while I'm doing this one.
DeleteSlainte!
I really like it Anne, you did a great work on it...Looking fierce, we do not want to turn our back!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Phil.
This idiot comes to a bad end...you'll see!
DeleteHe looks like quite the weirdo indeed here at your feed. Still with that big club I would not want to mess with him one bit, that face is scary enough hahaha great job to you and new layout is snazzy too.
ReplyDeleteThis guy came with the Bonus Babe and I didn't know what to do with him. He fits perfectly into this little ditty. His club won't save him! He's doomed I tell you, doomed!
Deletehaha well with that face he could rule hell with ease, so maybe doom isn't such a bad thing.
DeleteHe gets shall we say "transformed"
DeleteLove the holiday look. Barnabas does look like a boob, the type reduced to hedge knightdom. Wow, the scale really does put the size into perspective. Quite amazing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Pickle. Yeah he's light in the loafers and he'll get his comeuppance in the end!
DeleteGreat figure, love his face. He looks completely gormless!
ReplyDeleteHe's a right gobdaw isn't he!
DeleteGreat work Anne, he looks a little chilli to me at least the paprika will warm him up! Boom Boom!
ReplyDeleteHe's a right bloody mess is what he is and he's going to look a lot worse in a little while!
DeleteOff-topic Anne, but it would be abysmally stupid not to seize such a rare opportunity (a Daughter of Venus among TMP members!) to ask a feminine opinion about (imaginative) women soldiers costume: TMP here and chiefly TMP there
ReplyDelete'Historical accuracy' is less a concern than femininity and appeal to a painter and gamer.
Thanks in advance for sharing your woman advice there.
I just went there and put in my two cents. My biggest thing is that they get the face feminine. I love Foundry figures, but the women they do have such heavy brows and big jaws. I file mine down before I paint them. Hasslefree makes great women. The best females of all are Dark Sword, but there's not enough in any one style to make a cohesive unit.
Deletean ambitious man with a small mind....ha...you have to watch out for them for sure...smiles....cool figure...i like the look of his face....
ReplyDeleteThe world is full of that type, and most of them are wearing suits!
Deletevery nice, this is a very agreeable character!!
ReplyDeleteI really like the Hell Dorado line. They make some neat figures, lots of character and easy to paint. Highly stylized artistry by these guys.
Delete"Order of Fries" -- guffaw! Those figurines are just so impossibly tiny . . . your paintbrush must consist of a single hair to paint them. Oops, sorry about the ellipses.
ReplyDeleteThis figure is considered large in the world of tabletop gaming. No kidding, large.
DeleteActually I don't mind the ellipses unless the Big Irishman does it to me. Then I put him in the doghouse for it!
The post title had me expecting something else . . . ;)
ReplyDeleteI've got about three of what you were hoping for coming up soon!
DeleteWhat a festive banner! I like it! The painting is superb as well! By the way, you have a little paint on your fingers...might want to wash that off! lol
ReplyDeleteYou should see the side of my hand-it's covered in paint. I use my hand to wipe excess paint from my brush as I get better control with whats left on the tip that way.
Deletedarling, you will ruin your eyes and I will have to buy you a German shepherd to lead you around the town if you continue painting such miniature figures :)
ReplyDeleteI'm already blind in the left eye darling and I drive without a license!! Just don't tell the local police or I'm fecked.
Deleteoh, noes, why is you driving without a license? Nobody would give you one? :PPP
DeleteI can't pass the vision test so they won't give me a license. Back home people drive without licenses all the time. I started doing it when I was about 14 years old. Me had lots of fun driving around the country when I should have been in school :)
Deletehope Spawn isn't reading this :) She might use her genes as an excuse for anything :)
DeleteThe Spawn drives without a license too. So did my grandfather. It's an O'Leary tradition :)
Deletewe do love family traditions :) Hope there were no feline, possum or canine victims on the roads behind you so far....
DeleteBeautiful banner and paint, Anne. I have always pictured monks as rotund fellas, with a cheery smile, clothed in a robe of sorts, swinging a cup of ale. This unhappy club-swinger may be an imposter. Now taking the baton from Ray I'll run on and say, "This is a figure from the Order of Chili Fries." Oh well, I gave it a try.
ReplyDeleteThis guy was robust until he got caught for selling the fake finger of Saint Agatha of Christie (I can't believe no one got that Agatha Christie the author!). He's a pretty lousy hedge knight and has lost a lot of weight and much of his clothing.
DeleteI'll go one better the Order of Chili Fries with Cheese!
You one-upped us! BTW: ZEELOW is my name on TMP.
DeleteI'll have do do an author search on you then. It's nice to find a friendly face there. Very different from blogger isn't it.
DeleteNice work there Anne, I think your brushwork is improving with each post!
ReplyDeleteThank you Styx.
DeleteGreat looking figure and paintjob. Love the background to him as well. Not sure what you mean but the blog looks festive to me and very nice it is to.
ReplyDeleteThank you Brummie!
DeleteWell done. I like the history you've given the character.
ReplyDeleteThank you Adam, he was a fun piece to paint.
DeleteIs the order of fries related to the order of hash? I near they wear mostly brown.
ReplyDeleteNice mini!
How do I know if I'm half way if I don't know where it is I want to be?
The two orders are committed to the same cause-the propagation and spread of the potato.
DeleteI wonder how they work with the Order of Mash. To Cut or Slice is one thing, but To Squash...?
DeleteThe Order of Mash are those horrid ascetics who practice flagellation. They're heretics and have been condemned by the Church, but they keep on mashing those taters. They are the worst sort!
DeleteI like this little character...he has a serious look of determination. (or frustration at his fate) :)
ReplyDeleteHaving the scale picture is awesome - really puts it all into perspective. And what a great paint job, you really are quite talented!
The minute I arrived here I smiled at your "holiday look" - it is very festive.
Isn't Dezzie just the best! I've had the pleasure of his kindness in my early days, when he helped me figure out my background too. He was the one who pointed out the "evils" of WV which I promptly turned off and started with Comment Moderate...much friendlier for those wanting to leave a wee comment. (which I see this has become a bit more than wee...but that's just mee!)
I'm lacing my trainers, per your recommendation, and taking Wee Dog for a walk to the bank. She will make her deposit before we get there and I'll make mine at the bank. :P
Cheers, Jenny
Dez has been a constant in my life since I began blogging. Always there, always kind, always positive. Now I just have to work out how to get him to come and redecorate my living room.
DeleteI'm a pretty windy commenter myself, so don't hold back here.
For me this is one of your best figures. This work is outstanding and presented in a very nice setup!
ReplyDeleteRegards
Bruno
I'll be doing more dios next year. I've got to get a lot of figures off the painting table first.
DeleteWow the penny really shows how small these are. Great work!!
ReplyDeleteThey are small indeed. Thank you!
DeleteNice mini and a nice banner..the signs of an artist at work..
ReplyDeleteCheers
paul
I'm always painting something. Dez did the banner and the background. Very talented young man he is.
DeleteGenius Anne, just love it! Still chuckling and I adore the Christmas makeover.
ReplyDeleteThank you Michael!
DeleteGreat hedge and boob work Anne and bah humbug!
ReplyDeleteNow cut it out Mr. Grumpy Britches. Merry Christmas Fran!!
DeleteVery nice work Anne, nice tones and shades!
ReplyDeleteThank you Scott!
DeleteGreat work there Anne. The mini has lots of character and you pulled it off really well. You could still tighten up some of those shadows but your progress from even a few months ago has been impressive.
ReplyDeleteI knew those needed some work. I should have used a final round of flesh wash on him then gone back and hit just the highest points. On the plus side, I finished him in just three sittings. An all time record for me.
DeleteReally nice job on Brother Barnabas Anne! Enjoyed his background story too.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I'm really getting to like Hell Dorado. Got a few more to paint and next year I plan on buying more from them.
Deleteenjoyable space you have here!
ReplyDeleteWarm Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
~ > < } } ( ° >
> < 3 3 3 ( ' >
><}}(°> ~
~ ~ ~ <°)333><( ~ ~ ~
Thank you Cloudia.
Deleteah the common spotted country side idiot... great time for spotting them this time of year. very wonderful painting Anne like the story. few its hot today humidity is high and I have heard rumours of storms approaching. could get very interesting around here, thought right now its nice and sunny. hope your having a great time and I love the new seasonal background
ReplyDeleteWith weather conditions like that, when the storm breaks it's likely to break hard. Get some pics of the storm as it rolls overhead. Thank you Gowan!
DeleteI like that!
ReplyDeleteHello Marco!! Where have you been and why aren't you posting anymore?
DeleteVery nice mini. That's surely a nasty stick he's carrying.
ReplyDeleteBonjour Anne
ReplyDeleteOff-topic again, but the opinion, comments and suggestion of a Lady Bard about the possible name for a female soldiers range would be most welcome!
I'll have to think about that and come up with something good. Give me a few hours though.
DeleteBased on the title I kinda feel like I was promised a boob or two but I suppose the painting makes up for the lack of mammaries. I probably wouldn't march into battle with Brother Barnabas, but he looks great!
ReplyDeleteYour painting style keep getting better and better...:-)
ReplyDeleteI like it.
Also, your blog looks very nice. :-)
Thank you dear Thanos :)
DeleteNicely done Anne! And I love his back story!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, you know I am a sucker for Christmas decor, so I am totally digging the makeover!
And thank you for all of the love and support the past few days...it has helped a lot!! xoxo
I can't wait for Dezzies Christmas special at your place! You've handled the loss extremely well Mel and I know this is already a bad time for you. Keep that spirit up. Tard the Grumpy Cat can get you through it!!
DeleteThank you! The whole thing still seems so surreal...I'm sure its going to hit me all of a sudden - probably next month when she doesn't call me to sing happy birthday...for the first time in my entire life. That is my guess anyway.
DeleteAnd I am SOOOO looking forward to Dezzie's post...he is keeping me hanging...I haven't seen it yet and the suspense is killing me!!!!
Wow, this article is pleasant, my sister is analyzing such
ReplyDeletethings, so I am going to let know her.
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I don't know how you paint such intricate details on such a small figurine, and he exudes so much emotion. I love that he's from the Order of Fries, too.
ReplyDeleteDez did a very nice job giving your blog a makeover.
Cheers, Anne.
xoRobyn
I every time spent my half an hour to read this website's articles or reviews daily along with a cup of coffee.
ReplyDeleteHere is my homepage - old holborn blog
I'm surprised he's able to lift that weapon considering how scrawny he looks.
ReplyDeleteAnd Desmond did a great job. :)
Great painted figure and a wonderful base to. What a clever idea on using the spice. Great back story too.
ReplyDeleteDez did such an awesome job, I love it!!
ReplyDeleteBrother Barnabas had me snorting over my keyboard this morning. This has to be my favorite character name EVER and I adore his background story.
Great and funny story Anne! And a wonderfull painted figure!
ReplyDeleteThe relics of Saint Agatha of Christie, didn't he call them "Poirot" and "Marple"? :-D
Greetings
Peter
http://www.peterscave.blogspot.be/
Wow that's small. I don't know how I'd get the detail on there without frustrating the hell out of myself. Not as much as you put on anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe story reminds me of... people. People I feel bad for. Somehow, I still liked it. Hah!
Wow, look at you. Still kicking some painting butt. Love the Christmas look, I do the same for each holiday on my blog as well. Just more fun that way.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy Oogie Boogie New Year.
My compliments Ann...
ReplyDeleteThat mini is so cool! I rather like the back story on him. Dez is great at his craft. I'm glad you have his assistance.
ReplyDeleteBrother Barnabas the Boob had me cracking up! What a great character. I love his back story and he looks just incredible, Anne. You have such an exquisite eye for color detail.
ReplyDeleteHe was a fun character to paint and fun to write about. Very quirky figure.
DeleteHello There. I found your blog using msn.
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No way. You painted those?? They are so small!! Great job!!
ReplyDeletedarling, you can get rid of the spammers by going to your comment settings and choosing OPEN ID option, that way everybody who comments will have to give his link and you will not have anonymous spammers. I did it a month ago, before that I was receiving up to 20 spams a day which Blogger mostly caught and sent to spam box but it was still annoying.
ReplyDeleteThank you darling, I'll do that. The spam is so bad that I can't use Google Chrome for my blog. I've got all this strange sales offers showing up over the top. All the gamers are having the same problems. Spam is way up right now.
Deletesmiles...stopped by earlier and saw comments off...was not thinking to pop back to an older post...merry christmas to you and yours...i hope you have a wonderful holiday...
ReplyDeleteHey Anne! Thank you for the follow.
ReplyDeleteYour settings can also include no anonymous comments and require approval on posts over four-five days. I only get maybe three-four spam comments a year, so it works!
Hi Anne,
ReplyDeleteI was getting out-of-control spam too. But I recently discovered the settings function that Dez and Alex are referring to. So far, so good. You get tons of comments, and they hone in on people who do. I don't generally, but they've been spamming an old post that got tons of hits. It's strange and annoying. Anyway, hopefully you've resolved the problems.
Have a blessed Christmas and season.
I'm glad we've connected and I look forward to visiting your attic much more often.
xoRobyn
merry christmas anne...i hope you and hubs have a wonderful day today! smiles.
ReplyDeletecouldn't comment on your holiday post :( oh well, this one was pretty funny though! new follower, hi!!
ReplyDelete