It's A Swamp Thing-You Wouldn't Understand.

I remember having a discussion with an art teacher back in my younger days, and it was one of those talks that has always remained entrenched in my memory. One of the things that this teacher told me was that it is folly to judge an artist by the works that are widely recognized as being their masterpieces. Truly great artists, this teacher opined, do produce those transcendent, once-in-a-lifetime works, but what makes them great is their consistency. My teacher's final comment on the topic was that anyone who pursues art will, from time to time, produce something great- the masters of the craft, however, produce greatness nearly every time they try.

Why this long preamble, you ask? Because, to put it bluntly: Kev Adams is the man.

I talked last year about how impressed I was with the Goblinmaster's Heartbreaker dwarf line. Now, I get to present my take on his Bullywugs/Boglings, sculpted for Otherworld. Pure awesome. Demonstrating that, even in our little niche art form, consistent greatness sets one apart.

Ribbit ribbit

Loaded with animated character, the set is a good mix of action and static poses. Great little details like pouches, salted fish, textured wood, and those fantastic Kev Adams mischievous faces. Just like the Citadel Night Goblins he infused with a sinister sense of humor way back in the 80's (would those be Kev's masterpiece?), these froggies ooze malice from every reptilian pore. Perfect encounters for a low-level party.

Mwahhh haaaa haaaa haaaa.

Cheers, lead brethren. Thanks for the look.

All Hail the Dwarfmaster

Just another quick update/documentation post today showing a couple of dwarfs to add to the growing horde. It felt good to paint up a couple of stunties again for the first time in a while- painting big boots and beards is like slipping into a comfortable old pair of slippers for me.

The fella on the left is from Heartbreaker, and is a fairly recent (post-2000) Kev Adams sculpt that will fit in nicely with my second edition Bugman's unit. The sculpt is so well done that I wonder if calling Kev the "Goblinmaster" is actually shortchanging him. One thing I have definitely noticed over the years about Adams' sculpts is that he never seems to get lazy on his minis; even places that no one would be reasonably expected to see on a finished, painted mini (places like underneath arms held snug against the body, or undercut areas beneath tunics) Kev will continue to lavish detail. It's quite admirable, and when you combine that ethic with his considerable ability to bring character to a little lead figure, well- it's no surprise he is a legend. Well deserved.

The pretty little lady on the right is a female dwarf ranger from Reaper. Although I haven't done it the justice it probably deserves, the face is one of the best female faces I have ever had the pleasure of painting up. So, another earth-toned addition reports in.

I am definitely wishing I was in Baltimore at the moment, with my fellow yankees at OITNW. There's always next year, right?. Can't wait to see all the blog updates.

Cheers, brethren.