Way back before I started paitning miniatures seriously I picked up a couple of Ral Parhta’s character progression figure packs as a cheap way to pad my collection for RPG use. Each pack had three models with a similar feel to them but at various stages of progression. This model came from the cleric pack, which had a robed, staff-carrying priest, this figure, then a platemail-clad hammer toting warpriest. The others got painted quickly as I was learning the basics, but I painted up the Priest here years later as an experiment in a couple techniques.
At the time I was playing in an RPG with another skilled miniature painter who had a slightly different technique. Where I tend to try to do more subtler blends and highlights, Tom typically had a rather stark look to most of his shading that I found interesting, so I tried it out on this figure. The application was rather simple – base coat and wash with a thicker, darker wash than I usually used then clean up most of the non-recessed areas.
The other technique I wanted to try was painting wood grain on a smooth object – in this case the figure’s mace haft. I didn’t use nearly enough layers of highlighting but it actually looks pretty good at gaming distance. I think that’s a good way to describe the technique used for the rest of the figure as well. The blending’s not subtle but the stark contrasts do stand out on a gaming table, and sometimes that’s what you really want.