This was one of my two entries for Crystal Brush this year, and made first cut in the toughest Crystal Brush field we’ve seen. The figure is Hobgoblin, from Beyond Miniatures. I imagine the Hobgoblin as a treasure hunter, so that’s how I titled my version of the bust.

One of the things I focus on with my miniature painting is light, and “Treasure Hunter” is no exception. I decided to set the figure in bright sunlight, and paint shadows cast by some parts of the figure on other parts. In this view, you can clearly see the cast shadow from both the hobgoblin’s head and his glove. I’m happy with how the shadows came out on both “Treasure Hunter” and my other Crystal Brush entry (which did not make first cut… but that’s a story for the next article).

Treasure Hunter was painted very quickly. The photo above was taken after the first day of painting, and already you can see that the face is almost how it looked the final version (albeit with much worse photography). In total, I probably put only about 25 hours of work into the piece, which is tiny for a competition entry. Really it’s not adequate when you are competing at the level of Crystal Brush. I was thrilled just to make first cut with this entry, and knew it wouldn’t get anything better.

The face was a huge amount of fun and almost painted itself, hence the fast progress. But I sort of ran out of steam on the other elements, especially the dragon tattoo. At a certain point, you just have to call something finished, even when you know there are things you could improve. Since painting is a hobby for me, it has to be enjoyable, and one thing that determines how much time I put into a piece is how much I’m enjoying the process.

My original vision for “Treasure Hunter” was a pirate treasure seeker with an Asian flavor, hence the multiple tattoos, including a dragon and a compass rose. Not only does this go with the pose holding up a gold coin, but it also suits the model. Unusually for a bust, Hobgoblin has two full arms and a large amount of torso, leaving plenty of room for tattooing.

Pedro Fernandez sculpted both Hobgoblin and my other Crystal Brush entry. His sculpts have an interesting style, with lots of gritty realism, despite the fantasy subject matter. I’ve enjoyed painting them. The other miniature, his Siren, will be the subject of my next two articles. I’m excited to show her off, and especially show how I built her a water base.