# Kris' all new miniature thread



## Kris (Mar 9, 2018)

Inspired by Pogre's new thread for 2018, I've decided to do something similar, and post pics of all the mini's I manage to get painted throughout the year 

So, here's a group shot of what I've got done so far...







...which I've painted in preparation for a series of undead adventures/encounters I've been planning


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## pogre (Mar 15, 2018)

Just to be clear, I am totally stealing that crawling hand idea. That has to be the scariest 10 xp monster in the game!


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## Kris (Mar 16, 2018)

pogre said:


> Just to be clear, I am totally stealing that crawling hand idea. That has to be the scariest 10 xp monster in the game!




Yeah, if you hadn't already spotted it, it's just this accessory from GW's zombie sprue (note I didn't use that particular website ...I just got half a dozen of them from ebay).


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## Quickleaf (Mar 20, 2018)

[MENTION=3745]Kris[/MENTION] Fantastic crawling claws! How'd you get the bone sticking out of the arm? None of the GW zombie hand sprues I've seen on ebay have that feature. Was it a custom job? Great look!


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## Kris (Mar 20, 2018)

Quickleaf said:


> [MENTION=3745]Kris[/MENTION] Fantastic crawling claws! How'd you get the bone sticking out of the arm... ...was it a custom job?




It actually came like that (all I've done is glued it to a small mdf base). However, I don't think it's an arm that you'd use on one of the miniatures - but rather an accessory piece that you might use for banners or bases or so on.


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## Kris (Mar 21, 2018)

And, of course, as soon as I posted the above image I realised that I hadn't finished the bases - so here's a picture of a few of them now that they ARE finished, and also a couple of 'reaper bones' that I've just finished:


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## Kris (Apr 1, 2018)

I've managed to get a couple more reaper bones mini's finished this week...






...and a slightly better angle for the minotaur:






And yeah, I should have probably painted the horns and hooves a darker colour - but I was in a bit of a rush to get him done for this week's game


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## pogre (Apr 1, 2018)

Did you make the rocks on the bases? I like those a lot.


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## Kris (Apr 1, 2018)

I made some of them - but some are part of the mini's integral base. For example...






...on these undead wolves I've just trimmed off as much of the base as I can, glued them to mdf bases (blending the edges in with some greenstuff), and then used any leftover greenstuff to quickly sculpt the rocks. However, when a 'bones' mini comes with rocks already on it's base (like the stone the skeleton knight is standing on) I'll generally just add in a few extra (or expand upon what's already there) so that the rest of the base doesn't look so empty.


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## Oryan77 (Apr 2, 2018)

I really love your painting style. I wish I could hire you out to paint my bones minis.


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## Kris (Apr 16, 2018)

Struggling to get an OK photo of these ...so this will have to do:






These are the first mini's I've (speed) painted from the new(ish) Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures range, and while the sculpts are great I have a few issues:

*Pros:*
Great sculpts/poses - plus, with the inclusion of the web-covered humanoids, it's like getting everything you need to run a little mini-encounter in one box (though you're actually supposed to use the bodies on one of the bases).

They're also pretty cheap 

*Cons:*
Flash/mould-lines ...which are more of a pain than usual because of the material, and because the minis come pre-primed (so once you clean them up, they'll probably need a bit of re-priming anyway).

Bases are a bit too small (I've used 30mm mdf bases instead of the ones supplied).

Plus I generally don't like pre-primed mini's (I usually prime in black in any case) ...plus it seems as though the primer has gone on a little thick on some of the other miniatures I've bought from this range.

The 2nd piece of 'base decoration' you get with these spiders is essentially useless.

* * * *

But on the whole, I'd say they're not too bad (despite my misgivings), and I actually prefer them to the similar sized reaper bones ones I have.


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## Imaculata (Apr 17, 2018)

Those look gorgeous! Great work!


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## Kris (Apr 17, 2018)

Imaculata said:


> Those look gorgeous! Great work!




Thanks


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## Kris (Apr 19, 2018)

Oh, and just in case anyone's wondering how I make the little terrain pieces in the background ...I started a youtube channel at the beginning of the year, and I'm posting a few tutorials over there (featuring some of my 'artwork') when I get the time.

Here's the latest one as a bit of a sampler (apologies for the accent  ).

[video=youtube_share;jviJcFbpxwk]https://youtu.be/jviJcFbpxwk[/video]


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## pogre (Apr 20, 2018)

Kris said:


> Here's the latest one as a bit of a sampler (apologies for the accent  ).




Well done!


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## Kris (Apr 20, 2018)

Cheers!


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Apr 20, 2018)

Excellent work.


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## megamania (Apr 25, 2018)

Looks good


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## JonnyP71 (Apr 27, 2018)

I play a weekly game with Kris and can confirm that his painting looks even better in the flesh than it does on here...

It puts my amateurish attempts to shame!


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## Kris (Apr 27, 2018)

JonnyP71 said:


> I play a weekly game with Kris and can confirm that his painting looks even better in the flesh than it does on here...
> 
> It puts my amateurish attempts to shame!




Oh no... you've spotted my thread (I'll have to watch what I post here from now on  )

Seriously though, there's always room for another miniature thread (hint, hint).


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## Kris (May 26, 2018)

One of the reasons I've been a bit quiet of late...







(these are in preparation for an AiME game)


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## Kris (May 26, 2018)

Another of those reasons...











...with the idea being that I can mix them around and swap the tress out for other things to make them a bit more versatile.

Note that the holes have magnetic tape in the bottom - and the round bases are 1 and 2 pence coins (i.e. mostly steel) - as the plan was to have them be held in place by the magnets ...though the magnetic tape isn't all that strong


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## pogre (May 26, 2018)

Wow! Those look great! What kind of base did you use for the terrain boards? Is it mdf?


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## Kris (May 26, 2018)

Yeah, it's 2mm thick mdf (A5 in size, i.e. a half-page) - so despite my best efforts it's warped a bit  ...but they should still work fine.


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## dogoftheunderworld (May 27, 2018)

Really nice terrain idea and execution!


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## JonnyP71 (May 27, 2018)

Kris said:


> (these are in preparation for an AiME game)




Our game?  If so, Giles Pickthorn would like to return to his quiet life in Bree and continue attempting to ignore his dodgy dreams.....


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## Kris (May 28, 2018)

JonnyP71 said:


> Our game?



Possibly


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## Kris (Jul 15, 2018)

A few more AiME themed mini's:






Both of these are metal Reaper miniatures that I bought years ago but never got around to painting.


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## Jhaelen (Jul 16, 2018)

Kris said:


> Both of these are metal Reaper miniatures that I bought years ago but never got around to painting.



I particularly like the 'censored' sticker. Did it come with the minis?


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## Kris (Jul 16, 2018)

Jhaelen said:


> I particularly like the 'censored' sticker. Did it come with the minis?




I just figured (since this is a family friendly place) that it's better to be safe than sorry (as folks seem to be easily offended nowadays  ).


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## MNblockhead (Jul 16, 2018)

Nice! Thanks for sharing. I wish I had more time for painting, it is something I enjoy. I spend a bunch a money on materials, paint a couple and then most of a year goes by before I get back to it.


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## Kris (Jul 19, 2018)

MNblockhead said:


> I wish I had more time for painting




Yeah, I seem to have slowed down again this year too.

However, back in 2016 I made a conscious effort to paint at least one mini every single week (which wasn't always easy) ...but it resulted in this lot:






...which kinda made the whole thing worth while 

_(I kinda wish I had recorded my progress here too - rather than just on my blog)_


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## pogre (Jul 19, 2018)

Is your blog private? If it is public, would you share the link? 

You may have already done so and I missed it - if so, I apologize.


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## Kris (Jul 19, 2018)

Here's the blog: https://crookedstaff.blogspot.com ...though it also contains stuff I sell, simple tutorials, and other gaming stuff.

But if you hit the '28mm miniatures' label on the right hand side, that should show most of those pictured above.


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## pogre (Jul 20, 2018)

Kris said:


> Here's the blog: https://crookedstaff.blogspot.com ...though it also contains stuff I sell, simple tutorials, and other gaming stuff.
> 
> But if you hit the '28mm miniatures' label on the right hand side, that should show most of those pictured above.




Hah! I already had it bookmarked. The second thing to go is memory...


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## Kris (Aug 2, 2018)

Not done much painting lately ...but I have been working on more 'print & paste' terrain for my mini's...


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## Kris (Aug 8, 2018)

Back to painting again ...and yet more AiME themed stuff:


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## Kris (Oct 3, 2018)

I've still not got a lot of miniatures painted lately ...but I have been designing/making more papercraft(ish) terrain:


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## Kris (Dec 1, 2018)

I've still not got much painting done (I really need to do something about that) ...but this kinda counts as a miniature...






...and I'll be using it as an animated book swarm in an upcoming adventure I'm planning


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## dogoftheunderworld (Dec 1, 2018)

That is a wicked cool idea and job well done!


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## Kris (Dec 1, 2018)

Thanks. They're super easy to make too!


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## pogre (Dec 2, 2018)

The books look fantastic!


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Dec 3, 2018)

That is pretty amazing work!  this is inspiring me to paint a few fantasy figs after I finish up this M4A1 tonight.


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## Kris (Dec 7, 2018)

Cheers both!


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## JonnyP71 (Dec 9, 2018)

The animated book swarm was great, especially the 'attack with random spell' aspect...

And the models look fantastic, you've almost converted this particular 'theatre of the mind preferring diehard'.


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## Kris (Dec 9, 2018)

JonnyP71 said:


> ...you've almost converted this particular 'theatre of the mind preferring diehard'.




As always, it depends on the game/situation. But I think they work quite well for the kind of thing I ran yesterday


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## MNblockhead (Dec 10, 2018)

Kris said:


> As always, it depends on the game/situation. But I think they work quite well for the kind of thing I ran yesterday




Yeah, if I went through the trouble, my players would find someway, somehow, without any intention of doing do, completely avoiding that encounter. Many a well planned battlemap set up has only been seen by this DM the night before the game...


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## JonnyP71 (Dec 10, 2018)

Kris said:


> As always, it depends on the game/situation. But I think they work quite well for the kind of thing I ran yesterday




They did indeed.

For the others reading the thread, Kris is running a side game in our gaming sessions called 'Tropes Town' - where we plunder the the most stereotypical tropes found in D&D in a good old fashioned puzzle dungeon crawl in 'The Crack'.  We're encouraged to play the most 'tropey' PCs possible - the game is a lot of fun, and a real breath of fresh air as a break from the heavier roleplaying we also do..

My Swashbuckler One Eyed Jake wasn't supposed to survive for very long, but he's managed it so far...

"Hahaaa, you 'ave not seen zees manoeuvre before!"  (as he does the same thing over and over again  - Wisdom 4  )


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## rabindranath72 (Dec 18, 2018)

Kris those minis are wonderful! Herewith another potential convert from ToTM 

Cheers,
Antonio


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## Nebulous (Dec 19, 2018)

Kris said:


> I've still not got much painting done (I really need to do something about that) ...but this kinda counts as a miniature...
> 
> 
> 
> ...




You should have your own miniatures and terrain imprint company ...


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## Kris (Jan 17, 2019)

I've finally managed to get a bit of painting done:






These are three more reaper bones ...and this is the first time I've used the paints from my Army Painter 'mega paint set' (which I bought last year) ...as I wanted to test them out* before the Bones 4 kickstarter arrives in the not too distant future.

And if anyone is interested in my opinion on the paints, I think they do the job well enough ...though I have to say, they are a bit of a pain to use (i.e. you really need to shake/mix them a hell of a lot before use).

_*as I'd only used (and liked) their washes and metallics prior to this._​


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Jan 17, 2019)

I use an electric hobby paint shaker I bought a few years ago and its great for getting those bottles mixed.


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## Kris (Jan 18, 2019)

Yeah, I've been looking at 'nail varnish shakers' and the like.

It's just a bit annoying that what looked like a good deal (price wise) is going to end up being more expensive than I thought ...I mean I've already bought stainless steel ball bearings (i.e. agitators) for each pot ...and now I'm probably gonna have to get a paint shaker too. None of my other paints have ever been this much trouble to work with ...so, as I say, it's just a bit annoying (first world problems and all that   ).


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Jan 18, 2019)

I use their washes but I only have two of their paints, a black and a white, and haven't had any issues.  But 2 minutes on the shaker gets em flowing usually.  These days I find the best luck with Vallejo.  I used to buy a lot of reaper but their caps bust very easily and they seemed to clog up quick.  

Here is my shaker  https://robart.com/collections/hobby-tools-paint-shakers/products/hobby-paint-shaker-electric-100-240v


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## pogre (Jan 18, 2019)

Flexor the Mighty! said:


> I use their washes but I only have two of their paints, a black and a white, and haven't had any issues.  But 2 minutes on the shaker gets em flowing usually.  These days I find the best luck with Vallejo.  I used to buy a lot of reaper but their caps bust very easily and they seemed to clog up quick.
> 
> Here is my shaker  https://robart.com/collections/hobby-tools-paint-shakers/products/hobby-paint-shaker-electric-100-240v




That's the same one I use. Purchased mine in the late 80s and it is still running strong. BTW - the design has not changed a bit.


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Jan 18, 2019)

pogre said:


> That's the same one I use. Purchased mine in the late 80s and it is still running strong. BTW - the design has not changed a bit.




It its not broke don't fix it!  Other than new straps mine has been great. 40 well spent.


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## khouji (Jan 20, 2019)

Kris said:


> I've finally managed to get a bit of painting done:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I love your game.


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## Kris (Mar 3, 2019)

I GOT SOME MINI'S PAINTED
(sorry ...it really is something to shout about  )






Just a quick paint job on these ...now I need to stat them up 

_(note that the guy on the left is from Ral Partha Europe, and the guy on the right is from Midlam Miniatures)_


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## WolfhillRPG (Mar 8, 2019)

Very impressive painting, and an even more impressive use of cardboard.  I've made cubes, jellies, and puddings with a hot glue gun, but this puts my creativity to shame.  Keep it up!


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## Kris (Mar 8, 2019)

WolfhillRPG said:


> Very impressive painting, and an even more impressive use of cardboard.




Thanks!

And yeah, I probably do spend way too much time on the papercraft(ish) terrain (which is why my mini's painting is suffering) ...and as an example, here's what I built in some of my recent videos:






[video=youtube_share;oRkgDTyJTtY]https://youtu.be/oRkgDTyJTtY[/video]


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## pogre (Mar 9, 2019)

Your terrain looks so great. You have some lucky players!


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## Kris (Mar 9, 2019)

Thanks. A lot of it is just gluing some of the textures I've been creating to cardboard (or similar) ...so it's something anyone can try*

However, I now seem to be disappearing down another rabbit hole...












...but I kinda like the result.



(*I'm actually rather pleased with how my accompanying youtube channel has been received - I guess folks really like to use dungeons    ).


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## pogre (Mar 9, 2019)

I love to paint too much to go down that route, but that greenskin looks great!

edit: The Twig Blights on your youtube channel are very clever. I liked them a lot, even though you were a bit harsh on them.


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## Kris (Mar 9, 2019)

pogre said:


> The Twig Blights on your youtube channel are very clever.




Thanks. This gobbo uses a similar technique - but this time I'm designing the textures specifically for a mini ...and I'm much happier with the result.



pogre said:


> I love to paint too much to go down that route, but that greenskin looks great!




I know what you mean. Though I've always dreamed of my own miniatures line ...and realistically, this is probably the closest I'm ever going to get 

But yeah, this is mostly for a bit of fun ...and something to keep me occupied until 'Bones 4' arrives


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## Kris (May 18, 2019)

Been a while, but I finally got something finished (just a quick paint job on these plastic ghouls).






(left: Nolzur's / middle: Reaper / right: Mantic)


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## Kris (May 18, 2019)

Kris said:


> Been a while, but I finally got something finished...




However, I've not been idle on the terrain front


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## pogre (May 20, 2019)

Love your time lapse map video.


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## Kris (May 20, 2019)

pogre said:


> Love your time lapse map video.




Thanks 

I've drawn another one in the same style HERE, and am currently trying to write it up as one of those tri-fold pamphlet thingies.


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## Kris (Jun 8, 2019)

OK, here's a couple of cheap plastic 'bugs' from a packet of misc. Halloween 'creepy crawlies'...




...and considering what they are, I think they've turned out OK.

Also, a few more (Reaper Bones) undead:





And some proper 'bug' miniatures:


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## pogre (Jun 8, 2019)

Are the flies for Rangers of Shadowdeep or an OSR game?


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## Kris (Jun 9, 2019)

pogre said:


> Are the flies for Rangers of Shadowdeep or an OSR game?




I've been reading through 'Barrowmaze' recently (as I'm thinking of running it as a side game every now and again), and noticed that there was one encounter that features a couple of giant flies. Then I remembered that I bought a packet of 'creepy crawlies' last Halloween ...and the rest is history


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## Kris (Jun 29, 2019)

I seem to have been productive these past few weeks 

First up, giant croc from Bones 4:






A bunch of rats (older 'bones' minis) with a dwarf for scale:






A couple of wall toppers from Bones 4 (used as small gargoyles), and a dog from the older line:






And finally, a few metal skeletons from Ral Partha Europe:


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## JonnyP71 (Jul 1, 2019)

Damn Kris, every time I think my own painting is improving, you go and do this 

Even the tufts you make are better than mine!!

What do you use to make the flowers?


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## Kris (Jul 1, 2019)

JonnyP71 said:


> What do you use to make the flowers?




They're home-made tufts again ...I do a few passes with 6mm static grass, and then another couple with 2mm (to give them two distinct sizes).

Once they've dried, I then paint/blob on a bit of pva onto the longer grass, and sprinkle some 'flower soft' on top (it's something folks use when making greetings cards and the like).


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## Kris (Dec 19, 2019)

Decided to splash some paint on a few more bones...


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