January 27, 2019 [CC: Lailokken] 0 As The Crows Fly,

The Making of ‘KRANK’ : The Goblin King

Ever wonder what goes into creating a fantasy tabletop miniature? Here is a sneak peek behind the scenes. Our latest miniature is being dedicated to our good friend, Michael Mordor (@Goblins_Mordor). To create his tabletop miniature; ‘Krank’, we asked Mr Mordor to describe how he viewed the Goblin King. We used the information he provided… put our own twist on it, and then created and blended in other elements that we felt would enhance it.

Our process begins with a concept and ends with a resin prototype. The maximum size one of our one-piece miniatures can be, is determined by our printer’s build plate limitations. Therefore, larger pieces we want printed must be sent to 3rd party companies that specializes in that type of production, or, we must slice the 3D files into printable sizes ourselves. (A larger display version of Krank with interchangeable pieces will be available for sale in our shop in the near future)

STAGE ONE – Design & Concept
First we provide our artist/sculptor (Luis Felipe Peredo Noguez) with a detailed description and graphic examples for the project. Luis turns those into a sketch that we revise with content additions/subtractions/corrections, and object placement.

(Apologies… for some reason that we cannot track down, a couple of the images below are blurred. Although, if you click on them you will be able to see the larger in-focus version)

Revisions (when necessary) are provided and completed before Luis begins the rough sculpt phase. Above we added a skull to one of the thrones. We then revised the skull, added a vertebrae, and rib bones that wrap around Krank (pictured below). The concept is that Krank defeated an epic creature in battle, and then reconstructed its bones to create his ‘Bone Throne’. The other (above far right; a stone throne) is more traditional and was designed by our sculptor Luis.

STAGE TWO: Rough Sculpt & Corrections
Once the first rough is done (below) it gives us a better idea of how the finished piece will look. Most importantly, it provides a great visual aid that allows us to make any major changes and/or content corrections.

Above Luis is using a generic mace as a place-holder, but it will eventually be replaced with a more detailed one. An additional secondary short bow weapon will be added as well.

STAGE THREE: Detail & Texture
Luis begins working on the broader details of the sculpt.

With most of the detail added Luis begins to focus on adding texture to the individual components… and one last pass is made to ensure that all the objects are structurally sound.

STAGE FOUR: Finished Sculpt With All Elements
Remaining elements are added to the first version.

Secondary elements are then created for the second version.

Finally we are left with 3D files of ‘Krank’ – the Goblin King

STAGE FIVE: 3D Printing & Prototype
Once the digital 3D sculpting is complete and we have the files, they are prepared so we can print the prototype.

Below is an example from our home printer (a one-piece prototype and does not feature the interchangeable aspect that the Display kits will). These stand approximately 3″- 3.5″ tall.

VERSION ONE: MACE