Dead Man’s Hand: Outlaws – Part 4

In one of Vince Venturella's many videos on YouTube, he once said that, no matter if you're in the midst of an army project, you should always try out new and different things while painting. Since I was in the mood to do so anyway and this approach offered itself to a Dead Man's Hand gang, I took his advice to heart and experimented a bit with the colors of the skin and the jacket.

The skin of el Toro has a slightly darker nuance than, for example, McMiller's sons Eugene and Seamus. The jacket was a rather unusual experiment. I searched Google for pictures of mariachis, western jackets, and the poncho that Clint Eastwood wears in "A Fistful of Dollars". In the result the jacket received embellishments on the sleeves in the form of yellow stripes and a stylized bull's head on the back, inspired by the Dead Man's Hand logo.

I also painted the sash around his waist in a rather unconventional way, brghtening the red up with Dwarf Flesh, giving it a milder, pastel tone. Since in my mind a sash is never just plain, I decided to paint a few stripes on it too, which eased the tense look of the miniature a bit.

Since I had already painted all neckerchiefs on the McMillers red, I wanted a different tone here. The yellow color had the pleasing effect that the head of the miniature, despite the muted colors, again moved into focus and the eye was not so strongly directed onto the jacket. I admit thoug, for a while it felt like painting a banana.

I am really proud about how the rifle turned out. Usually I paint wood grain handles across several different colors together (Scorched Brown, Beasty Brown, Snakebite Leather, Bonewhite and White). This time, though, I only used Graveyard Earth and highlighted with Bonewhite. Proper placement of the accents clearly made the barrel of the rifle recognizable as being made of wood.

Since I originally intended to give el Toro a very individual look, I will remain true to that line in the other half of McMiller's gang. While his sons come in mostly the same colors, his helpers should visually tell their own story. And ... as we are already talking about stories...

Don’t mess with el Toro

Taking on three men at the same time was not a bad achievement. However, going up against FIVE men was simply outstanding. Calmly sat Juan Alvarez, called "El Toro" at a table in Rogan's bar, while at the other end of the table el Segundo, Marc Tanner's foreman sat down.
"I already told you, Juan - we've already paid Eugene 100 Dollars to get those rifles. In Nogales we would have paid double, but I recommended to him to buy them from trusted dealers. But Mr. Tanner could not let the opportunity go to buy them from Eugene for this price."
"Senor McMiller says 200 Dollars is the right price. His son was stupid. Senor McMiller will get the rifles. For another 100 Dollars.".
El Segundo shifted nervously in his chair. He knew Juan and his nickname was justified. Without his guards, he would never have met with him to renegotiate conditions.
"You know Juan ... how long have we known each other? Ten years? Longer? Our fathers have always worked for McMiller or Mr.Tanner, and we were always able to do our business in peace without getting in each other's way. Mr. Tanner will not like that answer..." El Segundo finally responded hesitantly.
"Senor McMiller knows that." Juan replied in a much colder voice. "That's why I shall emphasize the message."
El Segundo and his men tensed. The intensity in the room seemed almost tangible. Rogan, the owner of the bar, ran out, shouting "For Heaven's sake!".
Just when he arrived back at the bar with the Sheriff in tow, you could hear a loud clatter. Furniture cracked and one of el Segundo's guards flew clinking through the window. A moment later, the door opened and Juan Alvarez walked casually down the porch to his horse.
"What happened here!?" the Sheriff demanded to know.
"Some guests stumbled and fell down." Juan replied calmly, trotting away on his horse without even looking back at Rogan and the puzzled law enforcer.

Greetings from the Chaosbunker
Dino