The 12 Days of Reaper is an annual tradition on the Reaper Miniatures webstore. For 2021 it runs from December 1st to December 12th. I painted nine of the 12 figures available this year, and I thought it might be helpful if I shared larger pictures and additional views, as well as some painting tips and colour recipes related to the figures.
During the 12 Days promotion period you will receive a free copy of your choice of one of the 12 figures for each $40 you spend on the site. (I believe this also applies to the UK, I’m not clear if it’s available from the Australia hub.) This stacks with the other promotions from the webstore. Each daily order over $60 also receives a Christmas Sampler that includes a Gingerbread Knight and two holiday paint colours – Holly Berry and Ginger Cookie, while supplies last. All that is on top of the every day promotion of receiving a copy of the free Bones USA figure of the month for every $40 spent on the site.
The 12 Days figures are part of a collection of holiday figures that is only made available during the holiday season. The figures cannot be purchased singly from December 1st to 12th. Any stock remaining after December 12th will be put up for individual sale. These are metal figures. All of them are single piece figures. If you’re not familiar with metal figures, the main difference is you will need to apply primer to them prior to painting. Reaper sells brush on primers in white, grey, and black, or you can use spray primer if the weather permits in your area.
Now on to the pictures! I have included front and back pictures for each figure below, with links to where you can see additional view angles. I have included additional angles in the Patron PDF version of this article.
The Mistletoe Goblin debuted last year. I had a ton of fun painting him! I wrote an article that includes my recipe for the reds and some tips for painting this challenging colour. It also discusses the idea of creating a focus point on your miniature, and the value of using reference photos to paint objects because we usually don’t remember what things look like as well as we think we do!
Sculpted by the talented Julie Guthrie.
You can see more photos of this cute little guy in this article.
It took some effort to paint the white dress on the regal Winter Elf, but I’m pretty happy with how she came out. You can see some WIP pictures of the figure, which I started by using the greyscale value mapping technique I discussed in a recent article.
Sculpted by Bob Ridolfi.
Christmas Hugs is the second miniature that debuted in 2020. I am in love with the sweetness and joy Julie captured in the dragon’s expression and posture. I wrote an article about painting this figure that includes the gold non-metallic metal recipe I used on the dragon, as well as some general tips and discussion of the challenges in painting NMM. You can also see additional angles of the figure in that article, and a detailed guide to what each of the geeky gifts on the base is if you’re having trouble seeing them while you paint yours.
Sculpted by the dragon mistress herself, Julie Guthrie.
Speaking of using reference when we paint miniatures, I had a very specific model for this naughty cat dragon – my own orange tabby cat. Julie perfectly captured the sort of ‘what, I’m not doing anything wrong/weird’ facial expression he makes all the time. (Especially when he is doing something weird/wrong.) You can see additional angles in this Facebook gallery. If you want to paint your copy as a cat with a patterned coat, I have an article outlining four different methods for painting fur patterns.
Sculpted by Julie Guthrie, who loves both cats and dragons.
My furry muse, Korben Dallas.
This little cutie can’t wait to break into their stocking. Or are they sneaking something out of someone else’s stocking? The article I wrote about painting this figure includes additional angles and WIP pictures. I used greyscale value mapping and colour sketching to paint the Stocking Dragon. I have some tips for painting green in another article.
Sculpted by Julie Guthrie.
Is anyone surprised to find that this other cat dragon is also naughty and entranced by Christmas decorations? Julie did such a great job capturing the wonder and delight on a cat’s face when spotting something shiny to play with. In my article about this figure you can see lots of additional views, including what it looks like from above. I used the greyscale value mapping technique with this figure as well.
Sculpted by Julie Guthrie, wise in the ways of both cats and dragons.
Who doesn’t love a hoard of gifts? Or the little dragon that is protecting it? This is the first holiday dragon Julie sculpted, in 2015. My article includes several different view angles in addition to the ones shown below. I also share tips on how I painted the wrapping paper and the base. I have an additional article with information on how to practice painting freehand.
Sculpted by Julie Guthrie.
I don’t have an article about painting the befuddled Tinker the Gnome, but you can see additional view angles of him in this Facebook gallery.
Sculpted by Bobby Jackson.
Mylk and Cookies is a charming fantasy twist on holiday staples. This baby yeti is just so delighted to have all these yummy Christmas treats! I once again used greyscale value mapping with primer on this figure. The article on Mylk includes some WIP pictures, and also some tips for how I added icing texture to the cookies. I demonstrated the materials I used to add icing to the cookies on a recent Beyond the Kit stream.
Sculpted by Julie Guthrie.
Whew, that’s a lot of holiday fun! Whether your Winter festivities include Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Yule, or just the opportunity for some great sales, I hope you find something to celebrate this season. I wish you much joy, health, and fun painting miniatures!
Bird with a Brush 