Going to start painting again.

Okay, it's been a long break from painting and admittedly I hadn't got much done before.

So, here's my current project:

Titan Marines from Rebel Minis

I am going to try a suggestion I received before and go with 4 mini's together on a craft stick (I glued 4 together to give it thickness; something to hold on to!) I chose 4 mini's with identical poses, I figure if I am 'assembly line' painting, it'd be easier to go this route.

The mini's are freshly primed and waiting to dry. I noticed some mold lines that I thought I had gotten on there heads that I will need to go back and clean up.

I am considering a dark reddish brown (like GW Dark Flesh) for the cloth and a metal (GW Boltgun Metal) for the armor and a dark gray for the face masks (50/50 mix of Codex Gray and Chaos Black). I'd highlight the Dark Flesh with Terracotta , highlight the boltgun metal with chainmail and the masks with codex gray. Likely wash all the non-cloth with black wash and the cloth with brown wash, possibly chestnut ink or brown ink. This could all change as soon as paint hits the mini, but we will see.

Other news I have played a couple of games of warhammer 40k recently. I brought my Tau out of retirement. It's been long enough that all my armies are in retirement. I went with Tau because they seemed the least changed with 5th ed, which I have not played much.

The 40k games were a bit frustrating, I am so used to 3rd ed rules, I was making tactical errors that were 'rules based errors', like hiding a unit of troops behind a stand of trees. They'd have been concealed before, now they just got a cover save. Not what I was anticipating when I made the move.

So, one game vs. Gray Knights was a spectacular failure for the Tau. No 'Greater Good' came from it. I got to go first and didn't manage a single kill! Second game was vs. Dark Eldar. I one that game, but we made some mistakes that could have tipped the balance.

Frustrated and starting over

okay, so i got to work on my 15mm mini's. It has been a good learning experience, but I had one fatal mistake from the beginning. I am not happy with the way the sand built up on the bases. It's probably due to the use of superglue. I never used super glue before to adhere sand, but I was a bit nervous about it not sticking to the metal washer (i am used to plastic bases). I am also not used to the bump up the mini's base has on top of the washer. I tried to be careful. I think the super glue must have been absorbed into the sand causing the layer above to stick. This made the sand layer up pretty thick and go well over the feet of the mini's. I just wasn't happy.
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I intend to get a good process start-to-finish, before I buy the mini's I really wanted. (I got these Flames of War Germans cheap at a local store when I used to live in Washington State). So, i dunked them in acetone for a little while and scrubbed them clean. I normally wouldn't have used acetone, but I wanted to break down the superglue holding all the sand on. So far so good. I've got them down to bare metal and a little bit of sand remaining. They are in their 'final soak' right now. Later today I plan to get them finished up. Washed (soap and water), dried thoroughly (probably enjoy some sunshine). and then back to the paint table.

For attempt number 2 I plan to NOT put sand on until the model is completed. I will NOT use super glue for the sand. I am hoping that a roughed up washer with a little primer on it will give enough hold with PVA glue for the sand. I probably worried for nothing, I should put my paranoia energy towards something better, like the aliens that steal my underwear at night. Damn them...

I also plan to use my airbrush to lay down my initial base color.

It really shouldn't take a long time to paint these little guys up. I think I am spending too much time thinking of the details (which leads to procrastination). I also know that I will not be taking these to any award shows. (I have pride in my work and like a well painted model, but they don't all have to be 'winners'). I have to balance patience, lack of attention span, quality and quantity. I believe that if I can produce good looking models at a decent pace, I am more likely to return to the paint table sooner.

I had thought about mounting the models in a row on a craft stick but I really had no problem holding onto the mini by its washer base. I suppose if I hadn't mounted them on the washers, I'd try the craft sticks.

Well, more later. (no pics this time since the stripping of mini's is not that exciting to look at.)

Thanks for reading.

Some progress 21 Aug 2011

Okay, so I managed to get some painting in yesterday and today. I experimented with my wet palette.

Wet Palette...  where have you been all my life!!!

I loved how the paint stayed wet on the paper the whole time I painted. It was as if the paper new just exactly how much to thin my paint and to keep it that consistency the whole time! I absolutely loved not having to re-wet my paint or to have to go back to the paint pot for more. I am certain I would have used 2-3 times more paint, for the short amount of time that I was painting. In addition, it is still wet inside my sealed container! I look forward to seeing the results of that tomorrow. This will change a lot in the ways I paint. If I can just sit down, open my palette and get 15-20 minutes done and then seal it up... it will be easier (for me) to accomplish more during the week, when I don't have the time to devote to multiple hours of painting.

I find that every time I sit down to paint, I feel better overall about painting and more excited to get more done. It has been a hard slump to get over. I had gotten so burnt out on "The Hobby" that is has been a difficult road of recovery. Fortunately, the medicine is to paint more!!! :)

So, yes I am still on the same 8 mini's pictured earlier in my blog. Difference is, they are almost done being blocked in (faces, guns and accessories remain). Shade and highlight will go quick and the sand on the base is already painted. Need highlight for the sand and then a little flock to mix it up. I can see the end of this project drawing near. My reward? Go buy some excellent mini's from Rebel Minis, Khurasan and Critical Mass. I've also got my eye on some over seas companies like Ground Zero Games (where I plan to also get some Full Thrust ships!)

Oh, I also made a mental break through today. Nothing I didn't know before, but some knowledge has to be reacquired as you get older... (and suffer from some burn out). So, at the start of this blog (1 month ago), I had begun my first 15mm scale models. I have done 6mm, 10mm, 25mm, 28mm, 54mm, etc.... So, when I first started, I looked at the little guy and thought, oh... it's just a small 28mm. Sort of like painting a goblin or some other shorter mini. No... What I should have thought was, oh these are like Warmaster (10mm) only a little bigger! This would have saved me some hassle. Once I changed my mindset, the mini's started painting up a lot quicker.

Okay, off to eat some spaghetti and hopefully paint some more tonight! I realize I need to get some pictures up.

Thanks

Wet Palette

I am going to give the 'wet palette' technique a try this weekend. I purchased some easy to find supplies at the store this week, based on recommendations I found all over the web.

• Simple roll of paper towels, plain white
• Baking parchment paper
• Small plastic, low profile, container. Resealable.
• Empty squeeze bottle

I'll post up some pictures when I get it done and a review of the process. Worse case, I am out a couple of bucks.

I am still working on the same 8 mini's. It's not a matter of speed or technique, just motivation. I do want to get these done so I can justify buying more!!

A side note. This is the first real post for my blog, on Blogger.com. I just completed the port from 6sided.net. So far, I am happier with blogger.com. I haven't dug into the fine details yet, but editing seems easier and I like the idea of connectivity with Facebook and other programs. It also ties in better with the blogs I follow, which are primarily on blogger.com


Shawn

30 minutes plus contemplating new paint

I got a little work done yesterday (Sunday). I painted the pants on 8 mini’s plus painted the base of one of them. Not a lot, but it’s more than the whole last week.

I got a little disappointed when I opened some of my paint pots and found them nearly empty or dried out. Almost all of my GW Foundation paints are useless. I wonder if the newer style paint pots aren’t as good as the previous. Most of my paints are GW with the screw on / flip top bolter shell style pot from about 2004-05. Those ones are fine, just upset about the foundation paints. Oh well, I wasn’t all that impressed by them anyways, but had looked forward to using some of the colors.

So, now that it is getting near time to start replacing paints, I am considering my options. Unfortunately, where I live there is little in the way of hobby stores. (about an hour drive). Sampling different brands will be difficult. Other than my foundation paints drying out, I’ve not had trouble with GW paints. I have noticed the newer bottles seem to be the same as the foundation, so that worries me a little. My mind is leaning towards Vallejo paints. 1) they have a selection of colors that match GW paints (game color). 2) I kinda like the idea of a dropper, but have had practical experience with it. 3) There are a lot more colors available beyond the GW color range.

Shawn

Still around

I haven’t gotten to the paint table in awhile. I just started work again on Monday and the same day my grandfather passed away. I keep meaning to paint some more, but have lacked the energy. Ever find yourself painting in your sleep / your dreams? I could get a lot done that way… oh well. Here’s hoping I get something done and some pictures to post by this weekend.

Shawn

25 July 2011

I made some progress today, but not as much as I hoped. Although, trying to maintain at least an hour a day has yielded a lot more than I was getting before.

Today I cleaned up 8 models and mounted them on washers. This is my first time working with 15mm, so I am learning as I go. I like to experiment so we will see what kind of techniques I develop. I did do a lot of reading on The Miniatures Page and several of the members blogs and had some ideas going in.

I played around with my Dremel to see if I could shave down the thickness of the bases, as I didn’t want too much of a lump between the base and the models feet. I had put a sticker on the bottom of the washer and filled the hole in with Spackle. Probably not necessary but for some reason I just don’t like the idea of the whole. In the future, I think I will get bases from Lithko. Then again, washers are easy to get at the store and do add a little weight to the model.

When I applied my super glue it ran a little wider than I had expected on the washer. I figured this would be okay, as it might set up a little, providing a slope between the washer and the models feet. Of course, My ADHD wouldn’t allow me to just wait and see if that worked. I dipped the model in sand. I liked the way it worked, so I added a llittle more glue to bring the sand to the edges of the washer and dipped again. I also ran a nice thin line of glue on the flat part of the models base. I am happy with the results.

Tomorrow, I am going to scrape of any bits of sand I don’t like and then prime the models. Hopefully I will have at least 4 painted up if not all 8.

Below is pictures of my progress. Pics aren’t very good, they came from the camera phone. My real camera is out in the car and I didn’t want to bother with going out to get it.









Thanks for looking,
Shawn

24 July 2011

I got a little work done today. It doesn’t seem like much when I look at my work table. I began prep work on some 15mm Germans. I am basing them individually and am mounting them on 3/4″ washers. I spent some time gathering and organizing my hobby tools (remember, I just moved, so most everything is in boxes.)

Tomorrow I plan to have these mini’s based, primed and hopefully some paint on them. I have 20 mini’s to do, I am going to paint them in sets of 4. If I get 4 completed tomorrow I will put up some pics.
Until then…

It's a start...

Please read the About me section for a little more on me.

A friend of mine once said, “It’s amazing how much you can accomplish if you dedicate just one hour a day to The Hobby”. This was in reference to painting Warhammer models.

I have lost touch with my hobby for a number of years now. This was a result of a path in life I chose.

I had become burnt out on war-games. I had built some Tyranids back in 2006 and painted a few of them. By 2007 I assembled and base colored a 10-man squad of space marines. I had also started playing D&D again, a campaign that lasted about a year. It was good to make new friends since moving to the Midwest.

Unfortunately, my life would take an unexpected twist. The next few years were chaos as my marriage fell apart. Aspects of work and social life began to crumble. Okay, enough of that part of the story, back to my hobby. By late 2009 I assembled, and began painting about 1000pts of Space Marines (Salamanders Chapter). I had also found another gaming group and started playing D&D and Savage Worlds. It was also in this time that I played a war-game since 2005!

It was also in this time that my life would take another twist. I would never have expected to meet someone so soon after my leaving my first wife. So, my hobby took the back seat again as I explored this new relationship, got married, moved back to the Pacific Northwest and a year later moved back to the Midwest… again.

I did manage to introduce my new wife to gaming, we’ve played a few role-playing games together (Savage Worlds and D&D). She has also taken some interest in painting miniatures, but has not yet. Our living situation back west did not make gaming or painting easy.

So, here I am. Settled back down in the Midwest, ready to get back into my hobby.

I’ve got a pack of mini’s sitting on my table ready to be opened up. I unpacked my paints on last Tuesday. I still need to find the box with my other modelling tools. My goal is to put something together tomorrow, post some pics and tell you all about it. Ultimately, I aspire to the ‘hour a day’ philosophy. We will see.