Painting Table Tuesday

This week on Painting Table Tuesdays, a little from column A and a little from column B.

First up, a return to my beloved Retribution mage hunter strike force (Privateer Press).  Still finishing up the base coats.  Generally, I paint models individually.  MHSF models are covered in fine details (chain, leather, and plate armor, two kinds of cloth, buckles, wooden crossbows, metallic swords, faces, and hair.  Quite a lot of fine work.  To save paint and (try to) maintain consistency, it seemed time to try an assembly line.  So far, I can say it is unsatisfying to still have eleven unfinished models, but very satisfying to see them coming together.

Also starting an Oniwaban (Corvus Belli) master ninja for my Yu Jing campaign army.  The studio models use a beautiful black-on-black and neon green scheme, but I wanted him to match my existing red/white, black, and olive drab army.  Just base coating and one level of highlight on the hakama so far.

The background serendipitously captures the rest of my hobby state: Kaelyssa, an incomplete Raven Guard cyclone terminator, unattached Knights exemplar errant seneschal flags, and a Gūijiǎ TAG, also for my Infinity army.  Maybe you'll see them next week on Painting Table Tuesday!

KingdomCon 2013

The alarm went off at 6:00 AM.  Darkness.  Phone.  Shower.  Clothes.  Caffeine?  Yes.  Warmachine army, Infinity army, other Infinity army, terrain box.  PB&J.  Caffeine again?  Yes.  Money?  Yes!  Still dark outside.  Kiss the family g'bye.  Drive.  It's gaming convention day!

Angry Elves, Angry Humans

It's not often that Inspiration and Opportunity knock simultaneously.  But there they were, Peter Chung's Diablo III: Wrath short film and Privateer Press' re-sculpted plastic Exemplar Cinerators, available inexpensively from the two-player battle box.  You got peanut butter in my chocolate!  You got Angiris Council in my ancient chivalric order!  It seems a match made in heaven.  Ah, Serendipity...

Journeyman Postmortem

Our club's double-length Journeyman League wrapped up this week, though the last game was played on 20 December.  As a player, I reveled in the event; but as a club organizer, I was less than pleased.

It started out strong, with twenty-six players, but by the twelfth week had dwindled to around eight.  Scoring was reasonably strong, and everyone seemed to have a good time.  Several hundred points of models were painted over the course of the event, new factions were adopted, and lessons were learned.  When you run one of these multi-week events, be sure your organizer or press ganger understands the club's expectations.  One can't expect them to understand your local club culture and motivations.  Be sure they communicate well and that their goals correspond with the club's goals, that the establish the rules, plan for player retention, and build motivational sub-goals into the event.  And plan how a lengthy event will affect non-participants. Communication – before, during, and after.  Drop me an email if you'd like an earful on the subject.

Still, I'm grateful the League got so many players into painting their first figures.  List-crafting and tabletop generalship is rewarding, but there's something about the personal connection one creates putting hours into making each figure one's own, then putting them down on the table that brings it all together.  Several other club players mentioned during the league that playing against painted armies was motivating them to paint, too.  And while there are plenty of solid arguments against groupthink and social conformity, in this hobby, placing down a painted army is mostly a gift to the players.

At its roots, our hobby is the nexus of social-crafting-puzzle and shared story-telling.  And a well-run Journeyman League can give that to your club.

Journeyman, End of the Road

Retribution of Scyrah

The Journeyman League is at an end.  Twelve weeks ago I hadn't put brush to mini in over twenty years. Now, I own a wet palette and sixty-two points of painted Retribution of Scyrah.

Santa Stopped By

Silent Aire Scorpion IW-C Compressor

Here in the Baxcave, Santa is a big supporter of modeling and gaming.  In pas years t Santa has brought model kits and new foam.  This year, he swung for the bleachers.

What's this under the tree?  Why, it's an air compressor!  Oil-free and quiet enough it won't wake the baby.  And the timing is perfect.  I plan to cut my teeth painting the Dindrenzi fleet and have some modicum of skill before the House Vyre myrmidon kits release (probably in February).

Several friends recommended sites for learning airbrush painting.  Now, I just need an airbrush... recommendations?

OttLite Battery Task Lamp

Lately I have been painting during lunch, Tuesdays and Fridays.  There seems to be more time there than at home.  The ubiquitous fluorescent office lights are a challenge.  Generally I snag a table down in our cafeteria where there are generous windows with natural light (and good tater tots).  Santa learned about this, too, and under the tree was a perfect painting-at-work gift.  OttLite's portable, rechargeable, full-spectrum lamp.  It's smaller than you might think, only 10.5 inches, but it makes a very nice, focused little workspace – just what I needed.

Junior Warcaster

"Are you going to paint robots and monsters tonight? Can I help?" She's too small to paint or play, but Hannah still makes a point of overseeing the entire Retribution war effort, from manufacturing through transport loading.

Here she's literally inspecting the primer coverage. Amazingly, she's pickier than me. Perhaps her heightened sparkle-detection ability is able to find shiny uncovered metal. She's quite good.

Her latest contribution has been organizing my paints into pretty colors (Necrotic Green, Beaten Purple, Carnal Pink, Molten Bronze, etc.) and ugly colors (anything remotely brown, grey, or ferrous).

Gemology

Tonight was Manticore night. I planned to spend the evening finishing a heavy myrmidon for the Journeyman League tomorrow night. It was already base-coated and the weapons blended and washed. "How hard could it be?"

Fun Retribution Fact: A manticore heavy myrmidon figure sports sixty-seven metallic gems. If you ever want to become good at gems, forget Eldar: paint a manticore.

Paintmachine

Mmm, new brushes. Niiice brushes.  Every painting tutorial I've watched speaks highly of the natural-hair Kolinsky brushes.  Art Supply Warehouse conveniently carries these at a reasonable price.  These should help control the thinned paints and allow me to start on the gems and eyes.

Only the Finest Sable

Nearly the entire army is primed.  Here are the solos and halberdiers drying between coats.  I found that putting six to ten guys on one paint stick allowed me to go pretty quickly and waste very little primer.

Priming the troops

Into Every Life a Little Paint Must Fall

Out club has recently taken up a Journeyman League, which is a slow-growth Battle-box based painting and playing hybrid league.  It's a peer pressure perfect opportunity for beginners to get into the hobby and for pewter-pushing generals to get some paint on the board.

Years and years ago I used to paint – mostly 1:72 scale aircraft models, but also model rockets and some BattleTech miniatures.  Over three years in this hobby and I haven't once put brush to mini.  My excuses seemed reasonable: small children in the house don't mix with mineral spirits and paint thinner and I'd prefer to spend unallocated with the kids.  But, social competition is compelling, so I did some research.  And – Great googly moogly!  The paints are acrylic now!  No more bowls of liquid petroleum.  And, frankly, I'm tired of being that guy.