And now for a change of pace space marines.

The new year began with a bang and with a steely determination in my eye. So now almost two months later you can see what a little determination do. I am now nearly 1/35th done with my army. At this rate I estimate I will probably have it all done before the World goes to shit in 2050 and megacorps rule the world and elves, dwarfs, faeiries and trolls return to the world. And dragons. Lots and lots of dragons.

Many of the dragons that were thought to once be alive now are laying dormant in the earth or have taken human form in the shape of media moguls.

Anyways, the basing will commence today and and additionally the shoulder pad shellaquing in the hopes of getting decals set and seen to and so on.

A disturbance in the force: A new hope in miniature painting.

I started painting again after we had a new baby lab show up in our kennel. She was very fussy and barked and barked for the first few months of her life and we never could find out what was bothering here. Finally my partner and I took her to the vet only to find out she was the picture of health. I guess she was just born that way.

I bought some new paints called scale 75. I have every set they make and I love them. They make blending very easy and I find them to be probably the best model paints I've ever used. They are a little pricey but I guess they are worth it.

There is a new Set for fantasy and wargames coming out focused on fantasy skin that looks like a must buy. TTFN

I'm ready to move on to dioramas. As much as I've learned painting these marines I'm ready for something a little more tasty. Painting makes me happy and I'm ready for the challenge of doing something that turns into an obsession. I remember the girl from the nutcrackers crazy uncle who makes toys in his workshop. I think I might be come like that. I wonder why in modern story telling people don't know any crazy toymakers any more. In the olden days it always seemed like someone was carving some little guy out of wood and then lots of wonderful things and adventures would come from it. Pinocchio, the nutcracker, chucky from child's play.

Its time for someone to leave their toys behind and move on to a man's discipline. The discipline of the DIORAMA.

On and on

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I had a picture of a Deathwing terminator but that transmission was lost in the warp to chaos. Instead, I have this video.

It bears no relation to the terminator picture.

I'm wondering what happened to my airbrush. I think I'm ready to admit that Vallejo Game Color hates alcohol and I in turn hate vallejo game color. Never was there a chunkier more prone to separate paint. I know its got good color, lots of pigment and blah blah blah. If you have to treat it like a hindu cow every time you want to load it into an airbrush then what is the point. Minitaire is ok but it dries on the needle tip so fast. Arg.

I think I'm going to get an Iwata. I know I've been thinking only of Harder & Steenbeck for the last year and a half but I think the Iwata is going to be a real quality piece of gear. I mean millions can't be wrong, right?

My first attempt at OSL wasn't a total disaster at least. There is that small sliver of good news out of the total breakdown of my airbrush yesterday.

Another kind of Inertia

A new venue for inspiration. This is where I do all of my best work and I'm hoping that I catch a lot of inspiration here in our new home. My life partner has done their best to make this a home for our labradors and me. Its been an adventure getting to this point. Hopefully I can stop moving long enough to enjoy the life that I've worked for.

Leveling Up

I did a rough estimate of how long I've been painting and now its at around 253 hours. I wonder to myself how I can get to the next level because I'm still struggling at the same level I have since I began. My artistic side isn't well developed and I'm wondering if I should ever develop such a vestigial part of my skills.

Some where on my psychic body it hands there like Arjen Robben's dodgy flapper that he holds at his side when he cuts into the box and then goes left. While I'm charging forward it dangles and flops unwittingly being dragged along by the rest of me.

I can't freehand well and every time I attempt NMM I feel like its unconvincing. I hope Malcolm Gladwell is right and that I've only to invest another 9.747k hours to achieve a master status.

Muses

Sometimes we have to do things. I read sometimes that I should only do things that I like so that would pretty much mean staying home, watching women's basketball and eating cereal. Except that I would probably get kicked out of my house, get divorced and get fired from my job. In no particular order.

I think in the same way I need to keep painting and doing things I don't like, especially when I don't want to. Because that is the only time that its work. If I did it when I felt like it then well yeah. I guess I would never get anything painted. Painting miniatures is inherently unfun for me, only after I start carving the life out of that little chunk of plastic with shadows and light does it really start to bring real happiness.

Anyways, this guy looks like a real SOB, I'm glad he's is on our team: