#10 - Non-hobby post: b/w photography

I spent the whole day at a photography workshop with a professional photographer to learn the basics of how to use your camera (how to get the right exposure, changing the shutter speed, etc.) and then went around town in the afternoon to put into practice what I had learned during the morning. I definitely enjoyed it and learned a lot from it. I managed to take just under 600 pictures during those few hours, but only consider about 30 of them to be of any interest (which is about 5% of all the pictures...). Anyway, I thought I'd share four of the pictures here to see if anyone had anything to say about them, despite the differences between them. You can be as harsh as you like in your criticism though, as that's the only way I can spot mistakes and improve!

 

For those of you who couldn't give a damn about these: don't worry, normal hobby-related content is on it's way ;)

Thanks for reading!

#9 - New GW paints: initial thoughts

As some of you may already know, Games Workshop released a set of new paints last Saturday. Pictures of these had been running around the Internet for a little while already and caught my attention as soon as I saw them. These paints aren't colours but "technical" paints to add touches of detail to your models, like blood splatters, bronze oxidisation, rust, etc. As a person who likes models with character, adding wear and tear is right up my alley. I don't have much experience with weathering, but I have seen a lot of hobbyists use various techniques and am currently discovering this fantastic aspect of the hobby for myself, so these paints have arrived just in time!

Now, due to the nature of the army I am starting to collect (Space Marines), I won't need all of these but I will definitely be purchasing Typhus Corrosion (for adding grime to vehicles) and Agrellan Earth (for the army's bases), which I will review seperately in the next couple of weeks. I was also thinking of getting my hands on the aptly, if somewhat unimaginatively, named Blood for the Blood God, but I am quite sure that I can mix up my own blood mixture using Mephiston Red, mixed with some Dryad Bark and some 'Ardcoat shiny varnish (for the freshly-spilt blood look). I won't need Ryza Rust, Nihilakh Oxide or Nurgle's Rot paints, but I am tempted to get them, both to show some interest in the new paints at my local independant stockist and just to review them for the blog. Hum... Decisions, decisions...

Anyway, if you're interested to know about these interesting additions to the already big Games Workshop paint range, I'd suggest that you have a look at the links below. They are videos that show and explain the uses and results of each paint in an easily-understandable way and I enjoyed watching them (which is rare when it comes to GW-created videos...).

Agrellan Earth

Blood for the Blood God

Typhus Corrosion

Ryza Rust

Nihilakh Oxide

Nurgle's Rot

Finally, I just thought I'd announce that there is now a Facebook page and a Twitter account for me to post blog updates, share hobby-related content, etc. so feel free to go and like/follow those pages!

Anyway, that's all from me for tonight. I should be able to find the time to write up a review of the Agrellan Earth next week if I manage to get my hands on it tomorrow. If not, I'll find something else to talk about while I hunt down the paints!

Thanks for reading!

#8 - New project teaser

Apologies for the lack of meaningful updates lately, I have been busy with real life and have nothing much to show on the hobby side of things. However, I am slowly getting a new project started which I will do my best to stick with. The banner below is a little teaser as to what it will be about...

I am missing the paints for the majority of the armour and am in the process of ordering some bits and pieces from Forge World to make the models a bit more characterful and varied (at least that's the plan). Hopefully I will be able to get this off the ground within the next month or so, so stay tuned!

Anyway, thanks for reading!

#7 - Untitled

"Lamenters. Just for the Blanche-tastic sepia, checkerboard and weeping heart scheme."

- Lucian Eilam

I find it fascinating how just a single sentence can fire off the imagination. Too bad that I am sitting in class away from my miniatures and paints at the moment. Perhaps I will find the time this week-end to do what I have in mind.

#6 - HF Minis 'Finn' showcase

Hello!

I finished painting this fella yesterday and he really has nothing to do with the 40k universe that I usually swim in: 'Finn' from Hasslefree Miniatures.

For a two hour job (or something like that), I am pretty pleased with the results. I managed to paint convincing eyes and even eyebrows! I also tested out two colours that I had never really painted and they turned out pretty good as well, which is encouraging. All in all, it was a great little model to paint and I enjoyed trying out something new (especially since I am more used to painting Space Marines than anything else).

Another thing I am pleased with is my current photography setup. It's very simple but it works pretty well when the outside light is good. Quick picture to show you what I am talking about.

Thanks for reading!

#5 - Imperial Fist test model

Well, this is awkward. I was all geared up to start my Ultramarine project, but failure to find the right tone of blue after searching through all of the blues my local independent store saw me ditch the project in favour of the Imperial Fists I had in mind. Here is the test model for the army, Brother Eshan:

 

There are a number of imperfections and little things I'd like to add, but for my sanity's sake, I am calling him done and I shall now move onto the four next Space Marine models I undercoated this afternoon.

Thanks for looking!

#4 - Starting the Ultramarine army project

I have been a fan of the Ultramarines Chapter for a long time. They have some great artwork, fluff and a terrific colour scheme. They have suffered fluff-wise in the hands of certain people (who shall not be named here) and do generally have a reputation of being extremely bland character-wise, but overall they are still an interesting Chapter with a lot of potential on all levels.

I usually start off my projects by collecting inspirational pictures and this project was no exception. Luckily for me, there are some very nice Ultramarine armies out there for me to lovingly/jealously gaze at!

One of the most impressive Ultramarine armies around right now is Apologist's true-scale Heresy-era army. The project is a reboot of an older true-scale army that he built and painted called the "Praetors of Calth". While I really liked the Praetors, I do believe that these newer models look a lot better. The painting has definitely improved, and the cohesion across the models is much stronger which makes the whole group of models look more like a disciplined army than a rag-tag assemblage of models. Anyway, if you haven't checked out the link above, here are a couple of pictures of Apologist's work.

Entos Pharsalis, Sergeant of the Heroditians

Brother Bastapol Einhorn

Apologist's army as it now stands

Before I move onto my next inspirational army, I thought I would mention why a "true-scaled" army would inspire me to build a normal-scaled one. The three things I like with Apologist's Ultramrines are character, colour scheme and fluff. For me, these are the three pillars of the army and they are concepts I would like to include as much as I can in my own project.

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Now, onto inspiration army #2: keith's Ultramarine First Company project. Unlike the army above, this one has very little in the way of extensive conversions and in-depth character history. However, keith's painting skills are what make me enjoy this project so much. Add the fact that he is using mostly Froge World kits and it makes it even better to my eyes!

 

 I'm actually sorely tempted to save up and buy myself some MK II armour kits from Forge World. They look so good in the Ultramarine colour scheme.

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And now last, but not least, is a Heresy-era Ultramarine force from a fellow B&C member: "Calth's Retribution" by Darth Potato. While he hasn't actually painted any of his models yet, the conversions and army fluff are the jewels here. The sheer brutality and lethality that the models exude is incredible.

I cannot wait to see these models painted and I equally look forward to seeing what else he has in store model-wise. I have the feeling that we will not be disappointed!

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Well, that is it for tonight's post. I will do my best to get some pictures of my own models up by the end of the week, hopefully with some paint on them.

Thanks for reading!