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Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: Plynkes on 20 October 2009, 11:36:04 AM
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Well I've been in a painting slump for a couple of months now. Nearing the end of a project with about twenty or so figures to do, I just can't seem to get up that last bit of the hill. With the end in sight you'd think it would get easier, but no. A real mental block has developed over these last few guys, I just can't knuckle down and do the batch. It has sucked all the joy out of painting for me, and I am so sick of painting all these blokes who are all dressed exactly the same.
Thinking back, a couple of LAF luminaries have given good advice in the past so I thought I'd follow it.
Grimm: Do one hour every day and you will make progress.
The Prof: Don't paint in batches, paint single figures.
So that's what I'm doing for a bit. To try and get my groove back I'm going to forget about all my grandiose schemes and just paint a few one-offs, things that take my fancy, just until I'm enjoying it again. Will it work? Well here goes...
No. 1
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/KARbugler3.jpg) (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/KARbuglermiddle.jpg) (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/KARbugler2.jpg)
Bugler, 3rd Battalion, King's African Rifles. Fort Nandi, Kenya, 1905.
The result? Absolutely loved it. Had a real enjoyable time over the last couple of days painting this fella, and I don't think he turned out too bad. It really works, I'm right back into it again. Thank's Prof, Grimmbo! It doesn't actually solve my batch problem, but at least I'm having a good time again. I'm going to keep at this for a little while and see how things go. I suppose I could always paint the rest of my project in batches of one, trouble is that might take ages. But I suppose that's better than not doing it at all.
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Were you burning your candle in both ends during the LPL? I mean, you were cranking out original corkers round after round then.
You're are over the slump if there was one in regards to quality. Top job, Plynkes. Really
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Very nice job
Love the face :-*
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He looks great, lots of character there and a very tidy paint job. :)
Keep going!
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Where to start? Fantastic blue, gorgeous khaki, brilliant skin tones, tremendous face and for some reason my favourite bit the corking cross belts. Do you need my address for where to send him?
I know where you are were at, I have not painted a figure for an age and am really struggling doing my t'bird at present. On this evidence I think you're sorted.
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It looks great Plynkes. Well done !
I am ( was ) into a painting hole as well. Mostly in summer. I cant touch a brush during the nice weather month. I also have finished a few figures to end projects. Those are my French Foreign Legion from unfeasibly and my late War British from Great War miniatures. I also painted some Zulus from Blacktree and Some figures from Empress. When I feel that I am not under pressure i also paint one figure at a time. The results are much better !
Cheers
Björn
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Were you burning your candle in both ends during the LPL? I mean, you were cranking out original corkers round after round then.
It was something different every week, so I didn't have the chance to get bored. What caused the slump was painting what seemed like the same figure over and over again.
Thanks for the comments, lads. Most encouraging. Now, can any button-counters spot the semi-deliberate historical error?
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well done Plynkes, for the mini and getting back into the groove.
Im a great believer in one mini at a time, i often have to do this when im losing my painting mojo.
I dont really batch paint, 3 minis max but even that gets me down sometimes so going back to 1 always helps.
Again, lovely painting on a great mini and hope to see more.
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Now, can any button-counters spot the semi-deliberate historical error?
No Rivets?
This is a lovely piece of work Plynkes. I rarely have time to paint these days so I'm going to try your system.
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Congratulations on both exiting the slump and turning out a fantastic bugler for your KAR! I look forward to seeing him blow the charge in a future batrep.
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It was something different every week, so I didn't have the chance to get bored. What caused the slump was painting what seemed like the same figure over and over again.
Thanks for the comments, lads. Most encouraging. Now, can any button-counters spot the semi-deliberate historical error?
Is it something about the Lee-Enfield?
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If I had to guess at the gaffe I'd say the cross belts are wrong. I'm fairly sure most units designated "rifles" should have black. I'm completely at see when it comes to Africa though.
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If I had to guess at the gaffe I'd say the cross belts are wrong. I'm fairly sure most units designated "rifles" should have black. I'm completely at see when it comes to Africa though.
I was thinking of this to but it wouldn't be totally out of place with older, chalked webbing in Africa during this period.
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The grass is the wrong shade of green for this time period ;D
We give in, go on tell us :?
We know you are dying to lol
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Hammers gets the cake. 1905 KAR should have a Martini-Enfield, a Lee Metford or a Long Lee Enfield. It's a conversion from a Great War-era rifleman, I used my special age-defying Plynkes formula to take ten years off him. I suppose lengthening and altering the barrel to turn the SMLE into a Long Lee would not have been that hard, but a combination of fear of wrecking the figure and "can't be bothered" defeated that idea. Oh well. Never mind, eh?
Edit: Aaron, white cross belts are correct according to Osprey (they are his bread bag and water bottle straps I think). Haven't checked further than that. Notice the rest of the Slade Wallace gear is black, as befits Rifles (regular British Army version was entirely white: ammo packs, straps and all).
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Hammers gets the cake. 1905 KAR should have a Martini-Enfield, a Lee Metford or a Long Lee Enfield. It's a conversion from a Great War-era rifleman, I used my special age-defying Plynkes formula to take ten years off him. I suppose lengthening and altering the barrel to turn the SMLE into a Long Lee would not have been that hard, but a combination of fear of wrecking the figure and "can't be bothered" defeated that idea. Oh well. Never mind, eh?
Edit: Aaron, white cross belts are correct according to Osprey (they are his bread bag and water bottle straps I think). Haven't checked further than that. Notice the rest of the Slade Wallace gear is black, as befits Rifles (regular British Army version was entirely white: ammo packs, straps and all).
[spraying crumbs]Thank you. I am glad I spotted the Great Plynkes resorting to anachronisms. I always cover a bit for the blowtorch of his critical glare when I showcase my less than historical miniatures. Never again, I say![/spraying crumbs]
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Dylan,
Excellent work as usual, and congrats on unslumping yourself.
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Indeed, fantastic work. :)
I'm currently trying to work myself out of a slump as well. Pretty much as mentioned earlier, start up in small increments. I try to do something every day, even if it's a little basing or putty work.
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Great brush work Dylan. I'm glad Peder spotted the "Button Counter." Maybe we could start a club on this!
Seriously, starting my own business I look at the mass of miniatures in front of me an I'm finding it difficult in maintaining ideas to paint so and so a little different from A, B & C. I'm currently stuck on a few Pulp figures.
Glad you are back enjoying what you do best besides drinking.
Helen
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Excellent paintjob, love it :-*
I use the one at a time method if I need to get out of a slump, unless an electricity bill hits the door mat. ;)
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Looks great Plynkes.
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No.s 2, 3 and 4
"...and if the slave trade has been swept off the face of the seas, it hasn't really been the work of reformers and statesmen with lofty ideals in London and Paris and Washington, but because a long-forgotten host of fairly feckless young Britons did it for fun. And you may tell the historians I said so."
George MacDonald Fraser
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/BlackJoke4.jpg)
Midshipman and marines from HM Brig Black Joke of the Preventative Squadron, Sierra Leone, 1832.
Took much longer than I'd hoped. Had a nasty and discouraging accident with the young Midshipman. Dropped him on the floor and some bits got bent and broke off, so he had to undergo major surgery and repainting (typical that I didn't drop him until he was almost completely finished). The marine uniforms are more fiddly and take longer to do than the stuff I normally paint too. Reasonably pleased with how they turned out, though they look better in the flesh than in the photos. I hate it when that happens.
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Excellent! Great quote and first class face painting :-*
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Great painting Plynkes and what a cracking idea for a scenario.
To recover from a slump AND a dropped figure is serious mental toughness ;)
I recognise the Copplestone Middy, but who makes the marines?
I was thinking maybe some of the Perry BEF Carlist War stuff would be right for this period (have you seen the new Royal Marines rocket launcher?) but these chaps don't look like Perry figures...
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Inspiring scenery for those lovely miniatures, Plynkes. The quote is from Flashman's March isn't it?
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I recognise the Copplestone Middy, but who makes the marines?
I was thinking maybe some of the Perry BEF Carlist War stuff would be right for this period (have you seen the new Royal Marines rocket launcher?) but these chaps don't look like Perry figures...
I did buy some Perry Carlist War figures to use (the uniforms are pretty much perfect), but I decided that they weren't skirmishy enough (all marching and firing line nonsense), and removing their backpacks and stuff to make them look like marines from a ship was too much effort. So in the end I just used the heads, and put them on some Foundry Napoleonic bodies. They've had a bit of work on them, to get rid of some of the extra Napoleonic fancyness, but that was less of a job than it would have been to alter the Perry figures.
I just noticed that the Perry boys are bringing out some marine infantry in this range, though no pics yet. But I bet they'll have backpacks and shit, so hopefully I haven't been needlessly wasting my time again.
Rather stupidly I also got some Foundry Indian Mutiny sailors for this project. But they are just way too small. Even next to the midshipman they look like midgets. So I'm anxiously waiting to see the new Mutineer Minis ones. Hopefully they'll be suitable for 1830s sailors, at least I don't think anything else available will be any better.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/rwave404.jpg)
They look too uniform to use Napoleonic ones I think. As they'll be for a shore party it won't matter if they all have rifles (as Mutiny ones probably will).
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I like them a lot, great work!
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They are cracking Poly
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Great conversions Dyan and lovely paint work.
Helen
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If that's what you produce in a slump I just don't see what the problem is. ;)
Great painting.
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Well, thing is I'm farting around with these little one-offs while my projects rot. I'll consider myself over the slump when I'm back making progress on my projects. But in the meantime, I'm enjoying myself for a bit, which is supposed to be the point of a hobby. :)
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The quote is from Flashman's March isn't it?
Oops. Forgot to reply to this, Hammers. Flashman on the March, yes (from my treasured signed copy).
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No.5
"And now all we got are bodies. And predatory motherfuckers like you."
William "Bunk" Moreland.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/OmarL3.jpg) (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/OmarL1.jpg) (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/OmarL2.jpg)
Omar.
Didn't turn out at all how I wanted. Rather discouraging experience, unfortunately. Started off looking not too bad but at some point the likeness got away from me and after that I kind of lost interest and then got sloppy with the painting. Still, likenesses are tricky things, and as I'm not a sculptor kind of out of my hands anyway - all I could do was try to to find the most Omar-like head in my bits box. Oh well, never mind, eh? Got to take the rough with the smooth and post it anyway: Forget about it and on to the next thing! :)
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I think he looks great, bit embarrassing but who were you trying to make him into?
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...bit embarrassing but who were you trying to make him into?
Omar Little from The Wire.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/article-1208782-062BD846000005DC-15.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/michaelkwilliams.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/z188654464.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/Uurw9pJtTlq3yuj9bmf7l65mo1_400.jpg)
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I think he looks great, bit embarrassing but who were you trying to make him into?
(http://www.elizabethcrane.com/blog/uploaded_images/25_omar_lgl-760416.jpg)
Character from "The Wire": Omar ..........Too slow.... >:(
Nicely done Plynkes. Are we going to see some Wire-esque games from the Marches? :D
"Ayo, lesson here, Bey. You come at the king, you best not miss."
Omar
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Are we going to see some Wire-esque games from the Marches? :D
Probably not. Just did it for fun, but it wasn't any, so I don't think I'll be doing no more. Can probably find a use for him in one of my mate's Sci-Fi games, though.
I don't know about cards but, uh, I think these .45s beat a full house. - Omar
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I´d consider this an excellent likeness (although I´ve never heard of the show or the character), especially of the final picture. The only thing that doesn´t look the part are the pants, which appear far too blue and thus fail to contrast with the body armour. Maybe add a final Prussian Blue wash to the armour parts and one or two additional layers of grey on the pants.
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I think you got a bloody good likeness havent seen the programme :)
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:o :o WOW old chap that are a very very good paint job !!!
I am happy that my advice help you .
Had a real enjoyable time over the last couple of days painting this fella
therefore it should go a enjoyable time
cheers Grimm
can´t wait for more pictures
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No.s 6,7,8 and 9
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/WaNandi/Kipsigisbig.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/WaNandi/Kipsigisbig2.jpg)
Scouts for a Kipsigis raiding party. Mara Valley, Kenya, 1902.
You know me, I'm never satisfied with my work - Found the shields a bit tricky. But I think that's okay, as if you look at real African shields it seems the average tribesman does too! :) Might take some closer shots later. Right now I'm a bit pushed for time and the light is behaving in a peculiar manner.
Did these chaps on a whim. No way I'm building an entire force of them, so it was a bit of a folly, really. But I guess they can tag along with their allies and fellow Kalenjin the Nandi, and join their raiding party that I'm slowly building. So they may well get a game fighting the Brits or Masai one day.
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Wonderful Plynkes! Love the scenery too. Are those termite mounds? :-*
Are these chaps pygmies? They look strangely, weirdly - but rather appealingly - squat.
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Splendid work, Dylan. I just realized that if you are wearing a crown of ostrich feathers around your head no one pays attention that you're letting your willy swing free. I've got to try that sometime.
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Pygmies? No. The Kalenjin (along with the Ethiopians and a few others) are those fellows who are always going and winning Olympic long-distance running medals. Usually pretty skinny, but not especially short. Here's a comparison photo...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/WaNandi/Comparison.jpg)
I think they looked squat because you couldn't see much of their legs. For some reason I posed them standing in a ditch. Not sure why I did that. I think they were rehearsing for their scene with Tom Cruise in an upcoming movie.
Here's some closer shots...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/WaNandi/KWarriorA.jpg) (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/WaNandi/KwarriorB.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/WaNandi/kWarriorE.jpg) (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/WaNandi/KWarriorD.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/WaNandi/KWarriorF.jpg)
As you can see, Adam and the Ants were big in western Kenya.
Yep, that's my termite town in the background. Made from old felt pens and superglue lids. It has a WIP thread somewhere here on Workbench.
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No.5
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/OmarL3.jpg)
Nice one. I hope you're going to do a vignette of Jimmy and Bunk getting riotously drunk in the bar!
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(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/WaNandi/KWarriorA.jpg) (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/WaNandi/KwarriorB.jpg)
Spiffing - and the original Atari pattern Space Invaders on the shields are an inspired touch ;)
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No. 10
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/4/163_09_12_09_1_19_07.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/4/163_09_12_09_1_15_40_3.jpg) (http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/4/163_09_12_09_1_15_40_1.jpg) (http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/4/163_09_12_09_1_15_40_2.jpg)
Woman in bowler hat. Nandi Hills, Kenya. 1930s.
Haven't done much on this front lately, but the good news is that it's because I've actually been working on projects. Hurrah! Still carrying on with it for a bit mind, as I won't consider myself over the slump until I finish my France 1914 project. And unfortunately I still can't find the motivation to finish those hateful little bleeders.
The above was inspired by these two photos I found on the web; one of some Nandi girls taking a fag break, and the other of a Nandi lady with a rather fetching hat...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/4/163_09_12_09_1_27_29_0.jpg) (http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/4/163_09_12_09_1_27_29_1.jpg)
Thought I'd try my hand at a check pattern, utilising some of the advice Orctrader was dishing out on the subject some months ago. Some of the lines are a bit messy if you look too close (messy is my signature style!), but the overall effect is rather pleasing, I think.
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As usual you are your own worst critic. It looks fantastic to me. I rarely even attempt any shading on a tartan or check.
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A handsome woman, much like mother. Beside the bowler, the cheroot adds a particular air of worldliness.
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Hallelujah I love her so 8) and the overal effect is more than pleasing!
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I suppose this should be somewhere else, as it is part of a project, rather than a diversion like the other things on this thread. But it's part of a future project I haven't officially started yet, and I did it to distract myself from project work that I didn't feel like doing. So it does belong here, sort of. Um, I'm not making much sense, am I? I'll be quiet.
Anyhow, yer tis...
No.11
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/4/163_09_12_09_6_27_51.jpg)
L3 Lf flamethrower tankette. Abyssinia, 1936.
Originally planned to do it in sand and green camo like the ones in World War Two (and the ones in James Morris' article), but I couldn't find any reference for ones painted like that in East Africa in the 30s. The only colour scheme I could find was a colour plate with an odd sort of panzer grey and brown splodges - even in black and white photos they all look like they are painted a dark colour, not sandy at all. So that's how I painted it. I admit that I didn't look very hard though. I stopped looking as soon as I found this scheme, because I liked it.
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Very nice work, your 'future project' should be awesome as it moves forward!
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Lovely brush work on the lady and tankette. In particular, I love the way you have raised the detail on the cloak pattern she is wearing.
Women on the islands I've visited in the past with the army found them smoking pipes and very large leafy cigars even children. Maybe it was a way of warding off mossies or maybe men :-)
Helen
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Really nice good stuff
Steve
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very nice .
I realy like your painting .
any chane of a new game report in the near future ?
Grimm
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Ta. Game report? I'd love to, but unfortunately there probably won't be another one for a while. :-[
Never say never, though. See how it goes.
(Nearest thing to becoming a game is my Burton/Speke/Somaliland game, as that doesn't need too many figures. But I'm short of two 1850s British officer types. If Mutineer would pull their finger out and release their officers we might get somewhere. I'm waiting on them.)