Updating & Future Plans ?

Well, at some point, awhile back, I did say that I wasn’t sure how much painting I was going to be able to get done in the next couple of weeks . . .

Man, was I right!

I haven’t painted or posted in about a week. I started a long rambling update yesterday. Instead I’ll just hit the highlights and get back into the groove of writing and painting!

Last week was a long one for both of us. We were both still sick and everything seemed to take a lot longer than usual. We were due at Arrowcraft, in Gatlinburg, to be the visiting artists at their Jewelry Focus’ Open House Saturday and Sunday.

Jeannie was back in her shop so Pat went in Friday. Around noon Laurel called from Arrowcraft, to make sure that we were okay. I was in the middle of finishing up the pieces that we were taking. It took me a couple of minutes to understand that she was calling because they expected us there Friday and Saturday!

Talk about embarrassing. Fortunately she was laughing and understanding. (I still can’t believe that I wrote down the wrong dates!)

I stayed up late finishing the assembling and pricing. Made it to bed by 3 AM. The alarm went off at 7. Yeah, another long night followed by a long day. I was barely able to speak while we were there. That made demonstrating and interacting with the public kind of difficult!

I wasn’t able to prepare any food. I wish I had. Their spread was spectacular and a lot of fun! Great folks practicing great hospitality. It was really good to get to spend some time with Ken again. Craig and Laurel and I had some good talks too.

Most of the demonstrating fell to Pat. She did a great job. Fortunately some of the customers that expected us Friday came back on Saturday to meet us. And our favorite collector came to pick out her Christmas presents! Pat made her a pair of oxidized shield earrings with a nice 5 millimeter citrine to go with her new amber pendant. (She doesn’t suspect a thing about the special rhyolite pendant that her husband choose to surprise her with!)

Since I could barely speak we stayed home Sunday. Pat mainly spent it writing and reading. After I ran errands and did the shopping I was done. Totally. No energy for painting. I cooked a small standing rib roast, roasted a squash and diced beets. (It was good too!) Then I took to the couch and watched movies.

Pat went to Jeanie’s this Monday and left me with orders to take it easy. I did. Same thing today. Lots of napping and coughing and hacking.

So that pretty much brings us somewhat up to date. Except that as part of my resting regime I’ve been spending a lot of time online mainly browsing some great SYW Imagi-Nations sites and TMP. Pretty cool and exciting stuff.

I really am excited to be working on my Ral Partha AElves. I am determined to finish them in time for our Game Day in June too! I had been thinking that after them I might begin work on my own 17th or 18th century Imagi-Nations. I may have changed my mind . . .

I read a couple of after action reports about games using the Colonial Adventures rules. Which lead me to http://www.askari-minis.com/ beautiful 28 mm figures.

I’ve played, and enjoyed, plenty of TSATF games. But I have to admit that these rules have some really interesting ideas in them. (And I’m beginning to wonder about trying them for future games using my Ral Partha Aelves against the barbaric orcs!) I’ve always wanted to do the French Foreign Legion, in their classic blue uniforms. (Maybe because my Uncle Ely served in the Legion?) These figures are beautiful! The ranges seem to be complete and through.

Legionairres and Saphis and Tirailleurs, and Zouaves??? Oh my!!!

I wonder if I can limit myself to buying a unit or two at a time and painting them before I buy the next . . .

Yeah, I have to admit I really am thinking about it!

Isn't that part of the Fun ???

Sick Songs

We're both still sick . . . and it sucks! I thought I had passed the worst of it Tuesday night. Turns out I was a little optimistic. I think Pat is a little better, but she still isn't over it yet.

I did get a little painting done Tuesday night. I was all ready to work on the chestnut Centaur when I realized the mail needed highlighting on both figures.

I had a major, fatigue-induced, slip on the grey. Yeah, a whole swipe of wet brushing that I'm going to have to go back and re-do. I finished up both of them; highlighting with Shiny Silver.

Then I gave up in disgust.

I haven't had the energy or concentration to paint since then. It's pretty much been a case of eat, maybe doze off, cough and blow my nose. Go to bed. That's been it for both of us.

Since I don't have a stylin' progress photo, it's time for another Game Day Song by Tim the Elder. (I have no idea when this one dates from, but I will never forget him singin it, on his knees, hand in shirt, newspaper bicorne on his head . . .)


The Ballad of Napoleon the Frog

Come and listen to my story bout Napoleon the Frog
Who tried to gobble Europe like an insane bloated hog
But then one day he was shootin at some Krauts
And as his men came running by
He heard their screaming shouts

Prussians, Sir!
And big, nasty, sharp-pointed-teethy Limeys

Well the next thing you know, ole Nappy starts to pee
Bayonets and round-shot where his hemorroids used to be
They kicked his ass so high he now sneezes when he farts
And he keeps a weiner in his pants
'Cause they blew his bone-a-part


I told you it's a sick song. And we laughed our butts off.

I'm glad I posted it ~ I needed a smile this morning.

We did get the Jewelry Focus pieces shipped in time. Now we're trying to get everything else done, and the repairs, and we're both hoping we get our voices back before Saturday!

The next song I post will have to be Tim's classic "Why, Why Can't Johnnie Come By?" Which dates back to when he became Poppa John . . .

Sick and Sicker

It's been a few days since I last posted. We've gotten lots of work done, despite being sick. Except for Friday and Saturday I have been working on the next two Centaurs, even though I don't have photographic proof of my progress!

We were pretty slow last week, since neither of us were feeling great. By Friday I had a pile of work to finish before Saturday's Sale at the Folk Art Center. I was able to get Pat to bed at a decent time. I only got a couple of hours of sleep ~ but I did get everything done.

We had pretty good sales, and a lot of Fun! Our friends David and Melanie Grant were demonstrating in the lobby. Which was a wonderful surprise, because they had been planninng to do the Mississippi Guild show. It was great to have a chance to catch up with them, and to see some of our other friends in the Guild. All in all it was a lot of Fun and we did get some Christmas shopping done for ourselves too!

Sunday was a bust. We were both beat. Finally got Pat to go to the doctor. Being Sunday the only option was the Urgent Care Center. Fortunately she doesn't have strep, but she does have infected sinuses and an ear infection. So she's taking antibiotics and an over the counter expectorent. Unfortunately, now I'm sicker.

When I was in the waiting room reading the Sunday Asheville Citizen-Times, I saw the Guild'c color ad for Allanstand and Guild Crafts . . . Yep! One of our pieces! That's just a thrill. Another one of our pieces is in the December issue of The Laurels of Asheville magazine too! It's way cool!

Sunday I got an email asking if I would consider standing as one of six candidates for one of the three Board of Trustees positions that are coming open in the Spring . . . I'm honoured and flattered. I have no idea if I have any chance of serving on the Board. As it is I'm having a great time on the Fair Committee! We'll see what happens. In the meantime I'll keep doing whatever I can to help out.

Between the Urgent Care visit, the prescription filling and the grocery store, we got home late Sunday afternoon. Then it was time to cook dinner. By the time I was finished I was done. I did get a little painting time in on the grey Centaur.

Monday Jeannie was sick with a stomach bug, so Pat didn't go to Waynesville. Despite everything that needs to be done this week, we both decided that we needed a day off! So I checked out gamers' blogs and loafed. Pat wrote some and loafed. I started dinner a little earlier and got some more painting done.

The Centaurs are coming along nicely. I'm happy with how the bay is looking, even before his shading. The grey? I'm not sure yet. He was going to be a dapple, and I think I know how to get the effect I'm after. But for now he's more or less a solid grey. I have to think about him a bit more.

We woke each other up coughing off and on all night last night and this morning. I finally gave up and got up early. Now I've had my coffee time, so it's back to work!

Where was I? What do we have to do??? Oh yeah! Today's is wax and investing day. Shipping the Jewelry Focus pieces to Arrowcraft. Sizing the opal ring for Allanstand. Working on pieces to take to Arrowcraft this weekend.

Maybe I'll have some energy for painting again tonight! For now, here is a memory . . .

My first view of Castle Devin (at that time Chateau d'Vin).

If this loaded correctly you should be able to zoom in on the battlements. Can you see those little heads and bows over the crenalations? Those are 25 mm Ral Partha figures . . .

Yeah, Tim's beautiful Castle is big!

I took this photo on August 5th of 2006. I photoshopped the distracting background out. In the foreground is the Brothers Tower.

Paints

It occured to me last night that, for the Secret Project, it really would be a good idea for me to have a record of the paints and colours I'm using for future reference.

I use Americana brand acrylics available at any generic "craft" store. There are a multitude of colours and shades available and they are cheap! (A 2 ounce bottle sells for less than $2.00 ~ sometimes on sale for .79.)

(Always check the bottles. I’ll squeeze and shake a bottle before opening it and looking at the paint. Sure, they’re inexpensive, but why buy a "stale" glopped up bottle that won’t spread well when you get it home and begin painting???)

Primers: Titanium (Snow) White DA1, or Lamp (Ebony) Black DA67, thinned with water as needed or warranted.

Blue for the AElves of the Citadel of the Evening Star: The base colour is True Blue DA36 and watered-down Citadel Colour 5 Blue (Ink). Highlighted with True Blue DA36; shaded with True Blue DA36 and Citadel Colour 5 Blue, or just Citadel Colour 5 Blue thinned with water. Further highlights are True Blue DA36 and Sapphire DA99 ~ lightening up to Sapphire, when needed. The result is much more luminous than I have been able to photograph yet!

Strapping and leather: Terra Cotta DA62. Shaded with Terra Cotta mixed with thinned-down Citadel Colour 8 Chestnut (ink). When needed, highlight with Terra Cotta and Antique White DA58.

Mail/Maille: FolkArt 667 Metallic Gunmetal Grey. For now over black which gives a good contrast ~ but in my experience some shade of grey would make a more realistic undercoat to dry-brush the Metallic Gunmetal Grey over for mail. If needed, mix with Apple Barrel 20762 Pure Silver for highlights. Shaded, or edged, with thinned Citadel Colour 9 Black (ink).

Plate: Apple Barrel 20762 Pure Silver over a black primer. Edged and/or shaded with water-thinned Citadel Colour 9 Black (ink).

Weapons: Generally a grey base coat, with FolkArt 667 Metallic Gunmetal Grey. Edges and highlights with Apple Barrel 20762 Pure Silver.

(The Metallic Gunmetal Grey and the Pure Silver are a couple of my new favorites! I bought them on Pat’s Birthday and they really do the jobs well.)
Bases: Avocado DA 052. Finally, the right colour for bases! For years I used Grumbacher’s Hooker Green. (Knowing it wasn’t "right" and never being totally happy with it.) This one is new to me and looks perfect.



It's kind of hard to paint with a cat on your lap. So our poor abused boys have to take turns cuddling their Mom in the evenings.

Once I'm done Okay, our sweet King Tiger, says, "Ahem, Dad . . . ?"

Cleaning Up.

Here's a shot of what I got done last night ~ just cleaning up the areas that I slopped armour paint on. Still, it was realxing and enjoyable.

I got another late start after another long day. The Guild's Special Christmas Sale is Saturday, tomorrow, at the Folk Art Center. Pat's still sick and I'm hanging on, not really getting worse not really getting much better.

I'm hoping that we can both spend Sunday flopping and recovering. Next weekend we're the visiting artists at Arrowcraft, the Guild shop in Gatlinburg, for their Jewelry Focus Open House!

Here's a photo I took before I started painting last night to show Wednesday's progress painting the armour.

The Secret Plan !

To answer some of Tim the Elder's recent questions . . .

At this point The Secret Plan is to host a 25 mm DBS game sometime this coming June to celebrate my 50th Birthday, which is in July. We'll set it up so that Tim the Younger and Poppa John will expect a regular Castle Devin game. That's the bait part. The switch is that their opponents will be my (finally) painted Ral Partha AElves!

Yes, I am definitely into playing more Castle Devin games before then! But without AElves. The AElves don't fight until June. (Unless I get enough painted early enough to test play a couple of private games with Tim.)

Once they cross into Wales and run into AElves we'll have plenty of opportunities later to either play some fantasy games (in Wales or elsewhere) or not. I don't want to mess up all of the hard work that went into the Castle Devin project by injecting fantasy ~ unless Tim is really into the idea.

We could play with the AElves, in the Castle Devin mileau, as a one off or they could be an auxillary venue or theme. That's Tim's decision!

The next addition I have, and it's a variation of an idea that I've had for decades, will I hope help to explain "AElves in Wales" (as opposed to "AElves in Space!).

Somewhere in Wales is the Citadel of the Evening Star. (The Citadel of the Evening Star dates back to my high school days. It was probably inspired by that great estiole on the Ral Partha AElves' shields.) As far as we know the Citadel is the last bastion of the AElves in that area. Yeah, guarding the passage West to the hidden lands ~ on in this case the main land far to the west . . .

I know it's not terribly original, but it gives us a tie-in to both Castle Devin and another whole area where we could play just "straight" fantasy when we want.

Somewhere I still have a continental map that I created for Ted and myself. His Empire of Hunche was to the North, my AElvish Kingdom of Snaggle was to the South, with the Great Northern Waastleand between us.

Hey, come on, we were in high school!!! Those names will need to change ~ though I'm sure we can find some use for them somewhere. (The Citadel of the Evening Star was originally the capital of Snaggle . . .)

Anyway, for now, there's a quick overview of some of what's in my head. All subject to change as better ideas come along!

Centaurs & Silver

Since I didn't take photographs of my progress on the next two Centaurs, today's eye candy is from our last Castle Devin "Road Rash" game. Terrain and figures from the collection of Tim the Elder. I took this photograph on August 2nd, 2008.

Sir George Devin (aka TtE) and his men have just entered through the main gate. They are bringing a wagon load of taxes they collected from the oppressed locals to his nasty liege lord and older half-brother Sir John Devin (aka Poppa John).

While Tim was prepared with baubles to fill the wagon, I had to replace them with sterling silver casting grain. After all, we needed loot worth fighting over!

Back to the Centaurs. Tuesday night I re-primed. The original white priming was an air-brush experiment. While it works great on the Epic scale Space Marines, I wasn't too happy with it as I painted the first Centaur. It seemed too thin and prone to scratch throughs. This time I used a watered down craft store white acrylic.

The original black was an experiment using Grumbacher tube artist's paint. It gives a good deep black, but didn't cover as well as I had hoped. So it was back to thinned el cheapo craft store acrylics. There were some areas in the mail where I had trouble getting into the crevices.

I didn't get started last night until after nine. I did manage to get all of the mail dry-brushed with gunmetal. Then I painted the armour with shiny silver. I thinned GW's black ink to shade all of the armour edges and the edges of the trim around the mail. Then a final highlighting of the plates. That was it for last night. I wasn't able to get to re-painting the areas that got slopped over.

You can say, "I'll get that later." (I can't remember how our gaming group got started saying that, but there are times when it's appropriate!)

Family and Friends.

"Horns of a Dilemma. Er, Horns of the Buffalo!"

Photo by Tim the Younger, taken at the Battle of Cowpens Convention back when it was still in Greenville, SC. Left to right: John, myself, Tim the Elder, and an unknown gamer that was on our side. This was a very fun 15 mm Colonial Zulu game.

You've gotta love our expressions! I think this perfectly sums up some of the wonderful fun and dilemmas that a good game can have.

Recently I've been thinking a lot about Family and Friends. I'm sure some of it was triggered by Ezekiel's birth. I'm sure some of it is because of this blog ~ it helps me to think about stuff. Some of it is because of the very nature of sitting quietly and painting figures. You have time to think, to reflect. (If you are like I suspect most gamers are you are superstitious to some degree. Why think about negative crap when you're working on figures that you want to imbue with power and positive energy???)

I really am fortunate and blessed to have an amazing Family. And I really am fortunate and blessed in having some amazing Friends. Sure we all have friends and acquintances. True Friends are something else entirely! True Friends are your Family without the blood ties.

I got a great email from Ted Sunday. He's one of my oldest and best Friends. He's bigger and taller than I am, but he's still my "little" Brother. We met in an art class back in High School. He was a year younger than me and I can't remember if I was a Junior or a Senior. But I will never forget walking past his desk, looking down and saying, "Nice painting of Napoleonic Prussian Artillery!" We were kindred spirits. We still are.

That was the beginning of a life time's Friendship. It doesn't matter what happens in our lives, or how much time time goes by before we're in touch again. We're Friends. We're Brothers in our hearts.

Like each of my Friends, Ted is amazing in his own ways. He made my reproduction of the Churburg armour. He teaches professional Hockey goal tending. He's been called up to play professionally. He's a metals conservator. He and Carlaa have a band with a number of CDs out. They travel the world and Live their Bliss.

Like I said, all of my Friends really are neat people!

You can tell that I've been thinking about Ted lately. Years ago he took us with him when he made made a conservator's trip to the Higgins Museum. He gave me a Scottish Claymore letter opener, because "Every Laird needs his sword." It's in my office, on my desk in the mug that holds my pens. I think about Ted every time I use it.

Until I cleaned and re-arranged the lving room I used it when I was packing rubber molds. But when I was cleaning the desk again I found a burnishing tool that had been my Fathers. Sunday was the first time that I used the burnisher for mold packing. Sorry Ted, that's what I'm using from now ~ no quillons to push against, but the handle fits my hand better when I'm working on molds.

Speaking of Friends and memories . . .

See the little kid? He rolled more sixes than any of us had ever seen! (Their whole side wanted him to roll for them.)

See Tim rolling?

See Tim the Elder rolling another one?

I really think that game was the beginning of his streak of rolling ones. It's been going on for years. It's statistically impossible. (He's kept track, and it is depressing.) We've been teasing him about rolling ones for years. I've always wondered how he offended the dice.

Seeing this photo by Tim the Younger again makes me wonder . . . should we be asking how he offended that kid?!?

Tonight I'm working on the Centaurs!

Fear & Danger, Danger !

Nope, I didn't get any painting done Sunday. Same for last night. Though I did get the flash taken care of on the next two Centaurs.

Which is what the fear and danger, danger is about . . .

I've been a heavy cigarette smoker for years. Ironically I'm almost-paranoid about some things. We're jewelers. We very consciously do everything to limit the chemicals we use. Yet some times you don't have much choice and just have to know what you're doing and be careful.

We grind and buff with active venting and while wearing the appropriate masks. You should see me when I'm investing a mold! Full respirator, active exhaust . . . Who wants to breath cristobalite???

Last night I realized that I want to really concentrate on actually finishing each unit, or base, as I go. So why was I dragging my feet on the other two Centaurs??? Once I asked myself that I knew the answer.

I'm pretty sure these particular figures are lead, or a lead alloy. I'm paranoid about lead. It might have been great for figures and toy soldiers back then, but it's really nasty insidious stuff.

There's no way that I'm going to use one of the flex-shafts and rubber wheels to grind flash off of a lead figure! I have some old micro-files, carefully segregated in their own storage box, that I had used for cleaning up lead figures. But, frankly, the small filings have always kind of bothered me . . .

I ended up spreading a couple of layers of newspaper out on the floor. I scrapped the parting lines' flashing off with a used #11 scalpel blade, and then burnished them with the back of the blade. I bundled up the sheets of newspaper and the scalpel blade and bagged 'em. I washed my hands. I washed the scalpel handle, my glasses and the figures. I dried the figures with a paper towel and left them out overnight to throughly dry. Then I washed my hands again.

When I re-prime these figures I'll end up putting that brush aside and will only use it for priming my older lead figures. Actually, I've also been trying really hard to remember not to "point" my paint brushes with my lips anymore too.

Sound paranoid?

I don't think so. Why take a chance?

The key is to realize what is inhibiting you, acknowledge it and understand it. Then you can take whatever steps you think are appropriate and get on with it!

And please don't say you weren't reminded of the possible dangers of playing with old lead toy soldiers!

First Centaur Finished!

Though I got a late start last night I did finish the first Centaur of Ezekiel's Own Life Guards ! I'm pretty happy with how he turned out. I think he's looking pretty good and very determined to do his job on the field!

By the time I finish this special unit I think they're going to have to get a +1 combat and morale bonus. They're going to be so pretty and fierce looking that they'll deserve it! Beside they have Duke Ezekiel to protect.

I'm not sure exactly what I'm painting next; whether it will be the other two Centaurs I need to finish this base, or whether a unit of AElves will be next.

I don't know just how much painting time I'm going to be able to get in during the next couple of weeks. We're doing the Guild's Christmas Sale at the Folk Art Center this Saturday. A week from Wednesday our special Jewelry Focus pieces are due at Arrowcraft. That Friday and Saturday we'll be the visiting jewelry artists at their Open House when the Jewelry Focus opens!

It'll be a lot of Fun. They are wonderful nice people, and have been very helpful and good to us. I do need to decide what kind of munchies I want to take! They always lay out a great spread for the public and themselves. Craig's meat balls are pretty special. This year it'd be nice to come up with something suitable to contribute.

I stayed up too late last night re-reading HotT and thinking about The Secret Plan. The cold front came in and Pat and I were both up hacking and coughing and feeling crappy. I was literally finsihing the Centaur when I started to drown. Definitely gross.

This morning we both have sore throats and sounds crappy. I don't think either of us is really sick, but we sure don't feel good. So we're giving ourselves a slow morning, then we'll both hit the ground running and get everything done that needs doing today.

I am addicted to my evening painting routine now! It's a lot of Fun and I am making progress. I'm beginning to give more thought to just what we might do for The Secret Plan. I definitely need TtE's help with designing this scenario . . .

This is a long post because I am writing as I experiment with uploading images. So far they seem to enlarge when clicked if I don't move them from their initial top center placement. ??? I'm trying one last variation before just posting this!

Okay, a medium at the top and then a small on the side seems to work! Thanks to the Author at the great blog http://lordashramshouseofwar.blogspot.com/ for the tip! Now I feel like I can really start to post some of our game photos.

Friday's Progress

Here's what I was able to get done Friday night. I got a much later start than I had hoped, but still had a good time. I finished up the gloves, back of the shield and it's strapping, the bow, the quiver and the arrows.

I really like the Americana DA62 Terra Cotta for strapping. But it seems a little too close in color tone to the figure itself. I decided the hair was too different from the mane, so I ink-washed both of those areas. I may yet go back and highlight them a little more. I also finished the touch ups on the saddle cloth.

Do Centaurs call it a saddle blanket? Or is it an armour cloth? Hmm . . .

I used Stone Mountain's Rebel Butternut for the bow, which is what I also used for the AElves' halbred staves. It's an okay color for wood. But I'm not sure I'll use it again. I just don't feel like I have gotten enough contrast between it and the figures.

This view of the other side shows were I am going to have to go back and touch up a couple of blue slips on his body. I generally have a couple of toothpicks ready, with wet tips, for taking care of paint slips. Sometimes you can get it all off without damaging the main paint job. But not this time . . .

It looks like I may finally be getting my photos uploaded correctly so that they can be clicked on for larger views! Yeah !!!

Oh, great ~ the first one is working correctly and this last one isn't! ARGH. They are almost exactly the same size, the second one is a very slightly larger file, and all of the upload parameters were identical.

I'm baffled . . .

Thanksgiving Day Thanks

I do have so much to be Thankful for.







Friends and Family and Love above all.






Ezekiel Anderson Gibbs was delivered by c-section after Arie was in labor for 26 hours. They, and Lucien, are well but still tired. Ezekiel will be in the NICU for another day or so before they can go home.

Pat was in the hospital about to have Carl over a Thanksgiving. She definitely relates. Somehow no one thought to bring her a Thanksgiving dinner ~ I wasn't in her life then or I would have. We'll start to make up for it today.

I am going to spend the day cooking. It's what I do for Fun. Cooking is also how I show my Love; how I make it real for others to feel, to taste, to understand . . .

At times I think that we don't think about things enough, especialy the really simple, fundamental, things ~ like Food or Living, or sometimes even Love.

Today I will do my best and I am going to have Fun ~ doing and preping and cooking and being.

Carl and I will drink some beer ~ judging by last night, probably more than we should! We did have fun and we stayed up way too late talking about just about everything. Who knows if we solved all of the world's problems? But we did talk. It was good.

We'll make up plates to take to the kids in the hospital and we will share our love with them.

I know that everyone says it . . . But, Ezekiel really is a beautiful baby! And I am tearing up thinking of him.

I did keep myself busy while we waited, at home, to hear that he was born (with Carl calling Lucien every two hours). I got some painting done on the first of the Centaurs. The night he was born was the first night I worked on this one and I was determined to get his hair done in time. I did. Actually I got quite a bit more done.

I think I spent two evenings painting him so far ~ flesh and hair and saddle blanket that first night. Then his hooves, the armour, sword and shield. No, somehow, it has been three evenings! Last night I did some touch ups, the strapping and his base.

Ezekiel's Own are coming right along!
Appropriately enough, Ezekiel has the most amazing little pointed AElf ears. Just like this Centaur's! (He really does!)

The other two Centaurs have some flash that I need to take care of before I begin painting them. It's been Fun to paint one figure. I am really enjoying myself and it's a great feeling to see these figures coming to life under my brush.

I am thankful that I am painting again.

I am thankful for my very special Friends.

Today I woke, much later than I had meant to, and had a wonderful Thanksgiving e-mail from Tim the Elder. He's as into The Secret Plan as I am! Together we're going to have a great time surprising T the Younger and Poppa John.

I really would like to do this game as a follow up to one of our Castle Devin games. At first I was reluctant to ~ I didn't want to dirupt Tim's world. Knowing that he's as into the idea as I am . . .

Oh, we're going to have Fun with this!!!

As Tim the Elder said today: "Sheriff of Devinville leading a posse chasing the squirmy Welsh into a deep misty woods... but wait, what's that un-earthly sound? A growl? A scream? OH MY GAWWWWDDDD.....!!"

It gets my imagination flowing! And it makes me want to get even more figures painted! I really think we'll have to stage the grand unveiling to celebrate my 50th Birthday. It will make that day even more special.

I think that I will remember painting Ezekiel's Own and all of the Fun and all of the thanks that fill my heart right now.

I am thankful for my Family and Friends. They really are that special. My wife is amazing and I truly love her. My friends are mind boggling. Each is special in so many different ways. It's Fun to Live! It's Fun to Love!
Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Almost Baby Time !

I am ready, and due, for a short break and so I am going to paint up some Centaurs next . . .
Goodness.

We just learned that labor has been induced and that sometime in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours our first Great Grand Child will be born.

(Gulp.)

So in His Honour it is only appropriate that I begin to paint Duke Ezekiel's Own Life Guards !!! !! !!! !

I present the beginnings of His Grace Duke Ezekeil's Own Life Guard !

Almost Finished !

I have almost finished my AElvish Halbreds !!! I spent Sunday afternoon painting and watching cooking shows on PBS. Fortunately most of them weren't too interesting so I got quite a bit done. The hair is finished, eyebrows added where needed, halbred shafts touched up again, and then (while watching the classic Zulu) all of the rivets and halbred blades re-painted with a shinier silver. I went ahead and painted their bases, using an avocado green ~ which I've decided looks much better than the hooker green I had been using for the last few years.

If I can get blogger to load this image correctly you should be able to click on it for a larger view. I hope you'll agree that they are looking pretty good for figures that are about an inch tall!

I still need to work on their faces and the knotwork design on their scabbards. I haven't decided how I'm going to do the knotwork ~ whether to use blue or maybe silver, or mayber even different colors . . .

I think I'm ready for a little break before working on the faces too. I have to decide just what paint I'm going to use! I think I used a Humbrol flesh way back when I first started these figures. These days I really prefer the generic craft store acrylics, but I haven't found the perfect flesh tone yet. Well have to see . . .

After sitting back and just enjoying looking at these figures I pulled out my boxes of Ral Partha figures. After some more looking and enjoying I think I have my next perfect painting project!

I have a good number of, mainly Ral Partha, centaurs. All along I've intended them to be Allies of the AElves. I think three of them that will be my next painting project! A fun change of pace and beautiful figures.

Watching Zulu did get me thinking about The Secret Project again . . . I've gone back and forth in my mind for some time about different ideas. Reading some of the great 18th Century gaming blogs about different Imagi-Nations recently reminded me of the neighboring, and belligerant, Empires that Ted M. and I mapped out back in high school.

At one point I was had thought about maybe making the traditional barbarian kind of orcs actually technicologically further ahead. A bit difficult though on the figure front. Now Zulu has me thinking along more traditional, though a bit different lines.

HoTT has a neat points system that allows for easy army customization. So my orcs could be fielded as blades, warbands, auxillaries, or just about anything I want or need. Seeing the Zulus disappear and re-appear in the terrain reminded me of playing The Sword & The Flame with Alan H. years ago. The hidden movement rule for the Zulus really added to the game tension. Definitely something to remember when it comes time to field my orcs!

This view is one of my favorites and really shows how they will look on the battlefield.

The unit is on the a cheese tray, with the lid behind them, that I use to store them on one of the living room shelf when I'm not working on them. It keeps them close by and available and keeps the dust off of them. I picked this up years ago for just a couple of dollars. It's perfect for my needs.

Painting Area and Progress

Somehow it's Sunday again and I haven't posted in a couple of days . . . I have made some progress though! I got a late start both Thursday and Friday nights. It took both of those sessions just to get the gloves finished, though I think they look pretty good.

It occured to me that with all of my talk of cleaning and re-arranging I need to follow the gaming/painting blogging tradition of posting a photo of my work area. So here's the roll top in it's new location, both closed and opened. The large vase in the center was made by our friend Hamilton Williams. The two flanking it were made by Betsy Gray. Both are fellow S.H.C. Guild members.

Still in keeping with tradition, here's a shot of my actual painting work area. I like to use a wooden folding TV table. Since I still haven't found the perfect chair yet, I took this while seated in Pat's glide rocker.

I spent a good part of Saturday morning checking out Ral Partha auctions on eBay. That made me feel good, since I found some of the early orcs and goblins that I like so much. I also found a bunch of the Ral Partha medievals that are the same line that Tim the Elder uses with his Castle! Besides just being so cool I'm wondering if I like his games so much because we get to play with his collection of Ral Partha figures! For me those Ral Partha figures from the Seventies are the definition of beautiful wargaming figures!

Pat went to a tea at Marlein's church, so Saturday afternoon I puttered around and then got some painting time in later while watching Shakespeare in Love. It's a perfect background movie for me. Unfortunately I slipped Friday night, and painted this AElf's face and hair and halbred staff! I hate do-overs, whether painting or in our work. But I do them gladly to make things right.

So Saturday's first job was to fix him! I' not sure what I'm going to do about his face though. Or, for that matter, any of their eyes. The eyes on these figures should be do-able. They're well cast and the detail is there. I'm not sure if I'm going to paint them in our do shadows in the eye sockets . . .

By the time Pat got home I was finishing inking all of the hair. I got a start on drybrushing some of them with lighter shades. But I decided to put them aside and we watched an episode of the brillant new PBS Sherlock Holmes series on PBS.

As soon as I run to the store today I'm going back to knocking out the hair!

Set Up & Consequences.

It's been a haul, but the living room is essentially finished. Well, there's a couple of stacks of books tucked into the coat closet, the speakers need to be moved and I need to clean the glass and put them back into the display case. Other than that (and cleaning the windows and blinds) our living room is cleaned and re-arranged!

I even got the two hall book shelves emptied, cleaned and re-loaded yesterday. That added a few more books for Mr. K's!

The living room looks and feels much better. My roll top desk holds my paints and there is a perfect place for my new painting chair ~ once I find it!

After dinner I, once more, borrowed Pat's glide rocker, pulled the lamp over and got some painting time in. I was all set to finish the last three heads of hair . . . But for background we turned the TV on and Monarchy was on PBS. It's such a well done show and so interesting that Pat put her book down and I laid my brushes down to watch.

Once it ended, I was ready to knock out the hair and move on to touching up and highlighting gloves . . . Pat decided that Across the Universe would be fun to have on in the background. (We both had Dear Prudence running through our heads all day.) Great music and visuals, and a really well done musical.

I only got the hair finished, on the last three figures that needed it. Too much visual stimulus in the background! Still, it was fun and the figures are coming along. I took a couple of photos before last night's session; which is why one of the figure's hair is only primed.
The figure second from the right has an odd reddish/brownish color showing on some areas of his mail. I'm not sure what it is! At one point I thought it might be a symptom of lead rot coming through the paint (and it might be, I don't know). But I have been able to scrub some of it off with the tips of toothpicks. I'll clean it up as much as possible and touch the paint up.

Detailing their faces, painting their lips and eyes, may be next rather then the gloves. By then the hair should be ready for inking and highlighting. Then onto some metallic ~ I think all of the rivets need emphasising and the halbred blades could be brighter, shiney-er. I still have to decide how I want to paint the knotwork pattern on the scabbards.

There is more to go, but I feel like I am over the hump now.

And, at least as important, I'm really enjoying my painting time. It is becoming a positive pattern or habit. This is Fun!

Oh, the consequences part of all this cleaning and re-arranging . . . now I have all sorts of clutter and piles of magazines, and ten plastic shoe boxes of painted Ancients figures, waiting for me to find a new place or way to store them . . . But the living room looks and feels Great!

Cleaning & Painting Again.

I did get a lot done on the living room yesterday. We freed up about five linear feet of book shelves when we realized that we just didn't need, or even really want, most of our cook books. So we both went through them and decided on which to keep. We have a small pile to give to Carl the next time he comes over. I've snagged a couple of really good ones for Bill, and I'll let him have first dibs on the rest. Any that neither of them want are going to either Mr. K's used book store or will be donated to Habitat for Humanity or ABCCM's thrift store.

When I pulled the roll top desk away from the wall I discovered mold . . . I hate mold. A very thorough cleaning ensued! I got the roll top and the book case into position with the display case on top of it. (Pat's right, the display case desperately needs painting, I'm just not sure when.)

We spent some time looking at and talking about the room. Then made a few changes. I got the paints all stored in the roll top. (Ideally my new chair will sit within arms reach of it and not block access to the book case.) Then we looked at everything some more, ran out to a couple of thrift stores and had no luck finding a chair ~ the right one hasn't come along yet.

When we got home we looked at the room. I got most of the pottery put away. My David Grant jug collection is on top of the display case. Most of the functional pottery is in the display case, and Pat's vases are on top of the roll top. It really looks pretty good! We ended up putting the three pitchers on the book cases odd little end shelves. They look good there. We moved a couple of lamps around.

We'll end up emptying the other two book cases and moving the wooden one into the hall and storing Dad's old wood and painted cinder block one. Then we can move the couch that I generally use against the wall next to the roll top desk and turn the area rug ninety degrees. We'll have to try it and see what we both think.

After dinner Pat graciously let me use her chair and she retired to the couch to read. I put Serenity on and started painting. I got the hair painted on all but three of the figures; well four, counting the one that was painted a long time age and needs touching up.

They really are coming along very nicely. It was a relaxing evening and it feels good to be getting more done on them. Since these figures are vaguely "viking-ish", with long swirling hair, I'm painting their hair in lighter shades, a few slightly reddish. Since there is so much hair I think they deserve inking and then dry-brushing.

Once again I didn't take a photo of my progress, so today's photo will be "None Shall Pass"! This is the 'Black Knight" I painted for Tim to use in his Road Rash game. I believe he's a Ral Partha pewter figure (from the line that you can find at the oddest places ~ kind of a generic fantasy gift shop item).

The Secret Plan (tm)!

Okay it's time to start to put my Secret Plan into operation . . .

I'm having Fun working on my Ral Partha AElves. It's incredibly satisfying to me to finally be painting them. I have a lot of them. A lot of them. I've always wanted to do some decent fantasy miniature gaming and I like WRG's HoTT rules.

And, ever since I was a kid and read Gary Gygax's article in one of the very first The Strategic Reviews I've wanted to pull the wool over my players eyes . . . He had run a miniatures game where one side was expecting a fantasy battle (the evil wizard defending himself from the good guys) and the other were expecting a WW II game. Yeah, it's a pretty outrageous idea! And I still like it!

Only instead of WW II, we have the Castle Devin games taking place some where in England near the Welsh and/or Scottish borders . . . We also have a plethora of Ancients available too.

Pat's birthday got me thinking . . .

My Birthday is in July, roughly eight months away. With the Family Trip to Colorado and our July Guild Fair I won't be playing anything in July. But I could put on a game to celebrate my Fiftieth Birthday next June!

And I can concentrate on painting my Ral Partha AElves! I have no idea how many I can finish between now and then. But would be Fun and it sure would be Great Fun to surprise my Friends with a fantasy miniatures game when they were expecting another Castle Devin game!

Being a Secret Plan (tm) I can't let them know, or even let them know about this site yet either. Tim the Elder is in on the Secret already. We stayed up late after the last game hear drinking and talking. I mentioned my idea of this type of a game and he liked it. (At that point it was to be in honor of Gary Gygax, since he had recently died.)

So now I have a Secret Plan (tm) to put into operation! I'm off to finish the living room make over and order our materials!!!

Re-Arranging Progress.

I didn't get any painting done Monday. But I did get a lot more done on re-arranging the living room! I had hoped to get it finished, but of course didn't. So that's today's project ~ after I get our materials order in!

We decided that by switching the roll top desk and the larger book case (which holds many of my cookbooks and a some of our pottery collection) we could open the living room's area up more. This should make enough room for me to put a comfortable chair for painting in the living room!

The roll top has been holding my paints for some time now; well, since I began slowly painting over a year ago. I can free up some room in the book case for storing the figures I'm currently working on.

I took some before photos of the living room. The area I did last Monday still looks good and we are both happy with it. I can't wait to get this finished ~ not least of which because that means it will be time to find the right chair! And then paint even more!!!

Sunday's Sharpening & Progress

I ended up having to go to two different stores Sunday. Got home in time for lunch and then I was able to set up my painting table (more on that later). Just as I finished painting the very first belt blue, Bill and Marlein came by.

We had a coupe of beers and a very good time talking. He also, very kindly sharpened my two favorite knives! Bill's a Chef at the Lobster Trap. He's probably the best cook that I know ~ and I do know a few. He's brillant and imaginative. It's always fun to talk food and cooking with him. (It's even more fun to be hanging around when he's cooking and then get to eat with them!) We had a very nice and enjoyable visit.

After they left I got down to painting. I was able to get the belts all finished pretty quickly. Excited and determined to make as much progress as I could I pressed on and was able to finish all of the sword grips too. It may not sound like that much progress, but it sure makes a difference!!!

It was a fun day. Capped with a nice easy dinner and movies with Pat.

The Best Laid Plans.

The best laid plans of AElves and painters . . . seem to have gone astray! Two days without a bit of painting. (I may be feeling the first faint stirrings of withdraw!)

It was worth it though. I wasn't feeling well Friday afternoon and Pat flat out told me to stop working and take the rest of the day off. I was so out of it I didn't even feel up to painting. We had a nice evening relaxing together and I felt better Saturday morning.

Saturday was Pat's sixty-fifth Birthday! We had a nice loaf around morning, then spent the afternoon shopping and just having fun. I did make it by the A.C. Moore craft store. Picked up three more bottles of acrylics and a nice Loew-Cornell #2 Round Comfort brush. (A type I highly reccomend! Comfortable in the hand, they come to good points, they hold and spread paint well.)

By the time we got home I was pretty done in. So I set up her new microwave oven, opened a beer and loafed for an hour or so. Then it was time to prep dinner . . .

If I say so myself (and I do!), it was a great meal!

Most of my prep time went into the potato au gratin . . . Mandolin-sliced potatoes, celery, mushrooms, hand diced bell pepper, garlic, paprika, fresh ground sea salt and black pepper (I forgot a bay leaf). Mixed with grated mild white cheddar and parmesian cheese and heavy cream. I buttered the sides of my favorite David Grant Perfect Pot and put it all together. Into a cold oven, turned to 450 for about fifteen minutes, then down to 350 for another hour, hour and a quarter. Wow, it was good. (And the left overs will be even better this evening!)

Then asparagus with a great olive oil, fresh ground sea salt and black pepper grilled. I microwaved the salmon with a little olive oil, a splash of soy, and slices of fresh lemon with a light peppering. Just like she likes it.

The sauce took awhile but was incredible! Finely diced sweet onion, celery and garlic sauteed in olive oil and butter with thinly sliced mushrooms. Heavy cream, a liberal splash of Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon with an equal amount of Coors. Thickened with corn starch, finished with a little more cream and butter.

We had a delicious meal and then watched her new copy of Across the Universe,which Pat has been wanting for awhile now. It was a really fun relaxing evening. She says it was just what she wanted for her birthday dinner.

Now today I am going to get some painting done! Time for a quick run to the store then home to cooking shows and AElves with halbreds!!!

But I have no idea what I'm making for dinner tonight! It might be time to finish off the left over chili I made Friday . . .

Today's photo is The Mayor, from our last Road Rash game. He's a MegaMinis figure. I didn't quite finish him before the game. I'm still not satisfied with him and need to finish him before our next game.

The buildings are from Tim the Elder's collection and are by Games Workshop. Brent G. gave them to me years ago. Tim wouldn't let me just give them to him when he first brought the Chateau d'Vin to town. So he gave me seven of his fine Ral Partha spearmen, painted who knows how many years ago?

Tim spruced them up and added bases to them. He unveiled his new buildings and roads, and more fields for his Road Rash game. It was a lovely table and a heck of a fun game! Here's in overview of the table, that I took standing on a chair! To the left is the main gate of Castle Devin. Just out of view to the right is the outer gate and walls.

Some Progress

Well I was able to make a slight change last night . . . We ate a little earlier. (A good thing to, because we were both very hungry!)

Between a little bit of The Scorpion King and Chef Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares I was able to finish painting the halbred staves for the rest of the unit!

I am beginning to feel like I'm getting somewhere. Painting is starting to become a bit of a self-fulfilling phrophecy ~ the more I get done the more I want to do!

And I want to do more! As you can see, I still have lots more to go. I should finish hair next, but I think I'll try to get the belts done tonight. I'll stick with blue for the belts, since this shade of blue is going to be the AElvish Army's main color.

If I remember right, I believe these figures are from the mid or late seventies. Classic Ral Partha sculpts. (I might have bought them in the early eighties, I can't remember for sure.) They might be made of a soft pewter alloy, but judging by how soft the halbred shaft is I'd say they are lead.

I started basing my figures on individual ceramic tiles years ago. (An idea I got from Alan H., who sold me his collection of Ancients.) It really makes it easier for me to hold onto the figures while I'm painting them and is perfect if they are going to be used in a skirmish or role playing game.

As an experiment, these and a couple of other units were spray primed with grey Krylon. (Which stunk for the longest time as it cured.) At some point I painted their faces ~ looking at them now, I'd say with Humbrol paint. Much later, years later, I dry-brushed the mail, shield rims, and halbred heads and rivets. Even later I painted the boots different colors. (I might have done the boots before the dry-brushing; it's been so long ago I don't remember.)

I generally use cheap craft store acrylics. There are great ranges and shades of colors available. They generally cover well. They're easy and very cheap to replace, even cheaper if you catch a sale. And you get a lot of paint in a bottle. So I have no hesitation in using them for all kinds of scenic projects too.

The next time I'm in that area, I'll stop at Michael's and pick up a dark grey to match this color so I'll be prepared when it's time to touch up the gloves. Not sure how much if any painting I'll get in Saturday because tomorrow will be Pat's Sixty-fifth Birthday !!! !!! !!!

In keeping with our long tradition I'll be cooking her choice of dinner: salmon with lemon-butter, my potato au gratin (baked in my Perfect David Grant Pot!), and grilled asparagus. I've already done my shopping so I'm ready to cook Her Birthday Dinner! It'll be Fun!

Battle Hymn

Nope ~ didn't get any painting done last night. By the time we finished dinner it was 9 PM. Though I did get eight meals made and in the freezer. But it's just not the same as an hour or so of painting time . . .

I think I need to make some changes to my schedule!

As I mentioned before, I am very blessed to have some very good friends. Each are special and talented in their own ways. Since Tim the Elder likes what I'm doing here, tracking my painting progress and recording some of our gaming adventures, it's time for something new . . .

Tim the Elder has for years regaled us (and literally reduced us to hysterics) with his gaming songs. Generally they have something to do with that day's battle. They have almost all been written on his drive to my house, or scribbled in a parking lot. They range from the sublime to the ridiculous. He has made us laugh so hard that we have cryed with our sides splitting!


If you think that's tough, imagine being on his side in the game and getting to be his back up singer ~ 'cause he'll hand you the lyrics, tell you what tune it's sung to and off you go! As in this picture, from January of 2006, I'm obviously stunned in disbelief as Tim gestures to get the accent right as he sings the lead!

So, today's installment was first sung, to the tune of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, by Tim the Elder on February 19th, 2000.

The Battle Hymn of the Wargamer

My dice have been responsible for losing all my wars
Whenever I need sixes they will always come up fours
My game buddies all laugh and tease about my lowly scores
Bad dice roll on and on

I'm such a whiz at flank marches until I roll the dice
My troops that were in hot pursuit are now as cold as ice
It's hard to turn a flank when your own men have turned to mice
Bad dice roll on and on

Lordy, Lordy how they screw ya
Lordy, Lordy how they screw ya
Lordy, Lordy how they screw ya
Bad dice roll on and on

I can occupy the high ground with my back towards the sun
I can fortify positions but before my turn is done
I can test morale and watch my men surrender, die and run
Bad dice roll on and on

I have seen my veteran infantry marching like they were lame
I have seen my charging cavalry run back from where they came
I have seen my 12 pound battery go up in smoke and flame
Bad dice roll on and on

Lordy, Lordy how they screw ya
Lordy, Lordy how they screw ya
Lordy, Lordy how they screw ya
Bad dice roll on and on

I can change the rules to help me but my friends would give me lip
I can change the army lists to make sure mine are best equipped
I can change my name to Gladys Knight to get a decent "pip"
Bad dice roll on and on

Lordy, Lordy how they screw ya
Lordy, Lordy how they screw ya
Lordy, Lordy how they screw ya
Bad dice roll on and on


If only I can find a photo of him on his knees wearing a paper bicorne, with a hand in his shirt, as he was singing his Ballad of Napoleon the Frog . . .

A little more progress.

I wasn't able to get any painting time in Monday. I made a good start on cleaning up the living room which, of course, morphed into re-arranging the living room. By the time Pat got home I had realized that I really would like to have a chair of my own in the living room, for painting and reading and TV watching. I spend way too much time flopped on one of the couches as it is!


So now we are beginning to really take a look around and think about how we want to make changes in our home and our lives that will really benefit ourselves. Fun and exciting.


How come sometimes it can be hard to remember that you can change your life for the better??? We've done it before! We'll do it again!


I did get a little bit more done on the AElvs last night. I started on halbred staves. Only got about three of the twelve done (I think I started a bit too late in the evening), so I didn't photograph them.


So, just to keep me charged up, here's a photo of "Dowg". I believe he's a Games Workshop figure. I painted him a couple of years ago for John to use when we tried to start an Empire of the Petal Throne campaign. (Despite what John thinks, Dowg did a pretty good job, or at least tried to!)


I got to use him as my personality figure's guard dog in Tim the Elder's most recent DBS "Road Rash!" game. He did a great job and once more survived!

Painting Progress!

Well, yesterday was great! We had a really good time with David and Denay and Alyssa and Gwen at lunch. David and I got each other stirred up about our different projects. (I need to remember to send him some of the links that have inspired me lately.)

After a quick stop at the store we were home and I was ready to paint while Pat finished up the spider project for the Guild's school day. (She gave Alyssa the first one she made. Sweet Alyssa loved it.) We put a DVD of Ground Forces on for background for both of us. If you haven't seen it, I highly reccomend it. It is a fun British show with some great garden designs and wonderful eye-candy . . .

I actually made progress on my Ral Partha AElvish Halbreds!!! It was Fun, and really has me excited! I even managed to take some before shots, I'll have to post the after later ~ once I have a chance to take them.

The hair was taking so long, when I was painting last Sunday, that I decided I needed to have some fun painting time where I could actually make progress. And I did! All of the blue is done now. Both the small amount that shows under the bottom of the mail and all of the shields.

The under tunic is two-toned wet-on-wet painting. (One side of the brush is loaded with the main color the other side is loaded with a lighter shade.) It worked well and was fairly fast. The shields were very fast to paint, and are in one color tone. I got a good three hours of painting time in. That probably sounds like a long time compared to some of the fast painters. But Iw as taking my time, enjoying the process, and taking lots of time watching Charlie jiggle and giggle . . . (If you've ever seen Ground Forces you know exactly what I mean!)

Pat and I had a nice afternoon together. And now I'm stirred up again and can't wait to get more time in painting!

No Excuses.

Despite my best intentions I haven't gotten any painting done all week ~ I got a lot of other things done, but absolutely no painting. No excuses. Time to make it happen.

The general online consensus seems to be that putting in an hour a day painting really adds up quickly. I had hoped to make up for my lost time by getting in a full day over this weekend. Reality intruded and I didn't even get the paints out yesterday. I know that I'm not going to be able to put eight hours in today. But as soon as I finish this post I'm making my run to the store and sitting down to paint! No ifs ands or buts.

I hope to take some before and after photos to help record my progress here. For now though, I leave you with some older photos. The first is from our "In the Cardinal's Garden" skirmish game.

I am truly blessed by having some very good friends to game with! And each and every one is talented in many different ways. Tim the Younger designed a brillant set of Three Musketeers skirmish rules that are card driven and a real hoot to play. For once all four of us can play on the same side, as the King's Musketeers against, of course, the Cardinal's Guards. Being Gentlemen the idea is to wound and incapacitate your opponants rather than simply kill them. (After all, when duelling is illegal why add murder to your problems?)

We had a great time playing and giggling. Unfortunately I only have a couple of photographs. The two Tims supplied the figures, which are pre-painted "toys". We played on my 2' by 3' foot mini-table. I made all of the terrain the week before. Determined to surprise Tim the Younger I busted my butt and ended up staying up most of the night finishing everything before they came. It was worth it!

The flower beds are flocked bases, with craft store flowers glued on very early that morning. The bench is constructed of foam core board. The statue is a knight from my chess set ~ otherwise I would have painted it too. The statue's base is a craft store wooden plaque painted as stone. Unfortunately the fountain I made is just out of sight behind the statue and figures. The trees are smaller scale ones that I use with our 15 and 5 mm games. The pots are craft shop candle holders spray painted red.
This photo was taken on June the 10th of 2005. The last of the Cardinal's Guards has just been driven from the field!

In August of 2006 Tim the Elder came up for a visit and to (drum roll!) unveil his Chateau d'Vin!

We had been talking about it and emailing information to each other for a long time. Tim had worked on it off and on for, I think he said, about thirty-some years . . . Through every move and change in his life he held on to his idea to make a modular castle for 25 mm gaming. No one had ever seen it until that day. He brought along the first version of his De Bellus Skirmishus rules for the two of us to test play.

No, he wouldn't let me into the room until he had set everything up. When I opened the door this is what I saw!

For now, this is the aerial view of the Chateau d'Vin! Tim actually designed it to fit on my table. This first set up is just a rough overview as we tested his rules. Things got much more finished and elaborate in later games and the Chateau de'Vin is now Castle Devin.

The rules work and we have held a number of great games using his castle in the last couple of years. More photos to follow.

Now, just as I am finishing this and about to go to the store so I have the whole day free and ahead of myself for painting . . . Some of our very best friends called asking if we wanted to go to lunch and spend some time together this afternoon . . .

We have eat so this will be a very nice bonus! When we get home I am painting some AElves !!!

Computer Fun

Well, that didn't work! I did manage to get the laptop and my old system on the LAN again. No joy with my main system yet . . .

I ended up doing the sneaker network with a 1 Gig flashdrive. Of course most of what I loaded was business related: records and jewelry photos. I did manage to grab a couple of the gaming photos. First is a photo from our (ancient) history:

This is a very old photo. Terrain and 6 mm Adler ACW figures by Tim the Elder. I took this photo at the crucial moment of the massed Union Infantry charge during a game he hosted using Johnny Reb II.

If I remember right, he was attacking in divisional columns. Or, as he is famously said, "I wonder what would happen if I . . ." The entire Confederate army has just unleashed it's massive volley. The Union attack was completely repulsed with horrific casualities and the game was essentially over.

The only crude photo-manipulation was to add the sky and blur some of the bases and black powder.

From more recently:

"Road Rash!" (also known as "Road Rage!"), Tim the Elder's 25 mm medieval skirmish game that we played on my table. Terrain and figures by TtE. Tim the Younger's hand visible as he deploys his first unit.

This was the most recent game in our continuing series based around his Castle Devin (also known as Chateau de'Vin, depending on when and where we are playing). Yes, after who knows how many years (30 + ?) and innumberable moves Tim the E finally finished his castle! And it is truly magnificent! And fun to play with using his homegrewed DBS (De Bellus Skirmishus) rules.

More photos will definitely follow, and I hope to post the continuing saga of the Devin/de'Vin family on these pages.

Just barely visible, in the lower center right, our the two MegaMini monks that I painted for this game. Closer views to follow ~ once the main system is back on the LAN! 'Til then

'Ta!

The Collection

Oh my! Where to start??? Like most gamers, I have so much lead and pewter and plastic that it's amazing . . . So I'm going to start with what I've been playing with or working on most recently and add to this as I go. (I need to inventory the whole darn collection someday anyway! Might as well get a start on it.) Looking at my shelves right now I see . . .

25 mm Classic Ral Partha fantasy figures from the 70s. I started collecting these while in high school; after amassing a ton of 1/72nd Airfix Napoleonic figures during my Column, Line, Square days. Probably some of my favorite figures ever. Tom Meier and Julie Guthrie are two of my favorite sculptors and I have hesitated to paint them for all of the wrong reasons! These are the figures that have inspired me to get serious about painting again! I have a ton of them, mainly Elves. We'll have to see what happens with this project . . .

This particular archer languished partially painted on my shelves for years. Inspired by TtE's upcoming "Road Rash" DBS game, I finally just sat down and painted him. Even though I slopped some paint on his boots and still need to finish detailing his feather and base I had a great time working on him again! And no, we didn't use him in that game ~ next time though . . .

1/144th WWI Aeroplanes, for Wings of War ~ a great Fast and Fun game that we can play on my "roll up" terrain. (Gotta love fast set up and clean up!) Six planes so far, I've begun re-painting them to depict a French squadron. I also have Poppa John's 2 Dr.Is for safekeeping.

25 mm medievals from MegaMinis. Beautiful figures that fit well with my beloved Ral Parthas. I painted up three of them for Tim the Elder's "Road Rage" game a couple of months ago.
Like the AElf they were photographed under diffused natural light in our moss garden. I'll add the Mayor once I'm finish detailing him.















25 mm Dixon medievals. Tim the Elder gave me twelve of these, already undercoated, to paint up as leaders for our skirmish games. There are six personalities, mounted and dismounted. I've finished the dismounted version of myself and have a good start on the mounted version. I have all of the information I need to do the rest of our gamers as they each specified. A fun little side project that has stalled. (I wonder when the next "Road Rash" game is going to be? That'll get me moving again!)

15 mm Essex medievals. I have more than one DBA army painted and based. Lots of camp figures and accessories. Another couple of armies that have been almost finished for an embarassing number of years. (It's all TtE's fault! This was my first scale shift. Then he moved and took his huge collection of 15 mil Tabletop medieval minis with him!) We haven't played 15 mil lately, but I really would like to get these guys finished and based.

Epic scale Warhammer 40K. Oh yeah ~ I have lots of these little plastic guys! Mainly Eldar (my favorites), enough finished for a company of Imperial Guard, a number of Marines done. Lots more waiting to be painted, and way too many vehicles yet to go . . . John and TtE and I played a pretty good game earlier this year. The email lead up was hilarious and as much fun as the game itself! (The game suffered from a case of wanting to use as much stuff as we had! It was fun but we got bogged down speed wise.) This is one John and I both would like to play again.

25 mm Ancients. Years ago I was lucky enough to buy a large collection, mainly painted, from a gaming friend. These are all classic figures from the 60s and 70s, I'm not sure of the maker. He bought them when he was in grad school in England. The Macedonians are definitely my favorites. The Successors are a close second. I have Romans from throughout the Empire's many years. Lots of generic Barbarians. We used to play a lot of DBM, a long time ago. Then we moved to DBA with them. Earlier this year I finally put on my version of It's Down to the Triarii!, from an old Wargames Illustrated; Number 2, October 1987. It was a good game, fun and very different. And I finally have a game where the Camillan Roman army actually looks like and fights like it should! Definitely something I want to run again. I definitely have enough Ancients re-based (to WRG's DBX method) and touched up for just about anything we want to play.

6mm Adler ACW. Yet another scale shift thanks to Tim the E again! Only a few bases are finished. A couple of brigades are started on painting strips. Not sure what the status is for these guys, though I did some work on them recently. I love 'em. Tim has a couple of armies. After some great Johnny Reb II games we switched to our own DBACW rules. Got 'em perfected too. Maybe they were too 'right'! We grew bored and stopped playing ACW. I'd like to return to this sometime.

Games Workshop 40K. I have a ten man squad of Space Marines in safe keeping that David painted up for John. Fourteen usable almost finished Eldar and a wonderful Eldar command figure that David painted for me. I recently gave the rest of my Space Marine figures away to Thomas and David. I haven't played the game in years and doubt I ever will. Life is just too short to play a "skirmish" game that takes all day and needs so many pages of rules . . . Besides, if I ever do want to play 40K again David has everything we need! All beautifully painted. Heck, David is the best and the fastest painter I've ever know!

That's what is in front of me right now. I'm not even going to look in the closet (more Ral Parthas, Ancients, and Epic 40K) or hall shelves (even more Ancients ready to go) right now!

For now my plan is to try to really focus on painting my beautiful Ral Patha AElves. For variety I'll keep moving on our Dixon personalities and the MegaMinis for our Castle Devin skirmish games. When I really need a break I always have the aeroplanes waiting. They are nice models and are pretty easy to paint up.

Of course those darn 15 mil Essex figures are staring at me . . .

You know? This has been a good exercise for me! I'm beginning to realize just how many figures I have that I'll probably never use . . . Lots of unpainted, or partially painted, Ancients. Who knows how many sets of Airfix and ESCI??? Maybe I should start selling what I know I'll never use on eBay . . . That might help me afford to buy even more figures! : - )

Now, to get some pictures uploaded! Have Fun gaming!

Legal Stuff

Being a professional jewelry artist has taught me a number of things. So, assuming I understand the blogger terms of use, it seems like a good idea to go ahead and get this out of the way now . . .

Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are the property of and copyright of Thomas M. Bauman. Please do not use them in anyway without first asking for and obtaining my permission. Thank you! (I mean, come on, it's flattering if someone wants to use one of your images ~ do you think I'll say '"No." ??? It's nice to be asked!)

Oh yeah ~ once I figure out just how to post images I will. Well, once I learn how and re-establish my LAN so I can retrieve them from my old system I will begin posting them!

The Beginning

Well, somehow it seems appropriate that I begin my gaming blog on Election Day, 2008. So here goes ~ lets see what happens!

My main goal is to get myself moving on the figure painting front again. There are some amazing and prolific figure painters out there recording their progress. I hope that doing the same thing will help to keep me painting!

I'm particularly thankful to der alt Fritz for his inspiration. And for leading me into many happy hours delving into some great 18th century gaming blogs and the Old School Wargaming yahoo group.

So lets see what happens here and find out just how much painting and gaming I can get done!