Miniatures & Scale

When I tell people about my hobby, the first question they usually ask is, "Just how small are they?".  Since my blog is about the discovery of miniature painting, my goal is to make it accessible to everyone. Recently I was asked to include a basic overview of miniatures & scale for those less-than-familiar with the hobby. Happy to oblige!

The majority of miniatures I paint are 25-28mm. For those of us who were not raised on the internationally recognized decimal system of measurement, they're about 1 inch tall. Some are a bit larger and others are considerably smaller, and once the 25-28mm minis are attached to bases, the finished product is usually under 2 inches. Of course, bases can range anywhere from a simple, flat square to a hand-carved custom display base. To help put miniature scale in perspective, here are some pictures: one with a measuring tape & push pin, the other featuring my less-than-manicured thumbnail.

"What are they made out of?"

While some minis are made from plastic or resin, the majority of miniatures I've painted are cast in pewter. They come out of the box looking like this Reaper miniature:

Some are cast as one piece, others are in several parts and require assembly like this Privateer Press miniature:

"How long do they take to paint?"

For me, generally anywhere from 4-32 hours. It's a big range, and I personally choose how long to spend on a mini by asking myself this simple question:

What is this mini going to be used for?

• One-time tabletop game: 2-4 hours. 
• Many games: 8-24 hours (depending on how many people I want to impress!)
• Display & Collecting: 12-32+ hours (depending on the projected detail & quality)
• Personal enjoyment: however long I want!

And lastly, the final question I'm asked is, "Why do you enjoy painting these tiny things?"

Truly, I enjoy working with small-scale figures. They require a smaller volume of paint, less room needed for my painting setup, and the best part is that a $5-15 miniature is much less expensive than a large canvas. I also like the challenge of refining controlled painting techniques for the best possible results. It's a great exercise in patience!  

If you have questions, keep 'em coming! I'm happy to share my discoveries and look forward to learning from others as well. In the meantime, I'm waiting for my Infinity miniatures to arrive in the mail today-- I'll have more for you on Thursday! 

Chair Hunting

After more research, including reading a few in-depth articles about upscale chairs from thewirecutter.com and lifehacker.com, I decided that chairs, no matter what the cost, should suit one's individual needs. When I thought about the ideal chair build in which to park my butt for hours at a time, I decided I needed one that would work for: 

1. Vertically-challenged folks - with adjustable lumbar support
2. A habitual sloucher - with adjustable tilt to move the chair slightly forward
3. "Lazy Elbows" - with flip up armrests so as not to use them as a crutch

Since I'm currently not made of money, I needed to keep it under $250. I've been saving up for this for awhile and I'm really tired of having a sore butt and back from painting in this chair, though I added a cushion (don't laugh!)...

IKEA.com

Thinking it must be easy to find a chair better than my $25 IKEA chair, I searched for "ergonomic armless chair" and came up with some strange results, including these:

from Officemax.com

from IKEA.com

from Overstock.com

After practically a full day's worth of research and not wanting to drive around in the pouring rain on my day off looking for a chair (and probably dropping too much money on one because, frankly, I crack under the pressure of an aggressive salesperson), I found this: Office Star's Professional Light Air Grid Back Chair with Eco Leather Seat. It has the adjustable lumbar support, flip up arm rests, and adjustable seat. It looks pretty sleek too. I also kept my budget goal. I saw this chair in places for quite a bit more, but you couldn't beat Amazon.com's price of $207 with free shipping. 

It should arrive right around the Fourth of July where I'm taking a 4 day weekend. I'll be painting diligently that weekend and will no longer be subject to the $25 IKEA Chair of Shame. 

Painting Withdrawals

Work has been intense while I've been running point for my team during a new store opening. I've encountered long days and I haven't had a day off for two weeks. Any downtime has been spent watching the World Cup (yes, I'm a soccer fan) or taking a late afternoon trip to Beaumont  to "get away". In fact, I'm writing this in a race against the clock since I need to get on the road. I'm helping facilitate panel interviews today. 

Needless to say, I haven't painted. And it makes me creatively itchy. I've thought about it often, but knowing how much caffeine is coursing through my system to support my effectiveness at work, I've decided it's a bad idea. My next day off is June 28th and I'm going to paint the &#@% out of some minis. I still need to patch up Maralise after her untimely basing mishap. I've bounced back from my failure funk and I'm positive I can salvage her.

[Update: I did it! Check her out here]

In the meantime, I've realized I need a new painting setup. Currently, I'm painting at an unfinished pine table I bought for $70 at IKEA in 2010 along with its matching chair. It's not a long-term solution. I've been saving up for something better ever since I read Meg Maples' blog post about ergonomic desks & chairs. I've learned many insights from her Arcane Paintworks site and I can't wait to try some of her suggestions!

I admit, I've spent some of that desk/chair money on minis-- in fact, a box showed up yesterday for me and I thought "Wait, this isn't mine!" and when I opened it, they were minis I'd bought on eBay that I'd forgotten about #HoarderProblems.

However, I'm committed to finding a more sustainable desk & chair setup. I want to learn from others' successes. I want to put into my hobby what I hope to get out. It's worth it. I'll take some pictures along the way in my hunt for a new desk & chair-- I'll let you know what I find!