Obi-wan Shinobi

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend full of epic Star Wars movie fun! I don't know what the weather is like where you live, but our December weather is insane! In fact, we sat outside in shorts by the pool and got a tan on Christmas Eve. Since then, it's dropped to just-above-freezing and I wish the weather would just pick a season already. While it's definitely not a White Christmas around here, we do have some white around here-- I decided to paint the Anima Tactics Shinobi's robes an off-white color rather than the dark blue/black I planned on. The dark colors would have taken less time to paint (at least for me), but I was up for the challenge since I hadn't had time to paint in weeks. I was more than ready to try painting something new after the stress of the holidays and travel.

I'm brushing up on my True Metallic Metals since I've been working more on Non Metallic Metals recently. I'm using P3 metallic paints and shading them down with some matte black from Reaper. I've never tried shaded metallics on a sword before so this is a first for me! I'm also playing with some bright red and desaturated reds in the scarf. I don't want his scarf to be too silky, so I won't highlight past a bright red and a few spots on his neck. I'm also not entirely happy with the leather arm bands. I may glaze it with warmer tones so it doesn't stand out too much

I will say the white is a challenge! (I love it.) I used a Dirty Gray base coat and I'm highlighting up to Leather White, one of my favorites from the Reaper paint series. In the darkest recesses, I used Dirty Grey and a touch of Blue Liner. He's about 75% finished and I'm really happy I was able to paint some tiny pupils in his eyes that are obscured by his ninja face mask.

Other than that, my Secret Sophie is back on track. I had a bit of a frustrated meltdown once the top of her bow came off. I ended up reaching out to the Reaper forum for some advice. They were very helpful and offered a few different ideas since I'm new to sculpting-- I've only used Green Stuff for gap-filling and minor conversions so far. Something so simple, like resculpting the top of the bow, had me frustrated since I could get the shape just right and my patience was lacking. On the other side of the miniature, the bow extends straight downward and is sculpted into the leg. Replacing the bow would have been too much work. I settled on a good compromise (see below). If this taught me anything, it's that patience and Green Stuff go hand in hand. It's best if you do something in several steps, knowing that it can't be pinned, sculpted, glued, and filed to perfection all in one sitting. I was stubbornly thinking I could get it done faster if I could just create the perfect shape before I had to wait for it to cure. (Yeah, it was silly but I'm learning.) I'll soon cut down the green stuff to match the proportion of the lower half of the bow once the glue dries and I can make it a seamless transition between the pewter and the Green Stuff.

I giggle because it almost looks like the fox is holding a bow/lightsaber. It's probably because I haven't been able to get Star Wars off my mind since I saw The Force Awakens. If you haven't gone to see it, go see it! It's not a perfect movie but it's much better than Episodes I-III. I won't spoil anything here (yet), and I'll give everyone a solid two weeks to go see it. It exceeded my expectations and they could have done much worse. Seriously. It was great. I want to go back and see it in 3D! For now, I'll settle on turning on the Original Trilogy (Episodes IV-VI) while I paint. Cheers!

Canine Case of the Mondays

Sorry for the delay! Had a scare with the pup. Rough night last night-- we think ate something toxic outside over the weekend (that or dog flu) and he spent the night vomiting 10+ times. He has a fever and had to get a shot to help stop the puking. Poor guy.  Finally out of the vet with meds and he's coming to work with me so I can keep an eye on him. That being said, today's post will be a little short. Thanks for your patience :) 

I regret not taking better pictures, but I'm working on the Anima Tactics Shinobi. He's shaping up, though the humidity definitely made things more difficult-- even the brush on primer took forever! I had to paint it in thin layers and be very patient.

Other than that, it's been a painful busy week with trying to wrap up things at work so I can take the next 2 days off (plus the weekend). I've been running around like a crazy person trying to get everything arranged before the holidays, though I did take some time for myself. What did I do with that time, you ask? Finally, I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens! It was amazing. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet (it's worth it) and I wish safe travels to those over the holidays. I want nothing more than to paint, but it'll have to wait until Sunday!

True Art is an Explosion

Watching Naruto Shippuden Episode 280 while I write this. In case you're not caught up (like me), Deidara's back. He's arguably one of the most annoying characters in this show, but I can't help but laugh at his obsession with art. I won't give away the plot, but he's still shouting ridiculous things like "I will find the Super Ultimate Art!" and "True art is an explosion!"

Right now my desk is a bit of an explosion. It has no chair (The Other Half is using it currently while he plays video games since his chair is broken), there are four works-in-progress strewn about, basing materials that still need to be cleaned up, and my almost-dried-out wet palette has been there untouched for almost two weeks. It's pretty scary.

While I've been missing my coveted paint time, there's a good reason for it. In just the past week-and-a-half, we've hosted a friend visiting from out of town (whose drunken shenanigans sent me flying into the kitchen island after a mistimed tackle-hug), traveled out of town for a sibling graduation, picked up my grandma from the airport and accompanied her to her dentures appointment (yay, she now has teeth!), attended two holiday office parties, played 9 hours of Dungeons & Dragons, and celebrated the memory of a loved on on their birthday in one of their favorite vacation spots. We're keeping busy for good reason. Any time we spend alone can be a blessing and a curse. Sometimes the last thing you want is to be left with your own thoughts and become painfully aware of the people you've lost since the last holiday. We've since started grief counseling now that we're strong enough to work through some of the complicated things we're feeling. I equate it with removing temporary bandages in order to clean and stitch wounds to make sure it heals properly and doesn't become infected. Still, it doesn't feel good to revisit things you've tried to bury in order to function properly... and I just busted out laughing at the anime I'm watching-- Sai just had a flashback as he nervously prepares a complicated sealing justu. "Releasing your emotions can make you susceptible to negative emotions. It can be very dangerous... Release your negative emotions and restrain them". Couldn't have said it better myself, Danzo! That reminds me, I can't wait to paint that shinobi I've started on.

Alright, back to happy painting stuff. No more sad rambling! I prepared my fox mini for the miniature exchange and have since primed her. We had some issue with the bow tip that kept falling off, despite trying to reattach it with super glue. It just popped off when I tried to sand it down and it's once again lost in the explosion of a mess that's my desk right now. Argh, I'll search for it later. I've glued this miniature on a pre-cast base from Micro Art Studio-- nothing too fancy, since this is a piece I'll paint quickly and send off before Christmas for a complete stranger who I hope likes it! Spreading holiday cheer one secret miniature gift exchange at a time.

I also purchased three online versions of "Figure Painter Magazine", issues 29–31. I'm reading through my first issue now-- so far, I'm enjoying the balanced content and the nice range of high-quality images in different styles. I particularly like the in-depth tutorials and the "Show Report" segment where they review different shows, competitions, and conventions that take place around the world. I'll share more thoughts as I read more-- I'm sure some of these will inspire me to start some new projects but not until I get my commissions taken care of!

Last but not least, I took advantage of the post-Thanksgiving sale at Secret Weapon Miniatures. I purchased weathering pigments for a great price and I'm looking forward to using some on steampunk miniatures and fantasy armor. It will be my first time using weathering pigments and I'll be writing about my experience soon! Which ones should I start with? Basic rust patterns? Some tarnished bronze armor? Verdigris? So many options-- I look forward to this new, and probably quite messy, weathering adventure :)