Exiles Busy weekend painting

So I have a short weekend this week as I return back to work on Sunday night instead of my usual Monday, but I had plenty of time to hit the painting table. The picture below might give some indication of what I was trying.

Before I get to my knot work I completed the sample figure for a customer, very happy with how it came out a very nice Warlord Games figure from the Highland Infantry box set.

Now to my newest attempt at freehand, using the book to show how to do the corners I completed the cloak on my Dad's Viking Warlord. For only my second or third attempt at knotwork I am well chuffed. It looks a lot better on the table top than super enlarged on a computer screen.

I am also on the last leg of the Orc and Goblin Blood Bowl team, after these three I only have 2 left plus an Ogre and a Troll.

ECW Test Figure

I have had an enquiry from a collector looking to get some ECW figures painted to display in his home. I have agreed to paint a sample figure to see if my style is to his taste. I have a few ECW figures in my lead pile so picked out a Scot's fellow. I have been working on him for a few hours and feel he is coming along well. I have also added pictures of the Vikings who only have a few details left and the shields.

Painting Ronin Day 29

So those of you following the challenge will have seen a "small" entry from me last night, not to rub it in but that entry alone would have put me in the top ten, Banzinga
Today I only had an hour on the brushes so not great progress but enough to feed the addiction

I would guess that after so many shots of my work space you will have seen my racks of paints, I am in the process of changing over from GW (I bought the complete range when I worked there), I like the paint but cant stand the containers. The paint seems to dry quick in their pots than others and you have to transfer the paint on to a pallet which means using an old brush or match stick. I am inherently lazy and can guarantee that if I have a old brush or match stick covered in wet paint then my hand/elbow/shirt...etc will land on it. I love the dropper bottles as you can transfer to the pallet with no fuss and they do not dry out (as long as you put the lids on). I have both the AP paints and Vallejo both give great coverage over black and offer great ranges of colors.

One thing I have found more useful these days are the variuos paint extras, I have a corner of my desk full of paint thinners, brush on gloss/matt varnish, micro sol (for transfers) and brush on undercoats.

Anyway enough of my waffle I thought I would add a few pictures of my latest challenge entry

Painting Ronin Day 27

Finally finished my large unit of ECW Cav, not the end of figures from this era as still have another unit of 12 Warlord games Cav to build and paint. The ones I have just done were a great Ebay purchase and seem to be mostly old foundry figures with a few Perry's horse's. I have to apply the static grass and some grass clumps before I can hit these with varnish.

I have sorted out the next targets for my brushes, I will be doing 12 Front Rank French Light troops, I have a pack of 24 half will be based on square base's and used as light troops for our SYW French army, these 12 are on the good old round base's that will be used for the FIW.

I have a lot of Front Rank figures and I love the chunky look of them, I think this goes back to my first gaming with Colonial figures made by Mike's Models (great chubby 15mm). The second unit I will be doing over the next few day will be the last unit of an Arthurian Roman Foundry Army.

I have placed an order with foundry for a horde of Hill Tribesman to use in my Afghan skirmish games. I am sure that my lead pile will be smaller after the challenge that at the start but in these first few weeks I am just about breaking even with stuff painted against new lead.
Any way got to wrap up warm ready for work tonight, spare a though for all us night shift workers who have to work in these cold night conditions.
Peace James

Painting Ronin Day 18

Been a lazy Sunday got the prep work completed this morning below is the mass ranks of the French Heavy Cav (SYW)

I still need to gravel the base's and undercoat will have to wait as I have run out, how did that happen?
Behind the cav you can see my latest WIP 12 American Regulars 2 more French Musketeers and a unit of Scottish Lancers. I completed the Lancers today and am sending Photos off to Curt soon.

I think the Lancers are a prime example of what the Winter Challenge is all about, these have sat in my lead pile for almost 18 months but within 3 weeks of the comp I have them complete and ready for the gaming table.
I hope all the other Ronin are finding the incentive to get to the back of their lead piles to those poor dusty figures.
Peace
James

Painting Ronin Day 14

Been for a trip to the Dr today, I took a hockey ball to the side of the knee on the 8th Dec and its still giving me trouble, good news is no ligament damage just some very deep bruising at the base of the ligament and bone. This means no training for another 2 or 3 weeks and probably back playing in Feb. One plus from this is more painting time on the Saturdays, the negative is I have to watch carefully my food intake so I do not put on the weight I lost.
Enough real life more about painting, Dean expressed shock to see that I paint my figures already based. This is something I have done for a long time now I do this for a few reasons, first I am a lazy painter I do not like doing things twice so if I am sticking figures to something to paint them I will stick them to the base's they have to be on, second I am painting wargame's figures these are to look good on a table top so if I can not get to a bit with a thin paintbrush no one will see that bit on a table top. Below are some Celts I painted in a very short time.

if you want to see how the army turned out check out this old blog post, http://exilespainting.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/wab-gt-tomorrow-did-i-do-it.html.
But before you rush out and try this you need to know a few things, you can not be a perfectionist as there will always be some bits of the figures you can not reach. This is not a problem if you have taken the time to make sure your black undercoat is fully covering the figures. Also this is wargame's painting do not expect them to look ace up close.
I have been carrying on with my current WIP, 6 American regulars a unit of SYW french and the SYW Hussars and I have started on another cav unit 12 Scots ECW lancers

My efforts to do a water base have been partially successful, I have had to top up with the water effect and given them another 24 hours, so watch this space. I have another lot of figures to photo and send off to Curt so I am well on target to hit my average 1000 pts per month. Below are a few pictures of that last lot of figures I entered.

Wow a long post from me today, keep those brush's warm guys and I will check in with you tomorrow
Peace James

FIW, SYW, ECW

So before the 20th I am keeping my brushes warm, you have to careful to stay warm because if you try to go to quick from cold you could pull a bristle :).
I am very happy with my latest output, the SYW are leftovers from my Dad retirement present which I am so glad I did not rush to get done. The ECW are the Warlord Dragoons that I won as a prize for a painting comp a couple of years ago and the FIW are yet more of the Indians (plain this time).
Last and least in size are the 10mm Sudan Brits, this is a personal project as I love the idea of playing the Sudan but did not want to invest too much money in the period.

Commission ECW Scots

a few shots of my latest commission work.