Wargaming Tradecraft: May 2012




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Headshots Marathon Wrap & Thanks.. and Up Next at Wargaming Tradecraft

Well, the weekend is over, and the whole event was quite an experience. We got 3,508 Headshots, (including every boss in the first play through) raised over $2,500 for Childs Play (assuming all the pledges come through) and put on quite the show. If you forgot and want to make a last minute donation, the ChipIn Widget will be up for the next week. What do you get for your money now? Besides helping sick kids, you can still watch video from the event!

There was a fantastic bunch of donations for some great people and companies, an entertaining batch of volunteers and some great viewers who stuck in there for a great deal of the event. We also appreciate the support we got in the miniatures community, so thanks House of Paincakes and Father Geek... and of course, a HUGE thank-you to MiniWarGaming for supplying the miniatures I've painted over the last month.




Next up at Wargaming Tradecraft...

Needless to say, I'm a little burned out. Six well-painted miniatures and fancy bases in under 2 months with a full-time job was definitely an over-commitment. Except for a little time here and there wielding a Plasma Cannon in Space Marine, (as "N++") all my spare hours went in to painting... and that's too much.

I'll be taking a brief break to shift gears a bit and take care of some things around the apartment, fiddle with some server stuff, game, veg, sleep and a wedding to attend shortly. My thanks ahead of time for being understanding. You might find some neat things over at Tech Tradecraft though.

To the people who've sent me Network requests... I haven't forgotten about you - and I'll add you to the list once I'm back.

To all my Twitter followers - sorry for the "spam" over the weekend as I was promoting #Headshots like crazy. Please forgive the efforts of a good cause.

WHEN I'M BACK,

  • there will of course be more painting of my Hordebloods to continue working on my Hordes army.
  • I'm also going to look at my Techniques and Supplies pages and get back to writing some actual tutorials - the original intent of this blog. I've got some even saved as drafts that just need finishing... like water tutorials...
    sooo, less WIP, more TUT.
  • Experimenting with a new art style on those Borderlands miniatures was a real good time.. I've been wanting to for a while, and I think you can expect to see me playing with art styles and theory some more..
I think Marcus looks the best... I'm floored at how well he turned out.

Borderlands Charity Marathon Broadcasting in 30 minutes!


Starting at 12:30pm EST (9:30am PST) and for the next 24 hours...

Four of us and a host of volunteers and interviewees will be raising money for Childs Play, a charity that donates to sick children. We'll be playing Borderlands the entire time, and besides accepting straight donations, are taking pledges for the number of headshot kills we make. There are also plenty of auctions for you to check out - from the miniatures I've been painting over the last month, to an 8-bit Megaman afghan my wife crocheted and a bunch of other geeky crafts of excellent quality & value... even VIP meet and greet tickets to see The Tea Party during their reunion tour this summer!


You can find all the details at http://headshotsmarathon.org
Follow all the awesomeness on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeadshotsHeart or trending with #Headshots

Please repost this on your own blogs to help out!

Headshots from the Heart: Borderlands Figures Completed


The miniature Borderlands figures I've painted for our Headshots from the Heart charity marathon are complete! Below are the final photos of this great task, and remember that you can try to win them during the event by bidding in our auctions. (All proceeds go to the Childs Play Charity) The 24 hour marathon begins this Sunday the 26th at 12.30p.

To sweeten the deal, my dad's made 3 very nice glass display bells - we're going to include them with the three figures that end up auctioning for the most. (So if you want one, you'll have to keep this in mind!)

These are all painted in a style new to me. I've tried to achieve the cell-shaded look from the video game using exaggerated shadows and highlights while experimenting with how I apply them to the models. This may be less realistic, but I'm greatly satisfied with what I've created over the last two months and think they turned out looking fantastic!

I'm sure what you're wondering though is, "What do they look like?" I've posted the standard quality photos first, and included uber-high-res ones at the end of the article.

If you want to take a look at posts that show these works in progress, with descriptions, you can read the series. (I'll also be adding them to my Step by Step page.)

Headshots: Bases


 This project wouldn't be complete without creating some nice display bases for the figures to stand on.

As mentioned earlier, I'm creating 2 bases for each figure: 1, using their normal base, making them legal for playing... and the 2nd is a larger base with a little decoration for display purposes.

All models are magnetized for this reason.

Headshots: Moxxi WIP

 With a big push this holiday weekend, I completed Moxxi, my final Borderlands figure. Basing is up next, and a few final touch-ups all around. Hoping to be done today.

...but that's not the topic of todays post.

Headshots: Marcus WIP 3

Not much to say about this step. I've done the highlighting, and Marcus is completed!





With many thanks to MiniWarGaming and their crew for donating the miniatures that are being painted for this project.

Final figures will be auctioned off, all proceeds going to the Childs Play charity during the Headshots from the Heart marathon.

Headshots: Marcus WIP 2

 As life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes, I only got the cell-shading completed.

I've come across areas that will need some highlight cleaning, and after that, I'll be doing the cell-highlighting.


Then, only one more Borderlands figure to go + basing!



With many thanks to MiniWarGaming and their crew for donating the miniatures that are being painted for this project.

Final figures will be auctioned off, all proceeds going to the Childs Play charity during the Headshots from the Heart marathon.

Headshots: Marcus WIP 1

Looks like I had a very productive weekend, and not just on the Borderlands figures. I also wrote up a very detailed post on how to stream multiple computers online. But yes, I also finished Brick (though realized I have a few buckles / bolts to attend to) and got a good deal of work done on Marcus.

Headshots: Brick WIP 3

In the final steps of the Borderlands figure Brick, I've done the cell shading / highlighting and taken care of some of the smaller details.


Board Game Geek userbase possibly compromised

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/801384/please-read-security-breach-information
Thanks to @WindsorGaming for pointing this one out.

It would seem that Board Game Geek's servers may have been compromised. If you have an account over there, it's strongly recommended that you change your password immediately.

As usual, whenever a system is compromised, if you use that same password / email combination elsewhere, you should immediately change your passwords in those other places as well.

Headshots: Brick WIP 2

Continuing on from the last post, I've taken the basic colour and wash and go further in the highlighting of the Brick Borderlands figure. 


Headshots: Brick WIP 1


 And now, it's time to begin painting my Borderlands figure: Brick.

A lot more space to paint as he's quite a bit larger than the others. In the interest of keeping things interesting, I'm still trying to do things a little different

Headshots: Mordecai WIP 2

Got a lot done this weekend, and I finished off the Mordecai Borderlands figure, so this is the last of his posts.

Now, I know he's already pretty highlighted, but I use some white paint to do a little more highlighting before shading.

Headshots: Mordecai WIP 1

The next Borderlands figure that I'm painting is Mordecai, the sniper. I'm using the Games Workshop Vindicare Assassin, just because he's basically an awesome sniper.

I've tried some pretty unique techniques in this first phase of painting, and it's coming together pretty well. I expect to be done by Sunday. (fingers crossed)

Headshots: Lilith WIP 3

So if you'll recall, we ended the last post with Lilith appearing complete, but certainly needing some more work to increase contrast. If you'll take a look lower, not only do I cover the cell-shading, but also some pigment (powder) work.

Headshots: Lilith WIP 2

 As things continue, they're coming along well! Sorry about missing Sundays post, but I had a wedding to attend 6 hours north. (oddly, warmer than here, which is unusual in this great North)

However, I got a lot done today, which I'll share with you ahead... Please keep in mind that I'm still skipping the contrast step, that'll come next.

It starts with legs, because why not? Well, actually, because I like to start with colours I'm more sure of how I want the composition. That way, more of the model will be complete when I'm deciding on smaller details.

So I blended up her legs, then her top. I highlighted with pink, which you always need to be careful about... otherwise it looks too unnatural.