Back-grounds back, alright! I know the background on my weekly updates has been missing lately. (to some) It looks like Google Blogger and Reader no longer support the basic HTML element for the background image, and now you have to use the "style" element... I guess it's the way things are going, just took me a bit to figure out the reason my titles were messed up.
It would seem that Google may be in the process of shutting down their Feedburner service. This is affecting TONS of bloggers out there who want a quality RSS statistic and feature adding tool. I say may, because, well... there hasn't been any information given by Google except that their Feedburner API will be shutting down Oct 20. Now, that doesn't specifically mean Feedburner is going away... BUT the stat gathering for ALL Feedburner accounts seems to have stopped working a few days ago and they closed their blog and twitter accounts, which is kinda an indication that it's going the way of the dodo.
Think they "can't" just shut down a service? Well, for one, it's free - you're not paying for it, they owe you nothing. Also, there are plenty of horror stories out there of Google shutting down services people have paid for - I've lived through one that the company I worked for paid big money on... it gets messy.
This is a model my wife won at a Hordes tournament. It's from the Iron Kingdoms line of Privateer Press. I've added some greenstuffed shoulders and a book by her side.. Seeing the horns curving up from her hood, I just had to paint her up as an undead female wearing the Felheart Rainment.
A model in my Hordeblood army has the ability to raise a protective wall of stone from the ground. As such, I've created one.
To begin, I got the "wall" dimensions from the Hordes rulebook and cut a piece of plasticard. I glued some stones to it and filled in all around them with a few layers of heavy gel. I moulded the gel in a ways to seem like it's bursting from the ground.
Privateer Press has taken a step that we probably all would love to have for any of the various games we play - Developed by TinkerHouse Games, they've released an app that provides the rules for each army you purchase, provides a rules reference for the game system itself, allows you to generate and email army lists and acts as a helper during games by displaying quick stats, letting you mark your health, time your games / turns and interestingly lets you read your opponents cards when you connect your game with someone else.
War Room is available on Android and iOS (iPhone / iPad) phones and tablets. I'm running Android on a Samsung Galaxy S Captivate phone. It's been out for a little while now, there have been some bug fixes, and I'm comfortable posting the review now. There's a whole 'lotta good but some serious bad, so read on...
*DISCLAIMER - My phone loses the red spectrum when taking screenshots... I assure you, all images within the app are beautiful, high-quality, and look just like you were holding the cards yourself.
When we base our models or create terrain, one of the important details is what kind of flock you use. One method of getting low-cost, recycled and very realistic stuff is to make it yourself - from tea.
I like the look of used tea over unused, just remember to dry used tea first. This doesn't have to be as extreme a method as Drying Flock; leave your used bags in a small box somewhere inside until they completely dry out. (just give it a few days) If you jar moisture with your tea, it will MOULD. Not only will the flock be unusable, it'll be a health risk to anyone who opens it.
Welp, back to work. There was an update on my Hordeblood Warlocks, followed by a post with the complete photos. For some meat, I posted an article on pigments that I'm quite happy about.
Well, I discussed them in my last post about the Krielstone Warlocks, and now they're done! You can also find these on my Deviant Art gallery.
Krielstone Warlock, armour inspired by Warcraft's Voidheart Raiment
Krielstone Warlock, armour inspired by Warcraft's Plagueheart Garb
Take a look at my Step by Step page for the entire Hordebloods project. Here you will find each model broken down into links showing each step: Concept, Works in Progress, (for both modelling and painting) and Final Shots
Here's a little musical interlude for some of you, with a rather specific taste in music. The reason is that our community friend, Dethtron of Dick Move and House of Paincakes is in a band - an 'eavy metal band to be precise. Some of the lyrics are even inspired by the gaming hobby. (Scroll down for an example.) Right now they're trying to launch their first self-produced album through Kickstarter.
Even if you don't offer them some money, or groupies, you can help by spreading some awareness... here's their info so you can check them out further and maybe offer a Like, Retweet or Share.
Pigments, also known as "weathering powders" by some, provide fantastic effects that we can add to our miniatures, more so than just weathering. Pigments can be used for shading, blending, creating a "weathered" or "worn" look, adding build up like dirt / grime / patina, even colouring an entire model or making your own paint. The reason I prefer to simply call them "pigments" (other than it being their true name) is because of all of those uses - well beyond just "weathering."
I haven't seen too many places that sell them. I got mine from Secret Weapon Miniatures and the sets will give you the most bang for your buck. Personally, I find that the browns, reds, yellows, black and white are the ones I use most often vs the blues and greens.
You'll also notice a thin vial in that photo too. This is actually a pigment from MAC Cosmetics. These are crazy overpriced though, and TheWife picked up this one cheap (surplus) for us to try. (I'll cover how it turns out in a later post) Yup, that's right... pigments work a lot like make-up.
So it's been a little while since I've posted, but I have been painting.. and here's what I've been working on.
Voidheart (Tier 4)
I left off on this Warlock, wearing Voidheart armour. One area I wasn't sure of how I wanted to handle things, was his head piece. I didn't want to give the face a full blue glow, but did want to incorporate the effect. I created it using a mix of blue pigment followed with some blue wash.
In case you haven't been around, there was a delay as I had to move for a work promotion, but I'm finally back to work!
In the next week, posting will get better and I have a few already planned to hit in the next few days. In the mean time, enjoy a couple small updates and this weekly update!
Out of curiosity, anybody know what happened to Ninjabread?
Here's a Kickstarter that's piqued my interest. I don't actually know anything of the system, but the minis have some crazy designs. (No models yet, unfortunately.) Being someone who focuses on painting, I gotta say that these figures look like nothing else I've seen before and I'm pretty curious to see how they end up when they're finally modelled.
Dreamforge is also finally on the Kickstarter bandwagon. I've seen these creations slowly come together and they are mighty. Definitely worth your time to take a look at.
Since I created the Mauler, I've had a number of people comment on his bracers. They're right - these are great examples of using nail jewels on minis, so I've updated the post as such. Take a look!
