So near, yet so far.

I start painting a lot of miniatures, and while I finish a decent number, a few tend to languish in a perpetually semi-painted state.  I collected a number of those partially painted miniatures for this photo.  Most of these could be finished in under an hour.  Many of them would take less than half an hour, and a few could probably be completed in about 10 minutes.  Somehow though, other miniatures keep jumping in front of these in the queue.  Who else finds themselves with a collection of mostly painted miniatures that don't ever seem to get finished?

If this isn't a real thing, it needs to be.

Thanks to +William Beegle for sharing this with me.

Weird Adventure Idea Wednesday

On a wintry day you chance upon a diseased astrologer lying beside the road.  The astrologer motions to you to approach and when you do, he tells you an intriguing tale.  He says that 3 weeks journey to the northwest, within the Shadowy Wastelands of the Graven Idols, was built the Shimmering Stronghold of the Burning Warrior.  It is believed that there is hidden the Skull Adorned Casket of Golden Decay.  But beware, for the astrologer tells you that it is thought the Stained Slime Beast of Ill-Omen dwells there!

Miniatures Monday

In a dark forest, well hidden from prying eyes, lies an ancient circle of stone.  Many horrific rites have been enacted in this dreadful place...

And if the blood on the dagger is any indication, some of those rites seem to have been quite recent.  The miniature of from Reaper and is part of a set that also includes two cultists and a sacrificial victim which are still works in progress.

All of my new Terrain pieces in action

Just another shot of all of my new terrain pieces.  I've sealed them, and they are now ready for use!

My first foray into homemade dungeon terrain

     Ever since completing some basement remodeling about five years ago, I've been holding on to a bunch of foamboard insulation scraps.  I've aways intended to use them to make gaming terrain, but as with many things, I wasn't convinced that I'd do a good job, so I didn't bother to try.  Finally, the other day inspiration stuck, and I decided to have a go at it.  These three pieces are the results.  While they would never compete with Dwarven Forge, I'm fairly pleased with how they came out.
     I did the stonework by scoring the foam with an X-ACTO knife, then widened the gaps with a pencil.  I got the texture, but breaking what has always seemed to be a rule when working with foam and used a light coat of Rustoleum spray paint.  The spray paint of course melts the foam, but when used in the right amount, I found that it melts a nice texture on the stone, and it widens the gaps a bit more giving the stones better definition.  Then I coated all of the pieces in back craft paint and dry brushed them with grey.
     I'm happy enough with the result to try some more pieces.  Maybe I'll try a stairway next.

Weird Adventure Idea Wednesday

This week's weird adventure idea:

On a chilly spring morning you cross paths with a one-eyed enchanter at a seasonal festival.  The enchanter tells you a curious tale that 4 weeks ride to the east, deep within the Gorge of Extinction, can be found the Polluted Caverns of Endless Waters.  It is told that hidden in those forgotten tunnels is the Hellish Jade Flute of Crucifixion.  Many have dared to search for that damned instrument, but beware, for the enchanter cautions you that the Sickened Lord of Burning Iron dwells there!

I imagine that these would be a lot cooler if I could actually draw. :-)

If you enjoy Weird Adventure Idea Wednesday, be sure to check out these free resources:

1,001 Weird and Wacky Adventure Ideas

and

1,001 More Weird and Wacky Adventure Ideas

Miniatures Monday

MagnaGuard with a little rigor mortis.  A recently completed IG-88 miniature from Star Wars imperial Assault, by Fantasy Flight Games.  I don't own the base game, but the miniatures for it are very nice and will be cool if I every try running Edge of the Empire again.  Not a difficult miniature to paint as IG-88 was almost entirely metal.  I'm including a link to the video for IG-88's Chevy by MC Chris, because I really enjoy it.  For those of you not familiar with the song, you might not want to listen to it at work or with kids around.  It's awesome, but not particularly family friendly.

I got a kick out of this

It makes me want to play some Astrosmash.

Challenger: 30 years later

   

   
     It's hard for me to believe that it's been 30 years since the Challenger was destroyed.  I remember the day very well.  I was home from school on a snow day.  I knew that there was a space shuttle launch scheduled, but shuttle launches had become pretty routine by then.  They had lost their magic.  We could go into space.  Big deal.  I didn't watch the Challenger launch that day.  I had better things to do.  Most likely I was playing a game on my Commodore 64, or reading a D&D module.  Important stuff.
     That stuff seemed a lot less important when around noon, the phone rang.  It was my grandmother, and she said, "Are you watching the television?  I think the space shuttle just blew up."  I thought she was kidding.  She wasn't.  I spent the rest of the day glued to the television.  I couldn't be bothered to watch the launch, but I was unable to look away from the aftermath.
     I write this now looking back at what I had come to take for granted.  Today, 30 years later, we have to rely on the Russians to get us to and from the International Space Station.  I was born in 1969, just before the launch of the second moon landing mission, Apollo 12.  I was born into a spacefaring nation.  Children born in the U.S. today can't say that, and that makes me sad.

Miniatures Monday

This week, Miniatures Monday has a ranger from Reaper Miniatures that I just finished.  This was a case of a miniature that sat, mostly completed for many months.  I just wasn't sure of the colors that I wanted to use for the shirt and the pants, so I just let it sit.  Finally, over the weekend, I decided to just finish it up.  In the end, it didn't come out badly, but it's becoming clear that I'm a bit out of practice with the painting.  I need to get back into the swing of regular painting.

Miniatures Works in Progress

Here we see a few miniatures that I'm currently working on.  We've got a tentacle monster in a well, an evil sacrificial circle, a ranger, a bard, some thieves, and IG-88.  Quite an eclectic collection.  At any one time, I usually have a dozen or so miniatures in semi-painted states.  I find that I have a tendency to get partially through a miniature and then often hit a point where I'm not sure where I want to go with it.  In those cases, I will put the figure aside and wait for inspiration to strike.  In some cases this has taken years.  I paint other miniatures in between, but many seem to sit for extended periods of time. The tentacle monster emerging from the well, for example, was started in November 2008.  So, does anyone else find themselves setting partially painted miniatures aside for long periods of time?

Wow, it's been a bad year for music so far...

R.I.P. Glenn Frey 1948-2016

Miniatures Monday

This week, we have a superhero miniature that I was working on.  He's pretty much a low-rent Robin rip-off, but then I've always been a fan of sidekicks.  I'm actually rather disappointed with the way that this one turned out.  I've never been particularly good at painting yellows, and while the cape looks better than the photo shows, it's still not great.  I needed to use brighter red's and greens too, as the miniature doesn't quite have that four color comic feel that I was going for.  Nowhere near my best work.

Contemplate His Birthday on the Tree of Woe!

Happy Birthday to James (Thulsa Doom) Earl Jones!

Mr. Jones turned 85 today.  Honestly, these guys would have made quite the metal band back in the day. ;-)