"Holy crap, I have to paint how many models? By Friday?! Hoo boy."
We've all been there. There's some event in the future where you need (or want) fully-painted models, and everything seems to happen all at once and you don't have the time you thought you'd have to get those models painted. This is the situation I'm in right now. In all of my preparation for Templecon 2012 I forgot that I wanted to have my team tournament list fully painted. I had an initial list planned and prepared but when I changed my mind a couple of week ago, I forgot that it meant that I would have to paint more models than I had initially anticipated. The worst part is that the models that I need to have painted are some of the more detailed models in the range for Circle Orboros, so how do I plan on approaching it? A 72-hour countdown of binge painting. Instead
of my planned articles on boring tournament preparation, I will instead
update this article with my progress in my painting binge as an example
of why no one should do this ever. I can at least hope that my pain[t] and suffering will bring you some enjoyment.
1/31/12 - 10:00 AM, 72 hours from deadline
This is my starting point. I have 72 hours to get the following models painted:
Baldur the Stonesoul
Feral Warpwolf
Warpwolf Stalker
Wolf Lord Morraig (mounted and dismounted)
Lord of the Feast
6 Wolves of Orboros
1/31/12 - 6:00 PM, 64 hours from deadline
I'm finally done for the day with work and I wasn't able to find any time to steal away to get painting done. I did finish the frame for the Templecon scenario table, but now it's time to sit down and paint. I plan to get eBaldur and/or the Feral Warpwolf done tonight... I'll be very busy tomorrow.
1/31/12 - 9:00 PM, 61 hours from deadline
Okay so I've made some pretty good progress so far but I need a little break while things dry. Here's a photo update (apologies for the poor quality):
I'll do one final round of touch ups and washes around 10:00 PM so stuff can dry overnight. Tomorrow will be more busy than today so I won't get much work done. Hopefully I can at least finish these guys so that I can move onto the Wolves... hoo boy...
1/31/12 - 11:00 PM, 59 hours from deadline
Okay so I was able to go back and get a lot more done than I thought I would. The Feral Warpwolf is basically done! He just needs glowing eyes and some basing and he's all set. I also am about 80% done with eBaldur - again needs eyes, glowing armor, and his jewels painted (not those jewels, sicko!). I also was able to get the metal armor plates washed on Morraig's mount. I'll have pictures tomorrow. For now, it's time for bed!
2/1/12 - 10:00 AM, 48 hours from deadline
This morning has been a gauntlet! I got up around 7:00 and finished up eBaldur. There were some hiccups as I'm pretty terrible at keeping paint "in the lines." When I was painting some of the leather some of the brown I was using spilled onto the armor so I had to re-do that. Quite annoying. Anyway, he's done now and he's sitting at home while I monitor a lab (I fear for the future of America, by the way). I will post pictures this afternoon of Baldur and the Feral, after I base and varnish them.
There's only 48 hours left and here's my progress so far:
Baldur the Stonesoul - 95%
Feral Warpwolf - 95%
Warpwolf Stalker - 5%
Wolf Lord Morraig (mounted - 50%, unmounted - 20%)
Lord of the Feast - 70%
6 Wolves of Orboros - 10%
Since I will only have about 3 hours (at best) this evening to get paint, I want to finish the Stalker and the Lord of the Feast. I might be able to get Morraig done (at least the mounted version), but I don't want to be too ambitious. I'll post pictures this evening.
2/1/12 - 1:00 PM, 45 hours from deadline
I rushed back after lunch to varnish Baldur and the Feral. They aren't based yet, but that's quick and easy-to-do, but I want to make sure that their paintjobs aren't ruined in the meantime. I hit them with some high-gloss varnish, followed by a matte varnish spray, and when I went for my really matted GW Purity Seal I realized that I had run out! CRAP! This sucks. It looks like I'll have to stop by a store this afternoon to see if I can get more Purity Seal or, ideally, Dull Cote.
Anyway, here's Baldur and the Feral Warpwolf in their still semi-glossy states:
2/2/12 - 12:00 AM, 34 hours from deadline
Okay so I had a very busy afternoon driving around to pick up the girlfriend. When we got back I sat down and powered through a bunch of painting. I had picked up more Purity Seal so that way the Feral and Baldur didn't look so shiny. I powered through some painting and I was able to repair the paintjob on a Woldwarden (damaged from a fall) and I finished the Lord of the Feast. I made a little progress on Morraig's mount and I'm now about 30% finished with the Stalker, after I toyed around with what I wanted for a bit. I think I'll like his darker skin tone as a nice contrast to the rest of the army.
Here are some picture updates:
2/2/12 - 7:00 AM, 27 hours from deadline
Disaster has struck:
I am speechless. I hate my life right now.
2/2/12 - 10:00 AM, 24 hours from deadline
I'm still pretty pissed about the Lord of the Feast. That debacle has pretty much determined that I will not be able to get everything fully painted in time. The worst part is that I need at least one fully painted list, and he's the one piece that I needed finished for my eBaldur force to be fully painted! I have no choice but to start over. I had to strip him with some acetone from my chemistry lab, reassemble him, and try again. The 'silver-lining' here is that I know what I want for his paint scheme now, so it should be a little more straight-forward figuring out what I want to do with him.
2/2/12 - 4:00 PM, 18 hours from deadline
I've pretty much determined that I will not be able to finish everything. I will have to put some very basic coloring on the Wolves, as I've barely just washed them. The good news is that I have 100% finished the four models that I really wanted to finish - eBaldur, Lord of the Feast (again), Feral Warpwolf, Warpwolf Stalker. Morraig will not be finished, but since he's merely a reinforcement for Krueger, I'm not terribly worried about him being unfinished.
Here they are in their finished and varnished (without incident this time) glory:
So I still have 18 hours, but I still have to finish up the scenario table frame, pack the car, eat diner, drive to the hotel, and probably do some light drinking tonight. My only realistic expectation before the deadline is to put some basic colors on the Wolves, and that will have to be done in the hotel.
2/3/12 - 12:00 AM, 10 hours from deadline
I made it to the hotel for Templecon. It took a lot longer than I thought, so we got in around 9:00 PM, and between check-in, fixing-up the scenario table, and going to the grocery store for some food for the weekend, I am unable to find any last-minute time for painting. Sure, I guess I could sacrifice sleep, but I've decided that my performance in the tournament tomorrow is the top priority (as I'm sure my teammates will agree).
I am officially conceding that I will be unable to finish painting Morraig and the Wolves of Orboros by the time of the tournament tomorrow. It's been a bumpy ride but I've still been able to complete the painting of some great models and learned some valuable lessons about varnish. Make sure to check here tomorrow after the Privateer Press conference around 11:00 AM, as I will be blogging from my phone some of the spoilers that I'll be there to learn!
Since I will only have about 3 hours (at best) this evening to get paint, I want to finish the Stalker and the Lord of the Feast. I might be able to get Morraig done (at least the mounted version), but I don't want to be too ambitious. I'll post pictures this evening.
2/1/12 - 1:00 PM, 45 hours from deadline
I rushed back after lunch to varnish Baldur and the Feral. They aren't based yet, but that's quick and easy-to-do, but I want to make sure that their paintjobs aren't ruined in the meantime. I hit them with some high-gloss varnish, followed by a matte varnish spray, and when I went for my really matted GW Purity Seal I realized that I had run out! CRAP! This sucks. It looks like I'll have to stop by a store this afternoon to see if I can get more Purity Seal or, ideally, Dull Cote.
Anyway, here's Baldur and the Feral Warpwolf in their still semi-glossy states:
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| I went with a darker skin tone for the Feral than I did with the Pureblood. I indend to go even darker for the Stalker. |
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| I don't like how the white paint didn't get into the cracks, despite watering it down, using thinning medium and even some detergent. *Sigh* |
Okay so I had a very busy afternoon driving around to pick up the girlfriend. When we got back I sat down and powered through a bunch of painting. I had picked up more Purity Seal so that way the Feral and Baldur didn't look so shiny. I powered through some painting and I was able to repair the paintjob on a Woldwarden (damaged from a fall) and I finished the Lord of the Feast. I made a little progress on Morraig's mount and I'm now about 30% finished with the Stalker, after I toyed around with what I wanted for a bit. I think I'll like his darker skin tone as a nice contrast to the rest of the army.
Here are some picture updates:
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| Lord of the Feast is done! There's a lot of detail on this model so it was annoying to find different colors. I like his ominous gray skin and yellow eyes... |
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| Here's how the painting table looks right now... it's a bit of a mess. Note that I have been procrastinating working on the Wolves of Orboros... I need to get them done tomorrow! |
Disaster has struck:
2/2/12 - 10:00 AM, 24 hours from deadline
I'm still pretty pissed about the Lord of the Feast. That debacle has pretty much determined that I will not be able to get everything fully painted in time. The worst part is that I need at least one fully painted list, and he's the one piece that I needed finished for my eBaldur force to be fully painted! I have no choice but to start over. I had to strip him with some acetone from my chemistry lab, reassemble him, and try again. The 'silver-lining' here is that I know what I want for his paint scheme now, so it should be a little more straight-forward figuring out what I want to do with him.
 |
| This is so depressing... |
I've pretty much determined that I will not be able to finish everything. I will have to put some very basic coloring on the Wolves, as I've barely just washed them. The good news is that I have 100% finished the four models that I really wanted to finish - eBaldur, Lord of the Feast (again), Feral Warpwolf, Warpwolf Stalker. Morraig will not be finished, but since he's merely a reinforcement for Krueger, I'm not terribly worried about him being unfinished.
Here they are in their finished and varnished (without incident this time) glory:
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| I wanted the Stalker to look menacing and I think I was successful |
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| I think he turned out better this time but I still wish I didn't have to paint him a second time. |
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| Baldur is looking good. I just have to gloss up his gems and he's good to go! |
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| I really like the new Warpwolf sculpt better, but this guy was surprisingly simple to paint. Note that I did not bother with the spikes, I sculpted green stuff fur to cover the holes. |
So I still have 18 hours, but I still have to finish up the scenario table frame, pack the car, eat diner, drive to the hotel, and probably do some light drinking tonight. My only realistic expectation before the deadline is to put some basic colors on the Wolves, and that will have to be done in the hotel.
2/3/12 - 12:00 AM, 10 hours from deadline
I made it to the hotel for Templecon. It took a lot longer than I thought, so we got in around 9:00 PM, and between check-in, fixing-up the scenario table, and going to the grocery store for some food for the weekend, I am unable to find any last-minute time for painting. Sure, I guess I could sacrifice sleep, but I've decided that my performance in the tournament tomorrow is the top priority (as I'm sure my teammates will agree).
I am officially conceding that I will be unable to finish painting Morraig and the Wolves of Orboros by the time of the tournament tomorrow. It's been a bumpy ride but I've still been able to complete the painting of some great models and learned some valuable lessons about varnish. Make sure to check here tomorrow after the Privateer Press conference around 11:00 AM, as I will be blogging from my phone some of the spoilers that I'll be there to learn!