Today's a fairly short post. I'm traveling again, but in the meantime I've made some good progress on Lord Ironraven. He's a Reaper miniature that I purchased in an eBay lot. He was already glued into his base and in overall rough shape when I got him. After some careful cleaning, he's turned out to be one of my favorite Works In Progress! He's my study in painting silky blue fabric and practicing my True Metallic Metal technique (TMM). Most recently I've been working on his leather pants and details on his armor. I'm painting the crosses to look like a more delicate white enamel contrasted with the darker metal armor. I figure a guy running around with silky ribbon attached to his weapon is probably in ceremonial armor anyway. I'd like to work in some blue detail into the crosses to try and tie the blue & white motif together. Here's what I have so far!
Handsy McShakerson
I started a great adventure this weekend: I started a personal training routine. I just paid off my car, which means I'll have a bit of extra money every month. My first thought, of course, was "More minis!" but since I've already amassed quite a hoard, I think I'll hold off (at least for now). As it is, I'm slowly painting through my box of Reaper Bones Vampire Package from the Kickstarter while practicing how to "speed paint"-- basically, learning how to paint faster & with more accuracy. Painting miniatures is a sedentary activity and lately, I wouldn't call myself active by any stretch of the imagination. (Though I bet Lindsey Stirling could somehow paint and dance at the same time).
Now, there's no need to worry. This blog is not going to turn into a fitness blog and I won't post about my workouts or upload pictures of food from my nutrition plan. However, something unexpected happened when I sat down at my painting table this weekend after my first training session. I realized I had a dilemma: I couldn't paint. The curls, push ups, planks, rows, dips, and weighted lunges had my arm stabilizer muscles freaking out. I couldn't hold my miniature still, and the tighter I tried to hold it, the more I would shake. So frustrating. I had to give up and as I shuffled around the house in my mopey soreness, the door bell rang. My Amazon shipment had arrived! Perfect timing. I bought a few things on Amazon last week, including some reusable mounting tape for minis (because the 3M foam tape that I use doesn't completely come off) and James Gurney's "Color & Light".
You may have heard of James Gurney-- if not, definitely look him up! He's a prolific artist & creator of Dinotopia, a series of beautifully illustrated books. Check out a few of his Dinotopia images here. The realism he creates in his fantasy realm paintings is truly stunning. "Color and Light" was recommended by one of the digital painters that I follow and I wanted to incorporate some of Gurney's brilliance into the way I approach miniature painting.
So far, I'm really impressed by what I'm learning and I can't wait to try out some of the techniques that will directly apply to miniature painting. However, directly applicable or not, it's all interesting! One section I'm currently reading is the "Color Zones of the Face" where lighter skin tones are broken up into three sections from top to bottom-- light golden, reddish, and blueish/greenish. Complexions subtly shift colors in each zone with the forehead being generally lighter. The ears, nose, and cheeks are in the central zone of the face, and since that area has more blood capillaries closer to the surface of the skin, it has a reddish tinge. Men with five-o'clock shadow will have an especially darker blue/green third which can contrast nicely with a warmer color painted on the lips. Fascinating! It's one thing to paint what you see, it's another thing to know why we're seeing what we're seeing.
While a 3D miniature poses a few different challenges than a 2D painting, I'm learning how to "see" things in a different way. Mostly, I want to be able to easily visualize how light interacts with objects without depending on lamps & photos-- one of my biggest personal struggles. With more research and experimenting, I hope it will come more naturally to me soon! I know real-life examples are still important, and that combined with insight contained in this book will definitely bring me to the next level, both as a painter, and in the way I observe things in everyday life. I may not have been able to paint this weekend, but I still found a way to improve upon myself and learn some new things!
Painting While Traveling
Traveling: it's exciting, empowering, and exhausting all at the same time. When I travel, I routinely work extra-long days and I have a hard time sleeping without my cleansing "down time" which involves painting or some form of visual creativity and/or geekery. While painting on-the-go presents several challenges (especially if you're super-attached to your workspace), I find that proper planning can help balance the inconsistencies. I used to provide myself with excuses for why I couldn't paint while traveling:
Excuse #1: The hotel desk is too high/too low.
- Use the buffet of pillows provided at hotels to boost your height/back if the chair is too low and isn't adjustable. If the desk is too low, use a foam square (that comes in many miniature packages), another pillow, or towel for your arm rest. Just be sure to take breaks if you find you're hunching over too much.
Excuse #2: I can't bring my favorite tools.
- You need less than you think! Armed with my beloved wireless lamp, a small bag of paints, my favorite brushes, and a ceramic travel palette I purchased on Etsy, I can paint anywhere. The only difficulty is transporting everything safely-- take the time to carefully pack & you won't be disappointed with cracked paint palettes or chipped minis.
Excuse #3: I don't have the time.
- Find a polite escape. While traveling, I have the opportunity to socialize with co-workers when they want to go out in the evenings. Just like family, I generally enjoy being around them. However, I can only take constant socializing in appropriate doses until my mood starts to rapidly decline. I need "down time" where I can recharge in order to be effective the next day. It's nothing personal, it's just me-- and there's nothing worse than a sleep-deprived me without my black coffee. Trust me.
Even if I'm only able to fit 30 minutes of painting time in every day, at least I'm setting the groundwork for my on-the-road-routine. During my most recent trip, I still sat down to paint at midnight after a 12+ hour workday. I painted for 45 minutes and made some great progress! Despite an early morning the next day, I had my best night's rest of the entire trip. Here was my setup:
It's not easy. I won't lie. But good habits are often hard to build. I'm personally inspired by someone I saw at a convention, Lyn Stahl, an accomplished miniature painter and owner of Metalhead Minis, transporting her miniatures in a Table War case. She walked by during my one-on-one session with a guest sculptor/painter & I had to ask about her travel case. Inside the glass-front case were her display miniatures held tightly in place by magnets. Like many professional painters, Lyn works from hotels as she travels to and from conventions and paints wherever the opportunity presents itself:
As always, preparation is key and safely transporting miniatures is a must! If I paint consistently while traveling, I'd also like to purchase one of those transport cases in the near future. In the meantime, I'm determined to develop good habits, learn from the successes of painters like Lyn, and find the best ways to stay painting while traveling!