Holiday Traditions

Last year, we decided 2015 would be our very first stress-free Christmas. At first, we wanted to escape to Belize, but since that didn't work out for financial and work-schedule reasons, we're choosing to stay home this holiday. I have the day after Christmas off and the guy & I are being hermits and playing video games and painting the following weekend-- glorious! I'll choose my space-themed Reaper Con 2015 miniature entry and see if I can find those Christmas Mouselings I bought last year. Knowing it will be my first year to not spend Christmas with the immediate family, I felt acutely homesick over the past few weeks. Recently, I was lucky enough to swing by & see my folks for a short while and indulge in the foodie goodness that would bring. 

Ahi Tuna Tower

"Breakfast Shot" after dinner - it tastes JUST like syrupy waffles! 

If Christmas trees took selfies

It was nice being able to visit & catch-up. We hung out by the fire, talking and listening to music. I stayed up late to read my Kindle next to their epic 14 foot tree (my mom's motto is "go big or go home"). The fun didn't last long enough though--  early the next morning, I had to hit the road!  

Hitting the open road. 

Later that night, I started thinking: I love the holiday traditions from the "easy" Christmases I enjoyed growing up. All I had to do was sit in a car, play video games, listen to music CDs until we arrived at loving homes where we'd be fed and fawned over for days until it was time to go home. I bet we all have cherished memories of simpler times (thanks to our childhood innocence) and it got me thinking: it's time to make our own holiday traditions, like the 2nd annual Christmas-themed DnD adventure we hosted last Sunday:

I haven't been able to upload & combine those DnD audio files yet, but I'll have time to do it this weekend. Hmm, what other traditions can I contribute to? Maybe I'll make Star Wars gingerbread cookies and seasonal cocktails with d20 ice molds. The hunt is on for the next best holiday tradition! 

More True Metallic Metals (Part 1)

This weekend, I did nothing. It was glorious. I slept in after not sleeping much the entire week preparing for my job interview. I cleaned, read a book, and did some painting. I activated Whispersync on my phone & Kindle for a book called "The Wretched of Muirwood" by Jeff Wheeler. Basically, Whispersync is a feature through Amazon that updates your synced devices to match exactly where you are in your book. Also, if you buy a digital copy of a book, you get a discount on the audio book version and vice-versa. It's great for when I want to read and when I want to paint & listen. While I'm not crazy about the narrator of this audiobook, I'm enjoying the plot so far (I'm on Chapter 13 after reading Chapter 1-8 on my Kindle and listening to the rest on my Audible phone app).

While I listened, I painted and practiced TMM (True Metallic Metal/Shaded Metallics). I'm using Privateer Press's P3 "Blighted Gold" and Reaper's "Green Shadow" to paint the metals on the Ursula Silverbraid mini from Reaper. I want to experiment with painting a brass-like metal using subtle washes of Green Shadow. I've seen some really interesting things done with shaded metallics and dark colored washes of blues, reds, greens, and purples. This particular metal will have a slightly tarnished look and will expand my experience beyond TMM silver. 

Base Coat of Blighted Gold

After a few thin layers of Green Shadow

Adding a few mid-highlights of Blighted Gold at the tip of the axe and edges of armor

I'm really pleased with the way that the metal is coming along. I plan on adding some extra-bright highlights in gold to accentuate the tips, edges, and rivets in the armor & weapon. I also plan on making the back panels of her cape (?) a leather color. It's primed in grey for now, but I fully intend on changing that soon! And frankly, I'm not sure if I'll keep the bright blue of her bodice. I thought it would add an interesting contrast to her hair, but we'll see how I can incorporate that bold color into the rest of her outfit. 

In other news, yesterday we played D&D! We did our annual Christmas-themed one-off campaign. We rolled 4th level characters-- this year, consistent with 5th edition. Cookies, egg nog, coffee & wine flowed freely as we battled an ice dragon hell-bent on destroying the town of Everwinter. We successfully acquired the Shrub of Snoggletog and saved the townsfolk. My gnome bard sang a few songs (only one or two of them good). We even invited our friend who had never played Dungeons & Dragons before. He was stellar & we had an absolute blast. We also recorded the whole thing! I'll need to go back through and edit out the parts where we broke for refills, pizza, etc. I'll be doing some traveling Monday & Tuesday, but if I get the time, I'll post the link this Thursday on the blog. Otherwise, I'll work on it this weekend and have it up next Monday :) 

*Update* I finished Ursula! You can find Part 2 here. 

Drak Attack

Last month, I posted my Drak Work in Progress pictures. I'm happy to report that he's finally done! I wanted to use a limited color palette on this little Bonesylvanian and keep the focus on his eyes while adding interest to his leathery wings. I'm really happy with how the purple-brown transition on the back of his wings turned out. 

Drak & Gus also took a trip as ambassadors of the miniature painting hobby. I brought them to my panel interview and was prepared for the inevitable question: "As you know, this job is focused on project management and tight deadlines. How do you feel about working in a less creative role?" which I was prepared to answer with, "While I'm no stranger to effective time management & productivity in my current role, I satisfy my creative needs outside my professional life with painting miniatures. These little guys are my zen hobby". Then I take them out and pass them around-- it usually gets people smiling and they respond with curiosity and surprise. 'Wow, these are so little! You paint these?!". I'm always happy to share my miniature painting hobby and Drak & Gus were my good luck charms.

Oh, and by the way, I GOT THE JOB!!!