Restart Day

In January, I lost my momentum. I've been sick on-and-off since the last week of December and I'm finally feeling better. At first, I was ill with a really bad virus that had me coughing and choking for two weeks and then suffered through a sinus infection. The last three weeks have been cold and rainy and I've been traveling weekly in my new job that's based in another city– temporary but still taxing. I painted only once or twice during that time and I admit, I've fallen behind on prompt blog posts. I became a bit depressed and I just wasn't excited about anything I was painting. I left my desk messy and uninviting. I've spent the last few weekends curled up on the couch & binge-watched 3-4 complete series of anime. And today, the sun came out– both literally & figuratively. Today is my Restart Day.

What's a Restart Day? It's basically my time to shed my negative thinking and focus on my own happiness. These days start with me sipping a cup of hot coffee outside in the morning sunshine while I enjoy the peace & quiet. I like to set my intentions for the day so I don't get distracted or fall victim to laziness. Today, I've committed to cleaning my desk and making it once again an inviting place where I want to spend time. I just signed up for Spotify so I'll have no shortage of good music to listen to. I lit a clean-smelling aromatherapy candle (one of my favorite painting rituals) and I'm going to start a new miniature today. One thing I've noticed is that when I'm not excited about painting, it means I need to try something new. Eventually, I'll come back around and finish the miniature that I temporarily put aside– though sometimes it takes longer (like Ursula who sat on the "Shelf of Shame" for two years before having her metal armor painted). 

I expect I'll soon have some "after" pictures to show– both of my clean desk and my new miniature project!

Before

After

Giraldez's "Painting Miniatures from A to Z"

Fairly soon, Angel Giraldez is going to take the miniature painting world by storm. Many of us know of the studio painter behind Corvus Belli's well-sculpted miniatures, and Giraldez is about to release a book after much (and often painful) anticipation. I discovered Infinity the Game back in July, and upon its discovery, I immediately googled "Corvus Belli Infinity Painter".

Giraldez attended his first GenCon this past August as a guest artist and has since gained a large online following. As he grows his social media presence, he's becoming more & more active on his Facebook page. Recently, he's been focused on promoting his upcoming book release, "Painting Miniatures from A to Z" Masterclass Volume I book. His upcoming release promises to show us the secrets of his interesting hybrid of airbrush and hand painted techniques that form his signature, dynamic style. Many "teasers" have been posted on his Facebook page to add to the hype and it's obviously having an effect-- his fans are chomping at the bit for more information about pre-ordering information. 

 

In the meantime, Giraldez has released some great step-by-step tutorials of the Infinity Kum Riders to give us a taste of what we can expect from his upcoming book. He has an amazing ability to make larger, "big picture" effects seem almost effortless. While I have not yet dabbled in airbrush techniques (but will someday!), I can appreciate his simplified, yet practical approach to miniature painting. I'm sure he developed it out of necessity! When Corvus Belli provides several miniatures to be painted to a high-quality standard in a short amount of time, a talented miniature painter must find faster ways to achieve similar results. 

While I have little experience painting futuristic miniatures, I've attempted to mimic his style in a small way: by outlining the edges of metal weaponry. For example, I've used a Corvus Belli Infinity Djanbazan Hacker WIP to practice this technique: 

I admit, it takes a lot of patience, especially since I've never before attempted to outline such a detailed weapon in white. However, now that I've seen his tutorial, I'll be using a light grey rather than a white. Lesson learned! I love learning new things and practicing new techniques– that's what truly excites me about Giraldez's book. He had complete creative control over its development and  if it delivers all that it promises, it will help grow miniature painters worldwide! One day, I'll invest in an airbrush, but in the meantime, I'll be painting more futuristic miniatures and practicing Giraldez's stylish techniques learned from his new book!

Out Sick

My illness came back and I'm still out sick. Apologies for the lack of blog post this Thursday! Finally feeling better and I'll be back as soon as possible.