Seeking a subject

 I've been seeking a subject for a while now, to put in a post here.

I have finished the First Responder course, now only need the government to finish their end of things and issue my license number.  So there's that.

I'm not immune to the news going on about the zany tariffs being banty'd about by Our American Cousins and their <ahem> current president.

It is from this news I found this item which brought me to writing here.

The 'business' of the games is ever-present, and factors into many decisions we all make in our hobby activities.

I have found the benefit of making my own miniatures, and having read the "Game Design" book by Steve Jackson, I have less resistance to making up my own games and systems.  Meaning I am less bound by the whims of a marketplace, as I have sold my minis (fully painted) in the past to pay for the ones I have kept and feel no compunction to running my own games - or even games conventions - without reference to other 'rules' or printed materials.

Still it remains that without ongoing success from commercial games makers, the future of our hobby becomes uncertain.

I'm hopeful that we shall all be able to weather the uncertain times ahead, while at the same time recognizing that time and focus for such things as tabletop games will be pulled away or even pulled apart.

May we find the time and focus to have some shared fun even with the other chaos continuing.

More of the Frost Haven commission.

 More than a year ago, I had a commission to paint up the Frost Haven miniatures.

I was asked to put the 'extended' characters back into their storage boxes (so that the players could not see them) and the game players could play out the game and see these minis as they came out during the course of play.

I agreed not to share my brush works here until a year had passed.

since I find a good little opening here to share these images now, so you get to see them

the whole group

started with the ending of the first grouping
(left of the image)

unpainted

zenithal base coat

zenithal system attempts to get the
highlight process started with the base layer

main colors now present

I based my painting on some images I
found online about the game and
a general impression of the miniature

none of the data I had about these
minis was detailed about color schemes

Here they are with the final coating
having been applied

the group finished

single shots of the minis:

fire or ice seemed to be a common theme

some were just amazing pieces that drew my attention
and I wanted to do them up well

I did up some of the flocking a bit more fantasy also

with this one I ground up some white crystal
material I had to make the ice more dynamic in the flocking

a behemoth miniature that I wanted to bring life to
with the mixed hair and scales presentation

Continuing with First Responder training, final stages have been done.  Now the government exams get to be dealt with.

Meaning that I still will not likely have much tabletop action to report about for a while.

Painting Project: The Fireys from Labyrinth

 A yule gift for my wife, from my eldest son, was a set of unpainted miniatures.

He wanted them painted up in time for her birthday, on Feb 28. 

So I set to the task in mid January and had them done while she was away doing some rehearsals.

the unpainted set

I decided to do a zenithal base coat layer, then attack them using my inks and damp colors to 'mix' somewhat on the miniatures.

zenithal base coat
and inks

base colors

mixed on minis

flocking was fresh

the group

some close ups

final shot as they went back into the package
for presentation at the party