NOVA Open
The NOVA Open is rushing our way for Memorial Day Weekend. I'm the Lead Event Coordinator for the Capital Palette painting competition, so I've been working with the executive committee and the other leads to conduct the run-up for the convention.
It was pretty cool to post a news announcement on the Tabletop Gaming News site. I just wish I had thought to do it 3 months before the event instead of 3 days!
I'll also be supporting the army appearance judging. My schedule will be packed and fast-paced. Staffing NOVA is much more exhausting than working my real job! Part of the reward, though, is being immersed in that energy level and sharing the hobby with fellow enthusiasts. Plus, I get to see a lot of great miniatures up-close. I was surprised, though, how little time I actually got to spend studying them last year. I hope I'll have more time to do that this year.
I help set up on Wednesday, and then I'll be staffing and judging Friday through Sunday. I'll probably show some of my own work (as non-competing), just to help fill the cabinets on the first day or two. We have two new cabinets, so it's hard to predict how well the additional space will match this year's growth.
SAGA: The Crescent & Cross
I had $25 of loyalty points burning a hole in my pocket this past weekend, so I picked up the new edition of SAGA at my local gaming store.
This edition moves the timeline from the Dark Ages to the time of the Crusades. Looks like I might be moving my FireForge Templar Knights and Sergeants farther up the paint queue!
Here's a good review of the game: http://www.sagatapestry.com/2014/06/review-of-saga-cresent-cross-book.html
Putty & Paint
I am very honored to have been invited to join the international painting community on the Putty & Paint site. Thank you, David! This site shows high-quality miniatures with a very clean and professional presentation. It is the place to go to enjoy viewing finished works of miniature art.
I set up my account, and I'll be adding some photos hopefully tomorrow or perhaps after NOVA. The site is predominantly for showing display miniatures, whereas I paint mainly for gaming. I do have around 4 display pieces, though, and I think a few of my gaming figures might be worth sharing on the site.
Painting WIP
And finally, the slow crawl of progress.
First, Dark Elf Black Guard. Airbrushed with primer. This was good practice for learning spot control with the airbrush.
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My new Dawn Serpent for Malifaux. I'm disappointed in how small the model is. The artwork gave the impression that this model would be a commanding presence on the tabletop. Not so much. Wrapping around a massive Torii arch will help, though.
On top of all of this, I just primed and started painting 15 Lord of the Rings Orc Pikemen!
I gotta say...one thing that I really dislike about Malifaux is how they don't show you the model on the box, they only show artwork and digital renders. Do they even have a studio painter?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I bought my first Malifaix model - Lazarus - because the box art made it look so cool. Once I opened the box I was sorely mistaken on the quality of the figure. Its a piece of junk! Thats it for me.
"Do they even have a studio painter?"
ReplyDeleteBefore 2E, I think Eric Johns painted a lot of their figures.
As much as I like the 2E rules-writing and streamlining, I'm disenchanted with the way their art direction has gone. I've never been a fan of the horror or sexual elements of their aesthetic, and it seems 2E amped up those aspects. Everything now has a positive flip of "creepy". And I can't stand those dead, pupil-less eyes on everyone, even the Living characters!
On the positive side, I've always said that with the multi-genre approach, there's something for everyone to like with Malifaux. I've always been drawn to the comedy of the Gremlins, the steampunk elements, and a lot of the creative creatures, like the Silurids and Molemen.