Getting there. . . Slowly, but surely. . .

Well, where in the world did June go??!! Another sunny, cool summer day here at Stollen Central. I’m enjoying a mug of coffee as I write this at 9:50am, pondering the things that need to be done (in real life) today as well as the next several weeks of painting, modeling, table construction, writing, etc. It’s not an altogether unpleasant task. ;-)

Did manage to sit down for 90 minutes or so last night with the battalion of Revell plastics I’m happy to report. Finished applying the white acrylic gesso base coat to the remaining dozen or so figures and began applying black undercoat to the first half of the unit, which was “gessoed” last week.

This time around, I decided to experiment a bit with the black undercoating and used my GW Chaos Black for the task, emulating Henry Hyde’s process with his Spencer Smith Von Eintopf regiment back in 2006. Happily, the GW paint is much thinner and has much better coverage than the Liquitex acrylic black that I’ve been using for the passed two years. In fact, the Chaos Black just seems to flow over the whole figure much more easily, drying with a nice, ever-so-slight sheen to it.

Use of the GW black makes undercoating with black much easier and faster than before, and I was able to treat 14 figures in this way in about 35 minutes last night. Happy day! Seriously though, one of the overlooked joys of figure painting is the constant tinkering with mediums and techniques. It’s really kind of fascinating as you consider, reconsider, and modify how you go about getting those figures ready for the table.

In any event, I’ll have the black undercoating finished by this evening and can begin applying GW Goblin Green to the figure bases, a nice way to start any new unit. This will have to wait until after our first Salsa dancing lesson this evening though. Yes, the Grand Duchess has signed us up for a six week course in Salsa dancing! Don’t tell her, but I’m secretly looking forward to it. ;-) OK men, I’ve got grass to mow and a newsletter to write. Wherever you are, be good and paint fast!

Presenting the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere!!!

Here they are, with the rearmost nine figures still drying, three squadrons of the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere, now in the service of the Grand Duchy of Stollen. And now, it's onto that artillery!

Keepin' an Eye on the World Going By My Window . .

'The Nap at the Palace' by Jose Triado Mayol N ot much in the way of hobby-related activity happening here in the Grand Duchy lately. Sigh. And no surprise there really since there are only so many hours in the day, only so much mental and physical energy to spare, and you sometimes simply just have to give in and know when to say, um, "When!" A glass of wine and/or evening yoga by the hearth with the Grand Duchess (who has practiced for over 20 years), and then off into la-la land. Zzzzzzzzz. More immediately, I'm recovering, mentally speaking, from a grueling Friday in which I was involved with three (online) conference sessions, one right after the other, followed by a 90-minute meeting at the end of the day. Also virtual. My brain has been mush ever since, so an easy, completely unproductive Saturday watching intermittent snow fall outside (no accumulation however) and drinking coffee while the visiting handymen completed some repair work down h...

Having a "No Day". . .

F or the almost 20 years that she lived in Mexico, one of my late mother's Irish friends frequently mentioned having a "No Day." A day with no social obligations, chores, tasks, or other work that interfered with whatever personal interests took one's fancy on the day in question. Since today -- a gray and chilly Saturday -- is Mom's birthday, the Grand Duchess is out with friends, and the Young Master is ensconced on the sofa in the TV room with a cold, yours truly is taking his own such No Day. I think Mom would approve of my decision to make the world go away, as the old Eddie Arnold song intoned, even if only for a little while. So, I will spend Saturday afternoon focused on that first squadron and small regimental staff of Eureka Saxon cuirassiers. These have stood waiting untouched over on the painting table for almost three weeks while we skied and otherwise gadded about with snowy, winter outdoor activities. I hope to share a painting update Sunday...

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

Search This Blog