Close but no cigar!

Well, this will be post 44 for the year, and my goal earlier in December was to meet or exceed the 45 done for last year.

One short.

The longest yard.

Missed it by that much.

Gave it the old college try.

Guess that means I didn't meet my goals and my performance evaluation will have to have that noted.

Or - yeeeeeehawwwwww!   Close enough!!!

Anyway, I've enjoyed the blur of posts, and it has put me into more of a rhythm for posting.  I'll try to keep that up in 2012.

Speaking of 2012...

I for one am thrilled to see 2011 in the rear view mirror.    2011 was filled with health and accident issues that dominated the year.  Being an even year, 2012 will undoubedtly be much better.

So, to end on an historical note, I usually try to listen to something while I paint.  Music, documentaries, podcasts, etc.   One of the best sources is the Pritzker Military Library.  There is an amazing library of archived presentations from noted (and not so noted) military historians on the site.  Check 'em out and enjoy.

http://www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org/home/default.aspx

See all y'all next year.

Brent

Bases - Black

The photos show the bases at the next stage - thinned black paint on the larger rocks and rough areas.   After this dries, next stage is drybrushing a dark gray, then a lighter mid gray, and finally a light gray.

Basing - Next Stage - Drybrushing

The photos below show the bases with the two shades of lighter brown tones drybrushed onto the bases.  Total time to do was about 1 hour.  Next up is applying thinned black paint to larger rock areas and rough ballast areas, applied in a somewhat random pattern on the bases.

Basing - Stage 2

Progress being made on basing the French, Spanish, and Brits.   The photo shows the current stage - the sand/ballast mixture is glued on, dried, then painted (Anita's Earth Brown).  The edges of the stands are now painted as well.  Next up is highlighting (drybrushing) the bases (Americana Mississippi followed by Driftwood).  

More to follow!

Catching up on Basing

Well, since the week before Thanksgiving, I've painted or finished 12 infantry battalions and 1 artillery battery for my Napoleonic collection, an officer stand, as well as rebasing all of my ancients and medieval figures, plus basing 3 Soviet WW2 infantry companies.  That means finishing up stands on 39 units!    I was in a groove with the painting, so didn't want to distract that progress with finishing the bases.  Next up is getting cracking on the bases.

Here's 2/3 of the Napoleonic stuff, waiting for basing beauty.

Updates to follow as I work through this mountain of basing....

Cheaters!

I speak of "cheaters" for my eyes, and not wargame cheaters!

If you're like me (older than I care to admit, out of the target demographic, younger than old.....), you have reached or will reach the point where you're having problems picking up details on figures when you're painting them.  I do wear glasses or contacts, but don't need them for up close details.  However, this past summer I noticed that I was getting irritated painting, which was odd - I enjoy painting.

So - refusing to acknowledge time, I elected to forgo bifocals, and instead head to my trusty neighborhood pharmacy/convenience store (Walgreens!).   I went to the el cheapo magnifying eyeglass section, and experimented with different strengths until I found one that clearly focused on my hands with them held at my usual painting distance from my eyes.

The result? 

BINGO!  Complete success!!  All the details were instantly completely visible again, and my painting time was fun again. 

I asked my eye doctor if the above was an acceptable solution to him - he said "absolutely!" - no long term issues or effects on my eyes.

It can be a bit irritating if something catches my attention on the TV, etc, but I've perfected looking over the top of the lenses with the stern appearance of a 3rd grade teacher eyeing undesirable student behavior....

Here's a shot of the eyeglasses.  Stylish?  Not really....but a great solution for around $15.

Highland Infantry

Some shots of the Highland infantry unit, basing yet to be completed.

Working away on French infantry now.  The total count, since my first vacation days before Thanksgiving, including some focused weekend/night work, and time in December is:

3 Spanish infantry battalions
1 Spanish General
95th Rifles
42nd Highland
1 British light infantry regiment
1 French light infantry battalion
3 French line infantry battalions
All ancient figures rebased, base finishing remains.  This includes painting some extra figures to bring units up to 12 foot/8 cav per unit.

Whew!   I need to make hay while the sun shines.  January is already shaping up to be a very busy work month, so I doubt I'll get too much done then.