LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!

One of my favorite YouTube channels is called Tabletop Minions.  The host of the channel is Adam Loper, who goes by the handle "Atom Smasher" or "Uncle Atom".  He's a lot like me - a handsome, bespectacled, bearded gamer in his 40s, with a family and other real-life obligations, who finds relaxation in this hobby.

I like the channel because Atom is very sensible, down-to-earth and laid back.  He has a good tone and doesn't feel the need to annoy viewers by acting like an ass.  Most of his vlogs focus on ways that the common gamer can get more enjoyment out of this hobby.

One of the videos that really grabbed me was the one on light boxes.  As you may have seen in my previous posts, I have a lightbox (called the "LimoStudio") that I am not really satisfied with.  Atom mentioned a product called the Foldio (by a Korean company called OrangeMonkie).  This nifty little invention is a foldable light box that's small enough to stow in your bag if you want to take pictures on the go.  It's a good size for a 5-man squad of miniatures (or more if you set them up properly).  It is too small for anything bigger than a Rhino transport, but for smaller subjects it is fantastic.

It sort of reminds me of a takeout box in the way it assembles:

And it comes in two models: One with a single LED sttrip and another with two (additional LED strips sold separately if you wish to upgrade).  I paid $60 plus shipping for mine on eBay.

The strips are powered by a 9-volt battery each, and because LEDs use so little power, I expect that battery life will not be an issue (especially as you disconnect them when not actively using the box).

My Foldio arrived today and I wasted no time unpacking it and getting it ready to use!  Here is the first shot, taken with the single LED strip before I installed the second.  It's a bit off-center but I think you can see how much better my Deathwing squad looks in comparison to the banner at the top of the page (which was taken in my LimoStudio):

I got a few shots of some of my Wolf Guard Terminators from my Space Wolves army.  All of the shots were taken with my HTC One M7 cell phone camera, mostly on "torch flash" which is a constant frontal illumination from the phone's flash.

I tried the camera in standard flash mode to see if it improved the quality of the shot, but I am not certain.  Here are the same models with torch flash and with standard flash:

 

Either way, this little light box has a lot of potential!  It comes with three different backdrops (black, grey and white) and of course you can print out different backdrops on sites devoted to miniature photography.

The next step for me will be to acquire a decent digital camera.  I'm not looking for an expensive model - something under $200 USD, the ability to specify white balance is a must, and it needs to be as portable as the Foldio (since aside from miniature photography, I want to be able to keep it in my pocket for regular photos too!).  More on that in an upcoming post.

Now that I have a good light box, I expect to add more photos to this blog, which has been, up to now, more text-heavy and lean on the pics.  Thanks, as always, for reading!

REVIEW: DICK BLICK ART MATERIALS

It may seem unusual for me to review a business, rather than a product, but this is the kind of GOOD news that hobbyists and serious painters need to hear.

A few days ago, discouraged with the inferior quality of the "new" line of Citadel brushes and at the end of my rope trying to find good Kolinsky brushes locally, I broke down and ordered some brushes online.  I have always been hesitant to do this, as I do not have the opportunity to examine a brush to make sure they have (and keep) a good point.  I have rejected Kolinsky brushes by even the best manufacturers in the past, because I know that any hand-made product might have the occasional errant bristle.  The "finest sable" brushes you usually find in a gaming store have not measured up - Reaper allegedly uses Kolinsky in their Master Series brushes, but every single one I've bought has needed to be replaced within a few months.

How do you test a brush, you ask?  The fellows at Genessis Models demonstrate how in their YouTube review of W&N Series 7 Brushes.  Take a moment to view the video to get an idea of what you're looking for.  A brush that won't hold a point after just being dipped in water and run over the back of your hand, will not hold a point when dipped in paint and run along your model.

Since I can't do that with a brush I'm buying by mail, I have until now been reluctant to order brushes online.  But I remembered an article I read at Hand Cannon Online when I started getting serious about painting and using good brushes, and Ghool had mentioned that he has had good experiences with Dick Blick Art Materials.  For those who haven't heard of Ghool, he is hands-down one of the best painters of Warmachine and Hordes miniatures and I made his acquaintance on the Privateer Press forums years ago.  He gave me some stellar advice on what to use for best results, and I'm passing this along to you.

It's difficult to find quality Kolinsky brushes in the United States, for a couple of related reasons.  First is the nature of the Kolinsky sable: It is made from the tail whiskers of the Siberian weasel (not an actual "Sable" per se).  You can imagine that this is a rare animal, and even then, surely not all of the bristles are up to the standards of quality for a premium brush.

Because these brushes are made with natural hair from such a rare animal, import falls under the regulation of the US Fish & Wildlife Service.  Now, I don't expect that they have to kill these weasels just to harvest the tail hairs, but with all of the political friction between the USA and Russia, there has been a partial embargo on importing products made with these bristles.

But I digress.  The main purpose of this article was to let you know about my experience with Blick.  I ordered three brushes - a Windsor & Newton Series 7 Miniature brush in #1, and Raphael 8404 brushes in #1 and #2.  Each of the brushes was around $15 USD, which is reasonable and far less than what I paid for my W&N #0 and #00 in an art store,  Total with shipping was about $55.

When I placed the order, I noted that I am very particular about my brushes and asked them to select only pristine specimens and to please pack them carefully.  They took my request very seriously, and noted these instructions on the packing slip.

For three brushes, I was expecting a package about the size of a box of spaghetti - maybe 2"x4"x9" or so.  What I got was a much larger box - something large enough to ship a couple reams of printer paper!  Inside the box were several of those little air cushions, which surrounded a taped bundle of large bubble wrap.  Inside that was a cardboard sleeve, which had been taped around a plastic-wrapped bundle containing my three brushes.  All of them had snugly-fitting point protectors, and as expected the W&N brush came in its customary tube.  So these brushes were very well protected from the rigors of shipping and the sometimes rough handling that may occur at the hands of carriers who lack our dedication to precision and finesse.

I have never used a Raphael brush before, so I was somewhat surprised to discover that the bristles had been packed in some kind of preservative or protectant.  It was almost like they had been pointed with hair gel.  I've seen that in other brushes before (which makes it difficult to test them in a store) but it's not a big deal.  It rinses off easily in water.

I gave each of the three brushes the point test from the aforementioned video.  Both of the #1 brushes passed with flying colors.  You know a brush is good when simply dipping it in water brings it back to a nice, sharp point after use!  The Raphael #2, however, did not fare quite so well.  Close examination showed that a couple of the bristles were sticking straight out to the side of the tip.

This is not a major issue, since the #2 is intended for applying base coats to an already primed miniature.  But when you are paying $15 for a brush you have every right to expect quality - and if a couple of bristles are out of point, the entire brush will lose its ability to hold a point sooner than you should expect.  I gave Blick a call and Julia, the customer service representative, was very helpful and accommodating.  I explained my concern and she promised to ship out a replacement right away.  She advised me to discard or donate the defective brush when the replacement arrives.  Other painters who buy Kolinsky brushes from Blick have told me about this no-hassle, no-return-required policy, and it's one of the reasons I chose to purchase from them.

I like not having to go to the trouble of packing up an item, going down to the post office and then waiting for a merchant to receive the return before shipping the replacement.  I like being able to articulate a valid concern and being treated like a serious artist and not like someone who's trying to get something for nothing.  Blick is a professional art supply company that treats their customers like professional artists, and for that reason they have my continued patronage and my highest recommendation.

If you want the best results, it helps to use the best tools - and Dick Blick is the best place to get them!

NOTE: I do not recommend using Kolinsky brushes for the following: Priming (especially using my preferred Acrylic-Polyurethane Surface Primer), Metallics (which will rapidly ruin any brush), ink washes and glazes (especially Army Painter Quick Tones), and of course varnish or other topcoat (even acrylic).  All of these substances contain materials which can shorten the lifespan of a brush and impair its ability to hold a point.  Get yourself some good but inexpensive synthetic brushes at your local Michael's or your FLGS (friendly local game store) for those applications.

REVIEW: CITADEL'S NEW BRUSH LINE

White Dwarf magazine issue #66 (which I was sadly unable to obtain) had a spread on the new line of brushes that Citadel was releasing.  Having seen them for myself, I thought I'd let you know what they're all about.

Apparently, they have different types of brushes for different purposes - not only the shape of the tip, but also the materials from which the bristles are made.  The line includes Layer, Base, Shade, Glaze, and Dry brushes among a few other specialty brushes like an enormous Terrain brush.

These brushes arrived at my FLGS today and I looked over each of them carefully before making a purchase.
The much-touted Artificer brush was either poorly packed or not as good as they say - because it had one wild stray bristle, making it useless for the fine detail it's meant for.
Most of the other brushes didn't keep a good point, either - in the end, the only kinds that were satisfactory to me were the S Base, M Base and M Glaze brushes.  I looked through so many of the M Layer brushes trying to find one with a good point, I eventually realized that even if I did, they were obviously bad brushes all around.

The bristles seem like a natural bristle but obviously not quality sable.  Honestly, they seem like the same old brushes as last go-round, only with new names and new handles.

I welcome you to check them out for yourself and see if they are satisfactory to your purposes, but aside from the three brushes I mentioned above, none were good enough to merit a purchase.  As others have mentioned, for the price you are better off with Winsor & Newton, or perhaps Rosemary & Co. for good sable brushes.

The quest to find satisfactory sable brushes locally continues.

E Tenebrae Lux Painting Challenge

I am a member of The Bolter & Chainsword forum, which is a gathering place for those of us who paint or play the armies of Humanity in Warhammer: 40,000.  Basically, this encompasses Adeptus Astartes (Space Marines), Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard), Adeptas Sororitas (Sisters of Battle), and the various adjunct organizations such as the Adeptus Mechanicus, Inquisition, and Imperial Agents.  There are also discussion boards there for players and painters of Chaos Space Marines, Chaos Daemons, and Traitor Guard.

Every year, the B&C undertakes a forum-wide painting challenge called E Tenebrae Lux (Latin for "Light From Shadow").  It's not a painting competition in the traditional sense - there is no judging or scoring and no formal prizes are awarded (except bragging rights).  Instead, it is designed as a way to motivate members to get some of those miniatures out of the boxes and off the shelves, and painted for play or display.  Anyone who's been in this hobby for even the briefest time can attest that we tend to accumulate a backlog of projects that often go unfinished.  ETL is the fire that's lit under our butts to get it done!

The contest runs from May 1st to August 1st this year.  Participants make a formal "Vow" before their peers on the forum, to complete a specified number of units of their choice during this time period.  When the vow is entered, the models can be assembled and primed but must be unpainted.  Painting may begin after the vow is made.  If a vow is completed, the points value of the models is recorded and awarded to the forum sub-section that the painter is representing (based on the faction that is being painted).  A participant must select a specific faction and can only make vows for/from that faction.

The sub-forum that has the most points at the end of the challenge is awarded the title "Primus Inter Pares" (First Among Equals) for the year, and other recognition is granted to the member from each faction who completed the most points (Faction Champion) and other extraordinary vows.

Participants may make up to five total vows, each of no more than 3,000 points total.  However, there is one catch:  You only receive credit if all of your vows are completed.  This retains emphasis on completion rather than over-reaching, and helps to keep painters focused on doing their best work rather than rushing for the sake of points.

The goal is to get one's army painted, and it could not come at a better time for me!  Having recently embarked upon a Dark Angels army, I was astonished to discover that I have accumulated some 3,500 points of miniatures over the last two months.  Points-wise, I've painted approximately 20% of that total already.  For my first ETL vow, I will be painting an 8-man Deathwing Knights squad and a 5-man Deathwing Command squad, for a total of just over 700 points.

As I'm currently taking the summer off from work, I expect that I should be done with this vow within 3 weeks, at most.  If I complete this vow before the deadline, my next vow will be a full Ravenwing Attack Squadron (six bikes, Attack Bike and Land Speeder) and my custom-built Interrogator-Chaplain on a bike.

Posting about the ETL here has a two-fold purpose: First, it helps to hold me accountable for my progress and results, but also I hope that it motivates some of you to either participate in the ETL yourself (B&C is a great place for 40K hobbyists!) or simply to just pull out some models, pick up a brush and paint some of the things that have been sitting around for far too long!

I look forward to sharing my progress on these vows with you (and hopefully to showcase my custom Ravenwing characters such as the aforementioned Chaplain, a biker Librarian, and Master Sammael on his Land Speeder, Sableclaw!