It’s been tough hitting the target for this quarter. Part of that was down to illness where I couldn’t get anything done, and following that I found it hard to get back into the routine of painting every day. My deficit climbed very high, and I only just got it down to zero again in the last couple of days!
As predicted, my painting streak never got above seven days in a row. My aims for this quarter were:
- Paint for an average of 30 minutes per day
- Plan painting better
- Try new techniques
- Paint centrepieces
How did I do? Well, I managed to hit the time target – barely.
I started to plan ‘in my head’, but I was still mostly making things up as I went along. I will be making a concerted effort to do this better in the next models I start.
I tried a couple of new techniques. Firstly, I tried using my airbrush for colours and highlights more. This was mixed – I think it will work best for the centrepiece models. I tried zenithal highlighting again; I don’t think this technique is for me, but I may come back to it later. I also tried painting some 3D printed models for a friend (www.immersivemadness.co.uk) – none of my favourite techniques worked on the FDM print because of the texture of the model so I had to experiment a bit more. That’s something I’ll probably get more chances to work on in the future. The thing I’m happiest with is blending, that’s getting much easier and I’m getting some nice finishes with it.
For centrepieces, I worked on the Big Boss models for the Hellboy board game – which are nearly complete – and I’m making sure to add another large model to my queue for next quarter.
Overall this quarter, I finished 36 models and only bought 8 new ones. Slowly working my way through the Pile of Shame and keep those numbers going in the right direction.
Next Quarters Goals
Keep painting for 30 minutes a day. It was more challenging than expected, but achievable, so I will keep up that target.
Plan better, and write it down. I know it will help me when I get stuck later.
Keep trying new techniques. There are more things I haven’t tried, and I can drop these into my planning.
