Patience Table Saturday

I'm a speed painter as anyone who follows Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge will know.
I may even be a reasonably competent one based on people's feedback on my work. I like the fact I can paint quickly at a decent level. It gets me loads of stuff on the table in short order and I don't wince when I look at things I painted six months ago. Mostly...

The downside of that is that I race through projects with little time spent on really trying to paint to the best of my ability or push my limits. That is until the last few years where I've occasionally forced myself to sloooooowww doooowwwwwnnn and see what I'm really capable of. Recently I've been spending more time on character style painting, focusing on detail, blending and trying to put personality into miniatures one at a time.

It's hard! As an artist I'm not much chop, lacking a genuine creative side and despite understanding colour theory seemingly being unable to put it into practice deliberately. I also get frustrated at the amount of time "wasted" switching between and pondering on colours, thinking what to work on next and endlessly washing my brush out.

Anyway, sometimes it works and sometime it doesn't. This week I think it has worked which I'm rather chuffed about. I've started a new project which will only ever require something like 20 miniatures total - a Mordheim Orc Warband. I'll probably finish it in June if the postman is kind to me. The miniatures I'm using are all plain old unit-level plastics from current or recent Games Workshop fantasy ranges (with a few extra bits thrown in for variety). The point being it's meant to be an exercise in technique and not modelling, army building or anything else that typically distracts me.

This morning I completed the first seven miniatures - a Chieftan, two Big 'Uns and four Henchmen.
I spent a LOT of time on their faces, on blending skin tones and I purposely avoided the obligatory "greenskin" bright green skin (which I admittedly love). I also limited my palette to a fairly drab set of greys, greens and browns with the odd highlight colour to try and evoke the setting. The metallics are shaded heavily to look polished through use as opposed to care. These are hardened fighters who get things done, usually by killing and then eating them.

Frustratingly, the camera is really giving me the living you-know-whats today making all the detail and depth I can see with my naked (snigger) eye more or less disappear. Despite my best efforts I simply cannot get a shot I'm happy with. Grrrr! Anyway, for what its worth, here are a few sample shots...

PS. Welcome to The Miniatures Man, Dartfrog and David who have joined us over the last couple of weeks...

Cheers,
Millsy