Thursday 29 March 2012

















The Child of the Wastes



As is the custom with Autarii tribes, on the first night of he Child's  life she was left to survive the cold of Naggaroth's  desolate wastes, north of the towers. Her birth had taken the life of her mother, and the Child was weak and small. However she did not perish that night, but from then on the tribes people saw that she could no longer cast a shadow.  The Child was cast out, left for dead a second time.

It s said that her cloak was a daemons gift, in payment for sparing her life on thy first night. By learning the art of shadow she may hide herself from the horrors of the north.

The cloak she possesses sifts in and out of reality, twisting in the unseen etheric winds that buffet a mans destiny this way or that. If you stare for long enough into the shadows, you may see constellations spinning in wild, furious riot.  You may dream of the dead, or see nightmares stare back at you in silent vigil.

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Wednesday 21 March 2012



Price: £6 - £10 depending on the size.

Availability: Easy to source online or in Hobby Craft.

Whenever the question is asked: what paint brushes are best / should I use for my miniatures, inevitably, the Winsor Newton series 7 Kolinsky sable brush will be recommended.  These paint brushes were the preferred choice of Queen Victoria and have carried on a tradition of excellence and performance ever since. I believe that the 'Eavy metal team use these brushes, and so do many other prominent painters within our circles.

These were the first brushes I used outside of Games Workshop's range, and I have found them to be quite spectacular. The brushes have a good belly and an exquisitely sharp tip (I use the size 1 for most of my work , even the fine detail because the tip is so fine). Even though these brushes may seem quite expensive, when taken care of, these brushes will endure years of heavy use. 

The Winsor Newton make two kinds of series 7 brush; Round and Miniature. The Round (below) will be more familiar to us as the workhorse brush. 99% of your painting will be performed by the Round since it has a large belly and longer bristles.

Click the picture for actual scale of paint brush.

 The Miniature range (below) has a shorter bristle length, perfect for detail jobs where brush control is paramount. Because of the excellent belly load of the hair and the short bristle length, the brush retains it shape better during paint; meaning I can almost use it like a pen to create freehand designs, or dot eyes.
Click the picture for actual scale of paint brush.

I use the Round 1, 0, 00 and the Miniature 0. This collection fulfills all my blending, layering, and fine detailing needs. You may also wish to consider the 2 if you intend to blend on large flat surfaces, however I have found the 1 large enough fulfill this role quite nicely.

If you buy a set of these brushes I would advise you buy some brush soap and store them bristles down (keep the plastic sheath for this). For the price you are paying, you want these to last longer than a few paint sessions. I've had my brushes for just over two years of heavy usage. and only now have I seen the number 1 split at the tip. This is the brush I use the most so its not surprising it has started to die. Disturbingly however, many people have posted problems with split tips with much younger brushes. 

With the arrival of Rosemary and Co. offering better value for money for comparable quality and Raphael series 8404 offering superior quality control, the Winsor and Newton series 7 still remains an excellent choice of brush - but is no longer the apex tool of the miniature painter. 

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Monday 12 March 2012


The problem; how do I travel safety and comfortably with my collection of paints and equipment (putty, airbrush, brushes etc)? This has been a real problem for me as I am required to move around the country quite a bit for work. I needed a durable case with plenty of storage room. 



This thing comes with 22 separate storage compartments, each compartment has removable sides so you can make the size of each compartment the size you require. It is easy clean black cloth interior, ideal for makeup, hair accessories ect. 


This particular case comes with a removable strap which clips on the side of the case, a very useful feature for mobile makeup artists, beauticians and hair dressers. I've found that I can contain my entire collection of paints, putty and airbrush set (excluding compressor, but I have quite a large one) easily fits in here. The removable 'walls' allow for a degree of customisation to accommodate your own collection. 

I'm not sponsored by the people who make these cases, nor am I affiliated with them in any way, and I apologise if this article has read like a sales pitch. This is what I use and I really love it. It's solved my problem in an affordable and elegant fashion. 

Dimensions : Aprox - Length 34cm, Height 29cm, Width 24cm Weight : Aprox 2.8kg. Lightweight yet robust and secure. Removable strap can be adjusted to different lengths. 


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