Still Hot

Can't wait for that cool change in the weather within the next few days, cause this heat wave is killing me (It makes me feel sick and I can't do anything in the heat). Still, not so bad as the heat out in the north-west or NSW which suffered enough lightning strikes that started over 100 fires. Seems there's no rest for our firefighters, pray you get relief soon.

On a lighter note, finally found this video, which is good for a laugh.

The heat is hot, the fires are all over the place, stay safe people.

Summer in Australia

God do I hate summer. East-Coast is in the grip of a heat wave with the weekend set to look pretty bad. I remember one of the papers yesterday said 'Three States, 200 Fires'........says it all really. Now it's Queensland's turn to take on the big temps and since last night the smell of burning wood is in the air.

The firefighters (a lot of them volunteers) have been doing their best to combat the many fires out there (which I'm sure some, if not most, were deliberately lit) and my thoughts go to them and those who have already lost their homes. As of yet I haven't heard of any human casualties, so I guess we can all be thankful for that. Bushfires are one of those things we tend to deal with every year in Australia and this year is shaping up to be a very bad season, but it does appear that we have been learning our lessons from the tragedies of previous years. Let's hope this heat wave ends soon so our firefighters can contain them and get the well earned rest they deserve.

What now?

Well, with that first test paint out of the way, I might try my hand at a few more, but without the focused character image. Miniature wise, just about finish my current model and plan to get a few more soon.

Gameplay wise, still having fun with League of Legends, along with the endless mining of Terraria. Just got Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon today and have givin it's first level a go. A bit confusing story wise so far as both the game and manual give no backstory as to how the two dragons got to where they were at the start of the game. Still, liking the platform gaming so far. Also got the Trine package (Trine and Trine 2) and so far I am enjoying it. It's one of those, switch between three characters to get to where you need to go, but it is enjoyable. Probably better with friends as you would need to rely on each other.

What I would like is a good book to read (or a decent fanfic). The next 'Black Plague' novel isn't out till March and I guess I'm not into the 40k series of novels. Maybe I should start writing shorts (very short stories/paragraphs) on events my characters have experienced.

Who knows.....

Zargooran Amongst Rage - Painting Progression

OK, so I've titled this 'Zargooran Amongst Rage', mostly for the red/orange colours surrounding him. Despite being in this form for a number of years now, his image is mostly just description. Actually making his image is a lot harder then I thought. For one, his form is mostly ghost like, a large man-sized form consisting of what looks like a universe contained within. You can make out a body shape and head shape, with arms that sometimes come from the form. The only thing that stands out from his body are two large red eyes, but the are just red, no eyeballs, no pupils, nothing. The universe moves as he moves, so stars are never in the same place.

So yeah, it sounds difficult, but I really need to start bringing this image out more. While animation would have been a better option, I'm no good at it, so instead I'll give it a go with the only medium I seem to have a little skill with; Paint.

1st Part

Using mostly water mixable oil paint (with a dash of acrylic paint), I started by giving the board a brush of various dark blue/purple mixes. After I was satisfied with the result, I used a large fan brush and some white paint and lightly flicked it to get some stars into the mix (though I feel I may have over done it). Left to dry.

2nd Part

This next part never made it, but was a good learning curve. I needed a rough silhouette image to design the stencil. I decided to get a shot of myself in various poses and from there, used the Paint program to go over it with a silhouette design. From there I copied the image as best I could to the card. The image you see was the first final choice, but was later scraped because I still felt unhappy with it. It's still a great idea for getting character poses right, but it just wasn't the right one at this time.

3rd Part

(you'll notice two large dots...that's because I forgot to remove the blu-tack from the painting before I took the shot.....facepalm)

Deciding to go for a more simple silhouette, I created the stencil from card and used the tiniest amount of Blu-tack to hold it. Looking back now, I should have done the background first and then do the star body second, but like I said, learning curve. The thing I found with the oils though is that the water mix ones tend to rub off when applying new layers. While the red was fine, it was the oranges and yellows I had trouble with. In the end I decided to get some Acrylic paint instead and mix it in. This did improve the mix somewhat, but it still took multiple layers to get it just right. Stencil was then removed to see what needed to be fixed up. Left to dry.

4th Part

Touched up around the edges, both with the red/orange/yellow on the outside and dark blue on the inside. A few more star flicks on the bottom and eyes on the head and he's done. OK, so I could improve the star/space look and the eyes do look like they need more work, but given I have work tonight and I need to get ready, I think this will do.

Not bad for someone who hasn't really put paint to canvas for around 10 years. Again, not ment to be a master piece, just a bit of fun testing paint and visually creating a character which is rather difficult top create visually.

The daily update

Not really, but it is an update of today's works so far.

Decided against using one of my better canvases for the Zargooran pic. Given it's been so long, decided to start out with this basic first version with a better one planned down the track. So far the space/star effect is done, though I feel I may have gone overboard with the stars.

Most of the base colour has been added to this guy. I'm liking the colour so far. As for his base, I'm wanting to give this Ordo Xenos warband the feel that they are on an organic alien planet/ship like effect. This is the basic construction of the base:

1. Green stuff the base. Take a blob of it and spread it around. Don't smooth it or anything, lumps and
 dints are what will help the effect.

2. Shape it about. This involves first using a sculpting tool or something similar to move bits of it about to give it that disgusting, organic look. Then with a brush and some liquid green stuff, make lumpy bits and veins, but make sure they blend into the base (Note: you may have to wait for the green stuff to dry first before using the liquid green stuff). It doesn't have to be neat or anything. Once done, leave to dry overnight.

3. Paint. Normally I use flesh colours (darkest to lightest) with purple/red washes to give it a flesh/blood effect. For the alien bases I decided to mix purples with the flesh colours to give it a more 'alien' feel. Once the paint/washes had dried, I used 'water effects' to give the bases that sticky/slimy look. Watered down blue paint and a thin brush to add a few veins here and there just for a bit of fun (overdoing it does ruin the effect).

Hopefully I'll have this model complete soon, along with the other project.

Week Plans

So, here is what's planned for the week. Tomorrow I head into the city to pick up the MLP:FiM comic, get some dark purple paint, a painting tray, thick brushes and some thick card.

The purple paint is to help finish the Genestealer cultist model I'm using for my Xenos Inquisitor's warband. The card, tray and brushes is for my first attempt at some oil painting. The subject: Zargooran. My plan is to produce his effect on canvas, then once dry have a stencil cutout of a silhouette of a rough body shape. Once covered, I'll paint around it in a different effect before removing the cutout and painting in the eyes and touch ups.

Liking this plan so far.

Up-date 3/1/13: Got a tray and card. decided to skip the brushes and the paint (I still have Homagaunt purple left over anyway). Found out I have work tonight so won't have time to get much painting done.

Doll Reaver: Legacy of Turelzevir

Damn, this is an old one, but a good one.

http://www.thelostworlds.net/Etc/LoT/lot-intro.html

I'm a fan of the Legacy of Kain vampire series, so years ago I remember finding this gag and having a good laugh at it. Seeing it again still makes me wish they would finish Kain's story, but this is still a good gag, The videos they did were short, but sorta funny. The gag was based on one of those 'maybe/maybe not be done' game problems the series had (I believe Half-Life 2's Episode 3 is now that gag) and while Defiance was a conclusion for Raziel, it still left Kain open for another sequel (given they still hadn't had time to fix up all the plot holes that are still out there).

http://www.thelostworlds.net/Etc/LoT/lot-flash.html

Why Mr T? Hell if I know, but that would have made the series very interesting.