I thought I’d try something new this week in respect of heraldry and decide to have a go at painting a stags head on one of my Footsore Baron’s War knights shields. I wasn’t sure how authentic it would be in an historical sense but I figured it might look quite cool. The thing is I’m not a natural artist, I can’t just do something like a stags head without the need for some very easy reference material to copy from.
My default position is to revert to YouTube and see what I can find. A search under “easy animal drawings” threw up several ideas aimed at five year olds and I settled on a combination of two very short but very good video’s. The first video showed how to draw the head of a Doe, a deer, a female deer (there’s a song in there somewhere) and the second gave me the idea for the antlers. Essentially all I had to do was draw a basic triangle and flesh things out from there. Simples! And as it turned out it did prove pretty simple much to my surprise and on top of that I was pleased with the end result too.
As this was another made up knight I needed to give the little chap a name. My uncles christian name is Edgar and a good friend of mine has the surname Edgar and as I felt it had a certain medieval feel to it I settled on that with the Grun being a germanic play on Green.
Black over white is always a good combination in my book for easier touching up so I went with that colour combination and added a couple of white lines at the bottom of his surcoat to break things up a bit.
This weeks miniature is one I originally received free from Footsore because I placed a qualifying order for Baron’s War figures above a certain amount. I then got another one with a further order and that one is still in the to do pile. At the time the figure was not part of a particular pack but it has since been released in a three figure pack entitled “Veteran Sergeant Group”. In that pack the figure has also been given a shield. As shields can be bought separately I may add one at a later date or simply buy the three figure pack as one of the other figures is particularly cool.
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Well It Made Me Laugh
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TIM World
As I have mentioned on previous occasions I don’t get to excited about my WordPress statistics, not least of all because they are far from impressive, but I do get a kick from seeing where my humble little blog gets viewed. whilst I am sure most people simply stumble across my blog having been searching for something else entirely the fact remains it was viewed all the same, even if only once! So, whilst I have not gained a new follower I am pleased to report that I am now big in Jordan, which is to say I have a single view which is good enough to take my country total to 86.
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Give Me Five
This week I took a took at Monster Movies. There were far more in this genre than I imagined and once again I could have come up with a top ten quite easily. In the end I needed to make a self imposed choice and decided to go with films I have seen loads of times and could easily sit down and watch again and again. So much so that I think I’m going to have a Monsterthon and watch all of these back to back very soon. In no particular order:
Jurassic Park (1993)
The Thing (1982)
King Kong (2005)
Jaws (1975)
An American Wherewolf In London (1981)
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This week TIM has been listening to …
“Praire Rose” by Roxy Music. It’s been a while since I listened to my Roxy Music albums and I’ve promised myself to work my way through them again as they are one of my very favourite bands. Accordingly you can expect more of them in future posts. There was also something attractive about their album covers too.
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This week TIM has been watching …
“Deadwater Fell” a mini series on Channel 4 starring Daveid Tennant. I found this one watchable but predictable. I think I need to change genres for a while.
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Remember …
There is a big difference between a guy and a girl saying “I went through an entire box of tissues during that movie”.
After allowing myself to get side tracked by painting “Hubert de Burgh” last week I was determined that this week would see another 28mm mounted Baron’s War knight completed. This little chap is a made up knight, which is to say the heraldry is not one I have come across but one I have made up. If it does exist out there then it is purely a coincidence as far as I am concerned.
Although it was made up it was inspired by other images I have seen. The light blue and yellow colour combination I have seen used before and rather like it and the cross hatching, albeit in a different way, I have also seen used a good many times. From a painting perspective it represented a nice challenge and overall I’m pleased with it even though some of the squares aren’t quite as even as I would like but that’s something I can work on when I next undertake a square pattern.
As already mentioned this is a made up knight and therefore in need of a made up name. On a previous figure I referred to my family tree for inspiration and decided I would do this once again. In this instance I elected to go with my maternal great grandfather’s name, James Newton Langley.
This weeks miniature is a single knight and not one based on a real character. The aim here was to experiment with some more freehand painting and I settled on the idea of a rearing horse. The head isn’t quite right but given the actual scale of the figure and the size of the shield I think I can just about get away with it for a first attempt. The positioning ended up being a little off centre which I didn’t like either, leaving the top right hand corner a little bare so I added a cross which again kind of works.
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Well It Made Me Laugh
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The Knights On TIM’s Modelling Table
With a reasonable number of figures now painted (I need to do a proper count but it must be close to 40 or so) it’s time to give more consideration to how I will display my army. Getting my head around this will also enable me to start taking some larger group photo’s too. Well that’s the plan anyway!
I have a few ideas circulating in my brain but have yet to fully decide on what to do. I do know that I want to keep it very simple. The figures are unlikely to be on display at home, the usual issue of space, but I would like to take them to the occasional show. There are two things I am clear about though. The base is not intended to be a diorama, I don’t want to distract from the figures themselves, and it will need to built around movement trays so the figures can be easily placed. With the latter in mind I ordered some movement trays to experiment with. Hopefully they will arrive in a few days and then I can play around a bit.
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Taking Photo’s
I came across this article on the BBC website (link below) and thought I would share it. When it comes to taking Photo’s of my figures I really need to up my game. It’s certainly an area where I would be happy to invest more time. If I only had more of it!
I’m older, losing my hair and wondering if SWMBO will still send me a Valentine Card next February along with birthday greetiings and a bottle of wine next August. I cannot imagine being out until quarter to three unless it is in the afternoon but I suspect I might be locked out regardless. Will SWMBO still love me, will she still feed me even though she will be older too? Questions that only the future will answer.
I’m still capable of mending a fuse when the lights have gone and SWMBO retains the dexterity to knit a jumper by the fireside. Going for a drive on Sunday mornings remains an option as does doing the garden and digging the weeds. I can’t ask for more.
Perhaps next year we might rent a cottage on the Isle of Wight if it’s not to dear otherwise we will have to scrimp and save. No grandchildren yet to sit on my knee but I’ll send a post card and drop the kids a line stating my point of view and indicating precisely that that I’m wasting away now that I’m 64!
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Give Me Five
This week I thought I’d take a look at the “Spy” genre and within it my favourite films. To some extent it would have been easy to just list most of the Bond movies but there are plenty of other good films out there. My short list in no particular order is:
Casino Royale (2006)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
Eye of the Needle (1981)
The Bourne Identity (2002)
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This week TIM has been listening to …
“She Drives Me Crazy” by the Fine Young Cannibals. It’s been a while since I listened to this band and this particular track. Not sure why that is but I reckon it has a lot to do with the fact that it reminds me of She Who Must Be Obeyed!
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This week TIM has been watching …
“The Accident” a four part mini series I discovered on Channel 4 and another one based in Wales. I’m beginning to think that Wales is a dangerous place to visit. Not a bad series and worth a watch I’d say. Most things with Sarah Lancashire in usually are.
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Remember …
Women always have the last word in an argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
The good news for me this week is I’ve started work on my next mounted knight. The Bad news is I digressed and decided to paint this guy instead!
What we have here is “Hubert de Burgh”, a real life knight whose heraldry is shown in the below downloaded Google image. As you can see it represents a painting challenge and it is that which led me to setting aside my mounted knight.
The opening paragraph on Wikipedia for this knight reads:
“Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent (c. 1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and of his infant son and successor King Henry III and, as a consequence, was one of the most influential and powerful men in English politics”.
There is however much more written about this chap and if you would like to read more then follow the link below. I was particularly interested to learn that he was once the custodian of Launceston castle in Cornwall which is only a few miles from me and is where my parents both live.
All in all an interesting guy and one which deserved the best I could offer in terms of a paint job. I’m not going to pretend the diamond pattern was easy to do on a 28mm figure, it wasn’t. I also used a little poetic license on the shield too. It was simply far to small for me to even attempt to replicate the exact design. Maybe next time I’ll give it ago if I ever paint him again.
This weeks miniature is not one but two figures again. As planned I manged to complete the two remaining figures which comprise Spearman Pack No: 1 of the Footsore Baron’s War range. As well as images of the two figures I’ve also added a group shot of the four. As facial expressions go l think the sculpt for the first little chap is spot on for the pose.
Still plenty more to paint and I’m growing conscious of the need for some sort of group shot of those I’ve painted to date. I’ve still not got my head around how to do this. Ideally I’d like to do some sort of base but right now I don’t want to take my eye off of painting so I might just have to go with a green table cloth if SWMBO has one I can use without moaning!
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Well It Made Me Laugh
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Give Me Five
This week I decided to focus on Super Hero films. The problem with this genre is there are several films involving the same super hero and various remakes which take advantage of better special effects. I decided to simply base my top 5 on those films I enjoyed the most. Clearly I haven’t enjoyed much since 2010! In no particular order:
Superman (1978)
Batman (1989)
Kick-Ass (2010)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Spiderman (2002)
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Model Club
Last Monday I attended my first model club meeting in over 18 months. It was good to meet up with some familiar faces and enjoy some nerdy conversation for an hour and a half. It will take a while for somethings to return to normal, particularly with regard to attending and participating in shows. Although restrictions have been greatly relaxed in the UK it takes a good while for such events to be organised and arranged. That said the calendar does now have a couple of events on it and fingers are crossed that this November will see the return of Telford in particular.
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This week TIM has been listening to …
“Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard. Thought I’d go for this remix version, something about it caught my eye. 😉
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This week TIM has been watching …
“Vanilla Sky” starring Tom Cruise. I like Tom Cruise (we could be twins) and thought I’d seen just about all of his films but this one l never managed to get around to watching for whatever reason. Truth be told I wish I hadn’t bothered. Great cast but far to confusing for this old brain of mine. With hindsight I should have seen it 20 years ago, then I might have made a lot more sense of it.
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Remember …
It’s only appropriate to say “My, aren’t you big?” to children, adults tend to get offended.
As well as working on the other two Spearmen from pack 1, which should feature in this coming Wednesday’s Miniatures & Musings post, l decided I’d also make a start on the next set of Spearmen too.
For this little chap I thought I would return to authentic heraldry and chose to paint his shield in a design which according to a chart I have is called “Gyronney”. At first glance I thought it would prove to be hard to paint but in the end it turned out to be easier than I thought. I’m starting to think that, given the practice I have had, that maybe, just maybe my ability to paint straight lines is starting to pay off.
As shield designs go this is one I may well do again, albeit in a different colour scheme. It might just be me but it does seem quite eye catching. First though I must work on another mounted knight. To date I’ve done only three which as a ratio to the number of them I have compared to foot figures puts me way behind. On the positive side mounted knights look pretty impressive but on the downside they do take me a very long time to paint. They also take me a while to decide on a scheme too and at times I find that the hardest part. I’m sure I’ll come up with something but firstly I must finish the two Spearman for Wednesday.
This weeks miniature is yet again another figure double, I’m on a roll! In fairness these are a lot easier to churn out than the knights. The lack of a shield keeps these figures much more simple. It’s not that they are that much quicker to paint because they have faces to be done but I don’t have to spend time wondering what heraldry to do. These two Baron’s War figures are from the “Spearmen No: 1” pack and I’m hoping I’ll get the other two done next week. If I do, and if I manage to remember, I’ll also do a group photo of the four of them. I also need to get my head around a larger group shot too, in particular what to use as a base and a backdrop.
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Well It Made Me Laugh
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Give Me Five
I’m not sure just how many films feature in this genre compared to topics of previous weeks but I decided to consider my top five musical bio films. I still found myself leaving out a couple of excellent movies though! In no particular order I listed the following five.
Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)
The Glenn Miller Story
Nowhere Boy (John Lennon)
The Buddy Holly Story
Backbeat (The Beatles)
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Model Club
After what seems like forever the Plymouth Model Club will be meeting for the first time next Monday. Lockdown restrictions have been lifted to allow for this to happen although common sense precautions will be in place. It will feel strange meeting up after such a long time and it will be interesting to see what members return. Who knows, membership may even increase due to the growing interest in the hobby as a result of Covid. It’s even starting to look like some shows will now take place too. I’ll let you know how it goes.
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This week TIM has been listening to …
“Go Solo” by Tom Rosenthal. My brother put me on to this guy a little while ago and slowly his music is growing on me. I think it helps that this track has been taken by Renault for a UK TV advert and as such it’s exposure has grown. A nice slow track with touching lyrics. I can be sentimental at times!
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This week TIM has been watching …
“The Inbetweeners Movie”. Like Marmite there is no half way house with The Inbetweeners, you either love it or you hate. Personally I love it. Watching series one to three of The Inbetweeners, along with the first movie, followed by Ricky Gervais in the “The Office” would, together, pretty much make up up 80% of my life before I retired. Sad but true.
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Remember …
If you see someone wearing camouflage make sure to walk straight into them to show its working.
Work continues on my Baron’s War army. At times progress seems slow but at other times it doesn’t. I think it depends on what pile of figures I look at, the pile I’ve painted or the pile I still have to do. Mathematically I’m approaching half way on the foot figures that I have purchased which will be a landmark moment. Until such times as I buy more figures it will soon start to feel like I am coming down the other side of the mountain. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the mounted figures and I really must begin to make more progress on these.
Meanwhile back to this weeks figure.
I decided to deviate from authentic characters and heraldry and in doing so came up with this little chap. An uncle who died a couple of years ago whose name was Cecil Green came up in a recent conversation with my mum and dad and this served as my inspiration for the name Sir Cecil de Vert. I may well look at my family tree for further names if I continue down this fictional route.
The inspiration for the colour scheme came from the Orlando Bloom character “Balian de Ibelin” in the film Kingdom of Heaven.
This weeks miniature is yet another double act. Not sure how much longer I’m going to be able to keep it up for but a change in weather meant outdoor jobs and other life inhibitors were put on the back burner and as such I was able to dedicate more time to painting. As a consequence I decided to press on with getting the two remaining “Foot Sergeants with Hand Weapons” done so I could complete pack 1 and also take a couple of group photos.
The shield design for the first figure is called a “Per Pile” while the design for the second shield is a “Bend”. Nothing difficult but the variety of design will help to make each figure different once the eventual army is all grouped together.
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Well It Made Me Laugh
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Give Me Five
This week I thought I’d take a look at Gangster Movies. Another genre with plenty to choose from and as a consequence a few good films left out along the way. After some consideration I short listed the following in no particular order.
The Godfather Trilogy – (OK I know that’s three!)
The Untouchables
Goodfellas
Miller’s Crossing
The Long Good Friday
Footnote – of late I’ve started to struggle to keep this article going, time as ever being the biggest problem. If any of you have any thoughts on future topics of any description or genre please feel free to comment below. 🙂
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This week TIM has been listening to …
“Freelove Highway” by Ricky Gervais aka David Brent. Can’t believe it was 20 years ago that The Office first aired on the BBC. The series was not everyone’s cup of tea but having worked in an office all my life the level of accuracy and character portayls were simply amazing and so cringe worthy! Loved every minute. Must break out the box set once again!
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This week TIM has been watching …
“The White Queen” starring a very hot Rebecca Furguson (Mission Impossible; The Greatest Showman) and Eleanor Tomlinson, the stunning female lead in Poldark. Based on the book by Phillippa Gregory it’s a great drama. I’ve watched the box set a couple of times before and will doubtless watch it again in the future.
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Remember …
Without freedom of speech we would never know who the idiots are.
The Imperfect Modeller 