Painting Miniatures - The work Space

Miniatures: The work space

Before you go to the store and buy yourself a series of figurines to paint, or even before you buy the paint to slop all over those figs, you have to get one question answered. That question is: Where will I be painting?

 The main answers to this question are:
a) Hunh?
b) I’ll be changing places
c) The same spot, but I’ve got to clean up afterwards
d) A permanent spot

 Let’s skip answer “A” for a second and go on to answers B & C. Hopefully, answer “A” will clear itself up by the end of this installation.

 The Basics: The main things that you need to think about when choosing your location (non-permanent or permanent) is space and lighting. Depending on whether you will be painting a single figurine, or whole groups of them at once will change how much space you’ll be needing. A good chair or stool to sit on is a MUST. Miniature painting is time consuming and there’s no need to break your back hunching over needlessly… a nice cushion is a plus. Try to ensure that the height of the chair or stool brings you to about elbow height to the surface you’ll be working on, so you can lean your elbows on the table and have the figurine at around face height. You’ll need a nice flat and horizontal surface to put everything on. I emphasize horizontal because little bottles of paint rolling off of your desk might very well add colour to your life, but it’s hardly practical. The area that you’ll need to clear off to put all of your stuff is around 4’ square (2X2’). This will give you 1-2’sq. for the actual work and the rest dedicated to the paints, brushes, water, towels, other figs, magazines etc..that you’ll be using to paint your fig. This area will change depending on how many or how large your fig(s) are and how many you plan on doing at once. In the case of a permanent location, you can dedicate more space for storage of paints, bits, boxes, tools and other assorted materials. *Note: Even with moveable locations, you’ll still need a semi-permanent/permanent location to keep all of the stuff that you’re not using immediately, and to store your work tools etc.. when you’re not actually painting. So…a chair and a flat surface. Easy enough, right? Wrong!

 Location: It’s all well and good to say that you’re just going to use the kitchen table to paint on, and many people do just that, but you’ve got to keep a few things in mind. - Lighting: not everyone can paint during the day, using pure sunlight to illuminate your work. In fact, most days and all nights, sunlight isn’t enough light, so you’re going to have to provide some extra light somehow. *This’ll be discussed at length when I talk about tools. -

Distractions: Like I wrote before, painting takes time and a certain amount of concentration (as you’ll find out). Distractions take many forms. The most obvious are things like pets (cats just love walking across paint surfaces, scattering minis, paint, & water), kids (what’s that Dad?, Can I touch? Dad won’t mind if I play with his toys), and Significant others (Why didn’t you take out the trash? Shouldn’t you be doing else?)… other, non-living distractions might be things like the phone, internet, television, or sunbathing neightbours. Avoid distractions when you can. -

Safety: Living distractions can also be sources of danger, especially considering that you may be working with glues, solvents, sharp obects & tools. You want to leave a swathe of dead enemies on the battlefield, not in your kitchen. Keeping this in mind might limit your work area to places where you can limit access. - The work surface: Face it…accidents happen. Paint get spilled, exacto knives slip, things get gouged and although you want to protect your surface, accidents will happen…. So working on that Louis XIV table might not be the best idea. It’s a good idea if it’s a stable work surface because you don’t want it either wobbling from side to sie or tipping over easily (TV trays are out, I’m afraid).

 That’s it for the actual area. In our next installment, I’ll be talking about the kinds of tools that will come in handy when working with both metal and plastic minis.

 Stay tuned.

Tick tock... another one of me on the way.

Tick tock... another one of me on the way.	Jul. 20th, 2005 @ 12:37 pm

Well...the missus and I have another child on the way, due sometime at the end of this year, and although a pregnancy is supposed to last 9 months or so, those 40 weeks sure do pass fast!

So many things to do. A baby room to create from my office, which means finding spots for all of my 'stuff' like filing cabinets, my compi, and about one metric ton of paper. It also means renovations to the room... aah, renovations, the home-owners greatest fear and by far the most time consuming prospect of all!

I've given up on my garden for this year...not enough time to really tend to any plants. My flower gardens are looking raggedy as well, with my miniature white roses taking over and suffocating my red roses. The house, and myself are starting to look our ages. Grey hairs and weeds abound! Wrinkles and cracks in the ceilings all grow with time, and I don't have enough stucko for both.

Don't get me wrong...I AM looking forward to this next child. If s/he is anything like his/her older brother, I'm sure that many of those lines on my face will be mostly laugh-lines and smile-creases :)

Now if I could just stop time for a while, I might jsut get everything done in time. In the meanwhile, I'm trying to convince my wife to extend her pregnancy for another month or two. It's not going well so far.

Another LJ Group screams out its first breath - Writer's Blo_k

Ok...so I have a lot of time on my hands. Started a Community called Writer's Blo_k . Hopefully I won't be the only person to see it :D

http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=writers_blo_k

anyone know of a good way to advertise it? Get people to see it?

hmmm???!?
Jul. 6th, 2005 @ 02:29 pm

In dog we trust

» In dog we trust

I have 4 cats... its a shame that english doesn't have a past-imperative which didn't trip over itself as badly as 'I will have had four cats'.

I have to get rid of my cats..all of them. I don't want to get rid of them...but getting rid of my kid is pretty much out of the question.

 My kid has Asthma..which sucks. His specialist says that his sinus infection is related to an allergen, and that most if not all of people with sinus based allergic reactions, are also allergic to cats. They might have hay-fever, or allergic reactions to cleaning solvents etc...but they will almost always be allergic to cats as well. Just swell...if you'll pardon the pun. So...now I have 4 cats, which I've had for about 7 years now..each a sweetheart in their own special way, and I have to find them new homes or have them destroyed. Ain't THAT a kick in the jewels!

 Now...obviously, nobody will take all four at once. I might get lucky and get someone who'll take two. Maybe. If not, that's 4 homes to find, with people in'em who don't give me the creeps. I only have so many friends...most of whom don't want cats, especially cats who are past the 'uber-cuteness' stage of kittenhood.

So...strangers then. People I've never met before, to whom I shall give my cats..MY cats!

Might seem strange to you...they're only cats, right? Fuck'em...toss'em on the street! Hairy bastards! Drown the little nippers!

 I can't do it. I don't know where to turn anymore, so here I am, on the internet asking for advice about my cats. All humane suggestions welcome.

Jun. 27th, 2005 @ 03:40 pm

Another day...another day lost.

» Another day...another day lost.

It just kinds of creeps up on you...the end of the day, that is. You wake up, fill up on coffee, go to work, eat, come back from work and poof...just like that, you're out of time. Fifteen hours have passed and you've done nothing...nothing of consequence in either case.

What is it about modern living that demands that we life our personal life only on the weekends (or wherever our days off might land) ?
 We work for the money to afford to live, and yet working forces us to stop living or put it all aside for a while...about 80% of the time. We place our jobs ahead of our families and friends and cheer when we get the paltry rewards that work can offer us...mostly money which we don't have the time to spend.

So..where's the real reward?

 Aah...to be able to quit and really live for once.

 Jun. 22nd, 2005 @ 02:20 pm

Insomnia

» Insomnia

I've got insomnia...have had it for a while now, which means that on a good day, I can look forward to about 6 hours of sleep.
On a bad day, like last night, I get just about 2 hours. I blame it on my son. :D

 Last night, he had a fever of about 102.2 ... I say about because my math at 2am with no sleep behind me is horrible and my stupid thermometer reads celcius only...which is great if you're trying to see when water will boil or freeze, but sucks when you've got a 2 1/2 year old screaming in your ear.

 Poor little guy... just burning up and not with the kind of religious fervour which makes people want to invade countries half-way across the globe. HIs eyes had that nice glazed-over look which you only get with Saturday morning 'toons or too many tokes on the wacky-tabacky. He was mumbling to himself and the occasional whimper could be heard.

It took some cold compressed to cool him off and some liquid anti-fever stuff (in refreshing cherry flavour) to get him back to sleep...at 4am!

 I wake up at 6h30 to drive him to his personalized daycare (his Abuelo). So...here I sit, at work trying to write to this journal and make sence.

Bored yet?
I am... so, I'm just going to post this and sign off.

 www.playingitloud.com
www.otcentral.com

Sep. 27th, 2004 @ 02:21 pm

Something else

I'm trying damnit...but I'm not succeeding. I even tried another palce (blog) and even that's not doing it for me. I just can't seem to post about my life without either seeming to be going Rah rah...I've got an ego!! or...poor ol' me. I need a hug!
 Feh!!
 I'll try again.

Sep. 20th, 2004 @ 04:33 pm