Friday 30 May 2014

A Tale of Duelling Gamers - Enter Treeman!


Here we go then, the finished product for May's portion of the Duelling Gamers challenge. Although one model seemed like a hugely underwhelming target for a whole month, in hindsight I'm glad I didn't give myself more to do. I'm not used to painting big models like this, and certainly not this "type" of figure where the colour scheme is completely undetermined. Really, the only model I have to compare to this is the Screaming Bell for my Skaven, but that was easy to paint, relatively speaking. Everyone knows how to paint metal parts, everyone knows how to paint wooden beams, everyone knows how to paint rope and chains, which is essentially all the Screaming Bell is - the colours are already "pre-set" in your head, because you know what they're supposed to look like. But what colour is a living, walking tree supposed to be?

I'll admit I went in rather rashly and began painting before I'd actually thought about *how* to paint the Treeman. I undercoated white (as usual), basecoated all over with Rakarth Flesh (as usual, for my other forest spirits, anyway), washed with Agrax Earthshade (as usual) and then....

Stuck. I had no idea where to go from there. Eventually, after plenty of trial and error, I stumbled on a scheme that I'm more-or-less happy with. In the end, I think I probably spent more time thinking about how to paint the Treeman than actually painting him. 

In the end, I don't think he's turned out too bad, and I think he fits with the established colour scheme of the rest of the army (as much as is possible for a living, walking tree anyway). The only part I'm not entirely happy with is the strangleroots shooting out of his hand; they need something more doing with them to really do them justice, but I'm not confident enough to attempt the (seemingly) complicated blending I'd like to do, especially on a deadline!








Anyway, that's another month over and finished on time (he was actually finished a couple of days ago, so I wasn't painting right up until the deadline this time!) 

One thing I have realised though, over the course of this month in particular, is that I'm completely rubbish at posting blog updates. In fact, with the ToDG going on, I've even stopped updating on other non-ToDG subjects as well, which isn't good. 

I think part of the reason for that is that I really don't like posting WiP pictures. I love seeing other peoples' work in progress shots, but I'm rubbish at doing it myself - I hate the thought of posting the inevitable "here's another picture showing how little I've done in a week" updates. Why would anyone want to see that I've managed to paint another colour on a bunch of unfinished models? And so, I wait until I have a finished product to show which, as you might have guessed, takes me a while. Combine that with the fact that I tend to paint whole units at a time, rather than break them down into smaller batches (like the other ToDG participants seem to do), means that blog updates are few and far between.

All of this isn't intended as a criticism of those people who *do* post WiP updates, by the way. Like I said, I love seeing other peoples' work in progress, and seeing the evolution of models from start to finish. I just can't seem to bring myself to do it for my own blog! 

But all that is (hopefully) going to change. For next month (and, if it works, the months thereafter) I'm going to get over my irrational "fear" of WiPs, and post some of my own work in progress shots in an effort to increase the number of blog updates across the month, and hopefully give readers (if there are any!) more to keep them interested!

And on that note, I'll end! Stay tuned for the next update, coming to you sometime this weekend!

9 comments:

  1. Great looking model Nick, understated and very natural looking. I totally agree about the WIP postings, enjoy seeing them but rarely (if ever) produce one myself. Think it's mainly because I often forget to take WIP photographs in the first place.

    Will look forward to seeing more of the WIP posts in the future.

    Regards,
    Matt

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    1. Thanks Matt, glad you like it. I did actually take a couple of WIP photos at the beginning of the process, but after reviewing them I decided they weren't worth posting, as not a lot had happened! That's partly what spurred me to make the above comments about WiPs!

      P.S Are you going to Phalanx in a couple of weeks?

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    2. Not sure about Phalanx thb, might get shot by my bank manager if I spend anymore money. My next default show will probably be Derby. Would you be interested in taking part in some of the events my mate Ade is planning? Have a look at his sites at let me know:

      https://www.youtube.com/user/WargamingForFun

      http://wargamingforfun.com/

      Regards,
      Matt

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    3. I was actually going to ask if you'd be interested in joining in with our Kirkburn game, if you're free and fancied a day out. Transport could be provided, although I can't make any promises to your bank manager about the spending of money!

      I'd definitely be interested in some of the stuff Ade is planning! Of course, it'll depend on dates, but I'd certainly like to join in.

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  2. I always feel that the wood elves are heading into isolationism and thus a bit more grim than their high brethren. So you treeman suits my take on the woodies totally. WIPs please as I am a shocker too on that front.

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    1. Thanks Chris, I'll make an effort to get those WIPs posted in future for you!

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  3. Blog updates are part of why I break things down into smaller groups these days - as you say, it feels better to show a group of completed models than a bunch of half-done ones. That and the fact that you sometimes get a smaller usable unit before you've finished the regiment as a whole (my Dwarf Warriors are stranded on 21 out of 40 painted models at the moment, but have already seen use)...

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  4. Oh, and I also like the natural-looking colour scheme on your treeman. He looks great.

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    1. Thanks! And thanks for the feedback on the WIP issue. This month's figures might be the ideal opportunity to break things down into smaller groups...

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