Pah!

I really need to update this blog more often.

I appear to have gained a stalker. This is a guy who is/was a friend, but he fell for me in a big way, and now I want to get rid of him. It's a shame really - he's a nice guy, but he's also an emo whiney bitch with all the emotional maturity of a 13-year old, and I refuse to be his prop any more. Over the weekend I was quite busy, and didn't reply to his texts (many) asking how I was because - frankly - it wasn't any of his damn business (I was fine, by the way, but I have initiated a new policy of no-contact cold-turkey for him). Drew and I both agree -he will either get the message and come out of this having grown a little bit into a man who actually has a pair of balls instead of being a great flapping pussy bitch-boy, or I will get nasty at the end and actually tell him what I think and he will lose any vesigial friendship that I have left.

The level of texting he does is, quite frankly, inappropriate. I'll be curled up on the sofa with Battlestar Galactica, my dinner, a blanket and my husband and he'll want a conversation. Or randomly text me something like "DnD gnomes just ate my face!!!". I don't care, and I don't want to know. I want to watch TV without interuptions and I want to be able to go out to see my friends without him wanting to know what I'm doing.

So I've cut him off for the week. I've had three pitiful texts and he blogged it. He was getting better and now he's got worse again.

Sad little man. I see an argument in the offing.

The wonders of leading the herd

I'm posting this mini-rant on this blog and not my other one, because it concerns a lot of my livejournal friends.

Approximately two-three months ago, I decided that I wanted to start bouldering. This is like rock climbing, but you never go higher than three-five metres off the ground. I mentioned this on my LJ, got a contact from one friend and expressed my desire to give it a try. I then discover that about three other friends have lept on the idea, and are also going to the introduction session the following Friday, which I was unable to make. So I ring up the place and manage to book a one-on-one intro session for the Friday afternoon. Go along. Have loads of fun.

Since then, I have been going fairly regularly with a friend that is also rather good at climbing. I find this very useful, as he encourages me to climb better and try harder problems than if I was going on my own. We have a laugh when we go as well. We get along like a house on fire (with the screaming, burning and subsequent insurance claims).

Another friend joins us for an hour of these sessions. I do not mind this. Much.

However, recently a lot of other friends are getting in on the act. They all go along on a Thursday evening, meet up, have a great time. I am unable to go. I am jealous. I then find out today that a hefty group went yesterday lunchtime as well. And there are photos. They, again, look like they are having a great time.

I am really rather annoyed over this. I know that it's stupid and immature, but this was -my- hobby, and now a load of other people have come in and are taking over and I feel less unique and interesting as a result. The only thing that I can hope is that one of the friends who drives in from Cardiff stops fairly soon because she can't afford it, and another one - whose first session was yesterday - decides not to take it up, especially when he feels how painful it can be the morning after.

So, am I selfish and childish and immature? Surely these people should be able to find their own hobby...

Brum brum! Shiny new toy!

Meet Mini-Miles

I have finished my fourth commission piece and handed it to the client on Saturday. This is not, unfortunately, the fourth member of the tabletop game that I have done all of my other pieces for. I'm still trying to get -that- job. This job was simply for flavour, as it is a representation of a larp character.

Anyhoo, I was presented with the old Warhammer Quest witch hunter model by a friend. Let's call him Nick, for that is his name. He had already painted it, but it was during his "Terracotta Phase". I particularly liked his pink bandoliers. However, painting the shirt and trousers pink as well just made him look a bit...well, a bit camp.

So, I looked back over various posts on the Warhammer forum (and the blog of the Mighty Mighty Willard Foxton) and bought myself a bottle of Flash All-Purpose to strip the paint. I left him soaking for about three days and then attacked the model with an old toothbrush (which fell apart under the strain) and a cocktail stick. The paint just flaked off in a very satisfying way, leaving the model looking shiny and new.

Naturally, he was not equipped right. For one thing, I hated the curved scimitar-esque sword, and for another, Miles (for that is the characters name) doesn't have a pistol. I had to change that out for a cross bow. I think you will agree that the model looks a lot better...

And then I was able to start painting him. Obviously once the paint stripping was done and before the conversion was started, mini-Miles was washed very -very- well. I didn't want the paint to start dissolving off him as I painted, after all! And so, I present: Miles Brauer, Witch Hunter in training of Steinhof, east Ostland!

Pimping my husband

Andrew's next army project:-

Yes, that's right people. He's revisiting the good ol' Scythes of the Emperor. Only this time, they are better/faster/stronger and a hell of a lot more battle damaged :)

Tari

I've now finished the third model of the gaming group that I'm doing the commissions for. I would like the point the casual observer towards the bottom of his robe. I am very pleased with this, especially as it was Hubby who had to sweat and swear at it instead of me :-). The model is the Elf Mage from Mordheim. He's either under the Hired Swords or Mercenaries scetion, I can't remember which.

Not for me, but for the Beloved

Hey

I'm crap at updating this thing. As I said in my first post, most of the day to day detritus of my life tends to go on my livejournal.

But I thought that as it was getting near to the 40K Grand Tournament Final I would post a link to Andrew's Sisters of Battle blog which he has been doing on the Warhammer forum so that other people can go "ooooooo" and make both him and me feel better. Him because he is working his butt off painting the damn things, and me because I sit in the painting room with him and keep him company. Or supplied with tea. Usually both.

Aaaaanyhoo, the link: http://warhammer.org.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=48416

Enjoy!

Quoth the Raven

Nevermore! Well, this little lass is called Lenore... A piece I did for a friend for the same tabletop game as the priest in the previous post. She also gave me a load of extra Reaper minis to paint as I see fit at some point. And she doesn't want them back... As she put it, "it's one less tiny thing for my son to stick up his nose".

Drumroll please

I have finished my first commission piece! I handed to the customer yesterday, and although the light was crappy, he was very pleased with it. I believe the phrase used was "wow - that's better than I could have imagined". The stupid thing is I varnished it yesterday morning and I thought to myself "hmmm. I could have done that better..." *headdesk*

Anyhoo, pictures!

Blogs are like chocolate bars - I can have two going at the same time...

A second blog! I could almost be accused of being a touch self-indulgent. Basically, my other blog (http://tigerpixie.livejournal.com/) is for my day-to-day stuff, and this one will be for my modelling, painting and concersion, as well as the occasional cross-post, because I am lazy and don't like typing the same thing twice.

I am a very rare and exotic creature. Not only did I not run screaming when my boyfriend said that he did table-top roleplay, I asked to join. Even when he showed me his White Scar Space Marines, I said that I had always fancied playing Tyranids. Yes, he is that lucky, which is why I guess he decided that he would marry me in case I suddenly realised that maybe my bank balance would be healthier without him.

The problem is that I'm starting to get worse. I larp. I make costumes for fantasy creatures which I shall very shortly wear in public, and I have far too many painting projects on the go. I have a backlog of fifty models which I have sworn I will get done by the end of the year. That is my only resolution. Only I keep finding new and exciting models all the time, and the older stuff gets pushed back further and further until they are gathering dust... And now I just feel bad for them.

Oh yes, and I tend to give inanimate objects personalities and feelings, and then feel bad about leaving the last few chips on my plate (they want to join their friends in my stomach and I will make myself bloated and sick for their wishes). I am, as the blog proudly states, a strange little bunny.