Tomorrow will mark one year since I started this blog project. I'll stamp it as a milestone since I've somewhat kept up with it. Over the course of the summer I didn't really get alot done. I'd blame 2 parts work with 1 part of not being motivated. I think this year was about the busiest I've been as far as my professional career goes and it took a toll on my hobby. Also, sometimes its hard to find the motivation to slap paint onto plastic. It's a lot easier to flip on the playstation than it is to get that perfect wet-blend on that cloak. Hopefully this upcoming year will be different, but lets take a look back at my 2013 goals....
Finish the Goblin Town Box Set(Completed)Marry my gf/fiancee of 8 years (Aug. 31st)(Completed)Paint a 1000 point Gondor Army(Completed)- Paint a 600 point Rohan Army
Finish up my Isengard Army(N/A)Finish up my Mordor Army(N/A)- Push my general orc total to 72 models (I think I'm in the 40's at this moment)
Experiment more with conversions(Completed)- Paint a 600 point Elven Army
- Finish painting my Garden of Morr Cemetery that is half done.
Get more involved with the gaming community(Completed? Sorta)Become a better painter by working on my weaknesses(Completed? Sorta)
2.) I did get married this year, which in hobby terms means 95% of my money for the better half of the year went towards the wedding. Now it seems I have a little bit more pocket change to spend on the hobby, but with typical Games Workshop, it means I'll be getting less product at a higher cost. Now the next big ticket item is a house with a full basement dedicated to my craft.
3.) Now I did paint a 1000 point Gondor force. Is it complete? Nope. I still have plenty to add to it. Am I in a rush to complete it? Nope, but it doesn't mean I won't dabble into it from time to time. I still have calvary slots I need to fill as well as a few elite troop choices to round it out.
4.) I did not get 1 Rohan model completed this year. I own an entire legion of Rohan, but I just haven't gotten to it yet.
5 and 6.) I'm labeling these as not going to happen. Will I continue to paint my Isengard and Mordor forces? Absolutely, I have tons and ton of models in my backlog ready to go. Will I ever complete them? Nope. I've come to the realization as both a collector and a painter that an Army that I own will never be labeled as "Complete". I know myself well enough after 31 years to know that I'll always want to add something or modify something. Rather than saying "Complete" or "Finished", I think a more appropriate wording would be "I am happy with it for now".
7.) What I meant by "Orc" was the general troops orcs. Not Morannon orcs or any specialty orc models.... just general scrumy orcs. I bought a host of orcs off ebay for dirt cheap before the warband books came out. I've bagged them up and they're waiting for love. They will continue to wait until I find the motivation to rip them apart and customize them to my hearts content. Needless to say, upping my current painted count of orcs isn't a big priority at this stage.
8.) Experiment with conversions? Check. I've done weapon and head swaps to a certain degree of success. I hope to continue this trend with more complicated conversions, maybe going so far as to partially sculpt body parts to give already existing models a fresh/unique look. I've come to the conclusion that I find this aspect of the hobby fun and exciting. I plan to continue this trend into future endeavors.
9.) Painting a 600 point elven force? Again, I have the models, but this isn't a priority anymore. When the time comes, they're time will come... until then, it just isn't a priority.
10.) Finish painting my garden of morr? It's still collecting dust and I need to change that.
11.) As far as the community goes, I think I've gotten a bit more involved. I try to play atleast once a month and I've gone to few tournaments. I'll mark this one down as a win for me.
12.) Become a better painter? Hmmm... that's such a subjective question. Over the course of a year, I'd say I've gotten better. I think I've hit the point where my painting abilities aren't increasing in leaps and bounds, but I'm on the slow progression from intermediate painting to advanced/professional. I understand the basics and a little of the advanced techniques, but I know I have a long way to go to where I want to be. Even when I do reach a professional grade in painting, I'll be eyeballing the next tier after that. I'd say this is a never-ending battle. I believe I have the ability to paint at a world class level, it's just going to take alot of work to hone my craft even further.
So with that out of the way, lets look ahead to 2014. What exactly are my plans for this upcoming year as far as my hobbying goes?
Complete my 750 point Erebor Army for Adepticon(Done in Feb.)- Get a decent amount of my Azog's Hunter army off my backlog and in my display case
- It's time to finish the Garden's of Morr. Dust that sucker off and get it done.
- Complete one of the freeblades starter sets I bought last year.
- Paint that Cawdor Gang from Necromunda I bought last year.
- Paint some Rohan up into a playable force (300, 500, 750, it doesn't matter)
Find and purchase Arvedui and Malbeth the Seer GW models (I seriously check ebay everyday for them)(Done late January)
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