New Nest

So yet another home is left behind, empty from my belongings. I'm a happy tenant of a single-family home with huge garden in a small town known Lapua. Extra space came to use as our previous apartment was getting very small. One of the best things about the new space is that I now have a room of my own dedicated for the hobby, yay!

Panorama view from the new lair of izeColt

Finnish "antique" from the 50's

The study is very cozy and relaxing space. It's a place where my creative horizon can spread like never before, providing great framework to leech energy from.

The desk is a product of Lahden Puukalusto Oy and it represents functionalism pretty well. It consists very, well, functional storing capacities. I say the desk is a product because it is a working class version of Bilnäs' expensive counterpart and nowhere as neat and slim. But it makes its stand pretty well and looks beutifully patinated.

The history of the desk is grim. In 1976 an explosion occured in a warehouse of Lapua ammunition factory (State Cartridge Factory), killing 40 people, mainly female workers. Sixty children lost a parent in this Finland's worst modern time disaster. The desk, as far as I've been told, is a survivor from the accident. It was later sold in an auction to a former worker of the factory.

But now the desk has found a new home in my modest corner. It works as a focal point in my creative process, storing all my tools and paints within it just in a hands reach. The mechanics of the lock has a soul of its own and functions when it feels like doing so. It's pretty simple yet enough complex to keep my stuff safe and beyond the reach of the little gremlin.

I've already done some pretty interesting new creations in my new nest. I will be sharing them in next couple of days along with some amazing plans the rat pack will be doing in near future.

Stay tuned!

My New Work Bench?

Hunted Is The Hunter

Some progress with Mutie Kul mini...

And then some thoughts... Relation between Kul and his skullhopper is quite simple; hopper tracks and hunts enemies, draws their gunfire at it and then Kul pops the hostile heads into gibs with his bolt pistol. This way the one that hunts the hopper will be hunted by the mutie.

Hopper will have a small flag on its shoulders - with a target sign on it - just so that it'd be more desirable and obvious target for the opposing force. This is Kul's sixth hopper... Mutie Kul himself is carrying bolt pistol, some ammunition, frag grenades and a small family coat-of-arms.

I'm quite pleased to the outcome so far, especially in my greenstuffin' "skills" (it has been some time from my last 'putting, you know). Even though I've discarded some of the details seen in the drawing, there is still relative strong bond between the miniature version and the drawn one. Not sure if I'm gonna do those feminine boots for him, after all, they're my favourite part...

Creative Horizon

Creative mind needs to discharge itself for time to time. If it doesn't, it will get anguished and depressed. That's one of the "curses" of being creative.

The way you empty your can of inspiration doesn't really matter, just as long as it's something you really enjoy doing and what motivates you; write, draw, paint, build, discuss, read, improve your skill, live, learn and enjoy.

Discharging your fully loaded creativity can sometimes be really hard in today's pressing society. It's because of the lack of time, or more properly put, lack of courage to make the time - and I'm a bit of a coward in this case, to tell you to truth...

But when you're short of time you start to appreciate it more. I, for instance, have really started focusing on what I want to do with my precious hobbytime. I'd like to have an inspirational working space where I'd enjoy every drop of creativity I have damed in my packed mind, something similar that Migsula is currently working with.

This is something I'd like to call as a creative horizon. When you've reached certain step in your hobby, you start to think how'd it feel like to stay on that spot for a bit longer and widen your point of view a bit more horizontal, look for new ways to take the most out of that stage.

For example, you're enjoying the way you paint and convert your miniatures, but you'd like to get more out of 'em than just paint and finish the work. You start to write background stories about your heroes, tell their tales and give them more than meets the eye. Another way is to create some side projects such as character cards, parchaments for spells and tarot cards that your painted character might use in his/her universe. This can be very fascinating way to add more value for your hobbytime and create more depth for your creative project. Tears of Envy's =][=MVNDA project is kind of something I'm aiming at with this ramble...

For me it's the little things that make my creative horizon more wanderous. I've started widening my perspective and look for new ways to improve the quality time I've in my hands for my hobby. I've thought about starting my own little Inquisitor/Necromunda posse project, building it up from figures that I'd really love to paint, this meaning that I'd have to do some serious conversion and kitbashing work to get to that point. I'd then widen the project by adding some detailed papers, drawings and background stories for 'em, giving life to them in their own universe. That'd be neat.

I'm also currently trying to "decorate" my hobby surroundings with little things that matter to me, images, music, books and such. There's just something when you raise your head from your project for some neck strecthes, your nose catches some pleasant scent from the old booklets full of beautiful images, laid open for some bursts of inspirations while eardrums are bouncing in the beat of the relaxing thrash metal from the late 80's and the early 90's. That makes it for me at the moment, though it's too bad that it's impossible to paint in the light of the candles... *sigh*

My nest of comfy chaos, creative horizon wide and open for wandering.

So, how do you spend your pools of creativity? Do you widen your creative horizon from the point where you're currently staying at and how? The word is free.

- izeColt

Work Space & Ergonomics

Today i TRY to write about something that is also very important part of this hobby, although it is too often  overlooked by hobbyists. The subject is Working Ergonomics.

I have added some pictures from my personal facilities to work as bad examples here. I was inspired by Steve B's brilliant article about importance of proper working light (too often you see people trying to paint in this dark "cave like" enviroment of their rooms with single yellowish light bulb illuminating the space ) Im sure that i will buy that SAME lamp that Steve has very soon!

As my working with these green little men has started to take more and more time, i have been thinking about this stuff more and more lately. My own space is very bad example, since my desk is too low and the lighting is not the best available, the list goes on...

This is my working station...nothing too special just a desk and a stool and that green gym ball...yes i sometimes sit on that=)...iv' been thinking about buying saddle stool since it is said to be good for your back. New Desk would be great too...but im not sure what kind of desk would suit me best..I really need some answers, 'cause i want to built a work space, that would be ergonomic and something that would allow me to work long periods without neck aches and all those nasty stuff;)....

What whould be very COOL and usefull is that, if  all you Professional (or Pro- level) people out there, who are reading our blog here, would care to share us something about you own working habits. If you could tell us how you do it, what kind of eguipment you use, What is important and what's not, you know what im talking about right? You work all day long without breaking your backs;)..........so who's really reading this blog eh? J.B, Steve B. Roman, JRN? maybe...Jess by any chanche?? Kev White??? i don't know

I think this could be very interesting and truly helpfull if you could share something here. If you have anything to say about this, i would be VERY happy.



and then little extra-

Something like a half an year ago Janzki was asking me to show some tools that i use when i sculpt, so here they are finally=)..quite minimal stuff really... some silicon Paint Shapers (i have all the shapes and grades!) i use them 90% of the time..black jars hold the different putty components, some wire, X-acto..glue. Sculptors really dont need that much stuff!!!=)

Oh! and i'v been planning to take new step into digital realm of sculpting too in the near future.. I need to buy new computer, PowerBook i guess and some good Sculpting program MudBox or ZBrush havent decided it yet (nor i have the money needed;) i already have the Wacom tablet...

-Okkiw

The Renegade "Captain Gaga", Painting Stage #1

Here's some first painting WIP shots from the Captain Gaga.

I decided to paint her skin very pale and use dark make-up as a contrasting effect. I'm not sure if the make-up is strong enough, so suggestions are more than welcome. After all, this is the first female character that I'm painting, as far as I can remember.

The skin still needs some work with shadows and small details. I thought to paint some impurities here and there just to break otherwise smooth skin and make it look more humane.

I'm quite satisfied by the way red corset looks so far. It still needs quite a lot of work, for instance I'm planning to decorate the center piece with some nice freehand pattern. But the colour is just what I was looking for...

After good one and a half hour painting session the little snotling decided that it was time for me to have a break from my todays work, by waking up from his day nap, occupying my painting station's seat and threateningly handling wire cutters with a wicked blink in his eye corner. Yeah, it was time to close the table lid and shut down the lights.

Work Bench Update 2.0!

Hell'o!

Here's some "teaser footage" for my Captain Gaga project!
The sculpt is about 80% ready at the moment.

Work Bench Update!

There you go!

Since my friend izeColt has been posting so many blog posts lately, i'v been feeling little ashamed for not uploading anything here...after all, this is my blog too!!

So here is little something: Just tought i could show what i am working at the moment. It is 90mm tall female figure..She is going to be a space pirate some day!!

I will post more information about this project later (hopefully not much later;)

That's about it! hope you like it!

All In a Day's Work

I'm on fire! This week has been very productive, at least what comes to my hobby. I managed to paint Fimir Bust in just couple of evenings and now I'm on my everlasting Chaos Space Marines project. Yeah, that doesn't sound like a much but when you consider that you need to work, look after your child, do household chores and have quality time with your fiancee, I think I'm doing quite well ;)

I thought to share my practical painting station with you, just for fun.

My portable painting station, which also works as a baking platform. It's very useful to have portable painting station when you've 1,5 years old perisher running around the house pulling everything down that he manages to get his hands on. It'd be damn shame to see him gnawing one of the projects which I just spent couple of day's work.

Part on my current everlasting Emperor's Children project. Good things come slowly.

So that's where the magic happens. Interesting, or maybe not. Still so much to do and so little time...