Sunday 10 May 2020

Lockdown blues and booze!

City of my birth and a long time favourite!
The last few days have seen a major dip in my mood as I struggle to cope with the extended lockdown. I'm reading very much the same thing around several of my fellow bloggers and given the crazy times we are living through it is not really surprising. Meantime I'm doing what I can to help the brewing industry through the crisis, I find it helps!

That said I'm still using painting soldiers as a therapy, which was my reason for starting this blog ten years ago. The fact that I can paint a base of DBN figures over the course of a day is still keeping me going and I'm actually surprised to find that since the last post here a week ago I have painted another 48 figures! They are a base of British Guards, a base of British Light infantry, a base of Italian infantry, a base of Legere and a base of Voltiguers (LI) and four more command figures. With a new ink cartridge delivered yesterday I plan to print and add some flags today. A couple of horse artillery guns (French & British) are undercoated on the painting desk.

18mm figures by Blue Moon, available in the Uk from Andy at Old Glory.






British Guards base and another light infantry base.



When you begin to deploy bases in formations DBN looks far more traditional.


Note the new painting lamp, £22.00 from Amazon, adjustable lighting levels and LED colour, perfect replacement.
Simply resized in Word from 40mm scale to 18mm scale.

Painting reference for my base of Legere.

21 comments:

  1. ‘Lee,

    I think that the onset of good weather is not helping those of us who generally feel better when the sun is shining and who cannot go out whenever we feel like it. Luckily, we have a garden and a conservatory where I can sit and soak up the sun’s rays. It has certainly helped me to cope.

    I’ve also kept my work on wargaming projects ticking over rather than really going for it. As a result, I don’t feel depressed when I cannot meet a self imposed deadline.

    Your current mood will hopefully pass in the very near future. In the meantime, keep painting your wonderful figures!

    All the best,

    Bob

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    1. Hi Bob, many thanks for your message. Certainly it's nice to be able to sit in the sun in the garden although both our neighbours have continued to have get togethers and barbecues through the lockdown with music and the drink flowing!

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  2. My wife and I were talking about cabin fever just the other night at dinner. She doesn't mind the shut in-ness of the last eight weeks or so, but it's beginning to bother me. I actually miss going into work if you can believe it.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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    1. Stokes - you are not alone - my colleagues and I are working from home at the moment, and not a few of us have been heard to mutter how much they miss going into the office... in my case I miss the joshing, joking and banter... fairly understandable I'd say...

      Lee - hang tough, matey - this can't go on forever, and before you know it we'll be down the pub and the curry house, and BBQ's with the family - we're certainly nearer to it now than 6 weeks ago.. :o)

      Loving the Legere, and well done on not taking the "greatcoat short cut".. with Napoleonic's that's cheating.. LOL! :o))

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    2. Stokes, I/we have managed to the 6 weeks pretty well, problem is that before the official lockdown I had experienced flu like symptoms so self isolated for 14 days, which puts us in the 9th week of staying indoors! I may take a long walk in the woods with the dog on Wednesday, a short drive away, but may be permissible.

      Steve, sticking with it and each morning sees a days painting challenge on the desk which I enjoy. I'm waiting on an order from Eureka for my first 18mm AB's and really looking forward to it. I'm trying to stick with campaign dress for my French, a couple of great coats may creep in here and there.

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  3. They look amazing! There is something to be said satisfaction in finishing "a base" esp in games where that is a unit as opposed to finishing "another 8 men" in a 48 man battalion.

    Chin up. Good thing we have a hobby!

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    1. Thanks Ross. I wanted to give these bases a bit of extra 'pop' so am taking the same approach to painting them as the 6mm figures by using more highlights. My days of the big battalions are over this works so much better for me and I can see my self expanding into the 100 days campaign.

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  4. Splendid work! Really very nice and I'm glad that painting is therapeutic as well as producing such great results!
    Best Iain

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    1. Cheers Iain, it's working for me. Been listening to a bit more Hawkwind of which I have a vast collection, who could not be cheered up by a song entitled 'The Aubergine that Ate Rangoon'

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  5. Lee, keep your chin up mate. Immerse yourself in the painting.

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    1. I'm doing Ok thank you JBM, hope it's the same with you?

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  6. Great work Lee, as always!

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    1. Cheers Ian, it's great to be painting 18mm Napoleonics again and I'm waiting for my first order of AB figures, who knows where that will take me!

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  7. Very nice, your stuff really pops.

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    1. Thanks Norm, more highlighting on these and satin varnish is working for me.

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    2. The satin varnish comment really interests me. I have a very good flat matt varnish ..... but it can kill the vibrancy.

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  8. Keep painting, it works mostly as therapy for me. Figures look great.

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    1. Thank you.It's a great therapy I agree, can't imagine not having a creative hobby at this time.

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  9. Many thanks for the words of support Graham. To be honest I am far more able to understand and live with bouts of depression these days and to understand the difference between feeling a bit down which is perfectly normal and a major depressive episode. Ten years ago things were much worse and it dove me very close to the edge, I'm sure you will understand what I mean by that. Painting model soldiers may have actually saved my life back then when a psychiatrist suggested I use it as a means of therapy.

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  10. The figures look really good Lee - take it easy! Only drink the good stuff! Look after yourself.

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    1. Hello Tony, thanks for looking in. Hope things are good for you and yours, we're fine here, need to get out more but fine :)

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