It's been a while since I updated the blog, I think due to a couple of reasons. Firstly I have been battling a bout of the old Black Dog/Winter Blues alongside a chest infection that has taken a long time to clear and has got me down. Secondly I have been pondering if my frequent updates consisting of endless photos of commission painting with very little actual wargaming content is the reason for the steady decline in page views here over the past six months or so. In order to publicise my painting service - which is now primarily focused on Warlord Epic figures - I have been posting around numerous social media Facebook groups and the response has been something of a revelation to me. The numbers of likes and comments far exceeds the blog but at the same time I am very attached to my old blog and indeed grateful for all of the support that has really helped me in my battle with Depression and Anxiety over the years. Upshot is that I'll post less frequently here and try to focus more on my own projects with some additional content featuring some of the commission work.
I'm pretty well focused on the recently discovered 3mm ranges and have further plans for new armies, more of that in a bit. What I'm aiming for are a series of 'Card Table Battles' in 3mm scale, beginning with DBA. One of the major advantages of the small scales is that you can really go to town (sorry!) on the terrain, something that really interests me.
I now have 4 DBA armies finished in 3mm, and while I have been tempted to add a fourth, a Spartan army, I have made up my mind to go for the English Civil War using the lovely figures by Magister Militum. The plan is for foot regiments of around 100 figures, 32 pike, 64 muskets plus command, all based 4 strips deep in bases 70mm wide x 25mm deep. I think this will look pretty close to contemporary illustrations and could look quite colourful with the different units in various coat colours etc. First figures are on order from MM and I expect to be able to make quite fast progress using the same painting style as on the ancients which have been basically based up and painted as blocks, picking out what's visible from a flat black base coat.
The Early Imperial Romans and Celts have already featured here as have the Carthaginians so here are the Polybian Roman opponents. What you see are the Veteran Triarii (spears)at the rear with the Principes and Hastati (Blades) to their front with skirmishing Velites in front. Two bases of cavalry complete the army, one being the Generals element.
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| The classic encounter, Rome v Carthage. |
I did the test base of Spartans, and I will get round to doing the full 12 elements. Could not help but be reminded of the cover of the classic rock album 'Argus' by Wishbone Ash recorded 50 years ago and still on my regular playlist. I first them at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1977 and they do still tour, albeit getting on a bit now!
Bloody hell mate, Wishbone Ash?!! Man that’s a blast from the past! I actually like to see the stuff you’ve painted, commission work or not, it inspires me to get the brushes out, and the amount you get done has once or twice made me think - oh come on, one more stand before going to bed…if Lee can do it…etc. There are a few folk out there (of which I’m one) who don’t do Facebook or any of the usual social media stuff. From a selfish perspective it’d be a shame to lose you to that crowd, (though I understand the higher levels of affirmation and indeed getting the word out if you’re in business). Maybe you are right. Fewer posts here but with a sprinkling of these DBA armies in a game or two. Not sure where you’d find the time mind you?!
ReplyDeleteHi mate. The Argus album reminds of just how old I am now! Commission work, it was either find a proper part time job or push the painting and I'm happier doing the latter, no doubt about that. I don't do that much FB, mainly the Epic group which is pushing 4000 members so my photos reach a lot of targeted interest :) Aside from that I post mainly in the dedicated 2mm/3mm (no 6mm giants allowed here) group which is very active and has some wonderfully creative input including one guy who makes all his ancients from scratch using different types of velcro as spears! (I'll email you a few pics).
DeleteI am not a FB user etc and because of that, I know that I lose out to some of the very strong wargame groups. Are blogs / bloggers migrating to the likes of FB as a general, not sure. My own blog viewing numbers have dropped from the 12 - 14k per month to the 10 - 12k per month, so dropping numbers does seem to be a real thing, though I do like the fact that a blog gives you the space to cover a subject as fully as you want and that from an archive point of view, those older posts are easier to for people to find and dip back into.
ReplyDeleteThere is no particular right way, but from your POV, selling a service, the social media platforms must seem eminently useful and rewarding.
You are and no doubt will remain a wargaming butterfly and from that perspective, keeping the blog going for sharing moments of sudden immersion in a new project (3mm and Essex DBA) that does need a broader platform also seems like a good idea.
I too find my mind increasingly going back to the 70’s and wondering how that time has passed so quickly - there is something ‘just right’ about vinyl bought in those days.
Thank you for the comment Norm and your longstanding support for the blog. I agree that FB is te way to go for selling' my painting service, the Epic group that I belong to - not officially a Warlord group - has almost 4000 members so my photos can reach a lot of people with an interest in Epics.
DeleteMy recent discovery of DBA and 3mm scale has changed everything, I can build multiple armies in very little time and is very rewarding. I'm planning the ECW in the scale using the same figure range next with 100 figure foot units. Card table battles are the way forward for me, inspired by your pin board and pocket armies concepts, it presents a great challenge.
All the best Norm
Lee.
I still check the blog , just to see your latest painting. I think Blogger has be in decline for a while with more people moving to other social media platforms
ReplyDeleteFB is fine for a couple of photo's and a paragraph to announce what you've achieved, but I find that a blog is a better place to publish anything longer. The blog culture isn't the same as FB where one click to "like" a post exists as a minimal level of engagement without needing to type any response.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I'm an old geezer who still regularly listens to Argus (and Front Page News), so you'd get a more up-to-date reaction by asking my grandchildren :-)
‘Lee,
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry to read that you’ve been battling against both the ‘Black Dog’ and an infection. One would be bad enough to cope with, but both at the same time … that’s too much!
I’ve enjoyed seeing your excellent painting output, and only wish that my skill level was half as good as yours. I’m more a member of the clumsy gorilla with a 6-inch paintbrush school of painters!
I think that it’s a good idea to reduce your blog posting if you are finding it irksome. I’ve done that a few times in the past and even a short break did wonders for my enthusiasm.
Keep safe and keep well,
Bob
Many thanks Bob, I'm feeling stronger now :) Don't know what I would do without my ability to paint model soldiers!
DeleteLook after yourself too,
Lee.
Lee, I have no complaints on your content. Like JBM your painting keeps me enthused. I never look at the viewing figures on my blog any more, it’s nice if people make a comment and I’ve made ‘ether’ friends through it but it is very much a diary or journal of my hobby. I write what I want in as much detail as I want and hopefully some people find it interesting or of use.
ReplyDeleteFor good or bad it’s sometimes quite good to look through those earlier posts. Like you I’m a bit of a Wargame butterfly although after all these years it seems to be settling into key periods and scale. For your business Facebook, I would suggest, is definitely the way to go as I’m sure you’re finding. So do what you’re comfortable with and don’t worry.
It’s your call Lee. Do what you want, for whatever reasons matter to you. It’s your hobby, your life, your time - spend it however you want.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly do have a gift for producing lots and lots of nicely based, well painted figures - effectively “battle ready”. It’s always nice to see we’ll painted armies- I’m jealous I have no painting skills whatsoever ☹️🧐
Who “of a certain age” doesn’t like the feel, touch and look of LPs and their covers? Although I was never so daft as one of my friends who would often open the LP cover and pop it on top of his head as a makeshift hat. What lunacy is that???
Cheers,
Geoff
Cheers Geoff, appreciate the comment :)
DeleteI hope you stick around on the blogosphere as well as pursuing the bright lights of FB. Even though I do have an FB account I very rarely look at it and if I do, it's around people I know, not hobby stuff. I like my blog and am happy with the 25-40 comments I generally get per post - don't know how many views I get, I never look - comments are all that count in my book!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment rross. I do try to limit my time of FB and it's the only social media platform I use.
DeleteI refuse to use Faceplant; just don't get on with it irrespective of whatever the moral issues of good or bad there are around it. Likewise Tw*tter and the rest....
ReplyDeleteI was late to blogging; started one and just couldn't get on with it, so it sat there moribund for years.
When I restarted, it was for my own record of progress. I now have a small number of followers who comment regularly, with others who do so occasionally and even random non-followers. TBH I'm still amazed that anyone is even vaguely interested in my ramblings and poor photos....
I think the key issue is who are you blogging for? You or others? It's very good for the ego to receive supportive comments and track the numbers of visitors and followers, but this will drag you into the social media induced anxiety of how many likes and followers you have....
As someone who has endured more than their share of depression, I'd argue trying to measure your self-worth based on the opinion of others is not a long-term strategy for coping with it. IMHO, in the long term it's more likely to have the opposite effect.....
As tempting as FB likes may be, it's a fickle and shallow platform from what I've heard and seen.
IIRC, you started with a very nice 6mm ECW blog? That was very inspiring.
I'd just be proud of your painting skills and not worry about the rest. Recently, I looked back at how much I'd achieved in one of my projects in a relatively short period of time; without the blog to measure progress, I'd never have believed how much I'd painted in so few months. That was a bigger boost than any number of likes!
Neil
Thank you Neil, that was a very thought provoking reply, especially around depression. As I have gradually tried to increase the reach of my painting service in order to gain more enquiries and thus achieve a more reasonable hourly rate the FB group pages have proved to be the place to do that. I'm now turning down work or booking months in advance! But in so doing I have lost something of the joy of the hobby, there is no doubt about that, painting epics for hours on end can feel something of a production line but I tell myself it's what I do and what I'm good at. At some point in the future, possibly January next year when I hit 66 I might well ease back and start a proper project for myself again, meantime I continue to fiddle around the edges. I'm enjoying the challenge of 3mm ancients though.
DeleteRegards and thanks,
Lee.
Many years ago I moved out of a career that I was not enjoying much into working for a large wargames figure manufacturer. I naively thought working in the same industry as my hobby would be a dream job....
DeleteStrangely, having all your waking hours filled with toy soldiers was not the dream I thought it would be; it still has the same pressures of any other job, if not more, as it is definitely on the unregulated, unsecure end of employment. The problem was what do you escape to? The last thing I wanted to do was be reminded of work.....
Fortunately, it didn't last long and after various traumas and hard work, I have a different career that I actually enjoy. It's stressful, but at the end of the week I escape into modelling and painting.....
When it becomes work, it's not a hobby. If you are not enjoying what you are doing, change it.
I'd say carry on but monitor how much you are taking on and make sure at least some of what you do is for yourself....
Thank you again Neil and I fully understand the points you make, really resonates with me at the moment. One thing I do is to set myself start and finish times with evenings and weekends as my time, but recently things have piled up a bit and I have been playing catch up which is not so good. Does not help that I suffer from pretty bad social anxiety and it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to get out of the house, it's a personal battle that I generally try to keep away from the blog. I do have a very supportive family around me.
DeleteI enjoy your posts on your blog, whether your posting about your figures or commission work. I also post on Facebook and do sometimes get a lot of dialogue back, but the blog is king (for me anyway). It's as part of my hobby as playing games and painting figures.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work whichever format you choose to use. We'll all still follow your shenanigans!
Thanks Ray for the supportive comment. I do hope to get more gaming content going forward although it will all be in my 'new' 3mm scale :)
DeleteKeep the content coming in any form you like Lee.. I always enjoy it.. like the others above have said, Blogger has been in decline for a few years now - I don't get the numbers I used to, and I think it is because of the effort required for a Blogger post compared with a throw away Twitter or Farcebook update.. I spectate on FB, but I engage with Blogger... as Neil also very tellingly said, it's important to keep in mind who you are Blogging for.. for me, it's me, if I get views and comments, great, but it's their primarily for my project pages and being able to help order my disordered mind!
ReplyDelete