Really pleased with the supportive comments on my post of yesterday, thank you and I will reply to each individual comment as I think it's important to do so. Some very valid points made and I totally agree that the formats are very different, especially around the transient nature of social media posts compared to blog posts. I was looking back through here yesterday and became aware that in many ways it's actually rather like a diary, recording not just hobby events but also life events. Blog was started at a very low point in my life, shortly after I was referred to the care of the local Mental Health team and extremely vulnerable, it was actually my consultant psychiatrist who suggested that I use my hobby as a means of recovery and therapy, thus the title. Life has moved on since then and it's all recorded here through the hobby.
There is no doubt that I have lost much of my interest in wargaming, it's as if my brain will no longer allow me to identify with those little soldiers on the table as I once did, certainly back in my days of Johnny Reb II when I was right there beside the little guys! Still, I do very much enjoy the painting aspect and the concentration required to paint for up to 5 hours solid is excellent therapy. I'm now putting in up to 25 hours per week painting on commission with evenings and weekends off so still have time to do a bit for myself. I'm now very much focused on the Epic's as demand is high for painting them and I have established a method that allows me to produce good results at speed. There is also high demand for 15mm/18mm scale painting and I have a few hundred AB Napoleonics booked in from July onwards and ongoing ECW's for Graham. I'm now generally taking bookings for July onwards and I'm surprised how long customers are happy to wait to have their figures painted! I'll keep going for as long as I'm still able, maybe cutting back a little when I hit my state pension in January :)
So, the blog will live on, maybe I'll separate the commission/hobby posts going forward.
Thanks you again for the comments, much appreciated and gave me something of a boost.
A few shots of recent commission work, the January batch of Prussians for Tony2 and last weeks Peter Pig ECW's for Graham. This week I'm catching up with the January ACW Epic batch for Chris, short month! I have a mountain of Epic plastic sprues for four customers to gradually work through over the coming months.
They are superbly done and glad the blog is continuing
ReplyDeletemany thanks Neil :)
DeleteThose Prussians look like they mean business. Glad you're sticking with the blog as I enjoy seeing a wide range of gaming approaches like the 2/3mm stuff which doesn't get as much attention as the 28mm.
ReplyDeleteCheers Rob. I'm enjoying the 3mm stuff, next up ECW using 100 figure regiments of foot :)
DeleteI second Neil’s comment. Use your blog like a diary…I know I do… Assuming blogs remain accessible in the future my grandkids will know far more about me than i ever knew about my grand parents.
ReplyDeleteindeed your painting of all scales and superb, and many sincere thanks for all my 20mm figures you've done for me, long live your blog, look after yourself, and you will always have my support!!! cheers Old John
ReplyDeleteBeautifully executed figures, well done.
ReplyDeleteStarted reading this post, then stopped and went back to yesterday's first.
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased you'll still be posting here. I love to see your figures and yourself lucky to be able to spend so much time painting, I'm very jealous!
Impressive stuff Lee.
ReplyDeleteI trust these well painted fellas will perform sterling service on the battlefield - clearly the care & attention you’ve given to painting/basing/presenting the troops will doubtless inspire them to tabletop heroics. That’s the way it should work anyway. 🤣😂
Sadly I won’t hit state pension age till May next year, but that doesn’t stop me counting the months, weeks, days… That’s when I hope to ramp up the gaming. 😊😎
Cheers,
Geoff
Hello there old chap,
ReplyDeleteI have to say that for me the first thing I look at when I see your blog has a new post are the incredible and hugely inspiring pictures of your latest paint job! I have noticed your drift away from figure gaming as you really enjoy the painting stuff (and are one of the best painters I have ever had the privilege of interacting with!) which is absolutely fine. I was really pleased when you went full on 3mm DBA and for me this is key for you because it means small bite sized readily gameable armies so you can ‘keep your hand in’. Aside from the commission stuff remember that this is a hobby and nobody can decide what works for you - only you.
Please keep the blog going as it is - the artwork alone is inspiration for us mere mortals!
All the best old friend - keep on keeping on how ever works best for you!
DC (still knee deep in MDF!)
Those grey lancers are mouth watering... and I love the ECW green regiment..
ReplyDeleteCheers Steve. Pomeranian Landwehr in grey and the Green ECW's are actually Irish as we start to get into Grahams next phase :) What do you think about the Warlord Epic concept in general I wonder? The ECW's are next up and I have already remarked about the overlapping musketeers but there seem to be huge interest from wargamers who are totally new to the period.
DeleteECW epic? I like them, but not enough to abandon the scale I am already doing the period in... and if I was starting a period that Epic was available in, even then I would be in two minds... for me, metal figures are something I aspired to after years and years of playing with Airfix and watching the masters with their glorious Minifig/Hinchliffe armies.. and the scale gives an "epic" appearance when they're deployed, but that's not the scale of battle I most enjoy - for me a couple of brigades is the sweet spot, maybe three, but these little guys I think are designed for the megalomaniacs.. :o) I have 10's in my collection (Minifgs N scale WWII North Africa) where I think the scale works, but otherwise 15mm delivers the appearance, while still being easy on (my) eye...
DeleteI have always loved the feel of metal figures and the style of the old master sculptors. But the Epics are cheap and cheerful, probably as Airfix were back in our days of youth :) I can only say that Epics offers the opportunity for youngsters to get into historical wargaming at an affordable price, especially in these times of austerity. 100 plastic figures for a fiver or so! I'm not so keen on the new ECW's though, great facial and period detail etc but SO overlapped I personally can't buy into it.
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