238: Painting lava on the Avatar

Amazingly enough, the Avatar is one of the most popular posts on the blog, and its a model I'm really keen to get painted so its first up on my list for the new year.

I've never painted anything like lava before so I needed to test out some effects to see what would work.  What you see below is an attempt to recreate the classic lava look you'll find by simply searching on google.  One thing I've realised is that the areas that are going to be lava-like on this model are a lot larger than on the GW and Forgeworld avatar models.

To stop the whole model looking like some kind of weird bee, I'll be trying to make the molten sections darker, as if they are partially solidified on the surface.

237: 2015 New Years Resolutions

So here they are, my aims for the upcoming year.  I wonder if I'll have any better luck achieving them than I did my previous aims, which you can find here:
2014 resolutions and 2014 in review

2013 resolutions and 2013 in review

2012 resolutions and 2012 in review

2011 I didn't make up any resolutions but I did do a 2011 in review

• Post pictures of all the models I painted during 2014
• Skaven army, the Tyranids, One Force marines (Mk II and Mk IV)

• Continue the clear out
• Tyranids, Space Wolves (most of them), a lot of spares and bits and pieces

• Complete painting One Force as it stands
• 5 Mk V marines and jump-packs, 10 Mk III veterans with combi-weapons, missile launchers for all squads, Master of the Forge

• Complete standing painting projects
• Skaven warp lighting cannon, Treeman Avatar, Tau Firewarriors and Riptide, and any other bits and pieces I have lying around that I've forgotten

• Return to blogging
• I'd definitely like to tidy up the blog a bit, and perhaps improve the design and look of it.  As a more viable, achievable target I'm also setting myself 2 posts a month minimum as my aim for the year

So thats it, a relatively modest 5 aims, and as well as that, I'll most likely be beginning a Daemon army, and I'm sure that GW will be releasing plenty of new and interesting models that'll be tempting me and stealing even more of my money, but then that wouldn't be anything new.
If you've got any resolutions or aims for the new year, I'd be happy to know what you're aiming for, feel free to comment below and link to your own blogs.

Cheers - Andrew

236: 2014 - the year that wasn't

The year is essentially over and as far as this blog is concerned, 2014 was effectively a non-year.  Including this post, and my post setting out my 2014 new year resolutions, I've managed a mere 9 posts, and of those, only 5 actually connect to anything particularly hobby related.

Its not so much that I haven't done much hobby, I've been somewhat productive (time permitting) but have had to sacrifice time that I would normally have spent blogging so that I've had time to do the actual hobby required for blogging.

Anyway, looking back over what I've been up to this year while not blogging, it turns out I've painted up quite a bit. 

235: 6 years old - but only just

It's been 6 years since I started this blog. Its waxed and waned, definitely all of the later recently as Life (TM) has completely taken over my life, and what little time I have for hobby has been all spent actually doing hobby, sadly at the expense of blogging. I still follow plenty of blogs, and love to see what everyone else is getting up to. Perhaps in the new year, I'll be able to return to this, but that'll have to wait and see. Anyway, I couldn't let 6 years go by without marking it.

234: Converting a Treeman Avatar of Khaine

As soon as I saw GW's new treeman kit, I just knew that it would make an absolutely fantastic alternative model for the Eldar's Avatar of Khaine.  The old Avatar model, despite being quite a good model when released, is really showing its age compared to the newer items, and for a simple painting project, the Forgeworld model is a little more money than I can afford/spare.  Conveniently, the model was released just before my birthday, so Mrs. G., being the superstar that she is, picked me up a kit.