Thursday 1 September 2016

The Sound of a Distant Drum – Painting Update

One of the things which always interests me is the way in which wargamers go about painting figures. Not just what they are painting, but how. I’m a great believer that you’re never too old to learn new methods, techniques and tricks-of-the-trade.


For years (perhaps since 1981, when I started wargaming) I’ve been painting figures stuck onto a sliver of thick cardboard. It’s been tried and tested over hundreds and (I guess) probably thousands of figures. But I’ve never been happy with it. The cardboard worked so that the figure was at the end of the strip – fine when I was painting the front of the figure, but not as easy to paint (for a right handed person) when painting the figure’s back. Also painting underneath the figure was a pain – the cardboard always got in the way of just that place my brush needed to get to. But it was familiar, and it kind of worked, and for years I persevered.


Looking on a few blogs over the summer, I realised that people were painting figures stuck to all kinds of paint pots, bottles and nails. And then the penny finally dropped. There was an easier way to hold the figures while painting. 



I found a couple of old wooden curtain poles discarded in my garage, and cut then to 24 short lengths each about 3 inches long. I then mounted my latest battalion of Laarden militia on the ends of the shorten pole lengths, fixing each in place with a blob of PVA. And bingo – once the glue was dry, the figures were easy to hold while painting.

I know this must have a few of you smiling. Or thinking I’m nuts. Or just laughing in astonishment. “Oh wow…. He’s been doing this for over 30 years and he’s only figured that out now? Sheesh – what a numbskull!” I confess, I do feel that I’ve been a bit slow on getting with the plan on this, dear Readers! Yet it goes to show, in this great hobby of ours, there are so many things to learn from each other in the community, even when it’s something I should have learned years ago!

Of course, nothing is quite perfect in the world of wargames figure painting. I’ve found that the pole lengths are pretty unstable – they can knock over easily, a bit like skittles – but I have tried to help with this problem using a box lid to keep all of the pole lengths in and bunched together. That seems to work well. No doubt there are other more elaborate solutions such as drilling out a plywood/ MDF board to the diameter of the curtain poles.


However, the good news is that with this handy improvement in my painting method, I’ve been powering through the third regiment of Laarden’s finest militia this week. I’ve been helped immeasurably by Dave Docherty’s great suggestion of “paint and chat” sessions on Google+ in the Analogue Hobbies painting community. For anyone wanting to give this a go, it’s been a great innovation. Here’s the Google= Community LINK – simply click on the posted link for the Google Hangout, and set up your PC or portable device and off you go.



I find painting a solitary activity. Very relaxing, it’s true, but also the sort of thing that you can slip away from for a few minutes and loose the motivation. The “paint and chat” sessions help keep the painting focus – and also have allowed me to connect with great painters from the Challenge – big hellos to Dave, Edwin, Martin, Stefan, Ian and others!

One of the topics which came up last night in the chat was flags. What we use, which units have them, how we do them, what works best for what we’re painting? Just like maps, flags are something I adore. I confess that I’m currently troubled about the best way to do them. 



I have always painted my own, often when the flags have been glued and shaped onto the standard pole of the unit concerned. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with painting the flags while “flat”, as you can see from the work in progress shots below.


Looking at the lovely flags produced by GMB ,  Flags of War and Warfare Miniatures, as well as the many flags posted online by generous folk such as Ray, I’m wondering whether the day for me to start purchasing ready-printed flags might have arrived. 

For this currently unit of the Laarden militia on the painting table, I’m sticking with my paintbrushes and painted flags – but will this be the final Indian Summer for painted flags at Roundwood Towers. 

The end of an era, perhaps?

43 comments:

  1. We all have those headslap moments when after years of doing things a certain way we discover a much easier way of doing them. For the curtain pole stands, you could have a chat with Warbases to see if they can come up with something that would work as a holder.

    The Laarden troops are coming along nicely :)

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    1. Thanks Tamsin - I love the idea of asking Warbases about a curtain roll holder! I shall be doing that!

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    2. Last year, Warbases knocked out some smaller, modified paint bottle holders for me to accommodate my plastic wine bottle 'corks' at the extortionate price of £3 each. I felt obliged to get half a dozen . . .

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    3. Gary, as ever, you are a man of very good sense. Who else would not do the same?

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  2. They do look sensible. All great ideas start with that blinding flash of light and your brain make new connections. I just put the figures on their base and hold them by that and the top of the head or rifle. Find it works really well, then I simply paint the top of the hat last
    I tend to use printed flags, can't paint free hand.

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    1. also great to talk of an evening

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    2. Painting to the top of the hat - such a simple idea. Why didn't I think of that!??!

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  3. I have been using golf tees for nigh on twenty years. Same tees are still in use today.

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    1. Golf tees..... another brilliantly simple idea. It's as if I've been living in a cave....!!

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  4. Excellent post, Sidney - informative as ever; I must admit, anything that facilitates the process of painting gets my vote.

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  5. I use three inch lengths of dowel much like you have, and made a painting block out of plywood, it looks something like a lab test-tube holder, to keep them in.

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    1. Thanks AJ - that's exactly what I had in mind. Perfect - a test tube rack for chopped up curtain poles. Who said this was a crazy hobby?

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  6. Certainly it is one of those light bulb moments. You got there. Thanks for the paint and chat bit too. I intent to publisice it some more too. It's been good having a bunch of us together painting and chatting. I have found it very productive , and good way to share ideas and tips

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    1. Dave, it's been great to join the paint and chat. I missed last night's (stuck at work), but it's been a great motivational tool. Now we've mastered the technology (or sort of mastered it...), it'll be great to see how we get on in this Winter's Challenge...

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  7. Well done Sidney! Good tips there :o)

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  8. Great post, wine corks for me all the way, and you can use the foil for your flags. I've got some 10 inch long bits of 2" by 3" wood with 14 wholes drilled in to take the corks.

    All the best

    Airhead

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    1. Wine corks - another great suggestion! I've tried wine bottle foil for small flags (2mm and 6mm) and it works very well. I was always worried that it might be too easily fold-able for 28mm (and lead to paint on the flag flaking off) - but maybe I should give it a go. Thanks for the suggestion!

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  9. Hmm, never used something other than the miniatures base itself to hold the figure while painting. From first glance I can't see a bonus from the longer grip but still kight give it a try. I might be wrong after all ;-)

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    1. If you get your results from holding the figure's base, Nick, then who am I to argue against that? Old School - nothing wrong with that!! :)

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  10. I think we all get them Ligtbulb! moments from time to time? I know I do, the trouble then is remembering the lightbulb moments and actually getting to use them. As for the flags, print them its so much easier!

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    1. Ray - I was on your own blog last night, working through the links and the flags taken at Dixmude in particular. Printing would be so much simpler, but some of those do look very tempting to have a go at painting!

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  11. Nice post. I particulalry like the idea of the "paint and chat" bit but looking at some of the names on that list feel a little intimidated to enter.
    I used to use wood dowels but found that the wood glue I use to tack my figure down with built up and was too difficult to remove. now I use old paint pots where the wood glue doesn't adhere too much to figure or holder.
    Great post though.

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    1. Hi Paul - thanks for dropping by and commenting! And thanks for the heads-up about the glue being a devil to remove - useful info!


      You should most definitely drop by at the "paint and chat" - don't be intimidated! For a start, you can't see what anyone's painting in any detail, and the chat has ranged from relative qualities of German vs English sausages, Austrian battlefields we have visited, good beaches in North East England, decent restaurants in London, converting plastic miniatures, Dr. Who's assistants.... You get the idea. There IS painting going on, but the chat is wonderfully rambling. And don't worry about having to show what you've painted at the end. The other night I managed to paint a very dodgy pair of shoes, mess up painting a hat with a feather and finish painting a 25mm a flute, all in about an hour (admittedly with interruptions) - so we're not talking a speed or quality painting contest!

      You'll be more than welcome to drop in anytime.

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  12. Welcome to the 21st century mate :-). I use 40mm timber cubes and blu-tack and it works a treat. The cubes don't tip over as easily as dowels and I can pick up half a dozen at one go if I need to move them. The blu-tack lasts forever and comes off easier than glue.

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    1. Wooden cubes - now THERE'S a great idea. Well done Millsy! I have been using blu-tack for years. I've gone over to PVA just recently. There's pros and cons of each, I guess. With blu-tack I did find the odd figure coming unstuck - but it is wonderfully good stuff. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other!

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  13. Wine corks! That's what I use. Stick some BluTak on the top and you're away. Collecting the wine corks is much more fun than sawing curtain pole.

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    1. And that is something I cannot disagree with, Mark!

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  14. I'm using blu-tack and old paint pots for my current round of painting stands. Not that I'll ever need more than two or three at a time...!

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    1. That's another vote for blu-tack and paint pots...great suggestion thanks, Evan!

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  15. Excellent post Sidney! I've always wanted to ask you about your card method - now I know! You don't have to apologize for old habits. I still mount my bare figures on large nail-heads with a dab of white glue. I then have several chunks of 2x4s with holes drilled in them to insert the assorted figures-on-nails. I KNOW there are better methods, but my hands just go through the motions after I clean the figures and sip coffee, then it's done before I know it - completely pavlovian, I know.

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    1. Hi Curt - my card base method was, in retrospect, pretty rubbish. Why did it take me so many years to update that? It is all very Pavlovian, but one of the great things about the hobby is the wonderful and practical ideas we all have which can make things so much easier.

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  16. I have been using water and milk bottles lids for sometime fixing the model with blue tac

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    1. A perfectly rational and practical solution! I would expect nothing else from you, Benito!

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  17. Hoi Sidney, great post! I have been using dowels, caps from spray-canisters and other such implements for some time but did not think to share this knowledge for which I am now truly sorry! Anyway: I use two-sided sticky tape instead of PVA, perhaps worth a try?

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    1. Sander - you've shared the knowledge now, which is wonderful. Thanks so much for your most excellent suggestions!

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  18. Stick 2p coins to the bottom of the dowels to make them more stable.

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    1. A 40mm warbases round or square base might also work.

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    2. Two really fantastic ideas. Thank you both very much!

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  20. If you enjoy painting your own flags, there's a WSS painting tutorial here https://youtu.be/3MX91IVS9Bo that uses rice-based paper as used for brush calligraphy. It seems to stay more flexible when painted than western stuff, and isn't as absorbent so you get cleaner lines.

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    1. Thanks so much Clive. I had not seen this before, but I shall certainly give that a watch with great interest. Thank you again so much for commenting (and sorry not to have replied sooner).

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