Weekly Finds #57

What I've learned about varnish and powders by Ron from FTW - I've been following Ron's series of articles on using weathering powders as can be seen here and here. It is interesting to see Ron's process in experimenting with varnish, hair spray and alcohol. That sentence could easily be taken the wrong way out of context. It was a good idea of Ron to ask Mister Justin to share his own thoughts and give a video tutorial... I was wondering how long it would take for Mister Justin to get involved. As I pointed out here he is an advocate on the use of varnish and he provides a wealth of options on his webstore when it comes to weathering pigments. Check out the new release of tank traps at a dollar each and don't forget the sack of skulls.

Painting Tip: Black Fabric by Steve Buddle from Spyglass Asylum - I mentioned on Monday that Mad Matt's Black Templars have completely changed my thoughts on painting black. Steve Buddle is another hobbyist that has changed by views. Although I haven't put paint on any miniatures this week. I have been trying different mixes in a scrap book. I've given both elf flesh and bleached bone a try. The results are promising. Going to pick up Kommando Khaki and have a go at Mad Matt's tutorial on painting black.

Scarabs by Bigred from BoLS - A look at some the the rule queries and a gimmick with Scarabs. Mike is setting a precedent for other Tournament Organisers and Store Owners on the congo line of doom as pictured below... until the FAQ comes out. Of course having enough scarabs to make that many bases sounds like a daunting task. But tutorials like this one by Ron provide an alternative... still a daunting task of creating dozens of scarabs... but if done in batches it becomes cheaper and easier.

Stat-Counting for Safety by Dave from N++ - This post may be useful in the future for myself or another blogger. With the change in blog url traffic to Imaginary Life has slowed down drastically. Which has stopped comments.

Discovering "New Hands" by Peter from Massive Voodoo - This is a bad habit I've also managed to develop when cleaning and painting miniatures. So the other day while cleaning a miniature of mold lines I had a go at exercising to feel my hands. Found that my back and neck didn't hurt as I was keeping them straighter. Wait and see what this promises when it comes to painting miniatures. If your looking for other things to improve your painting have a read of this article by Tim from Tau of War.

Do Not Miss: November 2011 by Volomir from Volomir's Blog - Some great sculpts being highlighted this month by Volomir. The sculpt pictured below is from Carnevale... from what I can gather it is a new Spanish  brand. The doctors and psyche patients are amusing and interesting. If I ever become serious about figure painting these are some miniatures I'd be interested in. I'd also paint Red Box Game miniatures as some of their sculpts capture my attention.

A Cloak in the Wind by Mati from Massive Voodoo - A brilliant approach to sculpting cloaks with motion. I like how Mati was able to inject his own sense of humor into the tutorial such as in the picture below. This could also be used in making banners that are blowing in the wind...