Monday, 19 January 2015

The OrcOgre Tribe: A Labour of Love

 Hey guys over the weekend I finally finished the entire OrcOgre tribe completing it utterly with more movement trays and maneaters. What a fun and challenging project this has been. Creatively it has been one of the best things I have ever produced, really put my heart and soul into, a true labour of love!

You may not know that I had a bad accident earlier this year while cycling and this was one of the projects I decided to undertake in my recovery months. With being unable to go out and exercise (or even just to the shops!) I spent most of my waking time painting this army. 2014 was a very up and down year for me and this army was certainly one of the highs. Now that it is sold (to the brilliant Steve Follows!) it has also helped pay for my wedding later this year. Will really miss the army but I know it is going to a great home :)

All this got me to thinking will I ever be able to turn out another army like this again? Where every model is painted to the highest standard I can produce? Or was this a stepping stone to my next project where I take what I have learned and build upon it? Have you ever painted a whole army to your utterly best standard? Would/Could you?

Some thoughts to mull over while you plan your next army!


















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3 comments:

  1. Unknown20 January 2015 at 11:56

    In answer to your questions:
    1. Have you ever painted a whole army to your utterly best standard? Would/Could you?

    Yes, my dwarfs were painted before I got into gaming and I only did them for the enjoyment of painting. But then I got into gaming and 8th ed dropped and I bashed out a load of new figs to get the army into a workable state and it's never been the same since.


    2. All this got me to thinking will I ever be able to turn out another army like this again?
    I kind of have done it with my WE. The army was bashed out and hit the table in a variety of states but it's the one army I keep going back to and improving the quality of bits over time. So overall large chunks of it now fill the 'best of my ability' standard but again I recently added 15 wild riders which are still only basecoat, wash and minimal detail.


    3. Was this a stepping stone to my next project where I take what I have learned and build upon it?
    In many ways I have plateaued in my painting armies. That is not to say that my painting hasn't improved but I've not particularly been applying it to what I've been working on at an army level. Where I have been applying myself are the smaller scale games. I've learned a load about more detailed basing and that has been done on my Brets, but the painting isn't stellar. I've got way better at my blends and shading but I haven't put it onto any of my warhammer armies, but it has been done on my Epic vehicles.

    So I've tried new things out with each different army, learned new skills and improved as a painter but I've not put it all together in one place across an army because the level of time/effort investment has always put me off in the face of other goals and desires I've had around the hobby.

    You're pretty unique amongst gamers that I know in that you pretty rigidly stick to one army, get it fully painted then divest before investing in your next project (though I note you have 2-3 on the go at present). I look at my unpainted mountain and think, I need to dent that as an objective instead of looking and going, I need that to look as good as it possibly can.

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  2. RJ_Payne20 January 2015 at 17:05

    Hey Dave! Some great comments there and good insights. I think you need to push yourself with your next project, really go for it. Want to see you try competing for best painted!

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  3. Unknown22 January 2015 at 08:24

    At some point im sure I will but that isn't one of my main aims at this point in my life.

    Instead I'm targeting getting all the armies available painted. Obviously current changes in the game may shake that up if armies cease to exist and I may lose motivation if I feel a lot of what I've done is invalidated but I get a kick out of being able to pull out whatever takes my fancy.

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