lpa53
Well-Known Member
While I’ve visited the PlanetFigure site on and off and have uploaded figure photos to a gallery, I’ve not been active in the hobby for around twenty years. About that time I was hit with a severe physical affliction that, after four months of falling apart, landed me at the Mayo Clinic with a diagnosis of a then-unnamed autoimmune disease. After a year of recovery I was able to return to work but was left with shaky hands and eyesight that weren't amenable to close work.
When I retired and moved eight years ago I set up a hobby area and told myself to try my hand again. But the years passed and while I concentrated on my guitar playing instead, the gray army sat packed away. A few weeks ago I decided to bite the bullet and give painting a try, telling myself to stop comparing myself to others or even my younger self and just have fun relearning how to make the miniatures that had fascinated me since I was a kid.
Among the small army was an old 54mm Ares figure that I’d primed and painted the busby fur and face for but had done nothing else. The figure wasn’t up to today's standards but with the face out of the way (doing faces always scared the heck out of me) it could be a good figure to experiment with.
Looking at the piece with older eyes, I realized that the sculptor had put the elaborate sleeve lace on what would actually be the inside of the sleeves (!) so, making sure I didn’t harm what I’d already done, I filed the sleeves down as best I could. I couldn't get the partially painted, already iffy casting all that smooth and the results, along with my very rusty painting skills, don't bear zooming in on. I also decided to simplify the lace patterns shown on the box art as again, I was using this just to have fun and see if I could even produce something passable.
I've never been able to get the hang of acrylics so stuck to painting with oils. The result looks okay if I squint and don’t enlarge the photos, so I’m happy that I gave it a try. Will I try again? I’m still afraid of doing faces but we’ll see.
When I retired and moved eight years ago I set up a hobby area and told myself to try my hand again. But the years passed and while I concentrated on my guitar playing instead, the gray army sat packed away. A few weeks ago I decided to bite the bullet and give painting a try, telling myself to stop comparing myself to others or even my younger self and just have fun relearning how to make the miniatures that had fascinated me since I was a kid.
Among the small army was an old 54mm Ares figure that I’d primed and painted the busby fur and face for but had done nothing else. The figure wasn’t up to today's standards but with the face out of the way (doing faces always scared the heck out of me) it could be a good figure to experiment with.
Looking at the piece with older eyes, I realized that the sculptor had put the elaborate sleeve lace on what would actually be the inside of the sleeves (!) so, making sure I didn’t harm what I’d already done, I filed the sleeves down as best I could. I couldn't get the partially painted, already iffy casting all that smooth and the results, along with my very rusty painting skills, don't bear zooming in on. I also decided to simplify the lace patterns shown on the box art as again, I was using this just to have fun and see if I could even produce something passable.
I've never been able to get the hang of acrylics so stuck to painting with oils. The result looks okay if I squint and don’t enlarge the photos, so I’m happy that I gave it a try. Will I try again? I’m still afraid of doing faces but we’ll see.
