30 Minute Challenge - Day 17

So it's been a snow day, literally every man and his dog has been going mental about frozen water falling from the sky. Having lived in Wales for 3 years the snow doesn't excite me in the slightest, in fact it scares me, as soon as it turns to ice I will end up on my arse! And now living in the North, snow is far worse than it is down in Plymouth. I digress, onto todays progress

30 Minute Challenge - Day 16

So guys, i'm back! After a nice week away from hobbying and time with the significant other, it's time get back into things, I would of been at it yesterday however I had to visit my new store before I went to work, i'm moving stores, which also means a payrise and a future (potential) promotion, score! And Andrew WKs new album is up online for streaming, could this week get any better?! Anyway lets get into what i've been up to today!

30 Minute Challenge - Day 15

Today I fancied doing something different, purely because I feel really ill and i've still gotta go to work, alas so I decided to make up some thematic objective markers. Now this will be the last 30 minute challenge for a week. Due to it being half term, so my better half has a week away from teaching. If I can get some paint down, great. If not, then it's not the end of the world.

So lets go have a look

30 Minute Challenge - Day 14

Sorry this one is coming to you late, i've had such a busy day. I'm bloody shattered and not gonna ramble so let's just get straight to the good stuff

30 Minute Challenge - Day 13

So today has been a busy one for me, being Valentines Day and all that, been getting the house in some kind of order and preparing the meal for tonight along with getting a new video done on my channel. Squeezed some time in for painting like usual, not much of a huge update today but lets go have a look

How to Hobby on a Budget

30 Minute Challenge - Day 12

So after getting my Blightlords done, I wasn't sure what to get stuck into next. So I took to a couple of Facebook groups and polled it and each poll had a resounding winner. To finish off my Daemon Prince, now this guy has been sat with one coat of wash for years! I converted him up when I had a Daemons army, that army came and went but I couldn't let go of this guy, I just loved him so much I kept him just for my CSM army. And now i've got him done, he didn't take long to finish off (again, lazy painter, lazy techniques, great result!) So lets go have a look at the flyboy

30 Day Challenge Day 11 (and A Rather Late Day 10)

So i'm back after a great weekend away down in Gloucester for my best mans stag do, a great day of rugby, drinking and just fantastic company. Alas though I am back and the hobbying is back in full swing, so lets look at what I got done on Friday, and what I got done today

February Hobby Update

30 Minute Challenge - Day 10 coming soon

Sorry for the lack of update today, I have got some painting done. However I’ve spent all day cleaning the house as I’m away for the weekend so I haven’t had time to get get a proper post up.  So with day 11 will come day 10.

Stay tuned.

30 Minute Challenge - Day 9

So they’re done! At last I got my poxwalkers finished off, now I did cop out on these a bit, skimming over some of their detail. I might go back over then once my army is finished. However, speeding through them I had time to continue with something more enjoyable, Blightlord number 4! So onto today’s progress

Avoiding the Hobby Burnout

Now this happens to everyone, and it sucks. It really does, but how do you go about trying to avoid having that burnout? Having gone through a major burnout over the majority of last year, I was ready to throw paintbrushes out the window and just happily play with grey miniatures but alas I soldiered through, took time away and came back fresh and ready. Here is a couple of ways I found reduces the chances of the burnout.

• Take time away - Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder, if you're on a mission to get a bunch of stuff painted and it's just killing you. Put it all away and take some time out of the painting side of things, sometimes a specific unit/model you're painting just frustrates you to the point of giving up, step away and some time later come back all fresh.

• Short bursts of painting - I would go a minimum of 2 hours painting at a time, and i'd get almost nothing done in that time. I thought if I spent more time painting, more will get done. How wrong I was, i've recently switched up my schedule to paint for just 30 minutes a day and I am seeing major progress! Just short, sharp bursts is helping stay engaged with painting and just want to keep coming back. 

• Hobby with friends or like minded people - Sometimes the encouragement of like minded peers is just what you need to crack on getting that last unit finished, just head round a friends house or get a group of you together, head to your local hobby store and crack out some paint. That social aspect is just a good way to keep you going, a bit of encouragement and when I paint on my own, I tend to distract myself. With friends and peers, not so much.

• Don't have too many projects on the go - Try and keep it simple, I know it's hard when every month, something new and shiny comes out and you feel compelled to go, you know I could start a small army of them, or I could get that box game. It's the rabbit hole you inevitably end up further and further down, which leads onto the next point

• Stop buying more models - Like seriously, stop! I had this issue when I was collecting Orks. Started off small, ended up have thousands of points of Orks, only issue was, due to cheap points cost that was ALOT of models, it swamped me man there was no way I was getting out of there alive. Stick to what you have, get it painted and reward yourself with new models, if you must buy something (be it limited run or something that will go) hide it away. Keep it out of sight until you're ready.

• Try something different - Sometimes when you're painting an army, you'll find that one unit be it a rank and file unit or some overly complicated unit the one that will give you the most trouble. Sit them down and move away from them, pick up something else and blast through them, then move back to them. Even if you just get like 5 out of 30 Ork boys done, then move onto a Warboss then head back, you're making progress. Even if it is a little bit at a time, that's still a win! 

30 Minute Challenge - Day 8

THE END IS IN SIGHT! I'm so happy i'm almost through with these guys, they're coming out alright but the fact they're so close to being finished is the best thing. I do wish I had gotten them finished today, but time and patience with these guys ended up wearing thin. So lets dive into today progress.

30 Minute Challenge - Day 7

Today has been a less of a focus on getting paint down, it was more of a how I get paint down. More of an excuse on my part to get away with not getting much done (these damn Poxwalkers I tell you, I hate painting them). So I decided i'd throw up some more content on my new YouTube channel, doing a little tutorial on how I paint my bases.

30 Minute Challenge - Day 6

Sorry about the delay today, i'm feeling rough as hell. Currently running on 3 hours sleep and a heap of coffee, it's still not getting me through today. However it was self inflicted and boy was it worth it! Last nights Super Bowl LII was possibly the best final we've had in years. It was just a straight up offensive slug fest that the Patriots just were not ready for. The Eagles just wanted it that much more and unlike the Falcons, just never gave up and were just relentless! Anyway, on to today progress

Super Bowl LII

So tonight's the night every football fan across the globe has been waiting for. The final game of the season, the big stage every team thought tooth and nail to aim to get to (sorry Cleveland, wrong perfect season) and now we are down to the final 2.

But my God, what an awful final two. Don't get me wrong the Eagles have done incredibly well this season, and no one would of thought it! I wish the Vikings made it but the end of the day, Nick Foles took them apart and schooled them Vikings. Am I excited for tonight? I'm excited for the spectacle that is the Super Bowl, but in no way am I excited to see the Brady to pick up his 6th ring, that smug SOB is someone I despise so much, as much as it pains me to admit, he is the greatest QB of all time. It's unquestionable, however if he didn't have the refs in his pocket, would his legacy really be this great?

Either way, whatever happens I am pumped for 4 hours of Gridiron action! Plus, SO happy my main man, my favourite player of all time, Ray Lewis has made it into the Hall of Fame. More than deserved! 

Who you all rooting for?

30 Minute Challenge - Day 5

So I did it, I made it through the week! Keeping to my schedule of just 30 minutes a day, i'm feeling more and more invigorated with this hobby more than I have ever done. It's such a good feeling being able to see my progress and being able to share it. This week I managed to get 4 models painted, now to some that doesn't seem like much at all, however for me this is a major achievement in itself. I've already doubled my tally from last year and i'm not feeling drained or bummed out by painting, winner! So onto day 5 progress

30 Minute Challenge - Day 4

So we are carrying on today with Flyboy! Man this Blightlord kit so wonderfully detailed, like when I got it and put them together, the detail was insane but actually getting down and painting them. I'm finding bits and bobs of intricate detail that I had missed the first few times, however I do I have some issues with this kit, and to be honest the other Death Guard releases. As much as they are so freaking nice models, they'res not much room for customisation or pose ability out of the box, especially the Deathshroud. My Plague Marines I have done some minor conversions to them, but that's with having to scour places for extra bits, and the most annoying thing about the PM box, arms are specific to bodies which to a beginner it'll would be hard to think of ways of customising the marines, without potentially botching them. Anyway that's my 2 cents and now on to what I got done today