You are the Inspiration!

Yes, you!  You have been playing 40k or Fantasy for a week or a month, hell even like me since 91'.

You are the Inspiration.

You're at a FLGS, Friendly Local Gaming Store, or at a buddies place, even your own, and there's a new gamer to 40k or Fantasy.  They look at your models and marvel at your work.  Poor or Great.  Clean or ugly.  A new player is amazed at your work.  You are the inspiration for them for the game, modelling or painting!

Yes, Shawn, you are.

I have a 40k buddy I've mentioned a couple times on this blog.  He is one of my favourite opponents because of how he plays.  His name is Shawn.  In fact he's the first player I reached out to at Fantasy Flight (FF.)  It was Sunday over a year ago.  I stopped at FF to get his contact info so we can set up a game.  He said he was thinking the same.  Our first game was 2500 pts Deathwing vs Chaos Daemons.  He kicked my ass!  I'll probably post that BatRep, battle report, in the next two weeks.

Shawn has commissioned me to paint about 3k of Eldar recently.  At our recent game he showed me a couple of models he started painting on.  One of the a Daemon Prince.  Have to say his first painted model is better than mine.  Check it out.

His

Hell he even based it!  Great work with a purple wash over red.  I told him the other night when we were playing I was terribly impressed with his work.  He's made a great leap from gamer to painter!  He told me when we first start gaming together that he was only going to paint his Imperial Guard.  Green spray paint base that was it.  I agreed with him.  Because we are busy.  We have things to do.  He has a very full plate.  He's often being pulled in many directions with people wanting to make plans.  Lately he has decided to partition some of his time to painting and damn it makes me proud.  It really does.

Mine

Yes I added some to the model after I originally painted it.  I painted the silver oil paint Swooping Hawk symbol on their heads and based them including painted Skull White names on their base.  But, that was my paint job.  Testors Duck Egg Blue, which I was convinced was a awesome blue colour even though my friend adamantly stated it was grey.  Chrome Yellow for armour and some oil paint red for eyes.  Two blisters of five Swooping Hawks about 10$ each was my first unit of 40k in 1991.  The entire model is painted with oil paints from Hobby Town, now Hub Hobby.  I remember asking my dad to drive me out to Hobby Town so I can buy brushes and paints with my own money.  Part of the convincing factor to have him drive me out there.

Spoke to Shawn about making a post celebrating him stepping into another aspect of the hobby.  As he told me last night he wants to completely paint at one of his armies.  He said it doesn't have to be perfect he just wants one of them painted.  Told him that is a great attitude and said I'm proud of him and his desire to want to paint a complete army.

When we were playing the other day he showed me work he did on one of his daemon princes.  I was very surprised that he painted a model.  Asked him if him wanting me to paint his Eldar spurred him to try his hand at painting.  He said yes.  Can't stop saying I'm very proud of him.

When I was using my painted Dark Eldar in a game he asked me "How does it feel to play with a completely painted army?"  I answered "It feels as good as winning with a completely painted army."  I hope soon Shawn will experience both.

Here are other pics of Shawn's initial foray into painting.  Please give them a view.

He's already using techniques that I didn't until I was on my second army Chaos Space Marines.  I was still doing three colours with no washes or drybrushing.  I didn't even know about those techniques.  Took me a while to be adventurous enough to give them a try.  Shawn is jumping right into the pool.  I'm amazed by the work he's doing on his models.  I can easily see Shawn painting at my level very quickly.  Hell, soon I'll be learning things from him.  Instead of talking shop during a game we will probably be swapping painting ideas instead.

You've done well, Shawn.  I'm proud of your efforts of painting models.  You'll probably be joining us in the jokes that the favourite colour for peoples army is flat grey.  You're doing great.  Keep up the work.  I look forward to seeing more and more of your daemons being painted.  You have a great start on your Skarbrand.  Personally I think you can knock Epidemius out of the ball park.  To be purposefully cheesy.  I believe in you, Shawn.  You're on your way to having a painted daemon army that will easily garner the eye of a passing customer at Fantasy Flight.  I'll smile with a sort of parental pride when someone is admiring a model you painted.  You're doing awesome.

Poured myself a little Pryat Rum XO Reserve celebrating you stepping into the hobby further.  Shawn, here's to you!



slainte mhath