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For Ulthuan and Crom!

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That title might confuse some but I promise it will make sense by the end. This week might have been the worst I’ve had in terms of wedding and moving stress. I finally jumped through enough hoops for the closing only for the lawyer and lender to schedule it on a day without consulting me when I already had a doctor’s appointment and I didn’t have all of the money ready to pay for the closing. Thankfully, it has been pushed back until next week and then moving and all of that can begin in earnest finally. In wedding news, we lost a wedding photographer due to some shady business practices and are looking for another one. As I told my fiancée, its better to find that out now than later on but it is another thing to deal with at the same time. Moving and trying to get married around the same time was really ill-advised but thanks to COVID, I didn’t have much choice.

On a happier note, I have had another week to work on my High Elf project and I made pretty good progress despite not having quite as much painting time as I would have liked. The fur is mostly done on the elk and I’m sorry to say that the head will not appear until close to the end. The head pieces connect to the rider and they look fragile so they’re going to have to wait a long time I’d guess. The statue really came together nicely on the base and I just need to go back and touch up a few things and then it should be good to go. I’m a bit worried I’m going to rub off some of the paint as I work on the rest of this mini but not a lot I can do about that I suppose. I will say the armor parts I’ve painted are really rough and not done either so it should look better next time you see it. I did those parts yesterday and rushed through them a bit so I will will circle back to them tomorrow when I’m hopefully less tired. The style I’m going for on this piece is actually inspired by characters in a video game so I’m curious to see when someone is able to guess my source of inspiration! Lastly, it is dawning on me how big of a model this will be when I’m finished. It will easily be the largest project I’ve tackled yet. Hopefully it ends up being worth the time I put into it!

Other than that, I have done one thing I wanted to mention. While I have been watching a Marvel show, I also have been reading a Marvel comic but I bet it isn’t one you would expect. By Crom, it is none other than Conan! I gave it a try as it is a Pulp era story and my interest in the pulp genre is high thanks to Pulp Alley and I am surprised to say I love what I am reading. Generally speaking, I know what types of books, movies, and TV shows I will like and I steer clear of stuff that I’m skeptical I will enjoy. Conan was something I had judged as being corny, quaint, and having a bit too much macho nonsense in it but the comic version I’ve been reading has been really engaging.

I shouldn’t be too surprised because the writer, Jason Aaron, is one of the best in the business and I don’t know if this version of Conan is typical of others, including the original by Robert E. Howard, but I like what is here. It is a grim world full of scum and villainy but Conan reminds me of a Western hero, not unlike Clint Eastwood, where he is often a reluctant hero or doing the right thing for his own reasons. At the same time, there is that funny Thor thing where Conan only cares about fighting, drinking, and women. Personally, I’m a lover and not a fighter but I respect how he values the simple things in life. It probably is no coincidence that something simple and pure is exactly what I need in my complicated life right now. Conan is also a pretty imaginative world with lots of different people and some solid fantasy tropes going on as well. I think it would be a great setting to use in Pulp Alley and I’ve seen some examples on Youtube from the maker of Pulp Alley so that might be one for the future. In the meantime, I’ll keep enjoying Conan and his Crom-filled exclamations. By Crom’s bloody teeth, it is a good time!

23 thoughts on “For Ulthuan and Crom!”

  3. Great painting, it is really coming along. I am looking forward to seeing the end result. The ruins on the base look brilliant. You have such smooth painting, I am thinking that must be down to meticulous use of repeated thin coats…. using patience I lack!

    I love Conan, at least the Robert E. Howard version. The movies brought their own entertaining takes on it. I have not read a Conan comic since I was a kid so can not comment on that medium. I find Robert E. Howard an interesting person and it is worth the time to read up on wiki at the very least about him. There is a reason Conan often reads like a Western. And the common Conan theme of civilization corrupts is in my opinion an expression of love for the American frontier mythos.

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    1. Cheers, mate! Practicing layering and glazing does help a lot. I think trying to paint every mini I can as well as I can has helped push my skills too but every painter must go on their own journey and pursue what they enjoy the most too.

      I will have to get around to reading Robert E. Howard’s version, especially since I know you’re a fan. He is a writer I don’t have any exposure to but I’m not as well read in fantasy or sci-fi as I am in literature so perhaps I can get a pass for that. I think I saw somewhere that Howard wrote some pulp Westerns as well so what you’re saying makes a lot of sense to me. It has been refreshing to see a fantasy story with some connections to Westerns.

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  4. The mini’s coming along nicely and the base/statue looks really good! 🙂 Here’s hoping the move and wedding don’t have any more glitches. I read the “Savage Sword of Conan” comics as a teenager in the 70s and enjoyed them (just black and white art) and have recently been re-reading them as Kindle copies. I’ve also got a Robert E. Howard compendium on my Kindle as well so I can read the original stories – I think the closer I potentially get to retirement, the closer I seem to be getting to being a teenager again (although with more aches and pains)! 😉

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    1. Really glad to hear it, John! I suspect there will be more glitches with the wedding but we’ll see if my pessimism is on the money or not 🙂 That is wonderful to hear that you’re enjoying Conan again too. There is no shame in being youthful and by youthful I mean, devoid of responsibilities! That’s what most of us dream of 😀

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    1. You’re too kind, mate! I figure the stress will get better eventually. I just have to make it to August when the wedding is, I reckon. Whether being married is worth all the trouble, well, the jury’s still out on that one 😉

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  6. The mini is looking great, and the statue on the base is excellent – really subtle shading and highlights that make it look amazingly realistic. Can’t wait to see the finished item!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words, Matt! I’m definitely shooting for realism here and I hope you don’t mind waiting awhile as it will take me quite a few months to get it done and I suspect I’ll take a break or two along the way as well.

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  7. The statue is awesome, it looks like some form of Alabaster, great progress on the stag to.
    Hope the move all goes according to plan next week, and that you can find a wedding photographer, to replace the dodgy one.
    I always found the Conan comics to be very different from the films, but enjoyed both formats, the comics I found had a bit more depth, but the films were a fun adventure to watch

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    1. Thanks for the kind words on the painting and for the real life matters! I have not seen the Conan films but I might have to give them a go in the future. I can see where the comics would have more depth to them too. While it is used sparingly, I like it when there are opportunities to see what Conan is thinking for example. It makes him a bit more well-rounded as a character, in my opinion anyway 🙂

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  8. By Crom!, that figure is coming along nicely!
    Conan! The paperbacks by Horward, Lin Carter, L. Sprague de Camp with Frank Frazeta covers, Frank Frazetta art, the movies, the ps3 game – all good! Hard to see it in a pulp alley game though, will have to check that out.
    Like you said, better to find out about the photographer now vs later, hope everything works out for you.
    Sending positive thoughts on the move.

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    1. Thank you! I had no idea there was a Conan PS3 game but I found it on Youtube and can immediately see the appeal. I’ll have to check out those other recommendations as well as I’m interested in seeing and reading more Conan.

      Here is a link to the first of three parts of Pulp Alley’s take on Conan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzrxHgnWm7w.

      I will get my review of the rulebook of Pulp Alley soonish so hopefully you’ll find that useful and/or interesting to read as well.

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  9. Great work on both the base and the fur so far! I haven’t read a Conan comic since I was a kid and have never read Howard, either, though I did enjoy the films (both the original and the remake).

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    1. Cheers mate and if I remember right, did you paint some Conan minis (maybe from the board game?) a while back? If you have the time and desire, some of the Conan comics are pretty good and worth your time, I’d say 🙂

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  11. The statue really does look nice. Too bad that reindeer thing is stepping all over it. Can’t have anything nice on the battlefield anymore these days! 😀

    Moving and getting married at the same time is a lot to do; and both generate drama. Good luck. I’m surprised you have anytime at all for painting.

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    1. You’re right, these battlefields are littered with trash! You’d think their mothers raised them better than that 😀

      I couldn’t agree more about the drama. If I couldn’t paint to relieve stress, I’d go insane. This week left me a shell of a person but the long weekend has certainly helped me recover a bit 🙂

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