I’ve had a very sleep-challenged week for some reason. I woke up early in the morning Saturday night and couldn’t go back to sleep but then a worse thing started to happen. My dog started showing signs of kennel cough. A dog with a cough, could be a little gross, sure, but what’s the big deal? My God, they are loud and they cough a lot when they get a doggie cold. My tiny apartment meant that our clingy and loving dog was following us around and coughing extremely loudly all week. It has been horrible! Fortunately, today is a day where I can say for sure that her coughing is noticeably quieter and less frequent so we’ve hopefully turned the corner and get some rest this weekend. I can’t wait, as you can probably imagine.
Here’s another update on the Elk. Another week down and this side is looking pretty decent. Not too much further to go until this side will be done, I figure. I think I can handle painting it another week but after that, I think it will be time to change gears and paint something else for a bit. I could feel myself running a bit low on motivation later this week so I know it will soon be time to set it aside for a bit. As I said last week, I’ve had a lot of fun painting this and for the most part, it seems to be coming together pretty well so I consider myself lucky and will hope the rest of the project goes as smoothly
Since this would be a short update if that is all I had to show, I thought I’d talk briefly about why I’m painting this particular mini. Much like Sam in the Lord of the Rings, I’ve always liked elves. Their refinement and grace is something I think is admirable but their immortality and unique perspective in the Lord of the Rings is interesting too. More than anything, I just think they look cool and in any fantasy setting, I’m always interested in painting elves. While I have painted some LOTR elves (a long time ago when I wasn’t a great painter), I truthfully only like a few of GW’s elf sculpts. The Lord of the Rings movies didn’t give many elves a hugely memorable design outside of the opening scene in Morder. I imagine that is why I’ve always had a soft spot for the High Elves. They’ve always been pretty detailed minis that have a certain flair and encourage you as a painter to bring it out. I think my brother actually bought a bunch of the old elves and I somehow ended up painting them. Of course, this is rank’n’flank Warhammer Fantasy where you needed tons of models so I never actually got close to finishing an army and probably didn’t even get half of one done. Fortunately, I did take some pictures of the minis I had painted before selling them on eBay many years ago.
As you can see, I’ve gotten a bit better since then! These are very cartoony looking even though I wasn’t trying to do that deliberately. I was mostly following GW’s suggestion of priming things with black and then applying a basecoat on that. For some reason, I couldn’t figure out how to do highlights or shadows so everything had flat tones back then. While it didn’t look all that nice, it probably did help me get these minis done in a timely fashion. There’s no way I could paint this many minis in a reasonable amount of time with the way I paint now. It is nice that I have these pictures to share with you after all these years. It is scary to think that I was painting these about twenty years ago! would encourage anyone who gets rid of their minis to do the same. You may end up really cherishing the pictures like I do and it also keeps me from feeling any regret over getting rid of them too.
But to get back to the point of this trip down memory lane, I’ve always liked elves. While I don’t game with any system that has elves currently, I figured why not make one really awesome looking elf for my future display case so I can show off my love for the pointy ears? Having a chance to hopefully paint something way more impressive than I ever could have back in the 2000’s will make me appreciate it that much more too. So that is the goal that I’m working towards with this project and a bit about what it means to me. I hope it was enjoyable to read and we’ll see if I can push on with this elf for another week or if I end up deciding to take a break and paint something else for a bit.
Kuribo's Painting 
I think it’s good to drag old miniatures out, if only to remind ourselves that we really have improved over time!
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I completely agree. It was nice to see these old minis again as I was very happy with them at the time and still feel proud of them even if they are no longer mine.
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I think it is unfair to compare how you painted before to how you paint today. If you look at how GW and others recommended painting at the time I think you nailed it (those eyes though!) Painting techniques (washes, glazing, pigments, range of colors, brushes) have changed and I think if you had those tools 20 years ago you would have done quite well. Even then, you had very clean lines in your painting.
I think what you have now, and it shows on your latest project, is patience and a critical eye, something that youth is lacking.
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That is a very good point about me trying to use the techniques that were in vogue at the time. I certainly was for better and worse! I might seem a bit harsh but its mostly because I used toothpicks to paint as strange as that sounds. I couldn’t develop brush control so I used tiny toothpicks with paint on them to pick out details like the eyes. Little did I know, this prevented me from ever developing the brush skills I needed. That was one of my first goals when I got back into the hobby in 2015/16 was to use a brush and get better at that because I knew it held me back by the end of my time in the hobby in the early 2000’s. As odd as it might seem, my early struggles helped me come back into the hobby with real determination to be successful which I think has helped carry me forward to this day.
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Nice work on Elk which continues to come along very nicely. I think many of us have a favourite genre that we come back too, maybe to do with what inspired us in the first place perhaps, I know I do. As for painting, we all have our journey of improvement but more importantly the trip should be fun. 🙂
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Thanks, mate and I agree about favorite genre. There are just some that always inspire us or never get old. I’ve certainly had a blast, especially in my second go around in the hobby. I can’t imagine not painting at this point 🙂
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I must admit, I like the old elves! And the elk is coming along really well! 🙂 I think over time I’ve learnt to be happy with the way I paint, trading off time spent against the purpose of the models (i.e. wargames models, not works of art in my case) against my ability. Best being happy with how you paint since there’s no shortage of people who are prepared to put people down if they get the chance (my wife would say they project their own failings onto other people).
Hope your dog’s OK! They can be a worry sometimes. We tend to err on the side of caution with ours and have them checked at the vet’s if we think they’re under the weather! They get looked after better than me! 🙂
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I was really proud of the elves and while they did look cartoony, they were fairly “clean” so that was commendable of my younger self. I tend to find that painters think the grass is always greener on the other side. People who aren’t as artistic wish they could be (even if they don’t fully comprehend the time they’d have to sink into a mini to get those results) and myself, I’m always wishing I could paint as much as someone who paints tons of minis to a nice tabletop standard. So there’s no way to have it all!
My dog, Desdemona, is getting better. She is very playful today and not coughing too much so I think she’ll be done coughing early next week, thankfully. It is nice to see her getting better and I’m sure I’ll sleep better because of it!
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The Elk is progressing really well Jeff, and a very good idea to put it down when bored of it.
The reasoning behind wanting to paint it is perfectly reasonable, and great that you have the pictures of the Elves you painted to remind you of what you did back then. To be honest, they were petty good, as they are all neat, and tidy
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Cheers, Dave! It is nice to be able to revisit a childhood favorite like the High Elves and to try and do something I only dreamed of back then. I hadn’t thought about it but clean painting and attention to detail have always been important to me and I’m glad that showed even back in the early 2000’s! 🙂
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Hope you keep the interest, because I can’t take my eyes off that NMM! Expecting spectacular horns! On the creature, hopefully, although knowing (but not really knowing) those elves one never knows…
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Thanks! I really enjoy the NMM on this one too. It really does trick your eyes and look realistic which is great fun to achieve for me as a painter. This elk does have some horns but they aren’t exactly what you’d expect. You’ll see what I mean when I can finally work on the head!
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Trust your instincts mate, they see, to have served you well so far. I hope your dog makes a speedy recovery and I look forward to seeing which Elf sculpt you chose.
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Cheers, mate and she is doing better today thankfully. I think she’ll be rid of the cough in a couple of days thankfully. The elf is the best part on this mini so I hope you’ll find it worth the wait! 🙂
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Those elves may not be to your current standard but they still beat the hell out of the way I was painting twenty (or even ten) years ago. Hell of a lot better than bare plastic too, which is what a lot of people end up taking to war. The elk just keeps getting better – I certainly wouldn’t have your patience to stick it out with a model week after week but the results are positively stunning. Glad to hear your dog is on the mend, give her a clap from me. 🙂
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Cheers, mate! I painted a lot of Warhammer fantasy minis and never got a game in but it is something to be proud of for sure. I have pictures of other stuff I painted so maybe I’ll dig those out whenever they’re relevant in the future 🙂 My dog likes pretty much everyone and is extremely friendly so she’d gladly accept a clap from you (even if I have no idea what that means!) 🙂
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Yeah, I thought after I posted that “to clap a dog” is a uniquely Scottish expression. It basically means to pat/fuss/pet. “Make a fuss of her for me” basically. Oh and it would definitely be good to see more of your old Warhammer stuff, it’s always good to see where we came from. 🙂
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For some reason, I was thinking of the old English expression to box someone’s ears and I was like, I don’t think I will do that to her, mate haha! But then reason took hold and I was thinking, it has to mean something nicer than that 😀
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I don’t believe I have yet commented on this new project of you as yet, though I have followed it every week. Astonishing, I absolutely love the colour palette and look of the elk so far. I also really like elves in general, so I can’t wait to see how this project progresses (though of course I understand wanting to take a break for a while). It’s very nice to follow along and see the progress every week. Your painting really is something else!
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Thank you! I’m glad to hear you like it too. I am excited to paint an elf as well as I can and I’m optimistic that it will end up being worth all of the effort I put into it when I finally finish. I have to do what I can to make Elrond proud after all 🙂
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I love how this project is coming along, and the painting you’re doing is just exquisite. The layering/blending on the horse’s armour is just amazing.
Thanks for a look at your older stuff! Mine’s all gone to the great landfill in the sky (a shedload of Rogue Trader-era Ultramarines that would be worth a pretty penny on Ebay these days). I too had issues with highlighting; I knew that drybrushing was supposed to pick out details but couldn’t understand how it was supposed to pick out details on smooth armour LOL. So I just drybrushed the crap out of them until they were more light blue/white than Ultramarine blue!
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Thanks, Matt! The encouragement I get when sharing progress definitely helps keep me motivated so I really appreciate it.
Those would be valuable! I think most of the stuff I had would not be so lucky due to the era it came from but I could be wrong. I know exactly what you mean about drybrushing! I drybrushed some skeletons for my Vampire Counts army and I based them in black and drybrushed in white and they looked like cheap Halloween decorations, I’m sorry to say haha! Sometimes it is amazing to think how much we’ve learned/improved since our early days in the hobby.
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When I got back into the hobby in 2018 I couldn’t believe the new (well, new to me) techniques such as layering. Drybrushing seemed to be considered old hat, and then Citadel released Contrast Paints where you don’t even need to shade and highlight. I know, I’m old LOL!
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I can imagine! I wonder what it is like to come back now to Contrast Paints. That would be a bridge too far for some of us old drybrushers, I would imagine haha! 😀
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I actually am rather indifferent to the elves. Usually the parts in the movies where there are elves around and everyone is speaking Elvish are the most boooring. I usually get up to go to the restroom or get a snack. Send them all into the west I say!
Plus I think they are poorly written as anything that lived so long would be so alien to us. Elrond would care about who was king of Gondor as much as I would care about which bee is queen in the beehive…. But I’m getting carried away.
But the painting is nice wait…what? You’ve only done that one side?? Oh man, that’s gonna take you forever!!!
And I still have no idea what miniature or elf this is!
😀😀😀
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Now that is a hot take! People either seem to love or hate elves in wargaming or at least that is what I’ve noticed. One thing you’ve reminded me of is that elves are often depicted as doomed or dwindling as a race and I come from a small family so in a weird way, I’ve always identified with that as I feel like my family is in a similar state. Maybe I’m just a pessimist though too, I can’t really say!
Yeah… It is only approaching halfway done although that is not true because the front requires some painting and there is a tail that I haven’t attached so yeah, I’ve got months of work ahead of me. I knew it would take a long time and I knew I’d need to take some breaks along the way so that will hopefully help keep it enjoyable to work on.
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I don’t like elves AT ALL but good painting is good painting hehe and your talent astounds me. I’m glad your dog is getting better. I struggled with sleep for years until I got into a good routine lately of being in bed before midnight. My body clock is pretty good now, well at least better than what it was.
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You and Wudugast both, mate. I don’t know what’s wrong with you two but thanks for the kind words 🙂 I have a fairly decent nightly routine though I think stress is causing me to sleep poorly. Hopefully with the move coming up and then the wedding not too far after, that will help make things better.
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There’s always stress in life it’s all about how you manage it. Try to get your head out of what is stressing you by reading a book or something before bed. There’s a great book in reading called “Why Elves are so bad” it’s really good hehe. Jokes 🤪
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I’ll give reading a try but truthfully, I don’t think reading “racist” literature before bed will help me sleep any easier, mate 😉
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Excellent work on the elk thingy. Very nice high elves, that was the high elf colours sure enough. Your painting has certainly come on. Sorry to say it but I am more a Wood elf person myself.😉
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Thanks, mate! Blue and white really where the High Elves color back in the day. GW has moved on from that a bit, I must say. And no worries on like the wood elves better. I’m a fan of them too 🙂
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Part of me wants to repaint my wood elf army (the same generation as your high elves), but the other part says don’t be daft you have enough to paint as it is.
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Its great that you still have the old Wood Elves I’d say! If you have a lot of projects you want to do already, that might be one to save for a later date. With that said, I’d love to see what you come up with when you get around to it, of course! 🙂
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I have some half finished, so a quick respray would suffice… challenge accepted 😉
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Have you ever done any WWII stuff by chance? When growing up my brothers used to have tons of Tamiya sets. I would wish I could paint and play with them, but I was too young and they kept them out of hands! I thought they were pretty good at it back then, your stuff is next level!
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Tamiya still makes stuff from what I’ve seen so not too much has changed! I don’t personally find WWII as interesting as other parts of history so I don’t paint anything along those lines but WWII is very popular so it would be extremely easy to get into it in the future. Thanks for the kind words too. I’ve been painting for about 5-6 years now and I try to keep improving myself as much as I can.
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