Painting: Waiting on Magnets…; Editorial: Is This Hobby an Art?

Hey guys,

So a couple things today. First off, I’m still waiting on the magnets to come in for my commission, so in the meantime, I finished the Drones. All I need to finish is the Smart Missile System for the Hammerhead, and everything minus the suits are finished!

15 of the Drones are numbered I, II, and IiI, just to distinguish Gun Drone Squads. The Piranhas are all labeled with a “T” marking to designate them too.

Also done are some more SLW Assault Marines.  I’m really happy with the combination of bitz and pieces from various chapters to keep the squads from looking like Blood Angels, Dark Angels, etc.

I spaced on taking a picture of my Tactical Sergeant (DOH!), but I’ll have pictures up of him in the next couple of days. Though I do have a detail shot of Titian Squad’s Razorback Turret.

I need to perfect my stencil painting writing style…hmmm.

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Finally, a short editorial I wanted to touch on. Today in my Art History class, we sat down and talked about what the current definition of art is. As we strolled through Surrealist art, Dadaism, and other modern art, I started to think about whether or not our hobby is, in fact, an art form in the sense of art history, etc.

I had a friend back when I was in High School argue that painting models like this is not an art, being as the models had to have been sculpted by an artist prior, and you’re just using his art to make your own. I don’t agree with that statement. As increases in CAD modeling and digital processing proceed, the models almost take on a faceless blank canvas feel.

Andy Warhol, Brillo Box, 1964.

We also talked about how the use of art seems to change. For the last 20,000+ years, art has been used to convey different ideas. Its been used to convey emotions, religions, beliefs, ideals, politics, and a hundred other things. Today though, art has shifted from its use even sixty years ago. Art needs to have an obvious use today. Yes Pop Art and older styles do exist, but you see that stuff in galleries, not around your life. The most prominent art today is Graphic Design, and that reflects in different styles of advertising, etc.

To me, this hobby is an art. There’s a practical use to the models in the form of the game. These games connect people and bring them together, if only for a couple of hours. The artists all have different painting and modeling styles, and we learn and advance our styles from each other.

B. Jacobson, Company Command Squad (GW), 2009-2011.

So what do you guys think? Is our hobby an art? How does art today vary from older art? Sound off in the comments guys!

Oh, on a side note. I picked up a box of Dark Angels Veterans today off of eBay. My plans are to make 3 Sanguinary Priests and Reclusiarch Xerxes from the box. Expect pictures and updates of those when they come in!

Granesh