4/21/13: Smells Like Wargaming: Beyond Graduation

Hey guys,

So its been almost a week since I put paint to model, but my final semester of school is almost finished. I’ve got a couple of projects to turn in, a single final, and I’m graduating this saturday. I’ve gotta say, its super surreal to think that in less than a week, I’ll no longer be a student and be a full-time manager and artist. School, for me, has been a safeguard, a place for me to build Smells Like Wargaming, as well as many long-term connections to the Wargaming community and clients both national and international.

The real question is, however, is what does the future hold for Smells Like Wargaming? As an artist, I’ve found my niche and, if I so choose, I can always expand into other directions.



For those of you who don’t know, along with Smells Like Wargaming, I’m also manager at our FLGS, Durango Game Space. Anyone in the area should come and say hey! Anyways, having ties and connections via the shop helps secure me in the local wargaming scene, but various other games as well. Casual Magic: The Gathering, anyone? But through my job, I continue to work and expand the hobby through most aspects of my life. With school finally being out, I’ll finally have time to run more 40k events; I’ve been hankering to run a narrative campaign for quite some time now, I think its overdue!
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been setting a mental checklist of goals and projects I want to see obtained over the next year and beyond. So lets break them down:

• Both gaming and showcase pieces. Second place at Genghis-Con this year was a major step for me, but I know I can do better than that. I’ve got some painting AND sculpting projects set soon, so expect more non-gaming pieces to show up!
• The FULL completion of my Alpha Legion Chaos Army. This includes nearly 40 cultists, fully changeable Chosen and Marines, as well as markers, tokens, and, most importantly, a display board. Drawing inspiration from one of my favorite commission painters, GMM Studios, I know I can step up my game and get something incredible going!
• The completion of projects collecting dust. Thanks to commissions and trades, I’ve got two armies-worth of models that need to get painted. With idiots on eBay, I’ve got my Ork army to paint (minus Deffkoptas and other pieces…) and a Grey Knights force. It might even be time to repaint those old Imperial Guard!

• Checklists and calendars. Last summer, I was cranking out projects in under a week. Magilla’s Malifaux crews all took 3 to 4 days, TOPS, to finish. With school rolling, its been months. That’s unacceptable. Quality and timing has always been my forte, and I want to keep that going. Expect Google Calendars for clients, revamped customer service, and a refreshed painter.

I’ve also got plans to keep other artistic venues open, as well as various other projects, plans, events, and other endeavors to keep at, thanks to time opening up and my job at the shop.



This is the result of casting two Hirst Arts molds I’ve had during an eight hour shift at work. The bricks generally dried within half an hour, allowing me to CAREFULLY remove the bricks and pour them again. I want to play around with projects like this and really get both Smells Like Wargaming and Durango Game Space known for great terrain and gaming surfaces. We’ve got some great projects already, but we can always improve!

So again, I’d like to thank everyone who’s supported me since I began Smells Like Wargaming back in 2010. Its been 3 strong years, and, with some work and careful planning, here’s to many, many more! This next week is opening up more, so I should be able to get some projects done before I move following graduation. Stay tuned folks!

Granesh