11/5/13: Extra Life 2013; Alpha Legion and Terrain WIP

Hey guys!

So its finally come and gone! Extra Life 2013 was November 2nd and 3rd, and boy howdy, was it fun! Didn't get a lot of tabletop gaming in, but my thumb is still killing me from playing too much Super Smash Bros on the Wii! Not a lot of pictures, but I'll let them do most of the talking!

Sonic's my usual go-to character when I rock out Brawl. Good to have some actual challenges this time around! Played a little Sega Genesis too, but the Wii was our major focus. I did get a game of 40k in for the Badab War Campaign; I got my face stomped by the Raptors (damn you Lias Issoldon!)

My buddy's wife and her sister brought some snacks to keep us going all night. The Mario Mushrooms are made from Rice Krispies with a marshmellow bottom. Delicious!

RTGamer and the rest of the Fantasy guys got some Triumph and Treachery in, and seemed like they had a blast with it! Lots of laughing, yelling, and excitement was had! Their first game took forever, but I don't think they minded! I need to get my Vampire Counts up and running!

There was also some FIFA involved, a little Magic, lots of yelling, and a ton of fun! Overall, Durango Diceworks raised about $400 towards Extra Life and the Children's Miracle Network! Huzzah for the group, thanks to all my contributors and well-wishers for helping us towards our goals! I've got some bigger plans next year, we'll see how they culminate!

I've also jumped back into some projects, both personal and commissions. First off is a redo of my Chosen Champion. I wasn't happy with his color, so I scrapped the model entirely, and opted for a darker, greener tint. The glow effect on his backpack, chest and eyes is Moot Green dusted once dry with a lime green soft pastel. By taking your hobby knife and dragging it down the pastel, you can make your own powders; great for weathering, they help immensely with glow effects and tints. I may have a tutorial on it soon! 

And the commission! It consists of the Imperial Defense Emplacement here and two Defense Lines (4 sections). Gotta say, they paint up quickly and really nicely...until you get to the Cadians on the bases. They don't paint up quite as well, and the fact torsos and skulls just stretch on to oblivion just drives me nuts! Going to try to get 2 pieces done tonight and the rest done tomorrow, but we may just wait til Thursday. Depends on work tomorrow!

Alrighty! Back to work! Following the terrain, I'll be rocking out an Uhlan-heavy Khador group and an Imperial Vulture! Should be fun, so stay tuned!

Granesh

10/26/13: Finished: Charity Cygnar Battlegroup

Hey guys!

So about a month ago, my good friend Magilla Gurilla came to me, looking for prizes for his charity 40k and Warmachine event. He was looking for something like a Dreadnought or some vouchers, but anything would do. Jump back to March, as the shop I manage was getting rid of our Warmachine stock, as it just didn't take off around here. Everything was 50% off, so I had to pick up some paints and a Battlegroup. I saw Cygnar, loved the look, picked them up, built them, then packed them away. I decided I'd rather see the group do something charitable than collect dust, so I set to work!

I opted for a simple-yet-effective scheme to allow someone to add to the group easily, yet still making these pieces stand out.

Really happy with the vent glow; its P3's Arcane Blue layered up to white.

Really happy with Stryker, but getting photos of his face is driving me nuts! I layered him up to Pallid Wych Flesh, so getting that color to photograph right has been a nightmare.

The Power Sword effect turned out perfectly!

The Lancer; I'm really happy with the checkers on the shield, and the glow effect turned out nicely on his shoulders.

The Charger; probably my least favorite Warjack, just not a lot of area for customization on him.

Big Bada Boom!

And the Ironclad! This guy was fun, pretty intimidating-looking model, but lots of space for weathering and freehand.

The Cygnar emblem on his top part is all freehanded; really adds some personality and effect to the model.

Stryker and his bodyguard of Jacks holding the Smells Like Watchtower from those crazy Menoth jerks!

So glad to be done with these, and I'll be even happier to see what they raise for charity. Speaking of charity, Extra Life 2013 is only a week out, so if you haven't supported the cause, swing on over to the page HERE and show your support! Anything is appreciated!

Alrighty, I'll be out of the studio this coming up week, visiting my girlfriend for Halloween, but expect tons of pictures of Extra Life the following Saturday/Sunday, and I'll be working hard on terrain and some IG stuff the week after! Stay tuned guys!

Granesh

10/18/13: Finished: Skaven Screaming Bell and Warp Talons Sneak Peek

Hey guys!

So I did some final touchups, cleaned up some of the glow effect, and matt varnished the Screaming Bell, so I can safely say its complete! I used to hate Skaven, but this kit definitely changed my opinion! Lets let the pictures talk, shall we?

The bell in all its glory!

The Grey Seer and his bell. The Bell was weathered just a little bit more, and hit lightly with the matte varnish to keep its shine.

The Rat Ogre ringing the bell. Definitely a strange model, lots of fun to paint. Definitely leave him off to paint, you'll want to get into all the weird nooks and crannies to really pull him off.

The Warpstone glow dominates this piece, as it should. I deliberately made the glow on the Ogre's hand bright and obvious to accentuate this glow. 

The Brazier was based in Caliban Green, then overbrushed Warpstone Glow and Moot Green. The coals were then washed with Coelia Greenshade to make them stand out. The whole piece was then drybrushed with a mix of Moot Green and White to accentuate any folds and wisps in the smoke.

And the other side, so you can see the back of the Ogre and the other side of the Seer. This project was a lot of fun to do, and I think painting a Hellpit Abomination, Doom Wheel, or hey, even Globadiers, would be a blast, especially with all the glow effects!

I also finished my Warp Talons last night; Not the best picture, but I'll have an article covering it tomorrow while at work, as I'll be able to get better pictures from there.

Alrighty! I've got some interesting projects for today, and I'll be starting the charity Cygnar group today as well. Stay tuned to the Facebook page for WIP updates on those! 

Off to work!

Granesh

10/13/13: Smells Like Charity...Again! Extra Life 2013 and Charity Gaming Event

Hey guys!

Its been a busy two weeks! This post is going to have a little bit of painting showcase, but I really want to focus on the more important aspects this time; namely, more charity work!

Those of you might remember this time last year, Smells Like Wargaming participated in two charity events; Extra Life 2012, and the Breachside Benevolence Ball. Both were for great causes, and greatly helped out their respective groups. Lets break them down again, shall we?

With Extra Life 2012, myself, along with two other members of our gaming group, Durango Diceworks, raised over $800 for the Children's Miracle Network. We got in some 40k, Warhammer Fantasy, plenty of Magic, Xbox, X-Wing, and....*shudders*...Nitro Dice...

There may have been some...drinks involved...too...

For those of you unfamiliar with Extra Life, its a charity group involved with raising money for your local Children's Hospital by getting pledges to play games for 24 25 hours. Its for a great cause, and we all have a ton of fun gaming and raising money for the kids. Its all about the kids, ya'know!

This year, I'm hoping for an even greater turnout and results. You can't go wrong with raising that much money for charity, but hey, we've always gotta aim higher! For those of you interested, here's a link to my Extra Life page: Granesh's Extra Life Page 

The Extra Life page recommends a dollar an hour ($25), but anything works. My personal goal is $250, but I'm hoping that's a glass ceiling that we smash through! Honestly, any money raised for this group will make me happy!

Believe me though, I've got more going on than gaming for charity too. I'm always happy to donate my talents to these endeavours as well! Again, my good friend Magilla Gurilla came to me, asking if I could donate some vouchers for painting for his Charity Gaming Event, taking place in Southern California November 9th. I one upped him, as I like to do, and offered to paint up a Cygnar Battlegroup to be raffled off for charity. 

Again, for those of you who don't remember, I painted up a Seamus Crew and redid some models for a second crew (for some reason, I can't find pictures) for Malifaux; the two crews raised about $150 towards charity. Magilla approached me again, as I said, looking for some support, and I figured it'd be better if we had a set of models the bidders could see in the flesh. I opted for a Cygnar Battlegroup, as Warmachine seems to be bigger in their area than Malifaux at the moment. Pictures should begin next week of the progress, I'm very partial to that Colonel Striker model from that set...

Blue and Brass? I think that can be done!

Expect shots of this project over the next week and a half. I'll be out of town for Halloween, so we'll have to get it done in that timeframe. 

I apologize for the lack of updates, Facebook and Twitter seem to be a little easier for posting, especially WIP shots. I was working my butt off last week on High Elf stuff to get them ready for my client who was traveling with RTGamer and my boss to Feast of Blades. For those of you who haven't seen it, here's the freehand on the Dragon Prince's banner:

Alrighty! Got a game of Blood Bowl today (Don't lose too many skinks...) and I'm doing some work on my Warp Talons to relax, and monday, expect some Skaven and Cygnar goodness!

Granesh

10/23/12: Gaming: How Extra Life Went!

Hey guys!

I’d meant to post this guy up yesterday, but I’m still kinda retuning my brain after being up for over 24 hours!
First off, I’d just like to say thank you to everyone who supported us through the event. We raised almost $600 total for the Children’s Miracle Hospital, which I’m extremely pumped for. They’re a great cause and the more help we can give them, the better!

First off, I still had to work on Saturday, so about 8 hours of the event I spent behind the counter selling Magic Cards and whatever else, though I did get a couple games in with my Krenko goblins!
The first gaming event we had though was a Warhammer Fantasy Tournament. 6 Players showed up and, from the looks of it, had a great time!



Our local DM and Board Game guru came by and ran a game of Arkham Horror. Last I’d heard, they had defeated the nasty Cthulhu-monster and saved the world…for now!



I actually managed to get a game of 40k in too! First time playing the new Chaos Marines codex, and I have to say, its going to take some getting used to!



First off, Giant Chaos Spawn rolled up as a Maulerfiend for the game. He was a beast, and if he hadn’t gotten mauled by a Hive Tyrant, he would have caused a lot of trouble against the Nids. Cultists are fun, but I should have deployed them in a spot where they could have shot more. They ended up in CC with the Hive Tyrant after the rest of my army was killed.



This won’t end well…
The biggest thing is the Champion of Chaos rule. All sergeant upgrades get the CoC rule, meaning they have to issue and accept challenges. Not a bad thing when fighting, say, a Chapter Master. But a Hive Tyrant? That gets dangerous. I know personally I’m going to be dropping the Power Fists off my Champions and go for the Lightning Claw or Power Weapon.



The rest of the night was kinda a blur, after hitting up the bar, playing NCAA Football, UFC 2009, and FIFA 2009, then finishing the night with some Nitro Dice…don’t ask…



Damn you Nitro Dice…
A little alcohol and 3 AM gaming will knock even your favorite commission artist out for a power nap!



Got an Imperial Strongpoint to finish up this week, and should be starting some more Malifaux soon too!
Alrighty, bring on the next Extra Life event! Thankfully its only a year away!

Granesh

10/20/12: Extra Life Charity Event: Two Hours In!

Hey guys,
Quick update! The event is in full swing already! We've got our Fantasy Tournament up and running with a good 6 players kicking it. Say hi to Steve and Gabe!

I also got in a demo game of 40k, Crimson Fists v. Crimson Fists! I think Crimson Fists won...

Alrighty! Time to go watch more Fantasy and get a little painting done!

Granesh

10/2/12: Smells Like Charity! Extra Life and Breachside Benevolence Ball

Hey everyone,
So I’ve been meaning to do a post on this for quite a while, but the time has never really come up. Until now.

Smells Like Wargaming is pleased to be working with two amazing causes. First off, a good friend and client of mine, Magilla Gurilla, got in contact with me a couple months ago about his charity event, the Breachside Benevolence Ball, in Southern California. This quote, taken directly taken from the event page, sums up the reasoning behind it:
A few days ago, I had a barely formed idea that it would be nice if the Malifaux community could come together to raise money for a charity. The idea sprang to life when I learned that a friend had recently had a baby born that was very premature and born with Down syndrome. I had seen the Warhammer 40,000 community come together to raise money for charities and felt that the Malifaux community in general and hopefully the SoCal Malifaux community in particular could join together to raise money for the local Children’s Hospital, Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.



Magilla came to me asking if I could give him a discount on painting up a crew. I one-upped him and told him I could paint the crew up for free as my contribution to his event. Raising money for the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital is a great cause, so check out the page and, if you feel obliged, help out the cause!

Breachside Benevolence Ball page: http://www.beyondthetabletop.blogspot.com/



Secondly, I’ve been a little slow to jump the gun on this one, but our local gaming group, Durango Diceworks, joined the Extra Life 2012 cause. We’re planning on a full on 24 hours of pure, unadulterated gaming, from a Blood Bowl tournament to narrative Warhammer and 40k, some Xbox, along with whatever else we decide needs to get played!

The Children's Miracle Network Hospitals is a great cause, and deserve every penny they receive. So I implore you all, click on my link and, again, if you feel so obliged, to donate some money to the cause!
Granesh’s Extra Life page: http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=30088

Alrighty, this week is dedicated to getting the charity Malifaux crew done, along with some homework and various other projects too. Little teaser shot, how’s about a family Cultist shot?



Granesh