August 2018 Hobby Challenge: Technical August

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Everyone seems to love this guy, and he’s an example of animal-print freehanding, so I thought I’d give him another moment.

So this next month I want to try something different from just Neglected models and Unit painting, that’s still open enough to incorporate a wide range of projects and models that this little blogging community takes part in – and to try to keep it interesting.

So we’re going to have “Technical August”, where the objective is to use techniques that stretch you a little, that you want to improve on, or are entirely new.

Depending on each painter, their experience, skills, expertise in different techniques and comfort level, that can include pretty much anything and everything. It really will depend on each person’s own choice.

Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about: This could include anything from:

  • using washes or drybrushing
  • freehand designs – icons, tattoos, embroidery, animal hide and fur patterns
  • glazing
  • working with metallics
  • using those colour shift paints that GreenStuffWorld released
  • heat effects – “internal flame” glow, metal heat discolouration, etc
  • magical/spell/energy effects, plasma glow…
  • airbrushing
  • using the gemstone paints or any other of the newish lines of technical or clear or transparent paints from Citadel, Vallejo, Army Painter, etc – from clear red to rust.
  • freehanding gems or lenses
  • OSL (object source lighting)
  • blending
  • wet blending
  • creating or painting standards and banners
  • wire work – aerials or replacing weapon shafts or…
  • zenithal highlighting
  • scratch-building
  • using clump foliage
  • water effects
  • making trees or other foliage
  • using decals
  • modelling using clear resin
  • achieving patinas
  • weathering effects, including weathering powders
  • edge highlighting
  • vehicle weathering
  • basing techniques

and so on – this is not an exhaustive list by any means – just a set of examples to give you the idea. It’s about using new techniques and working on techniques you may have done some work on but want to continue to improve and stretch yourself. A simple way to look at it would be to ask yourself “Am I already an expert at this technique? Can I improve on it or learn to do it more effectively?” – based on those answers, you’ll know if it qualifies for this challenge for you.

A lot of those are quite straightforward, and you’ll know if they’re something that you both want to do and can work on. If you’re not sure if a model or project will “count” – think about it in this way. Is there a model or scenic piece or whatever that you’ve either started or wanted to start, but have gotten stuck (or not started) because you’re concerned that you’ll screw it up because of this or that technique because you haven’t really done it much, or often enough to be comfortable or even at all? Does it make you nervous? If the answer to any of those is yes, then you know the answer.

Speaking for myself, I’m far from an expert at all of the above examples, and really have no skill or experience in several of them – but as you know, I like to get models that I’m working on anyway – or stuck on finished, so I had to stop and think about what I might be able to do for this one.

After a bit of reflection, I came up with several projects that would count – three of them scenic ones that have been extremely slow going, a whole bunch of armoured vehicles from both WWII and 40k – you’ll notice I don’t get many vehicles (or larger scenery pieces) done – there’s a reason for that! I also came up with ways that a couple of the larger monsters that have been slow, slow going could work.

Hopefully, whether you’ve been modelling for years and have just won several placements at a model show, or if you used to work as a painter for Games Workshop and Warlord Games, or if you’re an absolute beginner who has just moved from, say South Africa to, say, the Netherlands to finally be with your new wife – this should be a month that you can find something for you in!

The following month of September will be a slight tweak of the Neglected Models concept into Neglected Projects (this will include everything from single models as well as bigger stuff, terrain, dios, builds, parts of modular models, etc – but I’ll write it up in more detail and post it about a week before September.)

October will be Completing Units again, and I’ll finalise November and December’s when we get closer!

One last thing – if you have something that you want included in the Jewel of July Community Round-Up, remember to post a link in or to the Announcement Post (as long as I get a trackback or can find it easily via a link of some kind from the comments of that post, it’s all good)

57 thoughts on “August 2018 Hobby Challenge: Technical August”

  1. Ha ha ha, im really glad you decided on and gave ua a heads up on whats coming up for ths next few months as i feel like ive completed my last couple of challenges a month early! Never mind Krakendoomcool who has a Helbrute he has used water effects on AND painted muzzle burn for the first time for his July entry!

    Never mind eh, i think i have my next 2 months of challenge Projects lined up ready. Thanks to you this is already turning out to be a productive year and im already looking forward to posting a round up in december of all the stuff ive got done since we started the Blog. Thanks Azazel and good luck with your Technical August Projects!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  4. The most recent thing to scare me is the Escher clan. I haven’t painted animal prints or a bunch of disparate patterns. Either of which seem go along with that gang. Right now I’m fighting my way through the
    Van Saar, so we’ll see. If I don’t quit painting altogether, I think I’m going to need to tackle something easier.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Well, you don’t need to complete an entire gang or anything. Maybe concentrate on three for the challenge. Or one. Or three, and then do the fancy shit one at a time. Something like that. Or do something on the Van Saar models that aren’t completed in July like freehand markings of some kind on their armour?
      Or both.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      • Ah, I was in the ‘unit’ mentality. Yea, I guess I could try and tackle 1 Escher. Each one is probably going to be different.

        No new tricks planned for the Van Saar other than being really detailed about the damned paint job. It’s getting a bit better, but sometimes feels a chore, so I’m apt to grumbling. I should have tried to paint the leader as my test piece, then I might have had something to show for July. The way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

        Liked by 2 people

      • There’s still a week left – including a weekend. 1/4 of the month left yet. Maybe switch gears from “unit” and try to get the leader done for July? Or the heavy/specialist if you prefer to hold off on doing the leader first?

        Liked by 2 people

      • Ack yea, I could’ve gone with a specialist too. No, in typical fashion, i pick a grunt when I want to do my initial test. That way if he is badly screwed up, well it’s just a grunt! 😉

        I’m not sure if I can even get him done by July’s end, but trying as Goal #1 is get enough minis painted to play!

        Liked by 2 people

  5. Wow, this will be a challenge! I’ll be using this month to try and improve my plasma cell painting (totally suck at doing these) and working on some new basing techniques too.

    Are those your Flesh Tearers btw? Fantastic work 👍

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  6. Nice challenge. I’m not sure whether or not I’ll be in for this one, but if I can get my OFCC stuff done in time, I’ll see about tackling the bases on my Beasts of Nurgle, which are going to need water effects way beyond anything I’ve done before. I’ve already done a couple of new things in the last few months (more detailed freehand than I’ve ever done before, and messing around with rust effects), so I should probably try to keep pushing.

    Ooh, I’ve got it: The (relatively) simple marble technique Thor posted a tutorial for over at Creative Twilight. That will look great on the statue head and tomb from the AoS 2.0 Objective Set, and I want to bring those to OFCC, which would require finishing them in August.

    I do have something for Jewel of July. Just needs a couple more final touches and a photoshoot, and then I’ll drop a comment over on that post when I’ve got it posted.

    Liked by 3 people

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  9. Hmmm, now this is a challenge. I’m not an expert in any of this in my opinion, but I do have the Bolt Action starter set that is gathering dust – might start that, or my M24 Chaffee. I have zero WWII stuff, and plastic assembly could be challenge enough. IRO’s mastered assembly, have to see how I do?

    We’ll see I guess? I don’t play Bolt Action btw, but I can use the figures for Combat Patrol WWII! Again Azazel, I really appreciate the community stuff you have built here, and the time you put into it. But then again you Aussies have always had our backs (and vice-versa).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • That would work. I’ve got a trio of WWII 28mm Valentine tanks for my 8th army, desert scheme that I’m honestly not confident about, as I’ve only painted three 28mm tanks before, and they were Russian tanks in greens (and those were something very new, and they were years ago now). So for me those are trying to get correct decal application on armoured vehicles followed by highlighting and shading and weathering on realistic desert vehicles. I’ve got a couple of large scenery pieces that have stalled out for months/years because of a lack of confidence in painting things like that. And of course, some space cactus.
      So yeah, plastic assembly seems legit to me.
      As for the other stuff – you’re way too kind, Mark. I really just wanted to motivate myself and decided to extend it to the WordPress group and see if anyone else wanted to join in – but it really wouldn’t be anything without all of you guys joining in and making it into a thing!

      Liked by 1 person

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