Yeah, I’m WAY behind in posting all of the things. Both my own and the community round-ups for the past couple of months. I’ve been dealing with family bullshit, family health issues and I’ve been sick twice (still on the second one) and had an injury in between the two. Still getting past bits and pieces slowly, not looking for sympathy or anything like that – but that’s why I’m still behind. Yes, it’s been a fucking relentless year so far.
Still, not the purpose of this post. What is the purpose is to announce the Painting Challenge for July, and following on from last year’s positive reaction, we’re doing Jewel of July again. What’s that, you may or may not ask? Well, luckily, I’ve got last year’s announcement post that I’m going to mostly-recycle. I simply updated all of the images and left the text, because as I said, I’m still sick, and besides – the rules are the same as last time!
And so….
……………..
Something different for next month. To celebrate the middle of the year, I thought that July’s challenge should be something a bit more open than Squads or Neglected Models (don’t worry, we’ll see a lot more of both of those!) Based somewhat on Decembruary, but more open even than that, since Decembruary was all about centrepieces, so it excluded small hero models and scenery. This coming month, we open it right up.
Oh – and all of the images I’ve used in this post are illustrative of things that do indeed count for challenge purposes. July is a wide-open month that above all, aims to be fun. Just as importantly, all images are clickable and will send you to that person’s blog post. So do indeed check out some stuff that’s new to you!
Alexis West’s Keeper of Secrets
Marouda’s Fimbrethil, Entwife.
I’m under no delusion that everyone I’ve linked here will have the time/inclination/etc to participate this next month, so don’t feel “called out”, but I did feel like this post would be a good opportunity to provide a ton of examples of stuff that can be considered valid models for June July. JULY, and rather than just populate it with models from my own collection – use models from your collections instead with links so people can check out more of one anothers’ blogs. Because community and all that.
Ellen’s Idoneth Deepkin Eidolon
Krautscientist’s The Hound, Enkidu Lance, XII Legion 4th Assault Company.
Thomas’ Aramis the Skullstalker.
TIM’s “Fantasy Island”
The Jewel of July is about painting (almost) anything you want that you think will be cool, or impressive, or just nice.
It’s for Heroes. Big or small. named or otherwise. A Lieutenant or a Medic or a Warlord Riding a Dragon. An Inquisitor’s aide or a Star Player or a Bounty Hunter.
It’s for Vehicles. A Motorcycle or a Maus. A Starship or a Gaslands Car. A Panzer IV to a Kettenkrad. A Rhino APC or a Konigstiger or a War Rig or a M’ak I. (or M’ak II?)
It’s for the more impressive scenery pieces. A desert oasis or a (ruined?) temple or a bunker complex or a single bunker or a skyscraper or a Ferratonic Incinerator or a Kwik-E-Mart. A forest worth of trees or a jungle worth of plants.
It’s for Monsters. Ogres or Ogors. Dragons, Giants, decent-sized Daemons. Bronze Bulls and Dinosaurs and Great Wight Sharks and Goremaw and Cthulhu.
It’s for Dieties and Demi-gods. Primarchs and Titans. Atlas and Aeres and Abaddon. Horus and Hercules. Venus and Vulkan. Saturn and Sanguinius.
It’s for Mechs and the Mechanicum. Steampunk walkers, Dreadnoughts, Imperial Knights, Warjacks, Tripods, Titans.
It’s for Dioramas and Vignettes. Historical, Fantasy, Sci-Fi. It’s all good. Even better if they also feature something from the above!
So yes. Anything from a USMC Corpsman to a 28mm scale Warlord Titan counts for this coming month’s challenge.
Mark Morin’s Cavalry Squad of Power Armoured Frinx, riding Glyptodons. Because OF COURSE they are.
Caseyrog’s Chaos Minotaur for BloodBowl.
Jason’s Volturnos, High King of the Deep.
Wudugast’s Skaven Warp-Lighting Cannon.
Ann’s Yellow-Moldy Poxbringer
Just Needs Varnish’s custom Panzerjäger V Ausfuhrung A Kobra.
Argent Badger’s Carrion Emissary.
Krakendoom Cool’s “Horny Toad” Nurgle Helbrute.
Pandora’s Bitz Box’ Norris Thing/Possessed Marine.
Pandora’s Bitz Box’ Imperial Assault AT-ST.
Warbringer’s Magni Warbringer, Techmarine of the Salamanders.
Alex’s Kal Jericho and Scabs
Backtothehammer’s Garagrim Ironfist
Mr.White’s Terrorgheist and Ghoul King.
Sfjy’s Knight Castellan, in all its imposing glory.
EJ Henries’ Night Lord Renegade
Imperial Rebel Ork’s Bruiser and Bully.
Redboarwiiingers’ Blood Bowl Ogre.
What isn’t it for? It’s not for the truly small stuff – units of line infantry, or barrels and crates. Little bits of scatter terrain.
Units are okay, if they would individually fit in with the above categories. This means units of tanks, or Inquisitors’ retinue members, or units of Ogres or Carnifexes (Carnifii?) or what used to be Space Marine Command Squads all work, but an Imperial Guard squad, or a Space Marine Squad, or a unit of Fallschirmjaeger don’t.
Not this…
…or this.
As always, the biggest distinction between this painting challenge and many others out there are that I only care about you completing these models. It’s not a “start-to-finish” challenge set during a single month, so regardless of whether you just missed out on finishing that diorama or tank this month, last month, or six months ago – or you’ve got stuff that you’ve been chipping away at for six months – or, indeed – if you’ve got models that have been shelved for months or even years, feel free to dig them out and join in.
Similarly, if you want to go start-to-finish, then feel free to go right ahead. It’s about completing cool things. The challenge is designed to easily fit into your (and my) painting schedule and be flexible enough to encompass quite a lot, and hopefully just act as a bit of an impetus or inspiration to get this stuff completed.
As I said up the top of this post, I don’t expect that everyone shown above will be able to join in, but if you’ve been on the edge of joining in on one of these challenges, or just painting some stuff anyway that fits into the many categories, please do feel free to join in. This goes for you, too Marouda!
Once again, I will NOT be posting regular updates over the course of the month on it. I WILL do a round-up of all the participants I’m aware of following end of the month, though – so once again – please DO LINK to this post when you finish something that you want counted in the round-up – because I WILL forget your post otherwise. It happens every single month. Also, if you’re doing the Terrain and Neglected Models: June 2019 Community Painting Challenge, be sure and link your finished units over there. There’s still a few days left to go!
Azazel's Bitz Box. 
Self-care first! I hope things turn around soon. 🙂
There are a lot of awesome models here!
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Thanks C&M. Eventually it will – and then I’m going to have to lock myself away from the world for a week or so…
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What good timing, I have at least two separate projects going that both need some Character models painted!
Let’s hope I actually remember this month. I’ve been feeling a bit “between motivations” recently. Maybe the extra deadline will help.
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Best of luck with that, mate – Jewel of July was a pretty popular month last year, and so hopefully it can help to motivate you – if last year is any indication, there should be a fair few others involved as well, so it’ll be great to see a couple (or more) of your models on board!
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Here we go, first of (two? three? we’ll see): Dark Mechanicus/Alpha Cult Command
https://rhodasreach.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-hydras-heads-firebase-chi-epsilon.html
I have been majorly distracted with a 3d printing project I’m working on this month, but if all goes well I will have at least one more set of models to add on.
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Almost forgot to add this one on: Necromunda-Style Enforcer Command
https://rhodasreach.blogspot.com/2019/07/underhive-inquest-van-weiss-security_28.html
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Great stuff on both, mate! 🙂
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Nice broad category mate, I should be able to match something to the brief! Also, get well dude – thoughts & best wishes
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Thanks Alex – almost a shame that you’ve juuuuuust finished the Wolf Time models, but with your AoS warband project and others, I’m sure you’ll be able to sort something out to the nice, wide set of options for the month. 🙂
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Some very well painted models, (interesting ones too, the carrion emissary especially!), best of luck to everyone involved!
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Thanks Angelos – you should try and get something of your own done this month. Your own models are more than welcome to join in, and a bit more exposure for them is never a bad thing!
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Curses, I was hoping I wouldn’t get a mention and thinking about changing my blog title to “justneedstostartpaintingproperlynow” but the pressure’s on, despite what you imply about there being none! I’m not sure how I’ll do, but I’ve probably said that before as well! 🙂
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There’s no pressure. Just that if you don’t produce, we’ll all start calling you out for letting the team down!
Yet, you always end up doing something pretty bloody impressive in the end…
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The last thing I want to do is let the side down! Not sure with what I might be able to come up with! I’ll have a think! 🙂
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I have been slacking quite a lot since finishing the big thing in May. Been mostly sculpting and building but hopefully I will have something cool finished my the end of July. God has it been a year already? Seeing all those pictures, it just feels like a few months ago!
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Yep. We’re old and getting older now. There’s no coming back from the entropic slide towards the cold, hard earth.
So better make the most of it, and paint up a bunch of toy soldiers! 😉
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I’m still damn proud of that Keeper of Secrets. Thanks for leading off with it!
I really need to get myself back in gear, so even tho I’ve said it every month and failed to follow through, I should have something that fills this one, since I need to get both my Angel of Disease Daemon Prince and my Blightking Terminators done before too much longer.
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Welcome, Alexis! This month should be a good one to get back into the swing of things, since you’ve got pretty much free reign to do what you want or need to get painted – so make sure you enjoy yourself and then it should be so much the easier!
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I did manage to get the Angel of Disease finished up!
https://cascadiangrimdark.blogspot.com/2019/08/jewel-of-july-angel-of-disease.html
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Looks like I will miss June (looking for a new job etc). Also completing my Normandy stuff has been a big project. But this – man I gotta do this again. And it was nice to see my sci-fi stuff, as I have been doing tanks since last fall and I need to switch it up Stay tuned!
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Well, if you do manage to get a small amount of painting done Mark, just think of us and the challenge! 😉
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Just echoing cupcakes mate ,had a bit of infection through my mob nothing serious just irritating and annoying ,but what’s family for but to spread the love and infection within the homily nest .I’ll try and get something in for July seeing that you have gone to all that trouble ,that’s if I survive the trip to Tassie next week ,never been but they tell me it might be a wee bit cooler than Melbourne . Funny thought just occurred to me that our friends in the northern hemisphere would piss themselves laughing if the heard weasel boy Pat was complaining about the temperature being down to 2 degrees !!! ,weak bastard I can hear them saying .
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Hoe you’re doing ok down in Tassie, Pat. Just remember though – the same northern hemisphere-guys who are used to snowy temperatures would do less well at the height of our summer. Like that recent UK “heatwave” where the temperature climbed as *high* as 35.3C…
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I was planning on painting (a part of) my Nightvault set next month, would those count? I know they’re technically more elaborate sculpts of the respective line infantry, but at least the leaders are supposed to be some sort of heroes/characters.
If they’re not counted, I think I’ll paint one or two characters from my AoS starter set. Have to keep the monthly hobby challenge streak going, I’m approaching a full year!
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Well, the leaders are for sure, and since JoJ covers minor heroes, there are probably a few others in there that would count. I’ll let you decide where the line is from minor hero to schlub. 🙂
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Ok I’m in dammit! 👍🏼👍🏼
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Good to have you back, mate!
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Hehe thanks. I think this’ll help push me to get one of the larger Nids done
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A very fine group of models there. I like that ork stone golem thing too; the moss is a nice touch.
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Link for Jewel of July:
https://theimperfectmodeller.wordpress.com/2019/07/06/imperial-rebel-ork-jewel-of-july-challenge/
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Here is my modest contribution- it is pretty much the only vehicle I got painted in July….
https://spprojectblog.wordpress.com/2019/07/31/from-the-shed-merkava-iv/
Cheers,
Pete.
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I’m finally back in! just managed to get these to HQ choices for my Tale of 4 Warlords ready for your July post. Been trying contrast paints out to speed things up… I’m happy with the results but not sure its any bloody faster XD. Its good to involved with the community you’ve cultivated again, hope your doing well buddy. : )
https://paintinginthedark.blog/2019/07/31/contrast-paints-abominant/
https://paintinginthedark.blog/2019/07/31/contrast-paints-genestealer-patriarch/
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Thanks for doing this I love these monthly challenges.
My wallet would like a word though I ended up buying a model to paint for this and then somehow ordered a 100 point force.
http://paintinginthedark.blog/2019/07/31/start-of-a-speed-waaagh/
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https://battlesinmiddleearth.wordpress.com/2019/08/04/the-wisdom-of-the-eldar/
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