On Future Tutorials and Videos
Today, I don’t have a studio update or a product review or anything like that.
Instead, what I want to do is expand on your answers to my questions about going outside the Warmachine & Hordes realm, and outside gaming miniatures in general. This all leads me around to some important questions on what types of tutorials you are most interested in seeing.
Going outside WM / H
With Relic Knights here, and some locals getting excited about doing some 40k (perish the thought…), thus, there’s a high likelihood that there will be non-Privateer Press models showing up on Plarzoid.com soon.
Thus, it’s excellent news to me that many of you said that when it comes to tutorials or showcases, it isn’t the miniature itself but the new techniques / tricks or the overall discussion that matters.
With that in mind, I’ll probably be switching gears for a bit, in order to experiment with some new things. What you ask?
- Airbrush – I have my Grex, and I have my Badger Sotar (see the Store for links to the exact items). I’ve started using both again recently, and there’s lots I want to try out – Zenithal Highlighting, Minitaire Ghost Tints, OSL, etc. I really don’t want to practice and try out techniques on $5/model Warmachine units. Instead, I need “airbrush fodder”. For this, I’ll probably use my cheaper alternate minis (RK, SDE, 40k, etc).
- New Custom Color Schemes – I’ve read through the first third of Betty Edward’s Color (as suggested to me by Meg Maples and Tony Konichek; see Store -> Painting Accessories). I really want to play with what I’ve picked up and try experimenting with using color to evoke specific emotions from the viewer.
- Commissions – I don’t advertise that I do them because I really don’t, but when I hear about a friend or local buddy with a cool idea in need of help making it happen it can be hard to resist. Anyway, I have a project or two outside the WM / H line that I think you’ll all enjoy. Those will be coming up after the NOVA Open.
- Competition Minis – PP minis are great, but they’re not the only thing out there, and some competitions are manufacturer specific. I think there’s lots to be learned on these projects, so they’ll definitely be showing up from time to time.
- Dioramas – More on these in the next section…
Going outside Gaming Miniatures
I agree the model cars and model trains seem like they may have less to offer to the gaming crowd, but bear with me for a minute. These hobbies are both huge into weathering, and model trains specifically have a huge focus on environment, background and often story. You rarely see gaming tutorials that cover graffiti, but if you broaden your scope to model trains, you’ll find a bunch. These techniques are easily applied to your 40k or Infinity terrain. While I do have the Enzo Ferrari kit, the rest of the kits I have are all WRC cars, and you can bet that I’ll be doing weathering on those. That stuff directly translates to weathering ‘jacks, tanks and terrain.
Additionally, most painting competitions have categories for single miniatures, groups of models, and lastly dioramas – miniature scenes that tell a story. It’s one thing to paint a model or unit to a high standard, but there’s a whole extra level involved in using those minis and a setting to tell a story.
So, I know that cars and trains are not terribly exciting for most of you, but I definitely think there’s some applicable techniques and ideas there.
Audience Participation
So, as I strategize on how I’ll move forward on all of the above, I’m curious what you all are most interested in. I make no guarantee as to how the results of this will affect the tutorials and videos to come, but I promise it will. It may mean that I spend more time on the popular topics, I may do them first, I’m not sure. Anyway, what of the following sounds most interesting to you? Least interesting? Additionally, suggest something not on the list.
- Painting Technique Tutorials – 2-BB, Layering, faces, etc. These are technical “how-to”s that would show how to achieve the desired effect quickly and easily.
- Theory Tutorials / Discussions – Less technical, more abstract. The type of stuff you get from a Masterclass. Rather than how to paint a face, a video of this type might discuss how light hits a face, and why highlights go where they go, and why shadows go where they go.
- How to paint X – A walk-through from start to finish on some chosen model using some chosen scheme. This kind of video gives me a chance to mix techniques for various effects and discuss why. Very similar to YouTube channels like BuyPainted or AwesomePaintJob
- Q&A Videos – You send in questions, I record a response and post it up.
All sound like good ideas. Branching out from more than one miniature line is always a good thing. Whether you are gaining new friends from playing different game systems, learning new strategies, or learning new painting and hobby skills by trying out a different miniature line, it all will add to your level of skill in the games, the hobby, and you get to meet some interesting people along the way.
Airbrush, and two brush blending would be tutorials I would watch with much interest. I have an airbrush and do some work with it from time to time. I also have watched and read two brush blending, and am always trying to find out more about it, as I really like the effect you can get with that particular skill. Back to the airbrush, I am interested in the Minitaire ghost tints. There is a video on Youtube that I saw when they first came out, and it was very impressive, and makes me want to try it. Plus having a reason to buy more paint is always a good thing! In truth I watch most hobby tutorials I can get my hands on, even if it is something I already know how to do. You can always find something else to learn, or brush up on how to do it.
Custom color schemes, competition pieces and dioramas are interesting to read and see how others do it. For me it is a bit less on the list, as most custom schemes are personal, and competition and dioramas, are usually single pieces and not intended to be part of an army or list that is at that same level. It will be good to see how it all comes together and will probably be informative to those that want to enter pieces into a competition.
I would like to see you do commissions, as I enjoy seeing how other people do them, and their take on the mindset you have to be in to do that. I will admit that commissions can take a lot of fun out of your hobby. I know many people who started out doing commissions and some worked their way to full time, until they realized it made them not enjoy the hobby anymore and the began to hate it. I will say not all hobbyists are meant to do commissions. Not due to skill level or commitment, but it just takes away the fun for most people. So I think you should try it, not just to make money, but to see if you enjoy it or not. If you get to the point that you start not liking it, just put it down for a while. Not everyone is meant for it, but it is good to know if you are or are not.
As far as going outside gaming miniatures, it can help out a lot. For me it is all weathering techniques that I learned. I did not enjoy working on model cars, or electric trains, but working on the paint schemes and working on making the trains in particular look like they have been around and working for forty years was a lot of fun. It helped me in particular with painting FOW vehicles and how to do weathering on them.
The video tutorials would be good, and putting them on Youtube would get it to many more people. I would say with the videos, it is more user friendly with smaller time frames. Say ten to fifteen minutes per video, and if you need to do a couple of them to get your point across you can always put them in a playlist. For me having a set of three videos to watch instead of one long one is beneficial as then I don’t have to write down at what time the part I need is at, but can list which one is the one with the scene I need, and just go straight to it. Shorter videos also help, when those times that you can’t watch the entire video and will watch more later. It is more convenient to watch a smaller movie or two, instead of trying to remember where you where on the hour long video.
Well I have rambled far too long, but I will say I am very interested in where you will take this all in the future.
-Bearded Dwarf