Painting Threat; Orks on the Brain

For the Slaptimber Painting Threat on the Waaagh Forums I threatened to paint my warboss and a mob of 21 boyz, the start of Waaagh Uzdreg. I have one observation so far: all that Bad Moon yellow is going to take me ages to paint. Good thing it calls attention to itself, so I can worry a little less about small slip-ups on the rest of the model. Plus, once the entire shoota mob is painted it will look great on the tabletop.

My current ork skin recipe: Basecoat with P3 Thornwood Green, and then cover with P3 Traitor Green. On the nobs and characters I’ll probably do something similar to Warboss Uzdreg, where the Traitor Green is carefully painted to leave a darker Thornwood Green in the recesses between the muscles.

My way of doing metals: I basecoat in Boltgun Metal, and then take a very thin coat of P3 Bloodstone and sort of wash/stipple it on. Makes the metals look a bit more dull and used. I may also do a super-thin wash of a green, and then another Bloodstone wash, to add even more dimension.

I’ll be trying to link to these update posts in the Slaptimber thread on the Waaagh Forum as well. Feedback would be awesome, but is not necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news, I completed several costume commissions for Dragon*Con, and both clients loved the work I did.  I’ve already been in communication to do a second costume for an anime convention in November, which is going to be exciting.

I’m planning several new print designs for dice bags, and have picked up some great Halloween fabric – a checkered purple and neon green that I’ll be combining with a deep purple fabric for a “Joker Edition” dice bag.  I’m really thrilled to see how it will come out.

As always, you can find my dice bags at http://www.greyedout.etsy.com

 

Happy gaming!

Dice Bags in Progress

 

Quick progress post on what I’m currently working on.  I’m doing a big order of dice bags, and today I cut fabric for a few hours, to save time later.  I cut all the pieces at once, to keep from having to do so later.  It’ll be 48 dice bags in total, and this is just the first half of the project.

 

Tonight I’m also planning on getting some more written for Airships of Marrakesh; I may go back to the old schedule of 1,000 words every few days, because that seems to motivate me more than 4,000 words every four days.  So we’ll see.  Either way, I know I’m behind on my updates, and I apologize.  There is more steampunk airship action to come soon, I promise!

On the Crafting Table

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?  I keep meaning to update this blog more often, and then I end up forgetting or simply get busy with life.  I have an update today, though!

I actually just finished a big order of dice bags for Game HQ in Oklahoma City, so if you’re a local, expect to see those in the store soon.  They’re getting a dozen of my reversible bags, a dozen suede bags, and a dozen of the standard adventurer’s bags.

In the next few weeks, I’m going to be working on more dice bags to build up a stock in my inventory, and I’m also planning on bringing that plushy cyclops to life.  I’ll post a picture a bit farther down in the blog post of the idea.

 

Hobby-wise, I’m painting Warmachine miniatures again.  This time I have a Spriggan on the painting table, with Beast-09 to follow later.  The Spriggan will follow my Zerkova theme, lots of darker, muted wintery colors with only a few plates of my unique Khador red.  The main colors of the Zerkova theme are Cryx Bane Highlight for the main color, with shadows and highlights provided by mixing Thornwood Green and Hammerfall Khaki into the CBH.  It works really well.  In addition, I’m planning to add a lot of battle damage to the Spriggan, much like my pink Karchev.  Right now I’ve got a lot of the base work done, and next come all the finicky tricks to make it look good.  I’m also doing a slightly different base – I took the idea from the NQ #40 preview that we saw recently, and doing a slightly raised concrete base.

Privateer Press recently released a few preview videos of their upcoming projects, and in addition to being stoked about the new colossals, I’m also really looking forward to the Iron Kingdoms RPG reboot.  They had a great piece of art in their video, showing a gobber settlement, and that has me wanting to make more buildings.  I have several that still need painting, but I also want to make a few more.  I’ve been toying with the idea for doing the buildings for a gobber logging camp.  It would be somewhere at the edge of the Thornwood, near the road that Khador hacked through the wood to attack Cygnar during the Thornwood War.  The camp has been there long enough that the buildings are permanent additions, and there’s a thriving community of entrepreneurial gobbers working to profit.

I’m also still trying to sell my chaos space marine army, with no luck so far.  I’m actually a bit surprised, because from all reports and rumors chaos marines will be one of the first updates in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000, and may actually be included in the box set.  Going to keep trying to sell it, because there’s no reason not to, and having it gone would save some space in our closet.

 

 

A Bit of Whimsy

I’m not usually one to call out other people, but I found a few awesome things tonight, so I thought I would share before bedtime.

The first is a shop filled with magic, art, and whimsy.  You should all check it out.  It’s called Art by Kristin Kemper, and can be found here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Kecky?ref=pr_shop_more

The second is a shop focused on spiders, spiderwebs, and other little creatures that crawl.  It’s called SpiderwoodHollow, and it’s all about the arachnids.  Take a look here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpiderwoodHollow

That’s pretty much it for today.  I finished another drawstring bag, this time created from a fabric with keys printed all over it.  Also, I plan to draw more(again), since I need to catch up on my drawing and want to improve my skills.  I recently stumbled across an artist’s Tumblr post, in which he states several important things that he wishes had been taught in art school.  One of the tenets was “Draw awesome stuff and put it on the internet.”  I think I’m going to try and strive for that… and with daily sketching/drawing, I should see improvement, and so will you(if you keep reading my blog, that is).  I’m going to try to draw every day, snap a quick picture or two of my sketches(no scanner, alas), and post them here and on my Tumblr.  Which can be found at thekiltedgerman.tumblr.com

Here is that drawstring bag with keys that  I mentioned above.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74678012/the-key-drawstring-bag-by-greyedout

Thoughts on a Green Revolution

It’s Thursday night, and my fiancée and other roommate are having a 90′s night – Clueless, Beverly Hills 90210, Smirnoff Ice, Lunchables, Gushers Fruit Snacks.  It’s a Girl Thing, I’m told.  I’m content to pen down a new blog post and relax with the little black kitten cat that is nice enough to share our home with us.

My fiancée and I have been talking about undergoing a Green Revolution together.  What does that mean?  Well, it involves making our own toothpaste, our own deodorant, and so on.  Moving away from highly processed chemicals where we can, and instead opting for natural alternatives.  I haven’t been able to contribute much – she’s the one who is willing to dive in and create and mix and become an alchemist for us.  But I am happy to use the products, and I think it’s a great idea.  I feel that there is something to be gained by moving a step away from using items in which you can’t pronounce any of the ingredients.

She recently ordered a book on soapmaking, with an eye on making our own soaps for use at home, and potentially selling extra bars on our Etsy.  A book on canning fruits and vegetables came along with the soapmaking book, and I have to say, I’m very much looking forward to making our own pickles, and experimenting with jams and jellies.  There is a customer at my dad’s restaurant who makes his own pickles, and is always dropping off jars for us to try.  While I don’t think we’ll go to those lengths, it will certainly be an adventure!

I’m not an alchemist by any means, but I can sew – which means that I’ve been spending time thinking about sewing my own shirts, based loosely on a “Renaissance Faire” design, but with sleeves that are more fitted, and more like modern shirts, or even late-19th century working man’s shirts.  It’s all still in the planning stages, but I’d also like to sew my own waistcoats and vests if and when I get the chance.  It’s the ultimate way to control my wardrobe.  On the subject of sewing, I feel I should put in a quick plug for our Etsy shop here, since it’s currently featuring a number of smaller sewn items that I’ve designed.  Our Etsy shop name is Greyedout.  Look us up, and say hello!

Exploring the Surroundings

Last December, just before Christmas, I moved halfway across the country to live with my fiancée in Atlanta, Georgia.  It’s a city of some four million people, roughly eight times larger than the town in Texas I came from.  I don’t drive, so public transportation thanks to the MARTA system is how I get around.  I haven’t explored much on my own yet, but my fiancée and I do pretty much everything together, so I’ve seen at least a little bit of the city.  If you get a chance, the Vortex in Little 5 Points is incredible, and a wonderful restaurant/bar to get a great burger and have a fun night with friends.

The title of this blog is The Kilted German, and part of that comes from the Workman’s utilikilt that I received as a Christmas gift this year.  It’s warmed up a lot in the past month or so, and the last few weeks I’ve been practically living in my kilt.  It has tons of pocket space, it’s rugged and durable, and it’s comfortable.  I highly recommend it, if you have the means.  I’m lounging on the bed as I type, the kilt spreading out around me, bare feet pointed toward the fan in the corner.  It’s unseasonably hot today, and all I want is cooler weather and some of the cold-brewed tea that’s waiting in the fridge.

Part of what I want to discuss with this blog are the experiences I have while out and about wearing my kilt.  I’d like to show, if I can, that it’s OK to take a risk sometimes and wear something a little out of the ordinary.  I’m not Irish, or Scottish.  I like the movie Braveheart even though I know how inaccurate it is.  I like the culture.  But what I think really brought me to this kilted walk through life was steampunk.

If you’ve never heard of steampunk, think Jules Verne.  20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  Or perhaps League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Steampunk encompasses a world where industrial revolutions happened earlier, faster, with more change and progress.  Think computing engines in the early 19th century powered by steam, created in brass and iron and churning out paper chits of information for mass consumption.  Picture airship pirates, goggles, and mechanical arms.  And you’re starting to see the tip of the iceberg.

I can’t remember where I first heard the word “steampunk”, but I knew it when I thought about it.  All those little bits and pieces finally added up my in my head, and I had a realization that did a little to explain all those various things that I liked but had previously had no name for.  I went to school for theatre, with a costume design emphasis, so anything that deals in clothes and history quickly catches my interest.  And if nothing else, steampunk culture comes up with some very interesting costumes and clothing ideas.  At some point my fiancée and I had a conversation about kilts, and how they can be very steampunk.  I’d looked at the utilikilts website before, and mentioned that it would be awesome to have one.  I never expected to receive one for Christmas.  But I did, and I couldn’t be more thankful or happier.

Wearing the kilt outside for the first time was definitely an experience.  So far I’ve received nothing but curious questions and comments, and if anyone has anything negative to say about it, it hasn’t been to my face.  Well, except for the teenager outside the mall.  As he drove by in his SUV he halfheartedly yelled “Go back to Scotland!”.  I often get asked if I’m Irish or Scottish. One lady in Whole Foods looked vaguely offended when I said that I wasn’t – but the cashier recognizing me a week later made up for that.  I generally explain that the kilt is a utilikilt – made by an American company, it stands for “utility kilt” – and that it’s quite comfortable with lots of storage space.  The logo is stitched onto the right rear pocket as well, so it’s hard to miss.  It’s a little more urban than a traditional kilt, and I mean that in a good way.  It’s made of 100% cotton canvas, so it’s somewhat heavy, but again, it’s very comfortable to wear.  I will say, though, that hanging it to dry can be an adventure.  It took two clothes hangers to get it hanging properly.

I wear mine with a pair of Doc Marten’s and kilt socks gotten from Sock Dreams, an amazing company in Oregon that has a huge variety of socks to choose from.  The kilt was a little loose on me, so I stitched myself a belt from some fabric webbing, a few d-rings, and a couple of snaps.  It’s nice to have sewing skills.  Next up?  Probably a waistcoat or vest of some sort.  I have some plaid fabric that I’ve been dying to use for exactly that purpose, and it occurred to me the other day that snaps work just as well on waistcoats as they do on utilikilts… and that will finally give me a chance to wear my pocketwatch as well.

I should mention here that utilikilts are a bit different from the normal kilt. Utilikilts generally fasten through the use of a system of frontal snaps.  A number of heavy-duty snaps are arranged in a sort of V-shape at the front of the kilt, and these are your closures.  There are several different models available, starting with the Original and the Workman’s.  The Workman’s is heavier, with two large cargo pockets on the side and two pockets on the back.  The Survival has even more cargo space, though it’s lighter than the Workman’s from what I understand.  And last but certainly not least are the Mocker and the Tuxedo.  The Mocker is almost an office version of the utilikilt, and the tuxedo is just that – a formal occasion kilt.

I’m going to wrap up for now – it’s already a wordy first post – but stay tuned for further adventures.  Blog name aside, I plan to discuss a few other topics here as well, including some of my hobbies, what I’m reading and watching, and so on.  Thanks for sticking with me.