Death of a Rubricist

+ Tales from Farpoint +

+ I've – very kindly – been nominated for a Liebster award by Space Cow Smith of Tales of Farpoint (+ noospheric inload link: talesfromfarpoint.blogspot.co.uk +) and sundry others. +

+ From what I gather, the idea behind the Liebsters is to bring smaller blogs to broader attention, which seems a lovely idea – so thanks very much. A brief delving into the noosphere reveals that there are a few different versions of the Liebsters, which work a bit like a chain letter (only without the portents of dooooom). The stock images are a big frilly, so I thought I'd have a quick pop at making a slightly more sinister one myself (which you can see at the top of this entry).

+ Like a chain letter, the award comes with a number of suggestions for how to respond: answering 11 questions set by the awarding poster; and then nominating 11 further blogs for the award. So, without further ado:

+ 11 Questions +

+ 1. What inspired you to start up your blog?

+ I've really enjoyed blogging on discussion fora for a number of years. There's great ideas, feedback and discussion; but because I posted on different boards, it had become a bit difficult to track where things were. This was a bit of a pain when I wanted to refer to an old paint recipe, for example, so I thought I'd start a blog to keep everything in one place.

+ It's also a chance to make longer posts and write a bit more thoughtfully than 'here's a model'; so it also provides a bit of a soapbox so I can prattle on in my own space! +

The venerable Mercato Stipent

+ 2. What is your favourite miniature of all time?

+ Tough question... I've always been a bit wary about favourites, as they change so often. Off the top of my head, I'd include the Epic-scale Reaver Titan, as it was one model I remember returning to over and over again in the back of old White Dwarfs.

+ 3. What do you enjoy most about your hobby? Be it painting, converting, collecting or gaming! +

+ Whenever I get bored with converting, I can do a little painting. When I get burnt out on that, I can play a game. If I'm feeling inspired, I'll write a story. For that reason, I think it's the variety more than any one aspect. Were I forced to choose, I think I'd plump for painting. I find it fantastically relaxing and rewarding. +

+ 4. What inspires you?

+ Mostly, other talented hobbyists. When I first found other miniature enthusiasts on the internet, I was blown away by their talent and imagination. It's pushed me on ever since. I also find a lot of inspiration from real-world history – in particular, prehistory and Classical history. There's such a well of different worldviews, aesthetics, and philosophies that whatever you're after, you'll generally find something so different that it really catches your mind. 

+ Secondly, artists. There's far too many to list here, but diving into a book of art is sure to inspire. I go to as many art shows, galleries and museums as I can in order to pick up some ideas; then try and fit them into my work. A selection off the top of my head: Goya – particularly Saturn Devouring His Son; the Chauvet cave art; the Pergamon Altar; Carravaggio and similar baroque work; Klee's blue work. +

+ More directly related to miniatures; John Blanche's work – the titanic scale is endlessly evocative of the senselessness of his universes; and Paul Bonner – just fell in love with his ork and Guard pencils from the Rogue Trader era. +

+ Finally; I find etymology inspiring. Studying the roots of words open up whole webs of links and connections that can fire the imagination for your artwork. +

+ 5. What book/movie or computergame deserves its own miniatures range?

+ Hmm... Portal? Half-Life? Can I fold those together? There are some great concepts in there; and nice reworking of classic themes. I'd especially love to see a squad of the marines from the expansion pack. 

+ Other than that, I think Quake had a great aesthetic, even if it was a little too grunge-brown! I'd struggle to think of many books that I'd like to see brought over to miniature format; I think the designs would differ too much from people's personal views to be a great success. +

+ 6. What was the first miniature you can remember buying and do you still have it? +

+ Games Workshops' Skeleton Horde, a brilliant box of 30(ish) multi-part skeletons, a load of skeleton horsemen on creepy undead horses, and a chariot made of bones. Total Harryhausen bliss. Like a lot of my mmodels, they got gradually broken down, reassambled and repainted numerous times; I think some of them ended up as converted Androids for Space Crusade, others as casualty markers, others as terrain. The fact you got so many so cheaply meant that you could be really creative with them. 

+ I like old models – aside from the nostalgia value, the individuality – both of the design of the figures and the artists themselves – lent them a lot of character that is often lacking from more modern ranges, and particularly multi--part plastics (which do have a lot that I like about them, so don't think I'm knocking 'em). The downside of the internet is that the creative cross-fertilisation tends to mean that the really outré creations (like the excellent Quar concept (+ inload ref: zombiesmith.com/pages/quar-fluff +) is drowned out under the noise of more popular stuff like 'modern day soldiers in space'. +

+ 7. Do you think that CG designed miniatures will replace traditional sculpting? +

+ No; much like vinyl records, I think there're advantages and disadvantages to both processes, and their appeal lies in different places. +

+ 8. Do you lick your paintbrushes? +

+ Of course, how else can you reshape them properly? :P +

+ 9. What fad in miniatures do you find most annoying? +

+ Er... size, probably. Big things are awesome, of course; but only in context. Giant robots only look cool when they're tromping around a sea of infantry. Also, regular 28mm-scale troops seem to be creeping towards 32mm in height, and even beyond. Coupled with more dynamic poses (which is, in itself, a good development in general), it's annoying when things don't fit on bases.

+ 10. Who is your favourite Wizard? + 

The guy off Word 2000? Or possibly Windle Poons. I'm not sure if the Dungeonmaster from the classic 80s D&D cartoon counts...

+ 11. Which would win in a fight? A shark or a bear? +

Whichever wins, we lose.

+++

+ 11 Blogs +

+ There seem to be various different limits on the number of followers allowed for the Liebster award, so I'm going to simply pick 11 blogs that I think are fantastic. +

1. Gothic Punk – a collection of the great John Blanche's work
   (+ inload ref: http://gothicpunk.tumblr.com/)
2. Ideas Made of Light – sadly, seemingly abandoned, but has some brilliant analysis of a diverse range of artworks that really help inform you for analysing your own work (+ inload ref: http://www.scottmcd.net/artanalysis/)
3. Anna Polanscak's wonderfully atmospheric Gardens of Hecate. Very much a case of 'models first, rules second', the elaborate and beautifully creepy artworks are inspirational. Very Rackham-esque.(+ inload ref: http://gardensofhecate.blogspot.co.uk/)
4. Thenickeninja's blog – Voodoo orcs; need more be said? Inventive and beautifully finished miniatures from a diverse number of ranges.
   (+ inload ref: http://thenickeninja.wordpress.com/)
5. New to me, Andy Walker's blog Lair of the Breviks has a broad range of themes and scales; and he's recently been showing many uses for a great green-based palette. Andy's also happy to talk about how he adapted models when something went wrong, which is a welcome change!
   (+ inload ref: http://lairofthebreviks.blogspot.co.uk/)
6. Goblin Lee's Miniatures Blog is a treasure trove of classic oldhammer done well.
   (+ inload ref: http://goblinlee.blogspot.co.uk/)
7. The Apotheosis Codex is a brilliant exploration of an old hand coming back to 40k; and producing some brilliantly imaginative self-sculpted material.
   (+ inload ref: http://apotheosiscodex.blogspot.co.uk/)
8. A group blog with some lovely scratchbuilt terrain and vehicles; plus lovely artwork.
   (+ inload ref: http://beardbunker.blogspot.co.uk/)
9. Yasmin Putri's (defunct?) artblog, Anything Goes, has some really fantastic artwork that covers a lot of ground that fantasy/sci-fi wargamers will enjoy.
   (+ inload ref: http://yasmineputri.blogspot.co.uk/)
10. Officio Convertorum is inspirational for conversion and paintwork alike.
    (+ inload ref: http://convertorum.blogspot.co.uk/)
11. Jeff's blog, Pirate Viking Painting, has the manliest title of all; and has loads of great tuorials. I really like Jeff's painting style and palette, too – lovely and muted.
    (+ inload ref: http://piratevikingpainting.blogspot.co.uk/)

+ 11 Questions +

+ According to the Liebster's 'rules', I should provide the recipients of the award with 11 questions. Since a few of my nominees are defunct or not really miniature related, I'll reluctantly leave them out and instead write a series of questions that are applicable to the remainder, as I think they'll be more interesting to readers of Death of a Rubricist. 

Apologies in advance to the chaps and dudines from the Beardbunker, as they'll have to find an inventive way to answer as a group!

Here they are, folks: 

1. Marooned on a desert island or distant planet, you find a cache of half a dozen paints. What colours do you want?
2. How do you view the results of your work? Do you think of them as artworks, toys, craftpieces, sculptures, gaming aids or something else?
3. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received for your painting/modelling?
4. Assume everything goes up in smoke – your whole portfolio of work is gone. Do you recreate your older work or break new ground? Do you start again at all?
5. What's the favourite piece on which you've worked?
6. What's your personal holy grail – that miniature that you always wanted, but could never get?
7. Can you summarise your painting style in eleven words or fewer?
8. Do you prefer to produce one-off models or groups linked in some way?
9. Which one miniature do you think best represents your work?
10. What's the next project on your painting desk?
11. Can you give three timeless tips to paint like you? +