Painting

 This page will be a record of progress (or lack of it!) on fantasy painting.

Of course, I'm also regretting all the old fantasy figures we now no longer have - dozens of the early, preslotta Citadel models for example, many of which were wonderfully characterful. However, we've still a great collection, and my aim here is to improve it.

Naturally enough, I've used this project as an excuse for new figures - almost exclusively from the North Star plastics ranges for JM's games. Like many others, I've really become excited by the kitbashing possibilities.

I was once a prizewinning figure painter - wins at various wargame shows, notably Salute, and figures painted by me graced the displays of a couple of traders doing the rounds.

However, those days have now passed. My eyesight declines significantly, and other ailments interfere with quality. So I'm at a stage in life when I've decide to settle for "what looks okay to me". Which does not necessarily mean poor work - sometimes, perhaps, but not usually. I find it rather depends on how keen I am on the figures - some get more attention than others, and some lead me to revise mistakes or repaint weak areas, whereas others simply don't seem worth a huge effort.

Fantasy figure painting still offers chances of some creativity, though. Compared with Napoleonic uniforms, where slavish adherence to nineteenth century uniform regulations are de rigueur, painting fantasy is liberating. The difficulty here is being original enough - I generally find the colour schemes I favour are ones I've used before, and that's a bit disappointing. 

One of the things North Star's figures have done for me is given me a bit of occasional inspiration in this respect. By kitbashing figures that I've not contemplated before, or by coming up with a "concept" for a figure, the paint scheme often suggests itself.