As promised – pictures! Iron Warriors and Spawn

Now, I’ve got a new camera which I haven’t entirely figured out the macros for yet, but here are some pics of what I have been painting recently – mainly Iron Warriors, and some spawn which came out much better than I’d thought they would.

These guys are fairly traditionally painted – black undercoat, boltgun metal and a wash of Devlan Mud before some simple highlighting. I think it looks nice and clean and effective.

The burnt effect on the melta gun was done using a mix of boltgun metal and bestial brown/scorched brown/black and gently blending it.

This guy is pretty standard. For the chevrons I painted the area white, then yellow, and then did the black stripes over that. It is a little fiddly to do, but it looks ok (from a distance!). Personally I like the irony of putting warning chevrons on the end of a chainaxe…

This guy was mostly dwarf flesh with a little bit of brown mixed in, then a wash of Ogryn Flesh and then a highlight up. The spines are crimson gore highlighted with blood red.

I tried to get a little clever here and blend dark green into red… and it sort of worked. The smart people amongst you will realise that if you mix green n red together you get brown… but I still like the effect, and it holds together quite well.

Nuff said.

Note – I know that citadel are apparently changing all their colours… nobody asked me, and it will probably take me a few months before I need to go back and buy some more, so you will have to just put up with it.

Japan…

I have a whole host of books n short stories that I am determined to review.

But I don’t think it is right to fail to afford due reverence to the tragic events in Japan over the last seventy two hours.

Some of the footage of the tsunami waves destroying towns and villages and just annihilating everything before them is truly harrowing.

I am not a religious man, but I hope all those affected can find some comfort and reassurance despite what must be a worst-nightmare scenario.

I give money to the Red Cross on a monthly basis, and the stories on the Red Cross twitter feed ( @BritishRedCross ) of the efforts to help those affected are, as ever, inspirational.

My thoughts are with you.

Testing, testing, 3,4… 3,4

I have spent abit of time today trying to link this blog to my other online presences, mainly facebook, and as a result have finally gotten around to signing up to twitter… I am not sure if I’m going to like it, but here goes.

It is also pancake day. I have already made the batter! I used a recipe out of the Good Housekeeping Cookbook. Excite for later tonight.

Finally, having got fed up with IE being do darned slow, I am experimenting with Google Chrome instead. Course it might just be my netbook which is slow. We shall SEE.

Enjoy your pancakes!

Matthew Farrer’s blog

I have nothing to say to you today.

Well, I have managed my hour of writing and I have plans to go for a run later.

But apart from that, I will merely direct you to this, lastest post on Matthew Farrer’s blog.

It is very insightful and encouraging, as he talks of something no doubt many writers go through whilst writing novels and shorter pieces.

Matthew Farrer, of course, is responsible for this piece of awesome which you really have to read, especially if you have any interest in the Adeptus Arbites. I like it very much.

All the best.

It is sunny outside. Springlike. I feel typically glad to have seen the back of January and February.

a fresh start, or the worst blogger ever!

that would be me then.  still, I have been meaning to restart this blog for a good while now, and a recent surge in my determination to write a decent submission and get myself published by the black library has led me to restart this blog, mainly so I can let you all know how I get on!

in other exciting news, I also have a short story written up that I’m particularly proud of, so I’m going to be flogging it around some publishers and with  little luck maybe, just maybe, one of them will decide they like it!

this is short, cos its a Monday morning and there are things to be done! 

oh, and if you somehow havent heard about the Black Library open submissions window, go to this link and all will be revealed.   you’ve still got time!

I’ll leave you with this bizarre video. i really dont understand it. lovely song though. until next time