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Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Don't dlvr.it
Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been using dlvr.it to autopost my blogposts to my other social platforms since September 2017. As time has gone on the amount of channels has been reduced and I was left posting to Twitter and Threads. Now I was only posting to Twitter to prevent my username being recycled. The platform itself is too depressing so I rarely engage with it now. However, Threads feels like a much more pleasant experience, so reposting my blog there made even more sense.
However, I recently discovered my new articles weren't being reposted. Initially I thought this was some permissions thing. Back in the day Facebook needed to update permissions on a monthly, bi-monthly schedule, but it wouldn't always remind you so often they wouldn't get posted for weeks on end.
Well, it turns out that's not the case at all. Those folk at dlvr have finally had enough of us freeloaders and their starter plan now costs $4.99 a month! Trying to find a free alternative has been challenging, not least because sending an RSS feed to socials for free is not high on the list of tech goldmines. But I eventually found this article:
It uses buffer and IFTTT to achieve the same thing. It's a little convoluted but I'm hoping I've got it to work, this is something of a test. The big difference is it's not immediately responsive, you have to tell it when to check, but you can schedule that multiple times a day to help cover your posts. I usually schedule my posts around lunch time anyway so setting a few checks between 12 and 1 should cover it 🤞
Currently it's also free, but that's not without a catch. IFTTT only allows you to have 2 free applets. I don't know if this applet with service whichever feeds I plug into buffer or if I need to do an applet for each platform - I guess we'll find out. Currently I already have an applet set up for a security sensor in my shed, although it's not been active for a while. It does mean I'm at the limit of my applets and any new ones means I have to archive and old one. It's a little frustrating but even if I needed more it's $2.92 a month rather than $4.99.
Anyway, if anyone blogging had also come across this issue, or wanted to start doing so I just wanted to share how I've addressed it in the hopes I can automatically post again to those platforms. Here's hoping...
Monday, 14 October 2024
SHED 2.0 (part 2)
Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity here's another [out-of-date] update on Otty's shed 2.0. This was from the end of July and I finally had some time off to spend a couple of days helping out. My first effort was close to my heart - not just painting, we did not use industrial amounts of Nuln Oil on it! But painting fences goes back to childhood memories of painting my grand-parents' garden fence during the summer holidays. It sounds like a traumatic experience, using creosote, with woolen mittens and plastic bags on our hands to avoid the irritating preservative. Hot days, sweating and struggling to paint the fences. And yet, it's a task I will willingly undertake regularly so I was pleased to get to paint this end wall of the shed - forever my contribution.
As Ben admires his handiwork for all the thin MDF clad ceiling panels.
Inside, Liam and Phil were putting insulation into the walls. then covering them up with OSB.
Liam was particularly careful about measuring the insulation, and I joined him as an insulation team fitting the sheets into the gaps. Then Otty and Phil would be the boarding team.
Again the attention to detail here, ensuring that all boards butted up seamlessly to its neighbour.
They were even using a spirit level when all of this side would be hidden by glass cabinets [and unknown to me it was also covered in thin MDF too, so none of the OSB is visible at all!].
With the fence painting urge in my veins I spent 10 hours the following weekend doing my own fence.
I know the garden is a mess. I've tried for years to get a nice lawn but it's mostly moss and Dandelions now. But at least the fence looks good. It'll start to fade over the winter but I think I'm committing to doing it again next year rather than leave it for a few years like last time. It may increase it's durability.
Anyway, the following week was my second day of helping and with all of the OSB done Scott was here to help with more insulation.
The other walls were clad in MDF, which would be painted.
Fill was back again too and Scott and I continued to help with the insulation.
Including filling out the gaps in the roof beams.
All walls now boarded, only the ceiling to be finished off now.
Otty has been an absolute machine throughout. So much attention to detail and so well deserved. Any gaps or screw holes were being filled and then the entirety of the walls 'keyed' for painting.
Here he's adding some panelling details
As Ben admires his handiwork for all the thin MDF clad ceiling panels.
We all rocked up to help prime the walls, the next day Otty did another coat and you can see 'Bilbo's' door with its undercoat ready for its green paint.
Otty painted the walls grey, two coats and repositioned all his cabinets and shelving units from the old shed with new cabinets and displays. Carpet was fitted and you can make out the size of the gaming table we'll have.
A mighty space it's going to be so great when it's all done.
Friday, 11 October 2024
'nids part 367 - #DreadTober Norn Emissary Bone & GSC Sentinel yellow
Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity it's #DreadTober2024 and it's bone and yellow. I managed to get a really focused painting session in on the Emissary. I usually do the bone first, which is challenging but I'll probably find the turquoise much worse when I get to it.
It was about an hour and a half to two hours to get it done and all the Assimilator bits to. For me that's a lot at the moment. Even when I've been my most productive I don't often sit and paint without a break for that long. If I do it's definitely broken up with many different things to paint. I would not be just doing endless bone. So in that respect I was quite proud of myself.
However, once again my brush control continues to disappoint. I've said many times I love to see brush strokes, I like to see someone has painted something. Obviously 'Eavy Metal and Golden Demon entries deserve the respect for their quality and execution. But I appreciate much more something that you can see has been executed to look painterly. As I know I can achieve that too, it helps, but that requires a level of brush control - so that when you're marking a mark, that mark is there because you decided to make it that way, rather than that's the only way you were capable of making it.
And that's why I feel a bit disheartened with many of the strokes on the tail in particular. This the best control I could muster and it is not the standard I aspire to but also thought I'd be capable of after decades of painting. My progress hasn't even stalled it has regressed! So, this is somewhat disappointing but I am trying to reframe that feeling that only way you are capable of making brush mark is a bad thing. Accepting what I can and can't do is an achievement in itself and 'finished not perfect' has been my mantra for quite a while. Not perfect could mean 'even less perfect' for me now. But I get ahead of myself, it's far from finished and there is still paint to come that will draw attention from some minor wobbly lines. I've experienced a lot of emotions and self-reflection in this one process. It may not be the function of #DreadTober but there has been growth for me, even if it has been hard to face it.
Meanwhile, I got to slap on some yellow. Rather than go with my Gamboge Art Acrylic, I started with Instar IV-16 yellow [armoured Sentinel]. It's what I did with the original Sentinels and I wanted to attempt consistency.
However, they did have a tint layer of Gamboge on top, but I tested Citadel Iyanden Yellow contrast and it achieve the same effect. It's used on the one on the left.
Again, there is more to do to tone things down and add more weathering and rust so they will look very different when finished.
I love these old sculpts. Sure the new Sentinels are pretty cool but there's something so basic about them, like the original Willy's Jeep. Whereas now they're 'overengineered' if grudgingly more functional.
Anyway, here's one next to an original and yes there's a bit more orange on it but that should tone down a bit as we go on. If not... screw consistency! 🤣
I've done a bit more on all of these since these pictures, maybe get them up early next week. But I actually did some Leviathan bits and pieces too, as well as a few Genestealers to potentially add to my Ceraatus bases. Progress is progress!
Friday, 4 October 2024
'nids part 366 - #DreadTober Norn Emissary & GSC Sentinel shading
Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity it's #DreadTober2024 and it's shade wash time. For some reason this doesn't feel like much progress but I've done both the sepia and strong tone washes so it's now ready for the first set of highlights.
I also did the rusty sections on the base with Vallejo Game Effects Dry Rust, similar to Typhus Corrosion, just a little more red. This will form a great base to drybrush and weather.
The Sentinels also had Dry Rust applied.
I also added a chainsaw arm to the armoured Sentinel. This was an original Adeptus Titanicus chainsaw arm. Part of me felt this was heresy.
But I'm not likely to use them for their original function when I have lovely new Titans painted if I want to play Adeptus Titanicus
And, it's better the bit gets used rather than sit in a box gathering dust. You may also spot some decorative gemstones on the inside leg joints of the scout sentinel. They had been missing some bits and I just wanted to cover the holes up.
I'll cover the gems up with paint on primer and Dry Rust and it'll look almost original. That's it for week one, hopefully I'll continue progress and keep this momentum going with first stage highlights this weekend.
Monday, 30 September 2024
'nids part 365 - #DreadTober Norn Emissary & GSC Sentinel prep work
Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity it's #DreadTober2024 and I need to get my hobby mojo back on and get some painting done.
My pledge this year is my Norn Emissary/Assimilator. I've had this for about 10 months now and it's about time he got finished. He'd pretty much been built, based, primed and base-coated months ago but I then decided he would be for DreadTober and also I'd magnetise the Assimilator arms and head which was something of a challenge.
It was such an afterthought it was quite difficult to get it done, but this is my usual starting point for DreadTober for me. Everything else takes just so long to do and this stuff is so tedious it needs to be out of the way to give me any chance of getting it done by the end of the month.
Another issue was that I dropped it at some point and didn't realise his tail spike had snapped off. obviously that piece is no lost for all eternity so I used a Carnifex spike to replace it. I'm hoping that this will be the easy part of the challenge. I mean it's big, but it's not High Rule Dude big, like last year's pledge.
Now, because this was technically done last hobby season I need to break out the old Bloody Great Big Bloody BIG BUILD Stamp of Bloody BUILD Approval as well as the Bloody Great Big Bloody BASE Stamp of Bloody Approval for one last time.
The first time I joined in DreadTober was 2017 and I painted 2 Genestealer Cult Sentinels and look what I have as my 'stretch' goal - 2 Genestealer Cult Sentinels.
As you can see all prepped and ready to go. It's actually worth noting that these might be far more of a stretch than they appear. Sure, last year I did a massive Tyranid monster and two Screamer Killers for my stretch - 3 much bigger models. But they were all the same colour palette so it was very easy to keep the flow going.
Here I have a very different palette and although the models are significantly smaller I really do pack in a lot of techniques to make these grungy and weathered. Although, perfection isn't 100% necessary because of that weathering so they may actually be very quick
But I had a bit of fun building the 'armoured Sentinel cabin'. I had the cabin frame but none of the panels. So, I cut up post-it notes to create templates for the panels between the frame sections. Then I stuck the shape to an old credit card and that became the armour plating. Then I used the template again on cereal box card, but cut it 1mm inset, to make the additional armour plate.
Drilled holes in the cereal box card for added detail and then used a superglue tube spacing ring to make the roof hatch, with a drawing pin, bits of card and a cocktail stick. I'll probably never use these in a game, so it begs the question why I'm actually doing them but I really enjoyed painting the first two in 2017 so hopefully I'll get a thrill from doing these.
And this gives me the first Great Big Wooden BIG BUILD Stamp of Approval for the hobby season
As well as the first Great Big Wooden BIG BUILD Basing Stamp of Approval
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