Inked!

Well, today was the day. If you've been checking out my blog this year you'll know that I started running a competition in January, once this fair blog had reached 500 followers. By the end of February, all entries were in (almost 40 of them) and it came time for me to announce the winner, in this blog post. The winning entry from Robert is repeated above.

I took the design along to Emily at Flesh Tattoo Company in Fallston, MD, last Saturday and left it in her more than capable hands.

This afternoon I went along for the actual inking. It's been a while since my last tattoo, so I wasn't exactly sure how it would feel until we got started. I mentioned to Emily that it felt just like last time, as if someone was rubbing a very sharp glass shard across my skin... for two hours!

Still, it was completely worth it. Emily did a bit of handprint research, and actually checked out this blog in the process : ) She was also pretty stoked that I'd run a competition like this. Anyway, her research led her to add her own artistic elements/style to the final rendering, which you can now see below!

Just above it is the first tattoo I got 11 years ago. At the moment, with the raised flesh of the healing skin, it feels like a burning, bloody hand has been slapped against my arm. Very Renegade Guard if you ask me ; )

As an aside, Emily's husband Ed owns the great indy store Games & Stuff in Glen Burnie, MD. I heartily endorse both businesses. One thing that made the whole inking experience more fun (and a bit surreal) was being able to chat with Emily about how Malifaux and exIllis were doing, and what they meant to the gaming community. Very cool. Thanks for the great ink!

Cheers

Dave

And the Winner is...

And so we come to "Revelation Day"!

Perhaps nothing so grand, but with entries from 37 of this blog's followers, I know there are a few people hoping a signed copy of Blood Pact will soon be winging its way to them. Please remember, there can be only one winner. I layed all the entries out before me and went with my gut, feeling a somewhat-Zen connection to the winning entry.

As I promised in my comment on my last post, here are ten or so entries that topped the list. I'll follow these with the winner. Please note, these are in no particular order.

THE RUNNERS-UP

Here we have the entry from Istvan Vegh. A great job of bringing the knives, skull, and Khorne symbol together.

David Brender has taken a different approach here, and I REALLY like the use of the skulls to create the wreath!

Gavin Massey went down a quite elaborate path with this one. I think the blood drop inside the skull was used as a campaign badge "back in the day", so I had quite an old school feeling about it.

Jason Gould brought the elements together very nicely. I particularly like the styling of the Chaos star.

One of my favorite miniature painters, Chris Borer, took a key from my interest (and his own) in more solid, block designs. Each of these is subtly different, and one of them might make a forearm tattoo for the future.

Alex Landing was very enthusiastic about the competition and sent through a couple of dozen variations on the theme. This was my favorite of his work.

This entry from Tim Hollman was the first I received to incorporate the Blood Pact grotesque. Some very clever arranging of elements to have them do double duty.

Wayne Snyder sent in a few entries that were very cool, but it was his worksheet that I thought I'd show here. It's always fun for me to peek behind the scenes and see how people work.

David Liljehammer submitted this entry. I like the decayed feel of the Chaos star/wreath, it looks rusty and dangerous.

Three of the entries from Dylan Gould. Like many entries, Dylan was keen to see me use the Chaos star styling that I've painted on my tanks. I liked the sharp edge style of these very much.

And Dave Stolarski not only sent in this piece (note the Blood Pact grotesque on the skull)...

...but he also sent me a few photos of the start of the "Gaunt's Ghosts vs Blood Pact" sleeve he is currently having tattooed, proving I'm so far from hardcore it's kind of funny. Dave will be getting the color done over the coming months, as time and funds allow, but he has promised to send in pictures of it's progress that I can post here. Nice one Dave!

THE WINNER!

And so we finally make our way to the winner. Robert Ringefors (from Sweden) sent in this very cool - and winning - piece. Not only did Robert blend the Chaos star and the Tanith Straight Silver, like several other entries, but the eye-catching mottled red of the bloody palm print just worked so well with the negative space of the icon. This should be very cool planted slightly off center on my bicep, just below the Imperial eagle I got 11 years ago.

So, please join me in thanking ALL of the folks who entered the competition, and in congratulating Robert on his well desrved victory!

Just so you don't think I've been slacking, here's a shot of the Warmaster Horus I've been working on for a client. Obviously the Adrian Smith artwork is the inspiration, but the client asked for the Horus that has just renamed his Legion to the "Sons of Horus". This isn't the Traitor Horus, but I like to think of him as the Quite Annoyed Horus. : )

And the competition has come to an end.

Hi folks

Just a quick one to point out that the 500 Ink Design Competition has drawn to a close. I received a couple of dozen entries, some pretty close to what I was hoping for and a couple that have blown me away. I'll be taking this week to assess all the entries together and make my decision.

In the mean time, I have a couple of pics from the weekend's efforts that I'll post on Wednesday (once I get a bit more time at the computer in the evening.

Cheers

Dave

Five Hundred reached!

Well, it happened a bit quicker than I thought it would, but this humble blog has reached 500 followers! Thank you all for your faith in this blog and your comments about the content. I've had a lot of fun working on everything (modeling, painting, and blogging projects included).

I did say that I'd announce a new competition once the blog did reach 500, so here it is. Some of you might think "He's crazy", but I'm pretty sure I established that fact early on.

THE PRIZES:

Let's start with the carrots first, then get to the details of what you need to do ; )

As previously mentioned, Dan Abnett will be sending a personally autographed copy of Blood Pact directly to the winner (once announced). Pretty darn cool, particularly for those readers who don't get the chance to get to a Games Day.

I will also scratchbuild an AT-70 Reaver (or upgrade it to an AT-83 Brigand should the winner desire) and paint it up in my Blood Pact color scheme.

I am also in discussion with a couple of other sources for prizes. Fingers crossed I can announce something soon.

DAVE'S GOT INK?

I currently have two tattoos. The first is a solid black Imperial Eagle on my right shoulder. I got this one to celebrate my first five years with GW. The second is a solid black Double Eagle on my left shoulder, based on the "diving Double Eagle" symbol used in the Dan Abnett novel of the same name. I got this one to celebrate my first TEN years with GW.

Even though I no longer work for GW, I'm still due for some new ink. This time around I'd like to get a Blood Pact symbol (probably on my right upper arm, just below the eagle). The only thing is, of course, the Blood Pact don't have an "official" symbol. They are dedicated to Khorne, so I could just go for that, but that's a bit dull. I'd like to incorporate some kind of "chaosified" Tanith regimental symbol into the Khorne symbol.

Well-rendered standard Khorne symbol (source unknown).

Forgeworld's resin Khorne badge

The Tanith regimental badge.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

So, the competition is this. Submit to me (via the email in my profile on the right) your design for a Blood Pact symbol that would work well as a tattoo on my arm. That's right, I'll get inked with the best design I receive!

You have until February 28th (2010) to submit your design. I like solid black designs, but could be convinced to choose a line/color piece should it be good enough.

As this design will be on my arm until I die, I reserve the right to tweak the final chosen design. I also reserve the right to post any of the designs submitted on this blog (with full credit to the designer of course).

So, there you have it. The 500 Ink Design Competition! Have at it. Any questions? Just post them in a comment.

HOBBY UPDATE:

It has been a busy weekend, with family commitments and some time spent at Games & Stuff last might, so not much hobby time. Here, however, is where I'm at with my latest commission piece. Lots of brownstuff used to form the base armor shapes (better for burnishing, filing, carving, and sharp edges), then greenstuff added (better for fine detail and complex shapes).