Showing posts with label Tutorial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tutorial. Show all posts

Tutorial: Miniature mounting system for transport boxes

by Andy

Hello everyone, 

 

it's Andy, again. The “Bembel Miniature Cup” is in sight and so that your projects arrive safely, I will show you today my concept for new inserts/trays in my transport box.



Before our recent trip to the Monte San Savino Show I thought a lot about how to transport my miniatures to Italy by plane. Security checks, hand luggage, and a wooden box with metal parts kept me awake. I needed a solution that could be presented during an security inspection without much effort and, ideally, required no tools for assembly and disassembly.



Just using Bluetac/Pattafix was too unstable for me and gluing it would have risked leaving residue. That's why I decided on fixing the miniatures (or better: their bases/plinths) to the carrier trays with screws. In order not to have to carry a screwdriver with me, I decided on a combination of screw-in sleeves, M4 set screws and knurled nuts (links as example). This means that the bases/plinths can be easily attached without tools.


Since time was running short before the trip, I simply used a wooden board and drilled holes (as you can see in the picture below). However, for going to the Bembel Miniature Cup, I will upgrade that to a wooden pegboard (hole diameter 5mm, spacing 15mm). One screw per base/plinth is sufficient for 28mm projects and busts. Multiple screws are only necessary for larger or heavier projects. 



A note on drilling

The fact that I had to drill holes into the plinths of finished projects for the trip to Monte made me a little uneasy. To avoid dust on the miniatures, I drilled very carefully and vacuumed while drilling, which worked very well.

For future projects, in preparation for screw-in sleeves, I will make sure to drill a hole in the base in advance if there is any chance that the miniature is to be transported. 

Conclusion

The security check at the airport was a breeze with very nice officials, the miniatures survived the journey perfectly and fixing and releasing them was very easy - all in all, the effort was worth it.

Thanks for reading and your interest. Feel invited to comment in the section below. 

Andy 
2 Kommentare
Labels:
Posted On 31 January 2024 at 7:00 AM

On the pressure and anxiety before shows

by Hansrainer

Hi Jungle folks,

Todays article is in a way a continuation of my last, an application of the principles on one hand, but also an honest share of what‘s on my mind before a show. Mostly its probably a soul strip to help me find my own way through sharing and structuring my thoughts.

I share this because a) writing it down helps me thinking it through and b) because it might resonate with some of you out there. Those of you that feel equally like beginners, mediocre and struggling and not sure if they belong. 


It started as a short burst of thoughts and ideas that go through my head as I gear up for SMC in two weeks. Even monte is only about a month away and I have barely touched a brush for the last 3 months - mostly for family reasons and because lots of non-painting stuff had to be worked through - but there are always reasons, right? As I am looking at the pre-registration for SMC and what I would like to bring, I realize I have little to show for the last 12 months. Mostly some gaming pieces, certainly nothing worth bringing to a show. 

One of the pervasive elements of the last years was that I started to paint for shows, instead of painting for myself (at least when I don‘t just slap paint on gaming pieces). I really enjoy going to the bigger and smaller painting related shows like WME, SMC, the Duke of Bavaria back when it existed and since last year, Monte San Savino has become probably my favorite event to look forward to.

But, still being in the lower standard ranks of painters (at least if the results of the contests can be trusted), it always feels like my theoretical knowledge and ambitions transcend my actual skill with the brush by far. I FEEL like I could be much better than I am - I see more, understand more and can read more in miniatures than I can feasibly create myself. And that puts me under a great pressure: I feel like I have to create better works in order to exhibit - and I feel that if I cannot show improvement, can get a better medal - deserve a better medal - that I have failed to validate my right to belong to the community. 

On average and in the top levels, the world of miniature painting has improved in bounds and leaps just within the last decade since I joined it. If we look back further, we can see that this holds true for a much longer time frame - arguable more than two decades now. New painters join the fray every year, gain recognition, become part of the crowd. And sometimes that feels like a threat - the community used to be smaller, it used to be easier to feel like belonging. 

It is still a world full of wonderful ( and with overwhelming majority  extremely nice) people. However, like in every other community, fame plays a role - and fame is distributed in a meritocratic way - at least meritocracy is a big element. That can lead to a sometimes sad, sometimes exciting spiral, especially for the hobby painter who comes late to the game and can only devote a limited amount of time & energy (but a seemingly endless amount of passion) to the arts: On one hand, you want to belong - and you can - even just on a mediocre, passion-driven base - on the other hand, to earn a seat at the table you have to deliver. To deserve a seat at the table, you need to be a good painter, a great artist or have other redeeming qualities - and if you don‘t, if I don‘t - what am I doing here? So far for the exposition of my situation - maybe you can relate, maybe you can‘t. But in light of my last article, this can be a starting point to work through things, sometimes it takes the push to write an article to do it myself:  

  • Obviously my inner Diva wants to be awesome - I want to be recognized for the brilliant mind I have, for the great ideas and personality I bring (or wish I brought) to the table.

  • But at the same time, the Judge sees this for the hubris it probably is, tells me that nothing I can cobble together in the evenings of the remaining two weeks will amount to anything worthwhile. If I put it in exhibition, it‘ll likely not even suffice for a bronze in standard and in the end, what remains will be that my worst fears of mediocrity will be substantiated and revealed for all to see: That I can‘t really create a piece of art worthy of recognition. I‘ve been a failure for not pushing myself throughout the year and now I reap the reward.

  • The taskmaster tells me, that going there without exhibiting means I don‘t belong. If I don’t make it on the stage and get a medal I obviously don‘t belong. I spent the evenings of the last two months doing all kinds of things to avoid working on my pieces, probably even this writeup - technically its 6:30 in the morning now, but yeah… On the plus side, my office/studio looks better than ever before and everything is sooooo ready for painting that next year I‘ll be ready to rock the world ;)

Thinking these things through alone doesn‘t make me start painting, but confronting and analyzing my fears allows me to at least see what I am afraid of, instead of leaving me with the queasy, undefined churning in my gut when I think about SMC and Monte, while I feel I should be excited. It allows me to be excited again to meet many friends, maybe make some new friends, enjoy the art others created and I‘ll bring to the table what I can. 

If its a medal in the end, I‘ll be relieved. If not, I‘ll survive. Some would probably write some encouragement like „you always belong“ - „It’s only fear“ - but fear is real and the worry of estrangement and rejection is too. If you go out there and present yourself, you can get hurt. If you enter a contest and don‘t get the medal, it hurts. If you post on insta and don‘t get a like - it hurts. And there is no way around it: 

Everyone who gets the recognition, gets the gold, gets the likes has put in the work and maybe also got a bit lucky. And they went out there and took the risk. If you didn‘t put the work in, don‘t expect the results - but that doesn‘t mean you can’t enjoy the show and the company. That you can‘t belong to your friends and colleagues, relate to others, talk about the things we all enjoy: Paints, colors, techniques, emotions, styles and tiny busts and figurines. 

If you don’t expose yourself - you wont get hurt. But you also can’t get surprised and most certainly can’t be seen. I hope to see many of your works - see it in standard, beginner, master. I hope I am going to be touched by raw creativity and poor execution, amazing craft and perfection, a combination of both. Pieces that wow you from yards away and pieces of sublime and subtle beauty that take a while to discover. Please expose yourself and bring your stuff. Being there means you belong to the community - maybe not the top tables, but you’re there to be seen.

Talk to your inner parts, be honest with them and manage your expectations - the Diva has resigned now to the fact that we will just be valued on what we bring - and that has to suffice. The Judge is appeased as we don‘t expect the unexpectable and accept the verdict of realism and the Taskmaster tells me to stop procrastinating and get back to my brush - two weeks to go now… Hope to see you in Eindhoven or Monte…

P.S.: Please let me know if this kind of introspective is of any use for you as a reader.
I would be happy to know if you can relate, be comforted that others feel the same or such. 
2 Kommentare
Labels: ,
Posted On 04 October 2023 at 7:00 AM

Kallax photo setup - the most handy photobox!?!

by Andy

Hello everyone,


It's Andy, again. Today, I want to give you an overview and “how to” tutorial of my current photo setup. The idea was to build an easy-to-use, quick set-up photo box suitable for fast WIP shots and final pictures.


To be honest, the main reason I didn’t use my “standard photo tent” that often in the past was the set-up time, the need to clean up my desk to have enough space and the inconsistent lighting.

I have been thinking back and forth about this topic over the last years and the solution was in front of my eyes all the time with the IKEA "Kallax" cupboard, which is probably one of – if not the - most-often sold cupboards in the world. The squares are perfect for a photo setup with fixed conditions, but the concept of the photo box should be possible to realize with any other cupboard and boxes as well, but I’m just an IKEA-addict when it comes to hobby furniture ;)

Things you need (links as example and not paid):


Optional equipment


My jungle brother Hansrainer came up with the idea of a ring light for quick pictures and I adapted it for the Kallax project. A 12-inch ring light is the largest suitable for one of the square spaces.

Samla boxes in general do not fit the Kallax well but for our project they are perfect because they create a nice little niche on top and to the side to store the ring light.


This is how the whole setup looks like in the stored position. The whole assembly as seen in the picture above is very simple – clamp attached to light and shelf, nothing special here. The optional turntable can be stored on top of the box.


The modifications to the shelf can be seen without the boxes. In the picture you’ll see the backdrop in the storing position pushed upwards between Kallax and the wall and the ring light stored to the side to have space for the boxes.

The black foil is attached on each side and on the ceiling to avoid unwanted light reflection. I first measured the size of the walls, then cut the foil with a bit of extension to have a little room for failure. The installation of the adhesive foil is done step by step by taking away a small piece of the protection layer on the back, starting the attaching process by adjusting it to the wall as straight as possible on one edge (I recommend the back), pushing with a straight round-edge cardboard or plastic lid to get rid of air bubble and working the way to the end of your layer. The last step is cutting away the extension. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials of wrapping with foil if you want a detailed explanation ;)



In the shooting position it’s super clean and easy to use. I recommend attaching the clamp in the middle of the shelf to have stiff hold for your mobile and lamp. Adjust the angle of the lamp and phone (or camera) to your preference – for me it’s a bit tilted from the top.

As a base, I use some black caps from spray cans or wooden sockets. Recommendation is black, white or gray to avoid tinted reflections from the bottom. Just play around which suits best for you.



Now that you know how I built it – you will wonder whether the whole set-up actually can fulfil its goal: to reduce the time and hassle of setting up the photo equipment. So, here are the results of a little experiment: I stopped the time it took me to set-up and store the photo box.

The pic to the left shows the time it took me to set up the photobox, the pic on the right shows the time to store it away. Both setting up and storing the stuff took me less than a minute! – I’d say: “mission accomplished”:D


The box in action

Here are two examples of photos taken with the photo set-up and lightroom app.


Both miniatures will be featured in detailed posts - stay tuned ;)

Thanks for reading and your interest and leave a comment below if you have any questions.

Andy

0 Kommentare
Labels: , , ,
Posted On 27 September 2023 at 7:00 AM

TUTORIAL: quick hanging plants for dungeons and caves

by Andy

 Hello everyone,

It's Andy, again.

Today I want to show you a simple, easy and quick way to produce your own hanging plants (aerial roots, lichen, etc.) for caves and dungeons and similar base concepts.


Things you need

A ball of wool (or bits of it), scissors, tweezers, superglue and - optional - a hobby knife and/or toothpicks


The process

The process is pretty much forward – take a short piece of wool, place it on the desk and split the single strands piece by piece to the size that fits the scale of your model. The toothpick is a handy tool here but not mandatory. For more realism produce strands of different thickness.


As soon as you have produced enough pieces, prepare some superglue on sticky tape (or some such) and grab your tweezers. Take the wool pieces with the tweezers, dip the end, that will be attached to the base, in the superglue and place it on the base. For me, it was a bit tricky at the beginning but with some practice, it’s easy.

Optional step: With an additional step of varnish (even before priming), the single strings of the wool stick together and produce a moister overall appearance.

I place my strands at the basing stage of the project as one of the last steps due to the fragility and prime it afterwards, but it should also be possible to produce some strands off the base, prime and paint them separately.



Thanks for reading and see you soon,

Andy

 

0 Kommentare
Labels: ,
Posted On 10 April 2023 at 7:16 AM

SBS: Edward - The BloodThief Gnome

by Daniele "Found" Trovato




SBS: Edward, The BloodThief Gnome


by Daniele "Found" Trovato



Good morning artists!!

I am writing you a short tutorial on how I sculpted this mega bat.

I apologize if I have not written in recent months, but fortunately, I have a lot of work and I have very little time to write blog articles


 You'are about to read is a step by step of a personal project :-)

 Indeed a very different project, compared to my previous work.

The sculpture and the step by step of a very particular piece: a Gnome Bloodthief.

It's a very complicated sculpture that took me a lot of time, but it's worth discover the work in progress because I'm sure it will be helpful to many aspiring sculptors and painters :-) :-)

Usually, when I  sculpt something from a concept, I print it in real size, just to have a real time feedback while sculpting.


Reference for sculpting


Always before put my hand in work I'm going on Internet finding some useful references.






The Idea


This concept was an idea by me and was drawn by a talented artist and friend  









I create some balls of Super Sculpey Original (very soft clay) and linked with some solid metal wire.



I created a basic cylinder of clay and baked it, just to have a real size piece of stand for the bat.





To smooth before turpentine I use a Loop tool made by myself.
I used a little hacksaw.
I heated the blade with a lighter then I bent the blade and I placed it on old brush with some Milliput.
It is very useful because the blade has small teeth, which are perfect for sanding the surface


I polished with some turpentine (but this is just a trantum mine :-)  Lol )







As a joke I created something similar final texture (but this isn't the definitive piece, of course) I need it just to have a reference for sculpting the bat.












Ok, I' just joking. After that I decided to change the column because it seemed too detailed and not very balanced with all the composition, so I decided to remove and do it again





I started posing the mega bat.
Initially I used pieces of wire which allowed me to keep the sculpture stable.

I started placing the first masses.






The column was then replaced with a less detailed one.

Too many details are not good.

The piece was already full of very complex elements, increasing the number of details would have weighed down the composition and made the sculpture too "loaded"

To attach the bat to the column, I made small holes with the Dremel and used glue to hold the bat firmly.

The rear wire has always remained attached to a wooden base throughout the sculpting process.
It was then cut after the more than 25 times baking I performed.







Wire is used to maintain the sculpture stable and firm








I sculpted the little gnome separately, baked, then put on the bat





just imagine the amount of time to sculpt all this :-) LOL

Final Result


I am particularly happy with the final result.
It took about 18 months of work, but not continuously working on it




 Limited Edition 

Edward The BloodThief Gnome

designed and sculpted 
by Daniele "Found" Trovato


Check availability here











THANK YOU ALL :-)

Link and resources:


_____________________________________________________________________________



We could watch the newest TV series on Netflix, instead, we're here to write articles for you!!
Support NOW Massive Voodoo!
If you like to support or say thanks the monkeys of Massive Voodoo in what they do, please feel invited to drop a jungle donation in their direction via paypal or check their miniatures they got on sale here.



0 Kommentare
Labels: ,
Posted On 10 October 2022 at 7:44 AM

Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)