Back in the Saddle

My painting mojo has been lagging since middle of April. Looking over past posts I can see I've done a few things; knocking off some things I've wanted to do for my Expanse project for some time and poking at the Quar. But my ability to just sit down and bang units out has not been there. Lack of enthusiasm? Lack of time? Not playing any games? Distracted by Quar? All of the above?

My friend Dick has been having Friday night paint and chat Zoom sessions ever since Covid began, and he's kept them up since. He recently started including me in the invitations, and this has helped get me painting again. Since it's awkward to show up for a Paint and Chat and not have anything to paint. 

Consequently in the last two Friday sessions I've finished off a 12 figure shieldwall of Conqueror Model Dwarves. This is the third shield wall unit and has a blue raven banner. The banner delayed finishing the unit for a week as I searched for a raven design that I liked. I finally found one on Twitter,  on the shield of a viking warrior painted by @PaintsPirate. I modified his design a bit, mostly by adding a ring in its beak, something I'd noticed in First Nations raven art. In First Nations iconography it's probably the Sun, but this being Middle Earth, it's a Ring.

I do like the warrior's full face mask. Very dwarven. 

Trying to suggest a coiled dragon in the corners of the cloak. And I love the detail of the great axe on the warrior's back.

Detail of banner. Raven with ring flying over mountains

I just love Colin Paten's sculpts

This is the third shield wall unit. The fourth will have a red field and yellow dragon. I suppose for proper colour coordination I should have really done the bear banner with a yellow field? Although the next dwarves I paint should really be the archers I bought with my Christmas bonus. But at least the end is near for the dwarves and Middle Earth. 

Which is more than I can say for my Napoleonics. 

Last night i smashed out this 17 figure, 2 groups plus a Big Man, formation of Austrian Landwehr for Sharp Practice. Basic grey with red facings and black belts. I had abandoned them in April because I had tried something different and got frustrated. 

I find plastic figures on plastic bases knocks a day off production time. I can get the bases painted and flocked as soon as the glue sets, instead of leaving them for a day.

I've got more Austrians primed and ready to paint. I started a group of Cheveauxleger last night too.

A second PBEM campaign, this time set in the 1809 Danube campaign, should help inspire me to get more done. Although I'm expecting an order of Quar too.