TashaH Challenge XII Wrap Up

That was awesome! 

I started the Challenge with a goal of 100 points. I revised that to 325 and finished with 916. I managed to complete all the planets on the Challenge XII Quadrant Map, with a few side trips on Lady Sarah’s Star Yacht. I wasn’t able to complete the final challenge, as I had no outstanding projects or lead pile to draw from! I even squeaked in on the Skull Duel!

I painted my first miniature for this Challenge and I’ve not looked back! I now have an entire room solely for painting, which has amassed quite a stock of supplies in a short time. I also managed to convince my hubby to let me buy a new 3D printer.  I truly love this hobby. All the genres intrigue me. I believe that my lack of exposure to the gaming side of the hobby allows me a totally fresh perspective (haha we will go with that!) 

The amount of talent I’ve seen in this Challenge is amazing. My days feel a bit empty not being able to check in to see your work and catch a glimpse into everyone’s lives. 🙂

My goal for the upcoming months is to improve on basic skills like shading, highlighting, blending… that type of thing. I am also going to be looking at Gaslands and all that goes with it. 

Thank you everyone for showing so much kindness and support. Thank you Curt and the Minions for such a well run event! Also, Tamsin, you're a gem!

Take care and stay safe!

Natasha (Tasha or Tash) 

From TashaH: Home ... time to temporarily put up the brushes and relax [Terra] ( 65 points)

Terra.

I made it home, my final post for Challenge XII.

Home is a lot more comfortable if you have a house to live in, so how about this beauty? 

 

 

I purchased the file for this house on Kickstarter. I paid a local company to print it in PLA. It is 3 separate pieces, detail printed inside and out. When I originally provided the file to the printer, he had it set to print at 15 inches per piece and it was going to cost almost $300 to print *gasp*. I then told him what my size requirements were (again) and things became much more manageable! (Dude...this isn't a doll house!)

It can also be utilized as a cottage with just the main floor and roof.

I watched many YouTube videos on how to paint brick, stucco and woodwork. I implemented ideas from a bunch of them. I'm still not 100% taken with the brick and stucco on the chimney, but overall, I think it is presentable. I've been working on this project for the last month but it's taken me right to the end to finish! It has been painted with various earth tones of craft and Contrast paints. There is also some Nuln Oil splashed on there for good luck!

I wanted to have more than just a house for my last submission, so when my 3D printer arrived, I got to work! I didn’t get done as much as I would have liked, but there is a bit of scenery and a few accessories to round things out. 

 

 

Inside the house, on the main floor, you will find a fire in the fireplace and a grog drinking fellow sitting at a table. The gentleman is from the Great Grimoire Tribes Welcome Pack and I cannot recall where the table is from. The fireplace is from Cults3d.

 

Upstairs I have placed the alchemist table from my previous entry, the stool from my first entry of the Challenge and this simple bed. 

 

Outside I’ve added a garden plot and a very necessary outhouse! Both of these prints are from Cult3d. 

 

 

Lastly is a patch of fairy sunflowers from MyMiniFactory. 

 

 

Who knows what may lie around the next corner? There may be a window somewhere ahead. It may look out on a field of sunflowers. ~Joe Hill

Taking part in the Challenge has been one of the best experiences of my life. It is truly hard to believe that I only started painting in December. I now have an entire room dedicated to the hobby in my house. The addiction is real and I embrace it completely. Without the support, positivity and laughter from everyone here, I would never have had the confidence to continue on. I feel so privileged to have made some wonderful friendships. Thank you is not enough.

Curt and Sarah. You've created an amazing community. Not only do you provide the platform for people to meet their painting challenges, but you allow for a healthy escape from the stresses of the real world and the opportunity for lasting friendships to be made. This is something seriously lacking in our world today.  You and all the minions donate so much of your spare time so that the rest of us may enjoy this Challenge. It is a wonderful, invaluable gift.

Please take care everyone and stay safe.

 

The points:

One 28mm figure - 5 points

The house is 5x3.5x6.75”

The outhouse is 2x2x3”

The vegetable patch is 2x2x.75”

The table is 2.25x.5x.5”

The sunflowers are 1.5x.5x.5”

This totals a little under two terrain cubes, so 35 points? 

Planet bonus - 20 points

AHPC experience - priceless

Total - 60 points

Wow! That building looks fantastic! It's been wonderful watching your painting develop over the past three months and I'm very happy to have hosted you on team Tuesday. I'm even more happy to hear that you've thoroughly enjoyed taking part. I do hope you'll join us again for AHPC XIII.

I'm going to round up your terrain to 2 cubes as you had to paint the interior as well as the exterior of the building.

Tamsin

From TashaH: Travels Through the Inner Ring [Lune][Star Yacht][Altair IV] (70 points)

I’m almost at my goal to finish all the planets. 

I’m currently on the planet of Lune. I can’t imagine a better fit for the theme of ‘Witchcraft and Sorcery’ than an alchemy table. 

 

This table is slightly modified. It is a print from Great Grimoire on myminifactory. It is available as part of the Welcome Pack for their Tribes. It is a 3 piece print. I broke one of the legs taking it off the build plate. Fortunately, I did have this nifty trunk printed off (sorry, I can't figure out where I printed it from) and, as luck would have it, the tabletop fit perfectly on top. I do plan to build the table appropriately, but for now, this works!

 

I’m going to ask for Lady Sarah’s Star Yacht to take me to Altair IV.  

 

This villager is also a print from the Great Grimoire Tribes Welcome Pack on myminifactory.  I’m still learning the intricacies of my new printer and have noticed I’ve messed up a few prints. Unfortunately I didn’t realize how blank her face was until I was almost done with her. She still looks decent from 2 feet! 

 

 

Landing on Altair IV, I happen across this old robot. How fortunate, one more check off the planet list!

 

 

I found this free file on Cults3d. It also came with the fancy, stylized base. It printed very nicely. I utilized my typical painting style of ‘just keep adding more paint until it looks moderately ok’. 

 

We are now heading back to Terra to finish our Challenge journey. 

The points:

Alchemist Table/Trunk - 1/2 a point?

20mm figure - 4 points

28mm figure - 5 points

Planet bonus - 40 points

Star Yacht - 20 points

Total 69.5 points

and one skull (that's 201 for me)!!

I like your alchemist's table, it looks very realistic (and skully). 3D printing is modern-day alchemy... Your robot has wonderful oxidation effects. I'm rounding you up to 70 points. Almost there on the planets! 

Barks

From TashaH Middle Ring Sprint [Arrakis][Star Yacht][Noel’s Comet] (70 Points)

Hello Wednesday! I am here to steal earn as many points as possible with the fewest possible figures. I had hoped to make Greg twitch a smidge and mumble incoherently about no-good point grabbers. I’m certain he’d prefer all the point siphoning today to his household emergency!

 Here we are on Arrakis. Dreadfully dry planet. What is that? A tornado? 

 

 

This little wonder was a pain in the derrière to make. It is a print from Thingiverse. The file is an all in one with the base and swirl attached, but the twister is quite fragile and broke off from the base. It also cracked. Thank goodness I have an assortment of glues at the ready. I also had full intentions of covering this bad boy with sand, so no harm. 

 

 

I added an ivory craft paint to some white glue and mixed that into some sand and thinned it a bit with water. I applied the concoction over the twister, which I’d applied a beige base coat to as well. After that dried to a tacky finish, I sprinkled fine pumice on top to give it a fine sand look. I wanted the pumice to sit on top, rather than sink into the glue, which is why I waited. After everything dried, I went in with a few shades of brown and just did some light dry-brushing. 

 

 

That’s enough of this dusty place. I need to get aboard Lady Sarah’s Star Yacht. This Halfling (that’s right… a Halfling- not even a whole figure!) from WizKids is going to pay my toll for some well deserved libations on my way to Noel’s Comet. 

 

 

Hmm… this looks remarkably familiar. I seem to recall being here before. I won’t bore you with another of my rambling soliloquies… although from what I’ve read of Noel, he would approve. If you missed my previous ramblings, they are here… Tasha's Tribute on Noel's Comet

My last visit did not net any bonus points, as I did not provide a suitable figure. I have returned to rectify that. I give to you all a humble squirrel. No explanation needed as to its lore.

 

The points…

One 1x1x1.5 terrain - .138 point (using Tamsin's formula but math is not my strong suit!)

2 20mm figures - 8 points

2 planet bonuses - 40 points

Star Yacht Bonus - 20 points

Total points - 68.138 or 68 to keep the spreadsheet happy :)

Now... I could be really egregious with my points grabbing and jump into the maelstrom, but I will just scoot to the planet Lune, to initiate my final flight plans. 

***

Well done Natasha - perhaps not quite the true "Enron" level of points-accounting achieved by such luminaries as Ray (or Teemu!), but still worthy of an internship in the Finance Advisory Firm "AHPC Value Consulting". 

The work here is all lovely (and it is always hilarious to see a squirrel - I'm surprised my dogs did not start to bark). I've added a couple of extra bonus points in recognition of all of the nonsense you endured trying to paint a Tornado! Now do you understand why only insane people/PeterD squander their precious life force to paint terrain?

Thanks for posting on Wednesday, safe travels for the rest of your Challenge Journey!

GregB

From Tasha H: Final lap around the Outer Ring [Caprica] [Istvaan V] (57 points)

Because I don't have a lead pile to draw from, descending to the Quadrant Hub is not part of my Challenge journey. However... my brand new, sparkly 3D printer arrived last week, so my goal of completing all the planets may be achievable!

I'm currently on Terra, but my submission for this planet is not even close to ready! I am going to leap from Terra, into the Great Abyssal and fall, zoom, vaporize (?) myself to the Outer Ring. Flying past Skaro and the Death Star, as I have already paid my dues there. I find myself now on Caprica.

Caprica's requirement for completion is 'Doomed or Ambush'. A bit melodramatic, no? Ha ha!

 

 

I submit to you a Lightning Elemental. She is a force to be reckoned with! You would not want to be ambushed by her, as you would certainly be doomed on the tabletop! (See what I did there?!) i did look up what a lightning elemental can do and, played correctly, they can bring about some serious devastation. Cool.

 

This figure is from Printed Obsession on My Mini Factory. I know it isn't painted in a typical colour scheme for this type of figure, but I was trying to mimic the colours of a prairie sky during a lightning show. I used Aethermatic Blue Contrast an added Vallejo Model Metallic Air in Steel (71.065) to it with a heavy hand of water.  This created a nice shimmery wash. Over the bodice of the figure, I utilized the same technique, substituting Shyish Purple for the blue. The base and tips of the figure are coated with Dragon Glaze topcoat from Folk Art.

 

We have one planet left in this ring! Off to Istvaan V!

I had no idea what I was doing for this planet. I looked up about 100 things. I actually have two other figures printed, but I just felt 'meh' about them.

It is no secret that I don't have a clue about most of the gaming world, or the majority of science fiction references in the Challenge. I'm also not a history buff. I accept this about myself and thank the universe for google.

For this planet I went religion literal, rather than gaming lore literal.

"Heresy in the Catholic Church is the formal denial or doubt of a core doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church."

I present to you an altar of skulls. Barks, this one is for you! Even though I'm not in the Skull Duel, I wanted to finish the Challenge with at least one skull entry. Here are 200 skulls in heretical wonder!

 

One would have to think that worshipers at an altar of skulls would be in denial of at least one doctrine of the RC church. Also, I'm 100% sure that many of these skulls were obtained for the altar by some means of betrayal.

The altar is from Cults3d, as are the torches. The torches were not an easy print. Of 6, these were the best 2 and they aren't that great. I made them work, because I had a vision in mind and dammit, it was going to happen! I used a lot of Skeleton Horde contrast paint for this altar There are many layers of contrast, Nuln Oil and assorted shades of dry brushing. I picked out random skulls and added some lighter tones to give some depth. I am pretty happy with how it turned out. You may recognize the cultist from a previous entry.

 

Because this altar is printed with smoky black resin, if you hold it to the light, it appears to glow. Nifty.

 

Points:

Lightning Elemental  - 80 mm (I didn't scale it - oops) - 10 points

Skull Altar - 2.75x.75x1" - 4 points ... terrain scoring is a science unto itself. Please adjust as necessary!

Planet Bonuses - 40 points

Total - 54 points

From here we travel to the middle ring with our sites set on Arrakis.

Those two pieces look fantastic, Tasha! I'm going to treat the skull altar as a 40mm figure for points - scoring it as terrain would come to nought-point-two points {20 x [(2.75*0.75*1)/(6*6*6)]}.

Tamsin