Monday, 12 January 2015

From AnneO - Secret Agent Man

One of the goals I set for myself this year was to post more consistently to the non-themed portion of the Challenge than I did last year.  So even if this is just a single figure, it means that I am keeping the promise I made to myself.

This is a 25mm figure from Aetherium.  My oven broke, so I was unable to sculpt him a proper base and had to use ballast to base him. 




I am having even more fun in this years Challenge than I did last year. We all paint as individuals, in solitude and separate from one another. However, when we come together in this Painting Challenge, we unite as a group. That feeling is stronger for me this year due to being assigned days for posting.  

This format has created a bond for me with the rest of the "Monday Crew". Rather than feel like one of many, I feel like an integral part of a subgroup.  My drive to post each week is stronger because of that.  This format has also helped me to feel more united with the entire group, as I learn to anticipate who is posting on what day.  Each day I look forward to seeing work from painters whose work I am becoming more familiar with and that is a good feeling.

All that said, this figure is worth a whopping 5 points! Go me!
From Curt:

 Beautiful work Anne (the blue tie is a perfect counterpoint of colour)! I'm delighted that the new format agrees with you - I'm eager to hear what other's think of the new format as I'm constantly considering ways to make the Challenge more efficient to administer while at the same time keeping it both fun and engaging for the participants. 

Posted by Unknown at 10:00 pm
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49 comments:

  1. Kevin Holland12 January 2015 at 22:26

    Nice work, Anne! I have to agree with you, the "Challenge" is a good impetus to get me painting each year, too. I'm always amazed to see what people have painted, and the "creative license" taken on the Theme challenges! ;-)

    Keep up the good work!

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 00:45

      I too like seeing the entries where people eplore the limits of the theme. Curt is allowing me to do something a bit fun with the Myth Round and I'm enjoying the fun of it.

      Delete
  2. AHunt12 January 2015 at 22:33

    That's some great work right there Anne. The way you make the brown pallet pop is impressive. I do love your style. It's so different from mine but that's probably why I like it so much. It has a warmth that shows through no matter your subject or colors.

    I also like the assigned days for posting. I enjoy seeing what "my" crew (Monday by the way) come up with. It's also good for motivating me to paint now that the holidays are over and I'm back in the grind.

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 00:47

      I've just started working with these particular browns and love them. They are so deep and rich, just gorgeous tones.

      If it weren't for the weekly schedule, I don't think I'd get as many individual posts done.

      Delete
  3. DaveD13 January 2015 at 00:20

    One cool dude alright.. Nice job Anne.

    I agree having a day to post is helping with Impetus ..and of the course the Monday crew are the best ...

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 00:50

      We certainly are a prolific lot. Just look at this week. Curt starting posting our stuff Sunday night. It's now Tuesday morning and we just keep 'em coming.

      Perhaps we should challenge the Tuesday group to a duel.....or not.

      Delete
  4. Ian13 January 2015 at 00:59

    He is great Anne, rally love the smooth work on colour change

    I agree the new format gives me a weekly target that has increased my pace as I try and get something finished every week

    Ian

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:18

      Ya, there was a death in the family and even though it was a mad scramble, I pushed to get this one across the finish line. Normally I'd have waited and done it later.

      Delete
    2. AdamC177613 January 2015 at 12:24

      Sorry for your loss.

      Delete
  5. JamieM13 January 2015 at 01:14

    First up, lovely figure. The colour choice is subtly different from what you'd expect but very in keeping with the style.

    Secondly, I couldn't agree with you more on the challenge and the assigned days. I want to post every week where I can as I assume people are like me in that this is the first blog they check in the morning to see what other people have done. Having an assigned day also gives me the kick I need, for example I spent half hour yesterday on finishing figures, knowing I was out tonight so they Are ready for Wednesday instead of leaving them another 3 days.

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:20

      I come here first thing when I wake up. Then if I've time, I'll stop by in the afternoon. Then I come back again before I go to sleep. If I get busy and can't stop frequently I'll miss some.

      Delete
  6. Juan Mancheño13 January 2015 at 01:53

    Great painting work, Anne. So simple figure but with a a lot of character in it. Very interesting your choice of colours and the use of them.

    The assigned days has been a great idea from Curt. In this way, I have time to plan my painting task and I´m also able to follow all of you easily, knowing there are only a limited number of entries a day.

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:22

      I like simple sculpts with clean lines and this fit the bill. The sharp A-line in this appealed to me.

      I'm getting to know who posts on what days now and look for them on their appointed days. It's like having our own section of the web to ourselves.

      Delete
  7. Clint13 January 2015 at 02:15

    This is a step away from your usual figure types. Not a bad step I hasten to add! Very nicely done. A simple figure very well executed. Colour choices are great.

    For Cur's information I am not yet used to the assigned day of entry. I am getting used to it though. So no complaints here, Maybe I am just a little more random in my painting endeavours.

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:28

      I'm like you in that I'm normally erratic in my painting endeavors with multiple projects in different phases of completion. This is forcing me to change that somewhat and get at least one thing to completion each week. I've still got about five future entries in various stages but will focus intently one at a time.

      Delete
  8. TamsinP13 January 2015 at 02:18

    As ever, beautiful work Anne. The blue tie certainly sets the figure off :)

    Sorry to hear about the oven - hope it gets fixed soon :)

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:29

      I can't afford a new oven right now and I can't find a heating element for the one I have. I'm going to attempt using the broiler and flipping the bases halfway through. It better work!

      Delete
  9. Rog13 January 2015 at 05:58

    Even without an oven, you "cooked" a very beautiful miniature :) Lovely work! Cheers :)

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  10. AdamC177613 January 2015 at 06:08

    I really like this guy a great figure that you could use a in a lot of games. The Suite really pops I would love to see a how to because I can't get that much character with those colors.

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:32

      I used Reaper Dusky Skin triad for this. You should try it as the triad makes it easy to do transitions.

      Delete
  11. MartinC13 January 2015 at 06:21

    That is a great suit and as always a fab piece of work
    This is my first challenge and my first entry into the blogosphere and I love it all. The weekly submission day is perfect as it gives me a deadline and goals. Best of all is seeing the work of others and learning from them both from their comments and just seeing the work they produce. My standards are now higher than they have ever been, even from the 80's when my eyes worked.
    Keep on carrying on Curt and thanks

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:35

      With the specific days I find people are being very supportive of one another by showing up and commenting. We're supporting one another,and that makes the experience fantastic.

      This year there are so many extremely gifted painters and although some of them intimidate me, I'm learning a great deal from them.

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    2. MartinC14 January 2015 at 06:32

      I agree and as for you being intimidated. Really! Imagine how I feel, your work is beautiful and so very distinctive. You can spot an O'Leary from a 1000 yards and then get better closer up. Actually after years of seeing anonymous eye candy its good to communicate with the actual people and realise that we are all slightly neurotic and intimidated by the work of others

      Delete
    3. AdamC177614 January 2015 at 06:33

      +1 Martin!

      Delete
    4. Unknown14 January 2015 at 20:44

      Now I'm surprised. I think of you, Nick, Michael and Curt as the top painters here. I'm only at a solid intermediate level, but one day I hope to get better. You are right though, we are a neurotic lot!

      Delete
  12. AdamC177613 January 2015 at 06:25

    I also like the designated day schedule makes me feel like part of a team you might say.

    Curt if you have the inclination it might be fun to see which day netted the most points.

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:36

      That's a good idea Adam. I'd like to see which day does the most points as well. It would really up the ante if word of that got out. Poor Curt would never get any sleep though!

      Delete
  13. Millsy13 January 2015 at 06:27

    Snappy suit!

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  14. Evan Hughes13 January 2015 at 06:50

    Such rich tones on the cloth - normally I'd say a brown suit was fashion suicide, but dammit, your mastery of texture and blending has made it look like a million bucks!

    You may consider my hat tipped, ma'am!

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:39

      I agree, a brown suit is fashion suicide. Funny thing about that though. When I first laid eyes on the Hubby, he was wearing a wretched brown suit and in corduroy no less. I fell in love with him at first sight despite the horror of that suit.

      Delete
  15. The Kiwi13 January 2015 at 07:34

    Excellent work Anne. I really like what you did on this one and it's a really nice figure. Nice selection fellow Monday Club member.
    That's a downer that the oven is poo poo. Ours is not used much as it's mostly done on the BBQ in the Tiki Bar. It has a hood so does excellent roasts.
    The Monday weekly deadline is great. Seems to work better for me than just posting whenever.
    Cheers

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:44

      I adore what you did with your backyard and would love something like that in my yard. I uncovered the original flagstone that runs beside the carriage house in my back yard. This stuff is beautiful and worth a fortune. However, I can't lift the pieces by myself and I've no help. They would make a beautiful patio. Maybe one day I can afford to hire someone to do it for me.

      Delete
  16. Unknown13 January 2015 at 08:10

    That brown on the suit is fantastic. Too bad about the oven as I really like seeing your sculpy bases.
    I feel like I let the Monday crew down this week with no post but got so wrapped up in the last bonus round that I didn't get anything done for Monday.

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:46

      Now that might happen to me in February for the Comedic theme, but there's no help for it. I've got these four dancing Pygmies wearing outrageous Tiki masks. Also there is a huge stone alter with them. They're going to cut into my time.

      Delete
  17. thefrenchjester13 January 2015 at 12:08

    The great class!
    a sort of modern Danger Man!

    Be seeing you

    GillesW "Number8"

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  18. david bromley13 January 2015 at 12:44

    Very nice,Anne! The brown is very rich and the blue tie is a perfect spot color for him. Even though he is not in a black suit, I almost half expect to see Agent "J" lurking in the background! ;)

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    1. Unknown13 January 2015 at 12:47

      I thought the same thing and almost went with black, but I wanted to do something unpredictable. Also I'm in love with these browns.

      Delete
  19. Peter13 January 2015 at 14:08

    You saw it here first - brown is the new black! A very snappy number indeed Anne - like it.
    I agree entirely with what you and so many others have said - having a particular day to post is a great idea (even if in my case it means just completing one or two pieces for the day; otherwise they would remain half-finished for who knows how long). As another first-timer, it is fantastic to come on here and see so much inspiring work and be exposed to different ideas and methods. I too try and make a couple of visits each day - it really is a great community to be part of, even in a small way. Thanks for posting your thoughts and sparking off this thread.

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    1. Unknown14 January 2015 at 20:40

      I do small numbers as well, but I'm doing more than I did last year. And that's down to the weekly schedule. Also people are commenting more this year. The overall feeling of this years Challenge is very high!

      Delete
  20. Blaxkleric13 January 2015 at 17:12

    Wonderful figure Anne, and I really like the way you've painted the suit, especially the highlights - something I don't dare do as I always get it wrong. Really glad you're enjoying the Challenge, as you're definitely making it a fun process for me :-)

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    1. Unknown14 January 2015 at 20:41

      Thanks Simon! I'm glad I've found your blog as I love your batreps. That one with Jesus is one I'll never forget!

      Delete
  21. David Larkins13 January 2015 at 23:05

    I'll just echo everyone else and say that I'm really enjoying having a "deadline" day (even though I didn't post anything this week). Having something to shoot for has really helped my productivity.

    As for the figure, I think it's always more challenging to paint a "mundane" figure than a fanciful one, and you did a great job here. Even the basing--somehow, anything more than gray ballast would have clashed, I think. This guy *needs* to be hanging out on a tarmac, you know?

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    1. Unknown14 January 2015 at 20:43

      It is a different ballgame with stripped down figures. This guys was porrly cast and I had to paint in details that weren't there. He had the tie, but no shirt!

      Delete
  22. Mad Padre15 January 2015 at 11:06

    He's a great figure, Anne. Very secretive and sinister, not a man to cross, though I'd stop him to ask where he bought that great suit!
    Hope things get better for you.

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  23. Anonymous16 January 2015 at 09:40

    Excellent work. It's a pleasure to study the paint job.

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  24. Sean17 January 2015 at 07:28

    Great figure! I am also trying, with mixed success, to post every week in addition to the bonus rounds. I find it much more motivating when I tick the figures off.

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