From DarrellH: Spanish Trastámara Italian Wars Ordinance - Army of Gonzalo de Córdoba, "El Gran Capitán" (32 points)

At last! My first post! Hurrah! :>)

Apologies for the slightly serious nature of this post. I've been a difficult time as I'm sure many of us are experiencing to one extent or another. 

Due to a serious medical condition I have been shielding since March 20th 2022! Unable to see in person another human being except when I got my three vaccines. Suffice to say this has been emotionally devastating in so many ways. It had take a heavy toll on my mental health. I was so ill/hyper anxious last year I was unable to take part in the AHPC. I have lived with quite a high background level of anxiety most of my adult life but this was something very new and much more intense than anything I had experienced before. I just couldn't find the strength within to paint anything. 

Gradually over time things did improve with the help of some serious therapeutic interventions etc. Still, there have been times when I have struggled to paint so I made a promise to myself that the AHPC starting in 2021 would be a perfect time to challenge myself, but more than just putting the brush to a miniature; to challenge myself mentally too, to challenge the hyper anxiety. The sense of companionship, humour and sense of community that the challenge provides will hopefully be enough to keep me going.

I started prepping miniatures for a Late Roman army way back in early November of last year  struggling a little through some quite rough castings, mostly pitted, lovingly cleaning them up and filled in the many gaps with ProCreate putty. Then primed. I had all the units ready for the go come December 21st and made a good start with the brush. Starved of the varnish I use all the time during the "Great Windsor and Newton Professional Matt Varnish Drought" I did some shopping around and was assured that a certain matt varnish spray was a "dead flat matt" by the vendor. That is where my troubles started. To cut a long story short, the varnish was far from matt and after spending two weeks painting up my first unit of Cataphracts, ready to make a "bang" with my first post, the final layer of varnish penetrated not only the solid brush on DIY Enamel Humbrol Gloss coat (left a week to fully cure which has never let me down) but down into the paint, blistering and cracking the finish. Along with the extreme frosting the paint cracked, then flaked and all my hard work went down the pan. Devastated does not even begin to describe my feelings. With the first unit of the project now ruined, and only large units to paint, I had no time to paint anything else up to reach the deadline so opted to box up all the Late Romans and save it for another year when I can face stripping the Cataphracts down again. 

Pics of the varnishing disaster can be found at the bottom of my post. Curt suggested to me that I might include a few as a precautionary tale! I am not going to mention any names but the results are plain to see. I have never had such a varnishing disaster anywhere near as bad as this and I'm just shy of painting for three decades.

The composition of of the gun, crew and accoutrements were all worked out in the picture below. I wanted to emphasise the discussion between the Leonardo da Vinci miniature and the chap with the linstock as if discussing the maths of the matter at hand! I think that this was largely achieved. 

Now to the heart of the matter and the pictures of the gun and crew in action:

(Argh! I've just noticed that I've splashed some of the basing colour on one of the sleeves of the guy holding then linstock. I just want to get my fist entry underway at present so that error will be fixed tonight.) - Millsy: I'd never have known if you didn't say!

So, one cannon and four crew is 50 points? Maybe a Brucy Bouns for the vanishing disaster that saw six well painted cavalry models reduced to cracked garbage? ;>)

And the varnishing incident of doom! 

From Millsy:

I'm so glad you took the time to tell us the background to this post and what you've been through the last couple of years Darrell. It's a brave thing to talk so openly about the things that challenge us like this. Well done to you mate for fighting the good fight and getting yourself back to a place where painting is something you feel able to do.

I'm also stoked that you're back painting and sharing with us. I've always loved your smooth style with your absolutely gorgeous metallics. That gun is an absolute masterpiece! The crew are also really evocative of the period, especially that crazy yellow hat and the wonderful earthy tones across the group.

Good to know you were able to fix the varnish disaster. Living in Australia I've never had issues like this but I know plenty who have in the frozen north. Thanks for the warning!

Have an extra couple of points mate, one for the wonderful micro-sized notes and one for the warning :-)