Life In Mono

Yesterday I posted a general update containing a picture of some "work in progress" (WiP). Now I don't normally post WiP shots but I was testing my new tripod and the pictures were was so good it would have been a shame not to include at least one of them. It helped that the figures were the excellent 15 mm 3D prints of Arab camel riders from Red Copper.

To publicise my post I shared the picture on Bluesky, where I am vexillia.me.uk, and the Society of Ancients forum. To my surprise it generated quite a decent response. As the likes rolled in (it was more of trickle really) I started messing about with the image. In the end I removed the background and produced a monochrome version:

Have a play with the slider to compare and contrast (desktop only) then read on for an interesting painting tip.

Work In Progress Summer '25

It's been just over a month since I posted anything. I try to post at least once a month, however this last month has been difficult. Partly because things in the real world haven't gone well, and partly because it's been so blinking hot. These things have combined to sap my enthusiasm. Even so, I've not been completely idle.

15 mm Greek Hoplites (Essex)

Introduction

Decades ago (and I am not kidding) I bought a sample from a professional figure painter. It was a "adjusted" figure from Essex Miniatures MPA27 Later Hoplite Greek: Theban Hoplites Boitian helmet. The over arm pose had been changed to "at rest" (spear vertical) by bending the throwing arm. I never did buy more than the sample, but I kept it to use as inspiration.

More recently, I've decided to morph my Later Macedonian Art de la Guerre (ADLG) army into a Pyrrhic army. This requires some elephants, a few slingers, some later cavalry, and some hoplites.

The Later Macedonian army lacks units with "punch". It does best when the pike can pin a target and grind their way trough it, but, as the army is quite small, this can leave the flanks of the pike very vulnerable. The elephants will add some "punch" and the hoplites will add stable width (I hope).

Luckily, one of my mates found some Essex hoplites, and a few Freikorps command figures, in his loft. Money changed hands, and now they are all painted.

On Brushes

Introduction

When I lived on the Wirral in the 1980s, I was lucky enough to live close to an art shop called Tapley's run by the very knowledgeable Irene Brown. One day I was chatting to her and mentioned that, no matter how careful I was, my brushes didn't last very long; be they sable or synthetic. She reached under the counter and produced a small box of "special" brushes from Isabey of France. This was my introduction to the wonders of Kolinsky sable brushes: I've never looked back.

Current situation

Decades later I've still using Isabey brushes, but my main source of Kolinsky sable brushes has shifted to Rosemary's Brushes.

DuckDuckGo, Firefox And Containers

Introduction

I make a lot of use of Firefox containers in my daily workflow via two extensions:

• Multi-Account Containers. This allows users to separate different online identities into colour-coded tabs, keeping cookies and data isolated for each account. This helps manage multiple accounts, such as work and personal, without needing to switch browsers.
• Temporary Containers. This allows users to open tabs in disposable containers, isolating data like cookies and storage for enhanced privacy. These containers are automatically deleted after use, helping to prevent tracking across different websites.

In particular, I use it to open all my DuckDuckGo searches in a specific container. It's not because DuckDuckGo is likely to be tracking me, but just to be doubly sure they can't.

I have DuckDuckGo set as my default search engine. Every time I open a new tab I can type a search query and the results are shown in a specific container. When I follow a search link it's opened in a temporary container which is deleted when I close the tab: ideal for preventing the build up of cookies and site data.

Until recently, that is.

AI And Event T-Shirts

Introduction

I've seen lots of event t-shirts & polo shirts: both printed and embroidered. I began to wonder just how hard could it be? To find out, I designed, and had printed, something for this year's King in the North at Haxby in October.

The main problem was the artwork. I'm not really gifted with a pencil, so I had to turn to the new AI tools to compensate for my lack of skill.

Now read on for all the gory details.

Air Travel And Wargaming

Introduction

When first posted this article it was a request for help:

I'd like to hear tips from players who regularly travel to events by air. Especially, tips for packing figures and terrain in carry on baggage. How do you avoid damage to things like spears and lances?

I have absolutely no plans to fly to tournaments whatsoever, but I've always been intrigued how those that do carry their troops.

I asked the question on both the ADLG & Society of Ancients forums too, as well as emailing a few players I knew to be regular travellers. Now, after a flurry of replies, it's time to thank everyone who took the trouble to reply and expand the post with the information and tips they provided.

15 mm Cart Of Death (Peter Pig)

To coin a phrase from the 1970s: "And now for something completely different". This is from Peter Pig's War of the Roses range. It's Pack 22: "Dead cart with a pile of dead bodies, horse, and a dead collector".

Blogger Workflow

Background

Back in the mists of time I used to write my own web pages in a simple text editor then upload them to a web server by FTP. Later I graduated to a more complex editor and added CSS to my repertoire.

None of this was really required when I started blogging in 2007 with Blogger. However, I began to find Blogger's WYSIWYG editor increasingly difficult to control. I switched to editing the "raw" HTML to get a consistent look.

Until recently, I would write a blog item directly in Blogger's HTML editor. I only switched to the WYSIWYG view for spell checking and final proof reading.

Speed, or rather the lack of it, kills

At the beginning of this year I became increasingly frustrated with Blogger's HTML editor. Not because it's a bad editor, I actually really like it, but because it distracts me.

I get tied up with HTML tags rather than writing. To speed things up I have some keyboard shortcuts that add paragraph tags and the like. Despite this, writing was still slower than I'd like.

Bronze Armour Recipes

For bronze shields I use Vallejo Brass (70.801) thinned with water.  Three or four thin coats produce the smooth, highly polished look I want.

Crossposting To Bluesky

Introduction

Last weekend saw a sudden surge in wargamers leaving Twitter for the Bluesky social network. I wonder why?

Thanks to Henry Hyde creating a starter pack for Historical Miniatures Wargaming I have acquired nearly 150 new followers in 48 hours. Bluesky starter packs allow new members to follow up to 150 people with one click. It's a nice feature.

So I thought it was time to automate posting from my blogs to Bluesky via their RSS feeds. I have already done this for the Fediverse so I had some idea what was required.

What follows applies to Linux. Windows and Mac users look away now.

Basing Recipes

Preparation

Base edges: I always paint the edges of my bases before applying any groundwork as it gives a far neater finish. I usually use the first colour given in the recipe, although for my North American, temperate scheme I quite like black edges.

Groundwork:This comprises two layers of sand and PVA (white or wood glue). The first layer is fine sand; mainly to texture around and across the figure bases. The second is a layer of coarse sand to hide the figure bases. This basic groundwork doesn't need to be painted, just highlighted (see Temperate #2).

15 mm Indian Elephant (Donnington 'Originals')

I succumbed to the "wargames butterfly" syndrome once again and placed a modest order with Ancient & Modern for a selection of Hellenistic figures from their "Originals" range.

The plan was threefold:

• Various samples of cavalry suitable for generic medium cavalry.
• More Seleucid cataphracts (I already have some painted).
• An Indian elephant in case I ever wanted to create a Phyrric army.

As you can see it was a coherent and well thought out purchase.  Well maybe not: I should be concentrating on finishing my Later Macedonians and I have more than enough medium cavalry already.

The elephant was the main reason I placed the order.  I've built their elephant models before and they turned out well.  So despite my reservations about the amount of preparation involved, I placed my order.

Read on for more photos and my notes on the build and painting.

Improving A Warbases Paint Rack

In October last year I cleaned my painting desk and re-organised my paints.  When I'd finished I realised it was time to invest in a vertical paint rack as I was running out of space on my desk no matter how I arranged things.

I looked around online and ordered this from Warbases for £12.00 plus £2.60 postage:

15 mm Camel Riders (Red Copper)

We've all done it!.  Bought something on impulse that is.  In my case I bought the Arab Conquest Army Deal from Red Copper for a mere 30€.  The deal includes both 15 & 28 mm versions.

I want to make it clear that I do not own a 3D printer nor do I intend to go down that route due to lack of space in my new home.  This makes the purchase seem somewhat less than sensible, but I do think 3D printing is the way forward.   Somehow, I managed to convince myself this would be a sensible medium term investment.

A Painting Injury?

No. Not cutting your fingers with a scalpel or stabbing yourself on a pike.  This is a bit more serious and a cautionary tale for all avid modellers and painters.  Please bear with me as the background is important.

Background
For some time I've been suffering with a problem with my left shoulder and the left side of my upper back.  In 2019 it got a lot worse and I thought I'd injured myself in the gym.  I had tingling fingers and pains in my left arm.  My GP thought I might have something more serious so I had an MRI scan and was tested to see if I had Multiple Sclerosis.

Thankfully all the test were negative and I was referred for physiotherapy.  A set of simple exercises eased, and then eliminated, most of the trouble with my back and tingling fingers.  My shoulder still had the odd twinge but nothing too serious.

Lockdown came and went.  I painted a lot; almost every day.  The twinges persisted.  I tried all sorts of stretches many of which helped but nothing really eliminated the problem.

15 mm Arab Camel Archers (Essex)

This is one of my "hobby haul" from Phalanx last month.  They are the first camels for my Arab Empire armies.  Imagine an Arab army without any camels!

I wanted Essex figures as I usually find them a pleasant change of "painting pace" compared to Forged in Battle.  Plus I have no intention of fielding large numbers of camel riders so buying a large pack from Forged in Battle wasn't really an option.

In the end I was glad only bought one pack.  Usually, I find Essex figures quicker and easier to paint, but not this time.

Social Media Changeover

Way back in 2021 I wrote about how I use Twitter.  I say way back because I'm using "technology time" which passes far quicker than real time.  Needless to say, how I use it has changed significantly once again.  I'm using Twitter less and using Mastodon more.

15 mm Arab Medium Spear (Forged in Battle & Essex)

Here's the latest addition to my Arab Conquest army for Art de la Guerre (ADLG).  It is the penultimate group of infantry in my army.

15 mm War of the Roses Commanders - Complete

This is a post showcasing the third, and final, infantry command base for my Tudor army at Bosworth.  The base represents Sir Rhys ap Thomas of Dinefawr, his standard-bearer and livery captains using Donnington New Era figures.

I already have a set of three mounted, and two foot commanders based for Art de la Guerre (ADLG) but I felt the need(?) for one more commander on foot.  Any excuse to re-use the flags I created.