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Saturday, May 31, 2014

Samurai for Ronin

I knew painting Samurai would be difficult but I underestimated just how painful it would be. There's lots of detail packed on each figure, with kit overlapping kit and everything bunched up.  I love the process of bringing a figure to life but for these, I was quite unhappy until I got to the finish line.  I'll attribute that to painting outside of my comfort zone.

I don't have much in my library for reference material on Samurai but I did I find a fantastic heraldry website here.  The fellow who does the artwork is a genius and you can't help but be inspired by his work. If I were to paint another, I'd like to paint the clan who featured a giant red radish on their sashimono.




No washes were used except on metals. I tried to paint neat to keep black intact for shadow but there was simply too much going on. At the finish line, I had to double back and add some blacklining.

I worked up the bright red in thin coats, starting at the high points and dragging paint to the edges while trying to leave a bit of the darker base coat peeking through at the edges for shadow.   
My cheat for painting a circle on the sashimono was a thin bit of plastic punched with a 3 hole punch.

If it's good to paint outside of one's comfort zone, let's say "Mission Accomplished." 

Lastly, I've been nominated for the Liebster.  I'm working up my recommendations of fellow bloggers but I'm down to typing with one hand.  I burned and blistered 4 fingers on my lawnmower muffler when I leaned over to adjust the damned thing.  This just reaffirms that one should avoid yardwork where possible as it is hazardous to your health.  More on the Liebster to come. 

26 comments:

  1. Stunning work continues on your Samurai! Love the reds and blues. Banners are very handsome.

    Thanks for the heraldry link. I have seen some of these before but many are new to me. Great resource!

    Very sorry to hear about your hand injury. Perhaps you can get paroled from yard work for awhile? Did you paint these figures one-handed as well? If so, miraculous.

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  2. Sorry to hear about your injury - "These wounds I had on Crispin's day"!

    The samurai are up to your usual high standard; I trust that they were painted prior to your run- in with the mower?

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    1. Absolutely, I could not manage with one hand. And the pain meds...wow. I can see why people abuse them. ;-)

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  3. Well, all your hard work certainly paid off – they look bloody gorgeous!

    I'm sorry to hear about your hand. Hope it isn't too bad and that you get well soon!

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  4. I think they came out looking good Monty. That is a lot of detail and working with red is a right pain so I can see why it felt like a chore for a while.

    Sorry to hear about your fingers. I did that once several years ago and almost did it again last week after stopping the mower to remove grass that was stuck underside. I moved pretty quickly as I remembered how badly it hurt the last time.

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  5. They are quite beautiful Monty and exercise is always bad for you, good idea for painting circles though!

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  6. Judging by that link, painting Samurai does open one crazy can of worms, but once you figure it all out would make for quite a beautiful spectacle. Great job on your first go at Samurai, and speedy recovery on your injuries!

    By the way, my friend Eric just played his first game of Saga. Worth checking out here:
    https://plus.google.com/u/0/+EricHagen/posts/BQZKD12BwVz

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  7. Having just done a patch of Samurai painting a couple months ago, I know that pain intimately. It's excellent stuff you do and I'm impressed by the way you stick to it.

    Heal quickly.

    I'll be interested in your take on Ronin.

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  8. You've done a great job on these Monty. Shame about the injury - I hope it doesn't stop you painting for too long.

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  9. Well done, Monty. Great looking samurai and ashigaru. That website is a very good reference too. Best, Dean

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  10. 美しい置物、ブラボー!

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  11. Hi Monty,

    wonderful work !

    patience is the secret to paint samourai figures and the only way to paint them, I'm afraid!
    I searched after tom cruise and haven't found the last samourai, hope I'll find him soon;-)

    All the best.

    Gilles" having some Dixon samourai, but still unpainted after three layers of undercoat;-)"

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  12. Excellent work. I've painted the exact same set of North Star samurai, so I share your pain. Nice work on the mon (sashimono design), I could only manage a red stripe and a promise to add more to it in the future! Ronin is a really fun game, hope you enjoy it, and hope your hand recovers quickly too. Cheers, Paul :-)

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  13. Hi Monty,

    those samurai turned out very good. I know exactly what you mean with this comfort zone thing because a lot of miniatures I paint come into a state between basic colours and highlighting when I really have to force myself to carry on. But your samurai prove once more that the result is worth it most of the time.

    And many congrats for the Liebster award. It's well deserved!

    Cheers
    Stefan

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  14. I hate to cheat but for this week, it's a rolled up response. You all are the best, thank you for the kind words.

    Lucky for me, I burned my left hand (not primary) and my index finger and thumb on my left hand are manageable. Once I got off the Percocet, I got back to painting. Just have to keep the gauze off the figures. ;-)

    Hopefully I can give Ronin a try this summer and if its a hit, I could see painting some non-Samurai Ronin to buff out the force. Cheers!

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    1. Sorry to hear this Monty, courage!

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    2. Thanks Phil! I'm still translating your first comment. ;-)

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  15. So sorry to hear about your hand, Monty, I hope it's not too serious. On a happier note, that red is brilliant!

    FMB

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  16. Those Samurai look just wonderful Monty! Oh, and Samurai are indeed a royal pain the backside to do! Congrats on the award and stay away from yard work!

    Christopher

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  17. Superb painting on the Northstar Samurai Monty!

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  18. Seriously eye candy sir! The red and white is glorious.

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  19. Out of your comfort zone they may have been, but my word you nailed them Monty!

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  20. Tryly stunning paint work ! Very impressive !

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  21. Monty, these are looking magnificent!

    Love the idea with the hole punch. I will have to paint some Shashimonos soon (although on Scifi minis) and I am pretty sure I will borrow that idea!

    Sorry to hear about your hand! (This was sincere, the next part is just adding insult to injury!) Since you are in the US... if there was no warning in bright red fluorescent letter, at least twice as large as the lawnmower itself, on the muffler plus a three page essay in the manual... sue them. It should probably bring you two million for every day the burn lasted! :-P

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  22. Thanks so much, everyone, for the kind comments. I've enjoyed every one and I do apologize for the lack of personal responses in this post.

    Burkhard, big LOL, you nailed it. There is no protective plate over the muffler. Someone should pay for my stupidity. :-)

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