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Monday, November 28, 2011

Terrain "In The Rough"

Well, since I had to spend a fair amount of time over the holiday weekend working on "Lettysburg" rather than on the Pirate Project, I don't have some of the terrain photos I'd hoped to have by now - but they will come.  However, I do have a few shots of the gathered items for terrain and some more photos from Mike of finished (or one in process) buildings, the rest of the Spanish and a couple of the British.  So, here goes:
The above photo shows the raw materials, not already seen, for the terrain.  Those tall items leaning up at the back are the spacers to increase the size of the tables to 6' widths.  The rest shows the wood that will be cut up to make the islands and the paint for the Great Canvas - which can be seen standing and rolled in the background on the left, inside the garage.   Those long bundled sticks are 1x2 furring strips that I've since ripped into 1x1 strips to use to give height to the islands.  There are 11 gallons of house paint in various colors.  There are some craft paints that will be used to transform plastic plants into something more "natural" looking.  There is a jig saw that will (actually was already) be very busy.  And there are the various bits of 4' x 8' boards I had cut down into 1' x 4', 2' x 3', and 2' x 4' sections that will get trimmed into "curvacious" islands.
The above three photos are of the craft paints, the browns and greens should have obvious uses to most of you.  But what of the blues and purple?  Well, the tropics can be a colorful place.  Here is a sample of their use:
The two fronds on the right are as purchased, the two on the left have been "striped" with all of the colors seen above - a bit muddied from overspray but I think you can see how they "tone down" the out of store plants.  Well, I can see it and prefer it, though certainly in practice it won't be so muddied by mixing so many colors so close together.
This shot shows all the newly purchased cans of paint to match the colors previously selected - and to the far right are the two newly added blue-greens to be used when painting the sea.  On the left are 5 cans of the Montana paint that are no longer part of the "grand plan" but will still find some use, especially the tans and green.  Now, would you like to see the beginning of the sea?
Here is the first coat of paint on the first of the two main canvasses.  Take note of the line of paint on the blue plastic tarp - that shows how much the canvas shrank while drying!
And this just gives a little perspective as to size, the little island is not part of the game but the building on it is, one of the smaller Spanish buildings.  Of course, the little island could be used for some other game.
And one last shot of the raw materials, a nice view on the left of the stack of material that will get attacked with the jigsaw to become the islands - an island top with a larger matching island bottom (the curves matched) to be glued and screwed to the 1x1 to create a "sandwhich" with the odd spaces to be filled in with insulating foam (not shown), the dull yellowish stuff that comes with silver backing on one side.  This should create both durable terrain and hopefully prevent much warping.

Now, some of you may be wondering at the expense lavished on so much raw materials and it has been substantial - but all of this terrain will be available after the game (as will the extra pieces that will be created along with the game pieces that will give it so much more versatility) and for years to come.  So, while its been a lot of money up front, it will be well used.  And with a little luck there will be enough materials left to create an actual "mountain range" as inspired by a tutorial on the Major General's page.

Now, for the buildings.  Mike has been busy - and should be busy today working on even more - getting the Spanish finished, the British underway, and he has the Dutch ready to hand to start working on those.  Pretty soon it will be the turn of the French and then, finally, the Pirate town itself.
Spanish building number five...
and six...
and seven...
and eight, nine, and ten...
from two sides...
and with damaged roofs...
and from above...
and finally a reverse shot.

One thought, or reconsideration - and no reflection on Mike's painting but on my building selection: some of the smaller crafty sorts of buildings are looking a bit too small and will require some use of forced perspective to be effective in the game.  But, hey, sometimes we have to compromise and this was how I got to ten buildings for each town.  Perhaps one day this will be resolved by adding better buildings but time was too short to hunt up more buildings and get them painted to a matching theme.  Speaking of which, Mike has been doing a great job on giving the buildings individuality while maintaining a theme for each town.

Here is a beginning of the British, just one small wood roofed building.
And above and below are two shots of another building for the British.

Hope to see more of the British buildings soon.

That's all for now, hope to have more terrain photos soon but be patient, "Lettysburg" is not complete and it is important to work on that in order to keep time available for this project.  All you married folk out there know what I mean.

(oh, the reason for a note between photos is because it prevents so many photos becoming a slide show where the pictures cannot be enlarged by you, the viewer)

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

So, a little work will get done today and maybe some tomorrow (wife's Xmas village will be interrupting pirate progress some this long weekend but a small price to pay for the other time being devoted to this project.).

Took delivery on the entire pirate town figures and pirate crews from Joe R. earlier this week and they look quite good.  Will get some additional photos up as soon as I have time.

And an aside on painting the Great Canvas: Monday I painted the first color on one of the 6' x 24' untreated lengths of canvas, used latex house paint - love the color.  However, and this was not unexpected based on research into the process, the canvas shrunk 2" in width and 15" in length.  The loss of width is inconsequential since we've already gone from 60" in the original plan to 72" - well, now 70".  A little more bothered by the loss of length because this means having a seam on each of the two tables but by painting the extra pieces (got an extra yard out of the 24' yard piece, as in 25 yards, which will be cut in half) the same colors at the same time as the two main canvasses it should be minimally noticeable...what is that quote about plans work right up until contact is made?  Will plan accordingly when I paint the extra piece for another project in the future.  And so it goes.

Hope you have a great holiday!

The Mute Parrot

Monday, November 21, 2011

Stone for a mile? No, another mile stone!

Past 2000 visitors.  Cool.  Hope you are all being entertained and enlightened.  And a good thing this is a blog of pirates - otherwise who knows what might be lightened?   bwa-ha-ha-ha!

enough of the sillys...lets get back to the serious work of PIRATES!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Ladies and Gentlemen, some Ladies and Gentlemen - and Others

These unfortunates might not have been gentlemen...
but perhaps these ladies are glad for their state of deceased-ness.
Though maybe one of these lads is a bit sad...

but not as much as a widow or two here.
A booming voice?  Well, maybe not...
but a lot of booms when they're at work.
Not so loud but best stay out of the way...
of them when their hackles are raised.
And these men have their backs bent too often...
to spend much time at looking glasses...
as they dream of going home to their lasses.
These gentlemen may frequent a tavern or two...
while they plan some smuggling...err, business...
and leave their rivals green with envy.

All of the above were painted by the talented Joe R.  Many, many more figures in process in the hands of other painters in our club.  Still to come are the French, the Spanish, and the British.  Got to see the Dutch in progress today in person and they are looking quite good.  I have been working on the natives and their 'allies' while watching my team win again today.  Life is good on many fronts.  

Terrain has made substantial progress and hope to have photographic evidence by the end of the week.

Oh, for those who need to know, the dead are from Peter Pig and most of the rest are from Blue Moon - though there may be a few others mixed in here and there, perhaps one or two from Irregular.

(and a reminder, again, that the texturing of the bases will be as one mass effort to achieve a cohesive look for the entire collection)

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Beach, beach, beach - is that all you can do?

Well, no, but I've made a decision on how to do the beaches.  I spent yesterday cutting out the main forms for the various islands for the game (over 200 feet of wandering jigsaw cuts) and along the way changed my mind about how to do the beaches.  I was going to make them in a reverse stair step to match the island structures but abandoned that because it would just add too much work not to mention additional expense.  However, since I'm making the terrain for this game in such a way as to give it utility beyond the game, I still want the beaches to be separate so the "islands" don't always look "oceanic."  Then today my wife wanted to go visit some craft store for her crocheting hobby and while in one I found some nice large - and thick - sheets of cork and it hit me: I can use the cork cut to match the curves along the islands and glue on sand and other "beachy" items I've been collecting.  A simple and affordable solution to a challenge.  Hope to have Work-In-Progress photos as I start the assembly and texturing process.

And now for a couple of photographs of the Dutch army being painted by club member and friend, George Gardea.  As many of you know, macro photography comes with some challenges and unfortunately many of George's photos came through too much out of focus to post here (but I can see he's making excellent progress).  So, here are a couple of ones that show part of what he's working on - and a nice view of his well used hobby work station.  Alas, they don't show much of the orange theme for the Dutch but they look pretty good.

Next photo will be of terrain, or more likely of the pile of materials for the terrain, islands in the raw if you will.

One thing this project has convinced me of is that professional model makers need to be well rewarded for their efforts - it takes a lot of material and tools even before you get to the talent (hope I have some!) to create top notch terrain.  Until next post...

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

"To the Devil drink a Toast." The pirates come aboard.

Here we go, the first four of the sixteen ship's crews.  Note the variety of skin tones, nice job, Joe.  And keep in mind that he painted these 192 figures in just over two months, averaging right at 2 1/2 figures per day (and probably many days he didn't paint at all because of work, family, and feline commitments -- oh, just ask him).  And to help keep the crews sorted out, there is a black, red, blue, and yellow crew - and the town folk he's now working on will be in green (as in having a distinguishing color).  As mentioned, bases not yet textured because all bases will be done at the same time to maintain a standard throughout.  So, here you go.

The Black Pirates:
Da Cap'n hisself.
And part of his most loyal crew...
some scurvy lads...
and scrofulous ones as well...
da scrapings of every back street in da sea...
young and old, 'dey but need to know there place.

'Cuz pirates can be bruising, The Blue Pirates:
The Statesman - or at least the man in the sole state room...
If that bird could talk, you'd be rich lad, rich!...
and if you were to mess with this lot you'd be shark bait...
they've sunk a ship or two, they have...
and had a brawl or two, and cracked a head or four...

and danced a jig or two, after a jigger or three 'o rum.

In Brave Battle soldiers sometimes see red:
Let's bury it over there, lads...

we'll have our shares the crew cried...
stand true to your Cap'n, boys...

Or Grappling Joe will gut you sure...
Deep in the ground so it'll be here when we return...
And then we'll swab a wench or two!


Yellow they be, but cowards they're not:
As you'd know if you'd come under their guns...
'Tis true he was a cannibal, once...
Now he blasts away those who dare to object...
To a 'small' treasure tax...
But collect our due, we will...
As we sing the Black Flag's praises!

Now, will  you leave me be while I work on the terrain?!  By thundering Neptune!  Yo-ho!