A Painting Oath.

Hmm.. I may regret this, but I guess I will call a painting oath. An easy one. One I could probably do in a single 3 hour timespan. But I am lazy and hate painting. So if I call an easy one I can have it completed and give my newest army a couple ok looking tanks.

My new army you (nobody really since as far as I know I am mostly only read by myself and the odd ex friend E stalking me in case I say something about him he doesn't like..) ask?

What, you didn't see my post in October about it? Well then, I TOLD YOU nobody reads my blabbering. (Its a good creative outlet if nothing else.)

Yeah, thanks to the Battle for Black Reach bought at 50% off thanks to Arkham Asylums 5th anniversary sale I had the core of a Marine army cheap. A couple cheap purchases and trades plus the odd wrangling of spare minis and my bits box plus 3 actual MSRP purchases and I have a 2000 point Blood Angels (cuz the army codex is free) army for around 140 dollars. Its pre Horus Heresy World Eaters as the theme and scheme, which works out given how they have angry psychotics just like the BA's Death Company. Except its not due to dreams of a dead primarch, but due to psycho surgeries performed on their soldiers.

Currently they are 3 and 0 for victories, though one of the wins was my Halloween house battle and I am not sure if an odd multiplayer game counts as a win.

Well over at the massive Warhammer 40K threads at Something Awful they have this Oath Project going on. If you fail at your painting oath, you may have your avatar replaced with a picture of a fat naked dwarf. One person who completes their oath gets a 20 dollar gift certificate. I don't really care about winning anything. I just need inspiration to get my lazy butt to some paint!

My oath is to have my Pre Heresy World Eaters using the Blood Angels army list Razorback and Vindicator painted to a simple 4 color standard (shading, washes, and highlights optional) by December 31st.

I just built the Vindicator Wednesday, and the Razorback is assembled and has one color on it.

How I will accomplish this feat of actually painting some goddanged miniatures for once:

Core color is white, done with Krylon Fusion White spraypaint. Razorback has this part taken care of already. The Vindie has just gotten its first pass of spraypaint 5 minutes ago. 2 more passes (flipped on a side for these two follow up passes) and it will have its core color by tonight too.

I don't thin and generally do one coat per color painting so making the tanks look nice but not too clean will be my challenge. Most of my tanks are extremely dark colors or metallics with panel lines done in. This little oath involves learning how to do bright Marine style tanks and make them look decent.

Color 2 is Foundation Blue paint. Probably 1 large area per side of each tank not counting the bottom. Something big to break up the white that is logical. The recessed area on the front is a given. Possibly the access points on the tanks, and maybe the smokestacks. Possibly the sides and teeth of the Vindie's Dozer Blade too.

Color 3 is Chainmail Silver on weapon barrels and other bits that obviously need to be more metallic. I may try some drybrushing here and there to simulate chipped paint. The Silver will be followed up with an Armor Wash coat. The tread wheels get this treatment too.

Color 4 is black on the treads, followed with silver drybrushing, and then Brown Wash overcoat, or possibly Snakebite Leather drybrushing.

Should I have time and the above looks fairly pleasing by my honestly weak and lazy ass standards I may investigate (By asking how in this thread, which by that point should be up to page 60 or so at the speeds we are posting at! Or I could just ask folks in #tinypewtermen on IRC.) putting some mud and dirt marks on the lower sections of the models and maybe practicing with some blood splatters here and there. (Just because they are loyal to the Emperor and quite pissed at coming out of the Warp and realizing their primarch betrayed his Thronieness, they are still World Eaters and violently killing things is what they do and all!) Maybe a couple smoke or carbon emission type effects too.

If I even get past that I will do some gold and yellow trim on things like Imperial Eagles and Heraldry type devices. Sadly, my non Chaos symboled World Eaters transfers are entirely too small to be put on such large tanks. It would actually make the tanks look WORSE.

And I will also put my own penalty on myself. Until these two tanks are at least up to the Color 4 stage, I MAY NOT buy any new miniatures gaming models that require painting.

If I complete my minor and easy oath I may reward myself via buying the Apocalypse rules via an online discounter because while the book is neat, it is a massive ripoff. And doing something worthwhile is a good way to reward myself. By spending my own money I shouldn't spend on a book I will rarely ever even have a use for.

But the goal is worthy. Setting goals and forcing myself to complete them is good for me. Hell, its the reason I lost 60 pounds in less than 2 years and outside of Zoloft putting 5 pounds back on (which I have since stopped taking and have gotten 3 back. Course the weight threat has also caused me to drop a good 1000-1500 calories a week out of my diet plus get back on the exercise train. I even have little notes of my progress on my calendar!) I have kept it off.

Keeping myself honest and giving my otherwise aimless self a goal makes me do the impossible and see the invisible.

ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH!!! :P