Prufrock's Wargaming Blog

Prufrock's Wargaming Blog

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

From way back: photos of first hobby efforts.

My wife was looking through some old photo CD-ROMs the other night and came across a folder containing shots from the very first batch of figures I ever painted, waaaay back in December 2005.

This find seemed like a good excuse to reminisce about first starting out, and some of the changes that have occurred.


The shots on this album are the only known photos of me painting, and I didn't even know about these until the other night.  The figures are from the Chariot/Magister Militum Polybian Roman and Later Carthaginian ranges.  I began with 2 DBM starter armies and built up from there, and Richard at MM was really helpful to a newbie.  If I remember rightly these figures were then £1.85 a pack; they are now £3.00, but the DBM armies still give a surprisingly good discount.

Other nerdy things to note: these days I mount figures on card in groups of 4-8 rather than individually.  I actually use lighting, and even lift the figures up to my face  rather than the other way around!  I also use the hobby room instead of the lounge.  We have had three kids since these photos were taken and the lounge is now a little too messy to be shown to decent company...

Amusingly enough, I seem to be employing the lid as a paint dish here.  I still use Tamiya and Mr Color paints occasionally (then 100, now c.150), but they are mostly supplanted by Turner Acryl Gouache.  My choice of brush has not advanced much, however.

Lastly, I have considerably less hair now than I did then, and am probably about 5kg sturdier.  But we won't dwell on that just yet...




Look at this for sublime artistry!  Close observation will reveal the signs of early experimentation with a 'magic (brown) wash' on the hastati at the back there.  It is not clear whether it did any good or not.



No, it didn't do much!


Ah, such innocence in this low angle shot!  We have a better class of digital camera now.  Sadly, that Junior Boggle box has gone the way of all flesh...


An intriguing morning-after clue to how I became 5kgs heavier?


But on a more positive note, I no longer indulge in my other 'head out to the balcony every hour and light up' hobby, so perhaps it all evens out!

So, there we go.  I had a wee chuckle looking at these, and I hope you will too.

Oh, and before I go, here's a shot showing today's postal goodies, just to prove that some things haven't changed!




14 comments:

  1. A great post, thanks for sharing,

    all the best,

    Phil

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is quite a breakfast! And smoking on the snow...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for sharing Aaron. We all start somewhere!


    ..and I agree with Simon - that is quite a breakfast. 5kg in 7 years is not too bad - I have friends that have done that year on year (which is bad).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for dropping by, gents. It was a surprise to see we had some photos - I couldn't remember them at all. A bit of a shock to see how much I've aged in eight years, but I suppose it happens to us all!

    Cheers,
    Aaron

    ReplyDelete
  5. Aaron! Very enjoyable to see your old photos and a glimpse of your wargaming beginnings.

    What the heck were you eating for breakfast? I wouldn't be able to move the remainder of the day having consumed that!

    Great post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jonathan, I believe that's egg on toast, hash brown and sausages, with the whole bonded together by ketchup and Japanese mayo. Judging by the number of empty beer bottles on the bench, I must've needed it! Couldn't eat that now, I swear ;-)

      Delete
  6. Looking back is always interesting! Glad you've made some major upgrades healthwise. "Way back in 2005", LOL! I'd be "Way back in 1968... hey look, I actually had HAIR then, LOL!

    Peter

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL; when I said I have less hair now I was being generous - it's more like no hair now!

      Class of '68, eh? A fine vintage. There aren't many hobbies that you can still get as much joy out of 40 years later.

      I actually started wargaming / thinking about wargaming about '82, but stopped when I was at university and had never painted figures before the time these photos were taken. Funny how we return to what we used to love :)

      Cheers,
      Aaron

      Delete
  7. Some great photos, the breakie looked nice....but how much tomato sauce????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a Kiwi, Ray. For us there's no such thing as too much tomato sauce!

      Delete
  8. Love it! I was going to ask what was on the toast but I see it's eggs and ketchup. A love of ketchup and ancient history are at least 2 things we share in common. ;-)

    Can't wait to see your next Xyston project.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ketchup and ancient history - two things an honest man need never fear! ;-)

      Delete
  9. Good for you for quitting, Aaron. I'm trying to kick the habit myself right now. Did painting probably play a role in helping you quit?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was the constant sore throat and the fact that I wasn't actually enjoying the cigarettes anymore that helped me make the decision. Luckily it was time, and everything went reasonably smoothly! Good luck with it. Hope the timing is right for you, as well :)

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...