Taranaki wars

 Friday past was Matariki holiday, so the guys thought it appropriate we play Blood and Steel ruleset for the Taranaki wars. Steve with his English, Kevin and myself with Maroi forces. As there was three of us we dropped the random scenarios and just played kill points, one point per kill in an all-out brawl. 

I only took one photo as got too caught up in getting smashed... well it was more of a total annihilation. Good fun game for a Friday night and a nice flowing rule set. 

Waterfall Landscape

 Managed to get a really nasty sinus infection that flattened me for a week or so, only just coming right now. I did get a bit of work done on my largest linocut to date and pulled a print off it yesterday. Still has quite a bit of cleanup work to do on it but it’s coming along nicely. It’s also my first landscape style print.

 

My father also made a really nice handle for my restored and converted mangle press.

Shina board carving

 Trying out the second Shina board I got a months back, this time carving an image that I transferred onto it with the Mod Podge. Being a large area and not as detailed compared to my last one using the Mod Podge method, it really worked well. Found carving it much easier this time around after sharping my tools, which always helps.

I got inspired from a picture on my physio's wall of the muscles of the body, then found some illustrations online in different poses to use as reference. Haven’t made any prints of it yet, but pretty please how it’s come out so far.

Valkyrie

 Another small lino cut, 100mm x 100mm based off an image I created in AI and then transfered to the lino using the Mod podge method.

Valkyrie 

Ridia and Chrysi (W.I.P)

 I signed up to Hector Moran @RoninArtsWorkshop to get a few models to test out and improve my airbrush skills. Still struggling a little bit on the paint consistency and getting that just right every time. More practice needed and more often I think will be the trick.

So spent a few hours playing with AK paints and skin tones and mixtures of flow improver and thinners. It's quite amazing how different colours need slightly different mixtures. I think I'm slowly getting better.

This is the NSFW version - 3D Printable Ridia and Chrysi - Double Pin-Up (NSFW) Set by Hector Moran (myminifactory.com)

Mod Podge Queen

So my second attempt at using Mod Podge Matte-Mat-Mate as an image transfer to the Lino worked out quite well. The image transferred really well and leaving it for 24 hrs to fully dry before using water and rubbing away the paper seemed to work the best. Just have to take it slowly and not get it to wet gave the best results.

The one issue I did have is with a small detailed 100mm x100mm square was the thin coating of Mod Podge with the image in it, started lifting as I carved, making it rather difficult to see the patterns and lines so I ended up guessing where I was going in some cases. Once I carved out the main image I just removed the pealing mod podge and free handed the rest. The end result came out rather well. 

I also did a bunch of paper tests of different cheap papers I have at the moment and a couple of specific way more expensive printing papers on my Mangle press. I then tested some of my home made paper and quickly found I have to prime my paper first as the surface becomes to sticky and parts tend to lift as you remove the paper from the printing block. All a fun learning curve

Field of Glory

 Dusted off the old Viking 15mm figures for a couple of games of FOG (Field of Glory) at the club on Sunday, using the version 3 rules. Been 9 plus years since they have seen the light of day. Brain FOG was the biggest challenge trying to remember the rules and use the new tweaks and updates which have been done to the rules. It was a good day and nice to get some gaming in. Couldn't find my camp for the army, so improvised with a little putter Viking ship.

Won the first game and then worked out a few things we were doing wrong, a hollow win, but I’ll take it. Then got my but kicked in the second game. 

Mangle prints

Put a few prints though the mangle press this evening and getting good consistent results on the pressure so very happy with the restore job I did on it. Still got a lot to learn about matching up paper with different inks. This portrait is on my own handmade paper from recycled paper and cardboard.

 

Also been doing more AI generated art and tried out a transfer method to a bit of lino using Mod Podge Matte which I'd seen done in a YouTube video. Took a couple of goes to get the method right. The real test will be how the Mod Podge changes the carving of the Lino.