Sketchbook Adventures

I realise that most people who do serious amounts of modelling tend to sketch up their plans first. It seems to be inevitable that people who model well are also able to draw. I doubt this is a universal truth, but it seems a common thing. Anyway, I have often seen concept sketches from modellers and sculptors, both professional and otherwise. It is not something I have ever really tried, however - even as I have started to branch out and become more adventurous with my modelling and converting.

I have decided to change this. My decision is partly due to the fact that I am stuck at work for 40 hours per week, often with not a lot of work on my hands (seems to be the case at the moment, anyway). This feels like time terribly wasted when I want to be at home modelling, but that can't really be helped. Some of my wasted gaming energy has been going into this blog, which makes me feel slightly better about things. However, I recently decided that getting a sketch book and pencil might help me to plan my conversion work a little better, and therefore help me save time when I actually get to sit down at home and get to work.

It has been a really long time since I drew anything. I liked drawing when I was a boy, however I have really only picked up a pencil a handful of times since then. Since getting the sketchbook last week my efforts have been relatively limited, however I can already feel that this approach will be useful to me. Especially given my plans to use Instant Mold and basic master versions of things in order to produce a variety of parts for my Ogre unit fillers. Planning here is a worthwhile thing.

The first page in my sketchbook, which has plans for building Ogres to match the Leopard Company and Ricco's Republican Guard

Last night I started my first attempt at a Kislev Ogre, specifically to match the Kossars Owen converted for me (as seen here). This means they will not necessarily be exactly as you would expect Kislev Ogres to look - they will potentially have the slightly Bretonnian bent common to their human comrades. I plan to make 2 or 3 different versions and make sure I can copy them. This way I will have enough to fill out the units, and can also produce more if I want a unit of Kislevite-style Ogres in their own right.

The early stages of my first Kislev Ogre

Standing next to the guy I am basing him on

Again, a little bit of sketch planning

I have reverted somewhat with this Ogre, as I have decided to use a proper Ogre Bull as the base, rather than scratch build the entire model. This is mainly because I thought the pants and boots would be largely compatible with the end product, and I hoped it would save me time. Whether this is true remains to be seen. I have also made what may yet to turn out to be a mistake, and used wire for the axe haft. It's very thick wire, and probably about as resilient as the same shape would have been if it was the old tin-lead amalgam - bendy but strong. Basically I didn't have the right thickness of brass rod, and I am going to run out of Ogre banner poles pretty soon at the rate I am going. I'm not sure the wire is really thick enough. We'll see once it's got an axe head on it. Otherwise I guess I can thicken it with green stuff and make different plans for next time.