Pitchin' #1

"Just start."

Something I've been repeating to myself for the last few years. 

    It's a little unsettling how much I can get done if I just start. I was always told the most difficult aspect of running is going and getting your running shoes on, that literal first step to get out the door is always the hardest. Starting a blog has been an absolute chore for me. I have refused to "put on my running shoes" and just start. 

But here we are. Just starting.

    Speaking of starting, I'm going to have my inaugural post feature my High Elf army. I began this army project on June 9, 2023. Nearly one year into the project I have a fully painted oldhammer army that I feel really good about. I hadn't planned to have a however-many-points-this-army-is WHFB 3rd edition force when I started the project, but between the breaks I've kept at it. Kept "just start"ing. I now have a fairly sizable force.

The Beginning

    A couple years ago I had found a random "leftovers" lot of High Elves at my FLGS webstore. I didn't realize what I had until I held the models in my hands! An Elric, classic Elf Mage (on classic horse) and a single Melnibonean infantry model. What began as a random grab bag of models for kitbashing quickly became an obsession as I browsed Lost Minis Wiki for all the models within the Eternal Champion range of models released by Citadel in the 80's. I instantly fell in love with the Melnibonean spearmen and wanted to have a whole army! Fat chance, really, considering the models were prohibitively expensive on the 'bay. At least when I first looked...

My first group of painted models for the High Elves. The infamous grab bag lot that started it all.

The Inspiration

Well... times goes by and the models that I was initially very excited about sat in a drawer. I had the pleasure of attending 3-D Roleplay Con III, organized and birthed and funded by Hank Richardson. It's a really wonderful time of enjoying the old Games Workshop systems. Among the systems used and games played was a massive 6-8 player 1st edition Warhammer Siege/3rd edtion WHFB game (GMed and created by Byron Harmon). An alliance of Skaven, Undead and Dark Elves were besieging the poor human settlement of Gusseldorf. Byron had crafter an entire town of terrain enclosed by custom walls.

The forces of Gusseldorf preparing for the wall assault

Enemy at the gates

 I couldn't get enough, I wanted more.

It was fantastic. 

Everything that I wanted in a fantasy wargame was right here. I participated and commanded the Duke of Gusseldorf and the professional army stationed within the settlement. The Duke rode upon his noble griffin and swooped from the skies to take the fight to the enemy (we used the far simpler 5th edition flying rules, which are so great and I won't ever use a different set of flying rules for WHFB games).

When I got home from the con my mind was full of ideas.

One of my favorite gimmicks in early fantasy fiction is the idea of multiple planes or dimensions or times. How they intersect and interact. It could also be that I'm a lazy pos and it's nice to just wave my hands about and say, "well they're from a different plane and that's why it makes sense"

So I set about crafting, in my mind, the lore and history of this High Elf force. 

A completed unit of Guard which still needs a banner for the standard bearer 

The Lore

    Elric has been many places and many times. I found both to be useful for telling a story. His changing character also gives many narrative opportunities; was he still idealistic or had he begun his spiral into cynicism and madness? In the story of my army, Elric, still idealistic and leaning towards neutral good, has been delivered to the warhammer world to aid the Elves of Ulthuan against technological Chaos Warbands. A great minotaur chieftain has obtained forbidden and dangerous technology from the far future and threatens the precarious balance of the warhammer universe.

    That's about it. I got too busy painting this army to worry about building and painting his antagonist. I had previously been painting expressively with gouache and then washing over the gouache with an oil paint and finally going in and highlighting with oil paint, but had a desire to return to using oils only for this force, and I got the idea from one of my good friends.

The Paint

    Using oil paints in a way similar to contrast paints was something that was brought to my attention by the ever wonderful totally not matt, also known as totally not panicking on instagram. He used oil washes/runny oils straight over a zenithal prime and then dabbed away and highlighted over the oil paint filter. (It's more complicated, and if you ask Matt, less complicated, than I described) Whatever the specific method was, it got my gears turning for a quick and dirty paint style that I could use on the small amount of oldhammer elves and Melnibonean models I had recently acquired. 

So I gave it a shot.

I used Gamlin "Turqoise" for the main color, but tried to muddy it a bit with Burnt Umber, Sap Green, Dioxizine Purple... anything dark and moody. The spots of red were Cadmium Red and the weapons were a mix of burnt sienna and black, dabbed away, built back up, dabbed away again and maybe highlighted with white. But most of the time I didn't bother.

For the bases: I don't have a treasure trove of old paints, but the internet told me that Warboss Green is a close substitute for the OG Goblin Green. I used Warboss Green all over the base, drybrushed with yellow ochre and then washed with Sap Green and, sparingly in the shadows, with Burnt Umber. I dabbed as much off as I could, so it acted more like a filter. I really like the movement trays from battlezone miniatures, they also have a decent selection of Mirilton Elves, which I used as "budget" Melniboneans. I think it works a treat honestly.

Unit of Silver Helms

Mirilton Dark Elves on Miriliton High Elf mounts work perfectly for this force

A unit of Kith or Warrior Kindred, whatever is needed at the time

Oakbound Studios Dragon with GW Dragon Prince rider

    So there we go. I've started a blog. future posts will be smaller, but I think I'm supposed to go big with the introduction. I don't know what I'm doing. As a sendoff here is the whole force I currently have painted up: ~100 infantry (characters, spears, hand weapons, bows), ~20 cavalry, 10 bears (for monstrous host), 3 bolt thrower batteries, dragon. I have a few more of everything, but I would really like to finish some more dragon riders and a chariot. I have some Grenadier dragons that will be perfect.

cheers, be good to eachother