Hello everyone!  And again, Happy New Year!  It’s hard to believe we are almost through the first week of the new year.  As I talked about in my last post I often find new things to work on, but don’t always finish them.  Well, it won’t be the case here.  I have a two week deadline on this project!

Yesterday I spent most of the day painting Gesso onto these miniatures that I am also going to paint with acrylics.  They look different because underneath some are red, some blue and some metal.  However, I didn’t want to put the primer on too thick because I have never done this before. So this is exciting!  Here they are so far…..

My husband used to play Dungeons & Dragons…oh over 35 years ago with a bunch of buddies he knew in high school whom he has kept in touch with!  After our son was about eight years old, my husband got him into Star Wars role playing games which was 12 years ago.  They played those many times and our son really got into writing great scenarios for them, but at that time my husband was involved in other things that took priority so he couldn’t spend as much time playing the games; so our son played with his friend and his sister for several years. Then a couple of years ago when a huge change came about in our family, my husband had a lot more free time on his hands.  Thus began…the gaming!

Then he began buying all different kinds of games that were very different from the types of games we played as a family before – ones I just didn’t get!  (I think you have to be able to really think on your feet in these which is something I need to learn I guess.)  Anyway, he played those board games with the kids and their friends for about a year or so.  Then he met a small group of people at a local game shop our son was hanging out at a lot a couple of summers ago.  People there were playing Dungeons & Dragons, Magic the Gathering, and other role-playing and card games.  So that’s when my husband decided to get back into Dungeons & Dragons.  I had no idea how much he would love it again!  Wow!  I hadn’t seen him this happy and focused in quite a while which made me happy!

It has been a good thing for us.  It is a game that has challenged him in his writing ability and just given him a place to relieve a lot of stress.  I tried playing it a few times but it isn’t my thing…yet…ha ha.  I enjoy listening to all of his ideas though and just seeing him work on something creative makes me happy.

Then he began buying some miniatures to go with the games and some of these came in another     D & D board game he bought called Wrath of Ashardalon, which I played once and thought was fun.  He kept talking about wanting to paint the miniatures like he had done with some really old ones he still has that he painted years ago.  However, I figured he wasn’t going to have time to do that, too, so I volunteered.  (I hope we won’t regret it.  Ha!)

Painting the Gesso on was easy but painting the details in different colors will be really challenging for me especially since I may have to get a lighted magnifying glass to see the details!  I have been wanting one anyway so now seems like a good time.  Besides, what artist do you know who won’t take on a new project and use it as an excuse to buy something new and fun to use?  Ha, ha.

So…that is what I’ll be doing over the next two weeks since that is when he will need some of them to start a new game he’s going to do with a new group of people.  He doesn’t need all of them that soon, but yesterday I prepared about 20 to start with.  He has a lot more!  I don’t think I’ll be playing this game but maybe I’ll go watch sometimes.

Here is a picture of the board game I was talking about earlier.

So if you decide to get it, enjoy playing!  In the meantime I’ll be painting!  Have a wonderful day, and give someone you love a big hug!  🙂