Saturday 18 December 2010

Fascination with Low-Tech

Hello there again!


Anyone that knows me well enough will know that I am fascinated by lots of 'low tech' things. For example, my cameras of choice are the Olympus OM1-n and a DIANA Plastic TOY camera, based on a model from the 50s (which cost $1 at the time IIRC).


I have just found these wonderful Wargames pieces by an American Chap called 'Dale'.



They seem wonderfully simple to make, but the challenge, I am sure is finding the right parts.
(Image taken from Dale's Blog without permission. I did NOT make this lovely soldier)
In the UK this appears to be rather difficult! Our culture doesn't respect 'folk art' as much as the USA does (for example, Ceramics is a thriving subject in American Art Schools, in the UK all the Ceramics courses at various universities are being shut down and replaced by *shudder* computer based design (CAD)).

Now I think this is a massive shame, I have spoken to my lovely Girlfriend, Hannah about it and she loves the idea of them. She thinks they would be very personal hand-me-downs some day and just a treasured family heirloom.


I have been considering what 'period' to base them on. I was thinking Napoleonic because it is the Hackneyed ideal... However, Crimean screams out at me, because I used to have a Wooden Soldier that was approx 120mm tall in British Guards uniform.

I am also considering WW1. This would be an odd option, but the option for little tanks and things is there.

There's also Fantasy! Tolkien! Wizards, goblins, trolls, elves!


Or all of them, which is basically what I WANT to do, but I know I won't be able to.


I am even thinking of storage. It would be a nice Wooden box with a sort of 'wine rack' insert, each 'hole' being taken up by one soldier. For a good wargame, you need at least 12 aside, so that's 24 soldiers, without taking cavalry, guns or tanks into consideration... Not to mention scenery! A lot of the scenery could be 2Dimensional painted Wood, representing fields or ponds. Material cut into strips could become roads and hills could be levels of wooden trays atop one another.


Luckily there is an electric rotary sander attached to the bench in the garage, so there is potential to make all sorts of other things. Fir trees, for example, would be very simple to make.


Lastly, a hand written 'guide'. What the two forces are, why I chose them. Why I made them, how old I am and what I am doing at the moment. Oh and of course, the 'Rules'.
Give me your thoughts one and all.
Cheers
Rob

Thursday 9 December 2010

Current obsessions...

Hello there, it has been an extraordinarily long time since I last posted here. This is beginning to become the theme of my irregular posts!

I saw something rather wonderful on the Internet whilst doing Artist research for my Degree (Fine Art BA if you don't know). I knew of the painter Albert Edelfelt, as the horrid Teacher of one of my favourite painters and drawers, the Austrian Artist Egon Schiele, but never did I think to look at his work.

I took a look today and I am in sheer awe! My current Wargaming project is, as usual, for Flintloque and is 'Skandavians', mainly focusing on Trolka and Trolkin (Swedish and Danish). Edelfelt's drawings and paintings sometimes feature the Russo-Swedish war and Finnish War! Both of which are perfect references for Flintloque!

Here are a few rather inspiring images:




As you can see, all very inspiring stuff!
Anywho, back to painting up more of the big guys then!!!
Cheers
Rob