About Me:

 I started painting tabletop gaming miniatures around 1986, originally collecting and painting lead fantasy-type figures manufactured by Grenadier and Ral Partha and sold through a local hobby shop. I gathered a rather sizeable collection of monsters, dragons, warriors and sorcerors, and whatever else looked fun to paint. Some years later, I broadened my horizons to include the "giant" warmachines and accompanying tiny fighting vehicles of the original Battletech game and character models from a variety of role playing games. It was in late high school that I became interested in Warhammer 40,000, about the time of the changeover from the initial Rogue Trader release to the game's 2nd edition.

 Some of my favorite miniature lines at the time were by Ral Partha, Grenadier, and Games Workshop - a number of finished examples from my early painting years are on display in the Gallery. I painted up through early 1992, when other hobbies gradually crept in and eventually all my figures and paints were boxed, shelved, and put into storage.

 Out of nostalgia and discussions with friends, in late spring of 2005 I decided to dig out all my old paints, brushes, and supplies. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my old paints and supplies had weathered well -- and I had plenty of figures to work on, with several drawers full of unpainted miniatures and some new ones received as gifts.

 With the wealth of information relating to miniature painting available online, my approach to painting miniatures has undergone many changes, even above and beyond getting used to the broader scope of the hobby nowadays. Whereas before I used straight acrylic colors, washes, and inks, now I use various additives, thinned paint mixtures, and creative combinations of brands and colors. I'd like to think I maintain some semblance of the "clean" painting style I used to have back in the day, merging it with more "modern" notions such as weathering and damage effects, zenithal and ambient lighting, and use of color to enhance contrast and draw attention to specific features.

 I attended one of Games Workshop's Games Days for the first time in Chicago in 2007, entering some of my finished miniatures in several categories of the world-renowned Golden Demon Painting Competition - to my surprise, I not only made "First Cut" and received "Honorable Mention" with all my entries, but also was awarded a Silver Demon for my Lord of the Rings Single Miniature entry, Gandalf at the Bridge of Khazad Dûm. In 2008, I attended the Chicago Games Day again and entered the Golden Demons, but I only had two figures to bring and the overall quality and skill of the other entries was amazing. Given the other figures I saw there, I was again surprised to find my Skaven Warlord entry in the highly-competitive Warhammer Single Miniature category won a Bronze Demon and my Kroot Hound entered in the Warhammer 40,000 Single Miniature category received an Honorable Mention.

 I'd like to give my heartfelt thanks to the many people in the hobby community who have supported my development as a miniature painter and hobbyist, as well as to those whose work has served as inspiration and whose level of artistry I continue to aspire to. Approaching this hobby primarily as an artist, I'd ideally like to continue to refine my own technique and level of knowledge, and hope for this site to be helpful to both new and experienced painters looking for information to help them do the same. On that note: feedback, comments, and constructive criticism is more than welcome!

 If you (or someone you know) have any questions, suggestions, or comments regarding the miniatures or any of the other content on this site, please write to me directly! I would be happy to add information, clarify ideas presented, or even adjust the layout of things to improve the presentation or material here at Painting by Tinweasel.