Latest News & the Launch of Studio P

Hello & Welcome!

Please excuse the recent lack of updates but September was quite busy lately. Don't actually know with what to be perfectly honest. But it just somehow was!

And just like that, we are practically in October! When did this happen? Even though we lament slightly the end of summer, the wheel must continue to turn and I personally also enjoy the crisp Autumnal mornings, the shifting of colours, and one of our favourite upcoming holidays - Halloween! Yes - its coming soon. So if you are looking for anything to bring something special to the table for any Spooky Session, get your orders in now!

Otherwise, I am happy to report that I've caught up on adding the backlog of Galaad Miniatures to the shop. So that means we now have access to the full library. 

Of course not to mention the rest of our artists have been busy creating lovely sculpts so please grab a nice cuppa (or is it too soon to have a hot chocolate - I for one am enjoying one now as I pen this) and have a nice browse. Remember - I regularly cycle the items in the New Collection so make sure to check those regularly so you catch all the latest additions to our inventory! 

I am also happy to report that there have been a few sales at the Emporium. And more importantly a lot of business cards have been taken and there has been an increase in web traffic so we hope that it is helping us grow our visibility. 

The other main highlight for this month is that we pre-ordered the new Speedpaint 2.0 Markers from Army Painter and they arrived a week or so ago and we've had a chance to give them a spin. 

And this is why I would like to say that "Studio P" has launched! This is just a fun name to use for me resuming this aspect of the hobby.

Right - so let me get the necessary disclaimers out of the way. :-)

This is in no way endorsed by Army Painter and I've not been sent any promotional material. I did a pre-order like everyone else. :-)

I am not a professional painter and am not looking to be. I am just someone who enjoys a bit of painting to make what we put on the tabletop look cool and am not interested in winning any awards - just have fun to make our tabletop look fun. :-)

If you want a professional review, there are many excellent ones online. This is just a simple review of one guy who likes this hobby and gives things a go. :-)

I have of course other paint sets and brushes but when I saw these markers being released, I got intrigued. Why?

Well, in my specific case, I don't have a separate place to have painting materials setup and out and therefore it is a bit of a faff to setup and tear down for a painting session.  Related to that, with a full schedule, it is difficult to find some time to have such a session so time is precious. As is space.

So when I saw these markers, I thought to myself that this may help address both the time and space issues I have due to their virtually no clean-up and rapid painting speed, I thought let's give it a go. And I was excited when they arrived.

So what arrived?

I went for the introductory pack 10 core colours and some extra nibs. And a brochure listing all of the available Speedpaints 2.0 colours with an indication of which colours will be available in the markers in the future.

Initial impression? They are well made, sturdy. But this is what I would expect.

I grabbed some extra models I need for Rime of the Frostmaiden to give a bigger challenge to the adventurers (Psst - don't tell Adam! :-) ) and sprayed them up with Army Painter Matte White Primer and started to play.

I needed some (extra ...) Giant Rats / Swarms of Rats and they were perfect "test" minis to prime with different colours to test them out to see how they look. This is why I'll now have some psychedelic looking rats. But it was a good go.

I gave each colour a good shake. The embedded shaker sounded like it worked well. And then I went through the "pumping" action to saturate the nib with the colour. It took a few more pumps than I had imagined (or saw on the videos I watched previously) but it was no trouble.

Oh - make sure to remove the caps straight with no twisting action. I saw this on one of the videos I watched and now that I have them in hand, I totally get it. If you do a twisting action taking off the cap, I can see how you can unscrew the top of the marker.

Then I started to have a go.

Let me say that it was quick and easy. The paint went on quick and easy, fairly evenly. The colours are bright and vibrant. 

I was happy with the results. Again, not looking for professional standards due to my skill level - I am sure someone with better eyesight, a steadier hand, and more patience is likely able to achieve better results than I - another mid review disclaimer. :-)

But it met my criteria. It was mess and hassle free, it was fast, and I was able to quickly paint up several models to be Tabletop Ready.

I did also apply a Dark Tone Wash onto them after painting to try to help them pop.

I am happy with the results as it ticks all my requirements. 

I would say the nibs are medium size. I would say it may not be the best for super fine detail and at the same time they are too small to easily paint large areas on bigger models. I think the finer detail can be addressed by using a fine knife to cut the nib point to be finer (I saw someone suggesting this on one of the videos I saw). And I guess a proper brush is better for larger areas. Again - caveat as stated above, better eyesight, steadier hand. :-)

But for typical size models with modest level of details I think they do the trick. 

I am looking forward to getting the other colours when available. The two-tone Gricks would likely look better with better colour choices. And same for the Grell. But as tests, I would say they were great.

I did the Elder Crawling Claw and Duergar Warlord in a second session (to test how easy it was to resume a subsequent painting session - it was easy, faff free, and a few shakes latest, I was already painting) and those turned out much better. Plus the wash really helped with the Warlord especially. And maybe I was a little more patient with them. But again, it met my requirements - easy and faff free, quick and easy to get Tabletop Ready. Big Tick!

For me then I would say that it gets a two paws up (Mitz & Simz would have liked to give them a go I'm sure but they don't have thumbs you see!).

But of course, check out the more professional reviews and give them your own try.. But if you are like me and want easy and hassle free painting to get things Tabletop Ready, I would say they should work for you.

And of course, if you have tips and suggestions on how I can do better, please don't hesitate to let me know. Plus, I always like to hear from the community so get in touch!

Here is the gallery:

Now that this is easier for me to do, I am hoping to find time to do a bit more painting and will share additional progress on what I can do in Studio P. Give them a try and we'll definitely get the rest of the colours once available.

And also please be sure to check out the the regular updates in the Image Gallery for what Adam is painting - they look awesome!

Otherwise hope everyone is doing well and getting ready for Autumn. Mitz & Simz of course being ladies of leisure are happy to stay warm and cozy snuggled up but go out into the bright sun when it pokes its head out.

Wishing everyone good health and happiness and happy continued Painting and Gaming (and happy listing browsing)!

-Pete (& Mitz & Simz)