Check It Out, I'm 33!

Today is my birthday and am turning thirty three years old, so happy birthday to me! I don't really know what to say... I think it's going to be a great year and today was an excellent launch into this new age. I've had a lot of fun today and even got in some painting here and there. I received a bunch of cool gifts including some awesome birthday gaming surprises, no less! My wife went so far as to brave a trip to the not-so-friendly local (actually it's an hour's drive away) gaming store to pick out some miniatures herself to give to me. I'm really touched by her having taken that upon herself. In honor of our little daughter, she got for me a unit of Daughters of the Flame! Hmmm, I have been increasingly interested in the Protectorate of Menoth and so this could be the start of something exciting. Additionally for my growing Circle Orboros collection she also got for me a new warcaster, Krueger the Stormwrath! I still feel shocked by the thoughtfulness of it as I now know she really has been paying attention to my hobby beyond the painting itself, not to mention the courage it took to walk into such a den of nerdiness and dorkitude. I'll detail the other gaming stuff I was given sometime soon, I just wanted to express my thanks while I'm still in the moment.

I have good news to report from the painting front, too. Tonight I finished work on Kaya which means my Circle Orboros Warpack is now done! Woo-Hoo!! I had so much painting these miniatures and even though it was only four models, because of the nature of the game, they actually do represent a decent sized chunk of an army. I therefore feel like this was a real accomplishment for me and am encouraged about the prospects of getting some playable armies painted in the near future. I plan on paining the Gorax light warbeast next, then probably some units or solos. As for Kaya, the gold ended up being a pretty big pain in the rump but ended up looking good I think. The eyes however were really tough for me to get right and in fact I think they still look sort of jacked. Her right eye looks okay but the left one is not pretty. Is there anything more frustrating than botching the eyes on an otherwise well painted figure? I'm just glad the way the miniature is posed should keep her face hidden most of the time when seen on the tabletop. I suppose they're not all terrible bad and do look better than many of eyes I've painted in the past, but I am far from satisfied with my eye-painting abilities right now. Maybe I'll spend some time searching around for tutorials on the subject... let's see if this internet really is good for something!