Hi all,
This is the second installment of my chronicle of the 2023 NOVA open. Last time we covered the Age of Sigmar Narrative event, this week I will cover my foray into a new realm: Painting Classes!
One of the nice things about these classes is that they follow a more relaxed schedule then the events. I had a two-hour long class at 8 and then a 3 hour class at 12:30. This allowed me some free time to relax, roam and chat with friends.
Class #1 Absolutely Filthy – Weathering with Enamels Taught by Dan Ozbörne
Billed as a beginner class, I was a little apprehensive at first, but Dan is an amazing guy and I had a blast. The class was focused on introducing people to the use of enamel paints and effects for their miniatures. I was a little skittish at the prospect, just because of how annoying it can be to handle the extra steps enamel paints require. As opposed to acrylics, you need to have mineral spirits to clean your brushes, and the paint takes longer to dry etc. That being said I am eager to start experimenting with them after the class. We covered a variety of concepts like re-activation, learning how to push paint to the recesses, paint chipping effects, etc. It was a very mind-blowing course! I think it wouldn’t be a stretch to call this class my favorite event of NOVA 2023.
Interlude
As I had some time until my next event I relaxed and did some shopping. The Toledo Game room was there and they remain one of my favorite places to shop for used models (in-person). I was a little bummed that some of their prices had gone up, but was still able to get some deals including $25 for a Sororitas Repressor upgrade kit!
I then lounged on the back patio of the hotel for a while. While the key card issue was very annoying for the guests, the space was very nice. The cabanas did fill up quickly, but if you were fast, you could get a lovely spot in the shade.
Class #2: Art of Airbrushing: Fantasy Monster – CK Studios
This was another amazing class, and I don’t think 3 hours have ever flown by so fast, or have felt so packed. The instructor was great, although I think he pushed ahead a little too far at the end of the course. It didn’t help that I was very new to airbrushing and so many of these concepts easily blew my mind. The conceit of the class was to teach you how to increase the contrasts on your model by building up the colors, and then applying a contrast or speed paint to reset it back to one color, while keeping the shadows. It is a clever technique, and one that already has me thinking about how to use it in my own minis. I don’t have an end-of-course photo mainly because I rushed too much and made the model rather splotchy. Regardless, I learned a lot about using airbrushes and how to clean them out between paints. If anything I think this will help me maintain the lifespan of my own brush as I learned a lot of things I had been doing were wrong!
After this class, I met up with the rest of the Pittsburgh cohort and we enjoyed some amazing Eritrean food at a restaurant called Keren.The new location for this event made it so much easier to find good food, and this place was amazing! If you have are in DC area I recommend trying it out!
Next time: Day 3 the Horus Heresy Bromance Doubles!
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
