Wow, I did it. I painted two teams for Guild Ball in just under three months. Things were a bit hairy near the end. I switched two painting two figures at a time and tried to squeeze in some miniatures for Bolt Action. By the end I was thoroughly exhausted but now that I’ve had some time to recoup and relax I am very proud of what I accomplished.

The Masons Guild is an easier guild to paint than the Brewers. Not only is there no tartan their outfits are much simpler. Skin, black cloth, blue cloth, brown leather straps and armour. Easy, right? Of course I decided that I was going to not use metallic paint for all the armour. Painting NMM is sometimes seen as an advanced technique but I wanted to show that it doesn’t require perfectly painted reflections of imaginary scenery to make normal paint look metallic.

Metal isn’t an impossible surface to paint, nor does it need a special set of rules to do so. Cloth is all diffused highlights and metal is all specular. The light hits the same spots but then reflects into our eyes differently. Generally this means that the contrast between light and shadow is stronger but also areas which would be lit by diffused highlights on a piece of fabric are deeply shadowed on metal.

Guild Ball Mason Ball by Steamforged Games. Guild Ball Mason Brick by Steamforged Games. Guild Ball Mason Flint by Steamforged Games. Guild Ball Mason Harmony by Steamforged Games. Guild Ball Mason Honour by Steamforged Games. Guild Ball Mason Mallet by Steamforged Games. Guild Ball Mason Marbles by Steamforged Games.

Now that this project is finished I am free to pursue other projects. I had originally planned on painting the Fishermen Guild immediately following these two guilds but as I said in the last project update this is something I am putting aside for now. I need a break.

Unlike last time I have seen an upswing in activity within my local community. Our Vassal League has moved from the group stage to the playoffs and we had a local tournament where I won best painted army and, more shockingly, a game of Guild Ball. I still really enjoy this game and am considering my next steps. I still want to play the Fishermen Guild but maybe I should expand both the Mason and Brewers guilds into 9 player teams. In a tournament you are supposed to bring 9 players and draft the 6 you want to field during a specific game.

Whatever choice I make it will be a new project. This one, I am very pleased to report, is complete.