Heads Up...

"That something better be more than just a face." - Rictus
"by paint you mean paint the faces of like 2 guys and then retire" - Maelstrom

Somewhere along the line I appear to have picked up a reputation for painting the face of a model and then giving up on it... I'm not entirely convinced that it is justified, as I tend to do whole heads, but maybe I am just being a picky bugger.

So in homage to my new-found reputation, and the fact that the last week has been somewhat hobby-light (a couple of Dreadball games aside), I've had a dig through some of my old models and taken a look at just how many faces I have at my disposal. To be fair to both Rictus and Maelstrom, I've decided to determine whether they might actually have a point.

The Case For...

Dark Angel Head - circa 2009

Now technically I did complete this model.. back in 2007. However, I have a tendency to revisit old paint jobs and this one was one that briefly wanted to redo... How far did I get into the repaint job... Well a sword hilt aside, it was indeed just the head:

Granted, from this shot he looks pretty much complete, but most of it is the old paint job - literally the sword hilt & grip, arm and head have been done.

Luna Wolves Captain - circa 2012

It's worth pointing out at this stage that this is more a case of abandoning one scheme rather than a model in its entirety  I started out planing a Pre-Heresy Luna Wolves force, but that has now sort of fallen by the wayside. I did however paint a face before I quietly abandoned the idea. That being said, the rest of the model is now a dark shade of blue, awaiting some further paint work...

The blue frames it nicely huh...

The Case Against...

World Eater Head - circa 2009

Painted for the November '09 Ammobunker competition this is a good example of a model that started with the head and just carried on from there...

Sometimes when something comes together really well, you just have to keep on painting...

The finished piece...

In Conclusion...

It all boils down to my attention span. Often models do go by the wayside after I lose interest. This does lead towards a large proportion of facial work, as this is often the first part of the model I work on as it holds the most interest for me and a good job will often leave me wanting to finish a model. 

As I was looking through my collection I realised that an awful lot of models do get past the face stage, albeit by various margins. I was actually hard pressed to find models that only had the face done (which is why I included the Dark Angel). But often I do not get all that much further. So to Maelstrom and Rictus I say, there is a grain of truth in your comments, but even I managed to get a bit further on than you imply. ;)

Moving Forward...

This'll pretty much be it for 2012, with pending parties, Christmas, and a trip to France for New Year on the agenda. Still, I have lots of painting planned for 2013, including the continuation of my Wolves and a dabbling in Dreadball and Sedition Wars. Ah well, best laid plans and all that...