Things are rumbling along!

So, the launch of the Kickstarter for my book ARMIES & LEGIONS & HORDES went off with a bang! It funded in three hours, and has continued to go great guns over the last five days. Everyone seems to have been enjoying the stretch goals, so that's a good thing. I'm sure it feels a little weird though, as it's just the Book that is available, no Add-Ons or crazy "all-in" pledge levels, but I want to keep it simple.

So, the front half of the book stays the same (as described in my last post), but the back half is growing. From eight projects being featured, you have all helped my add another SIX projects (plus more cool photography, and a proper interactive digital version), with another project (the Blood Pact) less than 40 backers away at the time of posting.

The book started at approximately 100 pages. Now it has grown to approximately 140 pages. As more and more people come along and back the project, everyone is going to see the benefit!

And here's the link to the campaign:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1560579763/armies-and-legions-and-hordes/description

Thanks for your support. Take a closer look at the stretch goals funded here:

Cheers
Dave

The Kickstarter Has Begun!

The day has finally arrived! You can now go and check out the full 

Kickstarter campaign page for ARMIES & LEGIONS & HORDES!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1560579763/armies-and-legions-and-hordes/description

And as a special bonus for everyone pledging in the first 48 hours, you'll receive a cool art postcard!

Please share this far and wide, and consider supporting this funding campaign.

I am writing a BOOK!

That's right, fellow blog fans! I've decided to write a book about painting wargaming collections. It will be going to Kickstarter this Friday, March 16, at 3pm EDT (which is 7pm GMT, 12pm PST, and 6am on the next day for those of you on the east coast of Australia).

What is going to be in the ARMIES & LEGIONS & HORDES book? 

I'm glad you asked. I'm going to be writing down a lot of my thoughts and philosophies on the army building and painting process in the hope that it will be helpful for everyone who has occasionally struggled with finishing an army project. I'm going to take an in-depth look at Inspiration, Goals, Expectations, Planning, and Motivations - with the goal of helping the reader to be able to map out a path to success for their own projects. This book will also be "game system agnostic", the principles described can be applied to any wargaming project, regardless of genre or period.

I'm also going to be putting together some photo-heavy features of armies and projects I have completed over the years along with a few completely new projects. The list looks something like this:

• Sci-fi Mass Battle – 40K Genswick 33^rd Rifles

• Sci-fi Skirmish – Dark Age collection and terrain

• Sci-fi Big Project – 40K Warlord Titan
• Fantasy Mass Battle – Warhammer Nuln Empire army

• Fantasy Skirmish – Fabled Realms collection and terrain

• Historical Mass Battle – Napoleonic British collection

• Historical Skirmish – WW2 American collection and terrain

• Post-apocalyptic Skirmish – This Is Not A Test collection and terrain

What is the Kickstarter for?

I would really love to see this as a printed book. I'm running this campaign to help fund the creation of a 120+ page hardback book, so that's really the focus. I want to keep the campaign very simple and focused on "The Book". There are six reward levels - one is the obligatory $5 pledge for thanks, and the other five are for a PDF version of the book or a printed version of the book, or some combination thereof.

Stretch Goals are focused on adding some of the other armies that I have created over the years.

What prompted you to write this book?

As a part of the services I offer through Dave Taylor Miniatures, I was laying out a rulebook for a friend (Disposable Heroes II for Sinister Laboratories). I had also taken the photos and was editing the book as I went. The key thing I remember was thinking "I'm really enjoying this. Seeing all the elements come together. This is something I really like doing."

So, with the skills to take photos and design and layout books, I just needed a subject to write about. They say "write about what you know" and with over 10,000 miniatures painted since 1991, the topic seemed pretty obvious. This book isn't a "How to paint..." book. There are plenty of those on the market from great painters. This is a new kind of book that focuses not on the techniques, but the psychology and planning behind big projects.

What's next?

I'm sure I've forgotten something, so when I think of it I'll post again, but really all I'd like to do know is ask you to pledge your support when the campaign goes live, and share the hell out of it with all of your wargaming friends. If we can make this a great success, I'm going to be able to explore lots of other cool ideas with other talented folks and bring their dreams to life too!

Check the campaign for ARMIES & LEGIONS & HORDES out on Kickstarter from Friday, March 16th!

Small Business Saturday

Here in the US we celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. I've always viewed it as a great time to come together as family and friends, sit down over a great meal, and have no further expectations or actions associated with it.

In short, it's my favorite holiday of the year. Simple, warm, and full of friends.

The day after (or, more increasingly, the day of) Thanksgiving is the most commercial of the year - Black Friday. This is the day of the "big box stores" who deeply discount a handful of items (typically televisions) in order draw in the shopping crowds. In recent years there have been efforts to remind people of the small businesses out there that serve their communities in various ways. Businesses that rely on the custom of families and friends to stay open. Small Business Saturday.

Well, this year I thought Small Business Saturday would be the ideal time this for this small business to start planning out work for the following year. So, I urge anyone who needs some work in the tabletop wargaming and miniatures world to contact me to book some of my time. I'm taking bookings from March 2018 onwards, so if there's something that needs doing, let's talk about it.

Dave Taylor Miniatures provides a wide array of services:

Marketing and Promotions 
From planning to execution, I've worked with quite a few companies to build there presence in the marketplace, and target those customers who are most likely to be interested in their offering. Marketing and promotional planning offer an opportunity for me to flex my knowledge of the industry, the community, and the avenues to bring them both together.

Design and Layout
Over the last four years I've worked on various rulebook layout projects including: This Is Not A Test for World's End Publishing, Disposable Heroes II for Sinister Laboratories, Exiles for Mindworm Games, and Heroic for Winged Hussar Publishing. I have also put together a lot of articles and adverts for Wargames Illustrated and other magazines and online sources to help promote various games and miniatures ranges.

Photography
I've really enjoyed doing photography for rulebooks and other promotional needs, so I am always ready to do some more. My miniatures photography is featured in This Is Not A Test for World's End Publishing, Disposable Heroes II for Sinister Laboratories, and numerous Wargames Illustrated event coverage articles.

Hobby Content and Painting Commissions
I have built terrain and painted miniatures for both companies and private collectors. Where appropriate, I have also turned those projects into hobby content for websites. The prime examples of this are the work I have done for Ninja Division's Relic Knights, and the painting guides I created for Bolt Action from Warlord Games.

And a lot more...
In addition to all these things, I have also co-ordinated events, run retail booths at conventions, initiated licensing conversations, developed Kickstarter plans and supporting graphics, and created exciting touchstone items to excite communities.

When it comes down to it, my small business is all about helping other companies bring new product to market, or helping them sell more of their existing product. If you think your business could use my help, I'm happy to chat about the possibilities! Contact me here (in the comments below), via my Facebook page, or via email - tanithtaylor@gmail.com

Let's make 2018 a great year!

Let's talk about the elephant in the room...

Well, as you've hopefully noticed, I've been conspicuously absent from this blog for a little while now. Life has been busy, there have been other outlets for the hobby content I create, and I've been working on an odd assortment of things - those are all true and convenient excuses for my absence.

I think, however, the main reason I haven't posted any hobby progress here for a while is that I have fallen out of the blogging rhythm. Those of you with blogs will know that there's a certain rhythm to the way you post. Some post after each big hobby session, some post on the completion of a project, some when they have some great ideas to lay out for the world. For me it was a mix of the first two approaches, and I just haven't had too many cool things to show/talk to you all about.

I hope to remedy that in the future, but won't promise too much.

Anyway, if you'd like to see/hear some of the things I have been up to while I haven't been posting here, you can check out the weekly podcast that I'm guest co-hosting - Combat Phase - that typically releases every Thursday/Friday (although we are taking a break this week). You can find the Combat Phase website HERE, and our Facebook page HERE.

I've also joined Rick Ankney on the Game Trade Media Facebook Live show "Painting Happy Li'l Minis" each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon (2-3pm EST). This should be a fun chance to sit down and paint in a different environment and help folks in a different way. You can find the Game Trade Media Facebook page HERE, and the Painting Happy Li'l Minis Facebook group HERE.

Additionally I've written an article series for my mates at Beasts Of War. The first article published last week (HERE) and the second should be due out anytime now. This is the start of something larger I'm working towards for next year. Hopefully I can provide more concrete details in the next month or so : )

And if you'd like to see what I'm working on commission-wise, head to my Instagram account to see some fun WIP photos of the massive Legio Custodes force.

Thanks for your patience, dear blogging world. Speak to you soon.

Cheers
Dave