"Do Androids Dream Of Electronic Sheep?"

"Stories written before space travel but about space travel."

As this year's 'entry fee' for the Seventh Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, participants were asked to work in groups and create a collaborative offering for the organiser, Curt. Fortunately for me, Clint quickly shepherded a flock of us together and after a brief email exchange with Ian and Kyle, it was agreed that we would all paint up some sheep.

However, as with all such simple ideas, our mini-scene soon blossomed into a considerable diorama, which then later metamorphosed into a fantastic display piece based upon the 1968 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, and later made famous by the 1982 motion picture "Blade Runner". This particularly innovative interpretation of Rick Deckard's post-apocalyptic adventure has also allowed us to submit our 'Curtgeld' into the challenge's final Theme Round: Character(s) and/or Scene from a Movie, TV Program, Book or Piece of Music.   

"Empathy, he once had decided, must be limited to herbivores..."

For my own part in this project I merely painted a couple of Jacob Sheep from "Warbases", and sent them to Kyle for placement upon his outstanding ledge/cliff base. As I was rather inspired by the dark brown wool scheme on Clint's pair I followed an almost identical palette, only realising later that he had in fact, painted a couple of Mouflon Sheep, and that the most common colour for the "rare breed of small, piebald, polycerate sheep" I had selected was actually white and black. Still it was a little late to start crying over some spilt (goat's) milk... 

The ewe was initially undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and washed with “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade. I then dabbed, using a piece from a face blusher pad, some additional "Vallejo" Sienna, Charred Brown and "Citadel" Abaddon Black over the animal's wool and used a combination of Vallejo" White and Pale Grey for its white markings. Finally the sheep's horns were painted using some Iraqi Sand and Strong Tone Quickshade.

Black Panther WIPs - T-Challa just needs his gold belt and base's vines 'picking out'

The diminutive lamb was rather quickly completed by priming it with "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, washing it with “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade, and then dabbing it with more "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. As with the ewe, I then picked out the young animal's lower legs with White and Pale Grey.

With the anticipated bonus theme points our 'Curtgeld' should be awarded, I believe I have once again successfully attained my 500 point goal for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. However, I still have a couple of miniatures I have been slowly progressing and may well yet complete in time to add to my tally. One such piece is this rather dramatically sculpted "Wizkids" model of the Black Panther, who, having been dry-brushed and washed, now really only needs its vine-covered carved headstone to be finished.