HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE ART OF CAESURA!

Seven years old! SEVEN! It's getting to a stage where I can't quite believe that I have kept this humble hobby blog going every single week for seven years. I honestly don't think I've done anything else with such consistency for that length of time. Ever. I mean, weekly! For seven years!

I am not even trying to be self-congratulatory (don't worry, that will come) I'm just in a state of genuine amazement at The Art of Caesura's longevity. 

This is a party, so I want it to be a joyous event, but I do need to say that this has been a tough year for me so this blog, and the hobby that it documents, has been a very welcome creative outlet. I thank you for being here, and I'm sending positive thoughts, especially if you need them today!

Now let's party!!

Let's take a closer gander at some of the tidbits from the glorious party infographic (that's gotta be the first time those two words have been used together!) 

Soooo...last year's hobby goals...yeeeaaahhh, about that. Well I accomplished the first two at least, is 50% still a passing grade? Despite the ups and downs of the past year I kept this hobby train rolling and continued to deliver one post every week. 

I also created an awesome hobby room, and while there remain a few little bits to be done, I'm still giving myself the big green "tick" on this one!

Let's look to the year ahead now:

1) This one is no surprise. Stay the course! 

2) "Live like the kind of person who is making the most out of their life." What the hell does that mean!? Well, quite a lot actually. 

I have given a tremendous amount of thought to my goals for 2023 - personally and professionally. My wording for this goal is inspired partly by the philosophy behind Adam Loper's (Table Top Minions) recent video about the merits of keeping goals to yourself. You can watch the linked video for yourself, but in it, he cites research that shows that you are more likely to accomplish your goals if you keep them to yourself. Hence, I am keeping this one a bit intentionally publicly vague, but it means a lot to me. 

Also, I have just finished James Clear's book "Atomic Habits" wherein he discusses focusing on process rather than end goals; for example, one might aim to "make the food choices that a healthy person would make" rather than saying "my goal is to lose 5kg". That's why the wording of my goal seems, at first, to be a bit bizarre. 

I have always been the kind of person who is very aware that this is our one and only life and we need to make the most of it! I even had "Carpe Diem" on my high school hoody. Anyway, having wonderful toddlers, a very demanding job, as well as a normal quota of "adulting woes" can sometimes take the steam out of one's engines. I feel like I have let some of these things erode my joie de vivre a little in recent years. There are some elements of my life (finances, health and hobby) where I feel the need to take the reins a little more. I hope to work through the inertia to develop healthy habits in these areas.

I am so lucky to have an amazing family: my wife and kids, my parents and brother to add more wind to my sails. 

While I clearly have my personal goals in mind, let's lighten the mood a little by sharing some secret hobby goals: 

1) Get my Gallowdark terrain painted, 

2) Play at least halfway through the Oathsworn campaign

3) Have painted at least 750 points of my Black Templars. 

So much for keeping my goals to myself - whoops!

Yes, we sure crammed a lot into this past year. And 2023 promises to hold many more exciting adventures!

What can I say?! You guys rule. Thanks for being you!

-~-

Now it's time for one of the most anticipated sections of these blog birthday posts: My favourite five models from the past year! Click the title of each picture to be instantly transported back to that post.

Fave Five:

5) Champion of the Feast

This model makes the list as the first Black Templar upon whom I used the quick and dirty techniques that I hope to apply to my whole army. It was a fun exercise editing and distilling the process that I had used on Marshal Grymm and the Sword Brother into one that would be more manageable across the whole army. I Think the model is awesome and I'm proud of my paint job. 

5) Espern Locarno

Espern is one of the few heroes that we never played with during our Blackstone Fortress campaign, and looking at his model now, I don't know why! I love his regal pose and the contrasting textures of cloth and metal. His almost steampunk aesthetic speaks to me and is reminiscent of my Kharadron Overlords that I love so well. This model was also one of the first minis that I painted after Marco's workshop and I tried to apply some of the skills I learned to him - especially the colour transitions on his cloak. 

4) Sword Brother

Now we're really getting into it! I love the new Sword Brethren models. Like LOVE them. At the time, and I believe still to date, his is the face that I am most proud of. I think I managed to catch some real life in his face. I also love how the hair and mutton chops that I sculpted for him turned out. All-in-all one of my favourite all-time minis that I have done. 

3) Broodmother

Aside from my Black Templars, the other big project that I was working on this past year was Oathsworn: into the Deepwood. This is the only boss that I have shown off on the blog so far and what a fun and freeing model it was to paint. As you could likely tell from the post dedicated to her, I just went wild on this mini. I grabbed my biggest brush and had a riot mixing inks and acrylics and enamels; greens and purples and reds. It was a really rewarding model to paint and has a tremendous presence on the game board! Also my first time using UHU glue for saliva!

2) Emperor's Champion

If you had a chance to read the posts for this guy (just the past two weeks as it happens), you will know what this model means to me. It was a total nostalgia trip, invoking memories of the first model that my wife bought me, and my youth playing Warhammer 40K on friends' floors. 

Not that they are the only metric, but I was proud to get hundreds of "likes" on this guy when I posted a work-in-progress shot on the Black Templars forums. 

For me, this model is the peak of my Black Templars painting to date!

1) Lord of Blights 

It may or may not be a surprise to see The Lord of Blights take the cake for my miniature of the year! I mean, he's not a Black Templar, so he's got that going against him, but he is the model that I began at Marco Frisoni's workshop. Prior to some of the Black Templars, who have made this list, this model was the one that I had spent the most time on in years! Marco's teachings opened a whole new style of painting for me and I felt so energized to incorporate it into my painting. I couldn't be happier with how my first forays into Object Source Lighting and really controlling the lustre and hues of metals turned out. 

I hope to get the opportunity to submit him to a painting competition this year, what a dream that would be!

Okay, okay, I snuck an extra one in there - so sue me! For once I actually thought that I would be able to narrow it down to only five when I was going through all the minis that I painted this past year. I had my list all set and then got to the Emperor's Champion, and there was no way he was getting left out!

People's Choice Award:

Let's turn our attention now to you, dear readers, you the people. Let's take a look at how you voted with your feet (errr...clicks). Which post proved the most popular this past year? Oooh the anticipation is killing me! Will it be some of my learnings from Marco's workshop? Or perhaps one of my first efforts sculpting hair on a mini?

"Nay!" you emphatically shout! The people's choice award goes to:

My post entitled: "Warhammer for Beginners - Writing an Army List" which, admittedly, is quite a click-baity title (and is, once again, one of my few posts not dedicated to a mini that I have painted!). 

And in a distant second came (surprisingly) these little buggers! Giant rats! I'm a bit surprised that these guys won out over their big momma (the Broodmother) or any of the other models on my list above for that matter, but hey, you guys always keep me on my toes!

-~-

Good heavens! Look at the time, the hour grows late and we still haven't revealed the blog's big birthday present for turning 7 today! Well without further ado, feast your eyes upon the biggest mini of the year (before it feasts on you!):

Crikey, she's a beaut! And we shall be seeing much more of it next week!

-~-

Well thar she be! Another spin around the sun for The Art of Caesura! Thank you all for dropping by, I hope you enjoy what you find here. If you do, let me know in the comments below. Likewise let us know (or don't!) if you made any hobby resolutions this year.

I am optimistic for 2023 and I look forward to sharing much hobby and life with you during this next orbit!

Take care of each other. I'll see you next (and every) Friday on The Art of Caesura!