Has it really been one year since I uploaded my first welcome video? I had no idea what I was getting myself into back then, and most of the time I still don’t know what I’m getting myself into but it’s been an incredible journey so far. Gen Con last year vs this year was a completely different experience. I’ve made some incredible friends in the industry. Our game collection has nearly doubled due to the generosity of the publishers out there. A special thanks to our friends at Keymaster and Eagle Gryphon for being there from the very beginning of all this.
We’ve gone from wanting to do just YouTube reviews, to wanting to do a podcast (which got scrapped) to wanting to add in written reviews (which we’re very excited about) to also offering board game photography (which has been a blast so far) to me eventually wanting a career in this industry (which we’ll have to wait and see).
As I mentioned, we originally considered doing a podcast but we felt like it didn’t utilize our skills enough and with so many already out there and the amount of time required on top of what we were already doing on YouTube, it just wasn’t worth it for our life right now. So instead we turned to written reviews and photography which turned out to be exactly what we wanted. Cathy also started her own board game Instagram account along the way and it’s been growing very quickly.
Somehow I also got myself looped into doing paint commissions around six months ago after I began posting my work online. Around the time I started this channel, a year ago, I decided to throw myself back into the hobby. I hadn’t touched a paint brush for painting minis in over two decades. It was like riding a bike. I owe this in part to the numerous videos I watched online and the amazing community of painters who offered advice freely. Folks like Dr. Faust, Sorastro, and Sam Lenz. Now I’ve got work that’s been seen at Gen Con 2018 (and hopefully future cons as well).
What’s next?
Lots. And I mean lots and lots. Over the coming weeks and months we’ll begin churning out reviews. Our goal is to do one YouTube review 2 – 3 times a month as well as 5 – 7 times a month for written reviews. I’ve got a collaboration video coming up. I plan on jumping back into graphic design, potentially for board games. I’m getting my art hat back on and giving illustration and drawing another go. We’ll be churning out photography for board game companies. And eventually we’ll start doing Kickstarter previews (once we’ve decided on a format).
We owe all of this to you. Our readers. Your support has been incredible and we ask that you keep up the comments, the emails, and the messages. We love hearing from you and we cannot wait to share this journey with you. Much love from both of us — David and Cathy Bock.
I picked up Fenrir while I was at Gen Con 2018. And with a bunch of commissions coming in, I felt this was the best time to get him finished. Super excited with how he turned out and I’m feeling more and more confident with OSL painting!
POST BY DAVID BOCK. Another commission complete. I absolutely love painting Scythe. In part because it’s a challenge (as the minis aren’t very detailed) and second because I know them well enough now to improve upon my previous work. I tried something new with this one, painting the base colors and highlights with the airbrush and then coming in afterward for the details. It really made a huge difference.
I plan on doing a painting video in the future, likely for my painting I did for the SPACE PARK rockets for Gen Con 2018 with Keymaster Games. They’re very simple and easy to paint, while still being creative.
If you have any questions at all on how I painted these or what I used, please feel free to ask. I’m an open book and always happy to share any of my “secrets”. That includes my photography and videography as well. I’ve always felt that a rising tide raises all ships — so if you’re struggling with something that you think I can help at, just let me know!
And if you’re interested in having me paint your minis, go here!
POST BY DAVID BOCK. I am so happy with how these rockets turned out. I was worried about the extremely simple nature of these rockets and decided I’d make that integral to the look. I’d considered getting super detailed with them but I think that’d take away from the theme and ambience of the game. By keeping each rocket (in general) to a “two-color” scheme, they blend in.
Our friends at Keymaster Games reached out to me about painting them and I was both honored and nervous. I love these guys (they were the first company to ever provide me a review copy of a game) and I wanted to do their game justice. Plus, I knew I’d be demoing the game at Gen Con as I had volunteered to help them out a bit on Saturday (which ended up being so much fun). They asked for three schemes. One that matched the game and two that were unique.
For the first, I wanted to match the look and feel of the cover as much as I could (and likely this will be the look I go with for my own game.
For the second, I wanted to go with a Flash Gordon (yellow and red) scheme. I loved the rust red it ended up having and I’m very partial to it.
For the third, Kyle (Keymaster Games) suggested a “cosmonaut” look and so the red and silver was the result.
Hope these inspire you to paint your own miniatures and if you have any questions — as always, never hesitate to ask! I’m an open book!
And if you’re interested in having me paint your minis, go here!
Hey everyone! We had an amazing time at Gen Con 2018! We have a ton of stuff to sort through but I wanted to let everyone know that we’ll begin reviews hopefully within the next two weeks here on our website — which we’ll then copy to the respective page on Board Game Geek.
