It’s summer for us northern hemispherians which tends to mark a season of disrupted schedules and habits. Online games aren’t as regular as during the rest of the year as folk journey to see friends and family. Mrs Doodler and I have spent a few days in various holiday lets over the last couple of months, and of course I try and cram my hobby into the suitcase.
I’m a very early riser and Mrs Doodler isn’t, so I need a discreet set up for those unsocial hours when dice rolling isn’t appreciated by a sleeping companion. Below is the latest iteration of my painting pack.
A. An idea I nicked from a Geek Gaming Scenics’ Youtube video. Turns out most paint containers share a footprint with nail varnish bottles, so a nail varnish case makes for an effective way to transport paints around. Games Workshop with their… ‘unique’ paint pots do not, alas, fit into the foam trays, but there’s enough space by the case hinge to slip in a few favourite colours. There’s also a bit of netting in the lid for the paint brushes.
If I had the discipline to do so, I’d probably benefit from picking out only a few colours and taking a smaller case, but that requires planning which is not a strong suit.
B. I don’t usually bring my favourite brushes just in case something happens in transit, but I’ve yet to have a paint brush lose its function after a journey. I keep them together with an elastic band, making sure that at least some brushes are facing the other way so that there are some buts protecting the bristles whichever way they may slide.
C. Magnetised 6mm minis are pretty easy to transport. They sit so securely in these small jewellery cases that I haven’t even bothered with any internal padding material for the last few trips. So long as they’re shielded from a direct knock (rolling them all up in a t-shirt is sufficient), they can survive most journeys. Even shaking them vigourously in my hand fails to dislodge them.
I have a larger metal case for 15mm minis, but that does warrant a few layers of kitchen towel laid over the minis to discourage them from sliding around enough to chip any paint. For 28mm I use a biscuit tin.
D. Another stolen idea, this time from Zambies. Paint doesn’t stick well to silicone, so these popper toys make for very easy-to-clean palettes. Just pop them up from below once they’re dry and run a bit of kitchen towel over them to scrape away any scraps. It’s the newest addition to the pack; before this, I’d make sure to bring a takeaway pot lid or some milk bottle caps.
E. An inexpensive light from Amazon but probably the most useful non brush or paint gadget. I rarely use the magnifying lens but the circular light was a gamechanger – no more squinting against the glare of the sun or wondering why a mini looks different in daylight compared to the yellowing light it was painted under, and I can get a good idea of what it looks like bathed in light rather than having to constantly tilt it to avoid shadow. The light can also be dimmed so that it avoids prematurely waking Mrs Doodler.
F. There are some paints that don’t fit into the case that I just have to have to hand. I decanted some gesso and black craft paint into an old marmalade jar so that I’d have an undercoat handy, the wall paint is the main colour for my basing and the silver is an old friend which still provides the best metallic coverage I’ve found to date.
G. I’d had these mini holders lying around for ages (I think they’re cake pillars, but can’t find where I originally got them) with the intent on using them for terrain. Picking them up again a little while ago, I tried magnetising them for the double-sided gaming board and found that they each had a hole inside which my 5mm magnets could snugly fit. It then occurred to me that I could put a magnet into each end with differing polarities, and that these could then hold minis whichever way round I’d stuck a magnet under their base. Whichever magnet wasn’t holding the mini could keep the holder attached to whatever nearby metal surface to keep things from falling off the table and rolling under a bed. They fit comfortably in the hand, and are easily manipulated for the choicest of painting angles.
H. Little jam jar and bog roll. I find a nice squat jar makes for a harder-to-tip-over water container, and comes with a lid which can hold any magnetised minis or mini holders which need to be popped to the side for a moment. The paper is handy for a multitude of purposes, especially if there are any spillages. And after a year working in Mexico, I learned that it’s always good to carry a roll of toilet paper with you when out and about. You just never know.
There Could Have Been Snakes 