So I've seen a few other folks here do similar things as of late, and I figured I might as well do something similar.
Back in 2007 I started getting into the Internet
40k community, as I was really getting into the game itself. I started out on Bolter and Chainsword, but started checking out Dakka (which, at the time, was nowhere near as easy on the eyes as it is now
) when I got tired of just talking about Space Marines. However, I didn't make an account here until this time three years ago, where I found a community that was a little more cynical, a little more witty, and a hell of a lot more diverse! I came to the site initially to spread the word about my
Dawn of Awesome cartoons, which actually led to some good feedback for future toons. This series has gone on pretty well, going all the way up to
Dawn of Awesome 5: Spehs Mehren this past Fall.
So enough about me spamming my cartoons here. Next I'll talk the community a little bit. While I don't exactly get along with everyone here (as an angry
PM or two will tell you
) and I admonish some posters for their suspect writing skills, I've found the community here to have a great balance between fresh faces and old veterans, and lots of excellent (if often contrary) opinions. I've been able to partake in discussions ranging from sharing old war stories to the most inane "Who Would WIN!!??!?!!?11?" threads, and follow news and rumors as they happen thanks to some of the rumor gatherers like Kroothawk. While I may not show up in these respective parts of Dakka very often, I've also learned quite a bit about tactics and list composition from the
40k subforums. Best of all, I've even been able to meet a few folks on Dakka and game with them, and I've had a great time with it!
The Swap Shop has also been a boon for me. Every army I've ever run has had some quantity of Swap Shopped models in it. My
Valhallans are actually almost entirely from the Swap Shop, give or take a squad or two from eBay. It's been a great place for me to pick up models on the cheap, get rid of models I didn't want anymore (so long, Tyranids and Warriors of Chaos!) and pick up on some rare models. I've only had two bad trading experiences so far, and considering how many good ones I've had I can live with that!
Finally, I'll talk about how the painting and modeling section has influenced how I paint. I've always taken inspiration and techniques from myriad sources, often combining techniques to get something wholly distinctive. For instance, my speedpainted
Dezz'urt Ratz were painted using an adaptation of
Chrispy's
tutorial. While I might get the actual techniques down from 'Eavy Metal painting guides or similar tutorials, the feedback I've gotten from the community here has been vital in improving my skills. Here's a brief year by year painting comparison:
2007: The commander to my first proper army.
2008: My first Wolf Lord, and frankly not much of an improvement!
2009: Warboss 'Eadkrumpa, painted using Chrispy's technique where I discovered washes.
2010: My next try at Space Wolves, using painting techniques I picked up here!
2011: Pedro Kantor: after getting criticism for how flat my colors looked, I started working on shading for my paintjobs and worked on edge highlighting more.
2012: Der Kommissar! Using layering, shading, washing, highlighting, extreme edge highlighting, and gemstone techniques I picked up here and on SomethingAwful, I've come a long way!
So yeah, the proof is in the pudding, or however the saying goes! I also want to thank the folks who I painted commission armies for as well. I was a starving student in college, and those commissions kept me in both food and Warhammer toys for those few years. I'd also like to thank those of you who put up with my
BS as I was getting late on my commissions near the end there! Anyway, I just wanted to provide a bit of a shout out to Dakka as a community and show off how parts of Dakka have affected my painting and gaming habits. I figure after ten thousand posts it was about time I said thanks. Even if I do come off as occasionally abrasive or pedantic in my posts, I really do appreciate the community here and the hours of entertainment it's given me, especially when I was supposed to be working!
