Major talent from our very own miniature painter

We are back with another instalment of our Brainiac Passions series where we find out a little more about the lives and hobbies of some of our team members. This is a really fun and interesting way for us and our readers to get to know our brilliant Brainiacs on a personal level. Their skills and knowledge in all things IT and tech-related are well known, but we think knowing what makes these interesting creatures tick in their private lives makes for an interesting working dynamic.

We had a chance in between deadlines and coffee runs to sit down and chat with our Ruby on Rails developer, Oleksii K, about his fascinating hobby of painting miniatures. Here’s what he has to say about his passion.

Q: What got you started with this hobby?

I started collecting and painting miniature models mainly because I have always been fascinated by them, and also because one of my friends from work also plays a miniature wargame, called Malifaux. He has some pretty awesome minis. So I started to play this game with him and I really enjoyed it. I then looked for more games in this genre and I discovered a new game from GamesWorkshop called Shadespire, which is my favourite. After a short while, I bought my first Starter Box with two bands of miniature models, Stormsire Cursebreakers and Thorns of Briar Queen.

Q: What do you do with the miniatures? Do you enter competitions etc., or is it just for personal enjoyment?

Mostly it is for my own personal enjoyment, as I enjoy the genre so much and I also really love to paint the figurines. It takes a few hours to complete one, sometimes even a full day! But I sometimes also enjoy participating in various painting competitions and in tournaments for this game.

Q: Is there anything special about one particular miniature you own? What is it and why?

Each miniature model is special in its own way if you consider the world in which these characters exist to be interesting and creative. Prices and quality of these minis can vary from pretty cheap to really expensive. You can purchase some already made, beautifully painted minis to add to your collection. But most people prefer to paint them themselves.

Q: Do you build the miniature models from scratch or just paint them?

It all starts from opening the box with sprues (this is a very exciting part for me — it feels like a gift-opening ceremony!). Then you have to cut out all the various details and components and then meticulously assemble the figurine. After the mini is assembled, you need to polish it thoroughly to remove any slight defects and/or junctures. After polishing, I prefer to wash them with soap and then I like to add base coating with some primer. And from here the model is ready to be painted! (if it’s a metal model then an additional step is required to do some basic sculpting and remove gaps or defects by using sculpting clay).

I paint my minis when I have time, often in the evening after work or on the weekend. It is a relaxing and enjoyable process for me, and so I like to take my time with each piece I work on. Every painter has their own unique style, and so I try to find my own. For or In each new piece I try to do something new and find my own style. Everyone is doing it differently, which makes the scene interesting, so I am still experimenting and mixing styles. I really enjoy learning new techniques from great artists like Angel Giraldez, Bohun Stupnicki, and Katarzyna Gorska, among others.

What an interesting hobby, Oleksii K! We are excited to see where your passion lies and just how much creativity and vision is involved. We can see just how much you enjoy it and how many hours of dedicated focus it must take to create these wonderful minis! Maybe you can teach the office how to play Shadespire to spice up our lunch breaks!

Mario Grunitz

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