Deathwatch Marine - Finished!

After some varnishing, revarnishing  and the obligatory CoolMiniOrNot voting link I declare this mini finished!

Deathwatch Marine

That's all I managed to do during the easter holidays. Well I also managed to catch an awfull cold and suffer misserably but that's not very hobby related I guess. Anyway the gloss on the shoulder pad is there for the decal to stick better and won't be there after varnishing. It does look kinda cool IMHO though so I wonder if I should experiment with this gloss/ lacquered look. What you think?

I need your help! Image size and compression?

Lately I have been adding lots of pictures on my posts and I've grown a bit concerned about image size. When I post on forums I use 600 pixels wide pics in a highly compressed .jpg format in order to minimize load time. Here however I have been posting large size pics with no compression at all. Do you like the large pics and the detail they provide or you'd prefer smaller pics that are easier to load? I'll give you some examples of possible pic sizes and compressions so you can better see what you'd like me to use:

Uncompressed large pic (what I'm using so far) - 1,994KB file size:

Large pic saved as a compressed .jpg file - 779KB file size:

Large pic saved as a highly compressed .jpg file - 366KB file size:

1200 pixels wide pic saved as a highly compressed .jpg file - 144KB file size:

600 pixels wide pic saved  as a highly compressed .jpg file - 84KB file size:

So there you got it. The same pic in saved in different sizes and file compressions. Please let me know what size and compression you feel is the better compromise between image quality and file size. 

Grey Knights test schemes almost finished!

After tackling the purity seals and the gold and silver details all that remains is eyes (with obligatory OSL effects) and the NFW blades. I like how the GKs are turning out so far. What you think?

Grey Knights test schemes progress

After some delay I finally present you the progress of my GK test schemes. I tested some recipes for red and the recipe for the black-grey colour of the halberds and the storm bolter casings. Having 4 minis to test new techniques on is great fun and I think it'll help me decide on a fast and effective GK painting recipe. Of course I'll share the recipe with you once I figure it out! In the meantime here are some pics for you:

Grey Knights test schemes

In preparation for a possible new Grey Knights army I decided to test some paintschemes on some old metal Grey Knights I had lying around. I went with airbrushing various metallics followed by an airbrushed wash to add some shading and then some airbrushed metallics for highlights. The recesses were washed again and edge highlights were added. Each of the 4 test minis has subtle differences as I was trying various combinations of metallics and washes. Unfortunately photographing metallics is a real pain and I'm not sure if you can spot the differences. If you feel so inclined though, you can take a look and tell me which paintscheme you prefer. I've already chose two of the test schemes as my favourites but I won't tell you which so as not to influence you.
Grey Knights were my first army and the first minis I tried to paint to a good level so this test reminded me of those first atempts. I still remember how I felt after finishing my first Grey Knight mini. It amazes me that now I can have similar or slightly better results in a third of the time it took me then. Anyway enough nostalgia for now. Let's move on to the pics: