I found out about MV in the autumn of 2009 (I think), my youngest child was newly born and was waken pretty much all nights. This was about to drive me into madness…Then a fellow painter talked about the black and white way of priming and said that he have read it on a blog called MV. I checked it out during one night of pure living hell (having a child who can´t sleep does that to you!) and I started to scroll the blog during my nightly walks around the apartment holding the baby and trying to make him sleep. Suddenly the tiredness was gone and I wanted to paint again! Having said that I hadn´t painted regularly in many years. This source of inspiration made me get more energy into my body and suddenly 3h sleep/night wasn´t a problem anymore. It made me happier and with that even a better dad.
The MV is a daily source of inspiration with some very breathtaking miniatures. At first I thought “I can never in a million years do that”, but after attending a MV beginners class in France I changed my mind. From that point I don´t focus on ”I can never do that!”, instead I focus on “happy painting”, why do I paint? For me of course! So with the “happy painting” and “everything happens for a reason” in mind I can surly say that it have inflected my whole life. Thank you MV, no more therapy sessions for me!;) Not entirely meaning that as a joke, when I became a single parent a few years back my painting and the MV who kept me inspired helped me became a new person again, satisfied with myself and my life.
So what I´m really saying is that miniature painting (and MV) is the cure for everything!
Keep up the good work all you amazing people, you DO makes a different!
Best regards
Denniz

Happy Birthday or should I say お誕生日おめでとうございます?

I've been reading the blog from day #1. And instead of writing my usual wall of text I'll just say this: In the two years I lived in Japan, MV was the only blog I kept reading - a last link to 'home', if you want. "Home", as they say, "is where your heart is". And like your's, my heart is where the hobby is ;)

I'm looking forward to the next Banananananalicous and hope I finally find the time to enter something myself :D

Mmmm First time with MV? For me it was while at Dervish's painting class and being told that since I was such a noob at painting I should really invest in going to Jarhead's beginners class. And was introduced to Massive Voodoo from there. It was also the first time I really took a look at the MV Blog and diving into what is MV and what do they do.
Since then, well.. MV Fanboi here as I have appeared at a "few" of their classes since then, and events, and other things :) And am constantly linking to your blog as references, inspirations, and personal quotes/photos as well!
Great that you hit 5 yrs, great to see Banananananananalious happening again, and hope to see another 5 yrs or more to come!

I am late to Massive Voodoo, only reading your stuff for just over a year now, but it has become one of my main source of inspiration. Its funny, thinking about it now you have given me so much and you will never really know how much that is. I have had more penny drop moments with this source of information than any other. You have helped me be calmer, more relaxed when painting, how to embrace a mistake and learn something from it instead of smashing everything into tiny pieces. I view the world round me differently as I am constantly looking at things and trying to work out how to recreate them in tiny form.
Thank you for all the hard work you have put into Massive Voodoo and I wish you many more years of success. Roman and Raffa I salute you, and when I have saved the money to visit you guys next year I fully intend to give both of you a big gorilla hug.

Happy Bday! You guys bring so much to the scene. When i left gaming to focus on painting almost 2 and a half years ago your blog was one of the reasons I decided to make the leap and learn more and improve more and try new things and new genres and mediums. Thanks for all the inspiration and advice over the years!

Happy Birthday Massive Voodoo (and Ben!)! Great you’re here with us.

I’ve been reading the blog for about 3.5-4 years, I guess (could be even longer… no one gets younger). It just captures you with it’s honest joy of painting. Usually I’m on and off following blogs, but MV is the only one up to date I check regularly. Visiting nearly every day for new posts, tutorials, musik or general inspiration. Especially new tutorials are a highlight of each week.

It all became personal earlier this year, when I finally had the chance to visit (celebrate?!) one of Romans Beginner Classes (Aschaffenburg). It was just mindblowing. Thanks again for it Roman & Raffa. In the last few month, prior to the class, painting became much more of a “task” instead of “joy and fun”. It was a lot of ‘you have to...’, ‘you must...’, ‘why didn’t you...’, etc.
Then it made *click*, I mentally stepped back and started to really think and enjoy the hobby again. Putting myself under pressure? Nope, no more!

So again: Thanks for all of your efforts!
Looking forward for many birthdays to come.

Best regards,
Christopher

Veeeery happy anniversary guys!

I think it was about four years ago that I stumbled upon that peculiar site called Massive Voodoo. For me it was the first easy accessable, no nonsense site about "how to paint a nice display piece" As I was initially stuck to, like so many others, a style of painting suitable for gaming pieces and unaware of how to do it properly.

In the meantime I've enjoyed attending several "Massive" workshops and learned a lot about painting miniatures. For me the most important I've learned was simply enjoy painting instead of craving for the perfect blends.

Nothing happens without a reason... So, a well earned congratulations for feeding the painting spirit!


Happy painting,

Martin Vermeulen

Can't remember when i started reading MV, maybe 2-3 years ago: at the time i was looking for paintign tutorials and stumbled across this wonderful site. I was shocked by the quantity and quality of FREE material shared by such talentful painters.

Since then, i started reading Massive Voodoo daily, because i found a source of inspiration in it.

I decided to have a personal coaching with Roman and Raffa a year ago, and this was a very mind-blowing experience:

many blocks in my way of thinking were removed, many doors opened. I learned a different, more relaxed approach to painting, and i can see the miniature world with the same joy these guys see.

They try to share this joy with the world, and this is very important.

I stumble on MV whenever i feel the need to visit a colored, happy corner of the world. :)

Lorenzo

Congratulations guys! You've been a great inspiration to me during good times and bad times too. I'm proud to be one of the many campaign backers for Figure Art and it's been a pleasure watching you guys take your talents from strength to strength. I hope I can say I'm even half as successful as you when my site hits 5 years. Here's to the next 5 years and beyond.

Hi MV crew and happy birthday !
First I manage to deeply thank you for the wonder you bring to me.
September is a anniversary for me to , 30 years of Dungeons & Dragons and, by the way, 30 years since I begun to paint minis… The first one was a rogue dwarf with a hooked hand from citadel range, painted with humbrol enamel and (don’t laugh) some wall paints of my granddaddy… He looks like an American cupcake but I’m proud of it and its brothers of dungeon’s crawling. During these first years I met in my town someone who was a “hobby” star in this time and impressed us a lot in RPG exhibitions, Philippe Plual who signed a regular chronicle about miniature painting in the French issue of Dragon magazine. I thought It was impossible to paint with such accuracy but I tried, experiment oil paints and improve my skills… And stop painting! Work, love, life and Games workshop hegemony… (yes! There is an era before GW where I came from)
Fifteen years and three sons later I opened my mini boxes again as my third boy got a cruel disease that kept him home for three years (he goes well now, don’t worry) and I need to occupy him with something else than TV or Video games or even books in order to share something with them. Looking for some stuff and information about this new miniworld i visit the web and heard about coolmini, fell in love there with Red Box minis and, then, discovered MV with the Muhani tutorial of Shadowblade Reyviande. In fact I discovered a new and unexpected territory… I’m back to the minis!
Well! Back In mind at least! I only paint five minis since three years! As the techniques have changed and my oils were old, I had to forget and relearn the way of the painting. But, visiting this blog as often as possible, I’ve got the feeling to keep in touch with my projects and connected to a hobby I left for 15 years. Your approach fits well with my mind and your skills give me a goal… So, c’mon MV! I’ve got half a dozen of minis to put color on until you’re ten …

Well, ough ... we did not expect that you guys write such wall of texts. Well, ough ... thank you a lot for taking the time to sit down and give us insight in your personal MV-experience ... it is a joy to read your lines, gentleman and it leaves goosebumps to see how far the work that is happening on MV reaches in your cases. Many thanks of being along our side since the time you found us ... really a deep thanks to you, this is a great birthday gift for us!

Congratulations monkey heads!

Wow, I looked through some of the old articles because I was not sure when I started reading MV. Then I saw the workshop review of your workshop in Wertheim that was in 2010. I wanted to visit that workshop but could not. But now I remember I had visited MV before sometimes... So now I'm a visitor to the jungle for over 4 years...
Strange how fast time passes by...

I visit the jungle almost daily.
Sometimes when I see that there is a new article, often to show friends how awesome my nerdy hobby "miniature painting" can be and really often to search for inspiration or tutorials.

I had the luck to meet Raffa, Roman and Peter in now two workshops. You guys are awesome and really nice teachers... :D Well... and sometimes you have to be the mean teacher, but hey, you do not learn if nobody is telling you the truth.

I love this blog!
It keeps me motivated.
It motivates me with great tutorials.
It amazes me with awesome work.
It inspires me with pictures of the beauty in our daily life.
It keeps me happy with my hobbychoice when I want to throw everything down... :)

Keep on doing the Jungle Boogie and inspire, amaze and motivate all of us.

Great work the last five years, now on to the next five!

Congratulations again! You guys and girls are awesome!

Keep on happy painting!

Sebastian

I'm little late with comments, but I still wanna congrats you guys with this anniversary.
I read this blog about two years I think and it helped alot to me and to alot of other people.
So I hope you guys will continue to do what you are doing, beacuse you do it right and awesome)))

So Happy Birthday MV , happy bithday and long life for a King of da jungle)))

Congratulations!!!! HippHipp Hurra

I read your blog since it starts and I participate at one of the first painting classes at Mönchengladbach. To read your blog makes me a lot of fun and inspires me a lot.

Also I admire your works, ideas and the courage of you both to make your hobby to your job and life.

Keep it up for the next 50 years!

Cheers Neophytus

I started playing gw lotr tabletop with some guys from my old shool back in -… uhm … 2002 I think. But after 1 or 2 years they all dropped the hobby one after another and so did I, because I had nobody to talk about the hobby or game with. I occasionally browsed CoolMiniOrNot and there I found the works of Roman and Raffa and I discovered Massive Voodoo when it was a 2 or 3 months old site. A painter’s heaven! From this moment everything changed. After almost 3 years of not painting I grabbed my brush and dusted off my colors and started painting again. This site encouraged me to start again, dared me to try new things and techniques, push my painting from tabletop to vitrine style and gave rebirth to my hobby, which I love for so many years now! Together with DasBemalforum.de I feel now as part of a community, even if none of my friends irl share the hobby. I took part in many of the Massive Voodoo contests and loved them all. Also I think the new birthday contest will be legen – wait for it – dary! Legendary! (starting on 17.11 which is my birthday also LOL)
All I can say at this point is: THANK YOU JUNGLE CREW!

Ronny says via Email:

"So ist Time to write down the Lil Story of my Painting.

Short a lil way Back. In Younger Times i Build all i can find. Game over with 17. Years Later i Was a Father and Loving Husband. Restless and Stressed all Day from the Family (Everyone Needs Love, Hugs and Time) and from my Job as a Cook i run in Trouble. It was in the Beginning more a Wild try to fight my Agressions and Devils inside. I Paint and Build 2 Models. A old Horch and a F14. And the Love come back. I Start to relax deep inside my Soul. The Fire Inside die. And i get more Relaxed. In Job and in my Family.

My old Love Begins to Burn. FIGURE PAINTING. There is a Love for Historical Models from WW2. And also the other Side. Fantasy Figures. When i Paint my Figures in my Plastic Modelling Forum was a really Talented Bust and Figure Painter. I Love to see his Spirit and Love to his Work and Write often with him.

Many Many Questions run around in my Head. And i Paínt. My skill wasnt the best and isnt the best. he gives me the Link to the Massive Voodoo Tutorial Side. it is 4 years ago i think. The Days was too short to Paint. Sleep, Wake Up, Clean ur Sons ass and let him piss and More on You ( Hell yeah he got a great Score. 8 Times he Hit me with the Yeallow and 3 Times with the Black one. Sorry my Thinkings running away). I Read and Read and Read. And Wishes come to my Brain. Paint Paint Paint. Later i find the time to start again. I Love Painting. Its the other Side of the Medal. Family and work on the Other Side. Every Day is a Challenge in the Life of a Father and Husband. In the Morning Helping your Wife. Bring ur Kid to the Childgarden. Look for the House. In the Afternoon being a good Cook and give the People the Food of theyr Lifetime. And When there is time in the Evening. Get on the Paints and Lick the Brush.

As my Son was Born i Change my Color completely. I dont wanted to Smell and let him Breathe all the Stuff like Brushcleaner and Thinner. So start the Watercolour. It Works. More Colors. More Love to my Models. More Relaxing in my Heart and my Soul. The Mood to Challenge the Everyday Challenge anyone of us has to Prepare.

I am not a Big Painting Machine and a real slow Painter. 6 Hours for a Normal guy in a Army are a good time in my eyes. Last Christmas i get The Hobbit Starterkit from Games Workshop. Love it. Since this day i am no more Starting my Pc and Play some Games all night Long. I sit on the Table and Paint. When i look at them i dont wanna see 30 Goblins wearing all the same Things. Everyone of them should be a lil bit unique. And Now. 9 Months later. 3 Finished Heroes and 13 Goblins are Ready to Rumble. So Many other things come in behind. "

Part II from Ronny:

"My Son Loves the Goblin King. But i wanna hold em to my Army. so last week Comes the Big Surprise for my Little Miniature Lover. A Cave Troll. Bad Colour, Bad Builded. Horrible. But guys his face was Unpayable. A light of Glory. He likes him so much. All my love has to guid my Hands to give him the coolest Troll the World has seen. And every day is the Challenge to fight the Tremor in my Right Hand. And it works. in the End of it all Today my Biggest Surprise of the Year was Recived. Small, Load, Dark Haired and HUNGRY. And the Big Promise to wake u up. EVERY DAMNED NIGHT. But hey. I Love it so much. I will look Forward to see if she is also interested in my Hobby. My lil Daughter opened her Eyes.

Finally u Guys Give me the Strength to Grab my Brush. To try new Ways. To Read and to Dream. Thank u so much to be the Big Inspiration to start Painting again. To try, Fail and win more Experience. Thanks for the One u Are. A big Source of Inspiration and big Love to our Lovely Hobby.

Hope i can find some time in the Future and Enter a Beginners Class. Hey i am 33. Tons of time are in Front of me.

Keep ur Spirit and Show us normal Family People how to get in the Mood. I hope in a closer Future the Mood to fight the Fear and Build and Paint Maria Poppets for my Wife.

Thanks Massive Voodoo. Raffa, Roman and all u Other Jungle Painters.

Thanks From a Loving Father, Husband, Cook and Figure Painter.
Ronny

And Finally Sorry for my Bad Writing. I Speak English much better as i can Write it. Just a normal German "

Delayed due to holidays but here it goes:
I honestly can't remember when I first started to frequent this blog.
It feels like forever. I do remember clearly contact Baphomet & Roman somewhere in 2012 about the workshop.
I was really interested in following one of these but couldn't really make the trip to one of the German venues. So somewhere in 2012 I started discussing with Peter the possibility to organise a workshop in the Netherlands. Ever since then I've been enjoying friendly and helpful communication with some of the monkey-boyz!
Looking forward to see each other in the flesh again and until then I'll be frequenting your lovely site some more for tips & tricks, inspiration & pure fun!
Let Bananalicious edition 2 commence :-D!!!

Dear shamans of painting mighty jungle,
happy birthday! I am late I know, but I think you want to feel support anytime and anywhere. You are more then the common bloggers in huge world of internet. You are motivation, master, teacher and an unlimited stream of colours. For me You are the open doors to the world of masters of this art. When I start modelling and painting half of my life ago, somebody said to me that the world of figures of painting is ferboden since I learn everything else. This cult of olders build an barrier for me. But one day you opened my eyes. I was looking for faster methods how to stay on hobby and nontoxic ways how to paint with small childrens in same room. Today you are only reason I found my way back to the hobby and my motivation to make two projects per year at least. My level never been in top class but for my wife and familly its more than ever think.
Maybe some days I find courage to book a place in your class, but it must an english language:-(
Keep you energy and god thanks for you will to share with us!

Hi guys!

Although I know I am very late to wish you a happy birthday, I still will! Congratulations on your anniversary :). I honestly cannot tell you when I started visiting this cool place, but I think it must have been quickly after I truly started this crazy hobby myself, about 4 to 5 years ago. Whenever I want to try something new I always visit the tutorial section because I am sure to find the best advice here. I also had the great pleasure to attend one of Roman's beginner's classes and that opened a whole new way of thinking about mini painting.

So here's my way to say thank you so much for all these amazing articles in this “year of the painter” and all the years before that. Your site is a daily stop for me, as there is always so much inspiration and good heartiness to be found. I truly enjoy the great diversity of painters here and always look forward to see new pictures of your works.

Roman & Raffa: It’s is hard to find words to express my thanks to you guys. Not only do your works inspire and motivate me to the fullest, your amazing spirits also changed my attitude in painting and for me that is most important. I think you also are the founders of a great community of painters that I find myself lucky to be part of. You have created a platform to share your thoughts and progress that inspires others to do the same. This creates the open atmosphere of sharing and caring which to me is such a fundamental greatness of our hobby. So thank you most sincerely! I look forward to meeting you again soon :), and also of course the other apes :D