Some weeks ago the jungle HQ of Massive Voodoo head guests for
another private coaching with Roman and Raffa.


This time they travelled very far from Russia: Nadia and Roman.
While Roman already visited us early this year for private coaching focusing on his painting skills, Nadia was our guest for the first time and we want to thank them both for the great time we all had. Nadia is part of the painter group called "Serpentarium" and we can only recommend you to have a look to their blog behind the link.



Private coaching means two days of intense training on our students specific topic. This time it was all about getting better in basing. During upfront plans our students and us decided to have the overall base topic: Dungeon.

From now on we let Roman and Nadia tell you their experience.
Thanks for the write up to both of them!

Nadia says:
"While visiting different miniature exhibitions and competitions I see again and again that bases are very important part of the miniatures. They make the story, atmosphere and integrity of the composition. I didn’t pay so much attention to this aspect before. But I always wanted and tried to create something more than just a miniature but story. That is why I wanted to improve myself in this theme, organize my knowledge and get some new information and experience. And who could help me with this? – Of course, Massive Voodoo team, Roman and Raffa, with their private coaching."

Roman says:
"Hello everybody, it was my second time at private coaching in Augsburg.
After visiting painting coaching in February I was so excited about it , and tell my friend Nadia aka Hope River that if I'll have a chance it will be cool to return to MV headquarters and to learn how to make bases. Surprisingly Nadia was also interested in basing class, and after some time we start to think may be we could came to Augsburg together. And after some planning on this trip I decided , that I can save alot of money if I'll go to Massive Voodoo HQ right after the Monte San Savino Show. So after couple of monthes have passed and all of details was refined I start my journey from Russia to Latvia and then to Italy and Germany. This year Nadia has some problems with visiting Monte, so we decided to meet in Munich and go to Augburg together. After all this crazy Monte show (in a good way) and even more crazy night train from Italy to Germany (in bad way) i reached Munich at 6-30. Some time passed in Munich with lots of coffee and cigarettes and walking on Munich streets, and after half a day we met and reached Augsburg together."
 

Nadia says:
"We decided that the theme will be «the dungeon». It was two days of hard work. We learned theory about composition and had a lot of work to do by hands. Guys offered us several miniature to choose for our story. I chose a dwarf because I wanted to combine different elements of dungeon and mine on my base. Roman and Raffa lead the process of base building starting with drawing a sketch, told and showed us how to do all stages of constructing, revealed different tips and tricks during all two days. In final, I have an excellent base and a head full with new information. In addition, it was two wonderful days in great company, with a lot of chatting and laugh. I enjoyed their hospitality and attention to us, feeling like an awaited and dear guest. 

Thanks you, Roman & Raffa, for this experience and keep on the happy painting! :)"


Roman says:

"We talked about the theme of the base we wanted with Nadia some month ago, and we make a decision it would be fantasy base, some kind of dungeon.
We have made our sketches for the bases, Nadia sketch looks more like a dwarf's mine, and my sketch more like a prison (of course in dungeon).
I need to say that my fault was to choose such a crazy 3 level idea, for making a base. After the first coaching day we realized that I will not end my base. Cause i planned high level with nature on the ground, middle level will be dungeon with prison and the lowest one is a cave.
But I just loose he sequence of my story , I'm sorry , I should continue where we stopped.
So we came to the Massive Voodoo studio at morning of November 12. Full of power and energy for studying. After some time spending for greetings and discussing our plans for this two days, we started with theory. (And here comes another interruption from the main story: I really need to say that one thing I really love in working process. They really know what they do , and maybe it's not always clear for others , but for every aspect of what to do and how to do ,they have the reason. They dont tell you just we doing this ,this and this, you will always be informed about why you should do something in this way. And I think it's very important for coaching and teaching)."


Impressions of the coaching time:







Roman says:
"Let's continue, after the theory and reworking our sketches we started to make a foundation of the our bases. And Holy sheep , it's all about cutting and sanding)) (of course I'm joking, but I could never thought that could be such hard and such paint in the ass to make foundation of the base (especially the one,that i planned to make) After it we go to really entartaining part of sculpting the wall stones the rocks etc. So with all chatting, working and a lot of fun the first day come to an end , almostfor everybody , not for me)) I have to do some night work for sculpting the walls on the stone (cause my working speed was really low, beause of big base and because i'm John Slow. And I need some time to reach the level that already reached Nadya in her work) At the second day we baked our sculpting, and start to bring some details to the bases, Raffa helps me to make a lower cawe level. (I mean that we cutted wooden socket ) We made a floor , some bars for the cages and others, make wall of falled rocks on one destructed cage, and a lot of other things. In conclusion I need to say that in two days we manage to do alot of work, to learn alot of new things. Nadia make the whole base (but not me, the call me John Slow XD). 

But it does not really matter for me, the one thing really important for me is that learned things I need to know to make good bases with visible story on it. 

PS. So I wanna thank you guys for another coaching!"



All three bases of the class - the one to the left is the one were Raffa and Roman explained everything. Two days of a lot of theory about basing composition and a lot of time spent working on these bases.



Well, it definatly was a great time and beside the coaching we had interesting chats about - well, everything - it really felt like we know eachother since a long time. And John Slow wasn't that slow. He was not fast, but ... well, yeah :) - Thanks for the great time and your will to learn from us during the coaching!



Special thanks to Roman who surprised Raffa and Roman with a very special and personal gift - a little Orc plane painted up by him - we were absolutely speechless: