Florida Attacks! Recap - Kenny Boucher in the Clubhouse!
After a long think about how to use our beloved clubhouse space for more than tabletop gaming, we came upon the idea of all ideas. Well, a bunch of them. But for one, what if we had Florida Man Actual aka Kenny Boucher from The Long War in the clubhouse for his Next Level Painting 101 class for Bolters at Dawn club members? Well, the answer will be in this post and boy oh boy it is a LOT.
The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.
We live in a world where it is easier than ever for people to record their opinions and post them on the (stupid) internet. There is a lot of advice out there for the hobbyist ranging from humorously useless to actually stupid to really useful and back again (and completely clouded in SEO clickbait). There are many ways to paint minis and many opinions about painting those minis. We need to hold someone accountable for those strong opinions in the flesh and on our turf. Who else but Kenny could rise to the occasion for this first-ever clubhouse event? So Florida Attacks was born and here we are.
The Setup
Our clubhouse is divided into two large spaces (both holy): what we call the 40k side and the fantasy side. These distinctions are purely based on the wall art (hi Gavin) and what is mostly played there. Florida Attacks took place on the 40k side and it was a slog to get everything set up for 10 students to absorb the NLP 101 class information in the most efficient way.
All the pieces are there: we have digital signage, the nice laminate floor, the square footage, and the adjacent brewery. Oh also we brought a cooler and have the free will to manifest the best uppers and downers into our hobby training. We have Natty in Cincinnati. Several Bolters at Dawn members are people of culture and appreciate a good Brass Monkey, so we hooked that up too. Something something Four Loko before the nerf.
So here we are, ready for the unknown. The stage is set and we had Kenny in the house. Were we ready for 8+ hours of paint and learning? Next Level Painting (NLP) 101 inbound!
The Class
I will say this upfront: the NLP 101 class that we went through was easily top 3 classes I have ever been through in my life. In previous lives I endured a lot of training from various vendors/employers and also did the college thing (hahaha a long time ago). We were very struck by the class structure and execution – just killing it on all fronts. It’s clear why Kenny keeps this all close to the chest because it is all very tight, to the point, and mind-blowing in conjunction with practical execution.
Bolters at Dawn club members got exclusive access to the event and it sold out quick. We included ludicrous shirts and had AMAZING sponsors step up and provide all the materials we needed:
- Game Envy – dope water cups, paint brushes, and brush holders
- Monument Hobbies – the absolute sickest paints
- The Army Painter – (we have been shown) the best washes on the planet
- Elriks Hobbies – amazing bases that have to be seen to be believed
There is a wide chasm between talking about painting and actually painting. In this NLP 101 class, I personally saw every single student find something that broke their hobby brain. For some, it was active washing. For others, it was the moisture and opacity spectrum. How do you even hold an airbrush? I think for all it was gaining a comprehensive vocabulary to discuss painting and how to paint.
Here’s how the day went:
- Check in: 12:00 PM
- Presentations and concepts review: 12:30 – 2 PM
- Airbrushing Basics: 2:00 – 4:30 PM
- Food Break: 4:30 – 5:30 PM (food included with ticket)
- Active Washing & Highlighting: 5:30 – 8:00 PM
- Question and Answers: 8:00 – 9:00 PM
Not everyone present was drawn to the Kenny style of painting: preposterous highlights and ludicrous gradients. But that was ok! We got to talk about all the ways to paint and how they fit into the new vocabulary we have about painting. By starting with a digital demonstration, Kenny got the class on the same page while showing us the concepts behind what we were about to embark on. Apologies for the blurry pic: it was dim and this is literally the only one I got of the presentation time:
I am dumbfounded that no one had any clogs or airbrush problems throughout the class. If you would have asked me to place a big money bet on how many clogs would have occurred over the hours of airbrushing, I would have landed in the over 5 betting pool ezpz. But with our newly acquired ancient airbrush knowledge, we breezed through. Blue marines with big dark arrows (proprietary knowledge) and managed opacity.
The idea of active washing makes some sense when discussed but comes alive when you actually get to use it. We all have habits from hobbying in our own ways over time, and this class was a great way to let all that go and start with the basics of NLP 101. Once we had the airbrushing techniques applied, we laid a layer of varnish and hit a food break. Upon return, the subtraction through addition concept was put to the test with our graciously supplied Army Painter Dark Tone and Blue Tone.
At this point, things really started to come together. With our growing experience in the NLP techniques, we were all able to see our painting in a new light. This is where I personally had a wow moment after the active wash had dried.
From there, we worked on the techniques of edge highlighting and using respect to make the most preposterous highlights. Time flew by and all of a sudden it was time to wrap up! Believe it or not, we stayed on schedule throughout the day and concluded right on time. Kenny put on a very professional workshop class and we owe him a big thanks for making it a success for everyone involved! He got a clubhouse mug to take home AND a hallowed spot as our first Warhammer celebrity to grace the clubhouse.
What an experience and what a boon to the lucky club members who were able to join in Florida Attacks! Very much looking forward to getting NLP 201 going and maybe another NLP 101…
Thank Yous & Next Steps
We are indebted to our very generous sponsors for the event who you should definitely go and buy stuff from right this instant: Game Envy, Monument Hobbies, The Army Painter, Elriks Hobbies!
Next up, the march to BOLTERCON continues with registration opening on August 1st! As part of our annual convention, we are definitely looking to host more hobby classes. If we can swing bringing Kenny back for NLP 201, be aware you absolutely must have completed NLP 101 and completed your homework. This can be done virtually! So hit Kenny up on Discord, through his Instagram, or his Patreon.
And don’t forget to check out Kenny’s Instagram Reels of his trip!