Meet the Inmates: Painted by G

Hi, I'm Paul, and welcome to The Asylum.

I have a special treat for you. Today's edition of Meet the Inmates beings you hobby superstar Graham Shirley of Painted by G fame. Graham has kindly taken time out of his busy schedule to not only tell us about his background, interests and achievements, but to also show us some of his beautifully painted miniatures...

...So let's hear it for Graham.

Hi, I'm Graham (G) and I run the Painted By G commission painting service. Whilst I love all aspects of the wargaming hobby, for me it’s always been about the painting!

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I think what really hooked me on painting when I first started was the progression; every model I painted was better than that one before, if only slightly. It was so easy to see. and ever since I started it’s been a huge motivator!

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After the obligatory time away from the hobby in my 20’s I found a ton of old miniatures in my parents' attic. A quick search on eBay showed that they might be worth a quid or two.  A few sales later a couple of the guys who'd bought my old minis got in touch asking if I’d paint something on commission. I agreed, so I bought some new paints and brushes... Seven years later and now I’m painting minis for people all over the world!

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We've had an addition to the family since then, so I’m just doing singles figures for people these days. That said, I don’t have any plans stop anytime soon.

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Since picking up the brushes again, I’ve been sucked back into collecting armies and playing at tournaments. I play Warhammer Fantasy Battles and now Age of Sigmar almost exclusively. I’ve got plenty of interest in other game systems (and painted stuff for most of them) but time being so precious these days, it’s better for me to focus my attention on what I like most.

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I won my first Golden Demon in 2014, which was a lifelong dream come true! It was for a commission piece which I entered before sending to my client (it’s now in Australia). Since then I’ve picked up a few Best Painted trophies for my Orcs and Goblins (sorry Orruks and Grots) at various tournaments and Armies on Parade. I’ve just had the last run out with them for a while at a local tournament last weekend, so I’m now working on my Death army. Also the new Khorne book is going to get me digging out a half-finished army too...

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If you want to see more of his beautiful work, visit www.paintedbyg.co.uk. You can also find Graham on  Facebook (Graham Shirlie) and Twitter (@PaintedByG).

That's it for today, Inmates. Don't forget to follow us, don't forget to share, and please take a moment to let us know how much you enjoyed Graham's post. Most importantly, come back soon for more hobby awesome. Until then, Inmates...

...Stay crazy.


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