09/21/2025

Happy Sunday, and welcome back to Tabletop Thoughts!

This past week was a whirlwind — work and other commitments kept us on our toes, and my wife and I have both been feeling a bit under the weather. Still, I managed to snag a free Saturday, and it was amazing to finally sit down and dive into some hobby time. Even moving at half speed, getting a few projects completed felt like a real win — sometimes a little painting therapy is just what you need to recharge.

“You swing, me swing… same fun!”

One of the highlights of the weekend was bringing a pair of trolls to life. These prints are from The Printing Goes Ever On, and even though they’re technically the same model, I had a blast giving each its own little personality. I documented the whole adventure — from wrangling the raw STL file, slicing and positioning in Lychee, printing, and mounting and flocking the bases, all the way to the messy, fun paint job at the end. I primed them black with a rattle can, added a white drybrush to bring out the highlights, and then layered on Army Painter Speed Paints for color. A matte clear coat sealed everything in, keeping that gritty, earthy troll look intact.

I also spent some time restocking the Etsy shop and getting a few of the sold-out minis and terrain pieces painted up again. It always feels good to bring back items that people have been buying, and I’m glad to finally have them available once more. If you get a chance, swing by DMDavidsPrints and take a look — maybe one of the freshly restocked minis or terrain pieces will catch your eye for your next game. If you see something that is sold out that you are interested in, please send me a message, and I will see what we can do.

Finally, I released a new video on my YouTube channel, complete with a shorter intro and my updated logo. In this one, I take a trip down memory lane and dig through some of the first miniatures I ever painted. You’ll see classic pewter sculpts, like the Dungeon Master and the old D&D cartoon crew (complete with improvised mustaches, beards, and weapons), as well as some pig-faced orcs — one even rocking bagpipes! I also share some personal memories of painting gifts from friends and playing games at my local shop. From there, the video shifts into quirky conversions, like turning dollar-store toys into D&D monsters, before moving into newer resin prints from companies like Bright Minis, Fat Dragon Games, and EC3D Design. It’s a mix of nostalgia, creativity, and a showcase of how far the hobby has come for me.

I’ve got a couple more videos in the pipeline that I’m really excited to share soon. The first will cover the trolls featured in this post, walking through the full process from STL to finished paint job. The other will dive into the Shadowdark campaign setting I’ve been developing – Shadows of the Sundered Throne – giving a closer look at the world, the themes, and some of the ideas I’ve been building out for future games. Both should be a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to get them out there.

All in all, it was a busy but rewarding weekend. Between painting, printing, updating the Etsy shop, and releasing a new video, I feel like I made some solid progress both in the hobby and in sharing it with others. I’d love to hear what you’ve been working on — whether it’s painting minis, running games, or tackling your own creative projects. Drop a comment below or share your latest work; it’s always inspiring to see what the community is up to!

Keep on gaming!