and we are back..........with another community spot light and this time its the turn of Tayliss Creations
Welcome to this community spotlight section once again, this month I have had the privilege to interview Chantelle AKA Tayliss Creations
This is someone I have found through the wonders of social media (Instagram) , clicking on her logo above will take you to her page,
I have asked them to be interviewed to find out their hobby styles and life, and see if others can gain from their experiences.
First off thank you Chantelle.
Lets begin with some basic questions so people can get to know you,
Can you tell the folks a little about yourself?
Hi everyone, I'm from deepest darkest Devon, UK. I'm about to turn 35(!) I live with my fiance, our three children and two cats. Aside from the plastic addiction I enjoy video games, binge watching and not sleeping enough.
How did you get into the hobby of tabletop wargaming?
I've been into fantasy and horror stuff since I was a kid, and I used to read all the time. Then at about 16 I met my first boyfriend and he had some Warhammer, but his Dad had loads of it and I found it fascinating, I loved art so the creative side of it combined with the fantastical models and worlds was a real draw. I wouldn't actually start getting into it until my early twenties though. I started a pretty standard chaos Warhammer army which never got finished but I loved painting - despite not really knowing what I was doing, and I loved the stories in White Dwarf. I later started a Wood Elf army which suffered the same incomplete fate. Sorry, little guys. I've got some Sylvaneth who I really like, but I don't know if I'll ever actually get anywhere with them. Don't hate me!
What type of hobbyist are you? A painter/collector/gamer or a mix?
I would say the painting and collecting aspect of the hobby is the main attraction for me but I'm getting really into board games. My fiance and I are currently enjoying the Dark Souls board game, before that we were playing Kingdom Death: Monster. Really must get back to it at some point! We're looking forward to the Bloodborne board game and we're planning to back Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood. So a good mix of the two but for me personally, a game *has* to have minis to really interest me.
What game systems do you play? Are you simply a one game person or do you play many different games?
Hah sorry, I kind of answered this already. But I will add that this is the main reason why I'm not massively into Warhammer so much now - I prefer smaller scale games and can't deal with hordes of uniform models. Mostly because of space and time, it's just not practical for me, but I do admire people who build up amazing looking armies. If time, money and space were no problem it would probably be different. We have been eyeing up the WH Underworlds games though, they're quite appealing to our gaming style.
I don't like the idea of sticking to one system or brand, but we're all different and that's one of the things I love about the community.
What was the thing that caught your eye the most when you were first starting out?
I think what really grabbed me was that I could create real, tangible things that resembled the characters and worlds that I'd either read about in books or played in video games. That's the essence of why I love it and why I came back to the hobby after years away.
As for specific things, seeing the Golden Demon entries for the first time in White Dwarf was mind blowing. I had no idea at the time that mini painting really could be an art form and seeing what some people are capable of was an eye opener. More recently, discovering the world of miniature focused board games felt like I'd finally found my niche.
What advice would you give someone just getting into the hobby/or your younger self, now you have been involved in this for a while?
It's so much easier to access any hobby these days, with social media being what it is now. So to anyone just starting I'd say do your research, look around properly before deciding what might suit you. It might be D&D, Warhammer or any of the huge variety of board games that are out there. Don't just chuck a load of money at what your mates are into or the first shiny that catches your eye. This can be an expensive and time consuming hobby so you have to really enjoy it! Also make the most of the community. There's so much free information available and generally speaking, the people are awesome and always willing to chat so don't be afraid to ask questions.
To my younger self - you'll have to put it on the back burner for a bit but try to get back into it sooner and do some research. There's a vast hobby world out there! And just keep at it. New skills take work to learn and there's nothing wrong with that.
Have you ever had an extended period out of the hobby?
Yeah I drifted away when I had my first child (that old chestnut, I know.) Time and money were scarce and I just couldn't manage it. After a while I started to think I might take it back up again if I could. Ironically having two more children made me more determined to retain hobbies and my sense of identity outside of parenthood, so here I am.
How did you get back in?
Well once again I started with Warhammer. The Sylvaneth were too cool to resist and Games Workshop was familiar. Plus I have a fanatical friend who was an influence! However, Kingdom Death: Monster caught our eye and we fell down the board game and Kickstarter rabbit hole. I threw myself into it, determined to get at least semi decent at painting and experience a bunch of games and it's just gone from there.
What’s the best part of the hobby for you?
I can't pick just one! Okay so I'm going to cheat and pick the two big ones. Firstly, just the satisfaction of gaining knowledge and creating stuff. Taking that bit of plastic and giving it life, giving it a story, is amazing. It makes me want to keep learning and improving so I can be happier with the finished results. I'm still a relative noob so there's always more to learn.
Secondly, the community. It's just the best one I've ever been a part of! I've never seen a community that is this supportive of everyone whether it's the big pros or someone who is about to paint their first mini. I've learnt so much from the Instagram community, YouTubers and groups on Facebook, I couldn't begin to express how grateful I am to them all for just being generally awesome. You deciding to do these interviews is a perfect example of that positive attitude.
What is the worst part of the hobby for you?
Hmmm. Probably just that I can't afford everything I want/need! And how much space I don't have. I dream of having a hobby room. *sigh* If you're on a budget it can be tough, but where there's a will there's a way and all that.
What keeps you in the hobby?
Staying engaged with what other people are up to, what new games are coming and having at least a vague idea of what I want to do next. The drive to learn new things and watch my own improvement is pretty vital - and I find if I strive for better, but not perfect, I'm more likely to stick with something.
How do you deal with burn out/lack of hobby mojo?
I take a break and don't put too much pressure on myself. I'll have a period of feeling like I just want to game or binge watch something, and I try not to feel guilty about it. Maybe some people can dedicate themselves to just one thing all the time, but I need a break here and there. Obviously if I were doing a commission it would be different, but I'm not at that level yet. Maybe one day!
Has anyone inspired your hobby style/life?
Well the first on that list has to be my fiance, Adam. We bounce ideas off each other, watch each other's successes and failures and encourage each other. It's great to have a partner who loves the same stuff.
Then there's the huge list of pro painters, Instagram accounts and YouTubers. Special shout outs go to Sorastro, Black Magic Craft and Miniacs YouTube channels for being great to watch for different reasons. Obviously the pro painters are a constant source of inspiration but there's too many to list.
What projects are you working on at the moment?
I'm currently working on getting all the Dark Souls board game and an expansion painted up.
Do you plan out projects/armies or just get sucked into the trap of collecting everything?
A little from column A, little from column B. It's really hard to not want all the things, but I like to have an idea of what it is I'd like to achieve, and try not to get sidetracked too much…
If your budget was unlimited but you could only buy one army what would it be?
Well if we're talking Warhammer AoS… I should say Sylvaneth, shouldn't I? But it would probably be the Gloomspite Gitz. Or if 40k… Probably Deathguard.
Then if we're talking outside of Warhammer, I'd be buying far too many boardgames.
What do you hope to improve with regard to your hobbying in the future?
I really want to be able to do NMM and I'm a huge fan of mini dioramas and scenic bases so I'd love to do some of them for display models. I also want to get a bit quicker at achieving what I consider a high tabletop standard.
None standard questions
As a parent myself,Im worried about little fingers getting to models and pieces being eaten, how do you protect your hobby and children at the same time, do you have a set area?
We don't have the space for a dedicated area but we did buy some cases from Frontier Wargaming which have been utterly invaluable when it comes to storing stuff away and giving us a portable work station. We keep them on our table so they're out of reach and the kids soon lose interest in stuff they can't reach. Our models are in one of those Ikea display cases and luckily it's been left alone by tiny hands for the most part. We also currently only paint when the youngest kids are asleep, which probably helps!
Store things up high if you can, make sure they can't get it but also don't make it too much of a big deal so it doesn't seem that interesting.
How do you normally choose which models to paint as I see from your account, you don’t normally focus say on one army/force, purely a rule of cool?
I guess it really depends on what we're playing. There's a certain amount of "rule of cool" I suppose. I want stuff to look good on the table and in the display case.
Do you have a set gaming group you belong to?
No but we are trying to encourage a couple of people to come over for a gaming night. We'll see...
How did the funko pop space marine turn out?
He's still happily sat in his box. Unpainted, but not forgotten.
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