First submissions

[Gunnila]

Hello everyone
I've just uploaded some of my first minis I am finally not ashamed of, and as much as I am pretty satisfied with them, the scores I got are quite disappointing. I know they are prety easy sculpts and there are no fireworks, but I hoped for a clear tabletop/ tabletop+ quality.
Can someone tell me what to change and improve in the minis and what do I do wrong?

Wizard http://coolminiornot.com/241825
http://coolminiornot.com/241826
Elf hero http://coolminiornot.com/241824
herald http://coolminiornot.com/241823
Thanks in advance

 

[BPI]

Hi Gunnila, couple of easy things...

Show front & rear shots of each mini in a single Gallery entry... why are you hiding the back of the Elf & Herald from us

Is that a white background you're shooting against? Auto balance the pic so that we see a more accurate representation of your colour choices.

I reckon the above would garner +1 for each entry.

Other than that, it looks like nice clean basecoating followed by subtle shading & freehand, in some places, on the front of the Wizard. Nice work, you're going in the right direction, keep on practising :good:

Cheers, B.

 

[Donga]

Other than that, it looks like nice clean basecoating followed by subtle shading & freehand, in some places, on the front of the Wizard. Nice work, you're going in the right direction, keep on practising :good:

Cheers, B.

I agree, you have alot to learn but you know how to control a brush. I think the scores are a little harsh. You have a few short steps to get much higher scores!

Good start, keep it up arty:

 

[GreenOne]

That's a nice start, neat and smooth. Pics need much improving, both for scoring and efficient commenting. Also, try doing a montage in a picture editing program instead of doing different submissions for the same mini, lotsa people frown upon that, I tend to vote harshly on a 'back view' submission.
Also, try not to make eyes too big, and just dotting the irises (for now.), the second and third one makes them look like they're very, very high

 

[PegaZus]

The second wizard view, his skin is very orange. That may be another reason for the lower score. Not sure what his real color is, but that'd take a point down for the unrealistic color.

Then the second figure, the picture just looks... off. If you look between the clothes and the cloak, it's got a very very harsh line. I'm not going to say what it really looks like you did there to me, mostly because I seriously doubt you did that sort of thing (bit of a photo cheat thing). So it must be just a trick of the photo, but might account for some lowered scores on it if other people are thinking the same thing. Dunno, just a random thought late at night.

Ignore the above paragraph for the most part. I think I figured out what really happened there. I'd wager that the cloak and the clothes touch at that point? It appears as there has been some paint flow from the cloak to the clothes, making a curve that throws the eye off as it shouldn't look like that. If there was some black lining/shading/clean up between the cloak and the clothes, it might make that look more right. Sorry, really struggling for words here.

 

[SkelettetS]

I think the scores are harsh. at least the first photo of the storm wizard (which is the best of this batch) is easily above tabletop imo.

Also, try not to make eyes too big, and just dotting the irises (for now.), the second and third one makes them look like they're very, very high

i think the elf hero look a bit manga. if thats good or bad, well...

 

[Einion]

...the scores I got are quite disappointing. I know they are prety easy sculpts and there are no fireworks, but I hoped for a clear tabletop/ tabletop+ quality.

I agree that the scores are a bit harsh, in a few cases.

Anything above tabletop - which is generally agreed = basic colours, neatly enough applied - should be 5 or so (with minor variations depending on colour scheme and choice of mini). Good threads on scoring patterns and voting here and here.

In terms of the painting I think the main issue that might be dragging the scores down is they look a little soft - more contrast and crisper edges, particularly on the undersides of raised detail, would be good. You seem to have gotten the basics of blending or layering down quite well (which is the hardest thing for most people to master) so once you up your game in terms of sharpness and contrast your scores will go up a lot in a short time - should easily get to the 7s.

Your photos are okay, but you do need to take a little more care to focus on the front of the figure or to use a smaller aperture (higher f stop) to have a wider zone of focus.

Einion

 

[Wyrmypops]

For one not long to painting these are splendid. You've not only avoided the common pitfalls, but are displaying instinctive understanding of some design principles too. :good:

The paint is going on smoothly. Not so thin one sees the undercoat, nor so thick it obscures detail, nor even gloopy with chalky lumps of dried paint in amongst that used.

There's a warm feeling to them. Coming from a complimentary tonal range. That is, if you imagine dark being 10 and bright being 01 then the colours are all around the same level of 05.

Some definition is required. Different areas of the mini's could stand out more against each other. Black lining is one way to go. Also worth considering shading the recessess. Be it through a darker basecoat before highlight, or ink washes applies after the basecoat.

Some parts of the mini's have recieved highlights while other remain relatively flat. That's something to get on. Also, further highlights could elevate the mini's, adding greater dramatic shifts in tone.

The wizard has a nicely done flame pattern on his loin cloth. However, it seems out of place. Not only from a lore point of view (he's a Grey, Storm College type, not a Bright Wizard), from a purely aesthetic point the flame motif isn't reinforced anywhere else through colour or a repeat off the design.

There's a thing called "colour theory". I expect is covered in great detail in a CMON article. It strikes me you could give that theory a read in how it relates to complimentary and conflicting colours, and would soon instinctively apply it to your choices of colour in creating a more satisfying colour palette.

You're already doing well, and are at an exciting stage in being able to master new techniques, and get great ego boosts from bounding up that learning curve. :claply:

 

[Gunnila]

Thank you everyone for wonderful and helpful advice.

I've been watching CMON for quite some time and reading theories and tips, but only started painting recently, coming back to the hobby after a 4 year break. I still need to read on more recent techniques and styles.

I'm not trying to hide anything, I didn't post the elf back because it's obscured by the tree on the base and I didn't want to post too many multiple pics. And herald is just too boring to post. Here you are, taken as the same batch of pictures:

I lack any graphic program yet I am afraid (apart from Paint and MPM), and my graphic-editing skills are even worse than my photography skills, but I'll try to combine them. I was shooting the pics on a pale blue-green background as I was afraid of getting too much contrast/too little light. But that's true, the colours are not real.

The eyes on the elf are perfectly in the sockets but blacklining would have helped them. The sculpts are some cheap old GW plastics, and don't have much detail, and that's the problem with the cloak/robes transition on the back of the wizard, there is only a very shallow recess. I'll try to give it more shadow. And yes, there is a bit of a mouldline left *ashamed*

I don't like high contrasts to my minis that's why I use a somewhow limited palette. But each colour is both shaded and highlighted, which is probably not visible in most photos. The yellow-red transition on the wizard is repeated on his belt and hat gems, as I was afraid it will be too boring to look at and added it after some comments from my friends.

Again, thank you for nice comments, I'll try to make some new photos next weekend. Shall I then change them on the entry or repost completely?
And one more question, can I remove the pictures from my signature?