A Rant: What do I have to do for an eight around here?

[Dragonsreach]

What do I have to do (etc............)

If you are happy with your miniature after spending X amount of Hours painting it. Then to blazes with those \'Low Score Snipers\' who would appear to be just jealous of painting abilities.
I\'m sorry to say that this subject has been battered to death many times and I feel, as I have said in the past, that if you need to down point a mini\'s score then post a comment don\'t just blast the thing without the courage of your convictions.
I try to give constructive critisism, but I don\'t always feel qualified enough to make suggestions to people who are just starting out or who\'s mini\'s need some suggestions.
One thing to remember is that we veiw the mini at life size in our hands. On this site they are magnified by a serious amount. My Mordhiem Freelancer Knight displayes as huge and yet this is a standard GW \"28\"mm figure. So don\'t forget - that enlargement enlarges errors. (Old Photographers adage -- but very very true)
I welcome suggestions & constructive critisism and am always trying to improve, but the main thing is I am Happy with my mini\'s, be the same.

 

[willyk]

Chrispy, Mate relax. I had a look at your miniatures and I thought they were good,I gave you sixes & sevens. I,m probably a bit out of the loop I dont even know what nmm stands for and I dont photograph my minis I scan them,the 1st pics I sent I didnt even convert to jpeg but they dont look to bad & Im happy for any score or coment. One thing Ive noticed about all mini painters is that they think thier work is better than it really is,yours truly included. Dont get to bent out shape about it & keep painting

 

[ZaPhOd]

Photos!

Hi Mike! I certainly agree! The scanner is one thing but I got to try out a camera on the weekend and phew! You can sure notice little things that were previously hidden! At any rate, there is not on emini on this site that doesn\'t have errors if you view it close enough. As for the sniping of scores, it is extremely childish and immature! Actually, not even as most children would enjoy looking at the cool figures!!!!

 

[Chrispy]

Yeah, Mebbe you guys are right. I\'m jut a little tense right now with school starting and my parents telling(Read: pushing me to my wit\'s ends) to get a job. Anyways, I began painting to get the metal figs I play with looking better, but now I also sell some to get more figs to paint. I guess it\'s mostly a love thing, but it gets a little personal cause I\'m an artist.Also, the pic of Cyanur, for instance I had some things (like the mask) look kinda off in real life, but on the pic it looks fine.. Must be the light, in the battle of flourescent lights Vs. Bulbs, the tubes win hands down!

 

[Dragonsreach]

Chrispy:- -You have my sympathies, I too can remember the pressure put on me by my parents. (And yes it was a long time ago before you ask!).
There is only one thing to do:- Try your best.
No one can ask any more than that.
Personally I work in a stressful envoirnment supporting IT so I use painting as a meditation to break the stress. Also as I love painting figures which helps.
As for your scores you love your figures and if others don\'t then let them have their opinion. If they are knocking your scores down then that shows how weak and sad a loser they are.
Just remember the figures are yours!

 

[Garyo]

Chrispy, take it with a grain of salt... After seeing your Airbrush article I decided to post this Unicorn http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/img3d460bfb5b6df.jpg I had painted a while ago with my airbrush. Currently getting a sub table top rating. Obviously my photography isn\'t to blame, and the picture is blown up to twice the models scale. I just have to laugh. lol Apparently this is not a cool mini I still think it is though

Garyo
Knows his way around an airbrush :moon:

 

[vindictus]

Originally posted by Chrispy
First off, vote on the bottom pic on the Crappy Mini or not Elf!!! ... Second, Thanks for the mad haters who ruined my Cyanur! That used to be 8.5!! Now it\'s barely an 8! ... But get this, I\'m not haley. I don\'t touch figs and make them instantly succesful.

Boy I don\'t understand this post at all... As for your Elf re-do, it currently has a rating of 6. Personally, I think that is about right. Things that I would work on: The Flesh, Hair, and leather are all almost the same color. Where two of those meet (like the sideburns) I do not think the shading is dark enough to delineate the two. The light blue quiver is also a bit flat. I think some darker shading around the wing-icon would really help there. It is hard to tell in the photo, but the shading on the white tunic and the bow look a little blotchy as well. Bear in mind that none of this is bad at all! I just think that a 6 for this fig is about right.

As for your Cyanur, whats wrong with an 8? I would be happy with anything between an 8 and 9. No one expects people to be a Jen Haley (other than a precious few) which is why they get high 8\'s to mid 9\'s. I am and would be very happy getting into the 8\'s. VERY GOOD JOB on that fig/diorama!

 

[Shroud]

Man, yer not alone!

I have 4 pages of mini\'s up, and I think 2, maybe 3 of them have broken 8 (I havent checked in a while). My Orc Warboss, who I spent TONS of time on and wouldnt even remotely hesitate to enter in the Golden Demon awards, is under an 8. In person, that model rocks and I dont mind putting humility aside to say so. Maybe the photo sucks or people think the green is too dark for an orc or some stupid crap like that

I think I sold it for 20 bucks or something. GAKK!

So anyway, I feel your pain. Breaking 8 on this site is freakin HARD.

Shroud

 

[Chrispy]

Ressurection of this topic for some stupid reason..

I\'m an easy man. A gentleman of fortune, says most... But it makes me sick to think people are sabotaging my mini scores again.

Does everyone else think that #24426 is reall under a 7? Granted, I rushed the dark eldar but I\'ve seen things under a 7 and this is not under a 7.

Next point, my ork warlord #24488, is a plain 8. I don\'t know, maybe I need more pictures of this, but if my Necron Lord can get barely above an 8, this can get better. Once agin, I\'m trying not to whine, I\'m just VERY suspicious of mad haters. A mini with over 100 points does not go down 1-3 points in just a few votes unless someone gave a very low score. I ask if anyone is doing this to please stop, and if anyone knows about this to please inform me.

 

[laurence]

Now or never?

Hey Chrispy, does it really matter what others think of your minis? As long as you\'re satisfied with the results and meet you\'re own personal standards isn\'t this all that matters? As far as going to college and getting a day job is concerned these activities might make you appreciate miniature art even more and therefore you\'ll produce better results. By the sounds of things you\'re still relatively young and therefore you have years and years ahead of you in which to develop your craft. I know how it is... most of us want it now, but the truth of the matter is all great things take time. Keep on doing what your doing!!! As far as I can tell each of your miniatures is better than the last one. One last thing... I was so inspired by Bobby Wong\'s comment that he sacrificed TV shows and social events so as to produce his golden demons, at the same time he was working a day job and going to University, now thats commitment and obviously sheer love of his craft Cheers javascript:icon(\'\')
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

 

[kevd82]

This is just my opinion, offered with the admission that you are certainly a better painter than me.

In looking at your 24426, I have to say that it looks very rough to me. The blending transitions are much too abrupt. And the light reflections are the same way - they don\'t fade down to the color underneath. To me, it just looks like the area is green, not covered in a reflection. But then, the only miniatures I have seen that have that down are Victoria Lamb\'s. Not an easy technique and I certainly admire anyone trying it though. The scene itslef is great, and overall the paintjob is good. I gave it a 7, but could honestly see someone with a harsh rating scale giving it a 6. Then again, the pic looks a bit washed out, so maybe what I am seeing is not the true nature of the paint job.

The Ork is nice, not sure why he would be voted down. There are some rough highlights on him as well though. I think that is what will get you those higher scores - smooth your blending out (I know I need to improve at that myself).

Again, nothing personal Chris. Look at the pic, try to see what I am saying. Maybe the miniature looks different in reality, but if you look closely at the pic I hope you will understand where I am coming from. I don\'t think anyone is sabotaging that miniature.

 

[tabithatan]

.......

Hi Chrispy,

when I first joined this forum not too long ago, I was kinda upset that some of my mini scores dropped dramatically.... almost overnite..... I am a 5 to 6+++ painter and have only ever got a single 7, so voting 1 would place some 5+++ minis in the 4 +++ range.....

However, I learned from observation and the wise council of a few friends that scores dont really matter, cos your own opinion is all that matters after all... if you are not gonna sell it.......

and if ya ARE gonna sell it, whose to say that some mini rated 6+++ cant get any interested buyers???? Beauty is after all in the beholder\'s eye....

take for instance the following...... I did an ice ele some time ago ( http://www.coolminiornot.com/?id=22059 ) Now, I am really biased when it comes to minis, cos:

1. I dont like painting monsters in general
2. I dont think the ice ele paintjob is that great.....

but there have been offers for this same ice ele and unfortunately I can\'t sell it. And I am still trying to figure out what people see in it. ???

 

[Sturmhalo]

Voting is certainly far from a science. A few things I\'ve noticed recently:

Most of my minis are rated in the 7\'s and low 8\'s. The lowest scoring models tend to be the simpler figures. Some huge over detalied piece is far more eye catching than a guy in a suit with a gun!

Also, the age of the mini and even the manufacturer can sometimes affect the vote. Some really annoying MF\'s will vote you down because they don\'t like \'old\' minis! GW\'s latest, and Rackham tend to go down rather well (irritatingly enough ).

The base cam also make a big difference. Some great sculptural piece will push that rating really high compared to a bit of painted sand or flock. Though not every piece demands an impressive base, I do think that some voters expect it! Can be a little annoying at times. Some people do use their minis for gaming as well as display.

I have to agree that a name can make a difference as well. I think it\'s just beginning to happen to me. It\'s great when you\'re there, but really annoying when you\'re not! I don\'t think people intentionally vote higher for a well known name, but it does affect the way they see a figure.

 

[Beelzebrush]

I think everyone has, at some point, put their heart and soul into a mini and raced to get it online, only to be disappointed with the voting it receives.

I just had a look at your pics and on the whole it seems pretty fairly judged. The Cyanaur diorama (one posting) has an 8 which seems pretty fair. The other diorama - 24426 - I thought was about a 7. It seems a little hurried, the light source from the weapon is in the wrong place, it wouldn\'t light the scene in the way you\'ve rendered it, the other thing is that the highlights are a little unrealistic, maybe it would be improved by not taking the highlight upto white. The figure on the right seems to have large gaps at the bend in the arms and the base could be better. This is a fairly critical but I think that when you are aiming for 8-9 the little things matter a lot more than on minis that fall into the 6-7-8 bracket. The other thing is that with this particular mini, it\'s only been posted for a couple of days and has only 35 votes so it should find it\'s true mark in time.

On the whole though, I like your painting and there is a definite upward trend in your postings.

 

[Infidel Castro]

I\'d say...

Take it easy Chrispy! It\'s not a competition, it\'s a a fun way of showing your work to others and letting them rate it. Before you post anything you must surely be aware of the democratic voting system that Chern has put in place for us to use.

About your two pieces, they are certainly washed-out on the photography front. This makes it pretty difficult to see what\'s what. The first of the two is very dynamic, but the pose and the work that went into is certainly let down by the painting. It looks drab and too immediate. I\'d post 6-7 for that, but I haven\'t and I won\'t as I don\'t want to walk into a row :innocent:

The second piece is much better but lacking in detail due to photo size. I\'d put that as a 7-8 for now and then re-vote if I saw it come up again in a larger image.

Without overstepping the mark, I believe that your ideas currently outweigh your technique. Your work tackles complicated and interesting styles but the painting just needs to develop. That is the part you can\'t rush. It takes as long as it takes, and a smoother gradient in your layering will see your work take on much better scores. That, however, takes time. A benefit in tinkering with all those interesting effects at an early stage in your painting life is that you\'ll be more au fait with it than a better technical painter who\'s just starting out trying lighting effects and all that. You\'ve got all the ideas and now you need time to develop on pure, unadulterated painting.

I hope that doesn\'t sound harsh (hell, it sounds pretty positive really!). SOme people have got it, some haven\'t. It appears you have it, but that doesn\'t mean you\'ll have all the skills overnight! Unless there\'s a painting fairy who hands out talent when we\'re sleeping at night...

Anyways, let your painting do the talking, chap. It\'s getting there. In fact, let\'s all get there together! I\'m currently trying to smoothen my technique and mess about with effects. Let\'s exhort one and another, brethren! Amen

Rev :innocent:

 

[languin]

Chrispy is whining again

Please stop...you have a few figs that are doing better than 7. There are a lot of people here who dont get that much cant you be a little more satisfied with that?

You put way to much emphasis on the score of your figs ive seen you on the shoutbox time and again asking for votes and on this forum complaining about your scores(and jen haley). Ive seen your mini\'s and they get about what they deserve your not exactly the smoothest painter ive seen but you can see the effort put into them.
Chris...grow up. accepting critique with dignity (even in the form of low cmon scores) is an attribute of an adult.

 

[Tuubje]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
I welcome suggestions & constructive critisism and am always trying to improve, but the main thing is I am Happy with my mini\'s, be the same.

You truly are a nice person

and you are also very correct, I too have put up some mini\'s here that get scores between 5-6, and I don\'t really mind about the score. I am interested in what other painters can teach me, for my bone giant, someone gave me critique. I accepted that critisism and tried to improve my figure, which i reposted. I think that\'s the real value of a site like this, not being best, because no matter how good you are, there is always someone better than you. Trust me, always
Where was I? Oh yeah, the real value (I kind of feel like my grandfather right now ) is that you can actually improve your painting-skill here. There is always someone to teach you a new technique or a particular effect. It\'s why I keep coming back here to check if someone added a comment on one of my mini\'s

 

[wevin]

I agree with tuubje, but this site is more than just a place to get constructive criticism. It\'s also a place to get lots of inspiration for your own work and it simply is a feast for your eyes to be able to see such magnificent paint jobs from some of the most talented painters on the planet.

 

[supervike]

blowing off steam

In defense of Chrispy, (not that he needs my help in defending himself!)...

His original post was almost a year ago, and he admits that it is just a rant.

I perused some of his most recent postings, and he looks to be trying some very challenging stuff. Multi-colored light sources, NMM, conversions, etc. etc..

His \'ice sword\' on the Grom figure is an incredible idea.
I think he was just blowing off a little steam.

I rated all the ones I saw at least an eight (and that was just on the mini\'s merits, not because of the rant!)

Heck, I have yet to post any pictures, so I don\'t know how it would feel to have what I thought was decent get a low vote.
I am sure it will be a very humbling experience when I do, but I am really here to learn.

That is the reason I am love this site, is the constant learning and comparing you can do. It is like an advanced course in mini-ology!!

I will make it a point to post a picture, so I can feel the stabs of mediocrity.

 

[Big Mean Elf]

Sculptors & Painters ...a good match!

In a group this talented I would like to add,that in real life...our work is often fare more impressive then on any website...and also when some mini has been convereted well,it should be treated with a bit more consideration when you peeps vote on it.
:]
I never give above an 8 for \"JUST\" painting...


I would like to think that something done to an indusrty standerd with a base and sculpted detailes would make for a better score...but it don`t!

:moon:

So just do what you do,some of us do things that are one of a kind master works,and some of us are happy to slap out fianna #3,000,069...
:wow:

As long as your happy with what your doing,and know that you did your best and are slowly improveing,fhuck the ass holes that come by and slap scores that make your stuff drop by .3 or what ever...your not alone in this...
lol

Just be better then them,be your self...and the rewards will come when you sell or when you look at something you did a few years or months ago,and you can see how far you have come from that point in your artistic past!

:]

Peace My Soggy Freind!