alextheartist
New member
Its the Usain Bolt of the mini painting world.. lol
GD Baltimore 2009??
- Thread starter Quent
- Start date
crazyboyae1
New member
hahahahaha i try 
Elly3438
Member
Great job everybody! Love your entries Aaron, hope next year we can meet up at a GD so I can see them in person.
Anyone know if Dylan is coming to Chicago this year? I\'d like to give the slayer sword winner a chance before I make any judgments since the pictures kinda stink...
Anyways... MORE PICS! hehehehe
Anyone know if Dylan is coming to Chicago this year? I\'d like to give the slayer sword winner a chance before I make any judgments since the pictures kinda stink...
Anyways... MORE PICS! hehehehe
olliekickflip
New member
Thanks!! That Avatar was a ton of work...glad it paid off!!
Dylan and Bennet are going to be in Chicago...each going for another slayer sword for sure!!!
Dylan and Bennet are going to be in Chicago...each going for another slayer sword for sure!!!
olliekickflip
New member
But of course!! See you in a couple!!
monkeyboy30672
New member
I wish *I* was going to Denton...
But I\'ll be in Chicago!
--Dirty.
But I\'ll be in Chicago!
--Dirty.
Well, I will congratulate the winners. I don\'t blame them for winning, I am sure that they worked hard. But if no one else is going to, I have to say that there were more than a few WTF\'s. In January\'s White Dwarf, they should have announced that Dark is the new NMM. Then the veteran painter\'s could have saved themselves several weeks of work perfecting armor.
I am not saying this because I am a sore loser, I am saying this because at least one of the judges completely spoiled several categories. I can almost guarantee that 95% of the people that were there will tell you that they don\'t see how some pieces were judged better than others. I asked one of the judges and I believe he is probably the one so enamored with \" Dark \", how one could beat the other two and his reply was that if one was painted dark and had no flaws, that it was better than one with freehand and NMM if there were a few tiny flaws in the NMM.
As I said, I congratulate the winners, but man GW needs to regulate the judges a little better, and please let everyone know what the theme of the year is.
At least people can re enter and maybe GW will get it right the second time. A special Congrats to Aaron for doing just this. BTW, Aaron, it was a pleasure to meet you and Bennet as well.
and I should just say it here, in case anyone from GW reads these, Pony up the money for some decent lights over the winners. If you don\'t want everyone to think that your judges are blind or leave going \" this year it was category 3 and 7 that were totally off\". IF you want to defend bad judging, at least light it so that we can see what the guys taking the pix see.
At least America\'s greatest contribution to GW is coming home next month. Welcome back, Jeremy Vetock..
I am not saying this because I am a sore loser, I am saying this because at least one of the judges completely spoiled several categories. I can almost guarantee that 95% of the people that were there will tell you that they don\'t see how some pieces were judged better than others. I asked one of the judges and I believe he is probably the one so enamored with \" Dark \", how one could beat the other two and his reply was that if one was painted dark and had no flaws, that it was better than one with freehand and NMM if there were a few tiny flaws in the NMM.
As I said, I congratulate the winners, but man GW needs to regulate the judges a little better, and please let everyone know what the theme of the year is.
At least people can re enter and maybe GW will get it right the second time. A special Congrats to Aaron for doing just this. BTW, Aaron, it was a pleasure to meet you and Bennet as well.
and I should just say it here, in case anyone from GW reads these, Pony up the money for some decent lights over the winners. If you don\'t want everyone to think that your judges are blind or leave going \" this year it was category 3 and 7 that were totally off\". IF you want to defend bad judging, at least light it so that we can see what the guys taking the pix see.
At least America\'s greatest contribution to GW is coming home next month. Welcome back, Jeremy Vetock..
This is unfortunately well known fact (not the \"dark\" part). GD judging is ridiculously technical. I wouldn\'t mind this but when technical approach is heavily overlaid by personal preferences then... it stops being technical and becomes simply inconsistent.
As for the light.... I think we got to the point when a pledge drive needed to buy several display cases with lights
davetaylor
New member
So were the judges not using the portable Ott-lites?
I thought they were and that these issues had been taken care of. Of course if the judges were using the lights that the onlookers did not have access to then the issue is also moot.
Warning - Rant On (please accept my apology)
Why is it so tough for people to understand that, on the day, there were models at that show that the judges of a subjective competition thought were better then theirs? If you don\'t like the outcome, perhaps it\'s time to rethink either entering, or at least why you enter.
It happens every year. Someone cries \"conspiracy\" when there really is none. Nicole has done a lot of work to improve things including getting the Ott-lites. There is absolutely no \"Ok, everyone, we want to get Dark/NMM/Pastel winners this year\" speech to the judges beforehand, and the judges are chosen from hobbyists with a prove track record of passion and skill at fine miniature painting. Sure the judges have their own personal preferences (just like you and I do) but that\'s why the judging is done in groups, so a consensus can be reached and more eyes can spot things that may have been overlooked by just one person.
If I\'m wrong, I\'m happy to hand back the trophy I won in category 3 (apparently one of the \"tainted\" categories).
Rant Off.
It was great to see a lot of great painters make it out for the show, there were certainly a few surprises (Joe Orteza, where did you come from!) and it was fun chatting with folks about toy soldiers. Thanks again for the fun day.
Cheers
Dave
I thought they were and that these issues had been taken care of. Of course if the judges were using the lights that the onlookers did not have access to then the issue is also moot.
Warning - Rant On (please accept my apology)
Why is it so tough for people to understand that, on the day, there were models at that show that the judges of a subjective competition thought were better then theirs? If you don\'t like the outcome, perhaps it\'s time to rethink either entering, or at least why you enter.
It happens every year. Someone cries \"conspiracy\" when there really is none. Nicole has done a lot of work to improve things including getting the Ott-lites. There is absolutely no \"Ok, everyone, we want to get Dark/NMM/Pastel winners this year\" speech to the judges beforehand, and the judges are chosen from hobbyists with a prove track record of passion and skill at fine miniature painting. Sure the judges have their own personal preferences (just like you and I do) but that\'s why the judging is done in groups, so a consensus can be reached and more eyes can spot things that may have been overlooked by just one person.
If I\'m wrong, I\'m happy to hand back the trophy I won in category 3 (apparently one of the \"tainted\" categories).
Rant Off.
It was great to see a lot of great painters make it out for the show, there were certainly a few surprises (Joe Orteza, where did you come from!) and it was fun chatting with folks about toy soldiers. Thanks again for the fun day.
Cheers
Dave
as i always say, it\'s a crap shoot...
sometimes you win, sometimes you crap out, and gotta go home empty-handed...
persistence is the key...
if a mini is a quality piece, it will eventually be the last mini standing...
what\'s to be done if there are 5 beautiful pieces in a category with 3 prizes???
someone has to lose...
we all have very diverse, very personal, tastes in what we love to see...
there will always be a huge WTF? factor when we see the winners...
even more so when we have personal stake in a certain category...
believe me, i\'m confused by some of the results every year...
long story short, nobody is forced to enter a competition...
cheers
jah
sometimes you win, sometimes you crap out, and gotta go home empty-handed...
persistence is the key...
if a mini is a quality piece, it will eventually be the last mini standing...
what\'s to be done if there are 5 beautiful pieces in a category with 3 prizes???
someone has to lose...
we all have very diverse, very personal, tastes in what we love to see...
there will always be a huge WTF? factor when we see the winners...
even more so when we have personal stake in a certain category...
believe me, i\'m confused by some of the results every year...
long story short, nobody is forced to enter a competition...
cheers
jah
And Ain\'t that the truth.
brushmistress
New member
Originally posted by skeeve
This is unfortunately well known fact (not the \"dark\" part). GD judging is ridiculously technical. I wouldn\'t mind this but when technical approach is heavily overlaid by personal preferences then... it stops being technical and becomes simply inconsistent.
As for the light.... I think we got to the point when a pledge drive needed to buy several display cases with lights
I just wanna say that the attempts at what is called \"consistency\" are sad...I know that basing rules are basing rules, but I\'d like to know how I can place a model on a larger base and it stays in the same category I placed it in, but OMG, 40mm bases belong to Terminators only. :cussing: That\'s just some sillyness. Mounted minis in Fantasy are single, not large, but that doesn\'t carry over to 40K. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'m happy to have the demon, but seriously - the basing thing has got to get fixed. It\'s broken as it stands.
As for not placing and being pissy that no one liked your model - yeah, you\'ve got to get over it (I\'m not lambasting anyone here in particular - it just gets brought up every year). Don\'t let that bring you down - I never enter thinking I\'ve got a sure thing in any category - you don\'t know what other painters will show, you don\'t know what mood the judges will be in. Enter again next year and keep at it.
It be nice if they moved the judging to pure, what i called, \"technical painting\".
Most of the time, i do not like the actual sword winner, just cause i don\'t like 40K much, or i don\'t like the actual model, BUT the painting rocks.
I can see if the blends are flawless, or the freehand is good, or that the light sourcing seems to be correct (ie. where the reflections are, if it\'s not using a general all around light source), etc.
That is easy to tell. We can all see how smooth Allan Carrasco\'s sword winner (The daemonette) was...it doesn\'t matter if YOU like it or not; it is the best \"technical painted\" model there.
best blending, smoothest paint layers, etc.
On top of that, if fits the style...but in terms of a painting competition, take away the emotional part, and focus on the actual painting.
*sigh*
Sanjay
Most of the time, i do not like the actual sword winner, just cause i don\'t like 40K much, or i don\'t like the actual model, BUT the painting rocks.
I can see if the blends are flawless, or the freehand is good, or that the light sourcing seems to be correct (ie. where the reflections are, if it\'s not using a general all around light source), etc.
That is easy to tell. We can all see how smooth Allan Carrasco\'s sword winner (The daemonette) was...it doesn\'t matter if YOU like it or not; it is the best \"technical painted\" model there.
best blending, smoothest paint layers, etc.
On top of that, if fits the style...but in terms of a painting competition, take away the emotional part, and focus on the actual painting.
*sigh*
Sanjay
Joek
New member
I don\'t think I have any \'issue\' with any of the winners really - especially as I\'m merely seeing the photos, and they never give a completely accurate picture of the things.
The only category which I seem to be constantly disappointed with in US Golden Demons is the Open category. Despite the entries being perfectly acceptable figures in their own right, I\'ve always thought that the Open category should be almost the flag-ship cat in the competition where \'anything goes. Alas, all I see are fairly \'standard\' (I don\'t mean this in a derogatory way though - they\'re good figures!) pieces which don\'t give me the \'wow\' factor.
Oh well.
The only category which I seem to be constantly disappointed with in US Golden Demons is the Open category. Despite the entries being perfectly acceptable figures in their own right, I\'ve always thought that the Open category should be almost the flag-ship cat in the competition where \'anything goes. Alas, all I see are fairly \'standard\' (I don\'t mean this in a derogatory way though - they\'re good figures!) pieces which don\'t give me the \'wow\' factor.
Oh well.
Very simple question - why it is difficult to install internal lights on display cases.
I see two potential reasons: 1) it cost an arm and a leg 2) we don\'t want to trip over all these wires.
Well, LED strip could be as cheap as 2-3$ per meter, attachable to existing covers with two-sided tape and are battery operated (so no wires) and it is one-time investment.
Organizers put all these minies out, I presume, for people to see, no? There are long lines during every GD of people who want to see these entries. So, why not improve lights? Or is it \"we don\'t want to do it because people will come and see no mater what\" type of argument?
green stuff
Active member
Sorry Sanjay, but I don\'t agree; that would end up really stale IMO.
What you describe seems to me like what all first cuts should already manage (and I don\'t mean that they should all be at Allan\'s level; besides Allan has so much more to offer than just technical perfection IMO).
Winners should have things like story telling, composition, atmosphere/drama/feelings, ...
Things that can be evoked with a lot of bells and whistles, or something more subtle and streamlined. I.e. : they\'re aren\'t linked to technic.
As an after thought, what causes me the most problems with your suggestion is the \"smoothest paint layers\" part. What if the subject is volontarily weathered to the point all the surfaces are textured and don\'t have a smooth surface to paint on; would you pass by it? What if giganticdark did a battered ork vehicle, don\'t you think he\'d be on the podium
?Well that\'s my two cents
.And in case this reads wrong, it\'s just for the sake of discussion
.monkeyboy30672
New member
I love you, Dave Taylor.
--Dirty.
(you, too, Jess... but that\'s different... )
--Dirty.
(you, too, Jess... but that\'s different...
)
Silphid
New member
It\'s sad to see so many people misinterpret what Golden Demons are about, every time. People take it very seriously, of course, after spending so many hours of hard labour, I too used to take it to heart. But the truth is that the Golden Demon rankings are in no way shape or form a definitive statement of how accomplished a painter you are. It is an event to showcase great models judged by people from a wide range of ability and skill, and meant to showcase the Games Workshop IP first and foremost. Not every deserving entry gets the trophy it truly deserves as far as painting level, just like not every trophy winner necessarily deserves the ranking. This will always be the case in events requiring judging and interpretation.
If you feel frustrated, don\'t let the podium affect you as though an all-knowing judgement was passed onto you or others and declared your model lesser work. If you feel mistreated when given a bronze whereas a lesser model was awarder silver, or that some other judging \"WTF\" is a travesty, then you are presuming that Golden Demons is the authority determining the true painting level of the participants.
.
.
It\'s not.
.
.
Your model may be technically better, but Mr X\'s model was oozing so much flair and grounding in the Games Workshop universe that in the end it made for a better showcase for a Games Workshop event. And there\'s nothing wrong with that.
The Judges do the best they can and they do a good job with all the circumstances of a hectic event. Above all I know they do it with the most noble of intentions. After that, painting a more original, more flawless, better model simply increases your odds for a tropy. You also have to factor in how your model looks under different lighting circumstances, judge preferences, judge experience and knowledge of the finer techniques, and a good amount of circumstancial luck. And this is coming from someone who\'s won a few trophies and swords. Does winning a sword mean I had the very best model that day, that I was the best painter? Absolutely not. Just means on that given day, my model pleased the judges and the GW marketing vision the most (and I imply no negative meaning to the word marketing).
So to avoid frustrations, compete for yourself. Make your own judgement of the entries, discuss it with others, they meay open your eyes to something you had nto considered. If you feel yours was the best, then great, personnal satisfaction. If you feel something else was better, then you get to learn from it and talk to it\'s author, and that\'s when you truly win something. Just make sure never to blame someone for winning, no matter how controversial; they never said they were better. Bring your best models this year, and as long as you were proud of what you brought in that day, remember that the podium in no way diminishes the quality of your work on your way out.
If you feel frustrated, don\'t let the podium affect you as though an all-knowing judgement was passed onto you or others and declared your model lesser work. If you feel mistreated when given a bronze whereas a lesser model was awarder silver, or that some other judging \"WTF\" is a travesty, then you are presuming that Golden Demons is the authority determining the true painting level of the participants.
.
.
It\'s not.
.
.
Your model may be technically better, but Mr X\'s model was oozing so much flair and grounding in the Games Workshop universe that in the end it made for a better showcase for a Games Workshop event. And there\'s nothing wrong with that.
The Judges do the best they can and they do a good job with all the circumstances of a hectic event. Above all I know they do it with the most noble of intentions. After that, painting a more original, more flawless, better model simply increases your odds for a tropy. You also have to factor in how your model looks under different lighting circumstances, judge preferences, judge experience and knowledge of the finer techniques, and a good amount of circumstancial luck. And this is coming from someone who\'s won a few trophies and swords. Does winning a sword mean I had the very best model that day, that I was the best painter? Absolutely not. Just means on that given day, my model pleased the judges and the GW marketing vision the most (and I imply no negative meaning to the word marketing).
So to avoid frustrations, compete for yourself. Make your own judgement of the entries, discuss it with others, they meay open your eyes to something you had nto considered. If you feel yours was the best, then great, personnal satisfaction. If you feel something else was better, then you get to learn from it and talk to it\'s author, and that\'s when you truly win something. Just make sure never to blame someone for winning, no matter how controversial; they never said they were better. Bring your best models this year, and as long as you were proud of what you brought in that day, remember that the podium in no way diminishes the quality of your work on your way out.
