Is this really below tabletop quality?

[Lex.W]

This is my first submission in quite while (not the counting the one I put on with it), and I was wondering that if in the time I have been absent from CMoN, have the standards for \'tabletop quality\' rapidly improved, are people marking harder, or am I apparently a crap painter.
I know this may sound like a rant, but I\'m just looking for feedback on how a model I spent around twenty hours on and got through to the second round of GD could average a 4.8.

Here\'s the model in question.
http://www.coolminiornot.com/204177
So what\'s wrong with it? Is it crap painting, crap photography, or something else?
Feedback here really would be appreciated, sorry if this sounds like a whine.

 

[Jericho]

Hey there Lex. I know it\'s not easy getting low scores on minis, we\'ve all been there.

I\'d probably place your mini in the 5-6 range personally. It\'s better than most gaming minis I\'ve seen in my years, but it\'s not a mind-blowing submission just yet.

The photo isn\'t helping much, with the depth of field being messed up. I know it\'s hard on a mini like this, where there\'s a good 2-3\" of depth but you can get a better photo I\'m sure. Cranking open the aperture and placing the camera a bit further away should help. You\'ll have to crop the shot a bit more, but with most 8+MP cameras you don\'t need the thing to fill the entire frame to get a nice photo for the web. And instead of the Photoshopped background, you can just try photographing the mini in front of a gradient or cloth or something. It keeps the edges looking a lot more natural.

If you\'re looking for some advice for improving your scores, then I\'d have to recommend looking into some articles on metallics. They are a crucial part of this model, and they turned out a bit flat. For basic techniques, Mattsterbenz made a nice article using Citadel washes. Automaton made another one, it\'s a lot more advanced but the results are fantastic and they\'ve helped me a lot.

Other than that, just try to shade/hilight the colors a bit more so they get a bit more depth. Right now they\'re a bit flat.

It\'s a pretty solid mini overall, and maybe a bit underrated, but you\'ve definitely got a good grip on the basics and I\'m sure you\'ll be getting better scores in no time.

 

[junior elf]

I think it\'s maybe a bit crowded in the photo, I mean from the side view I can see 6 weapons!!! And your reds seem a bit flat, they look like you\'ve just put a red and an ink. Your rust seems more like a dirty mini instead of rust and metals are also quite flat and without contrast. Basically all Jericho said.

 

[Infidel Castro]

The votes don\'t lie my friend! Refinement and a bit less of the \'more is good\' would see you move on a bit. Use the score as a positive thing and set out to improve the next piece. Keep looking ahead!

 

[sg2009]

imo it is the photo that lets the mini down, but im guessing this mini would be hard to photograph because of ll the servo-arms etc. Dont let the scores get you down its not the votes you want its the comments and feedback to help you improve. and like reverend said use the scores as a target

sam

 

[freakinacage]

Originally posted by junior elf
I think it\'s maybe a bit crowded in the photo, I mean from the side view I can see 6 weapons!!!

to be fair, the model has 6 weapons. not a lot he can do about that!!

i would vote as a 5.5ish. just keep practicing and refining your technique

 

[Manus]

And always remember that the head should be the focus point of almost every mini so try to make that stand out a bit more. I looking into painting this one myself so I know it\'s a busy mini