Rick's WIP Thread

Pictish Mini Painting

I'm actually a man!
TBH, having had a right good look at the pictures in the link you provided (thanks by the way :) ) I would disagree a bit in saying that my faces aren't as good, as I have often been told and by eavy metal guys at last years GD in which I got finalist my faces are actually very good and are one thing I am actually pretty good at, I am not trying to be antagonistic, just defending one of my strengths.

The painting style of spikyJames is that one thing that many feel golden demon is good and bad for, its very much to the eavy metal photograph standard, i.e. clean lines, edge highlighting and GW materials on the base. The base is very much made of gravel, grass clumps and larger gravel pieces with no features sticking out.

My base took quite a while to do and many have commented its a nice piece and ties in well with rebar, helmet, odd brickwork and the stained glass window, so to say I could have added detail and didn't is a bit unfair, unless you mean I should have stuck on grass clumps :)

I am not in any way taking away from SpikyJames Finalist medal, it is a nice clean piece and very much in the theme I like to paint to aswell, however it grates that after years of training yourself to paint with layered smooth transition blending, smooth highlights and making things 'Pop', to find out that I should just paint things very tidy and edge highlight to make it look like the box is a bit of a let down.

But I am starting to see in person what I knew from discussions, Golden Demon is a rather partisan voting system. Again I must stress im not saying in any way, 'I deserved it, he didn't I am just pointing out that the ages I took cleanly blending white from grey and shading the blue with thin layers was basically wasted as I could have just gone for the box art style.....and that's a bit depressing.
 

ten ball

Active member
Its hard to comment on comparing other peoples work. I can feel your frustration Rick, I agree there's not much between your squad and the other. They are both very good work.

View attachment 22936

With this marine I didnt highlight the flat surfaces just the edge highlights which still gives a nice sharp look.

View attachment 22937

I suggest going darker on the blues to start with, giving much more contrast when getting to the highlights.
 

Pictish Mini Painting

I'm actually a man!
I agree with what you say 10Ball, but my point is, the higher contrast of shadows and highlights isn't in evidence on the sternguard. You can see the white is painted as a flat colour and 'blacklined' with stormvermin or similar. I have spent years trying to improve my whites and basically not using white, to paint white. This was the sort of stuff the winners of GD of years past always did, McVey, Rune Nielson et al.

However after having a long chat with a few people at the last few UK GD's I have found that where I have put my skills into seems to have been at a time when GW has changed its expectations for a winner at GD. I.e the disliking of the 'French style' etc.

I am probably justa bit disheartened that after all that work and being told by many it was really good to just be overlooked and tbh, to have them all judged in a dark room makes me wonder what the point is.


Also the level at euro m and salute is much higher and often is not GW stuff so will have to learn a whole new set of painting techniques to attempt there and I have to ask myself, I am good enough to even bother. I'm 31 now and while many say my painting is very good, I cant see how I can improve bar getting better at thin black lines and text.

dunno, maybe just a bit fed up at the whole farce of a 16 hour round trip to get there, walk about all day ith little to do and being on my own.

(Also bit worried about upcoming surgery in new year for my Cronh's, it could be great and mean I can hop on a train and go to all these places, or will be stuck at golden demons as only place I can get in easily.......need to go away and have a think....paint an army for fun, build a gaming table for my new flat and see if I can find my love again, as I think I got too sucked up in painting and hoping for a finalist pin....)
 

ten ball

Active member
Well I said it was good work before & I say it now. Golden demon is a hit and miss competition. I entered 5 minis & got 4 medals but the painting standard on the one that got nothing was just the same as the other 4 ?!

As for being 31, im 37 and went from this snotling in 2011 to this knight in 2013 and got a finalist at salute.

View attachment 22939View attachment 22940
5 years i got nothing at golden demon and nearly gave up. :( but the love of painting kept me going on.
I reckon have a short break from the painting mate and start fresh in a few weeks :)
 

Pictish Mini Painting

I'm actually a man!
Aye you're right....and I saw you at Golem day, you looked about 12.....;P

Well I move into my new flat with my GF this weekend, where there is a large gaming room (hence it shall be known) and I get to set up a decent nest...I mean painting and modelling desk in the lounge so going to make something comfy and good for long periods to sit at with space as the kitchen table has served me well but I need something I don't need to clear away each time :)

hmmm mentors space marine Raven guard themed army you say.......storm raven to make you say....or wraithknight....hmmm

Deffo interested in Euro\salute though, may have a look at other models I could enter possibly in a slightly larger scale. I have done military modelling (armour and planes) for years and am very good so could try that category as well as single figs....

(off to google)
 

SkelettetS

New member
ah yeah, you shouldnt get dishearted by not making it at gd (although i still feel angry thinking about the german one, lol!) as 10ball says, it is pretty much hit and miss. dont give up! miniature painting is a learning curve and like anything else, the curve looks differend to different people. practise practise practise...!
 

TrystanGST

New member
I have nothing really to add that Skel and 10 haven't already said. Seeing what you guys have gone thru with GD, I'll take my finalist pin and set my sights on Crystal Brush/GenCon. Yeah, I'll probably get my clock cleaned at first, but it'll force me to get better. Not to mention those competitions seem to have less of a "who's judging" factor. Heck the PP contest at GenCon is Open format.
 

Pictish Mini Painting

I'm actually a man!
TBF Golden Demon isn't 'bad' just a bit hit n miss with its handing out of the silverware at times.

However I will properly photograph my squad and put them up on the CMON gallery as I haven't put anything up for a while, maybe break 8 properly for the first time :)
 

Pictish Mini Painting

I'm actually a man!
Hi folks,

bit of the good old threadnomancy.

To date I am not dead'd! I was however being got at by crazed women with sharp knives (actually she is a lovely lady and a highly qualified surgeon) I was having a bowel resection, or to give it its sunday name an"Elective right heliocolectomy" basically they took away about a 1/3rd of my large intestine, appendix and a wee bit of small bowel. I am now pain free and the Cronh's has settled down a lot, and I got a smashing after picture of the 8" scar on the belly!

Anyway, I am recovered now and have been starting work on my 'cooking' army for tournaments this year, its a rather infantry heavy marine army at 1500 points. It is based on the FW IA books and the chapter is the Raptors, doing a mainly green\grey scheme.

As built:

View attachment 59248

Undercoated...so many drop pod parts!:

View attachment 59249

The bulk of the base colours is being applied by airbrush, using P3 Cryx Bane and its associated highlight colour (Cryx Bane Highlight obviously hehe), however after applying the primer, base and then ageing highlights, taking off the masking revealed disaster:

View attachment 59247

I have sorted the damage, using Chaos black spray paint instead of the VJ black primer (never had peeling with that before and its only on certain bits so maybe some release agent on the plastic??)

The vindicator is a double hull I made from an idea on Dakka Dakka, and the main dozer blade will be black and yellow chevron pattern with a metal coloured surround.

Lots of marines to start painting, with bases just on for undercoating, resin bases are on their way to be painted separately, the figures will be done on wire pushed into corks....I need to drink more wine for corks...well that's my excuse.


Then I need to get my photo studio setup unpacked and blind the GF and the guinea pigs with 30w 5000 daylight fluorescent bulbs!

Happy days
 
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ten ball

Active member
Glad to see you painting again mate, getting into gear for GDUK this year? Im sure there will be a UK demon but not sure about anywhere else?
Anyway good to see you on the mend sir :)
 

Pictish Mini Painting

I'm actually a man!
Hard to say about GD this year, heard many rumblings that its dead, as GW is doing all this kind of thing from WW in Lenton with an upgrade to the place, basically so they don't have to pay exhibition fees etc. I don't know if I will be at this years one, still plenty of time to make something, but its a long way and a lot of hassle for what is effectively a 2 hour day.

Also GD tends to have a bad habit of forcing a more than is healthy amount of folding money out of my hand :) and the mrs is expecting wedding bells in a couple of years I feel so need to save hehe.

If I do go to GD I would be looking to enter a vehicle as never done that and I enjoy weathering up tanks as a hobby side of it (i.e. Tamiya stuff) so my Sicaran tank may get painted and probably 40k single miniature as I always like to give that a go.

We will see, got 5 months to pull my thumb out :)
 
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Pictish Mini Painting

I'm actually a man!
I am getting close to reducing some 68 components turned into 4 when I can glue the drop pods together for weathering and decals etc.

My modelling desk is getting cramped! Did some basic highlighting and detail on the harness clusters:

View attachment 59250
 
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Zab

New member
Ahhh! What is that knight doing with that Q-tip?! I need an adult here! :eek: Lots of nice progress there, BTW.
 
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