Show me where you keep the hammers for the glass ceiling please

[vbt]

Reckon my minis need a big push past where they're at.

Having painted around 30 miniatures now I'm getting the impression there is something being left out. Maybe freehand work, more dramatic contrasts (deeper shadows maybe?) or simply not taking enough risk with colour. The scoring system is great for it's ease of use, but maybe I could better serve my painting by seeking direct advice.


Also do you consider the photography poor or the background a cheap way to improve the 'look'? I really like the photos, but others may think it's a way to artificially 'improve' an averagely painted mini.


Here's a link to the gallery
http://www.coolminiornot.com /rank.php?name=vbt




And to some minis for assisting with critique if you just want I check a few pics.


http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics16/img533a9721a848e.jpg


http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics16/img515bce2d1cabf.jpg


http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics16/img5158937c74dc2.jpg


http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics16/img51588f8210fe9.jpg








Thanks

 

[Dragonsreach]

Well at an initial look the photos are one of the things that is not helping.
I see a lot of 'noise' in the background and on several of the figures themselves which suggests that you're camera settings are way off for close up work. Add to that the fact that the lighting is not helpful allowing a lot of shadow to lose detail then you're hitting a double fault straight off.
In regards to the painting however that seems OK, neat, clean, no obvious or glaring splodges.
I see that you yourself have asked if additional contrast is needed an that to me suggests that you already believe that to be the case. BUT increased contrast is not just about White/Black it's about how the development between the two is created and allowed to work. Colour theory is a great way to build on how colours, tones and hues work in relation to one another, but it is a complex subject and I'm still getting to grips with it even after lots of years.

In terms of the "Glass Ceiling" as you put it, scores aren't the be all and end all of this site or the hobby of painting, as I've said before and will say again Paint for Yourself, after all you're the one you have to please.

 

[BloodFather of Kharnath]

As a rookie, I envy your painting. Looks to me like you are just about "there." As far as contrast, try maybe pushing contrast on not just color but light/dark, temperature, texture, Matt/gloss, saturation, and brilliance or luminance. A few ways to use color theory, other than just making sure to use complimentary colors, etc, would be to include the complimentary as part of the shadow or highlight, for I instance. I don't think you need to make bold or risky decisions with color. On the contrary, use the wheel to your advantage by using colors that work together in very subtle and nuanced ways. I hope you find this helpful.

 

[Bailey03]

For being relatively new you should be really happy with the results you're getting. As Dragonsreach said, don't focus too much on your scores. The rating system on the main gallery can be pretty finicky. Doing a WIP thread on the forum is a much better way to get feedback and help you see how you're doing and improving. However, here are a few thoughts on improving your scores...

As you mentioned, you can continue to work on your contrast. But, as Kharnath said it's not just about light and dark. Especially with Nurgle you can work in a lot of interesting colors. Take a look at these guys from SkeletteS. He does some really nice work with different colors, something I wish I was a lot better at.

Another thing I've noticed is if you're just doing gaming figures it is hard to get those 8+ scores. For example, look at Jarhead's gallery. Here's a guy who has plenty of pieces in the high 9's and who's won numerous awards including a slayer sword. Yet quite of a few of his more recent pieces are scoring in the 7's. While they are definitely well painted, they're just regular figures on gaming bases so they're not getting those top scores. It's not a firm rule, some figures on gaming bases get higher scores. But in general the stuff getting 8's, 9's and 10's tend to be display figures.

So one thought would be to take your general, champion, whatever and treat him more as a display model. If you want the figure for gaming you can still use the original base and then build a display base on top of it. For an insane example check out the plaguernaught. Okay, there's a lot going on there with the painting quality and the whole model conversion. But notice he built the whole scene on top of the basic juggernaut base. Or people will build a display base with the gaming bases set into them. Look at this piece from Ten Ball for example. In addition to the base, take more time on the painting. Do more contrast, add some special effects, weathering, free-hand, whatever is appropriate. Expect this figure to take 3 to 5 times as long as a regular figure. But since it's going to be a focal point of your army it's not a problem putting more time into it.

And lastly don't get frustrated. Even just focusing on 'display' figures it took me quite a whole to move from scoring 7's into the 8's and up.