Hey Guys! Welcome back. I hope you've been enjoying my stream of bat reps and photos from Nova Open. Today's post is my final Nova post, and deals with my entry into Capital Palette, discussions with other artists, classes I took, dreadtober, and the photos of the lootas I forgot to put up previously :).
I'm in the case! Next to John's Amazing Tank!
As some of you might remember, I was pretty excited about how my dakkajet came out. The chipping paint had worked beautifully on it, and my experiments had resulted in a really good looking piece.
One of the things I didn't cover is how I worked on the pilot, or the canopy, or extra details. I went back and put soot, grime, metallics, and streaking all over the plane. I touched up areas where colors weren't working right, and added washes and extra layers to the guns and exhaust bits. I also spent an enormous amount of time on the pilot. I can't believe how well he came out.
I was shocked when I saw there was a tiny piece of left over sprue on his right arm, and twitter came to my rescue and suggested I make it into a band-aid. It's supppper subtle, but you can just make it out. (along with a very slight line from not enough mouldline scraping). Needless to say I was thrilled with him!
I was shocked when I saw there was a tiny piece of left over sprue on his right arm, and twitter came to my rescue and suggested I make it into a band-aid. It's supppper subtle, but you can just make it out. (along with a very slight line from not enough mouldline scraping). Needless to say I was thrilled with him!
One of the critiques I had in previous entries was "avoid the middle" which was a strike against the composition of my pieces. (This is actually a very general crtique across probably 75% of entries in the cases, regardless of competition...don't just put your mini in the center of a pilth or base!) So I set about creating a stand for the dakkajet which would showcase the work I did to it, as well as providing for a very dynamic energetic composition. I had the idea to use my old marine statue, and create a magnetic mount for it, so I could hold the dakkajet in position and then pin it at exactly the angle i wanted. I cleaned up the model a bit, built a rig to hold the magnetic, and matched the weathering to the statue. Remember the statue is not the piece, it is merely the support for the plane (instead of using a flying stand).
And here is the finished piece as entered in the competition. It's quite possibly my best work thus far and a pretty big improvement from last year (if I do pat myself on the back some).
The judges seemed to like it as well...as for the first time in my mini painting career, I made it past the first round of judging, and all the way to the finalist stage!
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
To say I was excited is not even comprehensible. Todd ran over excited to let me know. I teared up I was so happy! Misterjustin even said it was an easy yes to the finals, didn't even have to debate it. Type of inspiration that fuels you for an entire year!
Photo by Simon Dyjas
I didn't place this year, but I still consider that I won getting into the final round of judging. Says a lot about my progress, and gives me something to shoot for in the next competition (next year, my goal is to place!). After the judging took place, I asked the judges and artists to give me as much critique as possible. I was humbled and honored to have misterjustin, Mike Shanfer, John Stiening, Todd, Steve, Dave Taylor, and the amazingly friendly Roman Lappat all give critique. Roman even sat down at a table with me and went over the piece section by section. Such an incredible experience! Of special note was Mike, who gave me feedback last year at the palette, and helped influence some of the changes seen in this model!
Example of how modulating and shading can make various sections of the plane pop more. Here are the critiques of the model in no particular order.
Light Sources: Think of the composition as it stands in the display. Where is the light hitting it? How do the shadows fall?
Boost contrast: The light source is all similar across the model. It should be coming from above, so the left wing and left fuselage should be brighter (modulation would help here), helping to bright interest and focus to the model. Additional colors can help break up the monotone nature. Push it!
Weathering all over the place: Dial back the chips. Think about where the chips would form as the plane flies through the air. More chips in the wing edge, less chips as the air moves along the model. Use the chips to generate interest and point the focus to where you want the audience to look (pilot in this instance). Highlight or add interest to particular chips, to bring attention to certain areas.
More types of weathering: Not just chips and soot. How bout ruptured pistons? Leaking fuel? Use to create additional contrast.
Tell a story: Why are these chips here? What is it so battle damaged? Work in a story within the paint to add additional interest to the model (bullet holes, etc)
Focus!: Use all of the above to pull the eye exactly where you want it. Push the contrast, control the weathering, focus focus focus!
Tiny Picks: I had a fingerprint on the window. Oops!
Todd from Sincain40k was also a finalist in multiple categories! Congrats Todd!
Mike Schaefer took home best fantasy collection!
John took home 2nd place in speed airbrushing, best historical large, and best historical vehicle squad. (I think he also got 2nd in large sci fi).
Caleb Wissenback took home Best of Show, Best Large Sci Fi, and Favorite Vote!
More info on winners at NOVA Open's newsletter!
Light Sources: Think of the composition as it stands in the display. Where is the light hitting it? How do the shadows fall?
Boost contrast: The light source is all similar across the model. It should be coming from above, so the left wing and left fuselage should be brighter (modulation would help here), helping to bright interest and focus to the model. Additional colors can help break up the monotone nature. Push it!
Weathering all over the place: Dial back the chips. Think about where the chips would form as the plane flies through the air. More chips in the wing edge, less chips as the air moves along the model. Use the chips to generate interest and point the focus to where you want the audience to look (pilot in this instance). Highlight or add interest to particular chips, to bring attention to certain areas.
More types of weathering: Not just chips and soot. How bout ruptured pistons? Leaking fuel? Use to create additional contrast.
Tell a story: Why are these chips here? What is it so battle damaged? Work in a story within the paint to add additional interest to the model (bullet holes, etc)
Focus!: Use all of the above to pull the eye exactly where you want it. Push the contrast, control the weathering, focus focus focus!
Tiny Picks: I had a fingerprint on the window. Oops!
Todd from Sincain40k was also a finalist in multiple categories! Congrats Todd!
Mike Schaefer took home best fantasy collection!
John took home 2nd place in speed airbrushing, best historical large, and best historical vehicle squad. (I think he also got 2nd in large sci fi).
Caleb Wissenback took home Best of Show, Best Large Sci Fi, and Favorite Vote!
More info on winners at NOVA Open's newsletter!
As always, capital palette was a wonderful experience. Being able to talk to artists who inspire you, check out awesome classes (I had a class with Roman and Caleb and both were amazing!), and share in the excitement of having your work on display...you don't ever want to miss it. As always, if you have ANY interest in painting, get your stuff into competition. The rewards are endless.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and encouragement! It means the world to me, and has really pushed me over the past year. Lets see if I can get past the round 1 of judging at crystal brush next :). Thanks for reading and commenting everyone!
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