Cerridwyn1st

Really nice, VV. I laughed when I saw the logo on the back of the guitar.

Thanks, Matt. It doesn't have to be a blister. A little plastic baggie in my next order would do fine, as long as there is a code somewhere to order them.

I remember you. Heck, I remember you when you were BAD. It was cool to see your Sorceress in person at Gen Con. Keep trying, and I hope to see you with one of those funky little statues soon. Being known isn't everything. A lot of people know me, but they don't necessarily respect my painting...

Can't say I agree about the chain mail. I like the way that the shadows get more recessed around the shoulder strap, as if it is pressing the mail against his body and creating a shadow. A wash and a little more pop is a good idea, but there is still some good stuff with what he's done. On the animal pelt, I'd have to agree. On the outer edges of the pelt, where it would be the belly of the animal, he could paint off-white and shade towards the center. Have the center be darker, like the dark fur that runs along the spine of an animal like a wolf.

Hey, don't get catty! Not everyone is the same, you know, and you won't help your cause by antagonizing people who have nothing against you. Nice model, especially the chail mail. The axe-head is interesting. Are you intending it to look like napped bone or flint? You made very effective use of the snow on the base, by putting it in spots rather than spreading it all over the base. In your CMON comments you noted it is hard to get the reds matte after you paint. Reds are pretty bad for getting the shines when you layer them. There are two things that will help this. One is to add matte medium or matte varnish (Vallejo or Reaper would be good) to your paint. The other is to use a paint-on matte sealer. I believe the liquid Dull Cote is intened more for airbrush, so it may not do what you want. Micro Flat from the same people who make the decal setting solution might work better for you. Thin it a bit first. DON'T use this product in your paint.

I hope that's not happening, it would be a low blow and beneith the dignity of people on this board (I hope, anyway). You have some very nice work.

I wouldn't throw it over a wall and start over. She looks very nice. It is hard to highlight black or dark gray. I think that what I was commenting about with the belly is part of the sculpt, not your painting. It looks smoother now, in fact. I like the detailing you've got on the closure at the top of the bodice.

She's very cute, LC. Stub, maybe your problem with the dots on the wings is that they are kind of oblong, not round.

Just to be clear...the soluable heavy metals and solvents - if present - WILL soak through your skin. I have seen that lead to localized skin lesions and other unpleasantries. Well, fortunately, it isn't something I do often. I did tell students in a class one time, "If you leave here and your paper towel is clean, I haven't done my job." That got some laughs, but it emphasized that you need to blot your brush when painting, and that's what the paper towel is for.

Eh, just a thought. You could always go to Atlanta to check things out and then enter in Baltimore. Or enter in Atlanta and if you don't place, then get some critique, spiff up your entry, and enter again in Baltimore. Wouldn't be the first time that's been done.

Well, guys, cut Rigged4Mini a little slack, too. Take a look at the models he has posted on CoolMiniOrNot. He hasn't been painting long, but he has improved dramatically in that time. He seems genuinely passionate about painting and is working hard at getting better. Yes, his critique may seem a bit severe, but remember what he's used to. Critiques on CMON are usually not a "gentle" as we're used to here on Reaper. So give him the benefit of the doubt with his posting, just as you would do for Spike's painting. Rigged, if you feel inclined to give honest critique, check out my WIPs.

The fluff is half the fun. You should go hang out when the Fan Boys are playing and listen to them talk about the back stories. It's obvious very quickly that the story is as big a part of the draw as the game itself. My favorites are the Sisters of Battle. Since their Codex tends to get revised JUST BEFORE they come out with a new update for the core rules, it will probably be a while before the Sisters are "hot". I still love to paint them, even if I'm unlikely to win jack in the process. I might even get enough of them painted someday to play the things. Here's my advice: you know tons of GD winners. Show them your work as you progress and ask for comments. You might want to attend GD Atlanta. It is a fairly small show. It is also pretty much the first show of the year for the Games Day season, so you'd get a chance to see some stuff up-close and personal. It is much closer than say, Chicago or Baltamore.

I didn't say it had nothing to do with pushing yourself to excel. The competition for a Golden Demon is fierce. It takes a lot of work to win. Not just excellent paint, but research and execution count a lot too. If you want a competition where Paint is All, go to Gen Con. There, they don't care if you paint something that's been out of print for twenty years, as long as it looks awesome. A Ral Partha dragon placed in the Dragon awards. I think it was second or third. You might not win a manufacturer award with older models, but if your goal is to win, find something you like and paint it better than anyone else. With the Golden Demons, you have to research what's "hot", do some spiffy conversions that go along with the fluff, and THEN paint it better than anyone else. That, and hope there isn't some "Golden Child" they want to give a sword to. I swear, GD Atlanta this year, Angela Imry was robbed...

Old white t-shirts (cut to washcloth size) and the side of my pallet. Also stroking against my hand. Sometimes sponges, papertowels, or napkins if that's what I have handy. Might try the coffee filters, though. I've got a big pack of them that I don't use, since I have a reusable filter for my coffee pot and don't make much coffee anyway.

I've got to echo this as well. Why spend gobs of time painting something you aren't really in to. How many "name" painters do you know that have never won a Golden Demon? How many "name" painters do you know that have several? It's a stepping-stone to being a well-known painter, cheesy as it sounds. Yes, Mengu, I know you've made your reputation on Reaper and Privateer (I saw your entries in PP's Gen Con contest.) Very few well-known painters have followed that route. On the other hand, the list of painters that HAVE one or more Demons includes Jen Haley, Anne Foester, Sue W., Lilianna Troy, Jeff Wilhelm, Victoria Lamb, etc. Some of the landmark models in Miniature Painting have been Golden Demon entries. Think Victoria's Sister attacking a robot or her "Rescue of St. Joan".

Amen. I like the musculature on the arms. What will you do for the hair?

Just my $0.02 worth, I think having pre-paints available alongside metal figs is a great idea. Even though I paint and I'm rather good at it, I don't know that I'd like to paint every figure for a D&D campaign. Trying to get D&D minis to fill the void is a joke, with their "random package" structure. You can use bare metal minis, but it can get difficult to sort out who is who on a large encounter. With access to both DHL and LE, you can get "standard monsters" that you can pop out of the package and play and still do "custom" heros and characters. A nice mix of both, if you ask me. On the down side, it looks like I'll never sell another Troll on e-bay...

I've been wondering if Reaper could make dropper tips for the RMS bottles available. Put them in packs of ten, for example. Sometimes a dropper gets clogged or broken and it would be SO much easer to replace it than try to clean it out.

Ecch. I wonder how much Green Stuff someone would have to chew (and suffer any effects thereof) before it would actually seem like a good idea to chew Green Stuff? I recently switched to Werner Klocke's practice of using a moistened sponge (blisterpack foam) rather than licking my sculpting tools, but that was more because I wanted to use a sharp blade for tiny details without the risk of slicing my tongue. Maybe we should all wear muzzles when we sculpt and paint, to avoid any temptation of putting our art-materials in our mouths. (closed-mouth smiley) Derek I don't know. Other than surgical masks, the only "muzzle" for humans that comes to mind would be really wierd. Someone might get entirely the wrong idea about you if they walked in while you were sculpting or painting. Speaking of lubricating your tools... I've been using lip balm lately. I started using it to lubricate drill bits and then used it on my sculpting tools as well. Of course, there's something else I've used for my sculpting tools - "personal lubricant." The really thin stuff, not the gel type. Human saliva is more viscous than water, so the lubricant would be closer in consistency than water. It is water based so it doesn't leave a petroleum coating on your sculpting putty like vasoline or lip balm. Like I said, I've used it before and it seemed to work pretty well. I think I'd repackage it in a dropper bottle if I decided to start using it again. Imagine the looks I'd get when I opened my tool box if I didn't.

Painting itty-bitty details is what Russian Weasle Butt-fur is for.

It could also be my monitor. It looks like there is a line from the bottom of the vest to the top of the pants that would be to the left of her belly button (her left, not mine). Doesn't look like there is enough transition between shadow and highlight on the highlight in the center of her belly.

Helltown: I think this is a very nice mini. You sholdn't be concerned about how this will look with the Elf Lord I'm working on. She'll be fine. I use the method above with cutting foam to fit the mini. I wrap that in bubblewrap and ship in a 200 ct. card box. Haven't had any broken minis yet. Mel

Even with a large supply of paint, I find there are colors I don't really use. Hence the liquidation of my RPP and VGC paints about a year ago. Do you use 1200 colors?

Awesome! LOL, I have a bad paint habit - complete set of RMS, complete set of VMC, core 97 VGC, complete GW, complete P3P, etc. Like I said, bad paint habit Needless to say And I thought I had a paint habit. Full RMS, lots of VMC but not all by a long shot, liquidated VGC (wasn't using it), no P3P yet.

I don't like storing dropper bottles upside down. The paint drips into the cap and gets messy. I prefer to store my bottles right-side up. I have two Paint Tier 80's and one 40. I'm thinking I need to replace the 40 with another 80. I like the PT's as I keep my bottles in numerical order. If I want something, I just give the PT a spin and it's right there. The Paint Rack looks cool, but I'd probably want a smaller one to house my "working paints" and use the paintiers for main storage. The same would go for the home-made rack.