My Reapercon Contest entry

[Enchantra]

This was my entry into the Painting competition at Reapercon.

 

I spent about 48 hours on it, not counting most of the basework. I must have redone the eyes some ten times before I even had them looking halfway decent, though still far from good.

 

Painted in mostly MSP's, ProPaint, and some Tube paints. Craft paint used a bit on the base.

 

The rock on the base is mica schist.

 

The tree is a twisted wire tree that I tried to give a realistic appearance to.

 

Image is linked due to huge files. If you are on dial up, this may load slow. Some pictures are slightly blurry, as my sister took the pics. The digital camera I now have cannot be used until I can get together the parts to actually be able to upload images into my computer from it. Turns out my computer is so old it doesn't have a USB port.

 

http://www.ryksyll.com/~enchantra/contestEntry.html

[LordColdsteal]

That is a beautiful piece! wonderful work. your base is fantastic!

[Vikinglodge]

Nice work I love the base and the freehand to go with the base very nice idea

[Jabberwocky]

Very nice base! I really like the freehand on her robes as well.

[paleskin]

Cool base

[awong]

I agree with the others, the base and freehand are excellent. Reminds me of those Bonsai Tree set-ups, the ones that have a rock, a beautifully tended tree and a figure or clay environment.

Beautiful!

Thanks

AWhang

[Enchantra]

I agree with the others, the base and freehand are excellent. Reminds me of those Bonsai Tree set-ups, the ones that have a rock, a beautifully tended tree and a figure or clay environment.

Beautiful!

Thanks

AWhang

 

It's funny you should say that as bonsai is one of my hobbies as noted by the 25 small trees on my back deck. I also make the wire bonsai trees too. I was going for a very naturalistic bonsai tree look when I made it. Thanks for noticing!

 

I wanted a tree that would compliment a small miniature and give the effect of an environment where one would find large birds and scrub brush along with rock. I think I did a good job trying to grasp that effect.

 

I'm not pleased with her face but with the bird right there it created a situation where I was painting at an angle, which has never been a strong point of mine.

 

On the Reaper Chat I was asked if I had received any comments or feedback on this piece from the judges. I didn't, as I just grabbed my piece and ran off to do other things at the con. Asking for feedback was the farthest thing from my mind at that point in time.

[Vicky]

It's even prettier in person! Beautiful entry!

[Enchantra]

It's even prettier in person! Beautiful entry!

 

Thanks. That's right you did get to see it close up. It's been a wierd day, I almost forgot some of the people who had seen this.

 

I'm already picking out my minis to enter for next year.

[mousekiller]

Really awesome work. My one and only complaint would be her face, she looks very ceramic (which may have been what you were going for) and her eyes look unnatural (again you may have been going for this).

 

The diorama is beautifully done.

 

Great work

MK

[fieldarchy]

The diorama does look very nice but the figure is not your best work. Painting at an angle is hard but patience is a virtue. I would try to paint this figure again and just spend as much time as you need on it until you get her looking exactly the way you want her.

[Enchantra]

Let me preface this with the fact that it is horridly late for me at this point and I have to be up in roughly five and a half hours so the neural synapses are not exactly firing all that well and the cerebral cortex has basically gone to bed for the night already - several hours ago. So if this post sounds b*tchy, rude, spiteful, crass, nasty, or wholly unintelligible, it wasn't meant to be that way so forgive me please. If I had ten more hours of sleep under my belt it would probably come across quite differently. I'm going to type as fast as I can because I really need to get to bed.

 

I spent two weeks and ten tries on the face/eyes to try to get it even looking passably decent. After that I seriously didn't want to see the face anymore. The face of the sculpt was partly squished, the angle was a bit weird trying to get around the bird (Which personally should have been cast as a separate piece). After that much time I believe I exercised quite enough patience on it. I spent a total of two months of my freetime painting this one. 48 hours, maybe another 6 on the base.

 

Am I happy with those eyes, and the face? Nope. But that was the best I could get them in the time I had. I found myself applying the last coat of dullcote a few hours before I packed it into my suitcase the night before I flew off to the con, as it was getting down to the wire. If I ever wanted to pick up this sculpt again and paint it - which at this point is a flat out NO, I'd probably hack off her right hand and the bird and find a way to reattach them after painting the face.

 

The porcelain look to the face is a product of the lighting my sister used to take the photo and her camera skills. She does a lot better than I do taking pictures. If I took the picture you wouldn't be able to see the mini.

 

This was only the second time I have ever done layering on cloth. The first time I've ever painted up Celtic knots - even simple ones. Since it was a competition, I had to up the criteria. Normally the minis I post are mostly base coats with shading cakes, washes, drybrushing, and selected layered highlights - even on the larger pieces so many people have enjoyed. I decided to challenge myself to do layering on a larger scale and to use layering for shading and highlighting both. So actually this is better than some of what I have done before simply because I challenged myself to go that extra level up and do something new, and to try to improve my work. Which to me is the whole point of a competition - to challenge yourself to try new things and improve your work - not to win or show you are better than someone else - but to show that you can do something new for you and try to better your skills.

 

Alright, I now must go for I have a date with my bed. It is calling to me in hushed tones...

 

EDIT: I woke up this morning and edited this to make it sound a lot less b*tchy, since that wasn't my intent.

Edited June 9, 2006 by Enchantra

[Mr.Wizard]

Good gods, what a stupefyingly beautiful work! The twisted wire approach really worked for you; that is the best tree I have seen in many an age. Well done!

[Mourningcloud]

 

I spent two weeks and ten tries on the face/eyes to try to get it even looking passably decent. After that I seriously didn't want to see the face anymore. The face of the sculpt was partly squished, the angle was a bit weird trying to get around the bird (Which personally should have been cast as a separate piece). After that much time I believe I exercised quite enough patience on it. I spent a total of two months of my freetime painting this one. 48 hours, maybe another 6 on the base.

 

Am I happy with those eyes, and the face? Nope. If I ever wanted to pick up this sculpt again and paint it - which at this point is a flat out NO, I'd probably hack off her right hand and the bird and find a way to reattach them after painting the face.

 

 

 

 

 

Enchantra, you know you would not have some of these problems if you painted a mini that was not an old Garrity. I know more tha a few professionals, and by professionals I mean, if not quite Jen's/Anne's/Marike's level, they do sell minis on ebay as well as commissions for around 40-80 bucks each-(not the "pro painted" crap) with many repeat customers, and have quite a bit of skill, who will not touch a garrity mini. The best paint job in the world will still be limited on a mini with a tiny face (the SAME tiny face, over and over again) and a two dimensional pose reminiscent of a 1980's grenadier mini (the ones that always have one arm holding a sword up in the air).

 

I could be wrong, but I seem to remember you saying, in a discussion thread several years ago about which sculptors were our favorites, that you preferred Sandra's minis. I Also seem to recall that quite a few of the reaper minis you post are Garrity's. The one shown here is number 2344. Her newer minis are much better, but the older ones have that sameness and lack of dynamism in the pose that keeps the better painters away from them. Not to slam her; she sculpts far better than I ever could, but you might consider trying a Klocke or a quirky Bobby Jackson (my personal favorite) next time. Or at least try one of her newer minis; I would say stay away from ANYTHING in the 2000 through 2300 series, period, if it is going to be for a contest.

 

Your painted work will only be as good as the "canvas" it is painted on, and those minis are just not as dynamic or well sculpted as the newer ones. They are certainly not worthy of the excellent basing you do.

 

Also trying to not sound rude,

 

Gary

[Tenebrien]

I think your painting is wonderful. Look at that base! It sets a great scene for the miniature that makes the miniature far greater than it could be by itself. I personally really like the symbol pattern around the base.

 

As for the eyes, there is no reason to be hard on yourself. I believe I've read other posts of yours expressing concern about eyes. Here are a few tips to try that I've figured out for myself concerning eyes. Now these tips may not be necessary for a seasoned professional with a hand that's rock-steady, but I am not a professional and as steady as my hand is, it needs a little help with the eyes. Here's my little guide to eyes for those who get frustrated with eyes:

1. I always have my mini attached to a square post with sticky tack or pinned or otherwise. This is typical stuff as I'm sure you're aware... I don't have to touch the mini this way and I can do the next step-

2. I have a telescoping vice "thingy " (I don't know what it's really called.. I think I bought it at Home Depot for $20) that's really heavy and solid and can attach firmly to my glass desk (it happens to have a handy suction-cup foot). I clamp my mini's holding post into it, and place my overhead painting lamp directly above it. Voila! Now the mini is being held 100% firmly in a much more reliable position than my left hand.

3. I wear a magnifying headset when I paint... I look CRAAZZZY, but I wouldn't dream of painting without it, especially details like eyes.

4. There are better guides on how to actually "paint" the eyes, what colors to use, etc... and I know you've read them, so I don't need to touch on that stuff. But, basically, after the eyes have been lined with whatever color and the whites have been painted, I take my smallest Kolinsky sable brush and paint a filled circle of color for the iris. I make sure that I'm breathing out when the tip of the brush meets the white of the eye and I'll even brace my thumb up against the miniature (if I must brace my thumb against a painted part, I make sure it's been sealed... this is ALWAYS the case for me since I currently paint my eyeballs last... right after the miniature has been sealed). With my thumb braced against the miniature, I can use it to lean my brush against as an additional support and guide. Sometimes I must make a couple of attempts before I allow my brush to actually touch the eye with paint... if I am not 100% calm, I back out and try again, or shake out my arms, reseat myself, practice breathing, or whatever it takes to get rid of the shakes.

5. The iris has been painted. Let it dry. Then I go back and paint the pupil with an 005 Black Micron Pigma pen. Again, using my thumb as a brace and guide if needed. Let it dry.

6. Now the really fun part, the white reflection. This is done the same as step number 4, but making absolutely sure your brush has a NEEDLE point, while actually carrying some paint. I personally dip the very tip of the brush in the white or linen-white paint and then careful dab the sides of it on my thumbnail so as to unload the brush somewhat (my thumbnail contrasts the white, unlike my paper towel, and makes a more-than-large-enough palette when viewed with a magnifying headset... this way I can tell EXACTLY how much paint is on my brush). I then paint as per step 4, but it's absolutely critical to breath correctly, use my thumb as a guide for my brush, and never let the brush touch the figure if it doesn't absolutely feel right. It's worth spending the extra time to be painstakingly accurate here, because there's no going back without making a great deal of hassle if you put the white reflection in the wrong place, make it too big, etc. I don't know if it can actually be made too small... I've tried using needle tips to make a smaller dot but they just don't hold paint... but I digress.

7. Now your eye should be be finished and look great. Seal it. I often use Testor's Brush-On GlossCote for the eye, but Brush-On DullCote also looks great or might be more appropriate in some situations. I'm sure you can use your own judgement here.

 

I hope my method helps you. As you can tell, I make my eyes fairly complex, and you can hardly even see the iris color afterwards because everything is sooooo tiny... but people can tell it's there. You can especially tell if you just skip the iris and go straight to a dark pupil. It doesn't look bad by any means... it just doesn't look AS good, in my opinion. Good luck!