What would YOU like to see taught next year

[Doug Sundseth]

On 10/23/2017 at 9:51 AM, Dragoneye said:

Classes specifically for kids. Perhaps only an hour long each. With classes over the course of the con. As well as space reserved for kids when they aren't in class but their parents are. Not a daycare, just a place to land. If this was offered I'd  probably bring my kids.

 

Genghis Con and Tacticon in Denver used to have a place for kids. What made it work was that if you dropped your kids off, you were also committing to volunteering at Con Jr. and signed up for a slot at the same time.

 

26 minutes ago, Bold said:

I've been getting into creating terrain for tabletop wargames, and I think a class on this would be fantastic. Trees, static grass, water effects, etc.

 

There are a few challenges with such a class:

• TIme. A lot of the techniques require some drying time.
• Cost. A Reaper Bones mini for each class participant is a negligible expense, but materials for a terrain class may be cost-prohibitive.
• Mess. Building terrains is messy. Spray adhesives, flock boxes, static grass applicators... I'd hate to be in the classroom for the next slot following the terrain class.

 

You can do quite a bit with cardboard, scrap foam, and sand, which you can get for free if you spend a bit of time gathering up the better sort of trash. (Actual recycling!) You need to buy adhesives and possibly flock, but PVA in quantity is pretty cheap and a big container of flock isn't all that bad. But there is no way that you could do a topic like "terrain" justice in two hours any more than you could do a topic like "miniatures" justice in the same amount of time.

 

The answer to that last problem, of course, is multiple classes. Take smaller bites.

[Thes Hunter]

A class on various types of clear paints, and their uses on different methods and materials would be neat. 

[knarthex]

24 minutes ago, Thes Hunter said:

A class on various types of clear paints, and their uses on different methods and materials would be neat. 

In Jessica Rich's class on glazing, that was all we used....

[Dragoneye]

2 hours ago, GHarris said:

Huh. Ergonomics. I would actually be qualified to teach that! I had the "seriously, we need to go to Reapercon next year!" discussion with the wife and I think we are going to make it happen. You may need to remind me as the date comes closer, if there is still interest who knows?

 

As Mnemonic pointed out ergonomics would be hard to stretch out over 2 hours. Basically by the nature of what we are doing we are doing bad ergonomics, especially when painting. Look at pictures of people painting- basically don't do that! Problem is people steady themselves with their arms on the table, and lean in so they can see what they are doing, that is pretty hard to avoid. You can raise the table to a correct height, get good lighting and get corrective eyewear but people are still going to hunch over. 

 

I think I would talk more about reversing that bad posture, relieving pain and preventing nerve impingement. Taking breaks, doing scapular/shoulder/neck/chest exercises and stretches, being aware of posture in general. I would probably also touch on hand care, and preventing/treating carpal tunnel syndrome from the neck down to the hands. Maybe even throw in some medial or ulnar nerve glides? Maybe talk about text neck, which overlaps a lot with neck pain in what we do? 

 

 

good ideas!  but really... you can fill the remaining time with a drill sargent-like hands-on time. Have the students paint and walk around yelling at them. ;) I think that's what I need.

1 hour ago, knarthex said:

In Jessica Rich's class on glazing, that was all we used....

I then got to apply all that in Portaiture... it was illuminating. I highly recommend taking those two classes in that order. um, yeah, and I didn't use yellow again. :p

[Corporea]

this is helpful, guys!!!

I'm trying to decide for next year what to do.  I'm wondering if I could combine a paint consistency, brustrokes and ergonomics and fill up the time- something like a "how to get started painting" type of class. Except in all my classes I try to demo the paint consistency bit because it seems more important than anything else. 

 

I may drop the color theory class next year just because teaching 5 is a lot.

 

I know if you're looking for a how to paint for competition type lecture, then Rhonda's level up is a great class.

 

Please everyone- if you have feedback on classes, send it to reaper- they want to know and we want to know what we can do better and this also helps us plan what you guys need in the future!! yay!!

[Kuro Cleanbrush]

I also am happy to see this thread, and I wanted your opinions on which classes I should teach next year as well!

 

My blending class seems to always sell out (or even oversell!), so I'm willing to teach two slots next year if that would be helpful to everyone.  It is also a very fun class for me to teach, so I'm hoping that that will be a win-win.

 

My exotic NMM class also always does well, but, for next year, I was contemplating simply doing a basic NMM class.  However, NMM takes a while to teach, and so I wondered if a 4-hour "Everything You Need to Know About NMM" class would be more welcome.  My idea for that class would be to cover steel/silver and gold NMM over flat and rounded surfaces before diving into more advanced techniques like sky-earth NMM (chrome) and alternate highlighting methods.  Along the way, we would hopefully have some time to add some scratches and blood and practice each NMM color family hands-on.  Is that too much, or would anyone be interested?

[Chaoswolf]

16 hours ago, Mnemonic said:

I like the ergonomics suggestion, but think it may be tough to fill 2 hours. Maybe such a class can also cover ideas on how to organize a paint station, suggestions on what kit you need (segmented by general skill level), and other handy tools of the trade (covering various products, web tools/resources).

 

I also like the idea of a class devoted to special effects. Aryanun said it best:  simulated rain, drool, water puddles, Spanish Moss hanging from branches, rusted/corroded metal, acid puddles, blood spatter, using LEDs, fire/lava effects...  I do know that Michelle has a blood and gore class, so I'd eliminate that overlap.

 

Another idea is to offer a few more instances of the most popular classes if possible. Hopefully the data is available someplace, but if a class sold out 20 minutes after registration opened then that is what I'm targeting. I'm sure there are many that would appreciate the added flexibility of taking a highly desired class in 2 or 3 possible timeslots.

 

I especially like, and agree with,  that bolded part (emphasis mine).

[Crowley]

51 minutes ago, Kuro Cleanbrush said:

I also am happy to see this thread, and I wanted your opinions on which classes I should teach next year as well!

 

My blending class seems to always sell out (or even oversell!), so I'm willing to teach two slots next year if that would be helpful to everyone.  It is also a very fun class for me to teach, so I'm hoping that that will be a win-win.

 

My exotic NMM class also always does well, but, for next year, I was contemplating simply doing a basic NMM class.  However, NMM takes a while to teach, and so I wondered if a 4-hour "Everything You Need to Know About NMM" class would be more welcome.  My idea for that class would be to cover steel/silver and gold NMM over flat and rounded surfaces before diving into more advanced techniques like sky-earth NMM (chrome) and alternate highlighting methods.  Along the way, we would hopefully have some time to add some scratches and blood and practice each NMM color family hands-on.  Is that too much, or would anyone be interested?

Interested!!

[Crowley]

I've been thinking about a terrain class, and what might be fun to see. And while flocked hills are insanely easy (and messy), I think that something more like a Generic Ruined Stone Structure might be the best option. 

 

Doesn't have to be big, maybe something 3" wide, 5" long, and 2-3" tall. Foam core walls, MDF base, and coffee stirrer floor. Sand/Flock/Snow could be discussed, but not done in class. 

 

Class would include 2 main parts: building the structure, and discussing terrain projects more generally.

 

Corner Ruin of a stone building, with a shattered upper floor just big enough for 1 or 2 minis to stand on. 

scribing the stonework or bricks onto the outside of the building, 

Building the basic structure:

carving chunks out to make doors, windows, and other holes in wall. 

Making the upper floor, and maybe a ladder. 

Bit of detail work like adding a broken door, or piles of rubble in the corner.

 

Topics to be covered beyond simply building the structure:

Scaling things correctly.

Measure twice, cut once!!! 

A focus on playability of the piece. 

Different glues and their uses and issues (hot, super, white/craft), 

paints (use the cheap stuff!!)

Other materials and their pros and cons - insulation (pink/blue) foam, cardboard, paper, etc. 

Edited October 25, 2017 by Crowley
Spelling

[Guest]

If I were somehow able to make it to ReaperCon, my top class picks, in order, would be:

 

1) Painting with Oils/Tube Acrylics

2) Painting with Pastels/Dry Pigments

3) Shaded Metallics

4) Special Effects in Basing

5) Hands-On Sculpting Basics for Beginners

6) Monochrome Painting

7) Painting Freehand

8) Painting Bright Colors - using those really bright colors like magenta and bright yellow and neon green to achieve really awesome color combos like:

[Dragoneye]

3 hours ago, Kuro Cleanbrush said:

I also am happy to see this thread, and I wanted your opinions on which classes I should teach next year as well!

 

My blending class seems to always sell out (or even oversell!), so I'm willing to teach two slots next year if that would be helpful to everyone.  It is also a very fun class for me to teach, so I'm hoping that that will be a win-win.

 

My exotic NMM class also always does well, but, for next year, I was contemplating simply doing a basic NMM class.  However, NMM takes a while to teach, and so I wondered if a 4-hour "Everything You Need to Know About NMM" class would be more welcome.  My idea for that class would be to cover steel/silver and gold NMM over flat and rounded surfaces before diving into more advanced techniques like sky-earth NMM (chrome) and alternate highlighting methods.  Along the way, we would hopefully have some time to add some scratches and blood and practice each NMM color family hands-on.  Is that too much, or would anyone be interested?

Yeah, I like the idea of 4 hours on NMM. Some ideas just take way longer to teach/learn.

[The Operative 1]

I appreciated the 'paint and take' and the 'speed painting' areas as a gateway for people like me who had no intentions of taking a class. I came for the RPG gaming with my friends who were interested in painting, but by the end of the con, the guys who just came to game were wishing they'd have taken classes, me included! Can't wait to take classes next time and hear from all the experienced teachers.

[TripleH]

5 hours ago, Corporea said:

I may drop the color theory class next year just because teaching 5 is a lot.

As a beginner, I wish I had taken this class. I understand that 5 would be a lot to teach, so if you do drop it, I hope someone else picks it up. Btw, I really enjoyed & got a lot out of your layering class.

[Doug Sundseth]

6 hours ago, Kuro Cleanbrush said:

My blending class seems to always sell out (or even oversell!), so I'm willing to teach two slots next year if that would be helpful to everyone.  It is also a very fun class for me to teach, so I'm hoping that that will be a win-win.

 

It was extremely useful and very well taught. Highly recommended, along with Rhonda's blending with textures class for leveling up your blending.

 

6 hours ago, Kuro Cleanbrush said:

My exotic NMM class also always does well, but, for next year, I was contemplating simply doing a basic NMM class.  However, NMM takes a while to teach, and so I wondered if a 4-hour "Everything You Need to Know About NMM" class would be more welcome.  My idea for that class would be to cover steel/silver and gold NMM over flat and rounded surfaces before diving into more advanced techniques like sky-earth NMM (chrome) and alternate highlighting methods.  Along the way, we would hopefully have some time to add some scratches and blood and practice each NMM color family hands-on.  Is that too much, or would anyone be interested?

 

I'm interested in most 4-hour classes. I find that many subjects are better taught and practiced in that kind of time frame. It also has the advantage that you know that the students took the first two hours worth of NMM before trying out Sky-Earth. 

[hungerfan]

7 hours ago, Corporea said:

I may drop the color theory class next year just because teaching 5 is a lot.

 

You are making me wish I took that class this year.  I did enjoy the Difficult Colors class and need to practice what I learned since I did not get a chance to finish the yellows before time was up.