Looking for some feedback on my figures

[Tinweasel]

I was wondering if you guys could comment on my recently posted figure - it\'s kinda discouraging scoring given the work I\'ve put in with weathering, lighting effects, object light sourcing and everything - I\'m wondering if there\'s something blatant I\'m missing out on that minis I think are really good and are generally well received in real life and elsewhere end up scoring in the \"somewhat better than TT\" range here.

http://www.coolminiornot.com/157040


So far as the rest of my gallery - http://www.coolminiornot.com/browse/submitter/Tinweasel
- does anyone have any suggestions on what folks look for in terms of scoring? It seems the ones I put the most work into in terms of conversion, painting, and effort - even ones I\'ve painted up for competitions, those are the ones that end up scoring the lowest. My SM Chaplain converted into a Dark Apostle, my old-school Commissar Yarrick figure, even the custom chapter Librarian I painted on commission - I\'d expect that they\'d all score higher than what they have and I\'m wondering if it\'s something you guys could help me narrow down in terms of improving my painting and/or photography.

Thanks!

My highest score for a figure is an 8.1 and I think that\'s only because I used actual rust in painting up a Cryx Deathripper - I\'m thinking it got a higher score for the novelty value.

Feedback would be appreciated, as it\'s rather frustrating...

 

[MathewBaich]

your photography is fine. very clear and focused. What I think you might consider is conveying a sense of balance of color with your figures. Your deathripper is nicely balanced becuase the bone color is broken up and the rust around the bone areas helps the eye move across the piece and also, the swamp water near the mouth where there\'s not much to see gives it a good balance as well, I hope that helps:beer:

 

[Rigged4Mini]

The base is super boring and that is a sin to some people.

 

[darthfoley]

In the case of the Necrons, I\'d agree that the basing, while adequate for \'play\', needs more oomph to push beyond that level. There\'s also the fact that Necrons in general are kinda boring. That said, you have an interesting take on them. I\'d think some better variance between your shades and highlights would help improve your scores on them and most of your figures in general.

In particular, the apostle that you mentioned seems to be a little too muted for what seems to be the \'usual\' in a higher scoring mini - the spikes look somewhat uniform, the bulging flesh areas aren\'t clear enough (by that I mean I would not have known that\'s what you were trying to achieve if you hadn\'t said so).

You\'ve got a very clean style, your lines seem clear and defined. I think it\'s mainly a matter of pushing your technique a bit farther and going bolder on colors. I heard a quote once that was attributed to Jen Haley - \'Take the highlight up as high as you think it should go, then take it at least one step farther\'. That seems to be a predominant outlook among the mini community.

 

[Bill]

Well, I\'ve always been a fan Voted and commented on those Necrons. Why haven\'t you submitted your Orcus? He is amazing!

 

[funnymouth]

yeah, that thumbnail looks awesome. great work though, very clean. i cant break 8, so dont feel bad, your quite good. id suggest some different model selection, many of the figs youve painted will have a hard time breaking an 8.

 

[Tinweasel]

Well, I\'ve always been a fan Voted and commented on those Necrons. Why haven\'t you submitted your Orcus? He is amazing!

I appreciate the vote of confidence. I haven\'t finished Orcus because I put him on hold for painting a few figures for the local GW Hobby Center painting competitions. The final revised version of my Genestealer Patriarch and a full Vior\'la Fire Warrior squad are stil sitting in the showcase at the shop.

You\'ve got a very clean style, your lines seem clear and defined. I think it\'s mainly a matter of pushing your technique a bit farther and going bolder on colors. I heard a quote once that was attributed to Jen Haley - \'Take the highlight up as high as you think it should go, then take it at least one step farther\'. That seems to be a predominant outlook among the mini community.

As to painting in general, I\'ve been trying to bump up my highlighting a notch. I work under a fluorescent daylight lamp and I\'ve noticed that what looks appropriate to me loses a little \"something\" in transition. I probably could go a step higher on the edges of my Necrons, whereas the shading on \'em is as dark a brown as I\'ve got. They\'re really meant for my TT army, but the figures I posted I went whole hog on (aside from basing) and I was/am just surprised by the low scoring (not just of the Necrons) but a lot of my stuff overall that I (and others) thought was really well done elsewhere and seems kinda \'meh\' when taken over here. So far as style goes, I\'ve never been a fan of \"painterly,\" which in my mind equals sloppy. I\'d rather paint clean and then weather the living crap out of it, just like in real life...

Of course, if we\'re on a progressive ranking scale, then I\'m nowhere near the level of artistic effort on a single figure like most of the usual 9.5+ scorers - I know this. I\'m just kinda surprised most of my stuff hovers in the mid-6\'s - mid-7\'s when 8 is considered a \"great job,\" that\'s all... kinda a blow to the ego and all when I\'ve got folks telling me I\'m a great painter. I don\'t think I\'m a great painter necessarily, but I don\'t think I\'m a horrible one either!

Yeah, unfortunately, most of the pieces I own are either mass produced and posted here or so old that people think the sculptings suck (Patriarch being one of those) despite 8+ layers of color for some of my pieces and contrast ranging for black+color upwards to white+color. You think there\'d be a difference if I started posting stuff like the original 2\" tall GW Eldar Avatar from \'90 and things like that? With me having stepped away from painting for so long, most of my figures are way old...


Maybe I can outright break an 8 when I finish my Orcus? Heh.

 

[Bengoodall]

For me the problem is with the green plastic tube of the gun barrel, youve done a wicked job on the osl on the rest of the model, and left that bit in that horrid normal green crap.

Paint the green thing in osl the same, and it goes up another point in my book.

 

[Ogrebane]

Couldnt stay away from red and green eh?? Nice job nevertheless. Ddi the votet hing. I think the bases could do with some work as well.

 

[darthfoley]

I think the Orcus is looking very sweet, *but* I\'d add a caveat that older sculpts tend to score lower here than newer ones. It\'s not always the case, and your paintjob will certainly help, but not being a GW or Rackham piece may ding you a bit.

Just sayin\' so if it does happen at least it won\'t broadside ya.

 

[TimotL]

I agree that the bases need work. Display models should be viewed as a whole, the bases here look like an afterthought. Also, the Necron has no drama. The pose is static. I know it\'s a necron, but they are plastic and can be easily repositioned. Viewing your portfolio, it\'s obvious you\'ve become better over the time you\'ve been posting. Keep at it!

 

[Severatus]

Bugger the bases!!! They look fiine.

Really, unless your Banshee or some other very well known painter who sells minis for a ton of dough to collectors who place them gently in Curio Cabinets with white gloves & UV free lights, I dont see the problem.

People see the best painters do these Grand bases and now every FREAKING mini has to be standing on a Monolith.

Im gonna enter a Snotling or a Goblin mounted on a 3ft long /2ft high Block of wood/stump/Rock/Pipe ( dripping something of course in the Golden Demon this year.

If this basing trend continues pretty soon people will be selling ready made - cast bases........oh thas right, they already are!

They Cast rocks/rubble/limbs/skulls/apples/turds/soda cans on round bases and sell them to people who like to Stand Heads above others on the battlefield.

Geeeeezzzze...... How would you ever find hard cover?

Check my critique on your Necron post for further important information.

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

I think the scores your getting for most of your work is fair and accurate. Most of the Tau and Necrons you have posted are what I would consider clean above average table top. They arent asward winners.. but they are good solid figures and nothing to be asahamed of. You even quote in your descriptions that most are \"Quick and clean paint jobs\"

The Deathripper, the figure that got you over the 8.0 mark is your best work. You spent more time with painting effects, you spent more time on your base work..you spent more time on it over all. This is what your going to need to do to get higher scores if that is what your looking for. To break the 8.0-8.5 level for a figure you are going to have to start putting a considerable amount of time into your work. In other words your going to need to earn your scores. Many of your miniatures scoreing above a 9.0 have 30-40 or in most cases more hours time put into them.

 

[Manus]

don\'t think you should be disapointedsee you have a lot of scores between 7 and 8. Think those scores are pretty fair, and when 10 is our highest rating around 8 is not bad. I like your work, but still to achieve rating of 8+ the stuff really needs to be something special - and I don\'t say this to talk your stuff down, hope you understand what you mean. Personally I\'m happy if I get close to 7. I agree that some times you get surpriced about your rating, things in wich you put a lot of time score lower than expected, but sometimes it\'s the other way around as well.
As for you necron I quite like it, what would take even higher in rating imo would be as allready suggested a better/more interesting base and a bit more highlight. I really like all the green light yuo have on them that raised the rating for me.