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thanks alot james!

much appreciated

Cheers james, its good that the scoring is moving on abit.

plus cant wait to hear your comments, anything that can help im sure would be greatly recieved

THESE COMMENTS ARE IN RANDOM ORDER - I WILL RANK ENTRIES LATER TODAY TO DECLARE WINNERS


Single Model Category:
Levitas' Captain – Great contrast, smooth looking paint – very impressive and perhaps the best use of that head with the strange hair that I have seen yet.

Jaspercation's Librarian – Looks real good from what I can see – unfortunately I cant see much – the photo is very blurry. Too bad That being said I would happily give some constructive c&c if you put up some clearer shots. I can say that this is a well chosen mini for any competition as it is dynamic, detailed and has lots of character - one of the best GW has ever made IMHO. From what I can see your contrast zones look good, the focal point is clear and the basing is characterful. The one pic that was pretty clear is the back and from that I will give a bit of C&C - the greens on the staff look cool and the golds look nice and rich. What you should work on is making your edge highlighting more crisp and clean - I point to Levitas' dreadnaught as a good example of this. If you do not have the brush controll to make these then you ought to work on cleaning them up with thin black afterwards instead. Many painters make the best edges they can and then also go back and clean up to tighten lines. Looks like a lot of work went into this one and im sure it is a very satisfying model to have completed.

Vuel's Chaplain - I think if you read the comments I post about your Assault squad you will see that the opposite is kind of happening here. While the basing is lovely therre seems to be too much going on and not enough controll in the paint techniques on this piece. The yellow eyes do work well for drawing attention to the face but the focal point has undoubatably become the crozius as it is the only clean solid colour area on the whole model. While im sure he stands out among your forces he is far to busy a model to have this much busy paint applied as well.

Fhadhq's Shrike – Pics are a bit blurry but I can see it well enough to give some critique First - for a competition I would suggest that you paint your base - even if it is just covered in sand and painted balck to maintain your darkness look - something is needed - cover the slotta tab. Without this step I could never award a model a prize as it is very much unfinished. Aside from that I think using green in the eyes makes for an effective contrast and the cables seem well done. I would suggest that your white looks a little rough in these pics meaning that you should consider a) using thinner paint and b) choose a more effective base colour to work up from to reduce the number of thick opaque layers required. That having been said I do realise this is an enormously magnified pic and that this model probably looks great on the table - but as a competition judge I do still take all this into consideration and hope that my comments can help you move towards future wins

Aegis – alpharius omegon – Single miniature - im not sure where to put these but in the spirit of the legion I will consider them here - Both are nicely handled conversions and I REALLY like the use of the CSM Sorcerer/termilord legs on the one on the right, The details are real nice and I like the inclusion of the grenades/packs on the chest – looks like they really belong there and breaks up the figure nicely. The mastercrafted guns are very cool and I would be lying if I said I didn’t like the scale pattern you have used (being much like the ones on my own alpharius model). My only criticism/growth step for you is to work on your skin tones because they really aren’t up to the level of the rest of your model(s)

WarpWhisperer’s Oblit/Renegade TM – GREAT – original concept, very interesting interpretation, conversions fit together well and look appropriate (that’s not easy when mounting a lascannon of that size!) interesting scale pattern, red head gives the modela solid focal point and the contrast it needed. Very neat model. I like this one a lot.

Arkos the faithless – AL Lord – I like the use of part and the overall pose of the model – good expressive face. Your metals look a little lumpy especially along the blade.(old paint?) Consider thinning it more and building up in layers or switch to a consistantly smoother metallic paint (a newer pot of GW or some Reaper master series perhaps?) The greens by contrast look really smooth and well handled.



Squad Category:
Earthen's Vanguard Squad – I wish there were closer pics so that I could better see the painting here – from what I can see – looks very nice but part of competitions such as this is that the judges really need to be able to see the models and the paintjobs clearly. I cant judge this based on any other means so by my choice this will not be a first place entry though I believe it could certainly have been in the running. Id also like to add that these are really great models to choose for a competition - much like Jaspercation's Librarian it is easy to make these stand out as they are well composed, characterful and have some great dynamic poses and details. Choosing great models for competitions is often an overlooked aspect of these challenges - The truth is that it is far easier to make great dynamic models look supurb then boring static ones.

Levitas – Vanguard – You sir (?) are a good painter – it is evident in all your entries. The skin tones here are much warmer and look good – everything is smooth and crisp and cohesive. Id love to see something more flashy from you but this work is consistently good – I bet you have an incredible army on the table.

Levitas' Termie Squad – Clean, nicely handled. The photo shows the flesh looking very pale and a little like he is wearing makeup, but the reason I will not choose this one as the winning squad is that the bases are unfinished (can even see the glue marks on them….)

Vuel's Assault Marines – I really like these – though I understand that the paint here is actually very monochrome flat and simple – the overall effect and contrasts are great – it looks like they are striking in the dark even in a well lit photo environment (an effect of the yellow black contrasts – the reason they use these in hazard stripes/industry is because the contrast actually overloads your optic nerves and creates the most instantaneous measurable effect in your brain patterns). The bases are lovely and the poses are cool. I have also said many times in many competitions that an army painted cleanly and precisely with even the most basic techniques will look better than one painted with advanced techniques that aren’t well controlled or are still beyond the abilities of the entrant – this is proof positive. A great entry.

Aegis – CSM squad – overall consistency is good – I really like the (true scale?) squad leader – the added size and slightly different style but still close enough to blend in with the unit is great. I also like the look of your metals

Plug – CSM Squad – Pros hand painted iconography good contrast – I like the Multi stage green edges
Cons only 3 models - would love to have seen this carried over a larger group - would have been more impressive. Also I see mold lines on the horns and the backpack of the center model in the bottom picture. If painting for competition this kind of modelling exclusion will bump you out of the top spot almost every time (definitely in any comp I judge).

Arkos Termie squad – blue glaze on the power weapons is a good touch. The warmth of the bone is a nice contrast though I find the flat black of the weapons inconsistant with the rest of the models.


Vehicle Category:

Aegis - Rhino - Im definitely glad you did the interior - I do full detailed interiors for all my vehicles (even scratch built an imperial chapel and driver/gunners compartment with crew in my demon winning Inquisitorial Chimera from a few years back) Otherwise a nice clean paint job - nothing flashy but nothing messy - a good piece for your marines to ride around in.

Arkos – Dreadnought – The paint looks consistent and clean – but nothing really jumps out at me

Warp Whisperer - Rhino - great contrast with the textures of the scaled sections and the very clean finish of the rest. Overall clean and well handled

Levitas' Dreadnought – Very clean – great edge highlights that don’t overpower the model – my favourite part though is how well the tones in the base compliment the overall figure instead of competing with it or not counting visually – these tones warm up your overall presentation, bring attention to your muted reds in the body and really finish off the model.

Earthen's Dreadnought – I like the white green contrast – not one seen often, the battle wear and tear looks good and I REALLY like the arm conversion. I would recommend either working on smoothing your paint further or further emphasising battle wear/dirt etc as either would add to your presentation

Jaspercation's Thunderfire Cannon – Man I am real sorry but I don’t think I can fairly judge your pieces due to the quality of the photos. You should really get a tripod and set a delay timer for 2-5 seconds to eliminate camera shake.

[align=center]THE WINNERS ARE!!!![/align]









Single Miniature
Levitas - Captain feros Levitas
- this is undoubtably the best painted model in this competition. It is so clean and smooth, had great motion, and a clear focal point. It is also well based and the subtle highlight in the red really sold me.








Vehicle
WarpWhisperer - AL Rhino
- This piece is really nice and visually interesting- it has great contrasts of texture and colour, some inventive and really well handled conversion/detailing work, nice lensing, and is really consistant throughout the model.








Squad

This was the hardest choice of the day as the entries were so diverse in terms of technique, style and quality. In the end I made a bit of a compromise and feel that I should explain. I think the best technical pieces were probably Levitas's squad but they really werent a particularily dynamic squad - standard pieces handled well. I also quite liked Aegis's squad with the True scale leader conversion - but it is not painted to as high a level. In the end I chose a squad that had great dynamic posing a fine clean finish and a great presentation. to quote myself from the critique:

Congrats to Vuel and his dark clean dyanmic Assault marines that stand out as looking like the Bad Mutha#()&#ers that the marines are meant to be.







Judges Choice

I also thought it appropriate to add my own choice - though there isnt any additional prize

My favorite miniature in the entire competition was in the single model category - though it was not the winner - The Techmarine Obliterator done by Warp Whisperer was just so frikking cool - I loved the conversion, the scales and the concept. Well done sir and a special thumbs up to you.






Thanks to all for your particpation - I had a lot of fun judging this. If you ever require my services again or if you have any questions about my C&C please feel free to contact me and/or post here

Thanks again
James AKA Tkkultist AKA Lostinthewarp

BTW AL entries can be seen at

http://z15.invisionfree.com/Alpha_Legio ... c=800&st=0

well, i guess that this contest proves that serving the emperor is better than being an Alpha Legion traitor i am of course, only kidding.

Congratulations to all the winners, Levitas, WarpWhisperer, and Vuel. and congratulations to all who entered, as you all have phenomenal pieces entered the comp.

Sorry I didnt get these in time to ustilise them in my judging. Either way much better photos - still overlit (which happens a LOT in mini pics) but at least the models are good and visible. My advice is dont worry about what people might think - put your best pictures up in any comp. Ill be happy to give these a more thorough look over when I have the opportunity
James

On behalf of all the people who entered this comp, and even the wider audience that have viewed it, I'd just like to extend a metaphorical hand of gratitude to Tkkultist for all his hard work in bringing this to a conclusion. His comments on all the entries were a welcome suprise; I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was not expecting all the entries to be reviewed Gentlemen such as James who take the effort to help out others in their quests for ongoing improvement to their painting skills are some of the people who make this hobby the great thing that it is. (People like me who make such long winded sentances maybe not so )

Thanks is also due the members of the Sons of Corax, whose attitude has been highly commendable, communication has been outstanding and whose general approach has been really friendly.

Congratulations go to both Levitas and Vuel for their winning entries. Next time all three top entries will be Alpha Legion though, of course.

Thanks for the help and its not a problem, i agree whole heartedly with your choices , that AL rhino is awesome top class judging mate!! and congrats to all the winners!!!

(ps any help and advice you can give james would be greatly recieved, and your probably sick of hearing it but thanks again )

I am never sick of being asked.

I have been painting for about 20 years now and have had several major helping hands along the way - Shaun Murphy who used to be with the 'eavymetal team was my first major help - he sat down with me and taught me for a full day in 2002 for a case of beer after that people like Tom Shadle and Liliana Troy were nice enough to share some advice and colour formulas, I learned to sculpt when I spent a week at Joe Ortezas place and my most important understandings of technique and paint consistancy when I spent some time staying at Jen Haley's. All along I have also had the support and encouragement of my local friends and people like Dragomir, Tim kholmetz, Vince Hudon, and most recently the rest of Team Montreal and Team North America.

As an artist I do not live in a vaccume - I have been supported all along the way by others and I believe it is my karmic duty to do what I can to assist others where I can on their own artistic/hobby journey. So I will be happy to share when time permits as the comments do take time and I really try my best to communicate valid and useful information (most likely a post christmas holiday thing - though Ill try to squeeze it in this week) To all here also consider contacting me through PM or my website in the future if you have something you want me to look at - I will still drop in here now and again
but I know how consistantly I follow (or do not) the majority of the forums I am part of.

James

Thanks alot james for all your inisght and experience!

The guys running this, and the Alpha legion guys all deserve a big thank-you as well.


Grats to the winners guys! all highly deserving

Heres to hoping we do this again!

Big big thank you James. Your an awesome painter and fantasticly fair judge. Thanks for all your comments and for taking the time to view our entries. It's a big honour to win and to have lofty praise from such an expert.

I was impressed by all the entries from both sides, some cool conversion work and techniques I will borrow for sure. Congrats to all!!

I can't really comment on Captain levitas' hair care, but it may involve a combination of products and a blow dry from the thunder hawks in bay 5.

My Terminators have been based now

I'd love to see your favourite model from your own collection James...any chance of a post??

Thank You James for bringing that to a conclusion...i learned quite abit from reading your comments. Cheers.

Congratulations Levitas, Warpwhisperer and Vuel, You guys definitely did excellent jobs

Not my best any more but my favorites in no particular order.....

1. Alpharius - completed for Games Day chicago 2007

2. My beasts of Chaos chariot - I always thought it strange that beastmen would drag wheeled wooden constructs through the swamps and forest so I decided on a riding beast as chariot instead.....





3. My Morghur Model - Beastman special character who had amazing artwork and a wimpy model so I mad my own Beefy one that looks like the artwork. Here is the side by side of the sculpt and the finished paintjob




4. My pestigor regiment - because I love all things Nurgle!!! And I like the NMM in this unit.






5. Grey Knight Dreadnought - I magentised the weapons and made them all interchangable - I also gave it two hands because I always thought it weird that dreadnoughts didnt have hands. (not a great pic but itll get the idea across) I also did a lot of experimenting with my metallic paints on this one and was pleased with the finish