[P&M] P&M 4th Painting Competition Voting & Discussion - Higher Tier

[Ap0k]

So, we draw near the end of our 4th painting competition, which means it's time to find out who is TEH WINNAR.

The voting rules are as follows:

1) All votes are public. That means people can see who you voted for (this allows us to prevent cheating).

2) You cannot vote for yourself. It's just bad practice. Voting for yourself leads to 'Bad Things'.

3) If you vote here, you also need to vote here (which is the Lower Tier voting thread).

Thats about it. You can find the images here.

I'm sure all the artists involved would love to hear your opinions on their masterpieces, so if you can, take the time to leave some sort of feedback in the thread after (or before) you've voted.

Regardless of the winner, I think we'll all agree that it's been a lot of fun, and we've learnt something new in the process.

Good luck everyone

[BillyBob]

Thesilent1 gets my vote cuz it's Orky and funny! not to mention well painted.

[Tarot]

Ap0k. Because it's one of the few FINISHED, and Thesilent1's doesn't look like it belongs in the high tier to me. Sorry.

[Chaos n00b]

Ap0k gets my vote. His piece is very finished, and the posing works very well. The scenery is really what clinches this one for me. It just matches the shapes of the minis themselves and the whole configuration.

Amazing work.

[SlickWilly]

Yo, Ap0k, or Armand, or whoever worked on that site: about half of the entries are red X's for me. Can you guys fix it?

[Chaos n00b]

Those are all the people who didn't submit pictures. You only need to see the people who are listed in the poll above.

[BillyBob]

Thesilent1's doesn't look like it belongs in the high tier to me. Sorry.

I have to seriously disagree. The conversion work is solid and the painting is very crisp, but cartoony. Only adding to the humor of the situation.

[-V-]

Ap0k gets my vote, not sure why I like his the most, but it definatley speaks to me.

[omega the end]

I voted Billy, he seemed like he was the most finished with his project and it looks damn nice.

Tinweasle, I might have voted for him had his entry been finished but alas RL took control and prevented it.

thesilent, VERY NICE job! I love the nice clean painting but what kept me from voting you is the orks positioning, it doesn't seem he is looking at the tail. It looks a bit off, but it could be the camera angle.

Apok, you did a great job painting and scenery wise but it doesn't seem like you did anything to alter their posture.

Unforgiven, I love the positioning and you made a great choice of heads but it looks to clean cut for a duel and that the scenary was neglected, to me. Although you did do a very nice job painting, blending, and posturing. And can I ask, are those freehand symbols?

[MrChaos]

Voted for Ap0k's. Everything from the pose to the colors to the scenic base is very well done.

I would like to vote for Tinweasel's one too but alas it's unfinished.

[nyyti]

Unforgiven1977, his duel had the most motion I think, although Ap0ks piece might have the best paint scheme.

[Hazchem]

Ap0k definitely has my vote.
A great concept, and great execution while not over doing it. Well done!

[VtraXx]

Hmmmm Ap0k Or Unforgiven very very hard decision here.

I would of Voted for Tinweasel, but he didnt finish so dangit.

Hmm...Now down to my nitpicks and likings about the two I am willing to vote for.

Ap0k: Great Colour scheme, Great painting as always. No nitpicks..
Unforgiven: Yes Blood raven!!! Great Painting, Alot of Motion, Drama!. Nitpicks= The Blood Raven Marine's face's blending seems awkward and rough (I dont know if its the pictures or so but you can be the judge on that one), The terrain/base seems a tad bit flat almost like its just flat grey....

So I'll vote for Ap0k, but it was a close one between Ap0k and Unforgiven by only 2 points.

Vtraxx Out

[ionfish]

Ap0k's is of course technically the best, but I find it conceptually a bit sterile. My vote's going to thesilent1 because, in my view, it's the best diorama: it tells a story, it's funny, and the positioning is superb even if the painting doesn't really do it justice.

[Kalimac]

BillyBob gets my vote. I really like the face of the Ultramarine, and the posing is great.

[Raxmaphyon]

I voted for thesilent1, well because I think the look on the ork's face combined with posture, the whole theme of the piece and the comedy is rather appealing.

True the others arequite well done, Apok's is nice, but the same old feel. I might have voted for Tinweasel's had it been finished, because I just love the Kroot taking out SMs, but then I Still like the comedy factor of the ork against Tyranid.

[Sir Plasma]

For me it came down to ap0k, tinweasel amd thesilent1, but alas the painting on thesilent1's didn't quite cut it and poor Tin was unable to finish. Ap0k wins! And I prefer the name Bitch Fight to Hell Hath No Fury, by the way.

[Apoc]

As much as Ap0k's does look the best painted, too me it simply looks as though 2 well painted models have been placed opposite each other.

Therefore, Unforgiven gets my vote.

[Monsh]

I was really digging TinWeasels diorama... it's a shame he didn't have time to complete it for the voting.

My vote went to silents' entry...mostly for the comic value, but overall a nice piece too. Apok probably had the cleanest paint work of the lot (would that I had that talent), but it seems as though more could have been accomplished with posing, or even contact between models.

Nice work all-around though...tough choices for sure.

[Unforgiven1977]

I think all the entries are fantastic. Except for maybe that POS Unforgiven submitted. :P
Tin I know you've got alot of "if only it were finished" comments. So what's one more right?! j/k. Seriously though I honestly think it would have been hands down the best entry had you finished. It's unfortunate, albeit perfectly understandable that you just didn't have the time. I hope things work out for you. Deal with the important stuff and then you can finish this up and show us the kickass finale. I'll put off commenting until then.
So it came down to Billy and Ap0k for me. In the end I decided to go with Billy.
Ap0k's entry turned out to be superbly painted as I knew it would. IMHO the best paint job of the lot. But I found it lacking in other aspects. Primarily that the mini's really don't look like they're interacting. As Apoc stated best it simply looks like two well-painted mini's were placed opposite eachother. It just doesn't portray a good feel for a deadly duel taking place.
Billy's entry had everything I was looking for. Though not the best painted it's still a top-notch job. The mini's are interacting (there's contact and in a big way) and the posing is very dynamic. The combatants look rough and worn, as if they'd been at it for a bit. The base also shows some inginuity. He didn't simply glue on a piece of prefabbed building (much like I myself did). It's just simply put both dramatic and believable.
thesilent1's entry was well done and quite entertaining. The comic factor just wasn't enough to win me over.
Everyone did great. I wish more people had managed to finish but that just seems to be the way of things.

EDIT: @omega the end - Yeppers. Those shoulder pads were freehanded. I never liked how fake transfers look so I prefer to do it that way.

[omega the end]

Well in that case, you did a kick ass free hand-job :P (What a dirty mind I have :evil: )

[AridMonk]

Although all entries were excellent, for me it came down to Billybob and Ap0k.

Billybob: Very nice pose, full of action and movement. The Ultramarine looks superb, his skin seems just right, and the battle damage to his legs seems very well done.

The Tyranid, in my opinion, is less so. It seems as if you didnt spend as much time on it than you did the space marine. The red seems a bit... rushed, and the scorpion green seems to be a bit of an afterthought, which kinda spoils the overall "look" of the piece.

The base is also hella well done, and im glad that you included sprue metal bits. SPRUE METAL BITS RULE!

Overall, the piece seems perhaps a little bit rushed, but i like it very much. Well done to you sir.

Ap0k: Using basic, unmodified poses was a brave choice, but I feel that it may have paid off. It gives you an impression of the essence of complacency emmitted by the deamonette, and fanatical hatred from the... other... one.

/me CANNOT REMEMBER THAT THINGS NAME

As always, Ap0k's painting is just... wow. The deamonette in particular is amazingly well done, the skin recesses and shading bits seem to ooze malice. The "other thing" is also fantastic, the metal looking just right. I personally would have chosen another colour to represent the fury of the "other thing", perhaps a reddy orange or dark red, but it seems to work well nonetheless.

The base is also very thoughtful, having two levels, to represent the street level. Having a manky gutter might have been an idea though ;p

The Decision: Both entries, in my opinion were of a very high standard,and the inclusion of SPRUE METAL BITS almost threw me, but my vote would have to go to Ap0k's. The high standard of painting present in his has won my heart, and the choice of models was very well thought out. Well done.

[cfoley]

BillyBob
I like this, especially the colour scheme on the warrior.Every time I look, I notice some more details like the ichor oozing from the gun ir the green blood from the warrior's wounded arm on the floor. The painting is pretty solid and I love the ruddy look on the Marine's face.

The only criticism that I have is with the contact between the power fist and the warrior's face. I feel that there should be some damage there and not just the head as it was out of the box. I'm not sure what I'd suggest as anything would be pretty difficult to model realistically.

Tinweasel
I know you've not finished but what you have done looks really good. The base in particular is very impressive. Unfortunately, the large areas of white spoil it a bit for me. All things considered, you've done a fantastic job. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished article when you get the time and inspiration.


thesilent1
I really like this one. You get a great sense of the calm before the storm. You know that the Ork will be dead before he stops scratching his head and that the Lictor will be well away before the Ork's mates catch up. The painting is pretty solid too.


Ap0k
The painting is really good, as always. The simple and contrasting colour schemes work really well together and the base looks imposing without obscuring the models on it. My only grumble is that there is little to no conversion on the models.


nyyti
Looks like it's shaping up nicely. Get some paint on it!

unforgiven 1997
Again, the painting is great, especially on the Blood Raven's shoulder pads. I think the posing on the raven is a little off but that's only a minor thing.

For me, it was close between thesilent1 and Ap0k but in the end my vote goes to Ap0k.

[Sir Plasma]

* crazytechpriest CANNOT REMEMBER THAT THINGS NAME

Yarr, tis a Death Cult Assassin.

[Ninjabread man]

I voted for the knife fight

[foxxbat]

Timweasel. Ok, it's not finished, but what the ****, it's a good show!

[BillyBob]

I just wanna clear up why the power fist ain't doing much, as I've noticed a few people have said something about it.
I WAS going to have the head a bit more damaged, but I remembered one wonderful thing in the new tyranid fluff.. Synapse and no insta-killing.
Therefore, the Ultramarine seems like he isn't doing much because of the fluff of synapse. I just thought it'd be fluffy. Coughing up ichor is the best I could figure for that.

[cfoley]

It bothers me that eight people who voted here couldn't be arsed to vote on the lower tier's efforts.

[Ap0k]

9 actually. I have still to vote here, since I just haven't had the time I think I'll need to put down a worthwhile response.

I agree with the sentiment though chris.

[Hodgeh MkII]

My vote is for BillyBob.

When one considers the topics was a "Duel", his simply outdoes any other submission. The 2 subjects are actually duelling and not just existing on the same base with each other.

While Ap0k's entry is categorically the better painted, it's a bit static and just too vertical. Had the figures been placed in some sort of diagonal postition, it would have lent much more to the sense of movement and impending conflict, whereas BillyBob's combatants and exactly that - locked in a vicious duel that was frozen and replicated to present an exact split second in the battle.

[matthew5276]

Billybod, nice posing and great painting,a lot of action in there.

Matt.

[thesilent1]

I'm giving BB props.


A power fist to the face always gives me a tingling of joy hehe. Besides, out of all the entries, I think his is the most "chaotic" out of them all. Sure, his might not be painted like Ap0k's, but there's MUCH more to an entry besides the paint job.


Congrats to all who entered, they all kick ass.

[Ap0k]

Billybob - Very well painted scene with a lot of character. It seems like the highlights could have been taken up a little across the board, though it's difficult to tell due to the somewhat grainy photo. I like the dynamism, the posing seems 'right', and just the overall atmosphere. Can't say I'm a big fan of the 'Nid colourscheme (I think I just get sick of seeing codex schemes after a while), but regardless of that fact, it's still well painted. I do like the green goo, and the level of detail in the base is amazing. Bloody good job mate

Tin - Just wish you'd finished this It looks like it's coming along great. Love the greenstuff work on the kroot (those little legging things are just fantastic), and the general premise of the whole thing. I probably would have tried to hide the pin for the Kroot, but you said at the start that you wanted the bits able to be used for gaming purposes, so I can see why you did things the way you did. Greenstuff banner on the Ultra looks great. I think it could maybe have done with a little droop towards the vertical line, due to the way the banner pole is angled, but it's not so out of place that it ruins in the atmosphere. Can easily be explained off by a magical gust of wind anyway, so I wouldn't worry overly much about it. Overall I like the scene, and think it's a great idea. Obviously couldn't justify voting for it since it's not finished though, I'm afraid. Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing it completed.

thesilent1 - Fantastic concept and a well executed paint job. I love the posing in this. The Orks expression of 'Duuuhh?!' just adds to the humour. Paintjob is pretty good, but it's the scene that makes it. I think the Ravener could have done with a bit more depth. The drybrushing looks somewhat grainy (as is normal with the technique), and the red looks a little bland in places, but overall it's a solid piece with an awesome idea to bring it all together. It works very very well.

Unf - Great paintjob (I'd expect nothing less ) and posing. I think the highlights could have been taken up a bit on everything, and the base could have done with something to break up the grey. As always, the quality of blends and freehand is exceptional. I just feel it's somewhat let down by a slightly dreary base, and the highlights are so subtle that they don't give it a huge instant pop. I do like the marines head (sculpted?), and the repose work though, and overall it's a great piece.


Great job everyone. The overall quality is top notch, and my choice wasn't easy at all, since everything had elements particularly well done. After all that though, my vote had to go to thesilent1. A solid paintjob, but above all else, a well executed humourous scene. Love it.

[Tinweasel]

My vote was for BillyBob's entry - I think out of all the entries, his best represented IMO the theme of a duel. It wasn't necessarily the best painted or the most characterful, but I think it best represented the "action" of enemies locked in combat. That being said, I think the SM's face looks excellent from the pics and the skin color looks dead-on to me for a grizzled veteran (note the Tyranid carapace plates on the backpack) and I really like the little details like the blood spatters and the fallen, layered folds of the banner off to the side.

thesilent1's entry is great and funny, but there's just enough things that aren't quite right to pull me more in favor of it than BillyBob's entry. The conversion work(?) and posing are good, and the painting work overall is neat and pretty well done, but there's a few things that stand out negatively for me: the Lictor's tail sticks out beyond the wall into the field of view of the Ork, but he doesn't appear to be looking at it; the scenery is kinda flat looking, especially the wall directly behind the Ork - I'm thinking a bit of extra drybrushing for highlights or something would've brought out all the great detail in the terrain; to me, the painting on the figures especially needs more shading/highlights - the colors are good, but look too even overall and not differentiated enough between shadows and upper surfaces IMO. In all, though, this is a solid piece of work and very entertaining - perfectly shows the confusion of the Ork as he's likely about to get chowed on.

Ap0k's entry is great and beautifully painted - I didn't vote for it, though, despite the painting because I think it looks a little too "static" compared to some of the other entries despite the excellent painting - in my mind this competition was about composition as well as finished product. Some other folks mentioned this, and I'd agree - the posing looks like two figures just standing opposite each other and while there's obviously going to be a showdown, the "interaction" just isn't represented well enough by the figures IMO. So far as the painting, there's little to criticise (again, beautifully painted, esp. the metallics and the power sword) but I'm thinking that the upper skin of the Daemonette(?) like the upper thighs, breasts, and buttocks could do with a little extra blended highlighting - maybe one step higher to tie things in with the pale color of the head tentacles? Dunno. Very minor quibble, I know... I think the scenery backdrop looks excellent, and is that some subtle purple tinting on the upper half of the stonework, or am I just imagining it?

Last but not least, Unforgiven1977's entry is great. The posturing and action are well-done, the painting is pretty solid, and it's obvious that quite a lot of work went into it. That being said, I think BillyBob's is a little better painted in terms of highlights and shading - the lack of visible edges/highlights on the Raven's shin armor, backpack, and codpiece(?) kinda put me off from it in favor of some of the other entries. The faces are very expressionate, but I think the skin tones need just a little more in the way of shading. Great work, but I just preferred other entries.

As for my own entry - well, I think I bit off a little bit more than I could chew. I've never done so involved a scenic base, figure conversion, or outright conversion of a metal figure in reshaping a relatively static pose with not very many accessible joints - there was also the multiple repositionings involved as the postures didn't quite look right to me (or apparently everybody else) until towards roughly the middle of the time period. I figgered initially with a whole week's planned vacation, I'd have a lot of time to work on things - that is until our family found out about my father-in-law's diagnosis of colon cancer a few nights before we were set to leave. It kinda put a damper on the whole thing then and afterwards - I still took my stuff, I still stayed up late nights working on posing and such, and I still got the figures mostly basecoated and shaded by the time of the submitting deadline, but family obviously comes first. I at least finished the base, though! I was also hoping for this to be a Golden Daemon entry, as time-wise, I'd be able to finish it and with enough detail to satisfy myself - my father-in-law goes in for surgery, though, on the 28th and Games Day Chicago's on the 29th? I don't think so... maybe next year. I'm dead set on finishing it, though, if not for me then at least for my "dad." I also appreciate the kind words from everyone who's offered support (not to derail the thread, of course.)

[Ap0k]

is that some subtle purple tinting on the upper half of the stonework, or am I just imagining it?

It's your age. You must be imagining it

No. There is some subtle purpling there indeed. I hit the base with a few sloppy glazes of purple, along with some random purple drybrushing to give it a little colour.

In response to CTP's comment on the bubbling gutter water, there is some there already. Sadly the pic's didn't pick it up, but I have to re-photograph for the CMON gallery, so I'll get some images then. It's kind of a greeny coloured water.

Overall, thanks everyone for the fantastic feedback. I don't disagree on the 'two mini's in front of eachother' comments. My original plan was far too adventurous to do in the time available, so I figured I'd give this a shot. The problem with both mini's was that it would have been a complete nighmare to reposition heads, so I just left them as they were in the hope that they might seem nonchalantly sauntering towards eachother, confident in their abilities to wipe the other out.

Regardless, the whole thing has been an arseload of fun, and it was great seeing everyones entries. It was very difficult to pick one over the other, since all had their own little unique bits of personality and theme.

Congratulations on a job well done everyone