I have had a fantastic year of painting, which started in January, entering my first real painting competition, the Crystal Dragon. I entered a team of Fishermen from Guild Ball, and it was one of my favourite things I had done to date. One thing I learnt from that, was to not enter models if they are not up to standard. I had a couple of models I really didn't enjoy painting during the Fish team, and the quality of those dropped the overall level from a Bronze, down to no award. It was a really good experience for me, firstly I was able to get good feedback on where I was missing out, and then also I was inspired to do better next year. Honestly, competition drives me, not success. I want to put myself up against the best and see how I compare.
I painted four of them, and then as I was trawling online, I found a competition that was being held in Brisbane, called the Queensland Model Hobby Expo. Only downside, it was a week away! I figured, the worst that can happen is I enter some stuff and don't go that well. I began putting together a model I had bought a few months before, an Andrea barbarian, called Verthandi. For some reason, everything started to click with her. The classes, the research, the practice, it all started to work and I felt ultra happy with her when I ended up finishing her, in four days, ready for the event that weekend.
Another example of a great learning experience, that event I received three bronzes and a silver for my entries, but surprisingly the one I felt was my best, Verthandi, received a Bronze. It was a bit humbling, and reminded me of a few things: I still have a lot to learn, and I need to remember that not everyone judges things the same way. And in fact, personal growth and experience is more important than what someone else says.
Literally on the weekend of QMHE, I bought a big pile of models to try painting, and I also received a Scale 75 bust in the mail, of Jessica Thunder. I took my time with her, really trying to get things right, and was rewarded with what I consider my best model to date. The smoothness of the blends, the nice textures I achieved on the cloth and leathers, and the hair all worked. I was reaching a point where I felt like my skills were matching my expectations, and I was also able to isolate areas I needed to improve my skillsets on. Metallics, eyes, and contrast.
I hit the ground running after her, trying out lots of different models, learning lots of different techniques, working with the airbrush more and in different ways, skilling up my various painting abilities and really approaching the painting in a way that was all about learning and improving. I targeted specific colours, skin tones or textures, I tried different scenes, model types and really just painted as much as I could. Eventually I was able to secure an invite onto Putty and Paint, and via that I was constantly seeing competition style "results" which was suddenly a driving force also. Instead of waiting for an event, I could upload a model and see how it went, both vs other painters, but also vs myself.
Took MV painting class, painted more, had a blast. I've cracked on and painted a really large number of projects. Since August, which is when I started painting larger scale models for display, I have finished 18 projects, which is at a rate of one per week. Pretty strong form I would say! Not according to Fuckknecht, but I digress. It's been a fantastic year.
So, with that, I move onto to resolutions for this year!
I've seen a number of those pictures floating around where you have a little bingo card of things you are trying to complete for the year. I saw this one and I thought, I like the idea of setting yourself goals!
If you look at last year for this bingo, I actually completed 19 out of 24 of those. LOL.
But I want to have some specific things to aim for this year. So, here they are!
1. I want to try to paint something for as long as it takes to be "perfect".
Each time I stop painting a model, I look back and see a lot of issues and problems with it. I have the ability to go back and change them, but I never do. I try to take a "finished is not perfect" attitude with most models I paint. That is to say, I paint them, I reach a point where I consider them finished, and then I call it done and don't go back. I could go back on models I finished six months ago and make them shit hot, but I haven't really gotten anything from it. I prefer to take each of the models I've painted and learn from them, and look at them and see the evolution. BUT, this year, at some point I want to sit down in front of a bust, or a model, and paint it until it's finished, and then keep working on it. Keep painting it until I hate it. Tweak tiny little things, make each thing absolutely perfect. I want to see if that makes a difference to how good a model I paint, and see if it helps me to paint the best thing I've ever done. I am not sure if it will or not!
2. Paint the "best" thing I've painted.
Obviously I start every project intending it to be the best thing I've done, but issues come along and I eventually realise it isn't. I don't think this one is one that I set out to do, but I am hoping that the fact that I have progressed as a painter and improved my skills means that eventually I will paint something that is the best thing I've done. I think that currently its either Jessica or Surt that are the best models I've done. So that is the bar!
3. Take more classes.
I really felt like I skilled up massively after the classes I took, from Meg and Raffa. This year I am hoping to take another class with Meg, in March, and then somehow squeeze in another one, whether through someone else in Australia, or hopefully someone like Roman, Banshee or Romain will travel over.
4. Learn to sculpt, both digital and IRL.
Sculpting is this whole other world that I have dipped a toe in, and said, that is too cold for me. Well, the water is warming the fuck up right now. I have access to zBrush, the digital sculpting medium of choice of many sculptors, and I have a lot of tools now that are custom designed for sculpting. I have no more excuses, I have enough art grounding and knowledge that sculpting something good should not be out of my ability. I dream of one day being able to sculpt and then paint a figure of my own.
5. Paint with more colours, and more vibrancy.
I've started the ball rolling with Surt, by painting over a white undercoat, and removing black from my palette. However, I have fallen into a trap of using the same colours over and over, mostly because I feel confident and comfortable with them. I know that is a trap that will not help me improve, and so I want to get outside that comfort zone and start using colours in a different way.
6. Improve my basing.
I have a lot of issues with my basing currently, if you go back and read my review of the Enchanted Pool and how I felt it went, some of the biggest issues were with the base. It is less about creation and construction for basing, as I really feel I've improved a lot on that front, but I cannot get my painting right. I seem to oversaturate, or go too heavy on highlights, or use too many washes and the bases all seem to look the same. I then fall into the trap of using the same mininatur tufts to hide my shit work. So I want to take that to another level, really improve my basing and paint better, more holistcally, and with an eye towards improving the model.
7. Keep blogging!
This one is probably not going to be difficult. I always used to type up battle reports of my games when I was a competitive player, and the reason I did was to really dial down into my games and try to find the learnings from them, regardless of how they went, there is always areas to improve. Blogging about painting is kind of the same thing, by reviewing and looking critically at how I am doing things, and understanding why in more detail, I can better focus on areas I want to improve.
So that is where I am at! I am excited for a year of fantastic painting opportunities, I have some potential commission work coming up in the first quarter, and lots of exciting competitions to attend and learn from.
Would love to hear about your own painting resolutions for the new year!
Dont forget my Models for Sale page, with Surt, King of Atlantis now available to purchase!
Cheers
trent
No comments:
Post a Comment