PaintMinion

And for a brief bit of Off Topicness...check the Gen Con forums for details on MHE events. That's Miniatures Hobby Events. Let me know if you guys have questions, or if I should be posting Gen Con MHE news here as well?

Whew! Iron Painter broke my computer! The tension and rising stress caused my motherboard to meltdown on Thursday night! So apologies for getting back here so late, but I have a new computer (microsoft.grrr.vista. GRRRR) with a bit faster mice in it's wheel. Skya! You did it! DH! You brought the goods, man, so close! Great job everyone, this was so much FUN! That's the reason I stayed in it for the long haul...the point was to kick my but back into higher painting gear after a year of not finishing much of anything due to cancer. It worked. I'm more motivated, more apt to jump on new ideas, less scared to screw something up. Basically, more confidence that given two weeks and a few extra days ( ;-)), I can turn out something very nice. A bit longer, and I'm looking over my shoulder for the deadline police now, but knowing I'm tuirning out something better, faster. And I still think the I think I can's should be judged, too! I haven't anything but the one judging to harass the judges about. :-( Thanks again guys, this was fun and agonizing, and I hope a long time before it starts up again...

I'm thinking darker on the dark greens and lighter on the light greens, as in higher contrast between the colors...mostly done by shdaows on the dark green and highlights on the light green...otherwise, I'm a fasn as well of the color scheme...but if you use purple, you must youse teal somewhere as well. Hasn't anyone taught you proper purple ettiquette? ;-)

I make people in my classes chant ..."Higher Highlights, Deeper Shadows" a few times. Remember that it's not always the highlight that's needed, but the contrasting darker shadows that give depth and interest.

My husband's first layoff? The Friday after our Honeymoon trip, I picked him up at the lab to go to my parent's and finish opening wedding gifts. He hops in the car and says "I lost my job"...I thought he was joking... Anyway, he's also just dodged the bullet...sort of. His location is closing, but he's one of 4 people offered jobs at another location...in another state. Grrrr. But it's a good company and where's he gonna find a job like this that's as good to him as these guys are? Family Meeting this weekend.

So really, the question you're asking is, how do you make them striking enough in the display case to catch a judge's eye in a competition? Or just anyone's eye in your dipsplay case at home? two different scenarios! You guys have mentioned contrast, (both color and intensity-spot on Wren!), but also, if you're painting for competition, neatness counts. If models look sloppy up close, they don''t make the cut. They must look good both while glancing through the case, as well as in the hand. Your two pictures are interesting because I'm not happy with either one as a judge, but it depends on what else is in the case as to how high these two would go. The bright cartoony side of the blue shields would catch my eye, but are they painted well enough to pass muster close up? And the elves, well, they would get a close look, too, but they're bland and heading into monotone. At Gen Con I have had to judge between two pieces that were like this...one looks great close up and the other looks great from tabletop distance. If the painting technique and artistry is considered to be the same, I would judge the elves as the more detailed of the two which bumps it up a notch. I'm sure a couple of my judges would even say "They're elves, they're suppose to blend in!" But then, is their more artistry in the presentation of the bright blue guys, or in the sameness of the elves? Then it switches to the Blue Guys. BUt Tech quality is with the elves I think...depending on how well blended the shading is and how well shaded it is. So as a judge, I'd flip flop until I could discuss it with another judge and look at my criteria and have a soda. But both would get looked at. Now simply for the diplsay case...those Wood Elves need a base, placement and constrast would definietly help there, something needs to "pop" them or "pop" something on them to make them stand up tall and look important.

Happy Birthday Ali!

Yep, being a parent changes your world. So tell me...how many of you parents out there liked the movie AI (Artificial Intelligence)? So far among my friends the division between like and intense dislike is parents vs non-parents. I just couldn't stand them jerking that poor little (android) boy around time after time after time. The other joy of parenting is the voice activated remote control ("Cassie, put in the DVD..."), fetching stuff ("Cassie, please get me a glass of juice..."), and intercom system ("Cassie, find out if your Father..."). But for me, seriously, it's discovering the most amazingly brilliant things come out of her head. She just thinks differently. It can be the most humourous moments, the most embarassing moments, and the most profound moments, and I wouldn't give up any of them for anything. I too, sleep lightly, hardly sleep at all when my hubby isn't home ( I call it Guard Mode). And I find it is also her laughter I can pick out of a crowd. :-)

Nathan's doing it on purpose to spice up our lives a bit.

YW, come to Gen Con and tell him that yourself!

What's a tournament? And DH, I have to admit that it's my husband who finds it fun to hunt down your scores. Says he's been on skya's side form the beginning and is running a distraction scheme on you. Yes, maybe I encouraged him a little, and not all the high scores are his, but he did yell at me to come post in the forum yesterday just so he could play in the arcade. :-)

I think a reset every month would be fun...but will really cut into my painting time now that I've found the arcade!

Don't forget to make the fingernails and toenails have a sharp highlight to look shiny and enameled!

Aw, Cake Toppers are fun! So, you gonna find a sculptor and get a ring cast? Congrats to you both, and does she paint...yet?

Yes, I do make only a bit more money than that, but my expenses are also much higher, and I'm talking the overall taxes paid out at tax time for our family. Remember that I don't do this as a living, just doing whatever commissions I like, which have been only the Dark Sword and occasional Reaper in the last couple years, as well as stuff I kept but didn't sell. THIS year, as I am selling off quite a bit more than usual, that balance may slip the other way, but then it's offset by the huge medical bills that cancer brings, and will bring over the next few years.

As eastman said, I really like the polyfill. Wrap the piece in tissues, bulking out a bit around the things that stick out, then I bury the whole thing in polyfill, wrap that in something like paper towel or bubble wrap if i have some, and use plastic grocery bags scrunched up on the bottom and around that to fill up the space. Seems to have worked well so far. I also, in the past, used foam cushion material...big 6 inch green stuff, that I would cut space inside it and pack the mini in that after the tissues. It also works well, but I found the polyfill better able to cushion without breaking something as it has the give and softness needed, but supports it well if you use enough. As I only ship priority...the Post Office hands me free boxes, I can print my shipping labels (I have a scale at home), and I have a stash of customs forms. As for the business side of things...I have a notebook where I put in all my expenses and all my purchases--and hand that in to our accountant. ;-) Never owed anything on that side of things, but then I don;t sell a huge amount every year. I have a business card and can point to my website as proof of business and can get deals at some places because of that if i wanted to. Other than that, I'm not registered as a business, and my accountant says I don't need to at the level I'm at--he'll let me know if I get high enough to matter.

Happy Birthday to you, may your feet not smell like glue. May your candles not burn the house down, and your minis sing to you...

True, I remember swearing at building and priming more than the window part. And it really did turn out to be beautiful--something you should be very proud of pulling off, especially in the time given! See you tomorrow...

You forgot the part about the interesting swear words... ;-)

Thank you everyone! Now get some good River Gold wine and paint some tartan plaid! I celebrate my birthday every 3 days in November...except the 15th. It's a long loooong story, but tradition in this house now. So...tomorrow I celebrate too. :-)

Then count yourself lucky and live a good life. Did they talk about causes?

Dan, did I miss something?! You having cancer difficulties too? What kind? It's sorta generally known that I have an unusual-for-my-age Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, been through chemo most of this year, which really puts a kink in the painting time and stamina (Gen Con was difficult for me), but just recently was designated as "in remission" with "booster" chemo for a few years now. It will always hang over my head and will need watching, but it's not life-threatening. One of the reasons I joined Iron Painter was to get back into faster work and make up for doing not much this year. Anyway, if you need to chat about cancer treatment, I'm here and been through it all. It's not pretty or pleasant, but you have to do what you have to do.