The 2020 Painting Challenge - Sign up here!

[Caedrus]

Greetings, Fellow Painters!

I’m Caedrus, and this year of 2019, I’ve had the very great pleasure of running the Wyrd Painting Challenge. It looks like I’ll be running it in 2020 as well, so the purpose of this thread is to let you know what’s going on, and to see if you want to take part!

The painting challenge is a personal challenge. It’s motivation to paint that grey plastic, and to have some fun while you do so. The purpose of this challenge is for you, every month, to paint something for Malifaux or The Other Side (or anything else Wyrd!)

It’s a place to show what you’ve been creating, to see what other people do, and how they do it. The community here at Wyrd is fantastic, and I can tell you that I have been inspired, taught, and motivated by the amazing people here.

Here are the three simple principles of the Painting Challenge.

1. Have fun.
2. It’s not a competition.
3. Be part of a great community.

Every painter, regardless of your (perceived) skill level, is welcome here. This is a place where you can:

• Show your work;
• Give and receive useful, constructive critiques;
• Give and receive advice about painting, sculpting, scenery, basing, and anything miniature!;
• Give and receive motivation from the amazing people here.

In the next few posts, I’ll be listing the 2020 Rules (as they stand at the moment!), and asking everyone if they feel there is anything that could or should be changed.

Next, I’ll be putting my own name down for the introducing myself, and telling you what I personally want to achieve with my paintbrush in 2020.

So, come and join us for the 2020 Painting Challenge! If you know a fellow painter that might want to take part, simply post here (preferably with an @Caedrus), with an “I’m in for 2020!”

I’ll open the 2020 January Monthly Painting Challenge very soon, so that you can get ready for the New Year!

I hope to see you in the New Year!
Caedrus.

[Caedrus]

The 2020 Painting Challenge Rules

• The challenge starts on January 1st, 2020. 
• Models count for the month in which you finish them. You can finish painting a model that you started before the beginning of the month.
• Everyone may fail to make their monthly goal twice and stay in the challenge. This is using a mulligan.
• You can choose to go down a pledge level during the year, but you cannot move up.
• A model is considered painted if it is (1) based (even glued onto a black base counts); (2) tournament legal. That means that if it's a translucent, based model, it counts automatically. If it is any opaque material, then the standard is: Every part of the miniature painted, and three colours minimum.

The pledge categories are the following:

• Minion: you paint at least 1 soulstone worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Enforcer: you paint at least 6 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Henchman: you paint at least 11 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Master: you paint at least 16 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Tyrant: you paint at least 31 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month

Miniature Values:

Malifaux

• Almost all models count as their Soulstone value; however
• Masters count for 15 soulstones.
• Zero cost models count for 5 soulstones.
• Proxies (constructed from Wyrd models) count for their proxy value.

The Other Side

• Titans count for 25 soulstones.
• Commanders count for 15 soulstones.
• Adjunct models count for 5 soulstones.

Otherwise:

• A 30mm base model is worth 5 soulstones.
• A 40mm base model is worth 7 soulstones.
• A 50mm base model is worth 10 soulstones.

Terrain, Tokens, Markers and Boards

• Terrain is worth 5SS per 50mm base in area.
• Custom tokens are worth 5SS per 50mm base in area.
• A terrain board is worth 100 Soulstones.

Proposed Ideas and Rules for 2020

So, all of us get sick, get busy, lose motivation. I was wondering if there was a way to buy your way back into the competition, if you had lost momentum. Or, indeed, if you wanted to join later in the year? Here’s an idea:

The Buy-In

If you are not part of the Challenge, from a late start, or having lost momentum and mulliganed out, you can buy your way back in with 50 points of Wyrd painting.

What do you think? Is it a good idea, needs work, or just a bad idea? I’m not married to the idea, it’s just a thought.

What do you think?

Do you have an idea, or a suggestion about how to make the Challenge even better? Float your ideas right here!

[Caedrus]

I’m in for 2020!

Introducing Caedrus!

Hi All! I’ve been a Malifaux player for about four years, but I’ve been painting (on and off) for about 25 years.

I’m way better at buying miniatures than painting them, and the number of miniatures I have unpainted in my home would easily be in the thousands. I play, well, every Malifaux faction. Or at least, I could.

I like experimenting with NMM (non-metal-metal) and OSL (Object Source Lighting), and I'm slowly getting better at it. I’m terrible at finishing miniatures! Making the final touches is always less exciting for me than putting the first drops of paint on that new, exciting, primed miniature in front of me! I paint way too slowly, and I’m super-judgemental of my own work!

This year, I’m going to paint faster, use my airbrush more, and give some helpful advice!

Caedrus

[muraki]

@Caedrus I'm in.  I think I'll try for Master this year as (looking at my stats) there weren't many times I was under 15 for a month.

I like the idea of a buy in / buy back (as this is just a fun competition anyway).  50 stones is a lot, so maybe it's good (that said maybe it's a bit high).  I wonder if some people would have to paint for a few months to get 50 stones.  It could also be impossible for people at the minion / enforcer tiers.  Maybe it should could be 2-3x their buy in / proposed buy-in?

[PetitDalek]

I am in!  Otherwise I wouldn't get anything finished. There are too many WIP's lying around my desk and the challenge makes me finish at least some of them. 

 

As for introduction: let me start with a confession. I've played exactly one demo game of Malifaux. One. Ehm. However, that doesn't stop me from building thematic crews and terrain and sloooooowly painting them.  I am a huge fan of the Malifaux minis and the lore, so the hobby aspect keeps me happily occupied. Who knows, I might even get to play one of my crews in 2020? 😆

[Cats Laughing]

Oh why not, I'm in for 2020 at the Enforcer Level. @Caedrus

 

I actually finished a few Malifaux models (complete with basing) for the first time last year (after playing this game since book 2 of 1st ed), so I might as well try to get some progress going forward.  I've got models from every faction except Explorers, with far far too many still NIB...  Quite a few models (picked up in trade) need a strip and repaint while some I have started painting but never finished as I got stuck on one aspect or other.

 

Here's a pic of the models I finally completed, the start of a Fae crew.

Needed to crop out a few dirty Elves from WMH, so these models weren't the camera focus point...

 

Edited December 5, 2019 by Cats Laughing
added at Caedrus

[monkeyboy30672]

With much trepidation, @Caedrus, I'm in!

I'll start at Henchmen level, and see if I can handle that. I DO want to try and start and finish every model(s) in the same month, though I may have to cheat from time to time and pull out one that's not quite finished yet and tidy them up. Depends on my RL schedule.

 

Background... I have been painting for almost 40 years (since I was a wee lad... I'm not THAT old yet!), off and on. Funny how I worked for 10 years at GW in the US and did less painting while I worked there... I was the US White Dwarf Studio Photographer from 2000-2006, so if you have US White Dwarfs from that era, all the North American GTs and Golden Demon photos were my work. Worked on the General's Compendium in that timeframe, too. That was a fun project! I only mention all this because over the years, I have met and befriended a lot of world-renown miniature painters at all the GD Painting Competitions, and have often asked them for a bit of advice from time to time. Their work still amazes me to this day. I'm nowhere NEAR their standard, but I've had the opportunity to pick their brains when I've hit a brick wall on occasion. 

 

Like I mentioned, I've been painting models for nigh on four decades, so one would THINK I would be better than I am...  I paint VERRRYYYY slowly, and I'm very much a perfectionist with my own work. At times I even step away from painting for a few months. I've been painting rather consistently for the past 6 months, though, so I think I'm ready to handle this. Plus, I'm super-jazzed about M3E finally releasing, as I love the game, even though I've only played a few games of 2E and just recently my first with M3E (and got pasted). I am TERRIBLE at rolling dice (my gaming record speaks for itself...), and I have maybe 2 strategic bones in my entire body (possibly one of the inner ear bones and a metatarsal). I got into the gaming aspect because of the painting, so the artisitc part is truly my first love. Flipping cards, I thought, would negate my unlucky dice rolling. Turns out, not so much. If I can flip the Black Joker or a card under 4, you can bet your bultungin it's gonna happen.  But I have a blast playing, regardless, so it's always fun. 

 

I LOVE the background fluff, the ambiance of the game, and the fantastic sculpts. Nothing like them I have ever seen. And, like others have said, this Challenge would get me to paint (and finish!) models in a more timely manner! Let's do this!!

[Nikodemus]

Sure, why not. I've got enough Wyrd still kicking around to keep up. In for a Minion @Caedrus. I know the lowest I ever painted in 2019 was 6ss but I'm playing it safe.

 

As for a short intro. I'm an active Malifaux player since 2016. Same year I got into painting and miniatures games. Sometimes I feel like an oddity in the LGS since I didn't do minis games or even MTG as a kid or ever. 

I've had most of my Malifaux gaming stuff painted since a few years ago so I don't pledge too high. I do paint regularly, but a lot of it is only sometimes related to Wyrd or even games I play. Heck for this month's pledge I was tossing between Barbaros (I don't play Outcast) and my third painted Marcus sculptIn 2018 I painted minis from give or take 15 different companies. So yeah, I try to spread a wide net far as painting stuff goes.

Stuff to expect in 2020... I've got Yasunori and Charm Warder primed and waiting to join my TT. Most of Marcus' 3e box, plus few more Chimeras in the mail. and I just received Crossroads 7. That'll be an exciting project. Oh and for some reason I own most of Family models in metal (only missing Abuela). So that's a thing that might happen. I don't play Guild. Don't overly enjoy the Guild aesthetic either, though that's somewhat counteracted by me loving Wyrd metals.

Been enjoying the 2019 challenge immensely. Keeps me in touch with Wyrd side of things. Cool people painting cool stuff.

___

Cool story @monkeyboy30672, always nice to hear from long time hobbyists.

[Polar43]

Im in ...again. But this year I will make sure to carry on through the year.

May take a smaller pledge though 

[Gloomy]

@Caedrus I'm in put me down for Master again. 

I don't like the idea of buying back in, I think it takes away from the challenge aspect. I think 2 mulligans and out is fine. I like the pressure  Also if your failing to hit your targets you can always reduce your level and stay in the challenge right?

[Gloomy]

Oh yeah and an intro - Hi I'm Wintergloom and I've been playing Malifaux since 2016. This'll be my second year in the challenge and I have to say to anyone thinking about doing it, its so much fun and a really nice community to be a part of.

My goals for 2020 are gonna be to finish up keywords (maybe even finish the Resser faction). Paint a bunch of terrain and finish my TOS army before June

Looking forward to seeing everyones work  

 

[iCreed]

Hello all, long time Malifaux lurker who has never really got going! Work, fact nobody around here collects Malifaux and everything else getting in the way but time to stop making excuses! I am going to try getting a crew or 2 painted up next year so using this to help me keep motivated among the sea of other games and models I have sitting around. Collected miniatures for around 15 - 20 years, but still very much a novice in terms of painting.

So I'm in for the Enforcer 6ss pledge next year and I am hoping to paint up (if a dare risk the beautiful sculpts) the Winter Wonderland box set and once I pick it up the Marcus crew. Look forward to getting to know you all during the year

[TeaCrusader]

Hi there!

I've only just started getting into Malifaux with 3e. Been aware of the system for a long time but never had the time or money to dive in. Love the setting and a lot of the characters and lore.  You can tell because I keep inventing my own crews on the side for fun.

I used to paint 40k miniature back when i played over 10 years ago, but I am not a patient person and painting 30 of the same model (at least) was never something I managed to get on with. I love the Malifaux sculpts though and they are just so much more fun and satisfying to paint. Joined in the last two months of the painting challenge this year and love the idea so lets try and keep up with it this year shall we?

I'm pledging Master 15ss level, mostly so I don't end up avoiding painting models for efficiency. (I know myself I will do this)

 

In terms of the buy back I love the idea, but I think 50ss is a bit much. I like the idea of double pledge level. Or maybe just +5ss on top of pledge level? (Means the 1ss pledges have some sort of additional cost unless they are only painting those 1ss totems all year).

Thanks for running again this year Caedrus!

[lusciousmccabe]

Alright, better sign myself up again. Think I'd best go for just the minion pledge as it's still uncertain whether i completed this year's challenge!

Thanks @Caedrus for carrying on with the challenge for another year.

I've been painting minis on-and off for going on ten years, or 20 if you count those first few metal dark elves which were about the most 90's thing ever in retrospect.

I've gotten a bit more serious in the last year or so and made some decent improvement thanks to a lot of helpful online resources (this group included obv). I'm not actually playing Malifaux at the moment so I'll probably just tip away at a model a month from my massive backlog of second hand metal models I thought were irresistible back in the mists of time. 

Looking forward to another year in the competition. It was a great source of inspiration and motivation this year and always good to see people sharing ideas and feedback on their work.

 

[lusciousmccabe]

@Caedrus - I think the buyback is a nice idea at 50SS if it can be accomplished over more than one month. So say if your target was 15 SS but you only managed 10 the last month you could count that and put in 20 SS the following 2 months to win your place back.

Also, might want to adjust the points value of terrain as a reasonably sized stand of trees can easily be 50 SS. Or, on the other hand you could leave it so terrain can be the default atonement pledge. Making terrain is basically a public service after all.

[Chou]

Count me in, @Caedrus! I'll go for the Tyrant level, with the amount of models I have to paint yet I think I shouldn't have any problem reaching it every month. 

Regarding buying your position back, maybe 50 SS is too much, how about giving the painter a challenge? Something like "ok, you finish this model with MNM or OSL and there you go". Or making the painter buy back presenting models by the same amount he/she will pledge. 

[Pastori]

@Caedrus Pastori signing in. Pledging my remaining few swampfiends, and most of Lucius' elite. At a rate of one model per month, I would guess that should be doable.😊 so enforcer it shall be.

[Bullfrog]

Hi @Caedrus,

I am excited to join in this for the 2020 year.  @muraki and @Sweet Tooth told me all about this last year and I was bummed to miss the entry date. My goal is to keep up with the master level as I am pretty sure I can do henchmen reasonably well so I hope to push myself to paint on a more consistent basis (~3x nights a week ).  If not, then I can always bump down to henchmen level. 

 

I think the painting challenge will be the perfect next step for me. One day I hope to become a commission painter as a side source of income (especially in the summer as I am a school teacher with summers off). Thank you for hosting this!

 

 

[Boomstick]

@Caedrus I'm in for 2020, sticking with an Enforcer level! Love the buy back in option!

Personally I'm looking forward to improving and experimenting with an airbrush more (this far I've pretty much just used it to prime and zenithal) and combine that with getting more terrain done, as well as continue to improve in general both in speed and quality.

[Rathnard]

@Caedrus you can count me in for Tyrant level again.

As for an intro, I've been playing wargames for 22 years now, and have played Malifaux since it's inception (2008? I can't even remember anymore). I love converting and painting models - it's basically what i do for downtime when I'm not being a full time parent. 

 

For 2020 I've got a few projects planned, specifically;

1.  Finish off my bayou terrain board

2. Compete my Cult of the Burning Man collection

3. Paint up three new TOS companies: Gibbering Hordes and (when released) the Guild and Court of Two companies from the starter set. 

4. Finish crews for Zipp & Parker, paint up Alt Molly & Youko and then complete whatever models i need for the faction/Master I've moved onto by then.

 

Regarding the buy-in what if you set the values relative to the pledge level? So minion could be 10, Enforcer 20, Henchman 30, Master 40 and Tyrant  50? I know I'd have little problem painting up 50-60 SS for a buy-in. But for someone used to painting 1 model per month, it's insurmountable.

Finally, I have to agree with @lusciousmccabe with regards to three terrain values. As great a motivator as it's been to get my own board finished, the values probably need to be scaled down a little!

[Gloomy]

@S4lt @Skitt_Happens You guys should sign up for the 2020 painting challenge. I got so much painted this year having a monthly target + it's a great community with lots of tips, tricks and encouragement

[S4lt]

38 minutes ago, Wintergloom said:

@S4lt @Skitt_Happens You guys should sign up for the 2020 painting challenge. I got so much painted this year having a monthly target + it's a great community with lots of tips, tricks and encouragement

@Caedrus I'm in for 2020!

I have a lot to do so put me down for henchman level.

[Shock & Awe]

@Caedrus I'm in for 2020! I will pledge in at henchman level.

I am relatively still new to miniature games and painting. Malifaux was my first (and still my only) foray into this hobby world, and I got my first master box in December of 2016. 

I went at it like mad there for a good two years and built up a nice rhythm when an earthquake struck, and, well, some bad things happened (as this game has taught us all). I took a year and a half off and the minis I had left started beckoning for new friends, so here I am again.

I'm a TT, Neverborn, Outcast player/painter at the moment, but I just bought the nightmare Molly set along with Seamus (because they belong together) and will be launching into Rezzers this year.

I like the idea of the buy in, or buy back in. My idea would be to balance out your accumulated pledge level. So, for example, if you pledge henchman the expected level is 11SS a month. If you drop a third month and want back in, you would need to recuperate the missed number of SS along with the current month's total (so you would double your month total to get back in). If you want to buy in from the middle of the year, you would need to add up the total for your pledge level from January and make that in your first month. It would be really hard the further on you joined from (as a henchman joining in June would need to complete 66ss worth of models in that month (55 for Jan to May, then 11 for June) but would keep it consistent with the goal totals.

my two cents, for what they are worth! 

[Gloomy]

After having some time to think about it I retract my vote against buying back in ( I think we lost over half our painters in 2019). There's some good suggestions above, I really like @Shock & Awe suggestion. Buying back in at what you missed from the month you were eliminated and it accumulating for every month you missed

[Gloomy]

So I was having a think about terrain costing. I think the main problem we’re having is that it’s based solely on size as opposed to detail or the amount of work put in. With that in mind I’ve come up with a possible new costing system.

Type 1 Terrain – Worth 5ss

• Includes smaller scatter terrain such as crates, fences, carts (can keep 5ss per 50mm as a rough guide). Also larger pieces that are simple or have been painted to a basic level i.e one coat and a bit of drybrushing.

Type 2 Terrain – Worth 10ss

• Includes small houses and buildings with a bit more detail. Several colours used and a few layers.

Type 3  Terrain- Worth 15ss

• Includes large scale buildings or smaller terrain with lots of detail. Terrain painted with advanced techniques and many layers

Type 4 Terrain – Worth 20ss

• Large and highly detailed terrain. Could be sets containing several pieces. Advanced painting techniques including highlighting and weathering

The idea is to self-assess the terrain your painting using a combination of factors such as size, detail, time spent painting and technique. For example, I painted some large ruins before which I sprayed grey, ink washed and gave a light grey dry brush to finish. Although they were large pieces, I might call them type 1 and claim 5ss for each one as they were super quick and easy to do. Or you might paint a small bookshelf and call it type 3 because it took you hours painting all the individual books and detail.

Let me know what you guys think and I’ll post some examples in a post below