Welcome to this very first Miniature of the Month edition in year 2013. Make your choice and choose your favorite miniature posted in January here at Chest of Colors. Even better if you would like to join us and post pictures of your work so that you could take part in next voting in February.
There is also a special poll running at our miniature painting forum. We want to pick the best miniature in year 2012. So check Miniature of the Year 2013 thread and pick the best one!
Authors say
Now here is what the authors said about their works:
Here’s a few photo’s of a Corsair Prince I was asked to paint. He’s been given a light spray of varnish as he’s going to be used in games, hence the slight shine in the pictures – I did use dull coat on it too, but it didn’t get rid of the shine completely.
The base is simple as per the clients request, he wanted it to fit in with his current army models and their bases. The model was Finecast and sent to me primed and assembled, I did my best to clean it up but it was rough to say the least, so I did my best to smooth things over with the paint but some areas were bound to look rough no matter what I did. Short of buying a new model for him, I did as best I could to make it look half decent!
— skraaal
Well here is somthing totally different. i painted this army up for a friend of my. The deal was that I painted it so it would look nice from a distance (like on the picture.) The more special guys got some extra attention. But it’s all fairly low gamer standard. But he was on a very strict budget so we compromised. Not everything is based, because my friend is doing that himself.
I really like how this paint scheme worked out. It’s very striking in my opinion. Sorry the photo is a bit of a mess, didn’t take it myself, but I liked to showcase this because i painted 3000 to 3500 points of skeletons. Annoyingly brittle skeletons:)
— No Gut No Glory
Miniatures of the month January
Who can enter the competition
Everyone! Yes, that’s true. Have you ever considered competing and trying your skills with other great painters? This is a great opportunity. 🙂
It’s all very simple – just log into our forum and post pictures of your miniatures. They will automatically take part in next month voting.
Rules and voting
Everybody can vote for 3 miniatures of their choice. There will be one Miniature of the Month (the winner) and up to two honorable mentions. The number of honorable mentions will be reduced if two miniatures tie for the title of the Miniature of the Month, so the maximum number of awarded entries is 3.
OK, so now you should be ready to vote:
[poll id=”13″]
The poll is open for two weeks, which is until March 17th. The results will be posted after the poll is closed and the winner will receive a honorary badge to display in his profile on our miniature painting forum and will take part in voting “Miniature of the Year 2012”. In case of a tie, the badge will be awarded to the winners. Up to two models will also receive honorary mentions.
We encourage you to comment on this month’s entries, explain your votes or even discuss votes of other users – we’ll be happy to read what you have to say. So don’t be shy and share your opinion with us. Thanks a lot!
Welcome in this very last Miniature of the Month edition in year 2012. Make your choice and choose your favourite miniature posted in December here at Chest of Colors.
Authors say
Now here is what the authors said about their works:
I have finally finished this project. It took me ages but most of the time it was me trying to come up with the substitute of the chain that broke but I got too tired with it and fixed the original.
All in all I am actually quite happy with this mini.
— k_dash
This was one of the first miniatures I’ve painted since starting again. Painted it as a gift for a very close friend who I’ve spent most of my life trying to hit with various forms of medieval weaponry!
— kirisute
Miniatures of the month December
Who can enter the competition
Everyone! Yes, that’s true. Have you ever considered competing and trying your skills with other great painters? This is a great opportunity. 🙂
It’s all very simple – just log into our forum and post pictures of your miniatures. They will automatically take part in next month voting.
Rules and voting
Everybody can vote for 3 miniatures of their choice. There will be one Miniature of the Month (the winner) and up to two honorable mentions. The number of honorable mentions will be reduced if two miniatures tie for the title of the Miniature of the Month, so the maximum number of awarded entries is 3.
OK, so now you should be ready to vote:
POLL CLOSED
The poll is open until the end of January. The results will be posted after the poll is closed and the winner will receive a honorary badge to display in his profile on our miniature painting forum and will take part in voting “Miniature of the Year 2012”. In case of a tie, the badge will be awarded to the winners. Up to two models will also receive honorary mentions.
We encourage you to comment on this month’s entries, explain your votes or even discuss votes of other users – we’ll be happy to read what you have to say. So don’t be shy and share your opinion with us. Thanks a lot!
Results
UPDATE: This time the winner is JerzyK, with a pretty solid win. Honorable mentions go to Arbal and Slawol. Thanks for your interest and congratulations!
Welcome back! Yeah I know… you really missed our game. 🙂 Please excuse me for making you wait so long for the next edition of Miniature of the month! This time we have 24 miniatures for you to choose from.
Last month there was the biggest painting competition in Poland – Hussar 2012. Unfortunately this year I couldn’t come, but still I can try my skills with some great painters like Ana, Bohun, Flameon, Ctan and many, many others. If you would like to make them a challenge, then try to paint a miniature, post it on Chest of Colors forum and try to win. 🙂
And remember you can also take part in the next month’s edition of Miniature of the Month!
Authors say
Now here is what the authors said about their works:
I would like to introduce myself and present to You some of my works to be judged and commented.
Firstly my recent work in almost se-nmm, almost because there is no horizon line. Wanted to make him more gold-like but in the process no yellows were added and so it came more patina-bronze.
Mad Puppet miniature, 55mm
— madfly-art
In preparation for Halloween, here are some horror I painted last week. 02282, Ghoul Warrior sculpted by Bob Ridolfi and 02941, Ghouls and Ghast sculpted by Ben Siens, all by Reaper Miniatures. I’ve cut the Ghoul Warrior arm to meet the needs of the diorama I’m working on now for Reaper Halloween Contest.
I used Vallejo cork brown as base color for the skin. Then, I applied a flat brown wash and blended some highlights with green gray and dark flesh which in fact are not dark at all. I finished with purple bruises and different tones of flat red mixed with charcoal color for the blood.
— Metalchaos
Miniatures of the month October
Who can enter the competition
Everyone! Yes, that’s true. Have you ever considered competing and trying your skills with other great painters? This is a great opportunity. 🙂
It’s all very simple – just log into our forum and post pictures of your miniatures. They will automatically take part in next month voting.
Rules and voting
Everybody can vote for 3 miniatures of their choice. There will be one Miniature of the Month (the winner) and up to two honourable mentions. The number of honourable mentions will be reduced if two miniatures tie for the title of the Miniature of the Month, so the maximum number of awarded entries is 3.
OK, so now you should be ready to vote:
VOTING CLOSED
The poll is open until the end of November. The results will be posted after the poll is closed and the winner will receive a honorary badge to display in his profile on our miniature painting forum and will take part in voting “Miniature of the Year 2012”. In case of a tie, the badge will be awarded to the winners. Up to two models will also receive honorary mentions.
We encourage you to comment on this month’s entries, explain your votes or even discuss votes of other users – we’ll be happy to read what you have to say. So don’t be shy and share your opinion with us. Thanks a lot!
Results
UPDATE: This month’s winner is Ana with her Nokjagerin, and honorable mentions go to CTan and Marta. Congratulations!
This year we were lucky to participate in the third edition of the Hussar miniature painting competition. This event grew to become one of the most important events for miniature painters in Poland, and with support from Cool Mini Or Not, Hussar 2012 was a tempting choice for any miniature painting enthusiast. After all the main prize is nothing to scoff at!
Who was there?
This edition of Hussar was special not only because it confirmed the contest’s position, but also because there were as many foreign entrants as never before. Oh, well, it means only two, but it’s still more than any previous edition got. 😉 The two guests were Nakatan (Ivan Victorovich Melnikov, who came with his wife) and Zaphod (Michael Bartels).
Of course there were many Polish painters, including the most popular and recognized Polish painters. We met many old friends and had a chance to get to know new ones. People started socializing very soon and hobby talk was heard all over the place.
There was a special promotional miniature named “HussaAAARGHHH!!!”, which could be purchased at the event.
There were a few hobby stores present at Hussar 2012, so hobbyists could see in person many products they have only known from the internet, including MaxMini bits, Kromlech stuff, Ogniem i Mieczem (By Fire and Sword) miniatures and all the stuff brought by the White Tree staff.
Other attractions
Most curious or adventurous guests could try their skills at digital 3-d sculpting. There were tablets with necessary software, plus some assistance from experienced experts. Moreover, there was a special presentation by MaxMini about the process of digital sculpting.
One of the most popular things at the contest was a special cabinet for showcase of miniatures, which were not entered into the contest. There were quite a few miniatures from Ana, Bohun, Flameon, Karol Rudyk, Loler, Maru, Nameless and Przemo there.
There was also a painting workshop with Przemek Wałęga (Przemo), who taught about painting miniatures and contrast. And people who spent the day at the location of the contest, could participate in a fun speed painting contest, more about which will be written later.
Hussar 2012 miniature painting contest
Obviously the central part of this whole event was the miniature painting competition. This time there were 75 entries, but the overall quality surprised both the judges and the entrants. I heard it from many participants that they hadn’t expected that high quality and such strong competition. We’ve seen high quality entries in the previous editions of Hussar, but the overall quality of entries has never been as high as this year.
Just like in the previous editions of Hussar, there were 4 categories: Diorama, Large model, Single fantasy miniature and Single sci-fi miniature.
Here are pictures of all the entries from the competition with some special attention given to winners of trophies and honorable mentions.
Diorama
As there are no separate categories for units or duels, these go into the diorama category. This category allows to emphasize modeling work, story worked into the model, and interaction between models. It also allows to use bigger bases than the remaining categories.
Gold in diorama: Łukasz Grzyb [CTAN] – “Chocolate Factory”Silver in diorama: Melnikov Ivan Victorovich [NAKATAN] – “Hard Corps vs Hive Mind”Bronze in diorama: Adam Hałon [LOLER] – “Obcy”
Przemek Wałęga [PRZEMO] – “Bunt”
Michał Jankiewicz – “Orc Buggy”
Piotr Karpiński – “Dzidy”
Large Model
This year there was still no separation between machines and other larger miniatures. It seems this category may be split into two separate categories in future, if only enough entries are prepared and entered to the competition.
Gold in large model: Łukasz Grzyb [CTAN] – “Goldfish”Silver in large model: Melnikov Ivan Victorovich [NAKATAN] – “In the Land of Giants”Bronze in large model: Iga Walczewska-Bińczyk [IGNIS] – “Time”
Honourable mentions
Marek Borowski [KERAM] – “Gorbad the Headhunter”
Jarek Drabek [CAMELSON] – “Hellbrute”
These don’t really need to be fantasy models. Historical models representing characters from the period before 1914 are also allowed, and some historical models in 15mm scale were entered, indeed. This category was very popular and so many entries displayed great quality, that many honourable mentions were awarded.
Gold in single fantasy miniature: Adam Hałon [LOLER] – “Bretoński Rycerz”Silver in single fantasy miniature: Ania Machowska [AŃA] – “King’s Man”Bronze in single fantasy miniature: Łukasz Grzyb [CTAN] – “Co ja pacze”
Honourable mentions
Jarek Drabek [CAMELSON] – “Yarry”
Radosław Bartnik [LEMARTES] – “Tomb King”
Michael Bartels [ZAPHOD] – “Ode to Raffa”
Magdalena Wróbel – “Captain of the Empire”
Michał Cios – “Regimentarz Stanisław Lubomirski”
Michał Pisarski [LAN STUDIO] – “Isabela von Carstein”
This category also allows historical models from the period of 1914 and later, yet no historical models were entered. Maybe the next year we will see any? This time most entries were Warhammer 40.000 models, but some other manufacturers were represented as well.
Gold in single sci-fi miniature: Melnikov Ivan Victorovich [NAKATAN] – “Last mistake of sergeant Joe”Silver in single sci-fi miniature: Artur Żołędowski [ARTUR] – “Ork”
Bronze in single sci-fi miniature: Karol Rudyk – “Chaos Lord”
Honourable mentions
Michał Orzeł – “Still searching”
Adam Hałon [LOLER] – “Chaplain”
Michał Gendek – “Imperial Fist Veteran”
Ania Machowska [AŃA] – “Geisha Assassin”
Michał Pisarski [LAN STUDIO] – “God of Winter”
Łukasz Grzyb [CTAN] – “Time for dinner”
Best Junior
There is no separate category for youngbloods at Hussar, so young painters compete in the same categories as their older colleagues. But there was a special award for the best work of a painter born in 1996 or later. The award for the Best Junior painter went to Marek Borkowski (KeraM) for this work, which also won him an honourable mention in the Large model category.
Best Junior: Marek Borowski [KERAM] – “Gorbad the Headhunter”
Grand Prix
The Grand Prix always goes to the author of one of four works that took gold in our four main categories. This time the winner was Nakatan, who painted this impressive Eldar model. It seems it was a good decision to come to Poland and try his luck at Hussar!
The Grand Prix: Melnikov Ivan Victorovich [NAKATAN] – “Last mistake of sergeant Joe”
As some of you surely remember the winner receives a return ticket to the USA for the next edition of the Crystal Brush contest. We’re sure Nakatan will enjoy the trip just as much as he enjoyed the trophy – a beautiful sabre, admired and complimented by everyone who saw slayer swords.
Speed Painting
As it has been mentioned already, there was a speed painting competition for everybody who felt like participating in this little fun contest. There is always a little twist that every painter is only given 3 colors and can only use them until a signal is given to pass the paints to another participants and receive new ones from somebody else. This results in pretty creative color schemes and forces out-of-the-box approach. There were nearly 20 entries, and the winners were:
Łukasz Grzyb [CTAN]
Filip Marković [NAMELESS]
Tomasz Wolski
Here is a photo of the winning speed-painted high elf:
Gold in speed painting: Łukasz Grzyb [CTAN]
The ceremony
Everyone anxiously awaited the awards ceremony. It was great to see hobbyists congratulate their colleagues and their successes, and especially to see Nakatan’s happy face when he was declared the overall winner, received the sabre trophy mentioned before and a special prize from Cool Mini Or Not – return ticket to Crystal Brush 2013.
After the ceremony most participants went to the afterparty, for yet more socializing, some beer and enjoying seeing the miniatures in person without the barrier of display cabinets. Our foreign guests seemed happy and satisfied with the event.
Hussar 2013?
So will there be another edition of Hussar in 2013? We hope so, and what we heard unofficially, everything seems to be going just right to make Hussar 2013 possible! We hope the reputation and popularity of the contest continue to grow and improve, and to see more foreign hobbyists in Warsaw in a year.
Painters had a month to prepare their entries, and every one was allowed to enter up to 3 models. After the deadline we ended up with 16 entries, presenting a variety of styles, races, approaches and models.
And the winner is…
… Mahon with his Mjolnir the Ogre:
Chest of Colors Arena winner
As you surely remember, Chest of Colors members cannot get the main prize, so the Red Sand Black Moon rulebook goes to the second place winner, Madfly-art, for his Lizardman Hero:
Second place at Chest of Colors Arena
And if you are still curious about the third place, it went to Egrim van Horstmann for his “Who Rules the Jungle?”. The base was a bit overkill for a gaming model, wasn’t it? 😉
We mentioned there will be some random prizes for random participants. This time lady luck smiled upon Metalchaos, Gnottapan and Egrim van Horstmann. You will be contacted by us soon, so we can send the prizes to you.
Instant runoff voting?
Now you surely wonder how the instant runoff voting worked in this case. Let us explain it to you.
Usual method
Had we been using the normal “vote for the winner” voting, there would be a tie between Mahon’s Mjolnir the Ogre and Egrim van Horstmann’s “Who Rules the Jungle?”. No entry would gain a decisive advantage over others though, but many votes would effectively be wasted, not helping determine the eventual winner. No entry would exceed the 50% threshold, too.
Instant runoff
Now with the instant runoff, every voter chooses more than one candidate and does it in order of his preference. The winner has to collect more than 50% of votes. If there is no such winner, weakest entries are eliminated but their votes are not wasted. They go to the next preferred choices on their lists.
In our case we had a tie between Mjolnir the Ogre and “Who Rules the Jungle?”, so we eliminated all entries which got no “first preference” votes, and were left with 6 entries. No votes discarded yet, right? Then we eliminated all entries which received 1 vote, and checked which models were the next preference choices of voters whose first choices were eliminated. This gave a little boost to Mjolnir the Ogre and a larger boost to the Lizardman Hero. Still no winner though, as these two models tied with an equal number of votes now.
So after another elimination of the weakest, votes were assigned from eliminated models to the next preferred ones, and now Mjolnir the Ogre managed to exceed the 50% threshold and became the winner, with Lizardman Hero being second.
What do we think about this system of voting?
It definitely is interesting as it allows your vote to count even if your candidate doesn’t win. This encourages to vote even when you are sure your candidate cannot win, because your vote still can influence the voting with your next preferred choices. We’re not surprised this method is used for some respectable and recognized awards. We will surely be using it again in future.
Will there be more contests?
Surely!
We’re slowly preparing for another contest now, so stay tuned for official announcements (and unofficial teasers 😉 ).
And in the meantime we would like to thank you for your participation and to invite you to leaving a comment below. What was good about the contest, what was less so, what would you like to see changed in the next contests? And what do you think about the entries?
