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.
As you surely remember, Chest of Colors Arena was our first miniature painting competition after a really long (or even: embarrassingly long) break. Now we’re back with the gallery of contest entries and more!
Brief summary
To make things easier for our readers, let me just remind you that the contest was all about painting fantasy gladiators. Or pit fighters. Or warriors. Call them what you want. We were pretty much relaxed about this definition, just like Two Hour Wargames were in their Red Sand Black Moon game of fantasy gladiatorial combat (which happened to be the main prize in the contest).
The entries were supposed to be based for gaming and every participant could enter up to 3 entries.
In addition to the main prize, there would be additional prizes for random participants (one chance per entry). So let’s see who was competing for your votes…
Gallery of entries
You may see that some entries feature removable display plinths or fancy backgrounds. Please bear in mind that these plinths or scenery pieces should not be taken into account by voters, as the miniatures alone are the subject of this contest.
Voting
The winner will be determined in voting. Every participant and every member of Chest of Colors team or painting studio will be allowed to vote in a poll. We’ll be using instant runoff voting to determine the winner, just like it’s done for some popular events, like Hugo awards or Oscars (Academy Awards). We will not go into details of the instant runoff voting here, as you can easily follow the link to learn more about the system. Voters will receive information about the system though.
The voting will be closed after one week, regardless of the number of votes received. We will announce the winners shortly after closing the poll.
Now that you’ve seen all the entries, wait for the information how to vote – if you are entitled to vote, or otherwise for voting to be closed. And if you would like to try your luck in another painting contest, we’re already preparing a new one. Stay tuned for more information!
It is getting hotter and hotter and staying at home is almost like a crime 😉
But still 26 Chest of Colors forum members found some time to paint something. I think we can be happy with their results, which can be seen in the collection of Miniature of the Month June collection. What always keeps me amazing about every month’s collections is the variety of the miniatures. Different companies and different styles of painting.
Which one do you like best? Vote and discus it here or at your forum.
Authors say
Now here’s what the authors said about their works:
I think I picked this one up at ReaperCon 2011 (or perhaps earlier), and based and primed it around that time. Then it sat on my desk untouched for many months until sometime this spring when I started on it again. I got close to finishing it, and then it sat again for another month or so. I’ve finally finished it, and will be shipping it down to Reaper soonish.
— pae
Holy smokes it’s been a while since I completed a mini. Longest stretch I’ve had in a long, long while. I painted this one up for a friend and also for a challenge over on the WAMP boards vs. the legendary CofC’s very own Nameless! Of course this thing challenge has really dragged on so I won’t blame Nameless if he’s not so interested anymore. Anyway, here he is.
— ScottRadom
This is the Dwarf Lord I posted in the WIP section: I completed it trying to apply the advice I received. I know I could improve many things on it, anyway I try to improve through various works. I’m not completely satisfied with the cape (especially for the shading), but I will take care of the experience for future red capes
— FiloSganga
Here’s my finished Cryx Slayer. Tried to use some new stuff to me (to make stuff look like it’s glowing, battle damage) though, seems that for a first try it was mostly a fail but at least the mini moves away from the Pile of Shame
— Hellspawn
Miniatures of the month June
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:
VOTING CLOSED
The poll is open until the end of July. 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. 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: No winner this time. Slawol and CTan tied for the first place with equal numbers of votes, Flameon being next. So they all receive honorable mentions but no single entry is awarded the title and badge of the Miniature of June 2012. We wish you all better luck the next time. 🙂
Like every month, this time we also bring you some 23 cool looking and very well painted miniatures. It is not much when you compare it to other months, but I still hope you will find 3 cool looking miniatures and leave your votes for the Miniature of the month May here.
Have fun, enjoy watching the miniatures and remember that you can always give feedback to the authors at the forum!
Authors say
Here’s what a few painters of this month’s entries said about their works:
Well, I managed to get painted 6 mechthralls each one took me about 1.5 hours each, not bad for tabletop but decent quality. Another 6 more of these guys to go and I still have a huge amount of Cryx to paint.
— Arctica
So this time something special, Grim from Pulp City – a yet unreleased mini made for special exchange thanks to generosity of Morf. It is about 19~20 mm tall.
— Maru
I think the proportions of the base somehow turned out weird and not fitting. Guess I should have tested putting Brahyn on the plinth before glueing, priming and painting everything. 😀 … A lesson well learned but I still hope it looks ok!
— P1per
Miniatures of the month May
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:
VOTING CLOSED
The poll is open until the end of June. 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. 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 Flameon, whose entry beat its opponents by a large margin. Well done, Flameon! Honorable mentions go to JerzyK and CTan. Thanks for your interest and congratulations!