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Hello!

Games Workshop made some changes for Golden Demon this year: new guidelines for each category and created new ones.

I have to admit I love ‘EM Paint Masters category, where hobbyists have to paint model nominated by ‘EM painting team. This year it will be a plastic Eldar Farseer straight from the box: no conversions, no other kitbashing and base supplied. I’m sure it’s going to be very hard challenge for all painters and great opportunity to see many variations of this beautiful model! I’m not going this year, so I can’t wait to see gallery!

I also can’t wait to see this new Golden Slayer Sword prize 🙂

Here you can read about the updated rules.

And what do you think about it?

P.S. Title pic with Golden Demon event comes from Warhammer World official site.

Events, Reports

Golden Demons 2012: Clash of Slayer Sword winners

May 18, 2013 Sea.Man 5 Comments

Another year has passed by and we are lucky to get some more great painted miniatures from painters who participated at Golden Demon contest organized by Games Workshop. If you would like to remembrance what entries have won last year, check here: Golden Demon 2011 Slayer Sword winners.

This year I have asked other great painter to share their opinion with us.

Slayer Sword France 2012: Bruno Lavallée – Empire griffin

Volomir

Bruno’s entry is a wonderful monster, very well painted, to a level we would expect from Bruno. The painting detail of the skin in the demigyph is awesome, the composition is very well executed, with a nice ambiance and an interesting pose. The worse part in my opinion is the head of the rider, a poor sculpture which is only interesting for the hair, and the face is not up to the standard of the whole piece. Nicely worked base and terrain too! One of my favorites this year.

Corvus

I have a bit of a mixed feeling with this one. It isn’t the 100% custom sculpted magic we’re used from GD France, but a slightly modified (head swap as far as I know of) Forge World model. It’s also difficult to judge the painting on the model, it’s hard to see on the pictures but all surfaces seem to be finely textured: dents in the armor, fur on the beast, etc. And of course the base is magnificent!

It isn’t the 100% custom sculpted magic we’re used from GD France

Slawol

I like the overall composition, great base and color choice. Big mounted model with good paint job, I especially like the demigryph with his textures. The rider’s face and metallics are really great, also nice steam punk-look lance. The base is great itself.

Matt Cexwish

Hmmmmmm… :)… Much more then meets the eye actually! I really dig the nice black cut out base that Bruno has created for his project…

The saliva and glossy looking beak and eyes really make the demigryph come to live… I also like the sharp metal reflexes and nicely worked out details on the skin and the base… All in all a very solid and strong entry, but again pretty out of the box… I think that it could have been improved by adding some more Detail that shows more of the Knights story like a little companion or some stuff he has cramped on his saddle…

The French GD has always been one (if not THE) most innovative Golden Daemon in the past and I am sure that there were a lot of amazing sculpts that were not considered because of the newly changed IP doctrine…

Slayer Sword Spain 2012: Pablo López – Board´em!!

Volomir

Pablo’s entry is a good diorama, well executed and very well done in terms of GW lore and use of commercial bits and the idea behind is well thought. There are many bad details which make the whole piece worse, like the tree, the base in general, the painting level of the imperial crew, the poor level of the transformations… Overall is a very nice piece but not worthy of a Slayer Sword in my opinion. A lucky strike considering the competition!

well executed and very well done in terms of GW lore and use of commercial bits and the idea behind is well thought

Corvus

Classic diorama’s like this which depict a scene which can come straight out of the concept art of the Warhammer universe are always a recipe for success. It’s also painted in a more classic way than the previous Spanish Slayer Sword winners, which were much more technical.

Slawol

Classic diorama with really good execution. Pretty old school paint job, but nothing spectacular. Nice storytelling scene. I would like to see more details on Savage Orcs, for example tattoos or at least more work on their green skin, maybe some additional colors on their mugs or something else. Of course, author put in this piece a lot of work and I like the whole composition, but overall it’s not what I expect for SS winner in diorama category and I don’t like spongy trees.

Matt Cexwish

For me personally, maybe the biggest surprise in this years Golden Daemon season… I am kinda intrigued by the general setup of the diorama, although I also think that paloji could have been much, much braver in his decisions, composition and conversions… As the sculpt of the Forge World land sShip lacks some Elegance and the additional, plausible Storytelling and Detail it is really a pity that no one has yet achieved to add it in the past…

I wished the sheer wild nature of the Feral Orks would show in a more natural way… the Orks could have been like a Monstrous Green Tidal wave, with hundreds and hundreds of them smashing into the side of the Ship and gradually tipping it over… It is this kind of detail that would have driven this Project to my absolute favorite this year, but like this I got the impression that something is missing and the whole scene remains extremely flat and bound to it´s Square base (although it is pretty clear that it´s converted and painted nicely…)… Also, I think that Paloji ended up in a not very pleasant situation as he has said himself that the giant from Marc Masclans was the better project… However, congratulations to you, dear Paloji, for your first Slayer Sword! 🙂

Slayer Sword Japan 2012: Christoph Blumenthal – Crisis Battlesuit

Volomir

Cristoph’s is by far the worst of the Slayer Swords this year, obviously we shouldn’t expect the same level as we expect in Europe to the new GD in Japan. I like the choice of the idea and the basing and colors of the ground. The work on the Tau Armour is very poor and so is the overall painting. But again, it’s a new GD! I’m sure we will see the level rising in Japan soon.

I am not too keen on the idea of a unbalanced diorama and thus think that the goblin is no match for the suit

Corvus

Let’s hope this is a warming up for the next Japan GD’s… This entry and the other winners all have a lot of potential so I’m sure we’ll see some amazing things coming our way in the next few years. My main comment about this particular piece would be the composition: there’s no real focus point here, and the grot has no added value in my opinion.

Slawol

Well, the first GD in Japan is history! Congratulations to organizers and participants, I hope next year GD will be better with better entries and especially the main prize – not paper. As for the winner – for me too few shadows, that’s why model looks really flat. I love weathering and whole scene, the base and the lamp.

Matt Cexwish

Well, besides getting the notorious, very First and World Exclusive Paper Slayer Print, Christoph did a decent job on his combat suit… I was waiting for a long time to finally see a Japanese Golden Daemon and it was pretty obvious that the first will be rather small and humble, yet this entry shows some advanced ideas regarding the textures and setup of used elements (like the nice lamp post and the general post apocalyptic feeling to it…)…

I am not too keen on the idea of a unbalanced diorama and thus think that the goblin is no match for the suit (also, he is shooting him in the back… which doesn´t make it any better…)… Maybe a classical “David Vs. Goliath” theme would have worked with switched roles (e.g. a very strong goblin against a somehow weak, elegant, fragile suit…)… But then again, this doesn´t really seem to fit with the idea of the Tau… Hhhm, difficult start, but a start at least! :D… Very much looking forward seeing the 2013 GD Japan entries! 🙂

Slayer Sword US 2012: Todd Swanson – Wood Elf Lilith Hesperax

Volomir

Todd’s Lilith Hesperax is a very interesting piece. Quite a conversion and a very nice idea in general, and the painting is very correct. However there are things that you cannot ask from a conversion work and I think Todd tried hard in making the conversion believable but the right leg is absolutely broken, and the little faerie thing (whatever that is) in her hand is funny but completely unreal and out of context with Lilith’s pose. Great base also, tiny but filled with interesting details!

painting miniatures out of the box without any modifications seems like a much more sure way to win a trophy, but it also leaves less space for imagination

Corvus

The conversion of this 40K model left it with some odd bends in the legs, or is this due to the Finecast? The skin, which makes up most of this model, lacks contrast and the heavy black lining is something you don’t see that often anymore these days. But in general it is quite an impressive conversion and the base looks great.

Slawol

Hesperax is a nice chick, but her right leg… Simple paint job, but very clean and smooth. Good skin tone, tattoos, I like especially the face and hair. Nothing mind blowing and special for a SS winner, but it’s a nice model and very good conversion and of course very good base.

Matt Cexwish

Again, much more then one could think at the first glance… Todd´s Project is just meticulous and insane! He has filed down each and every single piece of cloth and armor on a pretty filigrane miniature and managed to create some new, unique and very well fitting additional pieces… In a time when Games Workshop tries to strongly encourage work displaying their own IP as a means of advertisement, painting miniatures out of the box without any modifications seems like a much more sure way to win a trophy, but it also leaves less space for imagination, new, fresh ideas and finally interesting entries and inspiration for both the hobbyists and the production studio…

I think it´s a great way to start converting miniatures as Todd did here with a lot of subtle, yet extremely effective and well chosen additions to still get the attention with the judges it really deserves… I like the outcome and think that it´s much better in hand then it is on the pics (since they are magnified a good 10 times at least…).. Very nice Job, Todd!

Slayer Sword Germany 2012: Raffaele Picca – Untold Honor

Volomir

Untold honor by Raffa is one of the best Slayer Swords this year too. I like the idea, the dynamism, the colors, the work on the base, the level of detail, the painting work, nearly everything. I specially like the way he managed to get the characters to be floating in the air. The only thing I do not like that much is the composition of the piece. There is too much protagonism in the base, and at first sight you don’t see the dwarf that well. I believe he could have been better off with less height on the terrain. Apart from that and the water splashes not being very realistic, I absolutely love it.

Only the best can achieve this kind of “aesthetic corrections” and Raffa is certainly one of them…

Corvus

I had the luck of seeing this piece in real life a couple of times this year and it’s truly breathtaking. Custom sculpted figures and an over the top, Massive Voodoo style base make this my number 2 for this year’s Slayer Sword list.

Slawol

Well, I can go talking and talking about this diorama long time… Masterpiece, I love dynamic scene, my beloved race from fantasy world – Dwarf, great terrain and of course fantastic paint job. Picster is one of the most talented painters nowadays and here is the another proof. Well deserved SS! Amazing job!

Matt Cexwish

:)… Jungle Brother Raffa is like a living warranty: Whatever this crazed chimp spits out after working hard on it, it will be great… :D… I have seen this piece in person as I was in the jury of the German Games Day 2012 and – boy – he did it again! The most astonishing part is surely not the setup, which we all have seen a couple of times (a fearless hero jumping head first into a brutal and violent monster / enemy… meh), but the way he has achieved this piece is really something extraordinary…

The dwarf is completely sculpted and one would not expect how SMALL it actually is… Painting wise, Raffa has really succeeded in something that becomes more vital in these days of 3D enhanced modeling: To paint the scales of the troll in a more naturalistic, smooth way then the sculpt would suggest… It really speaks highly of his skill to see that he has managed to turn a flaw of the sculpt to something you end up noticing as something very well painted… Only the best can achieve this kind of “aesthetic corrections” and Raffa is certainly one of them…

Slayer Sword UK 2012: Karol Rudyk – Vampire Lord

Volomir

Karol’s Vampire Dragon is absolutely stunning. A great work, amazing choice of colors and very well executed job on the red of the wings, a very risky choice which turned out beautifully. My biggest concerns on this piece are the position of the rider, saddle and banner. I don’t like how the rider is leaning to one side, with the banner making an unreal diagonal and without any sensation of weight which it would have in a position like that one. The painting is superb though, one of my favorites this year.

That’s what I see in my head when I think “Slayer Sword”. Big model with a lot of details and fantastic composition.

Corvus

My favorite of this year, thanks to the overall dark and evil atmosphere together with the razor-sharp painting. I’m speechless…

Slawol

For me Karol’s work is the best SS this year. That’s what I see in my head when I think “Slayer Sword”. Big model with a lot of details and fantastic composition. It reminds me of another work – 1st place in Monster Category at GD UK 2003 by Matt Parkes. Karol did a very rich diorama with lot of details and mood. I love the blood, dark atmosphere, banner, the base…

What more can I say? Vampire on the Zombie Dragon is my number one in 2012!

Matt Cexwish

I met Karol 2 times already and I always knew that he will strike it big one day as his miniatures are something genuinely special! The finish is so smooth and Matt, you would not expect it… His freehands are amongst the absolute best in the miniature world… He is amongst the few that have a genuine graphical talent and you can clearly see it in his masterpiece, the Vampire Lord + favorite pet… The only flaw I can spot is the lack of dynamic in the Banner (which should be pretty ragged and moved by the wind actually…), but that´s nitpicking on a very high level… The smoothness of the paint job and the nearly photo realistic NMM metallics are really something special…

I am so glad that Karols Oddysee to the UK ended up so successfully and that some people that did not want to allow him into the competition had to think again afterwards… Also, I want to thank him for the stir he has made selling his China Slayer Sword afterwards, showing as much respect to it as he had felt when he was awarded with it… You got to stay true to your principles…

Slayer Sword Australia 2012: Mark Soley – Nurgle Lord

Volomir

Mark’s Nurgle paladin is very well painted, beautiful choice of colors overall and I really like the detail of the corpse in the water which he maintained transparent so that we could see what’s happening inside. The biggest flaw for me is that the miniature is nearly an out of the box project and probably not enough for a Slayer Sword in my opinion, a little miniature with a painting not that mind blowing to be a Slayer Sword without anything else, but is is always difficult to judge from photos.

The biggest flaw for me is that the miniature is nearly an out of the box project.

Corvus

All serious Golden Demon contestants know the “gaming base rule” is quite a silly one. Some entries almost make fun of this rule by building a huge diorama on top of a 25x25mm base. This entry does it in another, extremely creative way. A good conversion, great painting and flawless water effects, wow! My number three of the list.

Slawol

Another single model with big base. It’s a thin line between single model and diorama and some of the GD rules about bases would be verified and/or changed. I like the paint job and the overall idea. Maybe another nurgle champion is boring for some people (like me), but I have to say, it is painted on a high level. I like color scheme and very limited palette.

Matt Cexwish

I have seen so, so many versions of this miniature that it gets me a little bit tired… Here, I like the base most, as it is more complex and quite challenging from a technical point of view… The nurgle warrior on top is nearly completely replaceable with any other fantasy miniature and that´s why I think that more modification or a bolder use of wicked colors would have worked better… Besides that, the whole paint job is a little bit too flat, but it does transport the message of a rotting nurgle warrior pretty nicely and subtle…

Slayer Sword Italy 2012: Luciano Rossetto – Ork Warboss

Volomir

Luciano’s Ork is amazing, a huge piece with an outstanding work on conversion, modeling and sculpting, filled with little details that tell lots of stories, dynamism and superbly painted to the highest standard. A very well deserved Slayer Sword in a GD which was swarming with good pieces and again, one of my favorites this year.

Makes you wonder about the true nature of the Orks, like a dance on the very thin line between ferocious wildness and murderous fun…

Corvus

Not really appealing to me but a flawless, very dynamic piece. Well deserved.

Slawol

Nice, dynamic model, great skin, freehands and the reds. Nothing amazing for me in 100%, but I think this Ork deserved for 1st place in his category.

Matt Cexwish

Forte! :D… I was lucky enough to see this in person at the Monte San Savino Show 2012 in the Tuscany and was amazed by the size and details! Definitely, a highly personalized and condensed entry… The balanced, nearly dance like posture of the heavy, wild Ork evokes the impression as if he is gently swaying through the enemy lines, which is unusual and interestingly done!

Also, it´s pretty evident that Luciano has painted quite a few historical miniatures before (if you look at the smooth blending, the texture on the armor, the nice metals…)… Makes you wonder about the true nature of the Orks, like a dance on the very thin line between ferocious wildness and murderous fun… Thanks for creating that and sharing it with us…

Your opinion?

As always your opinion is important, so what do you think about those entries?

Which one do you like best?

Where Golden Demon has the highest standard?

Vote, share your opinion and comment here or at our forum!

Regards,
— sea.man

Events, Reports

Golden Demons 2011: Clash of Slayer Sword winners

February 8, 2012 Sea.Man Leave a comment

As always contest organized by Games Workshop, called Golden Demon, attracts many painters who try to win really nice statues and glory 🙂 Their entries not only can win in different categories, but also the best of all can become Slayer Sword winners – that’s how The Best of Show award is commonly called.

I have asked some of the active members from the Chest of Colors community what do they think about last year’s Slayer Sword winners and their entries. They already have some demons in their collections, so I should better give them the microphone…

Slayer Sword France 2011: Remy Tremblay

Flameon

You can watch the scene for a longer time and still you keep finding new elements that you want to give a better look.

Remy’s work is one of my favorite from last year’s Golden Demons. What I like in this diorama, is that there are so many things happening there. Thanks to that you can watch the scene for a longer time and still you keep finding new elements that you want to give a better look. For example a scared peasant in the sewers under the house, you look at it and then you find a rat who chases him in the tunnel. This makes that the whole diorama very interesting. Also from technical side, everything is painted and modeled at a very decent level. There aren’t many painters who want to paint every model so nice when there is so many of them.

Kacpero

Very good diorama, full of climate, expanded in terms of modeling techniques that were used. Very characteristic, painting approach to color in the execution of Remy Tremblay makes the scene very harmonious. Awarding this type of work with a Slayer Sword shows that in the highest level of miniature modeling world it’s not so much important the accuracy and smoothness of painting but also the idea and the story the author wants to pass.

Przemo

His diorama shows so much! So many things happens in there. There are absolutely no empty areas. Every room, shows a little story. And together they make a great diorama. You can watch it from every side and angle and spend hours on that amazing work. I’d love to see it in real, take it in my hand.

Slawol

There is so much work put into it, both conceptual and artistic. The history is told very clearly, amount of details and the quality of them is staggering. In every corner you can find confirmation of the high level presented by R. Tremblay. Particularly noteworthy are the execution of the water, destroyed roof and a scene that takes place behind bars – a villager trying to escape from the Skaven. From modeling point of view, the diorama is made at the highest level.

Slayer Sword Spain 2011: Rubén Martínez

Ana

Yet AGAIN a giant won in Spain. I wonder if the Spaniards fought their domestic discount on this product, since this is their flagship proposal for Golden Demon?

Without prejudice to the implementation of craftsmanship, excellent composition, an interesting idea for a scene – yet AGAIN a giant won in Spain. I wonder if the Spaniards got their domestic discount for this product, since this is their flagship proposal for Golden Demon? Fortunately, the scene refreshes the hackneyed subject.

Details are of the highest quality – it seems that he did not take any shortcuts… but what do I know about Spanish painting techniques 😛 Probably, like a typical Spaniard, he did the job in one weekend. 😉

I will not comment about it’s execution, because everyone has his eyes – the only thing I have to reproach is the choice of the model. Booooooring!

Flameon

Ruben has done a nice job but I am missing something more. Both models are very nicely painted but they don’t surprise. There is not enough WOW! From the painting side, the giant is superbly done and the griffon looks underdeveloped. Feathers on the wings blend into one mass because of the lack of any edging with stronger color. On one hand I understand that he wanted it to look natural, but in my opinion it did not pass the exam. I like the eggs, they look like the real thing.

Kacpero

Excellently composed diorama, very good technically (conversion and painting at the highest level). The big downside is the lack of consistency in the style, so the combination of elements that are very realistic with plastic models of GW (striking contrast to the base of feathers and wings of griffin). In my opinion the scene is too uniform in color.

Przemo

Another great work was made by Rubén Martínez – winner of Spanish GD. You can’t talk about meaning it this diorama but there is something else – dynamism. This is the way duel should be done. Expressions, dynamic poses – it looks like a real fight. Base with rocks stones and eggs gives a background of the scene very well.

Slayer Sword US 2011: Vincent Hudon

Ana

American Chopper Orc is the best proof that the US finally has its champions at the Golden Demons (because so far many of their best painters did not attend to them too often). I wonder what happened with the Americans that they improved so well, because I feel that the intercontinental quality difference finally blurred. Maybe a matter of cooperation and exchange of experiences?

I feel that the intercontinental quality difference finally blurred. Maybe a matter of cooperation and exchange of experiences?

Anyway, it seems that the US winner is better than the UK.

Flameon

Slayer Sword in the US is a really well painted and converted work. I especially like the humorous topic – wind blowing in the faces of those two, it looks very nice. From the painting and sculpture point of view, I can not reproach this work, it seems to me that it was drawn in this regard nearly to maximum. Only the base is very poor. This kind of bases are done when you need to do a whole unit and not a single motorcycle in a painting competition model.

Kacpero

A really nice, orkish vehicle that fits perfectly in the greenskins atmosphere. The model is enriched with a number of interesting details that distinguish it from other applications of this type (my favorite is the cartoon character of his teeth). Unfortunately, the entry is not as glamorous as most European Slayer Swords.

Loler

Interesting idea and a few nice additions, like for example a fly on orc’s teeth or face expresions on squig and orc. Overall, I think technically it is very good and realistic, but a little uneven such as bike’s armor is interesting, something is happening there and on the contrary the orc’s skin looks boring to me.

Slayer Sword Germany 2011: Matt Cexwish

Ana

Of all this year’s winners, it was the work of Matt Cexwish that mostly moved the strings of my sensitivity. I am impressed by the climate, and I hope that I will see this work once in real 🙂 Personally, I will arrange a pilgrimage from Poland for this intention.
I congratulate him for the victory, especially that he didn’t go towards more commercial themes. This makes him more a winner in my eyes.

Flameon

Not ideal in terms of sculpture or painting, but the imperfections are compensated by the unusual idea and presentation of the diorama’s story

Matt’s diorama is best known to me from all of which I am writing here, because I had a chance to look at her well during GD in Germany. I think it’s precisely this type of work which should be the Slayer Sword. When you look at it do not you think, “This is a really nice figure, I like the” only “Woooooow, what is it? How did he do it? This is a total madness!” and that should be a reaction to the work that won such contest.

But going into details, I can say that: Matt’s painting is always “so-so” and here is the same but it does not interfere with the perception of this work and it is not the most important element so you can forgive him. Same scene is also quite simple, but in conjunction with the second, which is the opposite of all makes huge impression. Especially when you start to crank, the whole scene starts to rotate and the mechanism of the music box melody begins to play. This is really impressive!

Kacpero

The strength of this diorama is primarily unconventional thinking and creativity of the author. Implementation of certain elements is not ideal in terms of sculpture or painting, but the imperfections are compensated by the unusual idea and presentation of the diorama’s story. This is another to “The 13th Hour” job, proving that the idea and atmosphere you can earn the biggest prizes.

Przemo

Most impressive work for me was the winner of German GD – Matt Cexwish diorama. The whole story, background, meaning nad the construction is so fresh! I love works with meaning, and this one describes so much. It’s meaning is more or less philosophical. The whole idea from creating such a construction is also very impressive. I love fresh ways of doing our hobby, so thanks Matt for creating another path in miniatures painting.

Slawol

This scene I like the most. First place in my ranking goes to Matt’s diorama. In a very original way are presented two versions of events on the diorama and actually the work contains two separate scenes which could well be made independently. Combining them using a rotary mechanism (and also the music box!) is just great. The diorama knocks everything: quality, richness of detail, storytelling and the way in which it has been shown.

Slayer Sword UK 2011: Angelo Di Chello

Flameon

I do not know what motivated the judges, but as for me it is a mistake.

English Slayer Sword totally surprised me (probably the same as other painters), because as far as I can deduce from the photo it is a simple table top. Zero conversion and painting is just weak. In Germany it probably could not even count on Bronze

Kacpero

Nicely painted plastic miniature from Games Workshop ;).

Loler

That I do not understand 🙂 I have seen the miniature live and actually it is good (certainly much better than the pictures, these pictures from the UK are turbo weak), but at the competition there were muuuuch better works. I do not know what motivated the judges, but as for me it is a mistake, the worst sword. Wood’s shaded as if the model was going to be fighting on the tabletop.

Slayer Sword Australia 2011: Kyle Morgan

Flameon

The author effectively captured the individual and unique character of a greenskin boss.

Really bad photos, it is hard to judge.

Kacpero

Next orcish classic. The author effectively captured the individual and unique character of a greenskin boss. Cool conversion and modeling some interesting details.

Loler

Kyle’s ork is very nice, a few interesting snippets (ork’s servo skull, gretchin in the cap), and generally cool climate. The whole composition is as well thought out. Colors are consistent and it all makes good overall effect. I do not like that standard. Blood probably wouldn’t drip down, only sink in or something 🙂

Slayer Sword Italy 2011: Matteo Murelli

Flameon

Particularly noteworthy is the performance of the muscles and tendons of a monster and a very realistic blood.

Model from Italy looks very nice. The author had a very good idea for painting the skin of the beast, however, apparently lacked the determination to paint all those leather belts in most places because it looks unrealistic. Besides pictures of the model are made under a strong light coming from above so I am not able to judge how much of the shading on the model is his own work and how much is a natural shade. Because of this, unfortunately I can not honestly evaluate this model but generally makes a very nice impression.

Kacpero

The model is made with typical Italian style, finesse and care. Unfortunately I am not in favor of treatment figures as a base for painting and illustration freehands. For that there is canvas or paper. With such a biased way of judging like this year in Italy, for the next years we will have the most boring and predictable competition next to the British edition of the Golden Demon.

Slawol

I like this model because of the consistency of execution. I also like the theme, which I like very much personally. For this very well have been selected colors, which – thanks to a limited palette (almost monochrome) – creates mood and atmosphere of work. Painting also technically deserves the highest score. Particularly noteworthy is the performance of the muscles and tendons of a monster and a very realistic blood. The whole composition looks very good and entertaining, including a properly designed stand.

Your opinion?

As always your opinion is important, so what do you think about those entries?
Which one do you like best?
Where Golden Demon has the highest standard?

Vote, share your opinion and comment here or at our forum!

Regards,
— sea.man

Updates

Next step: Mona Lisa – Scandal at Golden Demon Australia?

November 2, 2011 mahon 13 Comments

Just as most of you probably know, Golden Demon Australia 2011 was held in Sydney on October 1st. And as some of you know, there was something wrong with one of the entries. I mean the dreadnought which won gold in Warhammer 40K Vehicle category, and you surely guessed it already.

Dreadnought Twins

For those of you who are not familiar with the subject, let me explain that after the Golden Demon some photos of entries were published on the internet. And somebody spotted a suspicious photo… “Hey, isn’t it Bohun’s dreadnought?”, he said. And yeah, he must’ve been right!

Photo: Scandal at Golden Demon Australia 2011 - Bohun's Dreadnought — Dreadnought entered at Golden Demon Australia 2011

The dreadnought in question looked exactly like the one Bohun showed on our miniature painting forum a few months ago. He even posted some WIP pictures, so we had no doubts he actually painted that one. So the new one had to be either painted by Bohun himself or a perfect copy of his paintjob.

Of course it’s possible to commit a forgery that can’t be disclosed, but it’s very unlikely in this case. Bohun‘s style is quite unique, and we recognized the paintjob with ease. We immediately contacted a few people, who could be interested in it – including Bohun. He thanked us for spotting the issue, because he wouldn’t even known about it.

The plot thickens…

Most of you probably know that at most Golden Demons there is a rule that one must be present at the Golden Demon to enter his works in the contest. And I mean personal presence, or otherwise they should be disqualified. It works a bit different in Australia because there is no requirement of personal presence, and there’s store and regional qualifying instead. We knew Bohun didn’t go to Australia and we know him as a painter who doesn’t need to do something as wrong as asking somebody to enter the miniature for him to win yet another Golden Demon while risking his reputation and good name. So we could be quite sure that it wasn’t entered by him or on his behalf. This was a commissioned job, so it was very likely that the customer who bought the miniature decided to enter the miniature in order to try to win a Golden Demon.

Unfortunately similar things happened before, too. Some people entered purchased or commissioned works before, and while some wanted to make a nice surprise to the authors and credited them as authors of the miniatures, some entered them as their own. Well, Bohun had bad luck of having the latter kind of customer. The person who entered the miniature, entered it as his own work. Now that’s really bad conduct, isn’t it?

Epic fail

Fortunately the guys from Australia (Sebastian Archer and Kyle Morgan) took care of the whole thing very seriously. Thank you guys, you did great job! They investigated the case and when they received pictures of the original work by Bohun, it was obvious the miniature at Golden Demon was not a copy but the same model as on Bohun’s works.

But then yet another attempt was made, (un)fortunately a failed one:

Somebody signed up to our miniature painting forum and posted such a message and signed it as INTHEKNOW. We can’t be sure if it’s the same person or not, but let’s quote the message:

@ Angora and posters this my apply to.
I has come to my attention that there are accusations being made not only on this forum but on others. I would be very careful about making slanderous comments in public without proof. I can assure you this matter has been fully investigated by the event organisers and they have been in contact with the people who are actually involved.
While the Dreadnought in question was based on Bohun’s painting style, and a tuition and feed back was given by him, it was not painted by Bohun.
To save any controversy, and with the agreement of all parties involved, the Demon for the Vehicle category was was handed back, and given to 4th place.
As he had not cheated he was able to retain all other Demons won. The person at question will also be able to enter next years GD without limitation.
However, if this isn’t enough information for you I suggest that you either get in contact with GW AU directly or I’m sure you can contact Bohun by sending him a PM or finding the email from his site. Failing that please feel free to PM me.

So what is wrong with it? Why do we call it a failed attempt?

Just a day before this message was sent I had a chance to meet Bohun in person. We talked a bit at Hussar 2011 and even had a chance to visit him again and to see his works. And Bohun denied having given the person any tuition or feedback about how to paint such model. Now the real shame is that he could have chosen to say he was unaware that entries had to be sole works of the entrants, not just owned by them. Although still difficult to believe, this explanation would be more credible than his. But he still claimed it’s a different model…

Now take a moment and compare these two models. Take a little adjustment for different lighting conditions at the contest and in a photo studio. Don’t they look like the same miniature? To me they do. These small swirling patterns look exactly the same on both minis. One would have to be a fantastic painter to replicate this pattern with such perfection. Then look at those stains on both bases. Identical, aren’t they? And if he has such skills, why didn’t he enter his original work but a copy of Bohun’s dreadnought?

Next stop: copying Mona Lisa

Kyle nailed it with his comment at the OZ Painters forum:

I have to say…. if this guy is did infact manage to copy the original Dreadnought, so much that it even came down to getting the battle damage and rust in the exact same spots, then he is truly entitled to winning that Demon…. Hell he should have won the Slayer Sword for being able to copy the original to a tee…. I mean why paint minis when this person clearly has the skill to copy any artwork…. next stop, copying the Mona Lisa!

You still don’t believe?

According to a post from the OZ Painters forum, this was not the first time he was disqualified for playing unfair and breaking the rules. As member difsta writes:

Hi all, I’m new to Oz Painters, but not new to [him]. I used to me “mates” with this guy. That was until he was caught cheating at tournaments with loaded dice. The same dice he used against me in friendly matches, at my house, while drinking my beers.
I was involved in catching him out with the dice as well as catching him out with the Golden Demon issues. For ages [he] used to send me photos of models that he had supposedly painted. When this all came out I provided photos which he sent me, which were found on places such as cool mini or not as well as bohun’s galeria (some of which you have already seen). he didn’t even take the photos, he just sent me the photos that the actual painter had taken. Here is an example.

Then he posts pictures to prove his point. I will leave it up to you to judge by yourselves.

And justice for all

Eventually the entry was disqualified, and results corrected. And justice for all…

Oh really? For all?
He won more trophies on that day, but he was only disqualified from this one category. Fair or not? Let’s leave the judgement to you, but that’s what the rules say. There’s no reason to disqualify him from other categories.

But to show you a different approach to the subject, let me quote the rules of Hussar competition:

2.1. Submitting an entry breaching the rules will cause disqualification of all works of the painter.
2.2. Submitting a team work or work of other painters will cause disqualification of all works of the painter and ban for all future editions of the competition.
2.3 Disqualification can happen after the results announcement, if evidence is found.

It doesn’t pay to cheat, does it? 🙂

Space marine’s regret

Unfortunately it was not the only time such things happened. We only know about a few more, which involved us in some way, but there have surely been more. Let me give a few examples.

Many years ago somebody entered Irkuck‘s and Demon Color’s models at one of Golden Demons in the US. Fortunately for all parties involved those models didn’t win anything and we never learned who did it. We simply spotted these painted miniatured on photos of entries in one of photo reports from that Golden Demon.

Then in 2007 we received an email from one of our customers, informing us that he won a Golden Demon with miniatures painted by Ana. He entered them as his own and to his misfortune, they won a silver Golden Demon in Warhammer 40.000 squad category. He apologized about it and even sent us the trophy, but it still felt a bit unfair because Ana was not there and would surely be unable to afford a trip to Canada. It was the first Golden Demon won by any of her works, so some people might suspect she was involved in it, so we tried to resolve the issue with Canadian Games Workshop, but we only heard that they didn’t help us much beyond telling us they’re glad to know the winner passed the trophy over to the author of winning miniatures. Well, nevermind… Not the best way to get your first trophy, nothing to be proud about. Yet all the lists of GD winners, like the Demon Winner site, credit the person who entered the miniatures for his winning entry.

Fortunately the guy really regretted what he had done and in 2008 entered his own work depicting a space marine asking for forgiveness. Nice touch…

Kindness of strangers

Ana wasn’t very lucky when it came to such situations. It must have been in 2009 that her Dark Angels command squad was entered by the owner of their miniatures at Golden Demon in Baltimore. This guy was fair enough to enter it as Ana’s work and credit her for the entry, but the miniatures… win a silver trophy again. Unfortunately it was done without Ana’s consent…

Some people congratulated Ana, some said it was a pity they didn’t have a chance to meet her at the Golden Demon. Generally the social reception was very positive, but we didn’t want to go the unfair way and contacted Games Workshop US about the case, asking the customer to do the same. We asked them to decide how to resolve the problem, because Ana wasn’t present at the GD, and it’s required by the rules to be there. We suggested it would be best to give the silver trophy to the winner of bronze, and to give bronze to the next person in the line – unless it’s impossible or too difficult to do. Fortunately things went just the way we suggested and the owner of that Dark Angels command squad didn’t object to returning the trophy. We believe he only wanted to do Ana a favor and win a trophy he thought miniature painting deserved. But we were happy to know the trophies went to people who won them abiding by the rules. You can see the corrected list of winners to see that things have been addressed properly.

There are plenty more fish in the sea…

Maybe you can share some suggestions how to deal with such problems? We are aware that Games Workshop cannot know the authors of all the works entered in Golden Demons. That’s where the international community of painters steps in. It’s us who can spot such cases and report them to the responsible persons. Hopefully they will act as promptly and efficiently as some of the examples above prove.

And what is your experience with this subject? Did you have similar problems, or do you know somebody who did?
It surely is more of a problem for people who paint for others, as they lose control over their works after they’re shipped to their new owners. That’s where our “community watch” is most useful and necessary.

Were there more of such problems? Surely, but we don’t know about them.

Maybe you can tell us about the ones you know about?

Feel free to leave a comment to share your opinion with us.

— Mahoń

Updates

Ańa’s ogre thunderlord showcased by Games Workshop

September 5, 2011 CofC Admin 3 Comments

Probably most of you know that the latest releases from Games Workshop were new Ogre Kingdoms miniatures. Games Workshop showcased some interesting Ogre Kingdoms miniatures on their website, including Golden Demon winning Ogre Thunderlord on Rhinox painted by Ańa.

Of course it was nice to see our painted miniatures showcased on one of the most popular miniature manufacturer’s website. Although almost four years passed since the model was painted, the paintjob still looks decent.

Thinking about it now, it must have been a serious effort and achievement for Ańa to paint that Ogre Thunderlord back then. It was a big model, serious modeling project, and a pretty advanced project for quite an inexperienced miniature painter that she was. Fortunately the effort was awarded with gold in Warhammer Monster category at Golden Demon Poland in 2007.

It was the first appearance of Ana’s works at Games Workshop website that we know of, excluding Golden Demon galleries. Needless to say, it must be cool to see your works showcased by such a big company.

Photo: Ańa's ogre showcased on Games Workshop website — Screenshot from Games Workshop website

Anyway, enough talking! Now feel free to see this miniature once again – we have more and bigger photos than what was shown by Games Workshop. And if you liked this miniature, you might like to see even more miniatures painted by Ańa in her gallery.

Photo: Ogre Rhinox Rider (Thunderlord) by Ańa

And now maybe some of you are interested in reading an article about making of this miniature? Maybe you would like to see it in our collection of tutorials? Just let us know and we can publish it if you want to read it (and see some work in progress pictures).