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Beautiful figure shots Paul. Pity they weren’t displayed a little more sympathetically really, but I suppose that’s space constraints. My favourite is the French 4th Hussar, such a great colourful subject. Love the rest as well though, they all illustrate various finishes. Horse painting at that scale will really push your blending skills to another level……
The little bloke shows the importance of contrast on small figures doesn’t he….really nicely observed. Probably a Perry ACW cavalryman.
I’ve got the Grongard Sapper in the stash somewhere, he’s a Nuts Planet figure I think. Love the contrast in the white finishes on that one especially. I’ve never had the courage to paint him yet though, because I’ll never get near that standard, and that’s what the sculpt really deserves
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I was finding it all just a tiny bit demoralising to be honest, the standards of figure painting were so incredibly high. But then I saw a Nihang Warrior which I can honestly say was no better than my own attempt, and that gave me a real boost - I could picture my own work alongside the rest on the competition benches. Although I have absolutely no desire to enter competitions - that way madness lies, I'm quite sure!Comment
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Competition entries are a whole ‘nother game to me. I paint tabletop standard for myself, and that’s good enough :smiling5: . It’s hard enough living up to my own expectations without trying to outdo someone else’s…..
Your work is already exceptional Paul, so don’t get discouraged. I guarantee that some of those painters will look at your work in the same way you look at theirs. They will see the exceptional work in yours where you only see flaws, and when looking at their own will just see the flaws, whereas you see superb execution. It’s that view that drives you to improve……
Some of those figures, like the large scale cavalry, will have had literally hundreds, if not thousands, of hours work put into them. Personally, I admire the work immensely, but have got past the point of trying to emulate them. That way lies a madness I no longer want to explore. I’m simply too impatient. I square the circle by conning myself…..I could paint like that if I wanted too…..I just don’t want to It’s not true, but it works for me.
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To be honest, Tim, I think you (and, dare I say it, perhaps I) could get very close indeed to those standards - if we were prepared to put in hundreds and hundreds of hours on a single figure. The brush control is there, the knowledge of the techniques is too - it's just we're neither of us prepared to put in the ridiculous amount of work required to achieve that standard! I certainly look at my own work and know where I could further refine it, but I'm just perfectly happy to continue improving, model by model, not seeking perfection here and now.
And I must say your idea of 'tabletop standard' is waaay beyond what most people would consider tabletop standard!Comment
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If I may hijack the thread somewhat - it was interesting to see examples of painting techniques that I've not tried myself. Much better than viewing them on a screen. Seeing stippling, which I've not tried, in the flesh was really helpful in seeing how it works, (for better and for worse).
The other thing that really stood out was the popularity of 'grimdark' finishes - many figures were really dark, really subdued. Not tried that, either.
Made me realise how helpful it is to see other people's efforts in the real world - learnt quite a bit, just from observation.Comment
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