2 replies to this topic

[chipchuck]

I had the pleasure of taking a few classes at ReaperCon this year, and would like to tell everyone how great they were.

First I took Micheal Proctor's "Shading Metallics" class.
Micheal is a fantastic teacher and an incredable artist. His class covers the use of metallic paints shaded down with non-metallics to create a more realistic look to the piece. It was hands on and covered steel and gold in the two hours. This class was fantastic! I came out of it completely charged to put those techniques into practice. If you are looking to use metallics, this class is top shelf.

Next I went to John Bonnot's "How Not to Suck"
John had mentioned to me that I might be a little more advanced than the class material, but I wanted to take it from the amount of people I'd heard raving about it. Plus I like the Monkey so I figured what the heck. John's class should be required for folks wanting to get serious about their painting. It's a shotgun blast of fundamentals, tools, and techniques that includes rapid-fire commentary from a man that thinks fast, talks fast, and paints like a pro. I had a hoot taking this one.

We tried to get tickets to Proctor's "Advanced Basing" but it was sold out.
Please consider expanding this one for next year. I'll be fighting for a spot again after the great work Micheal did in "Shading Metallics".

After that was "Expressive Eyes and Faces" with Derek Schubert
This class was, in my opinion, more advaced, but very helpful! There is no denying that Derek is at the top of the food chain when it comes to faces and eyes of teenie-tiny metal figures. This class he shows you how he does it and discusses ways to create expression using paint instead of trying to resculpt. I came into it with a bit of hero worship and left...still with hero worship but also with a sense that I had truely learned from a master artist. I reccomend this class to more experienced painters, but if that's you...take this class!

Then to close out ReaperCon 2012 I took Anne Forrester's "Color Theory" class.
Who better to teach color theory than the brain behind the MSP line? Anne covered fundamental color theory as relates to miniatures, took us on a field trip (down the hall) to view Reaper's collection of master-painted minis, and then we played "Hey Anne...what number is THIS color?" while she showed us how even contrasting colors can be worked to produce smooth transitions and effects. (If Bobby has 12 Pearl Whites, and Suzy takes away a Ritterlich Purple, how many Blue Liners are left?) I really liked this class and the information was very helpful in introducing me to color theory. I've never taken art classes (though I wish I would have) and this class gave some very helpful info on pairing colors together. Recommended for all.

I want to thank all the artist that volunteered their time to help us. This is how art should be. Master artists passing their wisdom to students seeking improvement. This was the first year I took any classes, and I was completely satisfied with the wealth of information I received. Great job, everyone!

Chip

[xanderhook]

I completely agree with Chip. The classes were fantastic.

I was took Proctor's: Shaded Metallics, Laszlo's: Blending techniques, Martin's: Painting Large figures and Nic's: Color Theory. Each of those was a wealth of information and I feel that my painting knowledge grew ten fold.

Now to put that knowledge into practice and raise my medal color next year.


Charles

[Clever Crow Minis]

Thanks Chip!!!