91 replies to this topic

[MonkeySloth]

Wow, just ending one painting competition and moving on to another. The rules should be familiar with anyone who have entered a Painting Excuses contest but I'll run down the basics for everyone.

There are two categories this time around both requiring the basic theme that it should feel halloweenish. We're not going to define exactly what that is but if you have a question please ask below:

Diorama: If you've never made one of these before a basic description is "A three-dimensional miniature or life-size scene in which figures, stuffed wildlife, or other objects are arranged in a naturalistic setting " This should tell the viewer some type of story though what you've created.

Single Figure Decorative base: This is a much looser category but still need to fit the theme outlined above. By decorative we mean more then your usual base and something that could be as fancy as what you'd see on a diorama but smaller in scope.

Prizes (each category):

1st--$50 reaper online gift card
2nd--$25 reaper online gift card
3st--$15 reaper online gift card

General Rules:

• All entries must be made by Reaper.
• Entries must be in by October 31st at 11:59 pm MST
• Enter as many times as you want but only one entry per person per category can make it to the final voting round.
• Each entry needs to be uploaded to the appropriate thread. Please attach your entries using the forum uploading feature or hotlink from the Inspiration Gallery. We want to make sure they're visible at all times.
  
  • Link to Decorative Base thread
  • Link to Diorama thread
• You may submit between one and four images of each entry. They do not need to be stitched into a single image file.
  
  • Diorama entries should have between two and six images. (If you can catch it all in just one picture, is it REALLY a diorama?)
• Digital enhancement ("Photoshopping") of your entry is strictly prohibited.
  
  • No clone brush, healing brush, airbrush, or other brush work. Fix your paint with paint, not with Photoshop.
  • No adding or removing background elements from the image
  • If you add a logo or a watermark Reaper cannot use your image in their gallery. Note that if your image is selected for the Reaper gallery, you will be credited by name under the image.
  • Cropping, global color balance, and global level adjustments are allowed ("global" means "the entire image." You may not "pop" colors by only selecting some areas for level adjustment.
• You are allowed to enter miniatures and dioramas that will also be entered into other contests that might overlap ours.
• We are not going to police your entries as to when they were started\finished. We hope that people would paint something for this contest and not just enter something they finished a while ago as this is a fun and friendly contest.
• The judges or Reaper reserves the right to remove entries if deemed inappropriate, but we're pretty laid back here and this is just to cover our butts.
• The judges and Reaper can clarify and amend rules at will.

Basing and Diorama Rules

• You do not have to use Reaper produced stuff for your bits for basing or in the Diorama.

Voting Rules

• We will be trying out a different voting system this time around and will post more details about it as we get closer, however, the following is what the judges will be looking at.

1. Adherence to the theme of Halloween
2. Creativity
3. Painting skill
4. Conversions
5. Basing\Diorama composition quality

[MonkeySloth]

Just going to repost the last part so people do see it as I want to make sure people don't over look this part:

Voting Rules

• We will be trying out a different voting system this time around and will post more details about it as we get closer, however, the following is what the judges will be looking at.

1. Adherence to the theme of Halloween
2. Creativity
3. Painting skill
4. Conversions
5. Basing\Diorama composition quality

We're still working out how this will work, but I think you'll see some of the areas graded more heavily then others, for example conversions will be less important then all the others.

[Nameless]

you're the man, MS!
by the way, can you get Kit to make the current contest as a sticky/pinned thread?

[salyvan]

Would it be possible to somehow notify the entrants of their scores?

The judges' and entrants' anonymity can be preserved; scores could be PM'ed.

I plan on entering the contents and it would be nice to see what needs to be improved upon for next time.

Looking forward to getting some more painting done!

[MonkeySloth]

@Nameless Good idea

@Salyvan I think we should be able to provide the overall average at least.

[salyvan]

Overall average would be great!

Thanks :)

[Lastman]

Monkey and I and others have been talking about the judging criteria and I'd like to clarify that a little. Initially we thought about weighting them but that becomes cumbersome. So in order to avoid total subjectivity and whimsical judgements, I thought that list would ensure that all the judges would evaluate the same criteria, while retaining some flexibility.

1. Adherence to the theme of Halloween
2. Creativity
3. Painting skill
4. Conversions
5. Basing\Diorama composition quality

1. I like the Halloween theme criterion because it differentiates this contest from the others. It adds an artistic conceptual challenge that goes beyond technical skill. A person looking at these entries must immediately know they are for Halloween, and not some generic fantasy competition.

2. Halloween is a fun holiday where people tend to cut loose and go a little nuts. It also has a long history, so people can go old school, or showcase some of the modern additions to the canon. How do you put a point value on creativity? This is another reason a point system is hard and judges need flexibility. You know creativity when you see it. Be original, show a new interpretation of an old idea, show an old idea that is the epitome of the idea... lots of room here.

3. 4. and 5. mean pretty much what they say. Technical skill is something we are all trying to increase. Color within the lines. Show a little knowledge of color theory when deciding your scheme. Halloween is in Autumn, so save your snow bases for the proper season (see item 1). Conversions require some talent so that can't be ignored by judges, but I don't think it will make or break an entry when all the criteria are considered.

Impact is something that occurs upon first sight, before any critical analysis can occur in the minds of the judges. So everybody has a chance to impress, or just have fun in the spirit of the holiday.

Push yourself in any of these areas and even if you don't win, our fraction of the world will be a better place.

Now get in a spooky state of mind and paint!

[Adrift]

Having the 5 judging criteria is a great idea, and adherence to a theme as the primary score is like playing a skirmish game with an objective; rather than just wipe out the other person's forces.

[Inarah]

Since we have so many new members on the forum I'd like to point out one more judging criteria: quality photographs. If the judges can't see it, they can't give you high marks for your work. Waiting until the last minute and then snapping a blurry picture on your phone isn't helping you. Learn to use your camera, and take LOTS of photos from all angles. In the last contest I must have taken 2 dozen pictures to get 4 that I could enter. Also, get Photoshop or some other comparable editing software and make the allowable color balance and level adjustments. We all want to see lovely clear photos of all the entries, not just the judges.

disclaimer: I am not judging this contest, I just though this would be useful knowlege for the participants.

[Eternalhero1983]

I know that I am new to the forum but not to modeling and painting. What will be that distinction for Single Figure Decorative base and Diorama? I have seen people use a single model and base to tell a story just as much as a Diorama that is 2x2 and with twenty models on it. I am just trying to make sure of the specifics so that my entry will not be move to a catalogue that I did not enter it into.

[MonkeySloth]

If you're not telling a story isn't not a diorama. If you feel you need to help the judges see said story you can just add some text in the post when you submit your entry.

Decorative base is "I want to make a cool base" and that's about it. They do tend to be smaller and have less content on them.

In past contests we've been vague on what the difference really is, as they've usually ended up being the same category, but with this contest we're really trying to separate the two out and I think "whats the story" is a great way to do that. Of course we're willing to hear suggestions on clarifying these so people aren't as confused.

[Ironhammer]

Man, you're right on this!! Thanks, MonkeySloth, for putting in so much of your time for the enjoyment of this web community!!! (and thanks also to Reaper for hosting and providing prizes!!!!!)

I like the voting rules. If nothing else, it gives us targets to shoot for. I especially like the thematic aspect of the rules. I've gone to a lot of trouble to stick to themes in past contests only to see the winners be people who just painted something generic, which I find to be pretty discouraging. I really like to be challenged to be creative like this.

[Kay]

General Rules:

• All entries must be made by Reaper.

This might sound stupid, but after some of the conversations debating the pros and cons of paint I think I want some clarification...
When you say "all entries must be made by Reaper" you are just talking about the figures, not the paint too, right??

And in the diorama or on the base that can be anything we want to use? What if I want to make a diorama of a giant cat that is going to eat the minis... if the cat is a stuffed animal (just to be silly) will that disqualify my entry? Or for that matter, what if a cat figure in the diorama isn't a Reaper figure, will that disqualify it even if all the other actual figures ARE Reaper?


Edit... it just occurred to me that with the way that is worded no one other than the Reaper entity can enter the contest. Now I am sad.

[Nameless]

Basing and Diorama Rules

• You do not have to use Reaper produced stuff for your bits for basing or in the Diorama.

I hope this part of the rules makes for a good reply, Kay
my entry for the spring contest here had GW zombies coming out of the ground (and GW tombstones, and PP bits). My understanding is that we can use bits from other companies as long as they do not dominate an entry.

[Lastman]

Nameless is correct.

Since Reaper is hosting this forum and providing the prizes, it would be cool if the primary parts of the diorama were Reaper products.

Bits and scenery don't have to be Reaper.

Paint doesn't have to be Reaper.

However, Kit will be using his super-high-tech-magic software to scan and analyze paint molecules through the pixels to determine the sources of paint used on each entry--for internal research purposes only. (Last sentence is not true. A joke, even.)