Competitions
- Thread starter Ron Tamburrini
- Start date
Help Support planetFigure:
I completely agree, I never entered in any competition, even if I was pushed, many time in the 70ies 80ies ( when I was still painting), to do it by the members of the 2 clubs where I was . ( but I participed gladly at some expos in Malls, to attract more curious to the hobby ) But I go to the shows not to far from my home, because they are some stuning works to be seen .
Fo what I've seen lately; some tricks : big an high fat base old wood
lot of leaves, grass, twigs
let ground flow down on the base with roots showing
paint bust, and paint them untill they look " chalky"
Actualy I'm recollecting my paints and buying some new one ( you can not use Humbrol or acrylics that as been open some 30 years ago , new brushes, and, looking in my drawers ... I will begin with the.. no perhaps the ...but this one looks ... and this ... on the other way the ....
Just enjoy what you are doing
Don't hesitate to show to your friends including virtuals one... This forum is a good place
Best for 2014
I used to enter competitions many years ago, and won awards and medals. I have found that the standard of judging in model engineering shows to be 'fairer', because judging the quality of a locomotive, ship or steam engine is almost solely based on the quality of the workmanship. The issue with military figures, AFVs, dioramas &c. is that there is a significant element of artistic interpretation involved as well. This makes judging as much a subjective as well as an objective exercise. As several of the above responses have stated, we should model for fun and personal enjoyment.
Shows are wonderful for showing up superb, and not so superb work, and act as a personal litmus against which we can judge our own efforts as well as learning techniques from others. It also helps if we lose tunnel vision, and see how model engineers, railway, ship and aeroplane modellers use different techniques for certain effects. For example, photo-etching was used by railway and ship modellers for years before military modellers started to use the technique extensively.
Happy modelling,
Mike
Shows are wonderful for showing up superb, and not so superb work, and act as a personal litmus against which we can judge our own efforts as well as learning techniques from others. It also helps if we lose tunnel vision, and see how model engineers, railway, ship and aeroplane modellers use different techniques for certain effects. For example, photo-etching was used by railway and ship modellers for years before military modellers started to use the technique extensively.
Happy modelling,
Mike
M
Mark S
Guest
Generally the head judge , but who judges him or her
Jiminy Crickets!
....No point me showing up at any show that's got a head judge......I'd not only get no placing, but I'd probably get asked to leave!
Martin64
A Fixture
While I got away with a "highly commended" at best in the competitions at Euromilitaire I always enjoyed that event and felt more about giving something back to the organizers while taking part. If competitions are avoided you have smaller numbers of models on display to marvel at as a visitor. Being a judge at the model show of my local club I know how hard it is (sometimes impossible) to please everybody with a (hopefully) fair decision.
That said the problem of Euromilitaire started for me when it became obvious that Best of Show-pieces were not the piece people had flocked around in the competition room before (one time even a miniature with closed visor became BOS and when I saw later a picture of the model with raised visor in a magazine I knew why the visor had been kept closed at Euro). Another thing are "professionals"/"celebrities" that pile up model kits at a vendors table and when they are asked a price say "But I am .... " - Then you get the feeling that maybe not everybody expects to be treated as the same and that something else might be going on behind the bar when the showroom is closed for the public.
Nevertheless it is not the end of the world if your model is going unnoticed at one show while it wins a medal at another competition as long as you had fun building and painting it. The hobby is for me about models and not so much about medals - shows are more for inspiration and meeting old friends.
My two cents!
Cheers, Martin
That said the problem of Euromilitaire started for me when it became obvious that Best of Show-pieces were not the piece people had flocked around in the competition room before (one time even a miniature with closed visor became BOS and when I saw later a picture of the model with raised visor in a magazine I knew why the visor had been kept closed at Euro). Another thing are "professionals"/"celebrities" that pile up model kits at a vendors table and when they are asked a price say "But I am ....
" - Then you get the feeling that maybe not everybody expects to be treated as the same and that something else might be going on behind the bar when the showroom is closed for the public.Nevertheless it is not the end of the world if your model is going unnoticed at one show while it wins a medal at another competition as long as you had fun building and painting it. The hobby is for me about models and not so much about medals - shows are more for inspiration and meeting old friends.
My two cents!
Cheers, Martin
Tecumsea
PlanetFigure Supporter
I think Figureworld is the proof that an event can fulfil all of the criterea mentioned above for the enjoyment of the hobby without the need for a competition. For any of you in the UK who haven't attended so far it is highly recommended.
Keith
Keith
Seconded couldn't agree more Keith
Steve
Ron Tamburrini
A Fixture
Yea but why Oundle it's so damned hard to get to from Scotland "or is that the cunning plan "
Been through it once while on a job search missed a bus connection and was tempted to pick the apples off the trees on the main street as I was Bloody skint and starving
Colin_Fraser
PlanetFigure Supporter
I really like the idea of having an exhibition like the one they have in Oundle. Here in Canada we only have IPMS-type shows available to us. The rigid category system they use means that one's work is sprayed across the tables according to scale, mounted status, bust etc. and this removes the ability to put together a coherent display of all of one's work on a nicely staged piece of velvet or whatever. I am not a competitive person normally but I find competitions bring out my silly side...I get more concerned about what others think about my work than I do, even though in some cases the judges appear to have no idea what goes into a scratch piece.
I sculpt and paint for myself and measure my results against my own standards and expectations. That is how it should be. Perhaps the analogy is the golfer who should be trying to better his personal best by playing against the course, rather than playing against the rest of the foursome.
Gra and Nap - thanks for the kind words on Ney.
Colin
I sculpt and paint for myself and measure my results against my own standards and expectations. That is how it should be. Perhaps the analogy is the golfer who should be trying to better his personal best by playing against the course, rather than playing against the rest of the foursome.
Gra and Nap - thanks for the kind words on Ney.
Colin
civilladies
Active Member
I put the diorama you can see on my profile into Glasgow IPMS comp to see if I got any feed back as this was my first "real" attempt at figure painting.
I didn't get any feedback but I did get 1st place ! I posted pics on here just after the show of the others in the same section, in comparison the other 2 were 1/35 scale and mine was 90mm. As a newbie I even asked at the registration desk what section it should be in as I was unsure of all the differences and as 1 figure refused to stay attached to the base I didn't want to keep moving it. I think that if you give the judges as much info about your work as you can fit into the registration form that can help.
Nicola
I didn't get any feedback but I did get 1st place ! I posted pics on here just after the show of the others in the same section, in comparison the other 2 were 1/35 scale and mine was 90mm. As a newbie I even asked at the registration desk what section it should be in as I was unsure of all the differences and as 1 figure refused to stay attached to the base I didn't want to keep moving it. I think that if you give the judges as much info about your work as you can fit into the registration form that can help.
Nicola
I do enter at shows, but this is more to help support the club involved. It doesn't cost much to enter i know, but I'm sure every little helps.
Running a model club and and organising a show nowadays isn't cheap.
If any of my models win, they win if they don't they don't. The most important thing to me is the enjoyment of painting them, and trying to raise my standard.
The show FigureWorld, that doesn't have a competition, but invites modellers to display there work has become very popular, as it promotes a great chance for everyone to chat and discuss the hobby in a very relaxed atmosphere. Maybe its the way forward.
Malc
Running a model club and and organising a show nowadays isn't cheap.
If any of my models win, they win if they don't they don't. The most important thing to me is the enjoyment of painting them, and trying to raise my standard.
The show FigureWorld, that doesn't have a competition, but invites modellers to display there work has become very popular, as it promotes a great chance for everyone to chat and discuss the hobby in a very relaxed atmosphere. Maybe its the way forward.
Malc
Blind Pew
PlanetFigure Supporter
I think that having a display-type show as opposed to a competition can only be positive.
It takes away the aspect of having winners and losers.
It takes away the aspect of having winners and losers.
I have read all the above posts with interest and can honestly say I agree with nearly everything said. Saying that, and as Ron has asked the original question, I feel I must give my view also. I am now nearly 54 years old and have been painting models of one form or another since I was 9 years old. When I was young I never competed in competitions of any form. I just thought I wasn't good enough. I have never been a member of any modelling club. For 2 reasons, I can't afford the 60 mile round trip to the nearest club, and I have never mixed well with people. Being a member of planet figure has helped me so much as I haven't got to talk face to face with someone. I didn't start going to model shows until the late 1990s and didn't start competing until 2000. Since then I have really enjoyed competing and it does spur me on to create better models. Ok, I will never be as good as some people here, no matter how hard I try. But I have taken some firsts and seconds at some local midlands shows and I am very proud of that. I believe that some judges have their favourite periods and the awards reflect that. I tend to paint a lot of Wild West scenes which have been largely ignored sometimes in competitions when other figures or busts I have entered in WW 1 or WW2 have won something. It is just the luck of the draw (to use a wild west metaphor). I have been to Euro Militaire (once) and I dream of competing there but it will never happen as has been previously said it is difficult to compete against the masters. Seperate categories need to be put in place for intermediate painters before I will ever be brave enough to compete. I once raised this issue with an excellent painter and it didn't go down too well. This was my fault as I didn't explain myself very well and just came across as angry. It is not the fault of the masters that they compete with all comers. It's the rules of the game. I have grown up somewhat since then and although I still believe there should be seperate categories within competitions (and not just senior and junior) I don't think it will happen any time soon in the UK. Until that time I shall take my figures and busts to my local shows and hope for the best. After all, every prize won boosts my confidence just a little bit more and all things said that can't be a bad thing, can it?
I totally agree with BP's comment .
If I do put stuff in then it will only be to support the club organising the show for example Bugle Call .
Nap
Similar threads
