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Fantastic stuff! I voted for a lot of people, haha.
Great to see so much Infinity Nomad stuff this month. Jesse James, the ork bandwagons, and the tanks were also really well done. The grots and the gophers also made me chuckle.

Awesome all around!

 Nevelon wrote:

 KommissarKiln wrote:
I've been very infrequent with these painting challenges, but I'd like to know if it's ever been this difficult to narrow down all these great entries.

Some months it’s worse then others, but it’s never easy. This month is up there.

Agreed this month has several top entries and several that also deserve a vote. I think its one of the highest number of votes I've cast.

Thanks for the votes and comments on my Snotlings, Zerg, Bandwagon, Guilden, Chris56, Gulgog, Zobo (I knew I had you at Snotlings )


Taking a leaf out of Moolets book and since its the last month for this year I've given everyone a comment and voted for entry on the Dakka gallery.

NathanD298 - cool model, the little panels of white and yellow really add to the overall colour.
Whittlesey40k - Old School, the screen is tiny but has a lot of detail in, also I like the burnt effect on the roof gun muzzles.
Nevelon - You always delivery a well painted piece, glad you are still here and making the competition a fun place to be.
Guildenstern - I am a sucker for an Ork Battle Wagon, you should have far more votes of this entry, love all the little details. up near the top for me this month.
Vejut - The Gopher engineers are fun, you have given them good character in their faces.
Chris56 - They are some big photos, The suit is well painted and you have thought about the shadows so not all panels are the same colour.
Farseer Anath'lan - your Rhino pic seems to have gone AWOL. From what I remember you couldn't tell it was a plasticard build and there was some good symbols/writing on the model.
u971 - I like the small writing you have added to the dread. The base is very scenic.
gummyofallbears - the Purple and red look well done but quite hard to see in the photo
ZoBo - you have quite a range of paint skills Zobo, good to see how you can change from battered Orks to fresh clean infinity models.
STG - The controllers/gunners seem really suited to the model, you are right when you said that some weathering would have added to the look of the piece but a good model none the less.
Midget Gems - OSL at the end of the plasma cannon should be better and should have blended the OSL on the coils/pack rather than layer it. The glow effect on the cog should go deep and not just on the edges. Skin tones on the grot gunner needed more definition. Noob
Inevitable_Faith - the painting effect to create the muscle fibres is brilliant.
dukeofbeer - Chompsky is a cool model, a good choice of colours and alternating them on the model.
EmberlordofFire08 - Paint job is to a fine tabletop standard, the cloth with the blue highlight came out well.
SmallChanges - a cool idea to do the 4 horseman/bikes. You could definitely take this theme further and customise their bikes as well as the colours to distinguish which horseman each represents.
godardc - A very clean paintjob with good highlights.
Drummernathan - an interesting combination of weapons and mutations, A whole squad of these would be something to fear.
Rygnan - I like the additional of snow of the base and the half black white face.
Moolet - The best entry this month for me so many interesting touches and so well painted.
Bandwagon - Highlights on the armour and clothes are very well done, a very good painting standard congrats.
GulGog Tuftoof - An inventive pose with good character, like a lot of your entries. you must be getting quite the collection of unique pieces.
Modock - A very clean paint job which makes the battle damage/weathering really stand out and isn't overdone.
ChaoticMind - I have no idea where these things came from but I like how they look
Feltmonkey - already said how much I like how you have painted this model. A real stand out model.
JamesY - a very nice looking tank, would have liked to see more photos and your WIPs to see how you did the different effects.
Warpig1815 - A great 1st entry, love the flames and the subtle weathering on the armour.
KommissarKiln - Weather/damage on the kopta blade looks good and you have done the muddy yellow well which is a hard colour to do.
Verviedi - The lightening on the guns is a nice touch. I like the symbols you have painted on the robes and cuffs.
Paradigm - There's no doubt you are a superb painter and have your own style perfected, One thing I'd love to see is better photos to show off your work.
keezus - Good tones on the armour and skin, the detail you have got to the face is brilliant.
Ynneadwraith - I hadn't seen that model before, its well posed and you painted it to a good standard in a short time

Great work everyone that finished and started, this really is a fun competition to be part of because of all the people involved in it.

Thanks for all the votes and kind comments from those who have made them . I did make an error in rushing it to completion. I'm going to try and step it up for the current round

Damn! basically few days in and barely 1% of the vote sorta demotivating,but not really all that surprised,that jesse james is something else as is that ork wagon,tau piranha,Talos engine and paradigms model too,painting "Challenge" that's a fact,must of us stand no chance..you are all extremely talented in the extreme...there should be a less challenging challenge for us average painters,or one for high class painters,like most of you semi human painting jedi masters.

I have 6 votes. None of them are mine. Im actually quite proud.

 u971 wrote:
Damn! basically few days in and barely 1% of the vote sorta demotivating,but not really all that surprised,that jesse james is something else as is that ork wagon,tau piranha,Talos engine and paradigms model too,painting "Challenge" that's a fact,must of us stand no chance..you are all extremely talented in the extreme...there should be a less challenging challenge for us average painters,or one for high class painters,like most of you semi human painting jedi masters.

Yeah, Emberlord is right. Be proud of every last vote you earn. No number of votes is insignificant. Sure, there are a few really good painters who are usually in the running for winning each month's contests, but know that for every vote you get, that's a person out there who believes your work was good enough that you in particular deserve recognition and merit, represented when they allocate one of their votes to you. The very first one was more restrictive on how many entries you could vote for (I believe it was 3), so getting even 2 votes was a huge deal to me.

Along those lines, huge shout out to Midget Gems for going out of their way to give compliments and feedback to every single entry.
...Including their own, lol.

Oh don't get me wrong i'am proud of the few votes i got,more so my dreadnought being as though it was both my first dread "ever" and first entry ever also,just figured i would do a little bit better % wise than i have or am,never voted for myself either so yeah i guess it could be worse,got a literal handful of votes.

 u971 wrote:
Oh don't get me wrong i'am proud of the few votes i got,more so my dreadnought being as though it was both my first dread "ever" and first entry ever also,just figured i would do a little bit better % wise than i have or am,never voted for myself either so yeah i guess it could be worse,got a literal handful of votes.

Don't worry. If the competition has pushed you - either to push your technique or to just get something finished - that's a good thing.

I'm currently with you on 5 votes. A little disappointing - lower than I've been getting recently - but 5 people have liked it. That's a nice thing

Possibly I've upped the colour/saturation too much on my pics, but regardless, I know I'll never be a Moolet, Midget, ZoBo etc. What I do know is I've got better as a result of this comp.

Just taken a look at yours and you're right to be disappointed with 5 votes. It deserves more. It's possible yours doesn't stand out enough to immediately grab people and get a vote. I tend to vote for outstanding ones, interesting models/poses/styles/interpretation of theme etc, or people I've seen improve over the months. Yours is a sharp, clean paintjob that you should be proud of.

 u971 wrote:
Oh don't get me wrong i'am proud of the few votes i got,more so my dreadnought being as though it was both my first dread "ever" and first entry ever also,just figured i would do a little bit better % wise than i have or am,never voted for myself either so yeah i guess it could be worse,got a literal handful of votes.

Usually when I finish I get barely any votes either. But I know I've improved since I started entering these and I will continue to improve. I'm sure you will continue to improve too, just stick with it and keep trying! Your entry this month was pretty good; a lot of great entries don't get the recognition they probably deserve, but them's the breaks.

Well seeing as the vote is nearly done, I just wanted to congratulate and compliment all participants for some really excellent work - as a first-timer to this it's been immense fun to take part. For all those who voted for my entry, and to those who took the time to write a comment, it's very much appreciated!

@Whittlesey40k and u971 - I wouldn't be disheartened by your votes. Both of them were certainly stellar paint jobs and you've no reason to be anything but proud of them. Best of luck to the pair of you if you're planning on entering this month.

Thanks guys! Judging by the competition this month I'm surprised my humble little exodite got any votes at all!

@Midget Gems, there aren't any exodite models so far so it's converted. Started life as a Scourge, but has bits of Hellions and the little digitigrade clawed feet are arms from Sylvaneth Tree Revenants

 u971 wrote:
Damn! basically few days in and barely 1% of the vote sorta demotivating,but not really all that surprised,that jesse james is something else as is that ork wagon,tau piranha,Talos engine and paradigms model too,painting "Challenge" that's a fact,must of us stand no chance..you are all extremely talented in the extreme...there should be a less challenging challenge for us average painters,or one for high class painters,like most of you semi human painting jedi masters.

I hope you don't feel demotivated, u971! I did actually vote for your dreadnought, along with a whole load of other stuff I didn't mention in my quick post. As it's the end of the challenge year, I wish I had done the same as Midget (and I remember Nevelon doing before) and commented on everyone's work. Anyway, what I liked about your dread is the small details on the front such as the different coloured power leads and stuff, and the edge highlighting. Overall, it's a solid paintjob. The best thing to do is to use these competitions as motivation to improve. I've been entering for quite a few months now, and it always pushes me to learn new stuff, new techniques, try to make miniatures that little bit better every time. I sort-of learnt how to do non-metal metal for one of these challenges (well learnt that I can't do non-metallic metal more realistically) and they've given me motivation to tackle minis I've been scared to try to paint. Jesse James has sat in my draw for almost a year, for example. Thanks for your comment on it, by the way! I'm not a pro-painter, or particularly talented. I practice, read up on techniques, watch youtube videos, and ask for advice on this forum and amongst my friends. I'm surprised and delighted that I'm doing well this month, because I consider myself to still be a learner rather than an expert.

by the way, Whittlesey - I actually voted for you too. It's a cool paintjob overall (and a nice model - I'm a sucker for those old-school studded shoulderpads) but this thing that makes it stand out is the screens! That must have taken a steady hand!

I have to say, one of the main things that keeps me running these challenges is how far a lot of the regular entrants have come over the last couple of years now (myself included, a lot of my first year entries were shocking!). It's been great to see the same dozen or so entrants popping up month to month, and always outdoing themselves. We've had some go from beginners to really skilled painters, we've had some reach truly spectacular levels insanely fast, and some people continue to amaze me with their ability to churn out top-quality, highly thematic entries month after month.

It's inspiring to have run, and hopefully just as much so to follow along and take part. The important thing about these challenges from the very start is the motivation they provide, so even if you've not got as many votes as you'd like, then just by being on that list of entrants you've achieved something. Lots of people have remarked that they end up painting stuff for these they wouldn't have got round to otherwise, or tried out new techniques or styles, or just managed to paint something for a deadline that otherwise would have taken much longer.

So hopefully, everyone who enters takes some sense of achievement away from these every single round, because as much as it sounds like a cliche, this is a perfect example of something where taking part is more important than the final results, those are and always have been just a bit of fun!

Don't be discouraged u971!! My
Model(s) this month got a whole handful more votes than my model last month even though I feel last months was painted to a much higher standard! It's really a prime example of the fact that everyone's tastes differ! Also the fact that you entered and finished your model this month and got any votes at all should be an honor and accomplishment! That's at least how I try to look at it! There's a ton of very stiff competition on here as everyone does incredible jobs with their entries and it's really just an encouragement to step it up next month! Maybe try a new technique or go above and beyond what you've done before with techniques you know and hold dear! I've been on a really hard layering kick lately and hopefully my entry for march will show how much I've improved on that! Just find something like that for yourself and go hard in the paint!(pun intended!)

Thanks for all the kind comments makes me feel not so bad,even if i had gotten no votes i would have likely entered the next round regardless,though i'am totally new to attempting painting challenges or competitions,I have come to quite enjoy the whole challenge thread,seeing all the various skill levels styles and themes,the crazy scratch build models that are one off things of awesome uniqueness,conversions that use bits i have never even heard of never mind seen before,as well as improving myself just by entering and getting something fully painted,like i had never used scenic basing,or tried to freehand any kind of scrolling or writing before that dreadnought,and will likely again try harder to win them points when i have a model that fits the months theme,and will again try to improve and get some paint on my pile of models while i'am at it.

My votes this month are going to:

Inevitable_Faith, Modock, Bandwagon and Feltmonkey for some great paintwork, you've each picked very specific styles and absolutely nailed them!

Moolet and Guildenstern... I can't pick a winner in the battle of the wagons, so you both get a vote!

Midget and Ynneadwraith for some great conversions, and JamesY because that tank is just badass!

Thank you very much Paradigm, I greatly appreciate your kind words.

Thanks to Gulgog TufToof, feltmonkey, Bottle, Midget Gems and Paradigm for the kind words.

Cheers Para

thanks to everyone who commented on my work, it's always heartening to see that

I don't really mind votes and numbers so much, I just like the feedback - although I realize the votes are a kind of feedback as well

Every contest that gets me to get a model done is a success imo (and anyone else as well! )

Thanks dude! Really appreciate it

I've got something neat planned for the next one too. I've got him all made as well, but I'm just waiting on a head...

And u971 I thought your Dread was sweet love the little freehand script on his lefthand side which is subtle enough that you have to zoom in to see it. Love little touches like that

Well done Midget for commenting on anyone, i know it takes quite a long time to look at everyones pictures thoroughly and make some comments. Harsh criticisms on yourself though... =)

First off, thank you everyone who has voted for mine so far and i love reading the comments I’d love to read your criticisms too =) I’m so pleased it has gone down well.

This model was one of the first i bought from a GW store, (I’d mainly bought some stuff from mates at school previously). I went to the shop on my 10th or 11th birthday with my brother escorting me with my birthday money. I raced home and built and painted it in the afternoon. My god i did it terribly. It has sat in my fathers attic for 20+ years and i discovered again just over a year ago. I’ve been building myself up to do something with it and wanted to do it justice. It was too badly built and painted with too many missing bits to not convert it a bit but for me all the imperfections of the build allows me to reminisce about childhood =)

If i remember right the old rules were that the carrying capacity was as many models as you could pile on to it.. but any that fell off when you moved it were removed as casualties. Or maybe that was our GW house rules. Can anyone confirm this?

Enough of that sentimental stuff: There are some really good entries this month and lots of really interesting takes on the theme. I know some people may be disappointed with their number of votes but please don’t be. I would be thrilled to play opposite any of the models posted here and so the vast majority of people. I believe it’s called a challenge rather than a competition as the intent is to get you painting and improving your abilities, not to win anything. =) You can see that there has been a tremendous amount of effort gone into painting these entries. I’ve commented on my favourite entries this month but in the end my 5 votes went to,

Inevitable faith, Bandwagon, Modock, Feltmonkey, Warpig

I wish i could have voted for others but i try to keep to 5 or i end up giving them to nearly everyone.

Guildenstern: fantastic scratch build and loads of lovely details
Chris 56: I’m not a huge fan of tau but i love the dirty look you can this one.. well done.
Farseer: Kudos to anyone who scratch builds.. well done =)
Midget gems: incredibly inventive as usual a very fun model. I love that you tried a new technique too. I think if you added a thinned down wash (thinned with lahmian medium, not water) 2 or 3 times to the glowy bits it will improve it further. My favourite part is just before the battery pack where the light hits the ground. So nice to see those old snots.. =)
Inevitable faith: a great looking pain engine and great free hand.. It has a striking palette and from across the battlefield it is one of those models that will draw you in for a closer look.
Bandwagon: these are definitely one of my favourites this month. Some basic troops very well done. If your whole army looks like this it must be spectacular to play against =)
Modock: I’m not at all a fan of Tau asthetics but this is very well done. The weathering is done very well, not overdone but visually conspicuous.
Feltmonkey: a Stunning piece. It’s hard to make brown interesting (I’ve tried and failed many times) but you’ve done it very well. I just want to know.. where are the poor victims legs?
JamesY: great tank, very nicely done, would have loved to see some more pictures a little closer up, expecially of that freehand. A large job well done.
Warpig: fantastic marines. My marines tend to usually look good close up but mundane from across the table, you’ve managed both at the same time, may i ask your recipe for your golds?
Verviedi: Lovely metallics, great cloaks and a great balance between a subdued but crisp palette. A beautiful squad.
Paradigm: great as usual. I read in a thread somewhere you explaining how you start with a light colour and work down. I’ve never tried this but it certainly gives your models a look I’d love to try and emulate. I’d love to pick your brain a bit more about it?? =)
Keezus: Another painter who has a style i really enjoy. I love your often pastel transitions and i think tying in hair and the lips looks great, subtle but eye catching.. great paint job.

@Mootlet - Thanks for the kind comment and congratulations on a stunning piece!

As for the gold, it goes something like this:

Base: Mournfang Brown.
Layer: Gehenna's Gold (Although, I'm still using my old pot of Shining Gold)
Wash: Agrax Earthshade - I find the newer 24ml pots have different characteristics to the old 12ml pots - so you may need either a few shades to build up the recesses, or use Rhinox Hide to 'line' in the shading.
Layer: Gehenna's Gold - Optional, but sometimes I do this step to bring out the gold again if I've needed to add a 2nd wash.
1st Highlight: Auric Armour Gold - Every where but recesses, leaving just a hint of the shaded Gehenna's gold visible.
2nd Highlight: 80:20 Auric Armour Gold : Runefang Steel - Again, leaving some of the previous step visible.

That's pretty much it, but for colder looking gold, or a burnished bronze, you could add a few more steps, adding in some more Runefang Steel and then doing a pure Runefang highlight.

Hope, that helps

Vote's all done!

In 3rd place, Modock's Tau Piranha







In second, Moolet's Battlewagon:











And taking the win, Feltmonkey with Jesse James!










Congratulations to everyone who took part!

I'm trying to get hold of TP^DC about the League, but if I can't then the final results will still be put up at some point, I'll have to find time to do it myself so it might be a while off but it will happen!

Thank you very much for the comment and vote Moolet.

Congrats on the top three placements, well deserved by all three of you.

Huge congrats to everyone who participated, everyone put forth some amazing models that I was thrilled to throw my hat in with.

I would like to say thanks to everyone who voted and commented on my piece. Also congratulations to all entrants,
really great jobs from you guys.

Special thanks to Para for letting us "compete" on this competition!

Wow, I'm amazed to have come first, and really, really pleased of course! Thanks to everyone who voted, and to everyone who commented on my miniature. Congratulations to Moolet and Modock, both of whome would have been worthy winners, and congratulations to everyone who took part and finished a model.

<Takes screenshot. Prints it out. Frames it.>

Good job guys. Congrats on the win feltmonkey. Hope to see that in person next time we have a game. That leather looks freaking awesome.

Congrats to Feltmonkey and Modock... beautiful entries. There is so much talent on display. Thanks to everyone who voted and commented on mine, my first podium finish and a great way to finish the painting year!

Cngrats Modock, Mootlet (hard to believe thats your first placed entry) and Felt. Really well deserved

And congrats to everyone, a great way to end this years competition, its testament to a good month that so many entry's are on the Dakka Gallery Homepage