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October has been an excellent month for the Painting Challenge; the spooky Halloween theme has given rise to some wonderfully creative entries and some truly thematic ones, from the terrifying to the hilarious! And now it's time for you, the community, to pick your favourites.

Voting will run for 5 days, after which the winners will be announced. You may cast as many votes as you like (3-5 are recommended, but feel free to use more or less if you wish), and don't restrict yourself to voting purely on the paintwork. You can choose an entry for whatever reason you like, be that the quality, the effort, the improvement by the entrant, the content of the entry or anything else you feel it deserves recognition for. You are also encouraged to leave feedback for the entrants if you want to, either here or in their own galleries and blog threads.

Without further ado, the entries:


Nevelon: Chaplain Severus of the Ultramarines


LordRahl: Genestealer Alpha


Inspector #264: Trick or Treat-ing Demons


Red_Thirst: Death Company Marine


Sockwithaticket: Werewolf


Albnioork: Demon Prince of Nurgle


Januine: Haemonculus Minus The Merciless


Zergsmasher: Cypher, The Fallen Angel


Llamahead: Lord of Change


Inflatable Love Badger: Deathshroud Terminators


SirDonald: Chaos 'Mannequin' Famillar


GiraffeX: Cryx Skarlock Thrall


Keezus: Candy and Sorrows


Ustrello: Raven Guard Librarian


Gitsplitta: Happy Halloween!


Aldo: Ghost Ship


Zambro: Legion of the Damned


Onemannoodles: Zombies


Perkustin: Beastman Ungor


Ruberu: Pirates


Midget Gems: Ork2-D2 and Yodork


Paradigm: The Other Dynamic Duo


Gulgog TufToof: Ork Boy


Grimdork: Scarecrow


CHAOSTASTIC: Chaos Knight

Great effort again this month everyone, so many entries to choose from. I loved some of the interpretations of the theme. Ended up voting for more than 5 in the end because I could just not choose between them.

Some ones that really stood out were:
Inspector#264, The trick or treating daemons are great, the extra door and doorbell part of the scene really made it work.
Gitsplitta's combo of characters is awesome and very well done.
Januine I think yours was the scariest.
Para and Keezus some very nice detail work on some small delicate models.
That Knight is very impressive Choastastic.
and many others

Now on to the next month.

Oops, fixed! My excuse is that the awesomeness of it broke the system, and not that I messed up the IMG tags...

Albinoork - that base is truly disgusting and pestilential. Oddly vivid colours for a nurgle devotee, but they work.

Januine - can anyone say Grimdark? Legitimately nasty, and totally true to the nature of the model. Painted to the standard we've come to expect.

SirDonald - love it. Makes me think of Trick 'r Treat with your mannequin being like Sam: not obviously threatening, but a vicious little bugger! Great pumpkins, too.

Keezus - it is seriously difficult and time consuming to make Malifaux figures look even above average so kudos to you. Those are also some of my faovurite figures in the range. The sorrows are genuinely horrific and the little girl is beyond creepy.

Gitsplitta - volume, quality and thematic. Yours ar emy favourite entries from this month without question.

Paradigm - the Batman models seem to really agree with you as I think they're consistently your best work.The Joker is on point, couldn't really be more perfect and Harley looks pretty damned close to Margot Robbie's recent Empire cover.


Credit to everyone who submitted something, these just happen to be my favourites from the month, but there's a lot of other very well painted and/or converted models on display. Pats on the back all round.

Tough calls to make this month. Here goes:

Best Painted: Januine (mainly for that awesome skin cloak) and CHAOSTASTIC, because that Knight is a thing of demonic, chaotic beauty! Also Zambro, a whole squad to that quality in a month is quite the feat!

Most Improved: Ustrello, I believe you said this was your first attempt at OSL and that kind of power weapon blade? In that case, bravo, because you've pulled both off splendidly!

Most thematic: Gitsplitta, of course. Fantastic stuff all round, one of my favourite entries in all 8 rounds of this challenge!

Well done and thanks to everyone who participated, hope you can all manage something just as awesome next month! Keep up the good work everyone!

Well done guys! A lot of great ideas and painting.
I do like seeing the repeat entrants and how Their skills are progressing.
In many cases, too much.

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
Well done guys! A lot of great ideas and painting.
I do like seeing the repeat entrants and how Their skills are progressing.
In many cases, too much.

I was going to quip back that at least I was putting out the same mediocre level of stuff, but decided to be a little more objective with myself. So I did a little retrospective in my blog

(TL;DR for those who don’t want to read the link - I’ve gotten slightly better IMHO)

Wow... so many awesome entries! really like a lot of them, great interpretations, some funny some quite scary all really well done. Grats on the hard work guys!

My votes:

Chaostastic, for an excellent conversion and paintjob!

Midget Gems, That is just fantastic!

Zambro, that is the crispest paintjob I've ever seen.

Gitsplitta, that's awesome!

Ustrello, you're brave for painting OSL on white...

Great stuff all round folks. 25 entriees - superb! Here's what made me jump in the dark:

Sock - lovely werewolf. Love that sculpt and great job with the fur and with the whites of the straitjacket

SirD - think this is actually my favourite. Dark as hell! I love the little story that goes with it and a really nice paintjob to boot

Keezus - these are cracking. Lovely figs with a really top paintjob. you so did them justice. Defintely hits the theme and they are creeepy as hell. Cracking

Gitsplitta - Superb entry. Lovely paintjob. fits the theme to a tee. fantastic

Paradigm - Joker and Harlie look fantastic. Gritty and nuts. You got the darkness of Gotham down perfectly

Grimdork - Absolutely love your scarecrow. He's perfect halloween fodder. I can almost hear his cackling laughter as I type!

Well done everyone. Seriously great effort and entries this month

Wow, what a set of entries this month! I took a while to actually put my five votes in, as all of them were awesome in their own way. I voted for:
Inspector #264: Fit the theme perfectly, and very clever!
Januine: That Haemonculus is so creepy! Very good paintjob too. That poor mon'keigh is in for a world of hurt!
Gitsplitta: That set of Halloween characters captured the theme in a very clever way. Probably my #1 favorite of all of the great entries.
Onemannoodles: Those zombies are pretty good, and quite thematic for this month!
Paradigm: Joker and Harley look amazing! Probably the best of all your Batman stuff you've done!

As for the rest of you, you all did extremely well, these five were just my personal favorites! Give yourselves a pat on the back from me! Thanks of course to Paradigm for running this thing; it's always a pleasure to see everyone's well-painted models and to be able to show off my own paintwork, even if it isn't on par with some of the great stuff I see in these contests.

Well done everyone. Great efforts all round

Excellent work from everyone. This was a good close to my favorite month and holiday.

Limited myself to 5, special mention for Albinoork though, that is utterly amazing.

Great work guys, pretty glad I never actually compete against any of you

It's really been a joy to be a part of such a fantastic competition. I guess that's what made this comp so perfect... for me, Halloween is a joyous holiday. Lots of time with family doing fun things, watching old B&W monster movies, decorating the house... I just love it. Thank you Paradigm. My entry is actually just a small part of a challenge laid down by my wife... to paint an entire Halloween themed army during the month of October. If you're interested, here's the link to the blog. I've fully updated the OP so you don't really have to read any further than that.

It's so hard to comment on any specific entry. So many excellent submissions... but I'll give it my best.

There are a number of entries that are just spectacular... there's no other word for it.
Januine's, DE nightmare from hell
Keezus' creepy little girl and ghasts
CHAOSTASTIC's knight
Paradigm's batman figs

There's another group through, that I love just as much. Perhaps not as jaw-droppingly executed as the first, but executed beautifully and many with superb attention to theme.
Inspector #264s trick-or-treating demons
Sockwithaticket's classic werewolf
Albnioork's demon price of Nurgle
SirDonald's familiar (frankly any scene that features a guardsman getting his head bashed in gets my vote)
Onemannoodles' zombies
Midget Gems' Star Wars orks

Been a real honor to share the stage with everyone who competed. Just delightful watching everything unfold!

That ORK2-D2 is jus too awesome lol.

Wow, nearly 360 votes and there's still 2 days left! 1st and 2nd are pretty much decided (and I'm pretty sure no one is surprised at the entries taking them! ), but this is a pretty damn close race for 3rd place!

3rd place is a really close call.

commissarbob sent me an interesting message with a link to Scibor. Thanks Bob

They make their own Aaargh2D2 if anyone if interested in buying something similar to my project.

http://sciborminiatures.com/en_,shop.php?art=2780

I used that model as inspiration to help me with wheels/blocks.

I've been trying to write a post to thank people for the compliments but i can't seem to find the right words.
Thank you and compliments right back at: buttery commissar, inflatable love badger, sockwithaticket, januine and paradigm!
My favourite compliment so far was from Paradigm, describing it as 'genuinely sinister' - exactly what i was going for!
I didn't want it to be covered in blood or anything, because how scary really is that? I went for the notion that this thing has a very cheap outlook on life and has developed a morbid sense of humour over the years - thats more creepy, i think; the callousness of that outlook - no mercy just naive cruelty, like a group of children cutting up a worm with a spade during playtime..

Cheers to everyone who has voted; it would be a bit weird without you lot who lurk and click buttons - Thank you all! We need you, your presence and your button-clicky prowess!

Christ this is close now! At the time of writing, Gits and Jan are way out ahead, but there's 3 entries tied on 34 for 3rd and a couple only a handful of votes behind!

Last chance to vote, everyone!

Wow how has that happened? This is by far the highest amount of votes that one of my entries has ever received! A big thank you to everyone that threw a vote my way, they are all very much appreciated, especially considering the fantastic level of the other entrants!

 Inspector #264 wrote:
Wow how has that happened? This is by far the highest amount of votes that one of my entries has ever received! A big thank you to everyone that threw a vote my way, they are all very much appreciated, especially considering the fantastic level of the other entrants!

I think your piece, and the number of vote you got, is because of your expression of the theme. I know that’s why you got one of my votes. Other works might have been painted better, or more spooky, etc. But did any of them have kids at the doorbell, going house to house? You captured the essence of halloween much better then most, if not all, of the other entries.

Ghosts and goblins are all fun and good, but gimmie the candy!

Or skulls for the skull throne, as the case might be.

 Nevelon wrote:
I think your piece, and the number of vote you got, is because of your expression of the theme. I know that’s why you got one of my votes. Other works might have been painted better, or more spooky, etc. But did any of them have kids at the doorbell, going house to house? You captured the essence of halloween much better then most, if not all, of the other entries.

Ghosts and goblins are all fun and good, but gimmie the candy!

Many thanks for the comment and the vote!

Nevelon wrote:Or skulls for the skull throne, as the case might be.

The Daemon in the middle has a bag of heads attached to his waist, guess we know what treats they are collecting.

Time to announce some winners!

In 3rd place, it's
Midget Gems, with Ork2-D2 and Yodork






In second place, with Haemonculus Minus The Merciless, it's Januine:

"Trick or Treat little monkeigh? They are but two sides of the same deliciously depraved coin don't you see....oh...no - of course you don't....."






And taking first place, to no one's surprise, it's
Gitsplitta's Monster Mash!
[/spoiler]


Congratulations and thanks to everyone who took part! Hope to see as many excellent entries next month!

Nice work everyone! Photo finish there for 3rd!

One hell of a finish eh?!!! Some seriously great entries this month and folk really went out of their way to encapsulate the theme. Great great work and well done all. Congrats folks and thanks to everyone who voted and commented. Big cheers as ever to the man with the plan, Para

Terrific job everyone! Really fun & challenging competition.

Congratulations to all entrants on another fantastic month, and a well deserved win for Gitsplitta, and places for Januine and Midget Gems.

Thanks as always to Para for putting on the challenge, and I know I said it like 6 posts up, but thanks to everyone that voted for my Daemons!

@Inspector#264: Seriously, the execution was awesome and comedy gold. I can still hear it:

*Ding Dong*
Homeowner: "Oh hello...! My what great costumes!"
Bloodletter 1: "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!!!!"
Homeowner: "Beg your pardon?"
Bloodletter 2: "BLOOD... FOR THE BLOOD GOD????
Homeowner: I'm sorry, I only have snickers and some toffee corn for those with peanut allergies.
Bloodletter 3 (more plaintively) "Blood"?!?????????
Bloodletter 2: "BLOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!"
*HACK*
Homeowner: "Auuuuughhghggh! Call 911 Honey!!!!"

lol I was so intent on watching the vote over the last 2 days and how close it was I completely missed the comments that it had finished.

so tight with only 1 vote in it, would have loved a 4 way tie for 3rd and would have been very fair.

Thanks a lot for your votes this month, it seems the Star wars Orks have really been a hit over the last 2 months so they will definitely be making a reappearance in the future.

A well deserved 1st and 2nd place there guys congrats. and great job to everyone that took part. Its been another interesting and fun month