Just a quick reminder that GottaCon is again upon us. A bit of a last minute reminder to anyone who is attending: Bring your Miniature Painting Competition entries, as well as any current projects to work on if you would like to sit in on my painting clinic.
Miniature Painting Competition:
Over the last few years, the GottaCon Miniature Painting Competition has been growing and growing. This competition attracts some of the best painters in B.C., and to see all the displayed entries is a rare treat. If you are attending GottaCon, bring your best painted miniatures, and see how your work stands up in the heat of competition (you might be pleasantly surprised, or utterly shocked!).
Details are posted on the GottaCon website:
http://www.gottacon.com/major-miniature-events/#paint
Contest rules are posted here:
http://www.gottacon.com/components/tournaments/paintingcompetitiongc2014.pdf
This year's competition is sponsored by Drake: The Dragon Wargame, which I profiled in a previous blog post. They had an incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign, and they are in the final days of the Kickstarter launch of their first expansion: Horizons. I got to pick up my Rish starter box in person at the Vancouver launch event, and will be posting up an unboxing writeup in a later blog. Stay tuned for the complete writeup, but for now all I can say for now is that they can count on my pledge before the latest Kickstarter ends.
To see my coverage of last year's competition, please check out my previous posts (starting with this one) to get an idea of what to expect. I recommend the article detailing the thought processes of painting judges in particular.
Oh, and I will again be doing the judging (with possibly some help from painter extraordinaire Lee de Kock). Extreme edge highlighters and dippers beware! ;)
Miniature Painting Clinic:
I'm not playing in any of this year's gaming competitions, and I don't plan on walking around the 'con in a Stormtrooper costume (which would be awesome, btw). So what will I be doing to pass the time when not shopping in the vendor area? Painting, of course!
Last year, I hosted an open painting clinic for anyone to jump in and join. Not a formal class structure, but simply an open table, some lamps, a few painting supplies (water, paper towels, etc.), and tons of personalized attention. People of all skill levels are welcome. Just bring a few models that you are working on, some brushes, and perhaps some paints (I will bring my own to share, but you'll be much more productive if you don't have to fight over the Coal Black with everyone else). Ask any questions you like, and if you want to see any particular tools or techniques explained in person, just ask! I will happily demonstrate any tricks I know (and I've picked up quite a few over the years).
The clinic table will be located next to the miniature display cases full of miniature competition entries. In addition, I will be bringing some of my own painted miniatures, many of which have seen the stress of competition in the past.
Last year, I was also fortunate enough to have some amazingly talented local artists join in on the paint-fest. Professional painter Lee de Kock (of the painting studio, Beautiful Warfare, and one of the men responsible for the gorgeous paintjobs for Drake: The Dragon Wargame) sat in and helped demonstrate his own personal techniques.
Even if you've only got a few minutes between rounds of your Warhammer / 40K / WarmaHordes / Malifaux / Bloodbowl / Flames of War / etc tournament, drop by and see me. If you show me what you've been working on lately, perhaps I can give you a few quick pointers to get your creative juices flowing in a new direction.
And if you just happen to run into me elsewhere in the 'con, say hi. For reference, this is what I look like:
Minus the .45 Thompson, of course. ;)
