# GW In-store Painting Competition Comments



## Warlord Imp (Mar 20, 2009)

Okay, so last Saturday, I joined my first painting contest at our local GW Store. And from the response of the regulars, they had liked my Vehicle entry. Store employees agreed with the regulars. 

In any case, I was feeling confident until a DIORAMA was entered. Yes, the diorama had a vehicle in it but I felt cheated as the WOW factor of a diorama swayed the crowd to vote for the diorama. I agree the conversions and concept was great. BUT this was a single vehicle/large model painting contest and a diorama won by a landslide with mine coming in second.

I didn't bring it up with the store manager as it was someone he knew that he brought the diorama in and entered it for the guy. I believe there should have been a separate category for dioramas as I can easily put together a diorama with the material I have at home.

Any comments or opinions would make me feel better. Thanks!


----------



## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

I definatley agree with you bud, Dioramas are a seperate thing entirely. I think you _should_ bring it up with the Manager, just say to him/her you feel there should be a seperate diorama catagory in future as it would add more chance for people to express their creativity and ideas, and also it will add a better element of fairness in the other catagories.


----------



## Veritax (Sep 20, 2008)

Yes that sinks ... I have been snuffed in more then one contest by someone squeezing the rules just enough.

Although I would not take it up with the manager .. you should just stuff a lemon wedge in his eyeball ~


----------



## gwmaniac (Sep 1, 2008)

Aww...that sucks dude, you shoulda won that...oh well, you're a winner in our hearts.  Care to post a pic of the vehicle?


----------



## Beork (May 7, 2009)

Well, a full diorama would have been too much maybe, especially with vehicles. 
On the other hand, I always stretch the rules a bit to make more of the models I paint. Usually be converting them to a degree, but sometimes by adding a larger base for scenic purposes. I don't think it's cheating as long as it's allowed and I always ask beforehand if I may do something similar (well, I always begin asking what the maximum sizes and stuff are). 
But of course, the diorama should compleent the vehicle, not the other way round so it also depends on how large and elaborate the diorama is.

Beork


----------



## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

would the vehicle on the diorama have beaten your vehicle had it not been on a base?


----------



## moo (Aug 12, 2008)

It's one of the reasons GD is divided into categories but local painting comps usually don't merit enough entrants. One thing to bear in mind is that often there are things which you think might seem unfair, like when i went to a comp everyone's models had these intricately finished wooden plinths etc. I do think some competition organisers need to think about some things abit more carefully, since a painting competition for example should be about the painting but presentation is 75% of the battle, the last 25% is the painting unfortunately. Look at CMON (cool mini or not) you will get abysmal ratings there unless you can present your mini to almost a professional level, hence why generally only professionals get the highest ratings.

My advice is if you can get past the feeling of being cheated or having that naff feeling then keep working on competitions and presentation of your minis, im learning the hard way and it's making me less and less inclined to enter competitions because i've always painted for fun rather then the competitive nature of things.


----------



## asianavatar (Aug 20, 2007)

Do you have pictures of the entries. I am not saying his was better or yours was better, but I like to see pictures of nice painted minis :biggrin:

Was the voting based on the staff results or was it a vote by everyone in the store including customers. If it was the later than I wouldn't worry to much, the crowd is fickle and a small thing can easily sway the vote. I have seen it happen, I will admit I have won a voting based painting competition based on something gimmicky.

However, if it was staff voting than sometimes just the bit of extra work put into a model will give one entry the edge over the other. Judging stuff like painting is never black and white and although it should all be based on look, sometimes judges know how much effort was put into a piece and rate it just a tad higher because of that.

I entered painting contest at my local GW and have both won and lost. Either time I have felt it helped me push myself to be a better painter, winning is nice but its not always about that. Don't get discouraged, think of it this way, if everyone thought your work was so great that it took someone having to create a whole diorama just to out wow yours than your vehicle must have been pretty darn good.


----------



## Warlord Imp (Mar 20, 2009)

The Land Raider I entered in the contest is in the galleries...thanks guys! I don't feel that bad. I honestly thought there were some pretty good competion until the diorama showed up in the display case after I played my second game. The other people (non-regulars) just liked my hinged doors and flashing lights.

The regulars comments on the diorama was the paint job did not compare to mine. They said there was not too much detail or shading or blending.


----------

