This is getting off topic, but the sentence I quoted (about "obscured by terrain" etc.) is directly from the rules topic, "entries" section. Maybe it should be either deleted or enforced?
Potentially off topic but I think it's worth talking about.
I found the sentence you were referring to, I missed it last time I read through the rules.
Now, in your photo, I'd say that strictly speaking we can see that one base is maybe 20% covered, one is maybe 40%, one is maybe 80%. However, I think anyone who sees your photo knows what the bases look like in reality. We know that you didn't hide them behind terrain because they weren't well done, or because they are unfinished, or because you wanted to fuse them in the scene and create a fictional image. I don't think there was 'obfuscation' in a literal sense, where you are intentionally passing something off that isn't reality.
In contrast, take a look at this entry:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=28147.0In the Masai scene, we don't really see the 'truth' of the figures, the bases are digitally blended into the terrain. It looks like a museum diorama, but I'm 100% sure the figures are based individually. In Frank's case, its not due to laziness, clearly, but rather a desire to fuse the scene into a beautifully unified view. His scenes 'look like paintings' as one observer put it, and it's largely because he was digitally blending bases (as described on the Perry site at one point). We don't know if these figures are part of a permanent diorama, or if they're mulit-based, or single based. I'm not sure it matters anyway, because we can enter five figures on one base anyway. Frank was doing this on almost every entry. I love his scenes, they're great, and the guy knows how to paint. He wasn't taking shortcuts that we know of, I'm certain his bases were finished and painted prior to the photoshoot- but, maybe the organizers thought it was an unfair advantage. I believe that the base blend technique was not prohibited last season, and maybe last year too?
There was a LOT of Photoshop in Season 5. Heck, that year I digitally inserted one or two cloud filled skies taken from a large panting I did, others I simply put the oil painting behind the scene. I bet most of you wouldn't know which ones had the painted backdrop, and which had the digitally inserted painted backdrop. So many people did it that it was hardly noteworthy.
Who knows if digital blending makes that much of a difference when it comes to voting. I am going to guess that the people that have the technical skill to convincingly Photoshop bases in a scene are also excellent technical painters and don't need to do it anyway. Photoshop is just a tool. I suspect digitally blended bases tip the scale in a tie-breaker, just like having a large pool of terrain does, or a nice camera, or lights, or about a million other things.
I guess the point is that enough people didn't like the digital trickery that was going on (I lean toward less digital manipulation myself) and so the rule is there. At some point, someone must have not had time to finish their bases and covered them up with flock or sand or dirt. Last year all my shots had a plain blue poster board in the back, and they look fine, so a photoshopped background wasn't necessary for me after all. It has saved me a lot of time! I think the obvious use of digital manipulation was prohibited because of a fear of what it
doesn't show- that colors in a scene could be altered, chipped paint fixed, text on a painted flag 'touched up'... if one thing is manipulated, like based or skies, maybe other things are manipulated too? I think we can all agree that ultimately we're here to see the quality of the painting.
I'm sure people thought I was possibly breaking the 'comic book' rule last season when I was using a border to visually separate images. The rule was intended to keep people from writing narratives and using text to explain the image, and keep flashy digital effects and 'bling' out. To me, a border isn't anything other than sensible layout, nothing flashy or hard to do, but I asked for clarification before the season was underway just to be sure. My first attempts at doing borders were pretty heavy handed, I've since realized that a simple 1 or 2 pixel line is all that's needed, and gives more room for miniatures
If the rule next year is "no terrain" I'll be happy to participate, in fact it would make things easier on most of us
but it would be even more disadvantageous for everyone without a lightbox.
I'm actually glad you brought it up Dolmot, and agree if it's a rule, it's a rule.
I don't think you broke the rule though, at least in spirit.
18 April 2015, 10:43:58 AM