Thoughts on how to succeed in the LPL...

[Bako]

Seems quite right and swell. The bonus rule never gets any points from me though. Might be too polite for that one.

[Blackwolf]

Heh,heh. My painting often invokes the bonus rule even when the LPL isn't on

[starkadder]

It doesn’t matter how well painted your figures are – photographing them on your crumb-littered kitchen table with your dirty coffee mug, overflowing ashtray and 1970’s floral print curtains in the background, is doing your painting a serious disservice.

Whilst I am in broad and deep agreement with you on these observations, Cap'n, context is everything. If I was to paint a character from a Len Deighton novel, particularly Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File, you've just described the perfect backdrop.

Your suggestions of focus and cropping are particularly pertinent. After a heap of middle distance shots, it all becomes a swamp.

I do wish the heroically-breasted thing was less of a factor, though. It's a strange admixture of boring and alarming. I'm always intrigued in fantasy-painting that the males tend to get HEWJ amounts of armour while de wimmin-folk get some lace thonging if they're lucky. Obviously, Cimmerian women have far better reflexes and fighting skills than their muscle-bound male companions.
 

[Keith]

I'd nominate this for 'thread of the year' if such a thing existed. Brilliant post Cap'n.

On a related note, I do think that this was the most entertaining LPL that I can remember and the one that I followed most closely.

[Mancha]

I’d like to add some things I personally appreciate seeing, and am often biased toward.  In no particular order…

1)   I LOVE seeing a team composed of miniatures from different manufacturers.  If a painter can make the work of two or more manufacturers look “bound together”, I am impressed.

2)   Color contrast: Darkest Africa is a great theme, but a collection of natives is often hurt by gloomy colors and lack of contrast.  I suggest that painters should make sure each mini has something contrasting to provide oomph factor.

3)   I am often very much impressed when a relatively unknown and maybe even poor miniatures line is transformed into something wondrous--like Cinderella, the scullery maid, into the Princess--by a fantastic paintjob.  Granted, some minis are so shitty they simply cannot be made to look good, but when it can be done, it is impressive.  The Asterix and Obelyx minis sort of fall into this category, being relatively unknown and very cartoonish.  But the Prof in this LPL, and someone else in a previous LPL, really made them shine.

4)   Sort of in a similar vein, I really like to see variety.  I try to practice this myself when I paint collections of minis from a number of genres and manufacturers, and I like to see it from other contestants.  Just like a repeated entry gets boring fast, sometimes one team after another from the same army starts to seem like the same entry, even when painted brilliantly. 

5)   I am a fan of conversions.  Mind you, I don’t think an entrant should be shouting from the rooftops the fact that each member of his team was converted, as that seems a trifle manipulative to me (and yes, I did that once myself).  But I know minis well enough to usually be able to spot a conversion, and when I sees one, I likes it.

6)   Scenery: I don’t own a lick of scenery, but I like it when I find it in an entry.  Mind you, it’s important to me that the scenery support the team, rather than overwhelm the team, as sometimes happens.  As a result of this LPL, I am now considering making some appropriate scenery items for my Hinterland minis.

[LeadAsbestos]

I still say that if you are entering only 1 or 2 teams all season, why bother?

I know, I know, don't force my ideas on others, but it just misses the mark, IMHO.

[Hammers]

I’d like to add some things I personally appreciate seeing, and am often biased toward.  In no particular order…

1)   I LOVE seeing a team composed of miniatures from different manufacturers.  If a painter can make the work of two or more manufacturers look “bound together”, I am impressed.

2)   Color contrast: Darkest Africa is a great theme, but a collection of natives is often hurt by gloomy colors and lack of contrast.  I suggest that painters should make sure each mini has something contrasting to provide oomph factor.

3)   I am often very much impressed when a relatively unknown and maybe even poor miniatures line is transformed into something wondrous--like Cinderella, the scullery maid, into the Princess--by a fantastic paintjob.  Granted, some minis are so shitty they simply cannot be made to look good, but when it can be done, it is impressive.  The Asterix and Obelyx minis sort of fall into this category, being relatively unknown and very cartoonish.  But the Prof in this LPL, and someone else in a previous LPL, really made them shine.

4)   Sort of in a similar vein, I really like to see variety.  I try to practice this myself when I paint collections of minis from a number of genres and manufacturers, and I like to see it from other contestants.  Just like a repeated entry gets boring fast, sometimes one team after another from the same army starts to seem like the same entry, even when painted brilliantly. 

5)   I am a fan of conversions.  Mind you, I don’t think an entrant should be shouting from the rooftops the fact that each member of his team was converted, as that seems a trifle manipulative to me (and yes, I did that once myself).  But I know minis well enough to usually be able to spot a conversion, and when I sees one, I likes it.

6)   Scenery: I don’t own a lick of scenery, but I like it when I find it in an entry.  Mind you, it’s important to me that the scenery support the team, rather than overwhelm the team, as sometimes happens.  As a result of this LPL, I am now considering making some appropriate scenery items for my Hinterland minis.

A man of my own mind. All the things you are pointing out are contrary to template approach. Inspiration, originality...

[Captain Blood]

I'd nominate this for 'thread of the year' if such a thing existed. Brilliant post Cap'n.

Thanks Keith 

A man of my own mind. All the things you are pointing out are contrary to template approach. Inspiration, originality...

I'm not suggesting a template or programmatic approach. For the most part here, I'm just giving pointers to good practice. Get your shot in focus, crop it, use some kind of backdrop - not your curtains, don't use crappy models, and so on. Things that might seem obvious to you and me, are clearly not obvious to everbody.

I'd like everybody in the LPL to be competitive ('competitive' as in: at least in with a chance). Where's the pleasure in lambs to the slaughter? As organiser, I'm not happy wasting hours of my life collating, managing, and loading up match after match, where the result is a cast-iron foregone conclusion - not because of any great disparity in the painting, but simply because so many of the other fundamentals have been missed.

I'm all in favour of inspiration and originality. Those things are not mutually exclusive with getting some of the basics right. If it's 'a template' to encourage more future LPL contestants to produce images that are in focus, well cropped, with some kind of backdrop, and using great figures, then that's a template I can live with frankly.

All very good and sound pointers but only highlight the change from a delightful relaxed bit of fun towards more of a CMON affair to me.

CMON? God help us. That's the day I lay up my brushes for good.

I don't think there's been any change in the LPL from a delightful relaxed bit of fun. People can still approach it in that way - and most do.
Equally, for those painters whose efforts take them towards the top of the leaderboard, I do assure you it's always been an intensely competitive affair.
In the right LAF spirit, of course - but seriously hard fought nevertheless 

[Hammers]

I'm all in favour of inspiration and originality. Those things are not mutually exclusive with getting some of the basics right. If it's 'a template' to encourage more future LPL contestants to produce images that are in focus, well cropped, with some kind of backdrop, and using great figures, then that's a template I can live with frankly.

Good point.

[Mancha]

Just letting it be known that I wasn't trying to present my suggestions as a contradiction to Captain Blood's, whose points I mostly agree with. 

That said, I'm not sure that sex really sells.  For me, it's not so much the sight of a nipple that earns my vote; rather, it's the fact that flesh is difficult to paint, and when it's well done, I like to give credit for it.  For this reason, a team of well-painted naked tribesmen against a team of well-painted naked harem women would be a difficult match-up to judge.  In agreement with Captain Blood, however, in such a match, the harem women would probably win.   

[Captain Blood]

The sex sells comment was a bit flippant really... 
(I do actually think there's an element of truth in it, but it's hardly a firm recipe for success  )

[Paddy649]

I can't fault Captain Blood's original comments as it matched up with my mental marking scheme when casting my votes.

Rule 3 is interesting - we all have favourite genres.  For me, assuming otherwise equivalent entries, the historical one would get my vote in preference to sci-fi or fantasy.  Then Ancients, Mediaevals, Renaissance, Napoleonics of WW2 would be preferred to other periods...but that is just what flicks my switch!  I think this is also captured by Rule 6 - count me as a GWphobe.

Rule 8 is all too true and a disappointing read as someone who now almost entirely paints and collects in 15mm.  I can't help thinking that this is related to Rules 4 and 5 because there simply aren't that many "drop dead gorgeous 15mm fig ranges" out there.  I'd dream of Copplestone or the Perry's producing a new range of 15mm but think it is a long way off.  Worse still - IMHO the best range of 15mm fantasy ever produced - "Demonworld" is now so long out of production that they seldom even appear on ebay these days.

The bonus rule of sex sells is almost certainly true but I'd point out that the sex should be in context.  I had no problem with Matakishi's Conan or Dr Mathias' Disarmed in Algeria - where the nudes were in context, either on the altar or in the hareem.  However, some of the "naked chicks" type entries appeared a bit gratuitious.  Is this an ammendment to the bonus rule or  just middle age setting in? 

[Silent Invader]

5)   I am a fan of conversions.  Mind you, I don’t think an entrant should be shouting from the rooftops the fact that each member of his team was converted, as that seems a trifle manipulative to me (and yes, I did that once myself).  But I know minis well enough to usually be able to spot a conversion, and when I sees one, I likes it.

Eek!  I'm probably the loudest 'shouter' of each and every mini I have converted and I'm sorry if that has come across as an attempt to manipulate.  It wasn't.....honest... and so I really do regret if  offence was caused.  Converting is probably my greatest pleasure from the hobby and so I am more than a little enthusiastic about it but there was certainly no malicious motive in my saying so.  If people think that I unfairly accrued points then I am more than happy to be demoted as although I really enjoyed my rounds where voting was close I didn't enter the LPL for the competition but to move my projects along.   

[Mancha]

Eek!  I'm probably the loudest 'shouter' of each and every mini I have converted and I'm sorry if that has come across as an attempt to manipulate.  It wasn't.....honest... and so I really do regret if  offence was caused.  Converting is probably my greatest pleasure from the hobby and so I am more than a little enthusiastic about it but there was certainly no malicious motive in my saying so.  If people think that I unfairly accrued points then I am more than happy to be demoted as although I really enjoyed my rounds where voting was close I didn't enter the LPL for the competition but to move my projects along.   

Of course you didn't unfairly accue points, and your conversions ARE a delight.  As I said, I was so proud of my Tintin conversions that I described each and every dab of green stuff.      

[Tomsche]

There is one rule missing in my opinion though

Theme Bonus Points!

Now this isn`t making a difference for the top 5 or so, but below that...

For two years I participated now, and for two years I scored as good as all bonus points.  This `loans` me about 10, 15 places in the final result.  An example perhaps is Fire Broadside, who with his Infinifty and 15mm entries paints way better then me, yet ends up 3 spots behind me due to the bonus points extras from the `theme` rounds.

Winning under half your matches BUT scoring maximum or as near as possible maximum bonus points, ends you up just below the first half of the table instead of in the more downward regions...