Round 9 - Red in Tooth and Mandible vs. Gentlemen's Blood

[Prof.Witchheimer]

[tomogui]

These entries are both so lovely! But the well-balanced staging of the duel scene pushed it over the edge for me. Love the green-blue-grey jackets too.

Abu, how did you make the foliage of the light-green tree hanging directly over the left-hand side duelist, in the foreground? It looks great.

[Thantsants]

Yeah, lovely work Abu - I'm particularly impressed (and worried!) by the nice depth of colour and crisp white detailing you've achieved. 

All the best!

[Captain Blood]

These are both brilliant! I believe both you chaps have raised your game for this LPL. Well done indeed. A really hard decision 

[Dr Mathias]

Lots of old lead showing up this LPL. I love that old Citadel axebeak, what a great collection of critters, and painted really nicely.

The dueling scene is beautiful. Looks like you've been studying Captain Blood!

[NurgleHH]

I wish I can vote for both

[abu iskander]

Thanks all for the compliments. Thantsants, I really like the large snake in the back of the photo--great scale pattern. Best of luck to you.

tomogul- the foliage is lichen dipped in glue and sprinkled with Noch Leaf Flake product. The big trees are florists wire covered in glue gun glue and then covered in fine sand.  I believe I saw that technique somewhere else on LAF.

Dr. Mathias- I've taken to focusing on painterly composition recently.  A little too late for this LPL, but each season I'm able to apply more of the skills I pick up. For example, last year I don't think I ever cracked the top 50%. I have high hopes for next year 

[Muskie]

Why no eyeballs on the gentlemen?

[abu iskander]

As to eyeballs, I've never cared for them as I don't feel they enhance the appearance of the figure.  Allow me to quote the esteemed Captain Blood:

I suppose we should talk about eyes. Either you like painting eyeballs or you don’t. Personally I don’t. I think they make a figure look cartoony. If I look at another person from a distance (the sort of distance that would put them at 28mm height in my vision) all I see is the shadows of eye sockets. I don’t see great big boggle-eyes. Sculptors know this. Which is why most of them (contrary to popular misconception) don’t actually sculpt eyeballs on their figures - just eyelids.

[mikedemana]

I'm sure it is a matter of taste. If you are doing details like facial tattoos, then no eyes can look kind of strange, I feel. I think the key is to keep the eyes small -- not goggle eyed. That is feedback the esteemed boards here gave me, and I something I have been trying to do.

For eyes done well, check out Frank's "Sunrise" entry this round...

Mike Demana

[Drachenklinge]

In most cases I try my eye-balls for training. As the quoting from Cpt Blood says ... from a distance "no one" can see "eyes". Although on some really cool single-minis I LOVE to check on the zooming pix (e.g. Jennier Halyes' paintjobs with fraggles and such ...  ). But then again ... in a diorama it is more about "from a distance" than for "close-ups".
It really doesn't hurt either way in this scene! Quite brilliant! I can almost here the clicking of the gun's trigger!

However - both entries are very cool! I love this collection of strange animals, too.

best wishes
DK