DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
Mamikon
HTML https://goldendemon.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: Advice
*****************************************************
#Post#: 120--------------------------------------------------
Hunting Golden Demons
By: Mark Lifton Date: October 10, 2018, 11:29 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Aha, so you’ve been bitten by the bug and winning a Golden Demon
has now become your Holy Grail, eh? I got addicted in the early
1990s and it has never really left me. I still enjoy the chase …
•
•
(usually  … actually it feels wrong to finish early).
Many competitors will tell you tales of painting through the
night in their hotel on the eve of GD (respect ).
Although my tale of finishing an ork truck at 3am in 1996 and
struggling to stay awake on the M1 and having to pull over and
go to sleep hoping that I’d wake up in time is not to be
recommended.
•
be put in the cabinets
•
•
green dot? … what’s the red dot for again? Have I made it to the
top shelf?
•
licking of wounds and resolving to try harder next year.
So, what are my tips for navigating your route to winning a
demon? These are my thoughts and observations made over my 25
years or so of entering Golden Demon during which time I have
been very fortunate to win more than my fair share of demons –
and I’m not done yet … well, hopefully.
First of all, things have changed over the years … and not just
the venues, the trophies etc.
•
alarming rate at times. Stuff that I won my early demons with
would struggle to even make the cut these days … and some would
get nowhere near it. Do not look at them – they are depressingly
poor and I count myself lucky to have started competing when I
did.
•
UK in a year! Mini demons and more classes at Classic have meant
that the joy of winning demons has been spread to more
competitors. However, the recent news is that November’s 40k
Mini Demon will be the last one. There will still be painting
competitions at the various events at WH World, however, these
won’t be awarded demon trophy status. We shall have to see how
these shape up.
Just how good a painter do you have to be?
•
have ever been to EuroMilitaire or Euro Miniature Expo, as it
has become, then if you can get a Bronze or Highly Commended
medal then I reckon you are at a standard where you can
seriously compete at GD and be in the hunt for a demon. The best
that I have managed at Euro is a couple of Silvers with my best
GD entries but others have got bronze or Commendeds and other,
older ones, nothing. So, the good news is that you do not need
to be in the same class as Soper, Nicholas, Gray, Clayton or
DiChello to be able to pick up a demon. I have always suspected
that quite a few people view me as a good steady-eddy benchmark
level for demon winning, which I think is fair. Peter Bell
described me as a ‘very consistent’ painter a few years back and
he’s pretty much on the money there. My stuff is typically very
accurately and neatly painted in a style that fits the minis –
nothing too flash. I can do a nice gradient shade and
highlighting and a bit of weathering and the occasional bit of
nifty detail (wood grain, fur etc). But do I do much freehand?
Not really. NMM? … certainly not – but I do like to convert and
kit bash and (hopefully) bring something extra out of a model …
oh and I do like a duel. So, if you do go onto Putty and Paint
and, like me, freak out at how good some of those models are, do
not despair 
•
category, sometimes quite randomly (the route to my success is
out!). The toughest categories are almost always going to be the
single mini categories. You tend to find more of the top
painters in these classes, hence why I rarely enter them
. With the amount of time that they want to spend on a
mini in order to make sure that every square millimetre of their
entry is perfect (can be well over 100 hours) then this is the
category for them to show their very best work. Obviously, the
larger the model / entry the more time it is going to take to
paint it, so entry numbers tend to be lower with fewer top names
entering each of those classes. Plus, there is only so much time
that even the top painters want to spend on an entry so you will
tend to find (with some insane exceptions) that entries will not
be quite as perfect as in single mini. So, if you are embarking
on your demon quest, I would recommend steering clear of the
single mini classes, although if you do get a pin in a single
mini class then it is to be treasured more so than in any other
class (for my money anyway).
•
different styles of painting and this subject is often very
controversial. If you look at the winners in recent years you
will see different styles being used across the categories –
i.e. you don’t have to just copy the ‘Eavy Metal style, which
itself is still evolving. In general, the bigger the model /
entry, the more leeway you have for your mini to be not quite so
perfect as we see in the single mini classes.
What advice would I give to anyone setting out on their quest
for a Demon?
1.
It has never been easier to study the form online. However, a
key part of doing that is gaining a true appreciation of why
winning minis are better than yours – not just in terms of the
painting but also the composition, the colour scheme, the
character and even the story line. All of these elements come
together to create something even more special.
Try to get to see minis in real life and make sure that you are
looking at them from 3 inches. My view is that if you haven’t
seen a model in the flesh from 3 inches, then you haven’t really
seen it. Some painters do post excellent high resolution close
ups that really do give you a feel for their skill level but a
lot of photos can be misleading due to lighting making some
minis looking better or even worse than they are in real life.
I’ve heard winning models criticised based on online photos
which have been fantastic in real life. Similarly, I have seen
models that look fantastic in photos that have been far less
impressive in the flesh. It’s the same looking at models in
cabinets. You can’t tell how good anything is from 3 feet.
Try to get to chat with some of the senior competitors. Some of
them are even quite nice . Seriously, people in our
hobby are great to chat to and do genuinely like to try to give
advice and feedback on your models, if you ask – we love our
hobby and it’s not often that we get to talk to people about it
in real life. It’s amazing how they all share their secrets,
although putting them into practice is the bit I find hard.
2.
If you are like me, the point at which you decide to enter GD is
likely to coincide with your painting skills not being at the
right level. But learning to improve your painting is half the
fun. There is nothing like the feeling of suddenly finding that
your skills have gone up a notch or two. But being realistic
about your painting level, being appreciative of the level of
skill of others and then pushing yourself to improve still
further are all part of the experience. You will have setbacks
and disappointments, you will have people telling you that you
should have won when you didn’t (even though you shouldn’t
have), you will think that your painting has achieved the
required level when it hasn’t, and you will have moments when
you feel that you are useless at painting or can’t be bothered
to pick up your brush, but that will make achieving your goal
all the sweeter … well, it is supposed to be an achievement,
isn’t it? And I can tell you that I have over-estimated my
painting prowess on several occasions  … most notably
what I call “The Humbling at EuroMilitaire” – so funny when I
look back at it now. Mr Bell will be nodding sagely if he ever
reads this rubbish 
You will inevitably have people online telling you that you are
bound to win etc. But never get too carried away with your
expectations. I always arrive hoping to win something but never
expect to win anything. It doesn’t mean that I don’t get
disappointed, but the defeats help to fuel that drive to push on
again. It’s funny how I start my entries a lot earlier after a
defeat .
3.
Pick models that suit / complement your painting style. If you
are great at painting fur then choose a fury one! If you are
great at painting red, choose one where you can use it as the
dominant colour.
You don’t have to pick a very complicated model to win. In fact,
the more complicated the model, the more likely you are to leave
an error on it for judges to spot. Pick one that has features on
it that you are great at painting – look what David Soper did
with that Pox Walker as a perfect example of a simple mini
turned into something spectacular. If you can add your own
personal twist to a model and improve it and make it unique with
a bit of a conversion or kit bash then so much the better. In
the past, I have had an absolute blast converting minis for the
monster / large model categories. And don’t forget the base – if
you can create a narrative / storyline that builds on the
character of the model then it will all help.
Equally, pick a category that suits your strengths, not just in
terms of painting but also modelling. If you can paint models to
a consistently high single mini standard then go for a unit –
not everyone can be bothered to paint a whole unit ;). If you
are better at painting bigger areas / bigger models pick a
monster. If you are great at scenery and /or getting the minis
to interact in a scene, then diorama or duel could just be the
class for you.
4.
Don’t think you can start 2 weeks before GD and pick up a trophy
… although, as always, there will be exceptions (Wil Davies, you
are sooo annoying!). The top boys will be spending 100 hours or
more on an entry. Some even over 200 hours. OK, you might not
have to spend that long, but expect to put some graft in. Rome
Demon wasn’t built in a day.
5.
Don’t use the scattergun tactic. If I had a pound every time
I’ve heard new competitors say that they are going to carpet
bomb the categories ... . Concentrate on one or two
entries and paint every part of a model, including all the bits
on the base, as if they are the most important part of the
model. If there’s a rubbish bit on a model, the judges will spot
it and mark you down.
6.
Not all competitions are judged in exactly the same way, so if
you are used to Salute or Euro you may have to adjust your
sites. Although GD is most certainly a painting competition
there are other ways to give your model the edge against your
competitors. So again studying the form is key. Look at the
winning entries and work out what the judges liked about them –
handily they say what they liked about a lot of them in White
Dwarf  … and it’s not always the same answer – stunning
colour schemes, some great texture, a fabulous freehand banner,
even amazing conversions and cunning kit bashes can help. But
remember, it is GW’s competition and their judges’ decisions are
final – so you have to learn to play by their rules. Inevitably
their judges have their own preferences and will lean towards a
style of painting that impresses them the most … which does tend
to be painting that exhibits a very high level of skill – well,
in the end it is a painting competition. Moaning about the
judging will get you nowhere either. It is a subjective art so
you just have to accept the results and move on. And remember my
comment earlier – if you ain’t seen the models that beat you
from 3 inches then you haven’t really seen them. Cabinet
distance is useless, especially under those lights.
7.
There is always going to be an element of luck whichever event
you go for – ‘the random elephant’ as I’ve heard it called.
Obviously, who else enters your event or class is a random
factor that you can’t control. You can slog away for 6 months on
a superb entry only to find that Soper, Clayton, Grey and Di
Chello have all entered your category … flippin’ marvellous
. But next year it might be different, so don’t give up.
8.
If you are entering your first Golden Demon then, unless you are
already a fairly experienced competition painter, treat your
first one or two attempts as a test launch and reconnaissance
mission … as well as a fun day out. By all means put your heart
and soul into your entries and set out to do well, but don’t get
put off if you don’t make the cut or win a trophy (I’ve seen
people put off in the past after building their hopes too high).
There are still many excellent models that don’t even get a
finalist pin. Talking of those pins, these are an excellent
benchmark. Once you start picking those up then you know that
you are on the right track – set winning one or two of these as
your early target. And if you don’t win a pin or a demon this
time, then you’ve still got the winning of one to look forward
to next time .
HAPPY HUNTING!
#Post#: 121--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hunting Golden Demons
By: Marc Chee Date: October 10, 2018, 5:52 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Thanks a bunch for taking the time to write this!
I'm coming for my first Golden Demon, so it's a little bit
daunting. Also since I'm coming from Australia, it's highly
unlikely that I'll take another shot at it in the next few
years, so I'm feeling a little bit of personal pressure to make
the best of it. Hearing advice from people like yourself makes
it a bit easier to have confidence to at least come and check it
out . . . and also go in with a good attitude towards not having
to win anything to make the trip worth it.
I'm also glad that my first entry will be in the Unbound
category, which I'll post in the WIPs section sometime over the
weekend.
#Post#: 124--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hunting Golden Demons
By: msaspence Date: October 11, 2018, 4:50 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for this post. Apart from anything else I'm feeling much
more cuffed with my Euro Mini commended entry now :D
#Post#: 125--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hunting Golden Demons
By: MartinWaller Date: October 11, 2018, 10:26 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Sage advice Obi Wan!
#Post#: 127--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hunting Golden Demons
By: Mark Lifton Date: October 11, 2018, 1:26 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=MartinWaller link=topic=32.msg125#msg125
date=1539271607]
Sage advice Obi Wan!
[/quote] You know it all already mate ;)
#Post#: 128--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hunting Golden Demons
By: Mark Lifton Date: October 11, 2018, 1:30 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=msaspence link=topic=32.msg124#msg124
date=1539251402]
Thanks for this post. Apart from anything else I'm feeling much
more cuffed with my Euro Mini commended entry now :D
[/quote]
That's great to hear. I a man sure that most people think you
have to get gold at Euro to win at GD. I made that mistake ...
only the wrong way round 😂 . The nice thing is that
you've got new targets for your next Euro.
#Post#: 129--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hunting Golden Demons
By: Mark Lifton Date: October 11, 2018, 1:37 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Marc Chee link=topic=32.msg121#msg121
date=1539211970]
Thanks a bunch for taking the time to write this!
I'm coming for my first Golden Demon, so it's a little bit
daunting. Also since I'm coming from Australia, it's highly
unlikely that I'll take another shot at it in the next few
years, so I'm feeling a little bit of personal pressure to make
the best of it. Hearing advice from people like yourself makes
it a bit easier to have confidence to at least come and check it
out . . . and also go in with a good attitude towards not having
to win anything to make the trip worth it.
I'm also glad that my first entry will be in the Unbound
category, which I'll post in the WIPs section sometime over the
weekend.
[/quote]
Wow, now that is dedication. I take my hat off to you. Just set
a target to enjoy the day. I can't imagine the stress of
justifying the trip by bagging a demon but You'll have already
done your best painting-wise, so try to make the most of the
experience and try to chat to as many people as possible. We all
love painting so we all have tonnes in common. I shall hopefully
be there if I ever get my duel finished so come and have a chat
... if you mention that you are the one from Australia I shall
probably remember this exchange, but please excuse me if I look
blank for a few seconds as my memory is getting worse :)
#Post#: 138--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hunting Golden Demons
By: Mamikon Date: October 15, 2018, 2:36 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Hey Mark I'm really grateful you took the time to create
something really special here. This means a lot not only to me
but I'm sure that to other painters too.
It's really important to have people like you in the community
because you bring so much spirit, passion, legacy to it.
You are the Golden Demon Rolls-Royce I believe!
I will re read your advice many times, thank you! :)
*****************************************************