I met so many amazing people at my first ReaperCon! This was my first convention after discovering the wonderful hobby of tabletop miniature painting a few years ago. I drove into the DFW metroplex and snapped many pictures along the way, including one of a distinguished Mr. Sam Houston (Btw, I don't recommend this while driving at 75+ mph)
I arrived safe and sound in Lewisville, Texas and was welcomed by the Reaper Team, volunteers, and Con-goers alike as I entered the main room early Thursday.
Upon registration, I earned myself a "Tigger" ribbon badge for, according to ReaperBryan, "being one of the happiest people to check-in after waiting over an hour in line". Cheers! I earned a few other ribbons throughout the Con-- though not as many as some others!
While I chose to stock up on painting classes throughout each day, in the evenings I hung out with a great group of people and made new friends-- so many talented people willing to share their knowledge! I even got an impromptu tutorial from Kuro Cleanbrush, who shared his best practices in brush control & techniques when painting eyes-- one of the most daunting challenges for any mini painter!
Kuro Cleanbrush - Eye Tutorials · Check out his amazing work here
While I've been painting on-and-off for two years, I've mostly scrounged up tips & tricks online as much as I can. That being said, I was absolutely shocked to have won a Certificate of Merit in my first painting competition! So many amazing entries, I was grateful just to have been a part of it. After my experience at ReaperCon (including my 22 hours of classes I attended) and seeing many examples of some truly inspiring work, I'm definitely ready to take my painting to the next level!
Olivia at Mardi Gras - ReaperCon 2014 Certificate of Merit
I'll go into more detail in my next blog post about the wonderful painting classes, one-on-one sessions, and my favorite take-aways from ReaperCon 2014. In the meantime, I want to celebrate the achievements of some talented folks I met during the Con. My only regret is that I did not take nearly enough pictures. Many thanks to Reaper and their wonderful team-- already looking forward to next year!
Left to Right (using their Reaper forum names):
MonkeySloth • Pixel • Kuro Cleanbrush • Cash Wiley • Corporea • Sanael • Nissiana