Contest Entry

I did it! I finally entered my very first online contest. Long story short, I became involved in the Reaper Miniatures forum after I attended their convention. I check back often to keep up with the community. A month or two ago, I saw a post about one of the forum members holding a casual, space-themed miniature painting contest. I decided to enter so I dug around in my miniature hoard and found this:

I instantly knew she'd be a great experiment for non-human skin tones. Since she has a lot of exposed skin (I mean a LOT), I wanted to practice painting the female figure. At first, I had a few initial painting challenges with her, but after I achieved the right mix of paints, I enjoyed the seemingly-endless task of layering, blending, and then blending some more. 

However, once I finally finished painting her, I didn't immediately enter her in the contest. I had some doubts:

  1. What if my miniature isn't good enough?
  2. What if her base is too boring? Should I have tried to do more with it?
  3. What if her... lack of pants is seen as offensive?
  4. I don't have nice camera and it's hard to take decent pictures.

I had to get over my self-defeating questions. Of course it could be better. But I don't have until eternity to paint this mini or come up with an epic base I sculpt from scratch. In fact, I'm sure I could paint this same miniature better only after a few months-- and that's a good thing! Otherwise, I'm not learning or growing as a painter. This miniature is a nice snapshot of where I am now in terms of painting skill & execution. I accept that about myself and will use this small contest as a learning experience. 

Whatever the outcome, I'm better for entering the contest. It will build my confidence as a painter and help keep me involved in a helpful and talented community! I took new pictures of the mini after I cleaned up the base and painted over a few chips. Whether I'm recognized in the contest or not, it doesn't matter-- I still had a lot of fun painting this miniature and it's great to be inspired by the other entries!