I always thought metal blisters looked tacky because people really should put a good hour in filing down the capes' and banners' rough metal moulding but eyes and base as well as invisible mould lines are the top cut. Also paintjobs on blending shadows with lighter points.

Clear, well lit, properly focussed and exposed photographs. otherwise, we cannot see what we are expected to judge so all the painting, basing, sculpting and converting talent in the world is wasted. Put some effort into taking the picture or get a friend/relative who has a good camera or photographic ability to do it for you so you do you own minis justice and submit the best images you can. We are not talking about National Geographic standards here, just clear and reasonably bright.

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-If the Photo quality is terrible then that pretty much guarantees NOT getting my vote.
-Good painting (use of colour and technique).
-Good converting/sculpting if any.
-Evidence of improvement. (If i am tossing up between two, I may be inclined to go for the one that those shows the most improvement.

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Face quality is the first thing I look at. I dont like extreme highlighting so how mute the colour tones are with no loss of quality and the use of weathering as this is my interpretation of middle earth.

Use of free hand on banners and also not 'over basing' can be a factor.

Not a fan of models that try to win painting challenges and comps based on the conversions without the paintjob meeting the quality of the conversion

I don't know abut you guys, but I'd be less likely to vote for someone who puts up their entry and finished photo in the same post. To me the whole point is you pledge to paint a model, then succeed or fail by your own merit, not only enter the competition once you've finished your models.

Thoughts?

Dallo

@Dallo - I have to disagree with that statement and if I'm honest I find it an incredibly strange point of view. Why should it matter if someone posts their proof picture in the same post as their finished piece? Does it mean they have worked any less or not put as much effort in? No it doesn't! The challenges here mean different things to different people and some do not like to feel pressure of trying to finish a piece by posting a proof picture first or they want their entry to be a surprise or not give the competition a heads up on what they are doing. Something as minor as posting the proof on the same post as a finished entry to me is a ridiculous basis for deciding a vote lol

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As the memory card for my camera is a bit broken, it takes some extra effort to get the pictures to my computer. And I'm lazy. So I'll often transfer, crop and upload the pictures of the unpainted model(s) at the same time as the painted ones. So that's my reason for posting them at the same time. ^^

It can also be a bit disheartening to not finish a model you posted as a would-be entry for several consecutive months, although having or not having posted the proof pictures doesn't change that too much, as the figure is still staring at you from the painting desk anyway (although I guess that is at least less public).

That's understandable. Just to be clear, I'm not taking a dig at anyone, just sharing my opinion.

Edit:
@DMS

Just saw your post.

To clarify, my main criteria for voting are based upon the level of the painting. This would generally only be used for tie-breakers.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, and I do understand where you're coming from. Your point about avoiding giving a heads up to the competition is well made, and I can see why doing things your way would be a less stressful experience (which is what you want for a friendly painting challenge). I just personally feel that for me to paint a model, then enter it would be cheating, as I'd remove the element of risk from the competition.

I'd rather enter and fail for the month, than not enter because I didn't finish. I suppose it's a point of stubborn pride for me. I don't paint very often, but when I promise to do so, I work my hardest to be done by the deadline.

I agree with your comment about effort as well. Of course the amount of effort put into a model doesn't change whether they enter in one post or two, and those that complete models should be commended regardless of the manner of their completion.

I guess the crux of the matter is whether I should judge other entries by the same standards that I apply to myself.

Anyway, I hope I've made myself a little clearer, and you can at least understand my point of view, if not agree with it.

Dallo

First I look and say is this one of dms models? No way am I voting for kev. Lol.

But I take a serious look at the entries and pick based on what grabs me as the best paint job, period. This is not about techniques or difficulty either. It is how the model looks painted, is it well done, flawless, good color scheme, and good pictures of it. Often because of this criteria a model with a scheme that us unique or different from films will stand out. At the same time a very well done model in the film scheme may just be so dang good that I have to go with it (dms and mms do these well). I try not to allow basing to sway me at all, I know it is important and I myself am working on improving my bases, but I don't use it for basis of painting judgement. In most cases the top few entries are immediately recognized.

So for those trying to improve votes, I would make sure your pictures are good first. And fix any mistakes that look obvious.

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More of my work at

www.ShadowandFlame.co.uk