Challenge VIII Awards and Wrap-Up

Well, here we are at the end of another edition of the Painting Challenge. All the votes have been tabulated for 'Challengers' Choice', Sarah has made her selection for 'Sarah’s Choice', I’ve done the same for the Judges selection and we’ve made the prize draws for the six points thresholds. Whew! It has been a busy weekend so get yourself a cup of your favourite beverage and settle in for a long read.

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The Challengers' Choice

This year we had 30 nominations for this award with 80 people voting. I found it wonderful to peruse through the gallery of nominations as it provides a wonderful sampling of the three months of the Challenge.

Honourable Mentions 

SidneyR for his wonderful Body of Work focusing on his quasi-historical 17th century town of Laarden - shown here is a but a small selection of his talented output this year.

Curt's Body of Work

MartinN's brilliant Roman Dromendary

AnthonyO's astonishing 'Empire of Dust' collection

Third Place for Challengers' Choice  

DebD for her verdent Female Ranger

Second Place for Challengers' Choice  

ByronM for his terrifying Kingdom Death Dragon King

First Place for Challengers' Choice' goes to... 

GregB for his amazing Byzantine Cataphractoi Heavy Cavalry

For Deb and Byron, you both recieve a 25 Euro Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures.

Greg, for your prize, you'll receive a weekend's accommodation at Schloss Campbell-Hanks which includes delicious home cooked meals, imbibing of cheap plonk and a  series of raucous miniatures games in which you'll be allowed to win. Yep, you've hit the mother load with this one buddy. ;)

If you're interested in seeing the voting results for Challengers' Choice they can be seen here.

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Judge’s Choice

Honourable Mentions go to:

Anthony's incredible Australian Commandos

Kyle's pipetastic Dwarf Bust

The Judge’s Choice goes to:

Byron's amazing Dragon King

Byron, for your prize you get to join Greg in putting up with me for a weekend of food, drinks and gaming. (I'll also let you win in the times when I'm not letting Greg win.) :)

Sarah’s Choice 

From Sarah: The Challenge technically ends on the first day of Spring and should usher in (at least the prospect of) warm and sunny days. But as I sit in my living room, it is most definitely NOT spring. I have the fireplace roaring and am watching a steady stream of cross country skiers glide past the park across from our yard - a perfect setting to make the Sarah’s Choice selection.

The Painting Challenge is full of creative and talented hobbyists, and the range of female figures presented was impressive. Super heroes, dwarven warrior women, succubbi dance troupes; every type of figure from ordinary folk having tea to reformed cultists ..... my awarding of Sarah’s Choice has become a personal highlight of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.

Before I announce the Honourable Mentions and Winner, I want to send a big Thank You to Millsy for the Sarah-geld he sent me. The Alchemist Sarah now has a place of honour alongside my espresso pot collection. I think it a most suitable place for her to watch over my culinary concoctions.

Honourable Mentions

Barks’ Diana Stanley

I am huge fan of the Chuthlu mythos and the Mansions of Madness game and have played the Diana character many times. I think you have captured her character well, despite your misgivings over her featureless face. As a reformed cultist and trying to navigate her way through to the side of good, she may be forgiven for trying to keep her self expression contained.

Well Done and I hope to see more of your Lovecraftian characters next Challenge.

Sydney’s Goose Girl

The entire Laarden project is amazing and has me creating a reading list of 17thC Dutch historical novels. I will report back next Challenge with a list of recommendations/reviews.

But the Goose Girl is so lovely and reminds me of one of my favourite opening movie scenes ... 'The Duellists'.

La!

Deb’s Body of Work

What a tremendous first Challenge, Deb!

I truly loved all of your entrants, but the ones that really stood out for me are the Female Ranger with Bow and the Soulgazer Elf Priestess.

Well done and I hope to see you next year!

And the winner is... MartinN’s Milicianas

What I loved most about these 8 tough, courageous and idealistic ladies is that they are rooted in history and the painting reflects the style and colours of the era. The polka dot dress and the Gerda Taro figure are standouts. So often, female combatants are neglected and it is important to remember that conflict affects everyone. 

Nick, as your prize you get a painted figure of your choice from Curt (besides, I'm sure he owes you one anyway). :)

Well done all Challenge Eight participants! Enjoy the next few months of re-stocking the lead pile, prepping and priming and of course plotting next years Challenge strategy.

Points Threshold Prizes

Next we have the Point Threshold prizes. These are a random draw awarded to participants who broke through the six points barriers over the course of the Challenge.

Threshold I / 500-749 points: EvanH

(Gift certificate from War & Peace Games)

Threshold II / 750-999 points: PaulS

(25 Euro Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

Threshold III / 1000-1499 points: Barks

(25 Euro Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

Threshold IV / 1500-1999 points: KenR

(20 GBP gift certificate from Warbases)

Threshold V / 2000-2499 points: DavidB

(40 GBP Gift Certificate from Westfalia Miniatures)

Threshold VI / 2500+ points: AlexS

(Subscription to Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy magazine)

Also, I'd like to inaugurate  a new 'Young Guard' prize category to recognize the young newcomers of each edition of the Challenge. This year's 'Young Guard' prize goes out to ArthurS for his industrious work at painting knights and keeping his dad busy. 

Arthur, you will receive a hand crafted dice tower from the magical workshop of the ever-industrious MilesR. 

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Top Tier Points Finishers

Now, I think it only proper to give some prizes to our Paint Titans who dominated the points roster:

3^rd in the Points Standings: MilesR: (20 Euro Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

2^nd in the Points Standings: NoelW (3x3 Gaming Mat from Deep Cut Studios)

1^st in the Points Standings KentG (50 GBP Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

Congratulations to all the prize winners and thank you for sharing your wonderful work with us. Please contact me to work out the details of your prizes.

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As per tradition, I've come up with a few gifts to help express my gratitude to this year's Minions.

Sidney, our bright and bushy-tailed Monday Morning Minion (how do you keep so cheery?!), I know you had been coveting the 2mm windmills I sourced from Shapeways, so here's one based with a concentration of artillery. 

I've tried to keep it close in colours to your winter themed bases, but I know you can use some of your brush magic to better blend them to your collection. I'll also include a few more unpainted ones for you to use in your future projects.

Sander, Tuesday's Terrific Teacher Minion: I was awaiting a great influx of 1/72 scale Napoleonics during the Challenge for your Salamanca project, but alas, you were derailed by other flights of fancy (To be sure, I cast no stones regards getting distracted as I'm one of the worst hobby butterflies fluttering about). 

Nonetheless, to help you get on the rails again, here is a 1/72 French Dragoon from Hagen Miniatures. I picture him campaigning in the Peninsula, foraging with this trusty mount for some hard-won supplies.

Ray, our slayer of spreadsheets, deleter of posts, I award you a raving 18th century infantry commander. Let's call him Miles.

This chap is from the excellent Ebor WSS range. I've painted him as an officer of the Languedoc Regiment. I hope he will be the start of a new faction for your growing Donnybrook collection.

Jamie, our Thursday Minion, you were a bit more difficult to find something appropriate. I asked Greg what Legions you collected and he said only Word Bearers and Thousand Sons. Grr, damned heretics. I decided to troll back on your entries in the Challenge blog and was reminded that you also worked on Salamanders. Loyalists! Yahh!

Now, I just needed to find a suitable figure... Undaunted, I put on my parka and ventured into the Lead Shed. Lo and behold, in a darkened corner, I discovered my first box of half-built Beakies from 1987 (Note the 1986 Canadian nickel I found that were still glued in their bases for weight - provenance is everything). Perfect. 

I have to apologize for the photos. The green actually does have some depth to it, but the lighting wouldn't cooperate. Nonetheless, I hope you like him Jamie.

Michael, our gracious Saturday Minion, I've decided to gift you another character for your 'Witchfinder General' collection. 

This fellow is a Fantasy variant of the 40K Inquisitor that I painted last year. He was tremendous fun to work on, with lots of details to pull out. Michael, I hope he burns assists many heretics wayward souls in his future adventures with you.

I also want to thank our Spreadsheet Spectre / Maniacal Mathemagician Miles and our Duels Wallah Millsy for once again gifting us with their sterling efforts this year. Expect something in the post soon my friends.

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Painting Challenge VIII is now concluded.  I’d like to thank all our Challenge Sponsors for their generous support of the event. The sponsors are listed on the right sidebar, so if you have a free moment please visit their sites, see if something strikes your fancy and consider giving them some trade.  As I mention every year, the Challenge doesn’t need prizes for it to be a success, but it adds a bit of glitter to the proceedings. :) Again, my great thanks to all our wonderful sponsors!

Finally, and I really can't say this enough, I want to thank all our Challenge participants. I never tire of saying that this event would be nothing without you. It is your industry, your good humour and most of all, your generosity of good will that makes the Painting Challenge what it is. My thanks to you all.

So in closing, I bid you all a fond farewell. Enjoy the Spring and Summer and I hope to see you back when the air turns cool this autumn...

Curt