Crimson Chalice: Category advice
If you’re thinking of entering our Crimson Chalice painting competition and are looking for a few extra tips and tricks, we’ve got you covered! Liam Hearne, one of our illustrious judges, has both taken part in and judged many painting competitions: here are his top tips on how best to wow the judges with your entry in each of the Crimson Chalice categories:
Single Miniature Category
Single figure categories are often the most competitive in any painting competition. This can seem daunting, but as you’re only painting one miniature, you have the opportunity to invest all of your time and effort into producing an exceptional piece.
- Focus on pushing the quality of your chosen painting style as far as possible. Not every style needs to be perfectly clean or ultra-smooth, but every style can be refined to an incredibly high standard.
- Aim for strong contrast, excellent execution, and clearly defined focal points. Remember, contrast isn’t just light and dark—it is also about colour, texture, saturation, and more!
- Every angle matters. Judges will handle and inspect your miniature from all sides, so make sure the quality is consistent throughout.
- A beautiful base can enhance storytelling and elevate your presentation, but don’t feel pressured to create something elaborate. In this category, a simple, flawlessly executed base is often more effective than one that distracts from the miniature.
- Don’t hesitate to spend extra time refining the areas that naturally draw the eye, such as the face, weapons, or key details.
Warband Category
Painting a Warband is all about achieving a beautiful, consistent finish across an entire group of miniatures. This category is often as much a test of endurance as it is of painting ability!
- Consistency is everything. Every miniature should be painted to the same standard, as one noticeably weaker model can affect the overall presentation.
- A display base isn’t required, but think carefully about how the models are presented together. Consistent basing helps tie the force together visually.
- Although each model has limited space on its base, you can still create a narrative across the entire group through posing, basing, and composition.
- A centrepiece model can create a strong focal point. Plan how your miniatures will be arranged before the event to create an attractive overall composition.
Large Figure Category
The Large Figure category gives you much more room to showcase both your painting and your basing.
- Larger miniatures naturally contain far more visual information, so composition becomes increasingly important. Think carefully about where you want the judge to look first and guide the viewer’s eye.
- Think about how different materials behave under light and ensure each one has its own distinct character.
- Larger bases give you the opportunity to expand the story around your miniature. Use this extra space with purpose rather than simply filling it.
Storytelling Category
Every category is judged on storytelling, but this is the category where narrative becomes one of the defining factor! In this case, a compelling concept can be just as impactful as exceptional painting.
- Your story should be immediately understandable without requiring any explanation.
- Guide the viewer through the scene! The larger a display becomes, the easier it is for it to become visually overwhelming.
- Every element should contribute to the story. If something doesn’t strengthen the narrative, consider whether it truly needs to be there.
- Don’t build bigger than necessary. Excess empty space can weaken an otherwise strong composition. If you’re unsure, researching compositional archetypes is a great place to start.
- Storytelling is weighted more heavily in this category, but painting quality still matters. The strongest entries excel at both.
Open Category
This is the category to showcase creativity, technical skill, craftsmanship, and innovation. If you’ve ever wanted to build something without limitations, this is the place to do it!
- Scratch-building, sculpting, conversions, and other forms of craftsmanship can all help your piece stand out when executed well.
- Be ambitious and don’t be afraid to experiment with ideas or techniques you’ve always wanted to try.
- Whatever techniques you choose, make sure every part of the project is finished to a consistently high standard.
- There are very few creative limitations in this category. Think of it as an open sandbox to bring your vision to life.
Young Guns
This is arguably the most important category in the competition and one we are passionate about supporting. Every experienced painter started somewhere, and this category exists to encourage the next generation of miniature artists!
- Focus on mastering the fundamentals before worrying about advanced techniques. Clean brushwork, good preparation, neat details, and convincing lighting will always impress.
- Play to your strengths. It’s better to execute simple techniques well than attempt something beyond your current ability.
- Most importantly, enjoy yourself! After the event, the judges will be available to offer feedback and help you continue developing your skills.
We hope this advice helps you to refine your entry, and we can’t wait to see them this October!