6d
Squidmar’s Miniature Masters Ep04
I didn’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t watched yet so, please enjoy Emil’s magnificent mustache as the first pic. Yall think that’s what their brushes are made from? Lol Show link: youtu.be/6VBM_e4qu_Q?is=KBESiHq_kB_c2IBJ Finding the Shine in True Metallics I really liked Borja’s lesson on true metallic metals, particularly the idea of studying real reflections and remembering the ones you find interesting enough to recreate. I tend to approach painting problems by looking for the right technique: What color do I highlight with? What paint should I use? Borja’s advice shifts that toward simply asking, what do I actually want this metal to look like? I wasn’t especially taken with the example from the lesson itself, but looking through Borja’s other work really showed off his skill. I included a couple examples in the carousel because his metals can be absolutely ridiculous. I can’t even tell what is NMM vs TMM (photo credits @borjammersminatures on IG) Two Painters, One Project I really liked the team challenge this week because pairing everyone up made their different personalities and creative instincts much more apparent. Carla and Maxine (@merak_minis ; @maxou.painting on IG) felt appropriately chaotic together, and their finished piece in the carousel has some of that same energy. Meanwhile, Trent and Aaron seemed like a well-oiled machine. Their piece might actually be the idea from the episode that grabbed me most because I immediately started thinking about how I could try something inspired by it with my mostly unpainted Skaventide models. Then there were Amalia and Anastasia (@amaliasminiatures ; @anastasia_loukrezi) Amalia remains incredibly easy to root for. She comes across as sweet, wholesome, and just enough of an underdog that every time things start going well for her I become emotionally invested all over again. But I really loved their finished presentation. You can see it in the carousel: the figure suspended above that dark, stair-like environment, with those streaks of colored light pulling your eye through the scene. The judges disagreed quite a bit this episode, and I actually enjoyed that. At the level these people are painting, “Is this technically competent?” is barely a useful question anymore. Of course it is. Instead, they’re judging composition, storytelling, readability, atmosphere, ambition, finish, and yes, impact. Those are much slipperier things. I think the team challenge highlighted that especially well. Put two artists together and you get something neither would have made individually. Then put that miniature in front of three judges and you might get three different ideas about whether it worked. The Part That Keeps Me Watching I think this episode finally clarified why Miniature Masters has been inspiring me so much. Obviously the painting is absurd. Watching people at this level makes me want to improve, and I keep seeing techniques, compositions, and ideas that make me think about what I could try in my own projects. But I don’t think the techniques are actually the thing keeping me invested. It’s the people. Four episodes ago, most of these were names attached to spectacular miniatures. Now I’m rooting for Amalia. I’ve completely changed my impression of Trent. I’m interested in Maxine’s story. I want to see what Carla comes up with next. And strangely, I’m not even that interested in what they’re painting. I’m much more interested in watching how they figure out what to paint , especially with so little time to do it. Seeing an idea form, change, occasionally fall apart, and somehow become a finished piece is fascinating. Getting to see that creative process alongside the personalities behind it has made the show far more inspiring to me than I expected. Mostly, it just makes me want to go paint something. Tried to be a bit more intentional with this post on the episode. Hopefully the formatting makes things a bit more digestible. What did yall think of the episode? Did it make you wanna buy more Vallejo TMM stuff lol? Favorite finished duel??