Dear Friends,

My latest project- as usual Romeo Models doesnt dissapoint, I especially love their 90mm range - It is definitely worth a rather high price tag. Oils on acrylic base, metallic enamels.

Cheers, Piotr

Hi Steve,
I honestly dont know why it is, in fact, glossy (it looks worse on the foto than in real life, but still..) , used only acrylics for it ..it is really puzzling, since (I think) I did everything correctly , no experiments..maybe partly fault lies with lighting, not sure (?)
And thank you kindly for your comment! ,

Cheers,Piotr

Nice work, but he is indeed very glossy.

Marc

Marc,

I have pondered for a large amount of hours , if I should write anything , or just ..let it go. But I cant let it go. So here it is:

I am a person that can definitely handle a good amount of criticism, artisitic critique and constructive advice. But under only ONE condition, albeit of critical importance to me. The person that criticizes has to be able thru her/his works to prove beyond reasonable doubt that posesses minumum amount of talent and artisitc inclination.Hers/his works have to impress me. Otherwise , its just blindness, arrogance, I dont know what.

I have seen your posts.Not all, but most of them.

People are extremely nice to you. Your works are far far from being impressive. So Ill take the burden of being brutally honest - Your technique, use of mediums, well..everything in general...is on the level of a medium-ages child coloring a color-book. NO depth, no substance, no realism. And I dont think you have started painting yesterday so, its not really a learning curve.

In any other case, I wouldnt say nothing. I wouldnt care. But you are criticising EVERYTHING. Every single post, and Ive seen you have this manner often with others as well.

So..since you are always so generous with advice and criitcs ... here is MY advice.

Calm down. Be more objective. Look at your own challenges, mistakes (there are maaany) ,weaknesses. Watch more videos, tutorials. Learn to blend. Buy some books. Believe me, you need a LOT to learn.

And then, when you will be able to look at your own works with more critical eye and will be able to tell yourself "wow, I really have gotten better , this is really looking realistic now.."..

Then tell me about gloss. (among other things)

Ps. I dont care if my dose of honesty will get me kicked off here - I think the worst thing to do to you is to assure you (by being silent) that you are an awesome painter and one should follow your advice and take critics to heart. Many people ignore things like that, but I finally couldnt.

So this , in fact, my good deed of the day.

Piotr

Hi Piotr,

WOW man, are you frustrated or what? It's not because one wouldn't be able to do something to a certain level that he can't give an honest critique. I too think the cape is way too glossy, I could give you some tips but I won't because you appear not be a nice guy judging by your post. I can't work on a car if my life depended on it, yet I can tell the difference between a nicely modified car or one that's wrecked through modifying. The same goes for movies, music, games, and so many other cool things in life. Maybe you should first learn some manners before trying to conversate with an international audience. I'm the first to give honest critique but I always try to do it in a nice, friendly and polite way. BTW, here's what i think of your work : except for the freehand (?) on the shield I think it's rather mediocre : contrats between highlights and shadows can be pushed much further, there's not enough variation in the "dirt" at the bottom of his cloack, A rock isn't just grey like yours, etc... Oh, I do LOVE your base and nameplate. And before you tell I'm also "just a mediocre" painter : I have proven what I'm worth at various international shows, magazines and fora.

Just my 2cents.

Gino

Oh my god,
just read this thread
I can't believe what I am reading
I urge you guys to calm down

Piotr.

I love the presentation of this figure (brilliant name plate!) and the shield in particular is tremendous.
Well done mate!
Gary

Hello Piotr,
I think the whole piece is brilliant.Well balanced and painted from top to bottom.The work you put in is obvious.
Don't worry about the bit of critique....It belongs in a different category;in fact this piece should only be complimented for the great work that you've done.........Keep up the good work...........Wayne

Hi Piotr,

It's indeed a very nice figure and you have handled it well.

You obviously take your painting seriously, but reading your response to Mark's post, maybe a bit too seriously. We must all be able to handle some criticism. In fact, it helps us all to get better painters. Marc's was quite mild actually, and....he just pointed out the gloss, which is there. No need to start bashing a fellow member, come on. It's just a figure, relax.

By the way, if you want to kill that gloss, next time mix in Tamiya X21 matte medium. It kills even the glossiest acrylics gloss. You could even now still mask the figure and spray some matte coat on the cloack with an airbrush.

Cheers,
Adrian

Hi Piotr,

I wouldn't be honest with you unless I also pointed out that the red colour on the cape is glossy and it detracts from the overall quality of your painting, which is very good. It's not a lighting issue, it's the paint you used. Oils over acrylics is a technique that can often create some problems with shine, and they can be eliminated.

Normally I'd be happy to share these tips with you, but I find your comments directed at Marc Megroot to be quiet unnecessarily rude and disrespectful.

You suggest that only people who "impress you" and demonstrate they have the appropriate level of skills at figure painting are allowed to make critical observations about your figures. What an arrogant, stupid thing to say.

You were wrong to share those thoughts. You would have been wiser to keep them to yourself.

Marc is a passionate figure modeller and one of the most loyal members of Planet Figure and he has been willing to provide honest feedback on this forum to fellow figure modellers for over 11 years, and he's always been direct and straight to the point. That's why people on this forum like him so much. He does not deserve to be belittled by you for doing so. Marc's given plenty of brutally honest feedback to me over the years, and I've always appreciated his comments.

Given that you joined this forum just two months ago and Marc has been on the forum since 2004 and has posted more comments on this forum than any other person, I think you should pull your head in and show some f##king respect. Marc is entitled to have his say about your figures and everyone else's, and if you don't like it then I suggest you drink a cup of concrete and "harden up". What Marc said is correct. Your figure is glossy. That's a fact. Deal with it. Don't shoot the messenger because you don't like the message.

If you can't accept factual statements like that, don't post photos on a public forum.

Lashing out at another modeller and denigrating his own models because you don't think he's good enough to make an observation about your model is unbelievably arrogant and displays a total lack of respect. It also suggests you think you're a much better figure painter than you actually are. If you're such a good figure painter, why did you post photos of a Roman wearing a bright red, shiny cape on a public forum???

If you want other modellers on this forum to treat you with respect and provide you with honest feedback on your figures, then a good start would be to apologise to Marc on this thread and accept his comments in the spirit in which they are intended. If you don't, then I wont be engaging with any of your future threads or comments and I'm sure other Planeteers will do the same.

For the record, I don't give a flying f##k whether my figure painting skills are up to your required standard or impress you. If we have to pass some kind of test before you consider us worthy to make constructively critical comments on your figure painting, then you clearly don't belong on this forum.

Hello Piotr,

I really don't know why you are so hard to me. Steve told you also that the cape whas glossy.
So why???
I thank Tony and Gino for there support.
And as far as the figure goes: It's great, but the cape is still glossy

Marc

I dont have anything else to add to Tony's thoughts, being rude is not something that can be corrected with
matte spraying (as Ferris said) but only with trying to see what's wrong.
I only want to focus on something, and i know that Piotr can understand this cause we all are in a common base
here and this is our love and passion for getting a grey model to life.
The first comment was from our super moderator (Babelfish) and the answer from you Piotr was totally different
from the one to Marc (Megroot), you also in that answer admitt the "problem".
My opinion is that this webpage is not a competition of capabilities but a webpage that we all can improve our
skills and learn from masters. I wish i could have your skills and make such a roman (i love the era and the subject)
as you did. If the cape is glossy or not that doesnt make the overall less marvless than it is.
But i know that you first realise this minor problem, and got you upset when others wanted to say it, also
i believe that you are a gentle person and i think you let the arrogance in the look of the centurion answers for you.
Bad moments are for everyone, the greatness is to admitt them and go on.
Your Roman, as i see him, is fantastic, but also precious are the comments of our fellow members.
Dimitris

Well done Marc for pointing out what we can all see. Your posts are always direct and to the point and from what I know of you meant with the best of intentions. I have even known you criticise your own work as well as giving praise where it is due.

Piotr's comments were personal especially as you were not the first to mention the cape, pity he has soiled our view of a figure that has much of merit-clearly he has his head up his ass as far as his own work is concerned (not much light shining there-that's why he can't see the gloss...LOL)

An apology is long overdue, and good on you Marc for not reacting.

Claude

I just got into this hobby. In fact it has been only 2 months. And I think that the cape is glossy.

Too bad Piotr did not respond anymore. I'm sure a nice and polished (let me not say 'glossy') apology would do wonders.

Adrian

If you click on the avatar there is a quote "Painting calms me down....." , obviously not painting enough to keep calm and be reflective by the over reaction!

I too think you have made a good portrayal of this figure and yes sometimes the camera can be brutal. The cape does look glossy and you can evidently see this yourself as you mentioned it also. You can see, what we all can see from the pictures in your post. There's also been some very nice comments and advice to fix the problem of glossiness, which does detract from the rest of the brush work. Such a pity Marc had to take the brunt of your frustration.

That's why this forum is so good, at times your work needs to be seen through the eyes of others, as sometimes your own eyes are blind to the obvious. Myself is very much included in the former. But you also need to be big enough to take one on the chin at times.

and please feel free to go and critique my work, I already know I'm an average painter at best, but top notch with enthusiasm.

I've taken this opportunity to look through both Piotr's and Marc's work. It seems that both produce work to a good standard, although Piotr's seems to be more artistic (Continental?) in nature. I find red a difficult colour to get right, a shame because I like the scarlet and red tunics of the British Army. I also have problems with red often tending to have a glossy appearance, regardless of the medium I use (acrylic/enamel/oil). As regards standard of work, in the past I have won medals at the Model Engineer Exhibition (when figures were still entered) and the BMSS Annual Show, and been a judge at the latter. I would be the first to admit that my modelling skills, both as a sculptor and painter have been completely eclipsed by the current generation.

I would suggest that I am still entitled to pass judgement on another's work, hopefully constructively, without attracting adverse comments for so doing. I would also expect my fellow modellers to pass comments on my work in return. How else can I improve my technique or correct inaccuracies?

This is a hobby after all, and it is meant to be a pleasant past-time, not a battleground.

Happy modelling!!

Mike

Very nicely and concisely put, Mike.

Alan