It’s a new year and the 2025 Great Pirate Paint Off has begun! We’ve got some great entries already within the first 4 days of the year.
The Great Pirate Paint Off is an annual painting contest we host here on Blood & Pigment and this year promises to be better than ever. In this post we’ll showcase some of the first entries that have come in so far, review the contest schedule, and update the prize list with more plunder!
Early Entries
Check out some of the first entries for the contest this year. We’ve got several commander and character entries, along with a couple terrain pieces so far.
Dead Pirate Objective Token by Elijah Huff
First up we have a nicely painted Dead Pirate Roberts objective token by Elijah Huff. Great looking mini and fine painting job. The brocade on the coat is awesome on this guy.
Native Commander by Mark Benson
Next up with have the Caribbean Native Commander model, painted by Mark Benson.
Native skin tone is always a challenge, but this is beautiflly done. Layers but no harsh lines, and nice washboard abs. And the eyes and perfect! Anyone willing to take the care to paint eyes deserves praise!
Commanders & Characters by Sven Wolk
Already solidly in the lead for number of entries, Sven has entered a good handful of great commanders and characters, including the new Surgeon and a cool kitbashed buccaneer commander.
Pirate Commanders by Gerardo Gonzalez
Check out these two minis from the Pirates of Legend minis set. Black Caesar and “La Buse.”
Barricade Terrain by Erich Goebel
Terrain is a big part of Blood & Plunder and Port Royal. I suspect these are going to hit a Port Royal board the day that game is delivered! Erich is a well-decorated participant in previous years’ contests and it’s good to see his excellent work come back around again!
Commanders & Characters by Brendan Kampwerth
Brendan has already entered a great mix of legendary, standard, and exclusive model commanders, along with the eager BONE SAW Surgeon model.
As a participant in the 2024 Blood & Plunder Secret Santa event, I’m flattered that those French Caribbean Militia are used as a backdrop for that French Commander.
Great Pirate Paint Off Schedule for January
The focus for January is Commanders and Characters. There are three seperate prizes that will be awarded during this month. On January 16th, we will do a drawing for the mid-month prize. Each painter that has entered at least one entry will get one chance at a set of 2 fine Winsor & Newton paint brushes, perfect for painting 28mm miniatures. This is a reward for the earlybirds that don’t delay until the very last minute to enter the work!
At the end of the month, another drawing will be done to award a jumbo sized commander mini of the winner’s choice (as long as the sculpt is feasible at this scale) from contest sponsor Firelock Games.
At the end of January, a panel of judges will vote to narrow entries to the top 5, and then everyone will have a chance to vote for their favorite. The winner of this public voting will receive a 2025 Great Pirate Paint Off gold medal and everlast glory and honor.
February will follow the same basic schedule but the focus will be on Oak & Iron Ships and Terrain of all types. You can submit entries of any type throughout the contest, but you want to enter each submission before it’s “resolution date.” See the main page for the contest for further details.
Notes on Photographing your Minis
To get a great shot of your miniatures, make sure you have good lighting when taking your photo. Natural lighting is often best, close to a window or outside, but that is hard for must of us this time of year. If you’re using artificial lighting, make sure there’s a light source hitting the model from the front, and not only from above. If the lighting is strong from above, it often creates dark shadows that obscure the details and fine work on the miniature.
New Prizes Added to the Pile!
Firelock Games has thrown a couple more prizes into the pot. We have yet to decide where to award them, but we now have a set of the new PRO Acryl Blood & Plunder Paint Set, and THE definitive pirate ship, the beautiful 6th Rate Frigate model to give away during this contest.
Watch for an updated prize list with these new items!
Final Thoughts
The Great Pirate Paint Off is off to a great start! It’s great to see those minis come to life when the pigment hits the plastic. I know you got a pile of minis to paint after that killer sale from Firelock Games during December. Grab your brushes and get to painting!
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