We’re halfway into the first month of the 2025 Great Pirate Paint Off and we have some more great entries to share and our mid month prize to give away!
Over the course of the first two weeks we’ve had 84 entries already! This months focus has been Commanders and Characters so most of the entries have been in that category. At the end of January, the Commander& Character category will be judged for a people’s choice prize.
Early Entries
You can always check the full gallery of all entries here (or from the Contest menu), and you can see some spotlights from the first week of the contest here.
Here are some of the most recent entries to come in before the mid month prize giveaway.
French Commander by Mark Benson
This is some fine painting work here!
Henry Morgan by Martin Jones
Morgan at the head of his buccaneers and at the wheel of his ship!
Master Gunner Character by Jacob Zuvic
From the 2024 organized play kit, this Master Gunner character is finely painted!
Blackbeard by Tim Falkenberg
Pardal by Jason Ropp
Custom Spanish Commander by Dan Carlson
This is a sweet little kitbash job! Impale then shoot is the name of the game!
English Alternate Sculpt by Tom Gilder
Well painted and well set up for a photo.
Commanders, Characters, and Units by Lliam Baird
Lliam has been painting up a storm! He’s already finished his entire Pirates of Legend box and is moving on to units.
King Philip by Kurtis Fraley
Got to love those woodland tones with the woodland behind. Beautiful paint job!
Commanders & Characters by Greg Padilla
That’s just a few of the entries we’ve got so far! If your entry wasn’t spotlighted above, don’t worry, it was received and processed! Just couldn’t put them all here. Check the master gallery (which is easily sortable) to make sure your entries are there and contact us if anything is missing.
Prize Giveaway – 2 Windsor & Newton Brushes
It’s time to give away the mid month prize! Winsdor & Newton makes legendary brushes and they are perfect for control and detail while doing fine work on 28mm models. If you’re going to spend the time painting minis, a couple good brushes can make all that time pay off!
Each person that has entered anything over the past two weeks was entered into this drawing with one chance for the prize. With 23 participants to draw from the winner is:
Jacob Zuvic!
Congrats to Jacob! Great job on both the bloody Black Caesar and the Master Gunner mini so far!
Great Pirate Paint Off Schedule for January
The focus for January is Commanders and Characters. There are three separate prizes that will be awarded during this month. We’ve just awarded the paint brushes. At the end of the month, a random entrant will receive a set of the Blood & Plunder Pro Acryl paints from Firelock Games (this is an updated prize).
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.
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!
There is some great work here! It’s truly an inspiration to keep painting and keep improving!
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