TFL Painting Challenge: Second January Update

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I don’t usually do two updates in a month, but as it’s the begining of the year, and the begining of this year’s Challenge, lots of people are sending in entries all at once.

Do visit the individual galleries, accessed via the NavBar above, but here’s a look at what’s come in this time around:

First up is another big entry from Andrew: more medievals in 28mm. I’m loving the drunken soldiers in the second picture and will be oridering some of them myself!

John is back: and with some truly lovely WW2 vignettes. I love John’s work, and these look aboslutely great. Would that I was prepared to take the time and trouble to learn to paint as well as he!

I think my favourite is probably the German briefing: the second one in from the left. Unusual, beuatifully painted, and full of character.

Next up is Stumpy’s first entry of the year: lots of Ancient Germans based up with just the two lone British command figures from the Sudan as company.

Carole is back, and has been busy making 15mm terrain: lots of it. I always admire people who make their own terrain, as that’s something I find horrible tedious to do!

Here we have a cracking bridge (plus lots more river not shown), some woods, a marsh, and just an example of the many roads made.

Finally, as a round up, we have entries from Sapper, Mervyn, Chris and I.

Mervyn and Chris have their own line, with Sapper and I sharing one…and you should by now be able to tell whose is whose from the painting style and content!

Keep those entries coming!

Final Painting Challenge Entries for 2023

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A handful of last minute entries into the 2023 Painting Challenge, including David Scott’s first and last entries of the year just sneaking in before the 12 midnight deadline!

Today’s entries are the aforementioned Mr Scott’s Confederates and fencing; a horde of Byzantine cavalry from Sapper; the Peaky Blinders et al from Carole; and some Germanic types from Chris Kay.

There were some amazing entries into this year’s Challenge: two of our most prolific painters hit heights never before achieved: Matt Slade hits the 6,000 points mark (6,033), with Andrew Helliwell going past 5,000 points (5,008).

Honorable mentions must also go to Sapper, who achieved a new personal best this year with a score of 3,507; and to Mr Luther on 2,084.

Here’s a complete run down of the scores (and histories) of this year’s participants:

Be sure to check out everyone’s galleries: plenty of inspirational work to see.

The Challenge will be returning for 2024 - it’s 10 year anniversary - so be sure to clear that painting table, point those brushes, prime those models and get ready to hit a new personal best score!

Merry Christmas...and a Painting Challenge Update!

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my wargaming chums!

I’ve borrowed this image from Bovingdon Tank Museum (a must visit for any wargamer) which, incidentally, was also where I got my Christmas jumper from!

It’s also time for a quick Painting Challenge update: lots of entries coming in at the last minute…although you do actually have another six days to get them in.

Today’s entries take two of our most prolific painters to heights never before achieved: Matt Slade hits the 6,000 points mark, with Andrew Helliwell going past 5,000 points! Although no entry today, Sapper has also achieved a new personal best this year with a scoreline that’s currently well over 3,000.

Do visit the individual galleries (accessed via the NavBar, above) but here’s a selection of today’s entries:

There’s still plenty of time to get more entries in this year: the Challenge is opne right up to midnight on the 31st.

Consider any late painting this year as a warm up to next year’s ten year anniversary challenge!

Another December Painting Challenge Update

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Lots of submissions coming through as people try and get their last entries of the year in before the 31st December deadline.

Today we have updates from Carole, Matt, Ralph, Chris, Mr Luther, Mervyn and Sapper. Do visit their individual galleries, accessed via the NavBar, above, but here’s a taster of what you can see:

There’s still plenty of time to get your entries in for this year, and even if you don’t, the Challenge will be back next year for its Ten Year Anniversary edition!

Here’s wishing you good painting in the run up to Christmas!

TFL Painting Challenge: First December Update

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As we enter the final month of this year’s Challenge, a whole host of entries sent in during the last two weeks of November.

Do visit the individual galleries, available via the NavBar above, and here’s a taster:

There’s still plenty of time to get your entries in for this year, so don’t put those brushes aside yet!

TFL Painting Challenge: Mid-November Update

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Only a smidge over six weeks to go in this year’s Challenge, and the entries are coming in fast.

Do please visit the individual galleries, accessible via the black navbar above, but here’s a taster of the entries so far this month:

Congratulations to Matt who has surpassed his previous record score of 5,522 (set in 2015) to now be on 5,591. Surely the magic 6,000 beckons…and painting loads of Ottoman cavalry really well would really help hit that target!

Andrew is also on a new record score of 4,636, beating his previous high of 3,908 set last year. I think we need 5,000 out of you this year please.

Finally Sapper is also on a new high: 3,030 versus the 2,638 set last year: perhaps 3,250 or even 3,500 to come?

There’s still plenty of time to get your entries in - I’m often adding the last few early on New Year’s Day - so let’s make a final push to get those scores up.

I’ll also take mass submissions of work completed over the last 11 months or so, so don’t worry about not having submitted something so far. If I could just ask that everything is clearly labelled, as although I can usually tell a Jaeger from a Janissary, counting the number of 6mm figures you’ve submitted in a mass-army photo is not much fun!

TFL Painting Challenge: End October Update

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More entries to this year’s Challenge have come in steadily over the month, and it looks as if a couple of people will hit record scores for themselves.

Please do look at the individual galleries - accessed through the NavBar, above - but here’s a taster of what’s been sent in recently:

TFL Painting Challenge: First October Update

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Although it’s only a couple of weeks since the last update, there are enough entries in to make another worthwhile.

Some very substantial submissions this time, so make sure you look in people’s individual galleries as I only feature one entry from each person in the taster gallery, below:

TFL Painting Challenge: End September Update

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Just time to get another TFL Painting Challenge update in before the end of September.

This time we have entries from Andrew, Sapper, Stumpy, Matt, Carole, Mervyn and Yours Truly.

Do visit the individual galleries, accessed from the NavBar above, but in the meantime here’s a selection to wet the whistle:

We’re almost into the last quarter of the year, so keep them coming. There’s last year’s totals to beat!

TFL Painting Challenge: first September update

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A substantial update this time round: good to see that have all been using your summer’s for something constructive!

Some of you have commented that some of your entries aren’t getting through first time, so you have to re-send when you notice I’ve missed them. Can’t explain this, I’m afraid, something odd with Yahoo mail I think. Keep an eye out for this, though, and I will add missing submissions back in asap.

Check out the individual galleries, accessed through the NavBar, above, but here’s a selection to wet the whistle:

TFL Painting Challenge: August Update

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Three weeks since the last update and the entries have been flying in. The July update was a little early as well, so there are some catch-up entries as well: all in all, a bumper crop.

Do look at the individual galleries (accessible via the NavBar, above) but today we have entries from Carole, Stumpy, Matt, Sapper, Mervyn, Nick, Andrew, and Yours Truly.

Here’s a taster:

I’m off to Britcon now for a To The Strongest competition and a look at the Lard Workshop. Can’t wait!

TFL Painting Challenge: July Update

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Some lovely work on show this update:

That’s six people out of the sixteen taking part so far in this year’s challenge. Come on the rest of you: paintbrushes and cameras out please!

PS Do make sure you look at people’s galleries as well as just the taster I’ve posted above. Navigate through the black navbar under the site’s title.

TFL Painting Challenge: Tlaxcallan Update!

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Today’s Painting Challenge update is named in honour of Lloyd’s Tlaxcallan entries: some amazing painting there which I will further honour with a little gallery of their own:

These are in 28mm and mostly from Outpost. They are not the only Meso-American figures Lloyd has to show us: visit his gallery for more.

Otherwise, we have entries from Matt, Carole, Mervyn and Chris. Check out their galleries for their work, but here’s a taster:

Keep them coming!

TFL Painting Challenge: First June Update

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Are we almost half way through the year already? How time flies when you’re having fun!

Here’s the first Painting Challenge update for June: some lovely painting being submitted. Do visit the individual galleries (look in the black navbar, above, for how to clickthrough to them) but here’s a taster:

Mammoth Painting Challenge Update

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May has proved a very productive month for many of you, with a veritable cornucopia of entries into the 2023 TFL Painting Challenge.

This week we have entries from Mervyn, Sapper, Matt Slade, Carole, John, Mr Luther, Stumpy, Lloyd, Andrew and myself. Top scorer, as ever, is Mr Slade, who has already passed his last year’s total and is determined to break his previous record of 5,522 points, set in 2015.

It’s not a competition, however, but a personal challenge, so let’s all pick up those brushes and see whether we can equal Matt’s aim. I scored a personal best last year with 2,077 points, beating my previous best of 2,005 points, set in 2019, so am keen to make it two in a row.

Please do visit everyone’s individual galleries: there’s some great work there. You can access them through the NavBar, above. Meanwhile, here’s a taster from this round of entries:

TFL Painting Challenge: Coronation Bank Holiday Special!

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Well not so much this bank holiday but the last one: as many of you seem to have spent an awful lot of time painting figures!

So, today, we have entries from:

  • Matt Slade with the usual vast numbers of Star Wars figures plus some Italian Wars infantry plus some What A Cowboy gunmen

  • Nick Cooper with a miscellanea of fantasy figures

  • Andrew Helliwell has more late medievals…and whose terrain storage cupboard must be overflowing by now

  • Stumpy with more Napoleonics and some Beau Geste types

  • A superb Bad Squiddo Squid from Ralph

  • Chris Kay also goes all What A Cowboy

  • Sapper does 15mm Goths in a big way

  • Mervyn has some 15mm Greeks and 28mm US Marines

Make sure you visit the individual galleries, but here’s a selection for you to feast your eyes on:

With another bank holiday this weekend, I’ll expect to see a similar amount of entries for next time!

TFL Painting Challenge: St George's Day Update

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Or Shakespeare’s birthday update: take your pic!

Lots of entries added this time round, including the return of Steve Burt with some nice Napoleonic British Dragoons and a cornucopia of entries from Matt Slade that are either 10mm or 32mm: switching between the two must be fun for the eyes!

Anyway, please do check out the individual galleries, reachable through the NavBar at the top, but here’s a taster to wet the whistle!

TFL Painting Challenge: First April Update

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A large number of entries from a small number of people this week.

We have Matt Slade with more Star Wars figures; Sapper and Mr Helliwell with their WOTR collections; the usual assortment from Nick Cooper; and some Cuban militia from Mark Luther.

Do visit the individual galleries, accessible via the Nav bar above, but here’s a taster for you in the meantime:

TFL Painting Challenge: Late March Update

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I haven’t had a chance to updater things since 4th March, so quite a few entries to process.

Do visit the individual galleries via the NavBar, above, but here’s a selection to wet the whistle:

TFL Painting Challenge: First March Update

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Apologies for the lack of recent posts: real world work has been incredibly busy!

Here’s an update with entries stretching back just over three weeks…and there are some huge entries as well.

This week we have Andrew with his medievals, Chris with a howitzer, Lloyd with a truly awesome number of little ‘planes, Matt with a legion of Star Wars Legion figures and a few other bits and bobs, Mervyn with some Strength & Honour bases, Asley with some cracking sci-fi figures, and Stumpy with some Napoleonic command stands

Do please visit the individual galleries, but here’s a taster: