DISCUSSION: Golden Demon 2016

Golden Demon 2016: the crowds gather to inspect the entries

We've had a week for the dust to settle now, so I thought it would be nice to revisit last weekend's Golden Demon competition at WarhammerFest. This year it was held in my home city of Coventry. I didn't go to the last one, so it was a nice opportunity to see the changed format (it used to run over a single day at the NEC in Birmingham). I also entered Golden Demon for the very first time...

A selection of the entries in my category
(Mine is on the right. I believe the eventual winners are also in this shot.)

The category I entered was Warhammer 40,000 single miniature. It's the category that always attracts the most entrants. The standard across the board—in all categories—was exceptionally high and this one, of course, was no exception. There were only a handful in the cabinet when I handed my entry over, but as the morning went on it soon filled with incredible models.

The trophies every entrant hopes to take home

This isn't a competition you go into expecting to win. Those who follow this blog will know that my painting is perhaps above average, but not exceptional. While I pulled out all the stops for my entry, I follow enough painters on Twitter and Instagram to know that there are much better painters out there. My only goal—especially considering this was my very first attempt—was to make the first cut. I'm thrilled to say I did that.

The finalist pins are given out

The competition was very inspiring. When I've been to events like this in the past, it has been as a spectator. I've always had a look at the entries, but with the crowds as big as they always are, I haven't spent as long examining them as I'd like. This year, I made frequent visits to the display cases—in part, I admit, to see if I'd got a sticker that meant I'd made it through the first round of judging. There are some amazing painters out there and it is always a joy to be able to see their work up close—and, even better, to see my own work sharing the same shelf! It was incredibly inspiring and I'm already looking at ways I can improve and grow as a painter.

My entry (middle, back row)
behind Rich Marlow's incredible Iron Hands Iron Father

It's been a few years since I've been to one of these events. Entering Golden Demon made a big difference to the overall experience. I really enjoyed the whole day. As well as entering the competition, I attended a couple of seminars (for Black Library and Forge World), had a chat with Gav Thorpe about writing submissions and picked up a few supplies for my Imperial Fists, along with this year's event-only model from Forge World.

My first Golden Demon finalist pin

I'll definitely enter Golden Demon again. I'm delighted that I have what it takes to get as far as I did and hope I can repeat or improve on that in future. I've got the bug now.