Genesis;
So I'm new to the modeling hobby and a brand new painter. Back in March, I contacted Jesse Garcia (Jesse321) to ask about what airbrush he recommended as well as a good air compressor since I was interested in painting my own kits. He told me to call him on the phone and we had a nice conversation about painting and he sold me on taking his class at Wonderfest. So in anticipation of the class I slowly started buying some kits and eagerly awaited the show.
I hooked up with David Diaz (boondocksaint) and David Miranda (Alucard) and we all drove up together early Thursday morning after they drove to my house from NY. It was a nine hour drive for us, but it was smooth sailing the whole way. After we got to the Crown Plaza Hotel, I got to meet Jesse and his crew and saw first hand what it takes to set up a paint class. Mad props to him for doing what it took to get everything that was needed. It was A LOT of work!
My unbiased review of the Garage Kit Color's paint class;
So I went into this class as an absolute rookie to painting. I've never even picked up an airbrush or turned on a compressor. I was fairly starstruck with the idea that both Rick Cantu and Jim Capone were going to be the teachers of the class. After all, these guys are one of the best. Unfortunately, after the class was over, I realized something. The class was a one size fits all experience. There were first time painters, like myself. There were intermediate painters. There were advanced painters. From what I observed, the ones that probably got the most out of the class were the intermediate and advanced painters.
Keep in mind that I've NEVER handled an airbrush before and I was hoping that we were going to spend a half hour or so dissecting the tool, such as taking it apart and putting it back together again. Learning how to adjust settings on the back of the airbrush and experience exactly what those adjustments did while spraying. We did switch out the needles in the brush which was helpful in case I need to do that myself at some point, but everything else I learned or figured out was done when I had an experienced painter at the table help me and answer my questions, not from the instructors.
After the compressors and airbrushes were confirmed working, we all got started with the instruction. There were two versions of the Victoria bust, Beauty (taught by Jim Capone) and Horror (taught by Rick Cantu). I chose the beauty paint up. That version had twelve people split across three tables, which left the perfect amount of space for everyone to work, plus room in the middle to have extra supplies that were needed. When we started, Jim would go over the PowerPoint that was printed up ahead of time in a packet. He sat down in one of the students spots and used a bust to demonstrate what he wanted to teach. The bad part was, there where twelve guys trying to crowd around one while he did his work and it wasn't always easy to see what he was doing. Also, the lighting where Jim sat was poor and at one point I looked up and realized that some of the lights above the table where he sat, weren't working. Obviously when painting something, light is ABSOLUTELY essential. Jim paints in very thin and subtle layers and it was difficult to actually see what he was doing when he started painting beyond the base coat, though he did explain everything well and there were pictures in the PowerPoint print up.
As a first time painter, I found myself focusing more on how to use my airbrush than I was about applying the actual paint the way that Jim taught. There weren't any other assistants in the class so Jim had to stretch himself between twelve students and on top of that, we were constrained by time so since I was just beginning, I always felt rushed and left behind. Overall the class was good, but I didn't leave with the confidence I was hoping for when I first signed up. I think it should be noted that a class like this is better suited for students that have intermediate to advanced skills with an airbrush. What I needed was a beginners class that was solely focused on people that have never painted anything. Suggestions to make this type of class better would be; have at least one knowledgeable painter assistant assigned to each table for more personal attention, especially for the beginners. Have better lighting focused on where the instructor is demonstrating his work and techniques. Go over the tools being used in extreme detail, especially for beginners. Hit on all the techniques that would be used in painting a piece, such as masking. We actually did quite a few, like using brushes, pastels, and water colors, but we didn't do any masking or dry brushing.
Overall, this class was very well put together and everyone definitely got their money's worth. Lunch was provided and there were drinks for everyone anytime during the class. Jesse did a great job in providing for the students and was very generous in what he gave everyone for the class including what we kept and took home. We were just very constrained by time and again, the class was catered more towards people who have painting experience which I did not. I do look forward to taking the skills that I was taught and through trial and error, slowly work myself into that 'intermediate' category. I wouldn't have been able to do that without taking this class and I plan on taking his class next year.
The Show;
I sprung for the Early Bird pass and I'm glad that I did. Having never been to a convention of any kind, everything for me was going to be brand new. It was nice to walk around the show and see what was on all of the tables and take pictures without having to be shoulder to shoulder with other people. There were lots of great things to take in and a lot of original pieces. There was one table in particular that I think deserves mention. It was called MMAliens. This guy sculpted and painted all of his own pieces and they were some of the most unique ones at the show. It was a mix of alien designs and MMA fighting. He called it Mixed Martian Arts, which I thought was witty. He said he wasn't a member of any forums, so I suggested this one and Statue Forum as a place to get started. The rest of the stuff was great and clearly there was something for everyone there.
One thing that was surprising to me was that most people dealt in cash and some of the dealers didn't take CC or Paypal. Say whaaaaat?! People, it's 2013! In my opinion, some of these dealers could have made a lot more money by taking CC or Paypal as payment (since you can link CC's to your Paypal account). Not everyone has $500+ cash to spend 'willy nilly', but most people have a CC that they can buy now pay later. This might have been the most shocking thing about the show to me, but hey, I'm new to this and I guess that's just how it is. I got what I wanted, so it's all good!
All of the free seminars were awesome and very informative. Props to the dude holding that camera for all of the seminars so people could see what was going on, on the t.v. screen. I know I'm a new fish, but another suggestion would, again, be better lighting. Jim Capone did a nice flesh tone seminar, but even he admitted that the lighting was poor for him and nobody could tell what he was doing because the translation from video camera to t.v. screen made seeing the layers he was applying impossible. It was still informative for the most part, but being able to actually see what he was doing would have been ideal. Between all of the seminars, I learned a lot of good techniques for this hobby.
Overall I had an awesome time and I look forward to going back next year! I met a lot of cool people, was filled in on a lot of history behind the show and found out that John (raydrz) sounds like a dying bear when he sleeps. Lol! I'm gonna try to work on some pieces and enter something in to the contest next year. I think that would be a fun thing to anticipate over the weekend to know that you might get a trophy for your work.
Pictures;
The Showroom on Thursday night...
The Showroom on Saturday morning at 8 am...
