Painting Competition
Miniature Painting Events/Contests Death Con
2026
Friday 4 pm - Level Up your Miniature Bases make & Take Event
Friday 6 pm - Speed Painting – Adults
Saturday 10 am - Speed Painting – Children
Saturday Open Miniature Painting Drop-In - Times will vary - see times on the day
Saturday 3:30 pm - Speed Painting – Adults
Saturday 6:30 pm - Level up your Miniature Bases Make & Take Event
Saturday Evening Open Miniature Painting Drop-In - Times will vary - see times
on the day
Sunday- Bring your miniatures in on Sunday before noon to enter the Judged
Miniature Painting Competition
Sunday 10:30 Speed Painting – Adults and Children welcome
Team Painting Sun 1:00pm
Paint by Mouth Sun 3:00pm
Sunday 4:30 - Winners of Judged Painting Contest and Model Pick up
Speed Painting – Adults and Children welcome
A fun contest where people have 1 hr. to paint a miniature (kids 30 min)
No experience needed. It is fun for all because the short time levels the playing field. It
fun for first timers and experienced painters alike.
The miniature will be provided
You are encouraged to bring your own brushes and paints but there will be some
available for use.
Team Painting
Grab some friends or make some new friends! No experience required – be prepared to
laugh!
Teams of three people will paint a miniature together in 20 min segments. Taking turns,
one person will paint with their right hand, one person will paint with their left hand, and
the third person will hold the miniature. Every 20 min you will switch places Total
Painting time 1hr.
The miniature will be provided
You are encouraged to bring your own brushes and paints but there will be some
available for use.
Paint by Mouth
A fun contest where you have 1 hr. to paint your miniature, but you have to use your
mouth to hold the paint brush.
No experience needed. It fun for first timers and experienced painters alike. When you
start laughing, try not to drop your brush. Just remember everyone else is experiencing
the same challenges as you.
The miniature will be provided
You are encouraged to bring your own brushes and paints but there will be some
available for use.
Level up your Miniature Bases Make & Take Event
Sponsored by Epic Basing
People who participate in this event will be provided with a kit to create a base that you
can later attach your own miniature to.
Come and get some tips and trick on how to level up your basing.
Try out the wonderful basing bits made by Epic Basing
You are welcome to hang out and paint your base after the class. You are encouraged
to bring your own brushes and paints but there will be some available for use.
Open Miniature Painting Drop-In (Times will vary - see times on the
day)
Tired of GRAY ARMIES…… Come by and try your hand at painting miniatures! Never
painted before? This is a great time to try it out! Bring your own miniatures and
supplies, or use ours - miniatures, paints, and brushes will be provided. Get one-on-one
advice and support from an experienced miniature painter and learn tips and tricks to
get your miniatures tabletop-worthy. Participants are encouraged to bring their own
miniatures to paint too if they want.
Judged Miniature Painting Competition
Sponsored by
Abyssoul, Artist Opis and Xinghui Miniatures
Bring your miniatures on SUNDAY for the judged painting competition. Your
entry needs to be on site by 12 noon
Judging for Death-Con 2026 miniature contest
There will be only one general category for 2026. Categories will expand as the show
gets bigger. All models you bring will be judged based on the one model the judges feel
is the best model
Judging:
Open System Judging. All entries will be judged against a standard for Gold, Silver or
Bronze. All entries that meet the standard will receive a corresponding
acknowledgment. e.g. all entries that meet the standard for Silver will receive a Silver
acknowledgment.
Contest Scoring Criteria:
Creativity: Scored out of 25.
-use of color and color schemes
-freehand designs: things that are not part of the sculpt itself (e.g. add expression with
painted wrinkles. Conversions, sculpting on additional features like scales or fur provide
documentation to show us your cool ideas)
-painted effects
-story (provide us a short pre-printed written narrative with your entry to explain the lore)
-overall composition (spacing, interaction, symmetry/asymmetry) basing choice and
integration of figure with base
Workmanship: Scored out of 15
*** At the judges discretion, any entry may be dropped a full medal category regardless
of score for particularly egregious defects in workmanship, including but not limited to
unfinished models, models with no base, models with no gaps filled or mold lines
removed.***
-Model prep for painting
-Mold lines and gap filling
-Model assembly
-Surface prep
-Finishes
-Basing finish
Painting Skill: Scored out of 60
-Base coats
-Shading
-Highlighting
-Blending
-Execution of painted effects
-Cleanness/neatness of painting
Weighted Scoring Criteria
Creativity: 25%
Workmanship: 15%
Painting Skill: 60%