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We visited: Kontrast Miniature Painting Festival

Marko Paunović, 5th June 2025

This year, our member Ivan Knezović and his brothers, Petar and Filip, (popularly called the Knezović Clan) visited the Kontrast international miniature painting competition in Poland. And this is his report.

One of the largest miniature painting competitions in the world has been taking place in Warsaw since 2021. The Knezović clan visited Kontrast for the first time in 2023. The event was great and we enjoyed almost 1500 works, many of which were made by masters at the highest artistic level. We decided to visit Warsaw again in 2025, after completing enough works to justify the 12-hour drive one way.

We came to Kontrast as a kind of UMS Agram emissaries, and we handed out flyers for Black Queen 2026 and met a number of other enthusiasts, and we hope that some of them will visit Zagreb. We also brought home the Best of Show medal for the work that impressed us the most. We awarded the UMS Agram Best of Show to Dimosthenis Xylas, a miniaturist from Athens, for his dwarf. The work impressed us with its phenomenal atmosphere, smooth transitions, the play of multiple light sources, the level of quality on each individual element, and the convincing textures of the metal. Also, we simply love dwarfs.

The number of phenomenal works was large, because in 2025 more than 1700 works were exhibited in 2 classes - Standard for beginners and hobbyists and Master for professionals and those who have already proven themselves at international competitions (everyone who won gold in Standard will compete in Master in the future).

Petar won silver in the Master in 2023 and exhibited his works in the Master in 2025, while Filip and I did not have such good results and entered our works in the Standard.

One of the works that particularly stood out was Captain Titus from the game Space Marine 2 in a huge scale, it seems to me to be 1/4. It may not be the best, but it is a work that all visitors noticed.

One of the works that impressed us was a truly enormous diorama of Khorne Chaos Space Marines vs. Ultramarines. The diorama is huge, but each model is painted to a very high standard and contains about 30 models in various sizes. It is an imitation of a famous painting depicting a battle in Warhammer 40k.

Going through every work that impressed us would make this article too long, and words convey much less than photographs. Luckily, Filip came with a very good camera, so I leave some pictures for the readers to enjoy.

Our results were beyond expectations. Petar did not return with a medal, because during the 2 years he worked mostly on orders. He painted more than 400 models, but almost all of them were orders. In 3 days he painted the Durgin Paint Forge Orca. The model is really excellent, but the competition was great. With a few more days of work he would definitely be in the running for a medal. I think he can be satisfied with his work and next time aim for a medal with 6 days of painting.

Jure Cukar, for whom we carried 3 models, won 1 silver in the Standard class.Filip won 2 silvers in the Standard class for his lizards (dioramas) and for his ambient soldier (single model up to 54 mm).

I came to Kontrast with 5 exhibits. I came back with results that I did not expect even in my most optimistic dreams, because this is a truly huge competition with numerous top artists. I entered all my works in the Standard class.

For my Midori bust, I won gold in the Standard Historical and Realism category and an award from Alternity Miniatures, the company whose bust it is a product.

For my cat Albert, I won silver in the Standard Storytelling category.

For Dwarf Lord, I won gold in the Standard category for models larger than 54 millimeters.

For my dwarf adventurers, I won gold in the Standard Diorama category, a medal from Verko's Vault (miniature museum in Las Vegas) and what I really didn't expect, Best of Standard – the award for the best work of all works in the Standard category.

Finally, and this is perhaps the greatest recognition for my work, I won silver in the Master category for my Infinity regiment. Namely, all competitors submitted their works in only one class, either Standard or Master. However, the judges reserved the possibility of moving the model from Standard to Master.

All in all, Kontrast is a great experience. I hope we will visit Warsaw again, if not in 2026 then in 2027. In the meantime, I hope our Black Queen will also visit some of the new people we met in Poland.

Latest articles

Miniature Painting Workshop - 75mm Dwarf

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	On 09-10.05.2026. we held a new weekend miniature painting workshop. This time it was the turn of a dwarf in 75mm scale.

	

	




The workshop was held over two days (a whole weekend) and the participants painted a 75mm miniature dwarf. The focus of these lectures was painting various textures - metal, human skin, textiles and leather. Water-based acrylic paints were used in the workshop. For this purpose, the workshop leader, Ivan Knezović, chose a 75mm miniature dwarf from Durgin Paint Forge, sculpted by Carlos Perez Bugedo. The lectures were adapted so that the leader devotes equal time to all participants and can be adapted to all categories of miniaturists (from beginners to slightly more advanced).



	

	

	

	


The workshop took place as follows:

	First, the lecturer sits at his desk and explains and demonstrates each step in painting a miniature/model on his specimen. His work is displayed on a screen via a camera and projector, which the participants listen to, watch, and ask questions about.

	Then, the participants sit at their desks and apply the knowledge they have gained. The facilitator circulates among the participants and checks how each participant is doing. This way, he or she can adapt to each participant individually.




	

	

	

	The workshop will include the following thematic units:

	1. NMM (Non metallic metal)

2. Reflections of ambient colors on metal

3. Steel / gold

4. Face painting (male)

5. Adding vibrancy to the face (filters)

6. Extracting textures from fabric, metal and leather

	

	

	POWERED BY: Carta Magica, Fireball Figurines, Durgin Paint Forge, Playsupport
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	09-10.05.2026. smo održali novu vikend Radionicu bojanja minijatura. Ovoga puta na redu je bio patuljak u 75mm mjerilu.

	

	Radionica se provodila kroz dva dana (cijeli vikend) i polaznici su bojali 75mm minijaturu patuljka. Fokus ovih predavanja bilo je bojenje raznih tekstura – od metala, ljudske kože, tekstila i kože (leather). U sklopu radionice korištene su akrilne boje na bazi vode. U tu svrhu, voditelj radionice, Ivan Knezović, izabrao je 75 mm minijaturu patuljka tvrtke Durgin Paint Forge, koju je sculptao Carlos Perez Bugedo. Predavanja su prilagođena tako da voditelj posveti jednako vrijeme svim polaznicima i može se prilagoditi svim kategorijama minijaturista (od početnika do malo naprednijih).

	

	

	

	Radionica se odvijala na sljedeći način:

	Prvo, predavač sjedi za svojim stolom te objašnjava i demonstrira pojedini korak u bojanju minijature/makete na svojem primjerku. Njegov rad se preko kamere i projektora prikazuje na platnu što polaznici slušaju, gledaju, ali i postavljaju pitanja.

	Potom, polaznici sjedaju za svoje stolove i primjenjuju stečeno znanje. Voditelj kruži između polaznika i provjerava kako svakom polazniku ide. Na taj način, može se prilagoditi svakom polazniku ponaosob.

	

	

	

	Radionica će uključivati sljedeće tematske cjeline:

	1. NMM (Non metallic metal)

	2. Refleksije boja iz okoline na metalu

	3. Čelik / zlato

	4. Bojanje lica (muškog)

	5. Dodavanje živosti na lice (filteri)

	6. Izvlačenje tekstura tkanine, metala i kože (leather)

	

	

	POWERED BY: Carta Magica, Fireball Figurines, Durgin Paint Forge, Playsupport
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Ivan Knezović, 26th May 2026

We visited: Festival Svet v Malem 2026, Pivka, Slovenia

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	On May 23, 2026, we participated in the international plastic model making competition Festival Svet v Malem 2026 in Pivka, Slovenia.

	

	The competition is traditionally held at the Military History Park in Pivka.

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	
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	23. svibnja 2026. sudjelovali smo na međunarodnom natjecanju u plastičnom maketarstvu Festival Svet v Malem 2026 u Pivki u Sloveniji. 

	

	Natjecanje se tradicionalno održava u Parku vojne povijesti u Pivki.

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	
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Krunoslav Belinić, 26th May 2026

We visited: KupKA 2026

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	On May 16, 2026, we participated in the international plastic model making competition KupKA held at the Museum of the Homeland War in Karlovac.

	

	

	

	The competition was organized by the Slavoljub Penkala Modeling Club from Zagreb.

	

	

	

	

	Thanks to the organizer for an interesting competition, to the judges for some medals, and especially to my colleagues from the Maketarski Club Novi Sad - IPMS Serbia for the medal!

	

	

	
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	16. svibnja 2026. sudjelovali smo na međunarodnom natjecanju u plastičnom maketarstvu KupKA održanom u Muzeju domovinskog rata u Karlovcu.

	

	

	

	Natjecanje je organizirao Maketarski klub Slavoljub Penkala iz Zagreba

	

	

	

	

	Hvala organizatoru na zanimljivom natjecanju, sucima na ponešto medalja, a pogotovo kolegama iz Maketarskog Kluba Novi Sad - IPMS Srbija na medalji!

	

	

	
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Marko Paunović, 26th May 2026

Back to Basics Workshops in Gallery VN

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	In May 2026 we held our Back To Basics miniature painting workshops for the youngest in Gallery VN.

	

	The workshops were completely FREE for all participants!

	

	

	

	

	The Back to Basics method is a method of making models and miniatures that focuses on a fun process intended for younger ages, but everyone is welcome! In three separate sessions on Thursdays, participants (aged 7+) painted miniatures of their choice (knight, princess, king, wizard and barbarian). 

	

	

	

	

	

	

	1st session: Painting miniatures of choice, Thursday, 07.05. - from 18:00 to 19:00

	2nd session: Painting a miniature of your choice, Thursday, 14.05. - from 18:00 to 19:00

	3rd session: Painting a miniature of your choice, Thursday, 21.05. - from 18:00 to 19:00

	

	

	

	

	

	
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	U svibnju 2026. održali smo naše Back To Basics radionice za najmlađe u Galeriji i čitaonici VN.

	

	Radionice su bile BESPLATNE za sve polaznike!

	

	

	

	

	Back to Basics metoda je metoda izrade maketa i minijatura kojoj je fokus na zabavnom procesu namjenjenom mlađim uzrastima, ali svi su dobrodošli! U tri zasebna termina četvrtkom, polaznici (od 7+) su bojali minijature po izboru (vitez, princeza, kralj, čarobnjak i barbarin).

	

	

	

	

	

	

	1. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 07.05. - od 18:00 do 19:00

	2. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 14.05. - od 18:00 do 19:00

	3. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 21.05. - od 18:00 do 19:00

	

	

	

	

	

	
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Krunoslav Belinić, 26th May 2026

Painting Faces at Tabletop Level

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	In this short article, I will describe two ways to paint faces on a so-called tabletop standard. The text follows two versions of the painting. One will use a store-bought wash, and in the second, slightly less contrasting one, I will use a wash that I got from regular paint. This way, the reader can choose which method suits them better.

	  

	The first step is to dye the base color.

	Left: Since I'm going to use a store-bought wash in this example, I decided to go for a darker shade of skin tone.

	Right: In this example, I'm going to use the color as a base for the wash, so I decided to go for a slightly lighter skin tone - and therefore a lighter base color.

	  

	The next step is to apply the wash.

	Left: I use a regular, store-bought Reikkland Fleshshade wash.

	Right: On a drop of the darker skin tone, I add two drops of Lahmian Medium and a drop or two of water. This creates my own wash, which I apply similarly to the example on the left.

	  

	Then comes the first highlight.

	Left: I apply the base color to the raised parts of the face and thus get the first highlight.

	Right: Just like in the example on the left, I use the base color as the first highlight.

	  

	Then the second highlight.

	Left: I get the second highlight by mixing the base color with a lighter shade.

	Right: I follow the same process as on the left, with the caveat that I never use pure white to mix the highlight, it's always an off white – with a minimal amount of some pigment.

	  

	The penultimate step is to outline the eyes.

	Left: This step is identical in both cases.

	Right: I outline the eyes with some off-white paint (to make my life easier, it's usually two lines).

	  

	The last step is to add shadows around the mouth and eyes.

	Left: In this case, you can use a darker wash like Nuln Oil or Druchi Purple.

	Right: I mixed black and purple and added two drops of Lahmian Medium and a drop or two of water to create a darker wash, then applied the mixture to the eye sockets, making sure not to get the wash on the previously drawn eyes.

	And the last thing is drawing the pupils – just vertical lines of dark/black color against the horizontal light lines for the eyes.

	 
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	U ovom kratkom članku, opisat ću dva načina za bojanje lica na takozvanom tabletop standardu. Tekst prati dvije verzije bojanja. Jedna će koristiti kupovni wash, a u drugoj, malo manje kontrastnoj koristit ću wash kojeg sam dobio iz obične boje. Na taj način, čitatelj može izabrati koji način mu više odgovara.

	  

	Prvi korak je bojanje u osnovnu boju.

	Lijevo: s obzirom da ću na ovom primjeru koristiti kupovni wash, odlučio sam se za tamniju nijansu boje kože.

	Desno: u ovom primjeru koristit ću boju kao osnovu za wash, tako da sam se odlučio za malo svjetliju nijansu kože – a samim time i svjetliju osnovnu boju.

	  

	Sljedeći korak je stavljanje wash-a.

	Lijevo: Koristim običan, kupovni Reikkland Fleshshade wash.

	Desno: Na kap tamnije nijanse boje kože stavljam dvije kapljice Lahmian Mediuma i kap do dvije vode. Na taj način dobivam vlastiti wash kojeg nanosim slično kao i na lijevom primjeru.

	  

	Zatim ide prvi highlight.

	Lijevo: Nanosim na izdignute dijelove lica osnovnu boju i na taj način dobivam prvi highlight.

	Desno: Jednako kao i u lijevom primjeru, kao prvi highlight koristim osnovnu boju.

	  

	Potom drugi highlight.

	Lijevo: Drugi highlight dobivam mješajući osnovnu boju s nekom svjetlijom nijansom.

	Desno: Pratim isti proces kao i lijevo, uz napomenu da nikada ne koristim čistu bijelu boju za miješanje highlighta, uvijek je to neki off white – s minimalnom količinom nekog pigmenta.

	  

	Predzadnji korak je iscrtavanje obrisa očiju.

	Lijevo: Ovaj korak je identičan u oba slučaja.

	Desno: Nekom off white bojom iscrtam obrise očiju (da si olakšam život, to su najčešće dvije crtice).

	  

	Zadnji korak je dodavanje sjena oko ustiju i očiju.

	Lijevo: U ovom slučaju, možete koristiti tamniji wash poput Nuln Oil ili Druchi Purple.

	Desno: Pomiješao sam crnu i ljubičastu boju te dodao kap dvije Lahmian Mediuma i kad do dvije vode da dobijem tamniji wash te smjesu nanio u očne šupljine pazeći da wash ne dođe na prethodno iscrtane oči.

	I zadnja stvar je ucrtavanje zjenica – samo okomite crtice tamne/crne boje u odnosu na horizontalne svijetle crte za oči.
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Marko Paunović, 20th May 2026

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We visited: Kontrast Miniature Painting Festival

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