Brand New at this, first attempts...

[karpouzian]

Briefly introducing myself, I'm Daniel, and I started on this slow road to miniatures through the reaper kickstarter...
Needless to say, I have hundreds of minis coming in march, and 40+ reaper paints coming in October, and I don't know how to paint!

So I bought some craft paints from wal mart, read a billion (as an estimate) tutorials, made my own wash out of ink, matte, and water, and purchased some cheapo brushes from Hobby Lobby.

I bought the game, Dark World, from a friend, and decided to practice using those to paint us some miniatures...

Please provide suggestions for improvement, advice, etc. I'm not usually an artsy person, so this whole painting thing is going pretty far out of my comfort zone. Here is my first attempt.

View attachment 16115

Forgive my lack of 'basing', one thing at a time.

And WOW, macro photography really shows all the errors...

 

[PegaZus]

Welcome, fellow Reaper Kickstarter! You've drank the water and will never turn back.

That's a very nice looking skeleton for El Cheapo craft paints. You'll be impressed with the paints that are coming. It's a little hard to find something to criticize for a first mini, especially with the photo. You can probably tell that the sword and the head are a bit out of focus, so hard to tell what needs work there, although the head looks perfectly acceptable.

It looks like there's some mold lines, but can't tell from this angle. I think I see some in the sword arm along the lower outside, and a bit more underneath the other arm in the armpit area. Another shot of the sword might reveal some other things that us forum dwellers could nit about.

You should probably go ahead and give it some sort of base anyway. Glued on sand that's then painted, or the standard green flock. And a better photo of course, but that seems to be the hardest part of the job for a lot of people. That'll improve with practice and tutorial reading.

If you've got both of those things to their base level, it would be a solid 5 during my voting. So, post away and most importantly, have fun!

 

[karpouzian]

Oh yeah, I didn't touch the mold lines at all, I guess I should have mentioned that...

 

[karpouzian]

Double post. Can anyone tell me how to delete it?

 

[PegaZus]

Yeah, just have to live with the double post.

 

[karpouzian]

Also, will I get constructive feedback on the 'voting' thing, or do people just comment on the really exceptional stuff?

 

[PegaZus]

Also, will I get constructive feedback on the 'voting' thing, or do people just comment on the really exceptional stuff?

Honestly, you'll get few comments in the voting pages. Of the 18 minis I've put up in the gallery over the last nearly six years (I'm a little slow), I've received a total of 17 comments, and one of those was a retaliatory score of 1 because I criticized his mini. So, less than a comment per mini.

You're much better off here in the forums working it with pictures showing what you've got so far in progress. Lots of talented people that are willing to help and point you in the right direction.

 

[KruleBear]

Welcome to the forums. You will definately get plenty of feedback on the forums. Looks like you have a good start. I would suggest getting a real hair brush that will help you out tremendously...most on here recommend kolinsky sable.

I agree with one step at a time, but if you put some Elmers glue on the base, sprinkle with sand, wait to dry, and thne paint brown or geen it will add another levl to the figure.

And yes, macro photos can be depressing...i am there every time i look at my photos and ask, "where did that mistake come from".

 

[Willdorling]

Hey dude,

Firstly welcome to the forum. Your first mini looks a great start and not much to critique at the moment. I would read as many tutorials as you can and pay attention to the following rule. These are my learnings from re learning recently.

1. Get a decent brush. I use a size 1 or a size 0. Most good painters it seems use one good brush rather than loads of different sizes. Kolinsky sable brushes such as Windsor & Newton Series 7 or Raphael are highly regarded. If you practice dry brushing or rough techniques do not use these brushes for that as you will ruin them. If you look after these brushes they will last a long time.
2. Practice very neat and flat base coating. Its really important to get a very good quality basecoat on the mini. Many painters thin their paints with water, some more than others. To start with you might want to try going about 2 parts water 1 part paint. The paint should go on thinly and not be fully opaque. This technique requires several thin layers to build up a solid base coat. From this point your highlights and shadows will be easier to work.
3. Be neat. Right from the getgo practice keeping your paints only on the area they should be. Don't allow yourself to accept colour all over the place. A neat simply painted mini is far better to look at than a technically advanced mess.
4. Have a go at painting in your shadows in the reverse fashion to that as your highlights. Washes are great but they do not allow you to control where the shadow goes. By painting in you can get creative and accentuate certain areas.
5. Have a look at colour theory. 2 complementary colours and 1 opposing colour will make a much better looking mini than one with 20 different colours. Sometimes less is more, there are lots of articles on colour theory to help you decide what will work together. An example would be green & yellow as complementary colours and purple as an opposing colour. I'm no expert here but thats how I understand it to work on a very simple level.
6. HAVE FUN

Number 6 is the most important, all the others can get lost if you don't achieve 6.

Final recommendation. Swing over to the Work In Progress thread. Read some of our posts to see what is what and start one of your own. Take lots of piccies to share your work and you will get lots of help. We're all here for the same reasons dude.

Cheers
Will

 

[karpouzian]

Yeah, but the w&n kolinsky sable brushes I've found are between 10-15 dollars, and that doesn't include shipping /whine

 

[karpouzian]

1. Get a decent brush.

I'm just concerned about the price. Yes, I understand they hold a point better, and last longer, but I'm still hesitant...

2. Practice very neat and flat base coating.

Well, I guess there is no harm in trying it.

3. Be neat.

Well, I'll work on this one

4. Have a go at painting in your shadows in the reverse fashion to that as your highlights.

I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Heck, I'm scared to highlight still (though I'm trying it). The Reaper Triads will help me a lot with this, because I FAIL at mixing colors...

5. Have a look at colour theory.

If this is as simple as looking at a color wheel when you're planning out your miniature, I'M IN!

6. HAVE FUN

I wouldn't do it if it wasn't fun, or at least relaxing But thank you, I will remember this one!

Final recommendation. Swing over to the Work In Progress thread.

I may just do this, that way my technique can get critiqued at each step of the way... I don't have anyone here to teach me, so I have to rely on 'teh interwebz'...

 

[jcichon]

Well, Reaper triads are fine and dandy but you are going to have to experiment with colors. Thats whats fun is learning what colors will work with another color and expanding your color knowledge. W&N brushes are pricey but if you take care of them, they will last a long time. I have three brushes I work with on a consistent basis, all W&N series 7 and I have had them for about 3 years now and they work great still. I know I'll get grief for this particular statement but avoid using washes for now. Learn to create your own shadows, dont rely on washes. Yes, they have their place but try to avoid using them for now. Remember to thin your paints when you use them. Straight out of the bottle will make them thick and clumpy and a crappy basecoat. Reading tutorials is helpful but you can read everything available but you have to just paint. The best lesson I have learned is to find a figure that will challenge you and push through it no matter what. Keep one figure on your bench at a time. Dont work on anything else, just the one. After a while that can change but for now, one at a time

 

[karpouzian]

Well, here is the base... Also, the sword looks awful. I'd prefer not to dwelve into NMMs quite yet, but maybe my metallics will improve when I have some better paint. By the way, my son's sandbox has a TON of little pebbles in it. It can NOT be comfortable...

View attachment 16173

 

[TrystanGST]

The brushes may be a bit pricey, but if well taken care of they last forever, and make a big difference. I used to use a bunch of brushes, but since getting my kolinsky it's all I use.

 

[me_in_japan]

+1 to the get-a-sable-brush mob. They are pricey, but they make a big difference. Other than that you seem to be well on the right track. Painting in shadows can seem intimidating, but it really is just a case of looking at your model and thinking "which bits are dark?"

A good method to help work out where you should paint shadows is to set up the mini under a spot lamp (like a desk reading light) and take a photo. Keep that photo beside you while you paint and just put shadows where you see them in the photo. As you get more advanced you can actually tweak shadow placement to emphasise parts, but for now just put them where real life puts them.

Watering paints down is vital for decent paint jobs. Remember that a blend is a smooth transition, and that a smooth transition requires transparency in the colours. I listed a whole bunch of useful tutorials over on my local site Nagoyahammer http://www.nagoyahammer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1703 Look for the first one on Blending by Olliekickflip. That's the one that really made it clear for me.

Other than that the only thing I can recommend is a wet pallette. Get a shallow plastic box (eg a Tupperware), put some cloth, sponge or kitchen paper in it, nice an flat, then put a layer of baking paper over that (the non-waxed stuff) mix/thin your paints on this - it works wonders, let me tell you.

Keep up the good work, and welcome to the forums

 

[RuneBrush]

Where about in the world are you? Although W&N are fantastic brushes (I've got a few) there are a number of other suppliers that sell brushes of as good (and in cases better) quality. In the UK, Rosemary & Co. do a really good range for around 35% ~ 40% of the cost of a W&N.

 

[Bloodhowl]

Check DickBlick.com for brushes. While I think everyone here would highly recommend you find a store you can walk into to visually inspect the brush before you buy, sometimes that just isn't possible. I've had good luck with DickBlick and they are usually always running some type of special.

http://www.dickblick.com/products/winsor-and-newton-series-7-kolinsky-sable-pointed-round/
http://www.dickblick.com/products/winsor-and-newton-series-7-kolinsky-sable-miniature-brushes/
http://www.dickblick.com/products/raphael-kolinsky-red-sable-fine-pointed-round-series-8404/

 

[PegaZus]

If you're still unsure, go ahead and buy a regular craft store sable. It'll work okay for a while, especially if you treat it like it is the more expensive ones.

 

[Niranth]

I too was going to recommend Dick Blick until I noticed the prices were in the range that bothered him. I also think if he ordered just one, he may find it makes enough of a difference that he will get a couple more. (Unlike the nine or ten I have and I've found that each is useful.) Just be sure to pick up some brush soap at the same time. My favorite is Pink.

 

[karpouzian]

Also, what do you folks think about using an airbrush for priming?