heniosha
New member
So, you are on your death bed and have to pass your 10 top painting tips to your only child in order that he/she can continue the legacy...what are they? Im talking about the little gems that you wont find in Games Workshops "How to Paint Citadel Miniatures"...
Here are mine for what they are worth...
1. A good clean up in time saves nine.
Im not talking about back scraping the sprue and flash away. I mean really examine your model before you start. Note the fact that mini companies mass produce their models, and for casting's sake need to make some allowances in the sculpt, especially the resin ones.
Use your craft knife (GW is really the best there is) to really define where flesh meets armour, where bracelets and wrist meet etc. Cut away the excess and green stuff any details back in. Also, change your craft knife blades as often as your wallet allows... - Never accept the fact that the mini out the box after a quick backscrape is good enough to paint. It never is..
PS don't use a file on plastic, that's why god invented craft knifes.
2. Liquid Poly is your first Base Coat
Once you've hacked into your mini and brought the realism back that the original sculptor no doubt would have wanted to see, take your liquid poly brush, wipe off some of the excess then give the mini a once over with the liquid poly - it gently melts the fine scrape lines away and gives you a great smooth coat to base coat over. Also, use liquid poly to stick it together in the first place - love that stuff.
3. You can base coat in any colour you like, so long as its white.
I know some of you will take great offence to this. But this is my legacy! write your own below! My top tip is white. White is a blank canvas, it allows you to build up colour gently and effectively. Black was my sole choice for basecoating for 15 years or so, and I will still use when speed painting as it probably quicker in my opinion, but less effective overall. Try white next time if you dont believe me, you'll be pleasantly surprised, i know i was...once you go white, you never go back
4. 1:1 water and paint still ain't enough.
There are a lot of folks out there that the talk about paint should be the consistency of milk..skimmed? whole fat? soya...who knows? My top tip is that your paint should look like coloured water. If in doubt, water it down some more. If you think it looks too watery, run your brush across a clean kitchen towel. WOW look at that - colour! build up your layers, 1,2,3,4, it takes time but good things come to those who juice...
Always mix your paint on a plain white kitchen tile. They cost next to nothing, and to save having to give it a clean when you've finished, spray your new tile with White undercoat before you use it. The paint will dry by the time you've finished. Next time you can mix straight on top. If you dont spray it, well, the first time you try to mix your blood red over 'dried up' bleach bone - you guessed it - pink blood angels.
5. Nothing exceeds like excess
When 'juicing' (layering, blending' whatever we choose to call it), load your brush with your 'watery mix' but then always take a little of the excess with kitchen towel (never toilet paper). This will help stop tide marks, chalkyness and all manner of all other problems people struggle with. The paint should dry almost instantly as it goes on. You should be able to blow it try before your very eyes in 6 seconds or so. Doesnt dry? tide marks? chalkyness? too much paint i bet...!
6. Spit - natures gift to golden demon winners.
Health warnings aside, all the great mini painters spend nearly as much time with their brush in their mouth as they do on the mini. This is not as people seem to think " create a point' on the brush tip, although that is a further benefit, but spit again stops the paint from drying too quickly on the mini and really is essential in achieving smooth blends and transitions.
7. Size matters
The biggest improvement in painting I ever experienced was when a dear friend of mine ( a 10 time golden demon winner), observing me paint one day, said " I dont like your brush" - it was a windor and newton series 7 size 0. I asked why...he said its too small. When using really small brushes the brush cannot hold enough paint and water so from pallette to mini, the paint dries a little on the brush mid air so to speak, and creates a chalky effect sooner or later. I paint everything with a good old GW Standard Brush these days. Bigger brush, better results...
8. Washes are great, but real shadows are better
I used to try to achieve my shadows by washing the mini with GW's washes or inks (which are great btw), but there is no substitute for juicing on some shadow, If you're painting flesh for example, go into the crevasses of the base tone skin with some olive greens, some greys, some reds, use a very watered down wash as a glaze to bring everything together at the end....obvious to most of you guys no doubt, but a revelation for me the first time I tried it..
9. Metallics are Metallic, not non-metallic
God bless those who have mastered the technique of nmm. Raphael, Da Vinci, Monet, they all did to be fair to them...but since their time there's been a miracle break through! Metallic paint! on a 28mm mini, again in my humble opinion, there is no substitute for real metallics. Use your inks to create truly believable metallics and you wont ever go mental...
p.s. the only exception is on cloth and banners. nmm all the way here!
10. If you belive one paint brand is the answer, you're, erm, wrong...
Quite often the question, 'which is the best paint?' pops up on forums all over the place. People argue Vallejo, GW, Reaper, Coat d'arms, P3 blah blah blah. Newbies think they must be missing out on a secret brand that 'all the pro's use'. Well, you're not.
You Must not stick to one brand, 'horses for courses' is the appropriate phrase here. You MUST have a good selection of GW and Vallejo Model color in your locker for starters, but never be afraid to try a different brand, Your pallette will thank you for it and so will your mini!
So anyway, there my 10 little tips for starters. Ive shown you mine now lets hear yours! :freaked-out:
Here are mine for what they are worth...
1. A good clean up in time saves nine.
Im not talking about back scraping the sprue and flash away. I mean really examine your model before you start. Note the fact that mini companies mass produce their models, and for casting's sake need to make some allowances in the sculpt, especially the resin ones.
Use your craft knife (GW is really the best there is) to really define where flesh meets armour, where bracelets and wrist meet etc. Cut away the excess and green stuff any details back in. Also, change your craft knife blades as often as your wallet allows... - Never accept the fact that the mini out the box after a quick backscrape is good enough to paint. It never is..
PS don't use a file on plastic, that's why god invented craft knifes.
2. Liquid Poly is your first Base Coat
Once you've hacked into your mini and brought the realism back that the original sculptor no doubt would have wanted to see, take your liquid poly brush, wipe off some of the excess then give the mini a once over with the liquid poly - it gently melts the fine scrape lines away and gives you a great smooth coat to base coat over. Also, use liquid poly to stick it together in the first place - love that stuff.
3. You can base coat in any colour you like, so long as its white.
I know some of you will take great offence to this. But this is my legacy! write your own below! My top tip is white. White is a blank canvas, it allows you to build up colour gently and effectively. Black was my sole choice for basecoating for 15 years or so, and I will still use when speed painting as it probably quicker in my opinion, but less effective overall. Try white next time if you dont believe me, you'll be pleasantly surprised, i know i was...once you go white, you never go back
4. 1:1 water and paint still ain't enough.
There are a lot of folks out there that the talk about paint should be the consistency of milk..skimmed? whole fat? soya...who knows? My top tip is that your paint should look like coloured water. If in doubt, water it down some more. If you think it looks too watery, run your brush across a clean kitchen towel. WOW look at that - colour! build up your layers, 1,2,3,4, it takes time but good things come to those who juice...
Always mix your paint on a plain white kitchen tile. They cost next to nothing, and to save having to give it a clean when you've finished, spray your new tile with White undercoat before you use it. The paint will dry by the time you've finished. Next time you can mix straight on top. If you dont spray it, well, the first time you try to mix your blood red over 'dried up' bleach bone - you guessed it - pink blood angels.
5. Nothing exceeds like excess
When 'juicing' (layering, blending' whatever we choose to call it), load your brush with your 'watery mix' but then always take a little of the excess with kitchen towel (never toilet paper). This will help stop tide marks, chalkyness and all manner of all other problems people struggle with. The paint should dry almost instantly as it goes on. You should be able to blow it try before your very eyes in 6 seconds or so. Doesnt dry? tide marks? chalkyness? too much paint i bet...!
6. Spit - natures gift to golden demon winners.
Health warnings aside, all the great mini painters spend nearly as much time with their brush in their mouth as they do on the mini. This is not as people seem to think " create a point' on the brush tip, although that is a further benefit, but spit again stops the paint from drying too quickly on the mini and really is essential in achieving smooth blends and transitions.
7. Size matters
The biggest improvement in painting I ever experienced was when a dear friend of mine ( a 10 time golden demon winner), observing me paint one day, said " I dont like your brush" - it was a windor and newton series 7 size 0. I asked why...he said its too small. When using really small brushes the brush cannot hold enough paint and water so from pallette to mini, the paint dries a little on the brush mid air so to speak, and creates a chalky effect sooner or later. I paint everything with a good old GW Standard Brush these days. Bigger brush, better results...
8. Washes are great, but real shadows are better
I used to try to achieve my shadows by washing the mini with GW's washes or inks (which are great btw), but there is no substitute for juicing on some shadow, If you're painting flesh for example, go into the crevasses of the base tone skin with some olive greens, some greys, some reds, use a very watered down wash as a glaze to bring everything together at the end....obvious to most of you guys no doubt, but a revelation for me the first time I tried it..
9. Metallics are Metallic, not non-metallic
God bless those who have mastered the technique of nmm. Raphael, Da Vinci, Monet, they all did to be fair to them...but since their time there's been a miracle break through! Metallic paint! on a 28mm mini, again in my humble opinion, there is no substitute for real metallics. Use your inks to create truly believable metallics and you wont ever go mental...
p.s. the only exception is on cloth and banners. nmm all the way here!
10. If you belive one paint brand is the answer, you're, erm, wrong...
Quite often the question, 'which is the best paint?' pops up on forums all over the place. People argue Vallejo, GW, Reaper, Coat d'arms, P3 blah blah blah. Newbies think they must be missing out on a secret brand that 'all the pro's use'. Well, you're not.
You Must not stick to one brand, 'horses for courses' is the appropriate phrase here. You MUST have a good selection of GW and Vallejo Model color in your locker for starters, but never be afraid to try a different brand, Your pallette will thank you for it and so will your mini!
So anyway, there my 10 little tips for starters. Ive shown you mine now lets hear yours! :freaked-out:
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