GLOSS
- Thread starter trollhero
- Start date
S
Shroud
Guest
Some people are just learning the whole hobby and don\'t know better. So they grab a finish off the shelf to protect the paint job and ...yuck, GLOSS. Fact is, gloss = death on a good paint job.
Best way to finish a mini is Testors Dull Coat. If you want, you can put a layer of gloss (better protection) but always finish off with a matte coat.
Shroud
Best way to finish a mini is Testors Dull Coat. If you want, you can put a layer of gloss (better protection) but always finish off with a matte coat.
Shroud
As a new painter....
My local gameshop sold the gloss. They didn\'t have anything else. I didn\'t even know there was other stuff. We moved and the new shop carried more, but it is still limited.
Gloss=death here. Some people like a shiny mini.
Geeze, I get told to lay off the gloss even when I didn\'t use one.
My local gameshop sold the gloss. They didn\'t have anything else. I didn\'t even know there was other stuff. We moved and the new shop carried more, but it is still limited.
Gloss=death here. Some people like a shiny mini.
Geeze, I get told to lay off the gloss even when I didn\'t use one.
All my 40K stuff is gloss varnished (my Fantasy is matt and my BFG ships have survived remarkably well with no varnish at all), and I\'m wondering whether to spray them over with matt before I try photographing them. Gloss looks OK under normal light, but when you hit it with a camera flash or a strong light, it looks terrible. As you noticed, Lowrianne, even a slighly glossy coat of paint can look like a thick coat of varnish when you point a camera at it.
C
cypher
Guest
Is gloss the same thing as varnish? I bought Citadel Matt varnish. I hate it. It ruins all my work and makes it look unnatural and shiny.
The stuff citadel sells in the little bottle is pretty good though. Put it on gems and armor and it gets all shiny and reflective.
I want to protect my paintjob but I want a very non-shiny finish. Orc skin does not look right when it shines. I will get some testors dull coat and try that and see how it works.
The stuff citadel sells in the little bottle is pretty good though. Put it on gems and armor and it gets all shiny and reflective.
I want to protect my paintjob but I want a very non-shiny finish. Orc skin does not look right when it shines. I will get some testors dull coat and try that and see how it works.
T
Thri-Keen Priest
Guest
Gloss is *vital* to a good mini finish! The trick is to gloss only *selected* parts of the mini: For absolute best results, spray two very thin coats of gloss and one thicker coat of matte, drying for a few hours between coats. Then, go back with gloss in a bottle and coat gems, swords, armor, teeth, eyes, tongues, gums, glasses, claws, polished shoes, guitars, whatever would be glossy in real life. You\'ll be glad you did.
when and why you use gloss
Gloss, satin, flat, and dull are the 4 types of totally transparent sealants commonly used. Just like different colors of paint, these have different properties, and when used appropriately can enhance your mini. Of course, they can also cause it to look futzy, just like a good paint job with bad color choices can.
In my experience, most people like flat finishes on everything, including armor and other shiny objects. For the few truly nice minis I do that are worth the effort of doing multiple sealants, I stick to this for the final coats:
- flat on everything to start with, then
- go over polished metal items with gloss (if your armor is tarnished, stick with flat; if it\'s burnished, use satin)
- use satin on fancy clothes (capes, robes, etc.), and
- flat on leather, fur, paper, and pretty much everything else
The differences won\'t be apparent unless you\'re under good lighting and close enough to swallow the mini, which is why it doesn\'t always pay to do the extra work. However, the contrast in texture really adds to the mini\'s realism.
FINAL NOTE: In my experience, some sealants go on thicker than others. Brush-on sealant seem thicker than sprays. Spray gloss seems much thicker than flat. There are two very good reasons to put 1-2 very thick coats of GLOSS on your mini before doing what I mentioned above, or even under a coat of flat:
1) You\'ll notice when your mini is showing wear from use because the flat layer will wear first and that area will look glossy. This is preferable to the flat sealant wearing away unnoticed, and then the paint wearing away before you realize it.
2) It seems that flat sealant, by its nature, emphasizes small imperfections in the texture (which is why it\'s good for leather, fur, etc.). However, if you\'ve got even the tiniest clumps in your paint (Vallejo users and drybrushers), tiny brushstrokes, tiny edges of flash, or anything like that, flat is going to emphasize that. A nice thick coat of gloss can help to smooth out the surface so that a final coat of flat looks much more uniform.
Gloss, satin, flat, and dull are the 4 types of totally transparent sealants commonly used. Just like different colors of paint, these have different properties, and when used appropriately can enhance your mini. Of course, they can also cause it to look futzy, just like a good paint job with bad color choices can.
In my experience, most people like flat finishes on everything, including armor and other shiny objects. For the few truly nice minis I do that are worth the effort of doing multiple sealants, I stick to this for the final coats:
- flat on everything to start with, then
- go over polished metal items with gloss (if your armor is tarnished, stick with flat; if it\'s burnished, use satin)
- use satin on fancy clothes (capes, robes, etc.), and
- flat on leather, fur, paper, and pretty much everything else
The differences won\'t be apparent unless you\'re under good lighting and close enough to swallow the mini, which is why it doesn\'t always pay to do the extra work. However, the contrast in texture really adds to the mini\'s realism.
FINAL NOTE: In my experience, some sealants go on thicker than others. Brush-on sealant seem thicker than sprays. Spray gloss seems much thicker than flat. There are two very good reasons to put 1-2 very thick coats of GLOSS on your mini before doing what I mentioned above, or even under a coat of flat:
1) You\'ll notice when your mini is showing wear from use because the flat layer will wear first and that area will look glossy. This is preferable to the flat sealant wearing away unnoticed, and then the paint wearing away before you realize it.
2) It seems that flat sealant, by its nature, emphasizes small imperfections in the texture (which is why it\'s good for leather, fur, etc.). However, if you\'ve got even the tiniest clumps in your paint (Vallejo users and drybrushers), tiny brushstrokes, tiny edges of flash, or anything like that, flat is going to emphasize that. A nice thick coat of gloss can help to smooth out the surface so that a final coat of flat looks much more uniform.
S
Shroud
Guest
I agree that glossing some select parts of a mini can be a good thing (like gems etc). Often not worth the effort if it is only a figure you will post pics of on the net, because as Hagness said it is hard to see it unless you are holding the mini in real life.
An overall glossy coat just doesnt look good. I agree with Lowrainne that some folks like it, but most don\'t. It does two things:
a) ruins detailed highliting etc by creating shine all over the surface, and
b) makes a nicely painted miniature look like some sort of cheap porcelain trinket.
Best bet if a person is worried about the paint job is to gloss coat then matte coat. But since I paint mostly for pictures and display, if I had to choose between gloss finish and no finish, Id pick no finish
PS keep in mind that if you use inks, they will contribute more glossiness to your figures look. Matte coating, especially with Testors, really helps alleviate that.
An overall glossy coat just doesnt look good. I agree with Lowrainne that some folks like it, but most don\'t. It does two things:
a) ruins detailed highliting etc by creating shine all over the surface, and
b) makes a nicely painted miniature look like some sort of cheap porcelain trinket.
Best bet if a person is worried about the paint job is to gloss coat then matte coat. But since I paint mostly for pictures and display, if I had to choose between gloss finish and no finish, Id pick no finish
PS keep in mind that if you use inks, they will contribute more glossiness to your figures look. Matte coating, especially with Testors, really helps alleviate that.
S
Shroud
Guest
Lowrainne if you are using Matte finish and still getting complaints about glossiness, it could be (as you say in response comments on one of your pictures) the camera flash.
Consider not using a flash - I never do. Get as much light as possible on the mini using lamps etc but disable the flash on your camera, as it creates lots of shiny spots on the mini.
You may already be doing that but thought Id offer it up just in case.
Consider not using a flash - I never do. Get as much light as possible on the mini using lamps etc but disable the flash on your camera, as it creates lots of shiny spots on the mini.
You may already be doing that but thought Id offer it up just in case.
Bent Brush
New member
I use Gloss Exclusively. Yes my ratings here on CMON are not really high but, I use these Minis when I play my games.
The Gloss coat gives a more durable coat than matte.
I am odd in that I like the shiny effect, in a crowded gaming store or in a friends house they look good on a table.
I am learning however that not everybody likes gloss. They must know some thing especially when they are getting paid to paint and I am not.
The Gloss coat gives a more durable coat than matte.
I am odd in that I like the shiny effect, in a crowded gaming store or in a friends house they look good on a table.
I am learning however that not everybody likes gloss. They must know some thing especially when they are getting paid to paint and I am not.
C
cypher
Guest
For anyone interested I bought some Model Master glosses the other day. The flat acrylic gloss is very flat, just a bit shiny (I put it on rather thick). The high gloss is of course shiny. They are brush on glosses and about $4 US a bottle. The bottle is huge it will cover over 50 minis easy. I found this is the best gloss I have used yet I don\'t like the Citadel matte spray it stinks.
