Newbie: first attempt

[Filigree]

So, I very recently decided to take a look at Bushido after seeing the review on Shut Up and Sit Down. Loving the aesthetic and fluff, and the gameplay looks great. I got myself some models and terrain and the basic GW paint sets and thought I'd give things a go.



I used to collect Warhammer when I was a kid. I stopped when I was about 14-15, and I'm now 29. This is my first attempt at painting a mini properly, and I'd be really grateful for any feedback or tips! I know there are a few messy patches (some of the wash from the trousers creeping onto the bottom of the sash on his left, for example). I'm guessing the way to iron those out is to practise more to get a steadier hand, and be more patient with waiting for one thing to dry before starting another. I also messed up the eyes a little (particularly his left eye) - any ideas on how to do eyes would be very welcome!

 

[ten ball]

Welcome and a great start on your painting revival!
A few tips, make sure you prep your mini as good as possible before any paint goes on (mold line running up the side).
Get a nice even base colour before moving on to the next stage, waiting for each layer to dry to avoid any chalky textures of paint.
Don't jump to an extreme highlight colour to soon, use very steps of increasing the base colour with the highlight colour.

As for eyes, there's no easy way. You will need at least one good quality brush and loads of practice.
dont use pure white for the base coat of the eye, ivory of a very pale pink is better. Study a picture of an eye for reference, to avoid the death stare look.
take your time and enjoy

 

[Filigree]

Welcome and a great start on your painting revival!
A few tips, make sure you prep your mini as good as possible before any paint goes on (mold line running up the side).
Get a nice even base colour before moving on to the next stage, waiting for each layer to dry to avoid any chalky textures of paint.
Don't jump to an extreme highlight colour to soon, use very steps of increasing the base colour with the highlight colour.

As for eyes, there's no easy way. You will need at least one good quality brush and loads of practice.
dont use pure white for the base coat of the eye, ivory of a very pale pink is better. Study a picture of an eye for reference, to avoid the death stare look.
take your time and enjoy

Thank you!

Really appreciate the tips

 

[Kuribo]

Welcome Filigree! Bushido is a game that has caught my eye and it seems like the minis would be a lot of fun to paint. I love the Asian mythology/style too! One thing I can add to what 10 Ball said is that you chose some tough colors to start with! I have been painting for a year and have somehow not painted anything yellow. It definitely has a reputation as being a harder color to master Black is a color I have experience painting with and still find it to be somewhat challenging to get right.

If there is one thing I have learned since starting painting and would definitely recommend experimenting with is how much you water down your paints. Not only does GW paint need a bit of water to go on smoothly but also it can help you achieve nice layering with different paint colors. Layering takes a lot of time and practice to perfect but if you do about one half water to one half paint, you'll start to get a feel for it pretty quickly. I hope this info helps and I look forward to seeing what else you paint from Bushido!

 

[Filigree]

Hi, Kuribo - thank you for the feedback!

I've been trying to thin my paints, but am nowhere near getting the hang of it yet. Onwards and upwards!
The drybrushing is also way too aggressive (and possibly just a mistake in principle), and I think is the source of a lot of the chalky texture.

I'll update the thread when I've painted the next mini and hopefully we'll see some improvement

 

[Kuribo]

You're very welcome! It does take time and I know it took me weeks to figure it out and even now I'm still slowly getting better at it. The trick is thin but not too thin that you lose control of the paint. If I may ask, what on the figure are you drybrushing? I do drybrush for certain things but in general, it is a technique that I know Games Workshop used to really recommend and now most skilled painters use it very sparingly. I can't remember drybrushing a humanoid figure at all in the last year of painting since I started back up so that shows you how uncommon it is. You might try painting a figure without doing any drybrushing and see how you like the results. I look forward to seeing your next mini!

 

[Filigree]

I drybrushed all over it, really - that's what I meant by it being a mistake in principle! In fairness, the highlights on the flesh aren't atrocious (though I think I could definitely get better results by layering up highlights properly, and the highlights don't really sit in the right places), and the hair looks ok-ish (though a wash after the drybrushing would help, I think). Not at all keen on the look of the rest of it. Lesson learned!

 

[Filigree]

After a manic time at work and a holiday I've finally found time to paint more!

This is another Bushido model from the starter-set. I started her a while ago, and have yet to do anything with the blue and yellow portions apart from base them. Haven't touched the hair yet. Some of the paint chipped off on her left hand when someone else dropped it (boo), so I'll have to go back and tidy that up at some point.

Today I had a crack at the red part of the skirt. Initially, I just based it with a couple of coats of Mephiston Red, then I mixed in some Magragge Blue and a tiny bit of Averland Sunset to try and get a more magenta-y tone. Once I'd done that, I mixed up another batch of magenta with some Altdorf Guard Blue with some Evil Suns Scarlet. I then chucked in more blue to make a dark purple, shaded into the folds of the cloth and along the edges where it meets the yellow part of the skirt. Then I mixed in increasing amounts of the starting magenta colour and tried to paint thin parts in as close as I could to the original shade whilst lightening it a bit each time (not sure this worked too well as the folds are quite small and my hands are very clumsy). Then did a quick edge highlight with the lightest permutation, and then a thinner edge highlight with the lightest highlight shade mixed with some screaming skull.

Not massively realistic, but I'm pleased with it as a first attempt at shading and highlighting properly! Also, I know that I've got some red on her leg, and am planning on tidying that up later on together with a couple of other bits.

 

[Coyotebreaks]

good stuff i like the colour schemes you are using

 

[Filigree]

Thank you!

I got a bit restless after I uploaded the last photo, so went on to work on the yellow part of the skirt. Mixed together Skrag Brown with Yriel Yellow for the darkest shade, before working in more and more yellow. For the third-to-last layer I added in Flash Gitz Yellow instead of Yriel Yellow for a brighter highlight; I then added a bit of Screaming Skull to that for a very bright highlight on a few points and for the edge highlight, and then finally added a significant dollop more Screaming Skull to highlight just one or two points and to pick out a couple of parts of the edge highlight.

It's still a bit messy in places, and I know that miniature prep is still an issue (I had already primed this before feedback on the last mini), but this is turning out to be really fun! On the subject of prep, what would you guys recommend for removing mold lines on a pewter mini? Sanding sticks/paper?View attachment 60121View attachment 60122View attachment 60123

 

[Captain927]

I invested in some small jewelry files that you should be able to get from a craft supply store. I picked mine up from Michael's for relatively cheap. Under $10, if i recall. I find them really good at filing down seam lines in metal or plastic.

The yellow is looking really good.

 

[Kuribo]

Filigree,

I see some big improvements in your painting already! Those highlights and shading look MUCH smoother than before. Getting those folds right on clothing can be tricky so you should definitely be proud!

Captain927's advice is very good. You might also consider picking up a set of Army Painter files which can be found almost anywhere online for a pretty low price. I was using the plastic sanding sticks for months and I bought two sets and went through them quickly before I wised up and just got some metal ones. I definitely prefer my new(ish) Army Painter files to what I had been using.

I look forward to seeing how you tackle the skin and hair now that you've got that skirt sorted out!

 

[Filigree]

Thank you both! Set of files on the way for the next one

This mini is now as close to finished as I think I can realistically get it.

I definitely need to practice skin more (fortunately, there's a whole bunch of that to come in my unpainted minis...). There are a couple of spots I touched up where I couldn't quite remember how I'd achieved the original skin tone (such as it was), but there's not much to be done about that.

Not yet confident enough to do proper submissions, so will just lurk around here until things are looking better View attachment 60137View attachment 60138View attachment 60139View attachment 60140

 

[oistene]

That yellow is great!

At the level you are now, you ought to start to look at how you prep. Down the side of your mini runs a mold line, it is quite visible and takes away from an otherwise pretty paint job. Next time, use a file or exact knife and scrape that thing away. Takes a little time but is will be worth it.

 

[Filigree]

Thank you! I was very pleasantly surprised with how the yellow came out

Since getting the feedback above, I invested in a set of files (these models are metal, so scraping with a knife doesn't seem to do much), and some green putty and sanding sticks for filling gaps. Now working on another one from the starter set. Pretty uninspired by the sculpt, to be brutally honest, but no visible moView attachment 60314ld lines!

 

[oistene]

An exacto will work on metal models, but files are often better, so that's a good call. If the sculpt doesn't speak to you, but you need it for gaming - speed paint it! Speed painting does wonders to practise your brush control.

 

[KruleBear]

Oistene is on target with his advice. Both the yellow and red look nice on the skirts. Great improvement.

 

[Filigree]

Thank you both - really appreciate the advice and the feedback. I'll have a crack at speed painting him, but maybe slow down a bit for the wooden bits just to use the opportunity to learn something new (there are plenty of new things to pick from for me...).