I'd start with page 1 of this thread. I did a whole series as a basic 'how to' for all the folks I suckered into backing Bones with me.J.D. wrote:This is something I would like to try out as a new hobby, but like anything else, getting started seems like a daunting task. What do I buy? Where? What techniques are good? Etc.
Really cool stuff in this thread though, guys. Very impressive.
[Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)
Moderators: The Preacher, $iljanus, Zaxxon
- Blackhawk
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
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- Zarathud
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
Reaper has some good deals on starter sets of paints, especially at GenCon. They come with brushes and a brief guide. I like the dropper bottle paints for storage and longevity.
Start with a handful of basic colors, black, white and brown. Start with paint-on clear coats if you live anywhere that's humid (see my crisis above). You may need additional base coat paint for metallic miniatures.
You really only need 3 brushes -- a medium one for washes, a smaller sized one for basic work, and a tiny detail brush. I like how Army Painter now sells a 3-pack for brushes.
I use disposable red solo cups for water and plastic tops of cat food cans for palettes.
An exacto knife, files and superglue are critical.
YouTube videos are helpful because you can see how people actually paint.
Start with a handful of basic colors, black, white and brown. Start with paint-on clear coats if you live anywhere that's humid (see my crisis above). You may need additional base coat paint for metallic miniatures.
You really only need 3 brushes -- a medium one for washes, a smaller sized one for basic work, and a tiny detail brush. I like how Army Painter now sells a 3-pack for brushes.
I use disposable red solo cups for water and plastic tops of cat food cans for palettes.
An exacto knife, files and superglue are critical.
YouTube videos are helpful because you can see how people actually paint.
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
- Isgrimnur
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
Imagine the deals at ReaperCon.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
- Blackhawk
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
My next big goal is to find a better way to store my miniatures, which will undoubtedly involve cataloging them. That's going to be a royal pain. I've looked into software in the past, but everything I've found either A) requires hundreds in cash, B) requires a college degree, or C) barely does the job.
I've considered just photographing each one, putting the images into a folder, then using tags to organize them.
I've considered just photographing each one, putting the images into a folder, then using tags to organize them.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
- YellowKing
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
Currently working on a set of Dead Panic figures (Reaper minis we bought to approximate the various roles). Coming along nicely and I'll post some pics when I'm closer to finish. Also started priming my Mansions of Madness minis. Those investigators are going to be tough, because they're a really small scale. Looking forward to the monsters though.
- Zarathud
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I started an Excel chart for my prepainted miniatures. Being able to look up that I have an older figure from 5+ years ago has helped me avoid buying quite a few figures.
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
- Blackhawk
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I considered Excel, but while I can make a basic chart in Excel, I don't 'know' Excel (or rather the LibreOffice equivalent.) I need something that I can add pictures to, include name, storage box, manufacturer, whether it's painted, and keywords (armored, elf, caster, etc), then quickly hit a couple of things and give myself a list of all of my armored elves along with pictures and where they are.Zarathud wrote:I started an Excel chart for my prepainted miniatures. Being able to look up that I have an older figure from 5+ years ago has helped me avoid buying quite a few figures.
I probably have around a thousand miniatures from almost 30 years of collecting (and the Bones Kickstarter, two Warhammer starter sets from the 90s, and two copies of Battlemasters, some 500 just from that.) I also have compatible miniatures from at least seven different board games (4 D&D board games, Mice & Mystics, Battlelore, D&D Attack Wing) that I can pull from if I need something specific. I'd love to be able just to type in 'ogre' and see a list with pictures of the ogre from all of the board games, war games, and regular miniatures in one place instead of looking into two shelves and ten boxes.
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- hentzau
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I weep thinking of all of the unpainted lead and plastic I have sitting in drawers and boxes in my basement. It's a sickness. It really is.
“We can never allow Murania to become desecrated by the presence of surface people. Our lives are serene, our minds are superior, our accomplishments greater. Gene Autry must be captured!!!” - Queen Tika, The Phantom Empire
- Isgrimnur
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
Once I'm done with all the post-Christmas projects, I'd like to try out my new Dremel and get back to my scale modeling. I just know I'm going to butcher the spray painting of my car.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
- YellowKing
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I think I'm going to have to pick up a magnifying headset. I was going to use a nice magnification lamp I've had in the closet for years, but I recently discovered I had lost the base clamp for it.
My eyes have taken a significant turn for the worse in the past couple of years, to the point I finally had to break down and get some reading glasses. However, as much as I hated to do it, the joy of actually being able to see really clearly sure beats the hell out of struggling every time I read a book or try to paint something.
My eyes have taken a significant turn for the worse in the past couple of years, to the point I finally had to break down and get some reading glasses. However, as much as I hated to do it, the joy of actually being able to see really clearly sure beats the hell out of struggling every time I read a book or try to paint something.
- Zarathud
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[Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)
Blackhawk posted a reasonably inexpensive magnifying visor earlier in the thread. That's what I've been using. The light is almost as useful as the 2x magnification.
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
- YellowKing
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
Finished up my Shuggoths today from the first edition of Mansions of Madness. My weekend project was to get all my MoM minis from first and second edition out and primed. These two guys were partially painted from a previous attempt, so I figured I'd go ahead and knock them out. I'll probably end up doing something with the bases vs leaving them plain black, but I'm not sure what yet.
- YellowKing
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- YellowKing
- Posts: 30179
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:02 pm
Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I've been on a bit of a painting frenzy lately.
Finished up my Mansions of Madness cultists:
Also started on the daunting task of painting all my Mechs vs Minions figures. This is a sample one I finished just to get an idea of what they would look like. I'm happy with it but I think I'll do a darker wash.
Finished up my Mansions of Madness cultists:
Also started on the daunting task of painting all my Mechs vs Minions figures. This is a sample one I finished just to get an idea of what they would look like. I'm happy with it but I think I'll do a darker wash.
- hentzau
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I like! Nice work!
“We can never allow Murania to become desecrated by the presence of surface people. Our lives are serene, our minds are superior, our accomplishments greater. Gene Autry must be captured!!!” - Queen Tika, The Phantom Empire
- YellowKing
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- hepcat
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
It's Krampus the boardgame!
He won. Period.
- YellowKing
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
Some people paint half red, half blue (ala the videogame) but one of my game group was like, "Why the hell would opposing minions be working together? Paint them all the same!" So I went with red for contrast. Plus it saved me from buying two cans of spray paint.
P.S. A Krampus board game would be awesome! Somebody get to work on that.
- Punisher
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
So... I decided to try my hand at painting some mini's. My end goal is to paint my Zombicide figures to make them more fun. I haven't painted a mini in well over 10 years and even then, it generally consisted of priming and painting 1-2 base colors and that was it. Some i am definitely in the amateur/novice crowd. I picked up a $1 bag of army men to practice on and some army painter paints and inks, some basic brushes a clamp light with daylight led bulbs and a nice magnifying head set.
Here are some pics.. spoilered because they are kind of big.. All except the tan soldier has been primed with Army Painter Matte White, the tan one was primed with Army Painter Skeleton Bone. The actual painting was done slightly differently for each using paints from the Army Painter Zombicide core paint sent and Army Painter inks
So, this was primed white, then base painted and inked. 1st 2 are pics of base paint, then blue ink. the ink is still fresh and it says I need to wait 24-48 hours before anything else.
This was base painted with a green and green ink. same as above, 1-2 are base, 3-4 are ink
This was based with Skelton primer, then all the colors were ink only. the top was with Strong Tone and the bottom, their respective colors
This was left matte white, then just ink was used. no base coats at all.
As novice as I am, I think that so far these are the best I've ever done, but thats not saying much.
Next steps.
Going to try my hand at dry brushing and highlighting maybe..
I bought a few different Reaper mini's to practice on as well.. I am really nervous about those because most of the ones I bought are much smaller than the Army Men and I'm not too sure if my hand will be steady enough for them, but that's why I'm practicing...
Any thoughts or suggestions or criticims are welcome.. Keep in mind this was practice for me and I didn't try too hard to "stay in the lines".. Once I move to the reaper ones, I will try harder to keep the detail as much as possible.
Here are some pics.. spoilered because they are kind of big.. All except the tan soldier has been primed with Army Painter Matte White, the tan one was primed with Army Painter Skeleton Bone. The actual painting was done slightly differently for each using paints from the Army Painter Zombicide core paint sent and Army Painter inks
So, this was primed white, then base painted and inked. 1st 2 are pics of base paint, then blue ink. the ink is still fresh and it says I need to wait 24-48 hours before anything else.
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
Next steps.
Going to try my hand at dry brushing and highlighting maybe..
I bought a few different Reaper mini's to practice on as well.. I am really nervous about those because most of the ones I bought are much smaller than the Army Men and I'm not too sure if my hand will be steady enough for them, but that's why I'm practicing...
Any thoughts or suggestions or criticims are welcome.. Keep in mind this was practice for me and I didn't try too hard to "stay in the lines".. Once I move to the reaper ones, I will try harder to keep the detail as much as possible.
All yourLightning Bolts are Belong to Us
- Blackhawk
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I don't have any real tips yet, as you're mostly experimenting with materials at this point (which is a very, very good approach.) One quick thought: Professional sculpts tend to have more precise detail than plastic soldiers, which makes inking/washing more effective.
24-48 hours? Is that an ink, or a quickshade? Any ink I've ever used (and I've used quite a few) had a drying time measured in minutes. I often paint three or four pieces at a time. I'll ink #1, paint a couple of details on #s 2 and 3, and then #1 is ready to go.Punisher wrote: So, this was primed white, then base painted and inked. 1st 2 are pics of base paint, then blue ink. the ink is still fresh and it says I need to wait 24-48 hours before anything else.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
- Punisher
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
OK. Confusion is mine. Bottle says ink, box says QS, so I guess they consider it QS ink?Blackhawk wrote:I don't have any real tips yet, as you're mostly experimenting with materials at this point (which is a very, very good approach.) One quick thought: Professional sculpts tend to have more precise detail than plastic soldiers, which makes inking/washing more effective.
24-48 hours? Is that an ink, or a quickshade? Any ink I've ever used (and I've used quite a few) had a drying time measured in minutes. I often paint three or four pieces at a time. I'll ink #1, paint a couple of details on #s 2 and 3, and then #1 is ready to go.Punisher wrote: So, this was primed white, then base painted and inked. 1st 2 are pics of base paint, then blue ink. the ink is still fresh and it says I need to wait 24-48 hours before anything else.
Either way, I do like how it looks already and assumed that it would look better on a pro sculpt. What I found odd is that the "ink" seemed pretty damn dry after 1/2 hour, so not sure what I am actually waiting for.. 1 day later and coloring doesnt seem to have changed..
Funny thing... When I was posting my pics, my wife saw and said "oh, those look nice.. Who made them?" So I guess the shading is pretty effective..
I am thinking that I may give one of the test Bones ones I bought a go this week. I think I read that they don't need to be primed.. Is this true?
Also, does anyone know where I can get detailed mini's for a really low price for better experimentation? Don't want to waste money on expensive ones that I may and up messing up. Don't really care what genre since this is solely for practice..
I also ordered some more Army Painter paints from Amazon and may hit up a shop today or tomorrow to pick up some more. Need more variety in my colors and at some point I may even experiment with mixing..
All yourLightning Bolts are Belong to Us
- Blackhawk
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
Yeah, it sounds like quickshade. I've never used it myself, but I've read a fair bit on it. Quickshade is a sort of shortcut way of shading. You paint the piece, then dip it, and it takes care of the rest. It isn't often used as an intermediate stop. It will never be as good or precise as hand shading, but it is quick and easy, which makes it especially good for large numbers of pieces that don't justify the time and effort of the higher quality process (lots of board game miniatures fall into this category.)Punisher wrote: OK. Confusion is mine. Bottle says ink, box says QS, so I guess they consider it QS ink?
The dry time is probably the time for it to fully cure. Since most people do it last or almost-last, you want to let it fully cure before you start putting on a final varnish.
If you're interested in inks/washes (the kind most people are referring to when they discuss them), look into Vallejo washes. They're the best I've found. They're the kind that you use during the painting process rather than after, and dry in minutes.
A tip, then. Most of the time, you want your wash to add shading, which means you're often going to want to use a darker shade than the base coat. Considerably darker. I would probably wash a soldier's green uniform with a brown ink myself.
Sort of. They can be painted directly from the bottle with no priming, but the results vary with the brand of paint. Reaper paints apparently work perfectly, some other brands, not so much. You also cannot thin the paints whatsoever before applying the first coat, which kills it for me, and is why I prime. If you're going to prime Bones, use Army Painter primers. A lot, even most, commercial primers will cause the Bones to go tacky and stay that way permanently.Punisher wrote: I am thinking that I may give one of the test Bones ones I bought a go this week. I think I read that they don't need to be primed.. Is this true?
If you do not prime, make sure you was them thoroughly first to get rid of the molding compound. I use a toothbrush and dishwashing liquid. Rinse them thoroughly and let them dry completely. You can also use hot (boiling) water to soften bent parts, then hold them straight and hold them under cold water to set them.
That would be Bones. They are the low priced detailed miniatures, unless you happen to find a board game with miniatures used somewhere.Punisher wrote: Also, does anyone know where I can get detailed mini's for a really low price for better experimentation? Don't want to waste money on expensive ones that I may and up messing up. Don't really care what genre since this is solely for practice.
I've never used Army Painter brand paints (other than their primers), but if you see them, I can highly recommend Vallejo and Reaper paints. They are top quality, and available in a lot of places (Vallejo especially, as it is also used for scale models.)I also ordered some more Army Painter paints from Amazon and may hit up a shop today or tomorrow to pick up some more. Need more variety in my colors and at some point I may even experiment with mixing..
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- baelthazar
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- Location: Indiana
Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I have used Reaper HD paints, The Army Painter paints, and just normal craft acrylic paint (my first foray into minis). Obviously, the craft acrylic paints are not great (although they are cheap alternatives for practicing). The Reaper HD are probably my favorites, and I managed to get a complete set of the HD collections before they jumped in price and became harder to get. I have also made my own ink wash/shader, and used the Army Painter washes. I have found that the brand of wash has less dramatic effects than I hoped. In fact, my homemade wash using ink, acrylic medium, some thinning agents and water has been fairly effective. That said, you can get more nuanced with the other shaders.
I am too lazy and too cheap to buy the various different colors of washes. I found that black (both soft and dark) shaders get the job done pretty well for most minis. I know that matching the colors or using browns or blues would provide a much more dramatic effect, but often I cannot put the time into being that nuanced. I also have never been good at glazing, and I will need to learn how before I paint my Games Workshop minis. I also need to be better at drybrushing.
Recently, I read that you do not need to wash plastic minis before painting. I decided to not wash my Blood Bowl or Warhammer Quest minis before assembling. I'm actually worried about it, but I suppose superglue can handle warm water, should I need to wash. I RELIGIOUSLY prime my minis - with paint on black or white (Reaper brand). I tried the spray paint method but do not like it and it is too climate dependent for midwestern weather. I have some sprues of Warhammer Quest left to do, so I may give them a quick washing before assembling. What I read was that plastic models are less of a problem, but metal models absolutely MUST be washed.
I just bought some Nuln oil from Citadel paints to try. I may grab some Citadel paints so I can compare it to my Reaper and Army Painter paints. I suspect, as many have said, Citadel are just overpriced for the same performance.
My favorite thing, however, is my Vallejo matte finish. I have not been able to find a replacement, so it is nice this bottle has lasted me several years.
I am too lazy and too cheap to buy the various different colors of washes. I found that black (both soft and dark) shaders get the job done pretty well for most minis. I know that matching the colors or using browns or blues would provide a much more dramatic effect, but often I cannot put the time into being that nuanced. I also have never been good at glazing, and I will need to learn how before I paint my Games Workshop minis. I also need to be better at drybrushing.
Recently, I read that you do not need to wash plastic minis before painting. I decided to not wash my Blood Bowl or Warhammer Quest minis before assembling. I'm actually worried about it, but I suppose superglue can handle warm water, should I need to wash. I RELIGIOUSLY prime my minis - with paint on black or white (Reaper brand). I tried the spray paint method but do not like it and it is too climate dependent for midwestern weather. I have some sprues of Warhammer Quest left to do, so I may give them a quick washing before assembling. What I read was that plastic models are less of a problem, but metal models absolutely MUST be washed.
I just bought some Nuln oil from Citadel paints to try. I may grab some Citadel paints so I can compare it to my Reaper and Army Painter paints. I suspect, as many have said, Citadel are just overpriced for the same performance.
My favorite thing, however, is my Vallejo matte finish. I have not been able to find a replacement, so it is nice this bottle has lasted me several years.
My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/CythUulu/videos
- YellowKing
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
My local game shop only stocks Vallejo and Citadel, so those were my two options when I started painting again.baelthazar wrote:I just bought some Nuln oil from Citadel paints to try. I may grab some Citadel paints so I can compare it to my Reaper and Army Painter paints. I suspect, as many have said, Citadel are just overpriced for the same performance.
I started with the Vallejo, because they were slightly cheaper. Good paints and they still make up about half of my collection.
Recently I switched over to Citadel because my game shop had a much broader color selection. They run specials on them all the time, so I get them for about the same cost as the Vallejo.
The one thing I like about the Citadel over the Vallejo is that the Citadel come in paint pots and the Vallejo come in droppers. I tend to waste much less paint with the Citadel, so even though I don't get quite as much paint at the same cost, I tend to waste less so it probably evens out in the long run. The Citadel primary advantage is that they come in a lot of varying shades so that you don't have to do a lot of your own mixing. I like that convenience, but YMMV depending on how much you enjoy mixing your own shades.
I've also used Reaper and they are great, but I don't have a place in town that stocks them.
Ultimately any of those brands are fantastic; it just comes down to availability, cost, and color preference.
As far as the Nuln Oil goes, I bought some a couple of weeks ago and have been using it religiously. It's nice to just be able to do washes without worrying about keeping a consistent consistency. Just slap it on and go. Very pricey though.
- Zarathud
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I use Reaper paints and some Army Painter sprays for prime. I like the bottles.
I started painting 50 or so Zombicide zombies before switching over to metallics and now Reaper Bones. With 400 zombies (all 3 seasons), the Zombies are good for practice figures. There are some good YouTube tutorials on using the Quickshade and that's what I'd recommend. When I go back to zombies, that's how I'll finish.
I started painting 50 or so Zombicide zombies before switching over to metallics and now Reaper Bones. With 400 zombies (all 3 seasons), the Zombies are good for practice figures. There are some good YouTube tutorials on using the Quickshade and that's what I'd recommend. When I go back to zombies, that's how I'll finish.
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
- Blackhawk
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- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
- Location: Southwest Indiana
Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
That's a good example of how techniques can differ, and any one painter's preferences are just that - one person's preferences. The pots vs the dropper bottles is exactly the reason I dislike Citadel (that and the fact that Games Workshop makes them a royal bitch to buy online.) As far as waste goes, I don't think I've ever used up a bottle of paint. By the time it starts to get low, it is old enough it needs replaced anyway.YellowKing wrote: The one thing I like about the Citadel over the Vallejo is that the Citadel come in paint pots and the Vallejo come in droppers.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
- hentzau
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
This. Exactly this. The paint pots dry out on me really quickly, it seems.Blackhawk wrote:That's a good example of how techniques can differ, and any one painter's preferences are just that - one person's preferences. The pots vs the dropper bottles is exactly the reason I dislike Citadel (that and the fact that Games Workshop makes them a royal bitch to buy online.) As far as waste goes, I don't think I've ever used up a bottle of paint. By the time it starts to get low, it is old enough it needs replaced anyway.YellowKing wrote: The one thing I like about the Citadel over the Vallejo is that the Citadel come in paint pots and the Vallejo come in droppers.
And if you want something to practice on, let me know. I'll send you some old stuff that I'll never get around to painting.
“We can never allow Murania to become desecrated by the presence of surface people. Our lives are serene, our minds are superior, our accomplishments greater. Gene Autry must be captured!!!” - Queen Tika, The Phantom Empire
- baelthazar
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
How do you guys use the paint pots? Do you pour out a little paint or just keep the pot open? My dad got me a pad of Paint Paper from Citadel with Blood Bowl for Christmas. So I assumed you were supposed to pour a little on the pad?
My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/CythUulu/videos
- hentzau
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
Most of the time drip some out on the pallet using a toothpick or something. But the lids would never seem to close up completely and I would end up with thicker dried up paints after a few months.baelthazar wrote:How do you guys use the paint pots? Do you pour out a little paint or just keep the pot open? My dad got me a pad of Paint Paper from Citadel with Blood Bowl for Christmas. So I assumed you were supposed to pour a little on the pad?
“We can never allow Murania to become desecrated by the presence of surface people. Our lives are serene, our minds are superior, our accomplishments greater. Gene Autry must be captured!!!” - Queen Tika, The Phantom Empire
- Blackhawk
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I always take it out with the tip of the brush handle.
As far as color variety goes, that's just the local shop that sells more GW Citadel paints. Citadel makes ~150 colors. Vallejo alone sells more than 400. I don't worry about that too much, though, as highlighting and shading guarantee that I'm going to have to be mixing colors regardless. I usually keep a half a dozen to a dozen shades of each major color on hand (more browns and greens, fewer pinks and metallics.) It gets me close enough to whatever exact shade I need.
As far as color variety goes, that's just the local shop that sells more GW Citadel paints. Citadel makes ~150 colors. Vallejo alone sells more than 400. I don't worry about that too much, though, as highlighting and shading guarantee that I'm going to have to be mixing colors regardless. I usually keep a half a dozen to a dozen shades of each major color on hand (more browns and greens, fewer pinks and metallics.) It gets me close enough to whatever exact shade I need.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
- Zarathud
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I put paint drops onto plastic cat food tops for my palette. They usually wipe clean with paper towels after soaking in dish soap, but they're disposable if needed.
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
- Blackhawk
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
When this thread started I was using a wet palette. I've since started working with much thinner paint, and found the palette was causing problems, so I switched to a regular palette. I went and picked up a set of super-cheap plastic palettes from Wal-Mart in the craft aisle. I cover them with aluminum foil, shiny side down, and just swap out the foil when there's no more room.
Older picture, but it shows the palette. Click to embiggen.
Older picture, but it shows the palette. Click to embiggen.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
- Smoove_B
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
That brush cleaner (in your picture, bottom left) is one of the greatest things I never knew I needed and now cannot live without. Not only does it help with brush cleaning (duh) but it does a great job of reforming the brush for next use. Would recommend.
Maybe next year, maybe no go
- Blackhawk
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
The Masters Brush Cleaner. It is the best I've ever tried. I've cut the number of brushes I go through by 2/3 since I started using it.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
- Punisher
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
Odd. The tutorial I saw for QS said it is added after base coat. It mentions this is used to darken the original, then you can use the original base coat as a highlight. This is the stage I am in.. did base coat and QS, then going to try highlighting and/or dry brushing..Blackhawk wrote: Yeah, it sounds like quickshade. I've never used it myself, but I've read a fair bit on it. Quickshade is a sort of shortcut way of shading. You paint the piece, then dip it, and it takes care of the rest. It isn't often used as an intermediate stop. It will never be as good or precise as hand shading, but it is quick and easy, which makes it especially good for large numbers of pieces that don't justify the time and effort of the higher quality process (lots of board game miniatures fall into this category.)
The dry time is probably the time for it to fully cure. Since most people do it last or almost-last, you want to let it fully cure before you start putting on a final varnish.
If you're interested in inks/washes (the kind most people are referring to when they discuss them), look into Vallejo washes. They're the best I've found. They're the kind that you use during the painting process rather than after, and dry in minutes.
A tip, then. Most of the time, you want your wash to add shading, which means you're often going to want to use a darker shade than the base coat. Considerably darker. I would probably wash a soldier's green uniform with a brown ink myself.
The thing I like about QS so far is that it is easy and I don't need to learn about shading right away. It's paintings version of a cheat code! As I get more and more comfortable and hopefully skilled, I will look into advanced painting. As it is, I have already gotten further than I ever have.
Yep. Already started doing that. bought a 4 pack of toothbrushes at the dollar store. biggest issue is that I am storing them in the bathroom along with wet brushes to dry... so, waiting for someone to grab the wrong one..Blackhawk wrote: If you do not prime, make sure you was them thoroughly first to get rid of the molding compound. I use a toothbrush and dishwashing liquid. Rinse them thoroughly and let them dry completely. You can also use hot (boiling) water to soften bent parts, then hold them straight and hold them under cold water to set them.
I picked up a few more of these at the store today along with some more Army Painter paints. I explained what I was looking for in practice models and they ended up giving me about 10 Hero Clix they didn't need so that was nice of them. I'm gonna prime them and give that a shot.Blackhawk wrote: That would be Bones. They are the low priced detailed miniatures, unless you happen to find a board game with miniatures used somewhere.
I'm gonna stick with Army Painter for now. I like the droppers and if I start mixing it should be easier for me to keep track of the ratios. I used to use pots and would always end up having them dry out. I think these are the way to go especially if I have to put painting on hold for any reason.
Thanks for the offer. I may take you up on it if I run out of practice stuff.hentzau wrote: And if you want something to practice on, let me know. I'll send you some old stuff that I'll never get around to painting.
All yourLightning Bolts are Belong to Us
- baelthazar
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
AFAIK, that is the brush cleaner professional artists use. I love mine. I also love the smell of it!Blackhawk wrote:The Masters Brush Cleaner. It is the best I've ever tried. I've cut the number of brushes I go through by 2/3 since I started using it.
My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/CythUulu/videos
- YellowKing
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
Yeah I concede the Citadel paint pot lids are a bitch. I have to make VERY sure they're tight after use, because it's really easy to leave the back partially open with the way they're designed.
- Blackhawk
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
Not my work. Something I saw online and thought I'd share. Note that there is no actual lighting involved, just object source lighting as it was painted.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
- baelthazar
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I wish I was that good. I painted a Warhammer Sorceress and was not happy with the end result. I still need to varnish her, unless I decide to try again (not likely). That said, I have not painted since before the baby and did not start painting until 11:00pm. Before I knew it I looked up and it was 3:00am! I will have to watch that in the future.Blackhawk wrote:Not my work. Something I saw online and thought I'd share. Note that there is no actual lighting involved, just object source lighting as it was painted.
My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/CythUulu/videos
- Zarathud
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pi
I have given up on trying to get proper lighting. I have finished a few Reaper Bones figures over the past few months and need to take pictures. I am having a terrible time losing details with sealants lately, even brush on.
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon