[Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

[Blackhawk]

Fair enough. And if that is your set:

3 Types of Master Airbrushes: Model G22 dual-action with a 1/3 oz. gravity feed fluid cup and 0.3mm tip, Model G25 dual-action with a 1/16 oz. gravity feed fluid cup and 0.2mm tip, plus a Model E91 single-action siphon feed with a 0.8mm tip and 2 - 3/4 oz. siphon bottles.

Then it is a general use brush (.3mm needle), and detail brush (.2mm), and a coverage/priming brush (.8mm.) The detail brush would also be good for things like sprayed-on washes and inks.

[Punisher]

Im thinking the primer was too thin based on your notes. Im gonna try it straight out of the bottle and see what happens (I already ordered a 6 color set of 2oz badger as you suggested. Just on case I need the other colors.)
Right now, I'm focusing on using it for priming since the weather sucks, so even if thats all I use it for, it may he useful.
Due to my medical issues I'm not too confident about using it to paint minis but I can see gaining enough skill for larger models.
I didnt think about a respirator, but I have 2. A full face one and a half face 3m like yours so I'll have to remember to use one.
As for the mixing, I was thinking about getting empty army painter like bottles and using that to store mixed paint. This would be without thinning, just to make colors with my current limited supply of airbrush paints.
Eventually I may just buy a full set of airbrush paints.

I only used it once to prime a bunch of minis black and cleaned it out with clean water, then took the tip cap off and wiped down the needle. I'll try alcohol next time. I have a bunch of 99% for my 3d printer.

[Punisher]

Fair enough. And if that is your set:

3 Types of Master Airbrushes: Model G22 dual-action with a 1/3 oz. gravity feed fluid cup and 0.3mm tip, Model G25 dual-action with a 1/16 oz. gravity feed fluid cup and 0.2mm tip, plus a Model E91 single-action siphon feed with a 0.8mm tip and 2 - 3/4 oz. siphon bottles.

Then it is a general use brush (.3mm needle), and detail brush (.2mm), and a coverage/priming brush (.8mm.) The detail brush would also be good for things like sprayed-on washes and inks.

Honestly, I just grabbed a random dual action to prine. Might have been the detail one. Ill have to try the priming one next time to see if it's better.

[Punisher]

Nice surprise just came. My Scale 75 Kickstarter. I've been looking forward to it for a while now.
It has painting instructions and a conpleye set of their Instant Colors. Same as contrast paints.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/5l ... FNvAvuPlht

[Blackhawk]

FWIW, I prime with my only brush (with a general-use 3.5mm needle.) It's less that the big one is a must for priming and more that it's only really useful for priming (at least when discussing scale painting - it might be more useful if you're putting flames on your full-sized car or something.)

If you do buy airbrush paints, your best bet is probably Vallejo Model Air. AK Interactive and Mig Jimenez also make great airbrush lines, but they're more expensive and specialized.

[Blackhawk]

Nice surprise just came. My Scale 75 Kickstarter. I've been looking forward to it for a while now.
It has painting instructions and a conpleye set of their Instant Colors. Same as contrast paints.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/5l ... FNvAvuPlht

I have those as well. They're not quite the same as contrast paints - they're a different beast with different uses. Here's something I posted earlier this year:

By the way, having used both, and having used both together now, I have a few thoughts on what each is good for.

Contrast paints generally work better as an immediate, all-in-one base coat/shade/highlight.

Instant Colors, on the other hand, are more versatile. They can achieve comparable results in more time, or they can used in other ways that Contrast paint aren't good at. They're like a combination of a wash and a glaze, while Contrast paints are more like a semi-transparent paint.

The two are fundamentally different in how they do their job. Contrast paints are built around a dye. Instant Colors are built around pigments. That changes how the work.

Paint a coat of Contrast paint and it will color the high areas and add some shadows. Paint a coat of Instant Colors and it does... the same. Add a second coat of Contrast and it will generally deepen the shadows, but not do much with the lighter areas or the color itself. Add a second coat of Instant Colors and it won't darken the shadows, but it will deepen and intensify the base color - make the red a more intense red, for instance.

That makes Instant Colors work better over non-white surfaces. It makes them better over flat/smooth surfaces, as you can build up the base color with multiple coats (although it still isn't great.) It also makes them better where you don't want to completely cover the underlying coat, such as layering colors or putting them over metallics. You can even use them over black, which tends to give poor results with Contrast paints. They also make excellent pin washes (for picking out panel lines, rivets, etc.)

But yeah - you gain that versatility at the cost of the 'one and done' speed painting that Contrast Paints offer. They're about halfway between Contrast Paint painting and traditional painting when it comes to completion time (well, maybe a third of the way - they're still very fast.)

/edit - and I forgot to sniff my water. I'll do that later.

As to the Minipedia - I have those as well, but had quite a few issues with them. I'll post my comments on the original Kickstarter in spoilers in case you prefer to make your own judgement without my criticisms stuck in your brain.

Spoiler:

I got mine in. I'm disappointed. Most of all because a lot of these concerns were brought up during the campaign, and Scale75 absolutely swore up and down that they would be addressed.

1. This isn't an encyclopedia, it's a textbook. The difference? A textbook is linear, while an encyclopedia is modular. This is linear. If you need the info that is in section 5, "How to ____", you will find that it has multiple references to "as in the previous section..."

2. It isn't a great how-to. It's all example, but no instruction. In the section on skin, for example, they discuss hair with comments like "Next, use [color] for the first highlight. For the second highlight use [color]." That's an after-action report, not a tutorial. That tells me how the author painted the piece, it does not teach me how to paint it. Why was that color chosen? How, exactly, do you determine where to lay down the highlights? What should you avoid when painting hair? Why were certain colors chosen for skin? For leather? Why were tube paints chosen over liquid paints for a particular piece?

When the first samples were shown, there was a lot of concern that they were just showing off big, pretty pictures with captions about how the artist painted instead of teaching the reader how to paint. Scale75 absolutely assured us that the final product would be better.

It is not. This, all by itself, severely limits the value of these books. If I wanted to see how another artist painted, I'd watch a YouTube video.

3. The translation is bad. It is awkward. The phrasings don't make sense, and I often have to go back and reread a sentence multiple times to figure out what the author is trying to convey. Also, how many American orders did you take? And yet you put pressure measurements in bar with no conversion? Simply using, "set the pressure to 2 bar (30 PSI)" would have solved the problem, as pressure gauges sold for American consumers are in PSI, not bar.

Again, when the first samples came out and we saw the awkward phrasing we pointed it out. Scale75 promised us that they would have native speakers of the target languages who had some knowledge of the contents going over it. They later told us this had actually happened.

This did not happen.

Honestly, I could go on, but you get the idea. I have to believe that Scale75 misled us. They stated that they were doing things they clearly did not do. They made promises during the campaign when we were still trying to decide whether to trust them enough to invest a great deal of money in their venture. They then broke those promises. Whether they changed their mind because keeping them was expensive, or just never intended to keep them once the pledges were locked we'll never know.

What I do know is that I just spent hundreds of dollars on what amounts to an artist's diary and an ad for Scale75's products.

I also know that I won't be trusting Scale75 next time.

[Punisher]

I have some contrast paints...somewhere... I can't remember if I used them before my medical issues came up or not. It's going to take time to find all of my old stuff. (My wife was SUPER worried that everything would be in my way when I got home so everything we were working on such as all of my painting supplies, the colkectibles we were sorting out, buckets of games, etc.. were all shoved into the gaming room we were working on and piled up so stuff is all over in there. I can only get to some things so have to wait for my wife to have downtime to start digging)
I also recently bought the whole set of Army Painters version. It's a small set, but I like them for the little I used so far (I'll post dome WIP pics when I get a chance.)

I've only flipped through the books a bit so far and you make some good points. I think what they have will at least get me pointed in the right direction but yeah, I'll also continue to watch videos.
I mostly backed them because it looked like they had a good rep for their paints and figured the books would be good for tutorials. Looks like thats not the case, but hopefully I at least got a good paint set out of the deal.

[Blackhawk]

That was my reasoning, too. I trusted them based on their reputation for paints.

I keep the books around - they're still good for inspiration.

[Zarathud]

I like most of the Army Painter speed paints.

Sand Golem is my new favorite.

[Punisher]

Here is my current setup and what ive done with the army painter speed paints. I really like where they are going. Two of them I added a 2nd paint to. Cant remember what the 2 colors are off hand.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/vD ... 3d5IW9-IoM

I REALLY like that table I got from Michael's as does my wife.

[baelthazar]

FWIW, I prime with my only brush (with a general-use 3.5mm needle.) It's less that the big one is a must for priming and more that it's only really useful for priming (at least when discussing scale painting - it might be more useful if you're putting flames on your full-sized car or something.)

If you do buy airbrush paints, your best bet is probably Vallejo Model Air. AK Interactive and Mig Jimenez also make great airbrush lines, but they're more expensive and specialized.

I had meant to type up a big message, but Blackhawk hit all my notes so perfectly I didn't chime in.

I love my airbrush, I have a dual-action Iwata Eclipse with a 0.35mm needle. I use it for a lot of things, but mostly for priming, basing, and some initial highlights. Right now, I am doing my best to learn how to be much more detailed in my use - a lot of the learning is how to position the brush to hit certain areas and angles and how much pressure and air to apply (using the trigger).

My absolute best results come from Zenithal priming. I used to do a three color prime, but I have decided to speed that up a tad with just a black primer coat, followed by a light coat sprayed from above and at a slight 45degree wobble of Golden's Titan Buff paint. Titan Buff is almost the EXACT color of the primer sold by Citadel for the Contrast paints, so that works amazing. If I need a slightly higher highlight, I follow that with a shot of Golden's Titanium White. Note: I love the Golden paints because they are formulated in America, have the viscosity to be used direct in the airbrush with little dilution (if you get their airbrush version) and are relatively cheap for the size and quality you get.

Golden's Airbrush Medium is also the best dilution medium I have found. I used several others and got lots more clogs, but very few after switching to it. That said, I always need to use more than I think I will.

After that, I follow up with hand brushing contrast paints on the Zenithal. Yes, you have to be careful, because overlap is hard to correct, so I tend to do lighter colors first then darker colors (being super attentive to not slosh on the lighter color). You can get a similar effect using regular paints, diluting with water or medium, and using a wet palette (honestly a wet palette is a real game changer).

I am also in love with Turbo Dork's metallic and Zenoshyft paints. They are very thick and require some dilution (particularly if you airbrush) but I love to put them in a wet palette, dilute a bit, then hand brush them on like colors. So I brush a metallic blue lightly on blue. Or a pearlescent on gray or white. It makes things more interesting and adds a beautiful shine. It is a style choice, YMMV.

[Blackhawk]

I love my airbrush, I have a dual-action Iwata Eclipse with a 0.35mm needle.

Mine is an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS, a dual action with a .35mm needle - so likely the same brush.

[baelthazar]

I love my airbrush, I have a dual-action Iwata Eclipse with a 0.35mm needle.

Mine is an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS, a dual action with a .35mm needle - so likely the same brush.

Indeed it is.

Here are my recent Final Girls. Sorry that I am terrible at model photography.

[Punisher]

Not exactly mini painting related but...sort of?
I just picked up the game Moonbreaker. I picked it up not really for the game play, but something I havent seen before...it lets you paint minis!
Now, I know what you're thinking... but Punisher, lots of games let your color you characters...true, but this one seems to have a very robust painting system. You can brush paint, airbrush, layer, mask, wash, etc... it can do more then I can do IRL. Plus one amazing thing I really cant do IRL... undo mistakes! Ive only messed around with it for about 1/2 hour, but it seems like the closet thing to digital mini painting I've ever seen. If im wrong and anyone knows of something else, let me know. While its not going to help me learn airbrushing and paint strokes it does look like it will help to explore painting concepts.
It is also a board game, but I'd probably pick up something that is exclusively a painting program if it existed.

[Blackhawk]

You don't know about the undo?

Nobody... nobody told him about the undo?

[Punisher]

You don't know about the undo?

Nobody... nobody told him about the undo?

Im still level 1 at painting IRL... maybe I just dont have enough skillpoints to buy that skill?

[baelthazar]

It is also a board game, but I'd probably pick up something that is exclusively a painting program if it existed.

I know nothing about this and it doesn't appeal to me because I have TONS of models I need to work on in real life. But here you go:

[Smoove_B]

I was today years old when I learned that the GW primers rattle can paints (like Wraith Bone and Grey Seer) are technically satin finish. This surprises me because of how well they work (no surprise) with the Contrast paints. I would have thought any type of gloss (even the tiny amount with a satin finish) would change how Contrast paints work and not in a good way. The only reason I learned this is because of the new rattle-can release of White Scar - which is a true matt finish.

[Punisher]

It is also a board game, but I'd probably pick up something that is exclusively a painting program if it existed.

I know nothing about this and it doesn't appeal to me because I have TONS of models I need to work on in real life. But here you go:

I "think" I have that. IIRC, the painting was decent but not as robust as this... but my memory is shot so I could be mistaken.

[Malificent]

Just wanted to share Business Penguin:

[Isgrimnur]

[Blackhawk]

Business Penguin makes me happy.

[Isgrimnur]

As long as he's not Willy Penguin.

[Smoove_B]

I was thinking of getting an Emperor Penguin tattoo. Not sure if I can commit to one doing business things. Still, looks great. Keep dreaming!

[hepcat]

+1 Excellent work!

[Blackhawk]

And... Vallejo's contrast paint offering (Xpress Colors) was released. And the reviews are...

Excellent.



If you're not familiar with him, Juan Hidalgo is in the official 'Knows His Shit' club.

[YellowKing]

Ooh, now I'm kind of glad I didn't jump all in on the Army Painter ones.

My painting has slowed down considerably, but with Frosthaven arriving any day now I know the group's going to demand those get painted. I also plan on painting the minis for AC: Brotherhood of Venice.

[Blackhawk]

They don't actually appear to be on the shelves in the US yet, but the release date in the US is December. Maybe they'll be out (and actually in stock) soon enough for me to consider them as a Christmas gift.

[Malificent]

I feel like I kinda leveled up with the last couple minis I did. Brush control was better and had a better sense for highlights and contrasts, which was nice.

[Fardaza]

The goggles on that last one are amazing! Nice work.

[Malificent]

The goggles on that last one are amazing! Nice work.

Thank you - that was me being a painting copy monkey and paying very close attention to someone's else's painting of glasses. I've tried to do the same thing in the past and failed. This time around, I managed straight lines and actual color variations. Who knew?

[Blackhawk]

I've been experimenting with slapchop painting lately.

For those who don't know, it's a priming/underpainting technique that significantly improves the quality of the results you get from contrast/speed/etc paints (or just thinned normal paints/glazes.) Simply put, you prime black, then zenithal prime (or heavily drybrush) gray, then lightly drybrush with white (the last generally in a top-to-bottom pattern.) It's quick, and gives nice, smooth transitions from dark to light. After that you paint with your transparent paint of choice and it enhances the contrast and lighting effect. The whole process is extremely fast when you are working on a bunch of pieces at once (like you would if painting a board game.)

Here is an early experiment in the priming (I went too heavy on the white, but it gives the right idea.) Note that this is an old late '80s Ral Partha lead mini (I keep them around mostly to experiment on - although they do make good bandits), so the detail isn't exactly crisp. The entire 'color' portion of the paintjob was maybe ten minutes, and this is using Scale75 Instant Colors (which has previously been a far less viable paint than others.)





Here are a couple of videos I found exploring the process. The first is a pretty exhaustive look at the process (although the guy occasionally freaks me out for some reason, he really knows his stuff.)

[hentzau]

Been a while since I posted anything. I painted these up real quick last night, about 2.5 hours work. My new league for Pulp Alley…