nagash13

the bases are games workshop 25mm round bases(i have tons lying around) with coffee stirring sticks glued on. i just glued them to the bases with superglue, and cut a few with wire cutters so i could have some butt ends in the floor. once the glue was dry i used an exacto to slowly whittle away the extra wood hanging over the base edge. once that was all done, i coated it with a minwax polyurethane wood varnish. i used satin finish antique walnut for color.

good to hear people felt it was useful and not a bulky block of text that was too dry to read.

that is a great table. looks like you put a good amount of effort and planning into it and it really paid off.

macro settings on a phone are questionable at best. on a digital camera they make a world of difference. it is a setting specificly for close up zoomed in photography. on most cameras the setting is indicated with a mountain for standard and a flower for macro setting. i know we all seem to finish painting at night and want to snap pics to post online right away, but waiting for sunlight really makes your pics pop. unless you specifically buy a "natural sunlight" bulb, most lights are orange or blueish which will change the appearance of the color on you models in the pics. so if you can (sorry seattle) go outside, put the sun to your back, and snap a few pics. the white paper under/behind the model is also a good idea as this prevents the cameras auto focus from jumping to the wrong point. hope that helps and keep up the good work,

some good information here, but thought i'd throw in a few tips i've picked up across the years. sorry for the giant block o text. 1) resins and metals need washing before glue/primer. this is easier than it sounds, i just put dish soap on the free toothbrushes the dentist gives me every visit, and scrub with room temp-warm water. 2) if your resin model is warped, do not panic, let it soak in hot water, or a plate of salt heated up, then straighten and plunge into cold water to set the new position. 3) metal models are by far the easiest to strip old bad paintjobs off. never worry "i'm not good enough to paint this guy yet" with a metal model. we only get beter by practicing. 4) an overnight soak in simple green is safe for plastics, and will generally remove pain down to the primer level. 5) many thin coats takes lots of time, but looks much much better. 6) in humid climates you may find a small 3-4" desk fan on low will help speed up drying time of washes. too strong and it will blow the ink out of place. 7) when using a spraypaint primer, several light coats is very important. if you try for 100% coverage in one shot, it will fill up the detail, and in areas where the paint is too thick, the outside will dry and the inside stays gummy. you really do not need a 100% coverage at all for primer. its just there to boost the other paints ability to adhere to the model. if you spray when its too cold, the aerisol paint droplets can freeze on the way to the model and you get "fuzzy" effect. same with super dry super hot places. the droplets can dry before hitting the model and end up adding unwanted texture to the model. 8) pick your primer color based on the model color scheme. white prime makes for bright colors that pop, black primer for darker grungy evil models. grey primer is an all around safe bet. 9) drybrushing will kill a brush. you arent doing it wrong, its just what drybrushing does. you want shorter stiffer bristles on a drybrush. games workshop makes a couple sizes. if your stores sell them, look at them, feel them and then look around for cheaper ones, or buy the gw ones. 10) after years of trying just about any brush in art stores that was size 0 and below, (painting since 97) I have finally found a favorite brush. http://www.amazon.com/Raphael-Kolinsky-Sable-size-0/dp/B004Z7743U/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1375235995&sr=8-5&keywords=raphael+kolinsky+sable+brush I use a size 0 and a size 1 for all my detail work. the natural fibers hold paint better than any synthetic, and these are made so the natural curve of the fur forms a point. this really helps maintain that quality point for detail work. cheaper brushes are cut to a point, and will fray out and weird angles very quickly. cheaper brushes are fine for washes, and the first color on a model, where coating a big area quickly with no worries of paint getting into areas already painted is a concern. 11) when painting details, or lines, I find you have far more control if you start at the top and pull the brush down towards you instead of the opposite. like start with your brush between thumb and pointer finger while they are straight, and then stroke the brush by pulling your fingertips towards your palm if that makes sense. 12) you can get great fast highlights along the edge detail on a model (dress hem, bottom of jacket, brim of hat) by using the side of your brush instead of the point. this will give you a generally universal thickness line, where using the brush tip the line can waiver with any shakey hand. 13) almost all models have what is called a "mold line" this is where the 2 halves of the mold meet and you can find a slight ridge along the model at this point. before you prime, it is best to file it down to smooth on metals, or in plastic you can scratch it away with an exacto knife. hold the blade perpendicular to the surface and you will scratch the line off without the blade digging into the model. on a resin model the exacto can be too rough and snap small parts, but a cheap fine grain nail file works great, just dont breathe too much of the dust. if you ignore the mold line, you may find you models parts do not fit as tight as they should, and when you paint, any drybrushing or washes will really make the line stand out. a little work before you paint makes a huge difference in the end. 14) paint in patches or paint one at a time. everyone is different. do what you enjoy. i tend to reward myself for finishing a unit or squad with a big character model or vehicle. 15) just try. we only get better by putting brush to model and doing. dont let others intimidate you. every great painter was new once. hell i'm still learning new things all the time. 16) never leave you brush tip down in a cup of water. it will ruin it. try to keep paint away from the ferrul(sp) the metal that holds the bristles. if it gets up in there and dries, it iwll force the bristles to spread. small amount of paint on the bottom 1/3 of the bristles is plenty. if your bristles look dirty or are not a good point anymore, you can try putting it in a small bit of rubbing alcohol and rolling it back and forth. the alcohol breaks up the paint binders and dried paint will come free. just remember to wash the alcohol out with water after. brush soap would be good as well. if you use natural fur brush like the one i linked, remember it is hair, and once a month or two take the time to rub a little bit of hair conditioner on it. take care of your brushes and they will last a long time. my current one has lasted about 18 months so far. wow that got long. hope that helps someone. ---------- Post added at 10:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:29 PM ---------- forgot to add, when choosing your colors, plan out the model before you start. I like to figure out my main color scheme, then pick 2-3 points of pop color on the model. whenever possible i like it to be the color opposite on the color wheel of the main color. when painting something like a jacket or cloak with goof ridges and folds, i paint in these steps: 1)base color 2) wash entire area to create shading 3) base color again but leave deepest recesses dark 4) first highlight same idea as step 3, but cover less area sticking to raised areas leaving some of the base color visible 5) second highlight. even lighter, and less coverage. 6) very fine lightest edge highlight 7) last a glaze. this helps pull all the layers together and makes them feel like they flow together better. it also richens up the color. games workshop makes a really nice line of washes and glazes. i'm sure there are other brands out there, but i have the most experience with these.

thank you for the compliment. the remark was meant to be more of a "what have i learned from painting the first 2, that i can apply when i paint the third one of these." generally when painting models i start with the most recessed or "lowest" surface, and work my way out. Normally this works great as it allows you to be a bit sloppy on edges to "higher" surfaces because you are just going to come back in later and recover it with new paint. It can be harder to try and come in later and paint lower surfaces especially if there is any overhangs your brush might bump into. on this model however, if i drybrush the fur first, it allows me to really go to town with it and not worry about overbrushing onto painted areas. the model immediately made me think of christmas hence the green and red variants. does anyone have any suggestions for the third models coat color?

just finished the first 2 models from the unstitched box set. in hindsight, i would have drybrushed the fur trim before painting anything else. that would have allowed me to be more thorough and sloppy with the drybrushing.

I wanted to make bases that looked like plank flooring of the hut, like on the board. these are another model companies bases which are slightly larger, 25mm, and the wood is cut up coffee stirring sticks glued down and then coated with minwax antique walnut polyurethane wood varnish.

I love the buttons idea. a beginner modeller could leave buttons as is, and a stronger painter can customize them like you did. just tonight as assembling the plastics, I was wondering how to do the bases. As a tabletop wargamer since 97, I knew i could never leave them blank. currently considering gluing wooden coffee stir sticks onto the bases, and trimming them down, to make it look like the puppets are on a wooden plank floor.

I just got the Unstitched game as a gift, and wanted to be able to play 4player. While at the game store, I saw they had the extra puppet decks, and a multiplayer expansion box. Now that I am home and have opened it, it looks like these were for the original game and none of the cards have a movement value. If I was to play these models with the rules on their cards, and just assume they all only have a movement value of 2, would they work with the unstitched rules/models? are the rules compatible?