Help with painting

[rarkry13]

First let me start off hi my name is dylan.

i need tips and or help on painting because i have a crew already that a person gave me when i was just starting playing,(if he reads this thank you very much cya on friday) and once i start expanding my crew and getting more crews well lets just say i suck at painting so i need some tips and some help if anyone could give me some or refer me to a good source/video either one i dont mind.

[jfivat]

I don't mind giving you some tips and tricks, as I restarted painting some time ago with Malifaux.
Before that I painted a lot of Warhammer figurines (Skavens mostly)

I painted - Dark Debt Crew
          - The Torch and the Blade Crew
          - No Shelter here Crew

I have also watched quite some YouTube video on miniature painting, to improve my technique

Here is the technique I use for most of my figurines :

Step 1

  I spray them with a white Citadel primer http://www.kelz0r.dk/magic/images/skullwhitespray.jpg
  (you can also paint them in white "by hand")
 
Step 2

  Paint the figurine colors with the darkest color possible.
  For this you take your base color for every part of the figurine, mix it with black, mix it with a lot of water so the color is very liquid and very dark. Apply it over the white base, so the dark paint will go into the recesses and holes. For this phase, you don't need to be very precise, the goal is that paint covers every bit of the base white. The figurine will look very dark and ugly at this stage, but it is normal, don't worry.
 
Step 3

  Now the goal is to lighten the base color. Take your base color, mix it with water (but not too much) so the paint is really fin, but won't go into the holes, and paint the color where it is needed, until it looks nice. Repeat the processes with a lighter color (add some white or yellow to the base color) for highlights.
 
Step 4

  Final step is to apply a special wash on small details. The "Nuln Oil" is very good. http://313modellismo.com/shop/images/colori/m2281404a_99189953013_NulnOil_873x627.jpg
 
This is basic process I use and it looks very nice, but of course it needs practice to perfect

I hope I have been able to help you.

Don't be afraid to look for some painting tutorials on YouTube.

[Mike3838]

Jfivat has some good tips there.

 

Generally you'll want to stick to that advice to start out, but I'd add the following.

 

1) When you apply a dark version of the colour I'd probably stay away from mixing in black to it. - it can tend to take away the vibrancy of your colour. For example red + black can be very very dark, but red + dark brown might be a more natural tone. You can experiment with this to get the tone you prefer.

 

2) My own method involves painting one area at a time rather than doing all the dark tones at ones, then all the mid-tones etc.. So I would do all the skin first (dark tone, mid tone, then highlight), and then move onto the shirt (dark, mid, highlight), then the trousers, then the weapon, or whatever. I find this keeps me focused on one colour rather than always having multiple colours on the go at once.

 

3) Some areas of the model you might want to treat differently. Metal armour and weapons usually works best over black, and then you could use either a drybrush method (look that one up), or you could paint the metal colour over black and then use a wash (basically an ink with lots of pigment) as the final coat. Human skin tone is another one that some people prefer to handle with a wash - usually dark brown over a base skin tone.

[paradoxstorm]

Thanks for getting this thread started, I look at all the wonderful paint jobs that folks are showing in the showcase and I get a bit discouraged (recognizing that my artistic talents are unlikely up to the standards I see there.)

 

I have been watching some youtube videos, but it is still nice to see some written instructions.  Thanks to those that have (and still will) respond.   

 

For Rarkry13 I would mention that there are a lot of videos for beginning painters on youtube, some of them quite good, most are at least okay.  My interest in war gaming is narrowly focused on Malifaux so I do have some personal issues watching instructional videos based on warhammer (or other game) figures.  If you don't have those issues, you have a wider range of videos to choose from.

 

A message that I have taken away from some of the videos is that there is a "game ready" standard of painting and a "display ready" standard, which is much higher.  The game ready standard appears to be something I can achieve with ordinary levels of painting skill so I am constantly reminding myself that I am planing to play my models, not win painting contests.  (I have also stocked up on Simple Green so that if/when my painting skills improve, I can strip my early models and repaint them.)

[MudgeBlack]

Another thing to keep in mind that I (and I think most reasonable gamers) would rather face a badly painted army (or crew) than one all unpainted or just primed.  It shows that you are putting out the effort and the models are easier to keep track of.  So don't get dicouraged, the best way to get better is by doing.  Keep at it and your skills will improve.  One of our local guys paints professionally and has a site with tips and tutorials http://www.figurepainters.com/

Good luck and post up some of your work.

[rarkry13]

thanks for the advice and sorry i didnt reply sooner i was on a trip. but yeah thanks this has come in handy very much.

[Dustin E. Veesart]

Personally I prefer working with a black basecoat versus a white, but that is because I mainly work with darker colors and that means fewer layers. When I painted 40K I would try and do batches or full squads, but this is incredibly tedious and I would quickly grow bored. Painting Malifaux miniatures is more to my attention and paint style as I can focus on just one model since I know the next one I will be painting will be different and full of it's own character. Gives you more of a sense of accomplishment to look at a finished product, quicker gratification than trying to work on 5 at a time.

 

I highly recommend picking a color sheme for each crew you work with, nothing fancy just a few colors that your models will have in common. This will make it much easier when figuring out how you want to paint each model. Experiment with washes as they will help bring out shading and give different efects to the same color. For example I painted my Death Marshalls primarily brown, this includes their coffins, but I used the GW red wash on their coats, boots, and gloves to give it a leather look and I used Nuln Oil on the coffins to give a wooden appearance. If you have an old miniature around use that as your test model to see the different effects before you apply it to one you are actually going to paint.

[Pierowmaniac]

Use a colour wheel for getting the right mix of colours on a model or group of models (i.e. your crew). It helps whatever standard of painting your aiming for.

[dgraz]

http://paletton.com/#uid=3000L0kllllaFw0g0qFqFg0w0aF

 

This color wheel is great for picking colors.

 

Best advice I can give is to read and watch videos......and of course to practice. There are a gazillion tutorials out there and they cover all topics ranging from color theory, basic painting, light sources, to more specific issues like painting eyes, painting metallics, picking the right brush, etc. That's how I started many years ago.

 

It's okay if you think your stuff looks like crap......everyone's stuff looked like crap when they first started......even those of us that paint at a high level now started out badly so don't get discouraged. It can take time to learn. Pick a technique you think you can do and try it.....if it feels like too much, try another technique.....if it feels like something you can work with then keep trying it. Never stop reading and learning.......I've been painting for years and I still try new things.....if it works, I add it to my repertoire of tricks.

 

Once you get going post pictures and look for feedback.....criticism helps artists to grow. There are a lot of great painters out there (and quite a few on this forum) and most have no problem helping out with advice.

 

Stroll through some of the painting threads......find someone who's work you like and want to aspire to......then message that person when you're ready for some specific feedback and see if they'll help out.....they may not have time or the desire, but in most cases you'll get some help....but respect their time too.....don't just ask general questions.....no one can teach you how to paint everything on a forum....do some work yourself, then ask and work on specific areas to improve....you're much more likely to get help if you're making an honest effort to improve.....eventually you will have worked on enough areas that you'll be doing well all around.

[Mako]

Dgraz is right - experiment, play, discover what you want to improve (or post pictures and ask what people think you could work on), and ask questions. Anyone that doesn't want to help, in my experience, probably wasn't worth asking in the first place!

 

Don't get discouraged if it takes time to get answers and people commenting - I know I'm very cautious about offering critique, as I'm never sure how much of it people want, or if they just need a bit of encouragement to keep practicing. Generally when people ask me directly it's obvious, so I'm always happy to be PMed or nudged on my thread.

 

There's a whole pile of great painters here with various styles and techniques, so pick and choose the bits you like best and then try varying them yourself. 

 

Above all else, keep trying and have fun with it - no sense forcing yourself to do a particular technique you hate!

[dgraz]

Anyone that doesn't want to help, in my experience, probably wasn't worth asking in the first place!

 

Quoted for truth.

[John Grammaticus]

If you want a chilled, fun and interactive painting vlog/ live show then check out Way of the Brush, Kris does great demos and goes through everything from the beginning. His colour wheel rants are also very amusing! Watching an episode really helps get me motivated to paint and improve my painting. I picked up a lot of bad habits when I was a kid that I just didn't recognise until I watched these!

There's a metric ton of stuff over on miniwargaming.com too (where Kris works) some is free and some is subscription only bit I've found is well worth it!

Enjoy =)