Morodant Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 Good evening, all! As presented above, I'm absolutely new to the game (and to the world of miniatures in general) and have just acquired the Red Chapel Gang Crew and the Sorrows Crew as well. With that in mind, as I've never painted much of anything at all in my life, would anyone have any pointers for me? And how very many of you use a magnifying glass? Thank you for any direction whatsoever, Keep it evil, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixEnvy Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 There are a million tips people can give, and will.. but first, I'm going to give you one that I don't think people offer enough. The very first thing you should decide is to what level you want your miniatures to be painted. No matter what that is, it will require practice and skills to execute, but which skills you develop in which order should be very carefully thought out. A good example of this is freehanding. While a good freehand design looks awesome, a mediocre one looks awful. If you want your minis painted to that level, you will need to practice significantly. By the same token, and awesome freehand design looks terrible if the rest of the model looks terrible. Assuming you want to aim for what people call "Table Top Standard" and increase your skills from there, I would recommend the following progression of skills.. which is to say, learn them in this order. 1) Careful assembly and cleaning. I cannot count the number of awesome paintjobs that have turned out to be not as great ex post facto when I realized that I left a mould line somewhere obvious. Washing, sanding, and careful alignment go a long way toward the final product. 2) Good priming. This is two fold.. Research both the product and the method. For most, this is at least a choice between white and black primer, each has its benefits and drawbacks. Brand also plays some role, but more related to cost in most cases. Application is a tricky thing. As a new painter, it often seems (and always did to me, for a long time) best to apply a nice, even, smooth coat of primer. In reality, one wants only enough primer to make the paint stay stuck to the model. It's better to leave some lightly covered areas than to overspray the entire model. If you have cleaned the mould release from your models, a minimum of primer should suffice. 3) Careful, thoughtful basecoating. This can't be overstated. Your first coat of paint should be applied evenly, neatly, and carefully as it determines the 'cleanness' of the entire model. Consider contrasting colors in adjacent areas, as well as limiting and working within a unified palette. Base coat colors should be, in most cases, a medium tone, usually slightly lighter or brighter than the final overall color you want the model to be. (Assuming you will use washes, which most beginners do, and should). 4) Shading & Highlighting. This is where things get reeeeeally sketchy. You basically have a wide spectrum of techniques available. The most basic are the combination of washes/inks for darker areas (choice of product here is absolutely imperative, and proper use related to the specific product) and drybrushing brighter colors for highlights. These two techniques, when employed judiciously, and with practiced skill, can create beautiful miniatures that you will be proud to play with. Do not let anyone tell you that you are a bad painter for using them. On the other hand, if you want to challenge yourself, or as you develop more skill and confidence, you can move into blended highlights. I don't recommend this first off, and I won't go into detail here about it, but there are plenty of tutorials out there about it. You will find, most frustratingly, that no one can agree on the best techniques, products, or even results to achieve. 5) Finishing. Choosing the right kind of lacquers for your painting style, along with smart looking basing, makes a very big difference on the final product. Again, there are wildly varying opinions on the subject, and countless ways to go about both. The most important thing here is that gloss varnish protects very well, especially those with UV blockers, if you wish to protect your effort and investment. If you want a flat or satin finish, you should have that, but always always use a paint-on (not spray.. I've never had problems, but I have seen/heard horror stories) gloss varnish over your finished painted model before spraying or painting on additional matte finishes. I hope that helps.. There's a lot to learn, but the basics aren't that hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entiago Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 I second PhoenixEnvy's advice. Pactice makes perfect or close to it. Some people take years, others can pick it up instantly- but patience is key, especially for starters like yourself. There are many site out there (and magazines) that can help you get on your way and show nice pictures to boot. But be forwarned, not everyone paints the same way. Some build from shades to highlights and others start with the main color and then shade then highlight, and even others differ from that. You may end you following others styles of paint (and thats ok) you may even find yourself developing your own stlye which is good to. Some websites with good information and ides on the miniature painting, terrain building, and even some have info on taking nice picks of your painted minis: - http://http://coolminiornot.com/ CoolMiniorNot.com - http://blog.brushthralls.com/ BrushThralls.com - http://paintingclinic.com/ Paintingclinic.com A few good magazines worth checking out: - No Quarter (Privateer Press's official bi-monthly magazine insites on miniatures, terrain, and their line- Warmachine and Hordes) - White Dwarf (Games Workshop magazine that focues on their line - Warhammer, Warhammer 40k, and Lord of the Rings miniature games. Helpful insites on painting also in there too) PS: I dont use a magnifying glass, lots of lighting and study hands. CoolminiorNot has some of the best articles around and just about anywhere in the painting community you can generly fins people willing to help or share their knowledge. Cheers and good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morodant Posted October 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Thanks a bunch, you guys! I'll see what I can do without the magnifying glass first, having downed at least one Guinness to ensure the required steady hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ork56 Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 thin your paint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sushicaddy Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 I wish the forum would allow me to thank pheonix envy a couple more times... probably the best concisely said N00b painting advice I have ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorpio Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Welcome to Malifaux! Don't be afraid of practice. The first figs you paint won't be as good as the ones you do even a couple months from now. There's a lot of 'getting the feel' of your own techniques, and seeing for yourself how things work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandu Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Hello, and welcome to mini painting! Clean and relatively simple basing helps immensely. A decently painted mini looks much better when on a nice base. A nicely painted mini looks bad when on a poor base. With all the base inserts out there (and the cost is not to bad) it's a lot easier now than ever before. Oh. Don't over do the basing either. I've seen minis get 'lost' in the base. I strongly recommend that you practice spray sealing on a 'throw-away' mini before you do it with your good minis. I, unlike PhoenixEnvy, have had a can of matte varnish 'gray' a set of my minis. Totally ruined the paint jobs of 5 minis in one shot. The advice on the paint on gloss varnish is 100% correct. Think of it as hitting the save button. Whoops... Brushes. you"ll need a couple of decent brushes. You do not need $30.00 brushes. Stay away from nylon. Sable is always a good bet. Take care of your brushes and they will last you quite a while. Brandu Who does use magnifiers... my eyes finally got too bad not to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Caroland Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 All good advice above so I'll simply say Welcome to Wyrd! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixEnvy Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Ahh, I forgot to talk about brushes! Thanks for that.. the simple answer is, as was said, buy good brushes, not ridiculous ones. The best that can -comfortably- afford. Always choose natural hair, and never ever set your brush down any way but fully cleaned, with a groomed tip, either lying flat with a cover or tip up in a cup. Natural hair is better in every way, and even the most expensive nylon brushes have the potential to develop a curved or split tip after just the first use. I would recommend reading up on brush care as a whole separate lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Snag some of the free tutorials on the net for painting too. Also - get good supplies! Find a brush that works with your style! Here's a good article: http://thescreamingalpha.com/2009/09/11/brush-shoot-out/ Be Well, ~Shade~ PS>>> Would love to play a game on this table: http://www.coolminiornot.com/218520 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandu Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 Just wondering, Do you have a friendly local gamestore? I've met more than a few nice folks at stores who have been more than willing to give pointers and advice. Plus then you can play Malifaux htere and show it off... Brandu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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