Complete beginner to painting/minatures

[Keith_C]

Hi to all from a newcomer!

My wife bought me a start set of Malifaux goodies for Christmas, and after a couple of games together we've decided we like it enough to splash out on few more items.

However neither of us have ever painted minatures before - the closest we've ever got is the occasional Tamiya model.

As such we suspect we have no suitable paints or glues, and am looking for advice on what to buy - I don't know if mentioning other brands is permitted, but our local Games Workshop recommended a pack of Citadel paints, but I thought I best get some impartial advice first.

Cheers to anyone who can help - we're pretty intimidated by the intricacy and delicacy needed for the models, but we'll give it a go!

[Rundark]

Citadel paints are a very good choice. i would try and find some tutorial stuff about miniature painting on the internet. Miniature mentor has a few very good downloadable tutorials however they are not free.

[SuicideCommando]

(Note these are my opinions and are hardly the be-all-end-all)

Well, first off you'll need some primer if you don't already have any. There's primers put out by companies specifically targeted at miniatures but in my experience they're over priced and some of the time don't even work that well.

Primer that I can attest to being good is Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Primer and Duplicolor Primer. I think Duplicolor is better but you may or may not be able to find it as it's an automotive primer. I found some at a local Napa. Both run about $5 for a can and one will be more than enough for the few minis Malifaux requires.

Color of the primer is another choice. Most commonly used is white and black. A white primer will usually give more vibrant colors and you'll be able to see detail a lot better as you paint. Black is good for a darker look and it hides places that don't get painted/can't be reached and hides mistakes better. Personally, I prefer white.

Alright, next up is brushes. Good brushes are a huge part of painting well in my opinion. Having to fight a brush that's splitting constantly is incredibly frustrating and results in sloppy painting. You want a brush that's going to keep its shape for a long time, or at least long enough to justify its price before you need to replace it. If you really want to get into painting, I recommend Windsor and Newton Series 7 pointed rounds. They also make a Series 7 "miniature brush" but don't be fooled by the name, I believe the pointed rounds are the preferred one. I think they hold more paint, but I'm not sure. These can be really expensive if bought for retail, think $20+ per brush. Good news is you don't have to pay retail, places like Dick Blick sell it for 60% off on their website:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/winsor-and-newton-series-7-kolinsky-sable-pointed-round/

If you want to start with cheaper brushes, and that's probably a good idea if you're just getting started, someone else might be able to help as I haven't used anything else for a while. Size wise I get by with a size 1 and a size 00 but your needs may vary.

Onto paint. It's hard to go wrong with paint. You want water based acrylic paint but brand tends to be more of a personal preference. I've seen people say they've painted with Apple Barrel brand that's sold at Walmart for like a $1 for a large bottle. Personally, I wouldn't use it for painting minis, but I'm picky. I've used Reaper Master Series and Privateer Press P3 for the past while. I'm quite partial to the Reaper Master Series because they have a huge range (I think current count is 252 different colors) and they tend to come in "triads" including the base color and the shadow and highlight for the base color. It's up to you, just don't let the GW store convince you that theirs is magic or something. I haven't used their range for a while so I don't know about quality but there's plenty of brands out there to try out.

I'm not going to go into paint technique or anything because that is a huge subject, but I will say make sure you thin your paints properly. Painting on too thick can ruin details and leave you frustrated with the end result. The phrase I constantly hear is make sure the consistency resembles milk. After a while you get a feel for it. Another thing, unless the painting technique specifically requires otherwise, let a coat of paint dry before going over it again. It can tear the previous layer of paint if you go over it too soon. It can be hard to wait, especially if you're impatient like me.

That's all I can think of right now...

[DeafNala]

Darkson Designs has a GREAT "how to" book on painting techniques that might be worth your time to check out. It uses Vallejo paints as a basis for instruction. :guns:

[Jens]

If you're completly new to miniature painting I'd likely try to look up a local store and see if they might give you a small personal tutorial. Though I never tried it - the Games Workshop stores are supposed to even provide you with all the materials needed for free when you paint there your first miniature. Even though they might be somewhat more on the pricy side - colors and primer are my personal favourites on average. But as always there is no 'best' - eventually you might try out different brands and see what works best for you. Brushes are very important and if handled properly good ones will last much longer making them effectivly cheaper - the brushes used are basically small water color brushes. DaVinci, Raphael, Winsor & Newton have their premium ranges and they tend to be the most popular choice. A common mistake for beginners is to take a way too small brush - a good brush of size 1 or 2 seems the best choice for me. The problem with a too small brush is that the paint dries too quickily and it cannot hold sufficient paint.

If you shouldn't be able to find someone to show you the first steps in painting personally I'd recommend a video tutorial. The already mentioned miniature mentor video series is good, but they adress people who are happy to spent 10h+ on a single miniature and know the basics. Another great video was released by Kraken Editions - but again it is for people basic knowledge and covers more advanced techniques (it's more structured than the miniature mentor ones that usually focus on a very small aspect).

Fairly short but with pretty much everything needed to start is a painting video by Privateer Press - it's only around 60 minutes, but it shows all the basics. Obviously they'll present Privateer Press products constantly, but equivalent products will work just as good. This would be my recommendation. I think there are 'trailers' of these videos on youtube.

[Major_Gilbear]

First of all, hello and welcome to the Wyrd boards!

Next up, I'd like to point out that Wyrd was a miniatures and painting site long before it was a 'game' site, so many folks here are in it for the painting and modelling aspect of the hobby and should be able to offer you a wide range of helpful advice.

Now that's said, I largely agree with Suicide Commando's comments. I do have some additional comments to make though, so I'll also post a list of suggestions:

1] Start by cleaning up your models. They will have mould lines and flash on them, and will need to be carefully filed off. To do this, you will need some small files, and most hardware stores can sell you a set of 3-5 for a reasonable price. Hobby files and branded files are usually just more expensive re-brands and are sometimes of inferior quality - so don't be fooled! For softer metals, like the pewter in Wryd models or lead, you might want a stick of chalk too - if you rub a little on the files first, it stops the metal gumming up your files quite so readily and helps keep them sharp.

2] You will then need to assemble your models. Superglue (cyanoacrylate, or CA) is best, again, I suggest trying your local hardware store for some industrial-strength stuff. It will all glue your fingers fast, but some of these are more effective when gluing models. This stuff often comes in three consistencies; thin, medium and thick. I prefer thin or sometimes medium, as CA is a contact adhesive and I try and get a good fit prior to gluing. Some folks prefer the thicker stuff (which can be a bit gel-like) as it is less runny, but I find that if it does run, then the thin stuff doesn't obscure details like the thick stuff does.

3] Some parts may have a small area of contact or will stick out at an unwieldy angle that makes it hard to glue or are simply quite heavy. To securely attach these pieces, you will need to pin them. Pinning simply means using a very small hand drill and some fine brass rod to drill a hole into each part before fixing them together with some CA glue and a length of brass rod. There are lots of tutorials for pinning to be found on the 'net, and if you ask here, I can explain how it's done and what you will need and where to get it. In the meantime, you might find this article by Anthony Karl Erdelji and this article by ArkenTyre useful.

4] You may need to fill some gaps in your models if there are any poor joins or if the pieces don't quite align properly, or to cover any heavy tool marks that you may have made. To do this, you will need a fine two-epoxy putty. The commonly-referenced "Green Stuff" is actually made by Kneadatite, and may well be available in your local hardware store for considerably less than from a hobby store. A more user-friendly putty is called ProCreate and is made by Kraftmark; you can get this from local model and hobby stores or online. I happen to prefer ProCreate as I feel I have more control over it and it is rather easier to work with if you're not hugely experienced.

5] Now that you've cleaned and assembled your model, wash it. Just with hand-hot water and some dish-soap and a small brush (like an old toothbrush). This will remove any filings, dust, grease or mould-release agent from the model and make sure your paint sticks as well as possible to the model. Make sure the model is very thoroughly dry before you prime it.

6] Next step is to prime your model. You can prime by hand using a couple of very thin coats of paint, or you can spray-prime. I've done both with good results, but have moved almost entirely over to spray-priming recently as it gives a better result for the primer/undercoat colour I favour - grey. I use an automotive primer, and these are not only cheaper than hobby primers (which are often just aerosol paint and not real primer anyway), but are also much higher quality. The quality issue is important; car primers are often used to touch up areas of clean bare metal on a car, and are designed to he hard-wearing, to bond well to the surface and ultimately to be suitable (after a few topcoats!) for exterior use. I also find them slightly more tolerant of spraying conditions than ordinary spray paint too. Primer usually comes in four colours - black, grey, white and dull red (though you can get more colours, these are the most common by far). Black is good if your model will be in predominatly dark colours; white is best if you're using bright or light colours (like whites, reds, yellows or greens); and grey is a halfway-house between the two. Red can be useful if the model will end up predominantly red anyway, otherwise white or grey might be better. To spray, you will need a warm/temperate day, out of direct sunlight, and an area that is well ventilated but where the air is reasonably still - a garage is often good for example. Mount the model onto a peice of wood or some cardboard so that you can hold it properly as you spray without touching the model. Shake the can hard for at least 5-10 minutes. Then, spray a little paint away from the model to check that the can is spraying correctly and won't sputter over the model. Holding the model about 10-12" away, spray across the model in a smooth motion; avoid spraying directly at the model. Turn your model and repeat. After about two or three passes you're done. If there are some thin or or slightly bare spots, don't worry - the primer doesn't need to 100% cover the model, it is not your basecoat afterall! All the primer is there to do is to stick the paint to your model. After priming, set the model somewhere still, warm and dry for about an hour before you handle it.

7] Now you're all primed, you're ready to paint. There are lots of model-suitable acrylic paints on the market nowadays, and whilst some are definitely better than others, I think that where you live can matter too (as local conditions may affect how your paint behaves).

GW is generally fairly expensive for the volume you get, and uneven in quality. Their colour range tends towards quite bright colours and getting natural-looking colours can often require a bit of mixing. Their Foundation range is popular, but I always find their paints to be a bit gritty and to not thin very well. Likewise, their washes are popular, but aside from black (Badab Black) and brown (Devlan Mud), I rarely see many of them used. Their main advantage is availability and that they dry very fast (which may or may not be a good thing), along with an excellent range of very good metallic paints.

Vallejo produce two paint ranges - Game Colour (VGC) and Model Colour (VMC). The VGC is designed as a direct competitor to GW and have a very similar range of colours. They have recently released a "High Pigment" range to compete with GW's Foundation range for example. That said, I find that they are far better value than GW, and generally cover much better. They do need a good shake prior to use though, and they come in dropper bottles (which I like, but not everyone does), and have great metals. VMC are similar, but have even high pigmentation and a bigger range. They are designed for historical figures though, and come in more naturalistic colours - this is useful though, especially if you want greys, browns, muted greens etc. VMC does have bright colours too, it's just that the range isn't aimed at that.

Privateer Press Paints (P3) are the new kid on the block, and are very impressive indeed. They combine bright and muted colours in their range, and are very easy to work with. Because they use liquid rather than ground pigments, they also thin very well. They can be pricey (like GW), but you get a fair amount of paint in a bottle. I would avoid their metals completely as they are horrible, but otherwise they get a big thumbs up from me. If you're in the US, these should be fairly easily available.

Next up, Foundry and Reaper have huge paint ranges. These companies tend to sell paints in sets of three (basecoat, shade colour and highlight colour) which is very popular. They both have pretty good coverage and a good mix of bright and naturalistic colours.

Finally, Coat D'Arms. This company is UK-based, and used to make GW's paints a (very) long time ago. They stock the complete range of (very) old GW colours and are good value and quality - they are a lot like the Reaper and Foundry paints in fact, except that they do not come in triads and are usually brighter colours. This same company also manufactures P3 paints I beleive.

So for paints, I would recommend Vallejo and P3, with GW or Vallejo metals.

8] To paint with, you again have a variety of brushes. Rather than list them all, I'll point out a few generalities to help you. Good quality sable brushes are much better than other types for actually painting your models with. Cheap sable brushes of passible quality can be had from GW or Vallejo, or you can get some from an art store. The art store ones will vary by brand, but a fairly universal rule is that you get what you pay for in an artist's shop brush. I like the Windsor & Newton 7 Series, and almost exclusively use a Size 1. A Size 2 is good for bigger models, and a Size 0 might be useful for very small areas like eyes and faces. I like W&N7s because they are very sharp-pointed and springy, keep their point and hold a lot of paint (which also helps to stop the paint drying in your brush). For painting bases, use a cheap sable or a synthetic brush as the rough surface will damage you good brushes. Also, try not to use your best quality brushes for metals, as metals tend to damage brushes faster than ordinary paints.

9] Basing. Important for a good-looking model, and will help show off your hard work at its best, they are still rushed or overlooked by most folks. At the most bare level, glue some fine sand to the model's base with white PVA glue (EVOstick made an excellent woodworking PVA glue that I've come to love after trying and failing with lots of other cheapo white glues - you can get it from a hardware store again), then paint it. Basing can get very elaborate, but if you are starting out and want something fancy without the work, consider buying some pre-made resin bases or the Wyrd base inserts. Companies who make these include Micro Art, Back to Basix, Fenris Games, Dragonforge, Dark Age, Kerr & King. Of these, Micro Art, Dark Age, Dragonforge and Fenris Games have been excellent in my experience, but others are more inconsistent (like Kerr & King).

10] Sealing your models is the final step. This is also a potentially risky step, and many folks have horror stories of sprays fogging and brush-ons paint stripping, but it will keep your models from being damaged easily and is important if you game with them. General consensus is that you need two sealer coats; a hard-wearing gloss coat, and then a second aesthetically-pleasing matte coat. You can either brush or spray these on, and many folks have their preferences. Personally, I've had the very best results with a combination. First, I start with a water-based diamond-finish high quality floor varnish. This is thinned with some water and a thin coat is painted onto the model. Areas that are likely to get knocked or handled may get a second thin coat. After this has dried thoroughly (leave it 24 hours somewhere warm, dry and dust-free), it gets sprayed lightly with a couple of passes of Testor's Dullcoat. This way, I get the best protection, and the best finish.

I hope that was useful to you, and if you have any questions just ask. If you need product links, again just ask. If you need techniques advice, just - well you get the idea! I've also highlighted sections 3, 4 and 9 as these are more situational/optional and may not apply to you, or can be considered more 'advanced' things to consider for the future. Also, I have added a section 11; in case things go wrong!

11] If things go wrong... Don't worry! Often, mistakes or poor colour choices can be saved or rectified, and the final effect may still please you. However, it might be that you glue the model together wrongly, fail at the undercoat stage, or mess up in some other way that is hard to fix and you want to start over. In this case, you can always strip the model and start again. Now, many folks have lots of recommended tips and products, but the main things to remember are: some products are quite toxic, and some products will dissolve glue, plastic and putty. Simple Green concentrate is usually reckoned to be an excellent paint stripper, and is plastic-friendly too. It can soften glue and putty though, especially after extended (several days for example) soaking. It is non-toxic and quite environmentally 'green'.

However, getting this stuff in the UK is nearly impossible without great expense. So I use the rather more toxic option of paint stripper (Nitromors specifically); this removes all glue, paint, putty and plastic in a frighteningly short time and stinks. Aside from being a teratogen, carcinogen and mutagen, it does leave your models as clean as the day you opened the blister with really minimal work.

I also found that Dot4 Clutch & Brake Fluid is a very good stripper, but models will need an extended soak (days to weeks). It softens glue and putty, but doesn't harm plastic or metal. Nor does it give off vapours (as it is essentially mineral oil). You can't pour the stuff down the drain, but it isn't otherwise very toxic as long as you don't try and drink it or bathe in it.

Edited January 18, 2010 by Major_Gilbear

[ork56]

without having read all the above info, which I am sure will give you all the info required, the best thing is just to have a go.

Provided you prime first (black/grey or white, no matter) you will surely get decent results; good luck and have fun.

[mechaace]

I'd really have to agree with pretty much everything said above. Really many brands are dependant on your particular painting style you adopt so for a while I'd maybe go with one of the brands like GW, reaper, Vallejo whatever that is most available and cheapest until you can find what you like then you can start mixing it up. I use GW, P3 and Vallejo GC and MC with the odd bit of reaper paints as well.

Another idea might be to go into the GW and ask about a painting lesson, as I believe they do lessons for basics things and then at other times may have painting nights where they teach certain principles.

Also if you have a local games club/group of mates whom you game with then show them the fig and ask their advice. At my club we're always showing our figs to each other and asking each other for advice on how to do certain techniques etc.

Best thing as said by Ork56 above is simply to get a model, clean it up, prime it and have a go. Don't be intimidated as I can tell you that I was a pretty rubbish painter when I first tried but I've slowly gotten better. Not fantastic by any stretch but i'm better at least.

And if it does all go horribly wrong, or in a few years you're not happy and think you can do better the figure can be stripped with whatever solvent and you can try again.

Edited January 18, 2010 by mechaace

[Ninelives]

Hi,

If you go to this website:

http://www.beastsofwar.com/

Follow the link to their YouTube channel you will find a fair few painting tutorials which are very much aimed at someone just starting out painting who wants to get the miniatures on the table quickly. After you have painted a few models I would then advise the miniature mentor series mentioned several times above.

I have been painting for 1 year now and it’s finally getting to the point where I am really proud of my efforts when I have finished. I almost enjoy the painting as much as playing the games so stick with it and I'm sure you will be amazed at what you can achieve.

Hope this helps.

[Peterdita]

lots of good advice said already.

You can do a lot with the citadel foundation and wash boxed sets for a minimal initial investment.

[Keith_C]

Wow.

That's all I can say.

Wow.

What absolutely fantastic advice and response, I can't thank you all enough!

I guess I just need to grit my teeth and give it a go - the tips on how to recover when it goes wrong are very welcome though, I may well need them. I'm UK based myself, so I suspect some of these things will be harder to come by, but we live in an internet age after all!

How flexible is the metal by the way? My Hog Whisperer has a bent pitchfork, and I'm wondering whether to risk straightening it or not.

[Nick]

The metal is pretty flexible, if you're carefull, you can bend the pitchfork easily in the right shape Not that much of a problem.

[Major_Gilbear]

I'm UK based myself, so I suspect some of these things will be harder to come by, but we live in an internet age after all!

Well, I'm UK-based too, so if you need help sourcing things, just ask.

How flexible is the metal by the way? My Hog Whisperer has a bent pitchfork, and I'm wondering whether to risk straightening it or not.

Wyrd's pewter is more flexible than other manufacturer's, but you should be able to bend the pitchfork back - just do it gently, steadily and take your time. As long as it doesn't keep getting bent again, you should be fine.

[mechaace]

Regarding sourcing things in the UK, I shall admit I picked up a bottle of Pinesol while I was on holiday in America and it works really well, though as stated you can't get it here.

I think one of my friends has tried Fairy power spray and he says that works pretty good as well. I've also heard that sainsburys own brand pine cleaner works very good, though one of my other friends disagrees.

I'll check on the fairy power spray and confirm before people rush out and buy it.

[Nathan Caroland]

Does my heart good seeing painters stepup back out from the gamers (or don their painter hats on top of the gamer one for a few moments). I'm a painter more than a gamer though I don't profess to do either of them very well.

Welcome to Wyrd!

Edited January 19, 2010 by Nathan Caroland

[Marcalla]

Great advice from all the posters above me.

Some advice I always like to give about painting.

In most every model I've ever painted there is a point where I look down and think to myself this looks horrifically bad, how did I get to this point. But I've found that if you just keep working at the model (shading, drybrushing, washing etc) that the model will come around and you'll find what your looking for.

Secondly the advice on primer is right on, don't get fooled by the more expensive "miniatures" primer local automotive/major brand primers work better than most and are waaaay less expensive. Not a big deal with 5-7 miniatures to be painted but when your painting whole armies its a big concern.

I prefer grey primer over black or white the neutrality of grey gives better range to the colors in my opinion. Black primed models tend to require more coats to "conceal" the primer color in my opinion.

On files, I'd suggest getting craftsman "needle" file set. The best thing about them is they are considered "hand tools" and as such fall under the craftsman lifetime warranty. If they ever gunk up/break or dull you just take em to Sears and they give you a new set free. This may not be as helpfull in the UK.

Lastly, it might be worthwhile picking up some other miniatures to "practice" on. Look for second hand mini's on the popular sites or even through local game clubs. Practicing on some old mini's that you arn't using for a game can keep you from having to look at early unpracticed work on the table while your playing a game you enjoy.

[Svenn]

I'm pretty bad at painting, but I've gotten better just by picking up a few techniques here and there. Washing and Dry brushing are the two easiest and best ways to make your minis look better I think.

This site will explain those and more:

http://www.how-to-paint-miniatures.com/

[Nick]

Maybe another tip (don't know if somebody already mention it) don't go directly for all the fancy techniques, but just paint the models you have in one base colour,, it will look very nice on the gaming table, and gives you a good setup for practising futher techniques like drybrushing / highlighting / shading for example!

[Warlord Imp]

I have to say that the Citadel Washes are a painters friend. Getting the box set is worth the money. Learning to use it is just as easy. My tip is to read all the tutorials before dipping the brush. When you understand the techniques, then get some cheap throw away models to practice the techniques on. GW gives away free models to new people after they present a lengthy demo. If they don't, ask for one.

I started with the cheap apple barrel paints before I truly invested in the brand names like Vallejo or Citadel. I also used bargain bin paint brushes but they do not last very long, so investing in the name brand brushes and learning proper brush care is very important.

[Chev Chelios]

I use Ceramcote,Vallejo and Citadel washes. I also use a flow aid to thin certain paints down as well as washes. I tend to shy away from black primer,I think it is too thick.

[Wombats]

With nice minis like Malifaux's, I've regretted using black primer.

I've been doing a white primer spray and then washing (50% water 50% paint) a dark colour over it.

It gives definition to the model so you can see what you are painting.

With Pandora's crew, they will have a lot of different colours.

Washing purple into the darkest recesses seems to be making those disparate colours work well together.

Your brain don't register it, but the dark recesses are all dark purple and it makes the whole crew look uniform without making them the same.

[HeaDHunTeRfs]

These post are great and I too will take them into account when I start painting my crew! :fisheye:

(c'mooooooonnnn shipment xD)

[Keith_C]

Well we have stuck our models together, and this weekend we'll be starting with the painting! Went and bought a few paints but no doubt we'll be popping out again to get the stuff we missed!

We're both as nervous as hell though!

[Zephir]

Im not sure if others have come to love them as much as i do, but the GW washes are amazing. These have been the best thing for my painting since i learned what Dry Brushing* was. They are very easy to use and help people who aren't able to blend paints and highlight models very well. they are absoluelty amazing. if you want a dirty look use Devlin Mud. badab black is great to darken a modles tones and make the colors blend together. I have played with all their washes, i just find those two are the ones i use up and have to rebuy most often.

*Dry brushing is another method of painting, you wipe the paint off of your brush on a paper-towel unit its dry then brush it lightly along the model. Its another way to get easy highlights. but be careful it ruins brushes that aren't meant to drybrush. Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, its a great way to speed paint models.

[Juliet]

I love Devlan Mud and some of the other washes, but I think the other GW paints are crap. I use a mixture of Vallejo and P3 which I highly recommend. I will be testing out Reaper very soon as I've heard they are excellent. If you are after some reasonably good cheap brushes, try out em-4 in the UK, I'm quite fond of their synthetics and they don't roll off the table.