Painting Advice

[Vitriohl]

So, I've finally found out that my gaming store can order in Malifaux products from their distributor, and I've chosen Leveticus box and maybe Desolation Engine.

Aside from that, is there any advice on painting? What paint is a good value, and how much do I need to paint a crew + 1 or 2 extras? I don't know anything about painting, or what does or doesn't work. Thanks for any help!

EDIT: I'm sorry if this should be in Miniature Matters or another section, but I decided on this one. So, feel free to move this if necessary.

Edited June 16, 2011 by Vitriohl
Unsure of correct thread location

[sephiroa]

well, on youtube and on this forum you will find a LOT of painting help.

if you want advice, well,

lets start with what colour you would like to give your models, a bright color? or a more dark tone? it starts with your primer, black or white.

and then you simple add colours.

some things you have to learn is drybrushing, a very nice painting technique wich allows you to highlight without ruining your model.

but what is realy important, make sure you have fun painting your models, if you paint them with the feeling "i don't want to but i have to", you will see it in your painting. take your time, and relax, they are not going to run away even if it takes 3 days for 1 model, as long as its how you want it to be.

need more advice, or more detailed advice, just ask

[Murphy'sLawyer]

Clean the models off before priming them, otherwise the paint will chip off. I myself like to use a cream color primer becuase it is easier to get a good base color without using multiple layers as you do when using white or black primers.

Do not use GW primers, they tend to fuzz up if not shaken well.

I like P3 paints for non metallic paint colors and Valor for my metallics. Thin out the non metallic paints before you start but I would suggest not thinning the metallics when painting since they tend to break up.

Use GW Derven wash for your nonmettalic colors and P3 armor wash for metallics. And try to dry brush on the highlights with a color that is quite a bit higher on the color spectrum than the base to make it POP.

I know this is a lot for a beginner but you will find out what I mean if you keep at it.

[DAGabriel]

And again the big ape is your friend, nice basic tutorials!

[Huoshini]

As far as what company's paints you would want to use: I personally use Games workshop paints or Vallejo.

[ThePandaDirector]

Well first you need a whole lot of thick paint and gloss varnish, and no primer, that works a treat-

OK, all joking aside, painting is really easy with the most basic tools and a little patience - oh and a LOT of practice.

The main paint ranges I'd look at are Citadel (Games Workshop), P3 (Privateer Press) and Vallejo (er.. Vallejo?) - possibly Reaper as well. Personally I use GW paints as they are easy to get a hold of (in the UK) and are nice and thin. P3s are almost the same as GW except they have less colours and are possibly a little thiner (finer pigment). Vallejo offers more tonal range (more variations of each colour) though its best to try out both game and model colour 1st before committing (I hear mixed reviews about them).

As for quantity, for Malifaux you should only need a single pot of each colour you want to get good coverage. This depends on you not overloading your brush and having lots of paint dry up on your palette. For colours, about 2 or 3 different tones of each desired colour should give you a good base to create a basecoat (midtone), shadow and highlights - mixing them together or with black/white to create a smoother blend accross multiple layers.

The basic step by step goes:

1. Clean the models, remove all flash, file (or use a knife if you feel confident) off mold lines etc. Glue together with strong superglue (scrath the parts that join to create a better bond).
   
2. Undercoat - spray or brush on a black/white/gray primer (just look for primer in the name). Doesn't matter which you chose really, though black and white will slightly effect how bright your final model wil look.
   
3. Basecoat - Apply the midtone of your chosen colour, nice and consistent, covering the whole area of the model you want that colour. Note: GW Foundation paint range is supposed to be great for creating a strong basecoat, but should probably be avoided as a midtone (especially when thinning and mixing) as it has a larger pigment.
   
4. Shadow - Either by applying a watered down wash (can be quite glossy) or just watering down a darker tone of your colour, to the recesses you create shadows and depth, defining the model in a 3D space.
   
5. Highlights - You may want to reapply your midtone and then build up towards the final highlight on the most raised areas. Simply by adding a small amount of your lightest tone to the midtone colour - each time painting a smaller area - will create a smoother blend.
   
6. Once finished apply a matt or glosh varnish to protect your models from chipping. For best protection while avoiding a shiny effect, apply gloss then apply matt over it.
   

And that's about it! There are other techniques, relating to particular parts of the models, that you can find online. But keep to the simple guide of shadow, midtone, highlight and you can't go far wrong.

I followed tutorials online and went out and bought a whole load of stuff - wet pallette, painting medium, etc. Then I found out that Eric "we are not worthy" Jones himself only uses water and a basic palette (and paints of course). So you really can get amazing results - don't believe me check out his page on CMON - with just the basic tools. Of course it takes patience and practice, but that's how every miniature should be viewed as - a learning experience. You'll find your own style and discover what works best for you (don't fight that).

I also advice you to look into ways to look after your brush as a healthy brush - with a fine point - makes for a smoother painting experience.

Check out the forums on CMON, tutorials on Massive Voodoo as well as Paint Talk with EricJ here on the Wyrd forum. There is no end of advice and tutorials out there, but nothing beats trying it out yourself

Look forward to seeing what you come up with =]

[WookieeGunner]

As far as how much, a single bottle of whatever colors you want is going to be enough. For brands, the most common are Games Workshop (aka Citadel), Vallejo, Privateer Press (aka P3), Reaper, and Tamiya (I don't recomend Testors). They all have different properties, so for starting out, go with a brand that your LGS carries and get primer and a mid-fleshtone (GW Dwarf Flesh ( http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat470011a&prodId=prod930022a ) or equivalent). Also, pick up a good set of brushes. The recomendation is Red Sable, if your LGS carries Games Workshop then their brushes will work, or something similiar (I use Da Vinci brushes that on Internet pricing run $10-20 a piece, don't need to go that high but if they are in the store less then $3 dollars a piece be wary).

Now, after cleaning (washing) and assemblying (make sure you remove the metal edging running around the model) your Steampunk Abominations, prime them and then paint their skin with the paint you bought. Don't worry about Leveticus, Alice, or anyone else right yet, just the Steampunk Abominations. If possible, make sure you thin your paints. The most common way is with a pallette, but at this stage you can just dip your brush in your water (make sure you have a container of clean water to clean your brush with) before you dip it into the paint pot.

Now that you have painted the skin, did you like the way the paint worked? If so, go buy the rest of your paints. If you didn't, go buy the color you want to use on your SteamPunk Abominations pants from a different vendor and paint just that. Once you have a brand you like, stick with it until you get comfortable with the basics of painting.

Oh, and make sure you buy Devlan Mud. Coat the skin with it and then drybrush (do a google search) the base skin coat on top of it.

Also, make sure every layer dries before you start the next layer (this includes the water from cleaning the model.

[Justin]

Crap, are we supposed to paint these things?

[ThePandaDirector]

Crap, are we supposed to paint these things?

You're not still trying to get the foil wrapping off are you?

The chocolate's a lie

[Vitriohl]

I have never been so overwhelmed by something! Thanks for all the advice. I'm sure I'll question even further when I have the models and can actually plan out what I'm going to do.

[sephiroa]

I have never been so overwhelmed by something! Thanks for all the advice. I'm sure I'll question even further when I have the models and can actually plan out what I'm going to do.

welcome on the wyrd forum

[Buhallin]

There is a TON of great information out there on painting. I'm fond of Dr. Faust's Painting Clinic personally, although he's moved more towards video in recent years there are still a lot of great foundational articles.

Absolute best advice I can give is to appreciate your limitations. You're going to look at the work you see online, or from painting competitions, and you're going to look at yours, and you're going to cry. Three important things to remember:

1. Much of what you see online is from dedicated, long-time painters

2. People rarely post their crap work; spend enough time looking at galleries and Games Day results and the like and it's easy to start thinking every table looks like it was done by Jen Haley.

3. You'll get better

There are a huge range of techniques out there, and learning when and how to use them all is not only a matter of experience, but also preference, all of which will develop with practice.

[Vitriohl]

There is a TON of great information out there on painting. I'm fond of Dr. Faust's Painting Clinic personally, although he's moved more towards video in recent years there are still a lot of great foundational articles.

Absolute best advice I can give is to appreciate your limitations. You're going to look at the work you see online, or from painting competitions, and you're going to look at yours, and you're going to cry. Three important things to remember:

1. Much of what you see online is from dedicated, long-time painters

2. People rarely post their crap work; spend enough time looking at galleries and Games Day results and the like and it's easy to start thinking every table looks like it was done by Jen Haley.

3. You'll get better

There are a huge range of techniques out there, and learning when and how to use them all is not only a matter of experience, but also preference, all of which will develop with practice.

That probably is some of the best advice ever. I know I'm not going to have anything good enough to win a contest. My intention was to just complete something that's respectable when playing with others. They don't have to say, "Wow, did you do that?!" though it would be nice; I just want them to not notice it because it's completely average, and nothing special. I'm also on something of a budget, and don't want to have to buy 37 different paint colours. I'm not sure how many I need, because I want a simple dark theme, with minor colour. I'm not sure what part of that was a question there, but an answer for my non-question would be great!

For now, though, I'm going to read a bit and watch some videos to get a visual on this stuff.

EDIT: With all the information, what will I need to buy in total, if I want a simple theme, and have a budget? ie. what colours can be lightened, and such, and what do I need?

- Primer

- Paints

- Brushes

- Whatever else...

Edited June 17, 2011 by Vitriohl

[Ratty]

Sometimes working with a really limited palette gives your crew a nice look. For example my Neverborn are mainly pinks and browns or mixes of them, I only use other colours as spots. It's a decision I made early on when painting the crew, and I think it makes the crew look like a group even though all the models are very different.

If you decide your working with a limited palette there are a few colours you will need. A bone colour for mixing in to the highlights, I generally use bone more often than white, the one I use these days is Vallejo Pale Sand. You will need a black (though you should be careful to use it sparingly). I would also recommend a chocolate brown as it's much less harsh than black. I also like having a lightish grey/brown for mixing.

Then you will need to pick up colours for whatever colour scheme your after. So for example if your working with pinks, I would pick up a dark pinky/purple and a light pink, you can then mix in the browns, bone etc colours to alter the tone of it. You will do a quite a bit of mixing but you will need less colours.

Quite often you will want two or three colours that compliment each other. In this case I have Dark Red, Bone, Brown and Brass.

The nice thing about working like this is you don't have to buy all the colours at once. If you find you need a colour you can pick it up. I have an awful lot of colours now, but I've built them up over time.

Edited June 17, 2011 by Ratty

[osoi]

Perservence is the key and asking questions (like what you are doing now). I'll reiterate that there is ton of good advice out there and the Wyrd forums are full of knowledgeble people.

I still have the first mini that I painted over 15 years ago in my hobby room as a reminder of where I started from. Best change that I had when I was younger in painting was when I used multiple thinner layers of paint instead of trying to cover everything evenly in one bit hit, as soon as I did that my painting changed.

I have been painting for a long time but went for a bit of time where I didnt do as much as I would have liked but I try and push myself with a new technique or the like occasionally, dont rty an impliment heaps of news at once but rather one thing at a time, helps stop it from being so daunting and overwhelming.

[Dark Alleycat]

A color wheel is a immense help. Taking a look at painter's work and finding things they do that you like and asking them how they did it is also good.

And most importantly...

Practice Practice Practice....no one got amazing at painting overnight. The more times you slap color on a model,the better you will get.how much will depend on how much you push yourself.

[Vitriohl]

A color wheel is a immense help. Taking a look at painter's work and finding things they do that you like and asking them how they did it is also good.

And most importantly...

Practice Practice Practice....no one got amazing at painting overnight. The more times you slap color on a model,the better you will get.how much will depend on how much you push yourself.

My friend just told me he'd sell me the GW 8 paint set with the practice models, which should be practice, hence the "practice" models. I figure it's enough paint, and I'm getting it for much cheaper, so probably a worthwhile investment, at least, until I get more into this.

Now, I need some primer, and I wonder what else...

A bone colour for mixing in to the highlights, I generally use bone more often than white, the one I use these days is Vallejo Pale Sand. You will need a black (though you should be careful to use it sparingly). I would also recommend a chocolate brown as it's much less harsh than black. I also like having a lightish grey/brown for mixing.

Then you will need to pick up colours for whatever colour scheme your after. So for example if your working with pinks, I would pick up a dark pinky/purple and a light pink, you can then mix in the browns, bone etc colours to alter the tone of it. You will do a quite a bit of mixing but you will need less colours.

Quite often you will want two or three colours that compliment each other. In this case I have Dark Red, Bone, Brown and Brass.

As I linked to earlier in this post, about getting the 8-colour Games Workshop paint set; will that be enough to give a nice, "dirty" theme, with some vibrant red in some areas? That's what I want to go for -- since it's a necromantic-like crew, I want a dirty look to them (not sloppy, but dirty ), with some vibrant red on the colourful areas, and maybe a bit of green, too. Nothing too fancy, though Edited June 17, 2011 by Vitriohl

[Dark Alleycat]

Well,It will certainly help for learning the very basic,and most important foundation skill which is brush control. Learning how to put only the amount of paint you want on a model at a time is the basis for just about every other skill you will learn. Focus initially on getting a good,solid color where you want it,using thinned paint. About to the consistency of skim milk or cream depending on preference. Myself I use Reaper paints and i thin them 1 to 1 with water and work with that.

[CannonFodder]

One thing I love about Malifaux is they have less details, more texture. I mean few Belt buckles, crosses, flags, belt pouches... So if you don't want to spend spend too much time (less than 2 hours per models) you can do nice stuff with inks and dry brushing. admittedly this limits your quality to good tabletop standards, and not display case quality, but its an excellent way of getting started. I find the biggest issue with starting to paint is the lack of progress.

[TheOneWhoFell]

I like grey primer (personal preference). I use a brand I pick up at the hardware store for $3... It's got a nice matte finish, and coats well.

I like GW paints... mostly 'cause they are available at my LGS, and they are (mostly) ready to use right out of the pot.

Inks are a really great way to add depth to your models; it takes some practice, inks are harder and easier to control than paint. Dry brushing adds highlights... Try new things. One of my favorite models is Perdita. Simple, beautiful. But when I painted her hair with Black paint, it looked dull... lifeless... boring. So I randomly took some Tin Bitz (GW metalic paint) and dry brushed her hair with it... Now it shines and has depth like real hair. Don't be afraid to try something... Simple Green is fantastic stuff

[Buhallin]

A couple other bits of advice that you'll rarely find online (at least in my experience):

- Your painting area and how you manage it, and your paints, can have a big impact on your speed. Plenty of people tell you to thin your paints, rather than painting direct from the bottle. That's good advice... But it can slow you down a lot. I used a well palette for a long while and my setup/cleanup was 10-15 minutes on each end. After a class (see next) I started using an improvised, disposable wet palette and it sped things up dramatically on my prep, mixing, and cleanup.

- Many expert painters travel around and do classes, either at big conventions or just locally. Look for these - they aren't always cheap, but they're worth their weight in gold. That direct access and feedback is a huge help, and you pick up a lot of tricks that you might not otherwise.

My wet palette (shamelessly stolen from Mathieu Fontaine): Quarter a paper towel, and place it on a disposable plastic plate/saucer. Add water until the towel is soaked, and there's a little extra water floating around (not too much). Smooth a piece of parchment paper (cheapie grocery store stuff, nothing special) on top. It'll curl up as it gets wet - just keep smoothing it back down, and it'll flatten out. Make the parchment paper smaller than the paper towel, so you've got some of the towel around the edges.

And after all that (which is really pretty easy) you have a functional, inexpensive wet palette with an easy supply of water on hand to thin your paints (just pick up some water off the paper towel with your brush, and mix it in). And when you're done, there's no cleaning wells - you just dump the entire thing (or at least the towel on up, I keep the plates).

[CannonFodder]

Inks are a really great way to add depth to your models; it takes some practice, inks are harder and easier to control than paint.

2 starter hints on inks

1) Put it on and let it dry COMPLETELY before adding second coat/detail. if there is a little pool in a crevasse, and you put a brush on it, the brush will soak it up. leaving the crevasse with nothing and a dark circle around it. I don't know of any way to make it look good after this happens.

2) Try to avoid letting thick coats dry in a vertical position, its more liquid than paint and will settle down wards, see if you can prop it on an angle. Ex I put a heavy coat on the hat of a bayou gremlin, and its a relatively large flat surface on a 45 degree angle, it slowly moved and the bottom half was darker than top half. Easy to fix by adding second thin coat on top half. On models like the the Freikorps its not too bad because they have more detail to hold it.

[zombie twinkie]

1) as mentioned before, have patience, keep it simple at first and you'll find out painting isn't as daunting as it seems.

2) try doing metallic colors first as they can be a royal pain to cover up later if they accidently get somewhere on the model where you don't want them.

3) don't worry so much about highlighting and shading when just starting out, there are many ways to go about these later steps, you're sure to find something that suits your style.

4)while this can be far from exciting, take your sweet time on getting a solid, flat first layer with your colors, this can go a long way toward the look of your models especially when learning to highlight later on.

5) for paints vallejo has some good colors, but their bright reds and yellows can be frustrating as they are very watery.

6) if you have a local art supply store, try there for inks. games workshop inks so far for me leave a real nasty ring when they dry.

Edited June 23, 2011 by zombie twinkie