painting process

[ehuelse]

I'm going to start painting and I was wondering if someone could help me with some of the steps.

- prime: I get this, white/grey/black, whatever your preference

-base coat: I get this also.

-now highlights/shadowing: this is where I need help, after you put your base coat down would you put a wash down over the entire model? then put down your base coat again, leaving the wash alone in the recessed areas, then slowly layering lighter and lighter base coats down?

thanks!

[Naravus]

For priming, I prefer to use black and white, as in priming the whole model black and then from a 45 degree angle spray down white. I do this because acrylic paint is transparent so the areas with white will look lighter and the blacks darker.

For the simple shadowing/highlighting you seem to be going for I would basecoat the model and then apply appropriate washes to the model. After the was is dry, re-apply the basecolour to the painted areas. Leave the recesses untouched as you want them to be darker.

To speed up the wash drying process, you can use a hairdryer on its lowest setting. Just be sure not to let the model get hot.

After re-reading your post, you seem to have the basic idea. Feel free to post again or PM me if you need more help.

[Stargazer]

Yep mate you have the idea of it basically spot on.. maybe think about different colour washes for different coloured parts of the model but overall if you stick to what you have said and take your time you shouldn't go far wrong

[ehuelse]

For priming, I prefer to use black and white, as in priming the whole model black and then from a 45 degree angle spray down white. I do this because acrylic paint is transparent so the areas with white will look lighter and the blacks darker.

good idea!

For the simple shadowing/highlighting you seem to be going for I would basecoat the model and then apply appropriate washes to the model. After the was is dry, re-apply the basecolour to the painted areas. Leave the recesses untouched as you want them to be darker.

so this is just one way to do it? I've heard of blending also, would I do that as well, or stick with one way?

[Stargazer]

I'd stick to the basics of just layering on lighter colours over the basecoat instead of worrying about more complicated techniques such as blending... however if you are interested there are plenty of articles around the web to help out

[ehuelse]

Yep mate you have the idea of it basically spot on.. maybe think about different colour washes for different coloured parts of the model but overall if you stick to what you have said and take your time you shouldn't go far wrong

Thanks, I was thinking one wash, didn't think about different washes for different area.

[Naravus]

This may sound strange, but red washes for green areas or the other way around work really well. Look at a color wheel and pick opposites to deepen whatever you're painting.

[Moondog]

It all depends what you want to achieve, how much time you want to spend and what look you want. For highlights and shadowing what you described is what a lot of people do.

It depends what you are used to and happy with also. For example I tend to put down a strong base colour and then on top of that I will layer brighter colours so the lightest is at the highest point and the darkest base colour is in the recesses (folds in cloaks, things cast in shadow). My layers will be thinned down paint. It's thinned with water and added on top. This way you get the strong base colour showing through the thinned down paint. It makes sure the transitions from darker to lighter are less abrupt if that makes sense.

[CalmPlains]

I'm going to start painting and I was wondering if someone could help me with some of the steps.

- prime: I get this, white/grey/black, whatever your preference

-base coat: I get this also.

-now highlights/shadowing: this is where I need help, after you put your base coat down would you put a wash down over the entire model? then put down your base coat again, leaving the wash alone in the recessed areas, then slowly layering lighter and lighter base coats down?

thanks!

I think a good first step is experimentation, it sounds crazy but it will really help you in the long run. Use some cheap models, or prime and paint an old toy for practice.

Try to discover if you are the type of painter who blends or layers, as this will help you pick out the paint range best suited to your abilities.

In general:

Reaper paints are handy for blending, as they contain more retarder and are quite wet. Blending definitely takes practice, but achieves some really fantastic results when done correctly.

GW Citadel paints, and Vallejo Paints are dryer paints, better for the layering technique because they dry faster, and in my opinion are generally more opaque.

I high recommend GW Foundation paints for beginners because they cover everything! You can also mix them with regular paints, or water them down a bit, and they retain excellent coverage. I also hear very good things about the quality of Vallejo MODEL color paints, not to be confused with the cheaper Game Color paints, which are cheaper made (similar to Citadel to be honest).

Hope this helps!

[ehuelse]

thanks for all the suggestions!

[kasin666]

http://www.coolminiornot.com/

try going here for articles on different styles of painting