Rookie painter looking for help

[Vermin Lord]

Well, I've gone and stepped in it good and proper, I'm a very rookie painter trying to do a Collette crew, any tips for a simple but nice looking paint job?

[Fetid Strumpet]

With a Colette crew you are dealing with a few very basic but challenging things, Skin and Dresses. Our society values young feminine beauty very highly and so I find in my experience that translates into expectations on Female Miniatures. Put in very simple terms if you are painting a Female mini your skin tones will be judged more than your skin tones on a male. So before you take a brush to Colette and her gals I'd recommend a few practice runs on other mini's.

Assuming you want to do caucasian women my standard Skin Technique is to base coat the mini with a thin layer of a darker flesh tone. I tend to use GW Dwarf flesh. You want the paint to cover solidly, but you need to make sure it is thin enough to prevent the paint having a chunky look to it as it will detract from the overall effect when you are done.

Once you have the base coat done give all the skin a wash with GW's Sepia Wash and let it dry completely before returning to the mini. If you are just going for simple this might just be enough for you, but if you are interested you can then begin flesh highlights, with Dwarf Flesh, then Elf Flesh, and then a tiny amount of Bleached bone. Remember to keep every layer thin becase you want to avoid a chunky layer which will be more am more enhanced as you build the highlights up.

Next is the Dresses, Colette's crew's dresses are one of their shining features. The easiest way I think to get a table top quality dress would be to base coat the dress in a pale shade the color you want the dress to be or just plain white, and then give a heavy color wash to tint the dress color more and give colored shading in the recesses.

[Omenbringer]

I'll second the recommendations that Fetid Strumpet gave.

Also cant stress enough keep your paints thin (think skim milk), it will help with blending a lot. Try not to use tap water, filtered water at the least. Better still is to get your hands on some Matte Medium, Gloss Medium, and Flow Improver (all available at Micheals in the Artist supply section) and create a thining mix with a 1 to 1 to 2 ratio (this will allow you to thin to almost translucency without loss of adhesion or chalking). Liquitex is a decent affordable readily available brand for these supplies.

[gregdorf]

My suggestion start with a good base. I would suggest that new painters start with a black primer and dry brush their primed models with white. This will cause the details to pop out and it can form a basic level of shading if you paint in thin enough coats. You may also want to invest in a wet palette, it keeps your paints from getting clumpy and it makes it easier to paint in layers.

[AntiZombie]

Also try a search in the "miniature matters" forum and you will get A LOT of beginner threads too with more advice.

[Omenbringer]

I would suggest that new painters start with a black primer and dry brush their primed models with white. This will cause the details to pop out and it can form a basic level of shading if you paint in thin enough coats.

You can also use the underpainting techniques showcased in No Quarter #34 to accomplish this same thing.

[Backno]

My recommendation is start with the Doves, then to the Mannequins, then the Performers, then Cassandra, then Collette. couple of reasons to do them in that order.

1) You get to test things on the "lesser" models in the crew

2) The first mini people will want to look at will be Collette so you want that to be your best looking mini.

The other rule is you DO NOT repaint anything until everyone is done. If you strip and repaint every mini because it's not "perfect" you will never actually finish anything. I have seen it over and over new guy paints his first mini or 2, is mad thy don't look like the ones

on the box, strips and repaints, repeats until getting fed up with painting because they have put all this time in and have nothing to show for it.

As a new painter your minis will not be as good the ones on the box, but if you show up with a fully painted army it will get peoples attention. I got more compliments on the 90 fully painted Ork Boyz I had in my 40k crew then the people who had tons of complex conversions but no paint. All they had was a base coat, highlight (fast and crappy), and a wash or 2, but people where blown away because there was a bunch of green dudes on the table.

After you have the entire crew painted take a look at the differance between Collette and the first Mannequin. Being able to physically see how your painting has improved can really help keep you motivated. At that point go ahead and think about stripping a mini and repainting it with your new found skills.

My suggestion start with a good base. I would suggest that new painters start with a black primer and dry brush their primed models with white. This will cause the details to pop out and it can form a basic level of shading if you paint in thin enough coats. You may also want to invest in a wet palette, it keeps your paints from getting clumpy and it makes it easier to paint in layers.

Why invest in one. All you need is small tupperware, a sponge, and some parchment paper. There are more detailed guides all over the web.

Edited November 10, 2011 by Backno

[Vermin Lord]

thanks for the tips all, @Backno, I've also got the Coryphee and Johan, where in the order would you suggest I paint them?

[Voldrak]

Two pieces of advice.

1. I see the term skim milk way too often for paint consistency, but that never striked me as something to really understand when you're new to painting. The best way to see this would be to have your paint thinned enough that when your brush is dry and you dip it's tip in the paint, it will flow by itself into the bristels. Once that is done, you do not want to paint with this as there will be too much paint on the brush still. Wipe the brush a bit to remove excess paint. You want to make sure it's in the bristels and not on them.

2. If you want to practice skin tones, go buy one or two Reaper minis. They are fairly cheap at 3 or 4 dollars a piece and you can get some models that have a fair amount of skin or cloth or what you need. You won't feel so bad testing on those than on minis that you're planning on displaying on a table eventually.

[Chev Chelios]

Washes are a rookie painters best friend. They can add instant shading or cover a multitude of mistakes. There are plenty of tutorials out there for that. One thing I can tell you about washes is to make sure and thin them more than you think.Its easier add paint or ink than remove it.

[Fetid Strumpet]

And GW washes in my experience are just pure gold for beginning model painters. I'm pretty good at painting and I still use them.

[Omenbringer]

And GW washes in my experience are just pure gold for beginning model painters. I'm pretty good at painting and I still use them.

I love them for tinting base coats and lining in shadows, however they really shouldn't be called washes as they are more of a glaze. Gryphonne Sepia and Badab Black are probably the 2 most useful (read as must have) washes they produce.

[Backno]

Paint them in which ever order you feel most comfortable with. Johan will give you more practice with your skintones, the Croyphee will give you more practice on your fabrics.

Some other things I thought of

1) Make sure you have enough light. Natural light is best followed by those "natural" lights and light bulbs that give a better spectrum of light. It will help you see the mini better as well as put less strain on your eyes.

2) Prime and paint in multiple thin layers. If something isn't covering let the layer dry and add another. When you try to rush and goop it on is when your mini goes from "looks good from 10 feet away" to "did you paint that with a Q-tip?"

3) A simple trick that has been mentioned already but going to state it again: GW washes are your best friend. Use a base of a color, wash it twice with a similar color wash, high light most of the raised parts with your base coat, and boom 3 layers of color. When I was speed painting my Orks I actually started to make my own black wash because I was going through so much Badab Black.

4) Make sure you are painting in a comfortable position. Curling up and what not will hurt after you do it for a couple of hours. Take breaks to give your eyes a break and to stretch out.

5) Look into making a grip of some sort to hold your mini while you paint it. The oils from your hands can fubar that lovely paint you are working so hard on. I simply took 2 old GW paint pots, plastic glued them bottom to bottom and put a wad of Sticky Tack on on side. It also helps your hand stay in a more relaxed position, reducing fatigue.

Edit: Last one: Post pictures of your stuff here and other forums. We can give you ideas on what you are doing right and wrong. And as long as you come in with the right attitude people will generally try to help.

Here are some things I have done. Doomwheel took me ~12 hours from primer to clear coat. It was done with nothing but base coats, dry brushing, and washes http://imgur.com/a/FykRp#0

I am far from a being a good painter. I use all the fun techniques that let me paint fast and have my minis look good on the table. Had to learn them for painting 30+ Ork Boyz or Skaven Clanrats in one sitting start to finish.

Edited November 11, 2011 by Backno

[Huang Da Wei]

I started with Colette and some doves, then some girls and Casssandra. I have left the mannequins and coryphee to last, partly because I couldnt decide on the colours. I suggest you paint what feels right and as for colours, just go with you first instincts.

Definately a thin coating of paint and wash, this will give you a good start.

For mine I used vallejo 955 flat flesh with flesh wash and highlights.

[Omenbringer]

Some other things I thought of

1) Make sure you have enough light. Natural light is best followed by those "natural" lights and light bulbs that give a better spectrum of light. It will help you see the mini better as well as put less strain on your eyes.

Multiple "boom" lights are great for this since they allow you to alter the angle and position (I use three and a stand alone "flex" light). Also look into a few different color temp lights to really show what your finished product will look like under different conditions. I would recommend a the least both a Compact Fluorscent and a daylight spectrum Incandescent light. You will be surprised how much good light can improve your painting (along with good brushes).

2) Prime and paint in multiple thin layers. If something isn't covering let the layer dry and add another. When you try to rush and goop it on is when your mini goes from "looks good from 10 feet away" to "did you paint that with a Q-tip?"

You cant go wrong with Duplicolor sandable autobody primer. It comes in a veriety of colors (black, white, gray, red), is readily available at most automotive stores (kragen, Pepboys, O'reileys, etc), handles variations in temp and humidity very well (especially the black primer), and so far I haven't been able to obscure fine details even when spraying heavy. Absolutely love the stuff. It also costs about the same as the mini specific stuff.

4) Make sure you are painting in a comfortable position. Curling up and what not will hurt after you do it for a couple of hours. Take breaks to give your eyes a break and to stretch out.

Amen brother! You'll notice real quick if your curling up. If you can get a table that allows you to rest your triceps flat on the table top while seated you can paint for alot longer between breaks. These types of tables are sometimes referred to as watch maker tables (precision watch makers have similar problem to mini painters).

5) Look into making a grip of some sort to hold your mini while you paint it. The oils from your hands can fubar that lovely paint you are working so hard on. I simply took 2 old GW paint pots, plastic glued them bottom to bottom and put a wad of Sticky Tack on on side. It also helps your hand stay in a more relaxed position, reducing fatigue.

Another great suggestion, you can also temporarily glue your minis to some extra bases or my favorite is to use a pin vice or forcepts to hold on to the mini while you paint (great method if you are using pins to secure the model to the base or if you leave the tab on the bottom of the models).

Edit: Last one: Post pictures of your stuff here and other forums. We can give you ideas on what you are doing right and wrong. And as long as you come in with the right attitude people will generally try to help.

Definately post photos and to parrot an earlier post, dont get frustrated if your first models dont come out the way you expect. Your skill will increase with practice (Large scale games like Warhammer are great for this). And always remember any painted force looks better then "night/ snow camoflage" or bare metal.

[Chev Chelios]

The only other thing I can tell you is that try to get as much enjoyment from painting as you do from playing.Don't paint if you don't feel like it,that can lead to frustation.

[Huang Da Wei]

Thats great advice, I can paint for 6 hours at a time when I am in the mood and produce good stuff. If I am not in the mood its 30 minutes of rubbish that I have to go over again.

[Huang Da Wei]

this is the latest image from my showgirls, maybe there is a little inspiration for you.

http://wyrd-games.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1783&d=1321102092