Pride's Pride and Joy!

[*Jack*]

Few things:

Firstly, Your terror tots remind me of nicki minaj

Secondly, have you tried thinning your paints down a bit? what are you currently using? They look a bit "gloopy" in areas, I'd be tempted to say use thin coats and a few washes.

Finally, have you set your camera to macro mode? (The one that looks like a little flower) makes focusing on minis in pics so much easier, so we can see them better

Apart from that, keep the pics coming in

[Omenbringer]

They were supposed to look like sparkling vampires........but I guess candy works as well! I was kinda bummed with how they turned out in the end and was considering getting new ones and starting over but your comment made me like mine again thank you!

A sparkle effect could be achieved by mixing in a silver metal paint very slightly with a light flesh tone. Otherwise I have no idea how to make sparkle skin. Haha. ^^

Rather than adding Silver metalic paint (which could change the color of the paint it is added to noticeably) I would suggest getting a small bottle of Liquitex Irridescent Medium and using that to add the "sparkle" to the Tots. It is a bit thick and will need to be thinned before adding to paint but should give you the effect you are looking for (though it will be a bit subtle in photographs).

Here are a few examples I have used this method on.

On the wings of the Skeeters (the Irridescent Medium was added to a brownish wash to tint it)

On the knife blade of this Mercs Kemvar Assassin (The Irridescent Medium applied directly onto the painted surface)

[TwitchyPenguin]

I don't know if it would help, but for the sparkle, you could always try pearl paints, or I found a glitter paint by FolkArt(yes, I am a cheap painter, I use craft paints. ) The brand is called FolkArt Gems, and the color I used was "Diamonds."

Granted, I used it on a roughly flat surface, so I don't know how it would do on skin. (I used it on the wings of a fairy dragon for my Dreamer base. Dunno if it would look good on skin or not)

Although, I wonder what might happen if you tried to mix shimmer make-up in with clear varnish..It might work.

[Pride365]

Few things:

Firstly, Your terror tots remind me of nicki minaj

Secondly, have you tried thinning your paints down a bit? what are you currently using? They look a bit "gloopy" in areas, I'd be tempted to say use thin coats and a few washes.

Finally, have you set your camera to macro mode? (The one that looks like a little flower) makes focusing on minis in pics so much easier, so we can see them better

Apart from that, keep the pics coming in

Camera is set how a friend of mine set it up for me said that if I wanted better I should get a different camera like an SLR as I only use it for minis and some family photos I am not into investing that much right now I want more minis!

I am looking into using a wet pallete but as I am overseas and it takes a week or more to get more paint I hate pouring it out of the pot (I use GW paints) That stuff is like liquid gold! (though the final purple on the tots are P3) I like washes when there are a bunch of ridges to catch the wash but do not like them on primaily flat surfaces or skin as it makes things look dirty in my head. I infact have to re go over the pink on my 2nd Latigo Pistolero for the reason.

[Omenbringer]

Camera is set how a friend of mine set it up for me said that if I wanted better I should get a different camera like an SLR as I only use it for minis and some family photos I am not into investing that much right now I want more minis!

Perhaps before you go that route, some of the recommendations in my blog entry might help out. Here is the link:

Taking Photos of Miniatures (the method I use)

Head down to the Camera settings recomendations (though the light box is also highly recomended.

I am looking into using a wet pallete but as I am overseas and it takes a week or more to get more paint I hate pouring it out of the pot (I use GW paints) That stuff is like liquid gold! (though the final purple on the tots are P3).

You can make your own fairly easily (and cheaper). There are a number of sites that will show you how (google search "home made wet pallete").

[Pride365]

Perhaps before you go that route, some of the recommendations in my blog entry might help out. Here is the link:

Taking Photos of Miniatures (the method I use)

Head down to the Camera settings recomendations (though the light box is also highly recomended.

You can make your own fairly easily (and cheaper). There are a number of sites that will show you how (google search "home made wet pallete").

I am using a box covered in white paper to take my pictures in I know it isn't the most ideal but it is better than the mini just setting on my counter, I am currently in a place with no hobby stores of any kind and no hardware stores so getting things are not very easy. When I said I am looking into wet palletes I meant looking into how to make my own not buy one but again certian normally easy to obtain supplies are hard to get here. Also when I used on once before water condensed on the lid and then fell into the paint and runied it b/c it got all mixed together and I wasted a ton of money but whats worse was I had to wait more than a week to get more paint.

[Pride365]

So my first Hanging Tree! It is just the tree it self but I really like how it came out! I also finished another of my Pistoleros but it really sucks so I will show you the 2nd when it gets done and it isn't the model I am working out my paint scheme on.

[Pride365]

So these are my Grandma Ortega and my Essence of Power!

[Envy]

What kind of paint do you use?

[Pride365]

What kind of paint do you use?

GW I ran out of my purple on the terror tots so I used some P3 on them cause I had it lying around but pretty much just GW

[Evilbleachman]

Wow. You cover your models in a whole lot of paint. This is unfortunate because it kind of ruins the detail the models have and Wyrd's models are really well defined and detailed.

Have you tried thinning your paints with some drops of water? It does take a couple more coats to cover the model properly, but it helps keep the definition of the model!

Already with a couple thin layers of a lighter base paint and an added wash can severely effect the look of your models. Maybe try it out?

[Pride365]

Wow. You cover your models in a whole lot of paint. This is unfortunate because it kind of ruins the detail the models have and Wyrd's models are really well defined and detailed.

Have you tried thinning your paints with some drops of water? It does take a couple more coats to cover the model properly, but it helps keep the definition of the model!

Already with a couple thin layers of a lighter base paint and an added wash can severely effect the look of your models. Maybe try it out?

Yes I have thinned my paints. I don't like washes on certain things as I think it makes things look dirty.

---------- Post added at 08:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 AM ----------

Wow. You cover your models in a whole lot of paint. This is unfortunate because it kind of ruins the detail the models have and Wyrd's models are really well defined and detailed.

Have you tried thinning your paints with some drops of water? It does take a couple more coats to cover the model properly, but it helps keep the definition of the model!

Already with a couple thin layers of a lighter base paint and an added wash can severely effect the look of your models. Maybe try it out?

Yes I have thinned my paints. I don't like washes on certain things as I think it makes things look dirty.

[Evilbleachman]

They are still on really thick. How many layers of paint do you add to the model in each color? What kind of primer do you use? Black, white, grey?

Washes can look dirty. A lot of wash paints are too thick to actually wash/ink. You'd need to thin it more with water. I tend to to mix my washes in a 1 wash to 3 drops of water mix (sometimes 5) if I want to focus in shading with the wash and blending the layers a bit more. Often you wont have any real stains left to see and the tid bits that are really noticeable are easy to cover up. If you check out my painting thread, my Seamus is a good example. I washed his coat, his paints, heck almost everything on him. No spots or stains anywhere to be seen. ^^

[i_was_like_you]

Pride365, after taking one glance at Evilbleachman's photos, I can see that he knows what he's talking about when it comes to painting. His advice and critiques, as well as everyone else's, is really meant to be taken constructively.

Think of painting more in terms of less is more. They keep saying, thin your paints, and you keep replying, I do thin my paints. But I don't think the real message is getting through.

You don't have to water down your existing paint, in or out of the bottle, especially with paint and other supplies being hard to come by for ya. Just try dipping just the slightest bit of the tip of the brush (regardless of the size of brush you are using for the portion you're painting), blotting it on a napkin or paper towel to remove some of the excess, and spread what's left on the brush as thin and as far as you can get it to go on the model before going back for more paint in the same manner.

I know I still have plenty of things I struggle on achieving while painting, and I know it's intimidating seeing such phenomenally painted models out there. It just takes practice.

I recently dipped my Lilith crew in nail polish remover (with acetone) to remove all the paint so that I can re-prime them and start over. I'd just kept layering more and more paint over all that bare skin of the tots and young nephilim, as I was not satisfied at all with how it kept coming out.

Another approach that I use with a lot of models, whether other folks would agree with it or decry it as heresy, is to apply a wash after priming, but before actually painting the model. It fills in all the cracks and crevasses, and makes all of the details stand out to better see just what goes where. It saves having to go back and fill in all the shadowy spaces later, as I just drybrush, letting the raised areas grab the paint and leaving the low areas alone. Afterwards I add any additional details, apply a wash to select areas if they're too bright for what I want, and, in theory, I clear coat them and call 'em done. [I say in theory because I seldom feel my models are truly finished.] Basing is its own story.

[Evilbleachman]

Pride365, after taking one glance at Evilbleachman's photos, I can see that he knows what he's talking about when it comes to painting. His advice and critiques, as well as everyone else's, is really meant to be taken constructively.

Think of painting more in terms of less is more. They keep saying, thin your paints, and you keep replying, I do thin my paints. But I don't think the real message is getting through.

Oh, I could have clarified better. What I do is I put a few drops of paint on a glass pane (I like it that way lol) and then take an old brush and add some water to mix it up and thin it out right then. Usually paints will become thicker over time, as the fluids evaporate over time. You can also just toss in a few drops of distillated water and shake it thoroughly.

I haven't really browsed through the rest of the thread. Just wanted to toss in my few cents and see if I can help. Sorry, if my post came off as brutish or harsh. Just trying to offer some advice.

Another approach that I use with a lot of models, whether other folks would agree with it or decry it as heresy, is to apply a wash after priming, but before actually painting the model. It fills in all the cracks and crevasses, and makes all of the details stand out to better see just what goes where. It saves having to go back and fill in all the shadowy spaces later, as I just drybrush, letting the raised areas grab the paint and leaving the low areas alone. Afterwards I add any additional details, apply a wash to select areas if they're too bright for what I want, and, in theory, I clear coat them and call 'em done. [I say in theory because I seldom feel my models are truly finished.] Basing is its own story.

Actually I use a similar method on painting undead skin. I prime the model white and then base coat it in the general skin tone I am going for. Then I drown the model in washes to make sure the recesses are all filled in and then I dry brush it with the base color. It is really messy but it does do a lot of work and helps achieve a great look.

You can do this with regular skin tones as well. Though I actually prefer to layer those step by step as clean skin is usually not as messy as I perceive the skin of the undead.

[i_was_like_you]

Undead flesh is just so much easier to paint, in my opinion. I wasn't happy with regular flesh tones. Then I painted my Dead Justice crew, and it was like, Wow, that was so much easier and looks so much better. [I ought to finally post some wip pics of them, even though they've been at the same level of painted for roughly a year or so.]

[Omenbringer]

I would definately agree with Evilbleachman about the need to thin your paints. Thin paints will allow you much more control while painting (it is also a necessity for the more advanced techniques like two brush blending). Water is ok (distilled is better) for this but there are other products that work much better (and will allow you to thin way down without chalking or affecting adhesion).

Though there are a lot of recipes, the one I use is:

• one part Liquitex Matte Medium
  
• one part Liquitex Gloss Medium
  
• three parts Liquitex Flow Improver
  
• one part Distilled Water

I use this for thining paints (all the way to glaze), "revitalizing" thickened or dried paints and will add it to the paint pot when I am done with that particular color (and will be storing it for a while).

Edited December 13, 2012 by Omenbringer

[Envy]

When I paint a mini I:

- Prime white

- Do a very thing black wash (to get into all the recesses and what not)

- Dry brush the core color

- Do a wash of the core colors shadow color

- Do a “dusting” (for lack of a better word if that is something in the painting world I do not know what that actually is) of the highlight color for the core color.

After all that I start tinkering with color either through dry brushing or washing till I get the effects that I’m looking for. If I want something to have a purple tint to it I make a very thing wash of purple and just do one coat of it. Some times I will dry brush a color on and then do a wash over it to make it look like the dry brush color is shining through the washed color. IMO painting is just something you have to play with and not be afraid of experimenting with. On my Insidious Madness I used three or for different purples and at the end I dry brushed on some green and purple washed over it, to try and give it a green blow kind of thing through the skin. One thing that helps me is sometimes if I’m not getting it to do what I want or if its just not sitting well with me I walk away and work on it later. I cant remember for the life of me what brand of paint I use. I’ll have to post that later when I get home. As fare as the highlight and shadow colors if I don’t already have them for the core color I just mix a drop of white to the color to make the core color. Then use the original as the shadow and add 2 drops of white to make the highlight. I hope this helps

[Pride365]

So there has been some advice on here that honestly stung I was really proud of my Grandma Ortega I really really liked how she turned out.

I have taken a couple of days to mull things over and I am going to switch paints I think this will help with many of the problems people have noticed in my work.

I am going to go with

Vallejo Game color and Vallejo Model color for my core paints

GW metallic paint until I can switch over to Vallejo Model Air Metallic paint

GW washes until I can switch over to Secret Weapon Washes.

I am thinking I am going to keep the dry compound from GW as well since I don't dry brush much but when I do it really helps me out.

I was asking for help on another thread but I haven't seen any of the people who have commented on my work over there so I thought I would post this here.

[Mergoth]

Don't get disheartened. Bear in mind that people's comments are based on the pics which nine times out of ten wash out a layer or two of highlighting and shading, and that the pics are massively scaled up compared to their true size so every small smudge and error is greatly amplified!

I think your mini's are grand tabletop standard. If you want to bring out the detail a bit more I'd give a light drybrush across the entire model with a bone colour (which comes out fairly neutral) then wash with the original colour.

[Omenbringer]

Definately dont take any critics to heart, they are only given with the intent of improving your skills. Additionally, in the end it doesn't really matter what any one thinks as they are your models (and any paint is better than none at all).

Mergoth definately speaks truth when he says that good pictures of mini's tend to exagerate every little thing (where as the typical viewing distance during play will understate even the best paintjobs).

[Evilbleachman]

So there has been some advice on here that honestly stung I was really proud of my Grandma Ortega I really really liked how she turned out.

I have taken a couple of days to mull things over and I am going to switch paints I think this will help with many of the problems people have noticed in my work.

I am going to go with

Vallejo Game color and Vallejo Model color for my core paints

GW metallic paint until I can switch over to Vallejo Model Air Metallic paint

GW washes until I can switch over to Secret Weapon Washes.

I am thinking I am going to keep the dry compound from GW as well since I don't dry brush much but when I do it really helps me out.

I was asking for help on another thread but I haven't seen any of the people who have commented on my work over there so I thought I would post this here.

Please do not be disheartened. Nobody in this thread posted anything with any misgivings or malice. We just want to offer some input and ideas. In the end we are all becoming better at the hobby over time and often being able to reach a next step is by getting input by other hobbyists.

I remember when I first started out with wargaming at 14 and I had a fully painted Space Marine army. All I did was add flat colors and no highlights or anything. Met up with a guy who explained how to accentuate parts of the model and he recommended I thin my paints when painting.

I really liked and loved my space marine army. But I enjoyed the Tau army after that much more better because I did a much better job at painting them than I did my marines. It proved to me that I was getting better at what I like doing. That is a form of satisfaction we're all trying to share with you! Like your models and love them! But trust me, when you get better you will feel really pleased with yourself.

As to your paint swap I can only go 'Hell yeah!'. Especially the Secret Weapon Washes are awesome. I really enjoy using them a lot when painting. Though I do use GW ones for other purposes. They are slightly thicker than SW ones and thus are great to stain sections of the model, whereas the washes slightly discolor it but mostly go into the recesses.

I personally haven't had much great experience with the dry compounds from the new GW line. Though, I did only try one color (bone colored). Wasn't too satisfied with it, to be honest. I'd suggest try out one first to see what it is like before you go all out and buy several colors.

Got a link to your other thread? I mostly and almost always hang out in Miniature Showcase. So I might miss out on threads in other parts of the forum. ;D

[Pride365]

Please do not be disheartened. Nobody in this thread posted anything with any misgivings or malice. We just want to offer some input and ideas. In the end we are all becoming better at the hobby over time and often being able to reach a next step is by getting input by other hobbyists.

I remember when I first started out with wargaming at 14 and I had a fully painted Space Marine army. All I did was add flat colors and no highlights or anything. Met up with a guy who explained how to accentuate parts of the model and he recommended I thin my paints when painting.

I really liked and loved my space marine army. But I enjoyed the Tau army after that much more better because I did a much better job at painting them than I did my marines. It proved to me that I was getting better at what I like doing. That is a form of satisfaction we're all trying to share with you! Like your models and love them! But trust me, when you get better you will feel really pleased with yourself.

As to your paint swap I can only go 'Hell yeah!'. Especially the Secret Weapon Washes are awesome. I really enjoy using them a lot when painting. Though I do use GW ones for other purposes. They are slightly thicker than SW ones and thus are great to stain sections of the model, whereas the washes slightly discolor it but mostly go into the recesses.

I personally haven't had much great experience with the dry compounds from the new GW line. Though, I did only try one color (bone colored). Wasn't too satisfied with it, to be honest. I'd suggest try out one first to see what it is like before you go all out and buy several colors.

Got a link to your other thread? I mostly and almost always hang out in Miniature Showcase. So I might miss out on threads in other parts of the forum. ;D

http://www.wyrd-games.net/showthread.php?37679-Please-Help-choose-new-paint

That is the other thread I posted.

I already felt really pleased with my self I am not going to be a Golden Demon painter ever and I am ok with that I do this for fun I was just trying to share my ideas and my excitment for the hobby in this thread.

[WookieeGunner]

I was really proud of my Grandma Ortega I really really liked how she turned out.

I just wanted to point out that this is by far the most important comment in this entire thread. If you like how she turned out, then she is painted correctly. It's not our mini, it's yours. Anything any of us could say is based on our opinions of what we like about our minis. If that differs from what you like, ok, ignore us. On the other hand if you like something we paint then feel free to rip off our techniques and make them your own. I've been doing this for decades now and there are award winning people I refuse to listen to because I don't like their style. Awards or experience don't make advice valid or invalid, the fact that you feel the advice will make your style better makes it valid or invalid.

[TwitchyPenguin]

I only glanced over the post, but I agree with WookieeGunner. I don't think you should ever feel disheartened or a poor painter EVER. You should never look at another painter and compare yourself to them. I think your figures are fine, they are perfect, especially if YOU think they are perfect. I reread my fig thread and saw your post on how you wished your figures were as good. They thing is, they ARE. When I started (and for years after) I hadn't even touched on the level that you have gotten to. And the throught of adding glitter for effect is brilliant. I wouldn't have tried actual glitter(like I said, I cheated, I used premixed stuff.)

The best advice I can always give (and honestly, I don't think I'm that great of a painter) is that the best way to become a better painter is to take pride in the pieces that YOU do with YOUR hands. It may only be a hobby its not a race, nor is it a contest. I know I'm reiterating what Wookie said, but it is true--there are award winning people who use techniques not everyone agrees with and you don't have to use them either.

I remember once telling someone at a game shop (when I was 16-17) actually scoff at me and degrade one of my pieces when I said that I used craft paints. The man was over 45, and thought he was teaching me a valuable lesson by telling me that I would never improve if I used cheap paints, and I ended up actually not painting for a year after that. I got over it, but it took a lot to realize that no matter what tools I used, how much time I took, or how crappy my fig looked--It was MINE and I did it how I wanted to.

Alright, stepping down of my soap box. BE proud of what you do, we are proud of you.

(And don't take me saying this as complete denial of improvement, we all can improve, it just depends on if we feel it benefits us at all.)

TL:DR...Just a longer version of what Wookie said. Prolly repeated myself alot and you can delete if it doesn't help.