# Painting minis; getting started



## payn (Aug 10, 2022)

Greetings,

I know many of y'all EN Worlders are mini painters. About 10 years ago I used to do a bit of painting myself. Mostly figures for PC/NPCs and monsters for fantasy RPGs. I did kickstart at least 2 and maybe 3 Reaper Bones events. I have also collected recently a bunch of Battletech mech minis. So, I do have piles of minis and some free time to paint at this point. What Im hoping is for some advice on getting back into the game. I plan to paint Battletech minis to start. So, I'm looking for mostly cammo blends and metallic effects. Nothing too finely detailed obviously, but maybe ill work my way up later.

I got a few questions for y'all.
What paint kits do would you recommend? Specifically for mecha to start, perhaps expand to fantasy later. I hear good things about Vallejo brand.

What brushes do ya'll like? I hear good things about Artis Opus.


----------



## Retreater (Aug 10, 2022)

Vallejo is a solid choice. I prefer the dropper bottles to the paint pots of Citadel, and it comes out to a bit cheaper too. 
Because I'm not fancy, I use a lot of Army Painter's stuff. It's also in dropper bottles and even cheaper than Vallejo. It just took some effort to get the paints the way I like them. They came out a little thicker than I liked and took a lot (a LOT!!!) of shaking to be able to paint with them. Putting some medium and ball bearings in the bottles really helped this.
The Army Painter brushes are also a good mid-point in quality and price. The Regiment and Character brushes are the ones I use for most things.
Army Painter makes a Speed Paint as well. I don't like it as well as Citadel's Contrast paint line. However, I don't think either would work well with mechs. There are no metallics in the lines and they don't do great on flat panels (but work better on cloth, fur, leather, etc.)


----------



## Mad_Jack (Aug 11, 2022)

For mechs, either Vallejo or Army Painter are fine - and both have a really nice selection of military-ish colors and metallics. Most folks end up going with one particular brand based on the way it behaves (thickness, blendability, coverage, etc.), then cherry pick a few colors from other lines to cover some of their more occasional needs.
For any paint line that comes in dropper bottles, you'll want to get on Amazon and find a bag of tiny beads - made of something heavy that won't rust - to put inside the dropper bottles as shakers.

If you're just painting for tabletop or fun, I'd say go with the Army Painter brushes as well. Don't waste money on good brushes unless you plan to get serious at painting as a hobby. _Do_ go to your local art store and pick up brush soap - taking meticulous care of your brushes will greatly extend their life span.
One thing to think about: Don't bother buying any of those ridiculously tiny "detail" brushes - the 5/0, or 10/0 sizes... Especially for mechs, where you'll be doing a lot of edge highlights, it's better to have a larger brush with a nice sharp point to it. It'll hold more paint and won't dry out in the middle of a stroke like trying to do it one tiny drop at a time on a brush with only one bristle on it.

Also, it'll save you a lot of money if you go and buy a color wheel to help you start mixing your own colors instead of having seventeen shades of purple.

Since you've backed a couple of the Bones KS's, you're probably aware that us folks on the Reaper forums is good people, so feel free to come hang out with us. A lot of the professional painters and sculptors hang out there from time to time, so whatever questions you may have, they can give you guidance. And according to the big stompy robot fans on there, there aren't nearly enough folks posting painted big stompy robot pictures...  


EDIT:    These days there are _*TONS*_ of tutorials on YouTube...


----------



## Warpiglet-7 (Aug 11, 2022)

I will give some super basic feedback.  I am not expert.  For terrain I go with cheap stuff.  Apple barrel stuff at wal mart—-and use mod poster to firm it up (look up black magic craft!).

For minis, Vallejo, army painter…and maybe some washes for. Citadel.  I prefer dropper bottle for paint.

Watch tutorials!  I bought up so much Star Wars legions stuff and only got a start.  But found army painter with perfect match between primer and paint was a nice start.  Primed stormtroopers in white and then shaded and painted in the dropper bottles that. Matched the primer.  Base coat and primer in one!

Now I am going to do some skeletons.  Looking to army painter and Vallejo.

Interestingly, had a very brief love affair with flames of war.  We ok perfectionistic, and with few tutorials back then I gave up!12+ years later the paints are still good!

These were flames of war colors by Vallejo.  12+ years…

About to use them in my skeletons…


----------



## payn (Aug 11, 2022)

Thanks for the replies! I went with a 16 color WWII kit and a 16 color Fantasy collection from Vallejo. That saved me about 50% off Army Painter. Was debating a metallic kit but it had like 5 shades of grey that I could tell apart. Seemed like a lot of bucks for like 3-4 colors.

Turns out I still have some Reaper paint that looks pretty good. Bonus.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Aug 11, 2022)

payn said:


> Turns out I still have some Reaper paint that looks pretty good. Bonus.




 Short of drying into a solid block of pigment or getting frozen so that they completely discorporate, acrylic paints are damned hard to kill. I still have old Ral Partha paints from the 1980's that I occasionally bust out because I like the colors.
As long as they're tightly sealed, basically no matter how long they've been sitting around you can generally rehabilitate a bottle of old paint by adding a couple drops of water or flow improver and some hardcore extended shaking.

 For the metallics, different metals can be fairly close in color, but have vastly different levels of shininess, and also the undertone of the individual color can make a big difference in the way the color comes out - a steel color with a hint of blue in it gives a different look than a steel color with an undertone of grey. For a tabletop piece, a lot of times it's fine to have one shade of silver to paint everything metal, but once you get into painting vehicles to mil-spec where aluminum and steel need to look different or doing high-quality fantasy pieces with four or five layers of highlights, that little bit of difference can end up with a widely different result when you're done.


----------



## MGibster (Aug 11, 2022)

payn said:


> What paint kits do would you recommend? Specifically for mecha to start, perhaps expand to fantasy later. I hear good things about Vallejo brand.



After a while, you'll find that you prefer some brands over other for certain colors.  I don't tend to favor Army Painter because I think it's a little watery, but a lot of people don't like Citadel (Games Workshop) paint because it's fairly thick.  

Army Painter:  Good paint and reasonably priced.
Vallejo:  Good paint and reasonably priced. (Vallejo has a line of paints specifically for mecha.)  
Pro-Acryl:  Good paint and reasonably priced.
Games Workshop:  A little pricey, but worth it for some colors.  Their shades (washes really) are good and I love a few of their gold colors
Here's a secret, no matter which paint you get it won't make you a better painter.  But you might find some paint you prefer to others.  Don't be in a rush to buy all the paint at once, but give new brands a try once in a while.  (For terrain, I also use Apple Barrel paints.)  





Emperor Paplatine and his guards from Star Wars:  Legion.  Painted with Citadel 

Brushes:  I go with the cheap brushes from hobby shops like Michaels.  Just look at their brushes and you can find packs of small brushes for anywhere between $7-12.  And keep your bad brushes around for a while, even the bad brushes might be good for stippling, painting special effects, or using certain products that could ruin a good brush.  

Have fun.  Don't compare yourself to other painters, other than to look at their paint schemes or techniques to get some ideas of how you might apply them to your work.  Be realistic about your progress and what you expect to accomplish.  My very, very best paint jobs aren't going to win any contest and would be seen as high quality table top standard rather than display and I'm comfortable with that.  I try to push myself from time-to-time, but I don't really have high aspirations.  Start with basic techniques, get those down, and then start working on more advance techniques (glazing, wet blending, dry brushing, etc., etc.)  

There are a wide number of excellent tutorials available on YouTube for free.  

Dana Howl has some great videos designed for absolute beginners. 
Goobertown Hobby has some good videos for beginners.  
52 Miniatures is hosted by a Swedish dude and has some good videos covering the basics and sometimes he just talks about miniatures hobby in general. 
Don Suartos has, you guessed it, good videos for beginners but also quite a few advanced techniques. 




Base for my Armiger Wardog for Chaos Knights (Games Workshop)

Don't ignore you bases. You can paint the best miniature in the world, but it will look even better if you do a decent job on the base.  I used crackle paste (but in the paint section of an art store) applied some GW dark brown, GW light brown, then used some pigments to add a little extra color and finally some little grass tufts.  You can't have a base without little grass tufts.  It's the law.  The wreckage came from a GW Sector Imperialis large base detail kit which means I paid entirely too much for some plastic.  

Speaking of paying too much, there are some good places to get miniatures.  

Reaper Miniatures makes some decent metal and plastic models that are very reasonably priced.  Great for practicing on, and they have a good selecting of larger minis that are fun to paint.  Look up CAV, it's their line of mecha.  

Star Wars Legion (or Imperial Assault) from Fantasy Flight Games are reasonably priced and they're Star Wars so what's not to love?

Wizkids makes a good selection of unpainted miniatures of various sizes such as the T-Rex below which I'm especially proud of.


----------



## payn (Aug 11, 2022)

MGibster said:


> Vallejo:  Good paint and reasonably priced. (Vallejo has a line of paints specifically for mecha.)



_Shut up and take my money!_

Thanks for the post MGibster!


----------



## MGibster (Aug 12, 2022)

As far as mecha go, what are you looking to paint?  Are you looking for Battletech sized miniatures, or are you looking for something a bit bigger?  I've been painting Imperial/Chaos Knights from Games Workshop, but they're rather expensive with the cheapest models coming in at $85 for two.  I'm tempted to pick up Liberty Prime for Fallout:  Wasteland Warfare even though I don't play the game.  It's a good looking model, but it's $150.  I suppose at that point it's debatable whether or not you're painting a miniature or just a scale model at that point.


----------



## payn (Aug 12, 2022)

MGibster said:


> As far as mecha go, what are you looking to paint?  Are you looking for Battletech sized miniatures, or are you looking for something a bit bigger?  I've been painting Imperial/Chaos Knights from Games Workshop, but they're rather expensive with the cheapest models coming in at $85 for two.  I'm tempted to pick up Liberty Prime for Fallout:  Wasteland Warfare even though I don't play the game.  It's a good looking model, but it's $150.  I suppose at that point it's debatable whether or not you're painting a miniature or just a scale model at that point.



I have a large amount of current Catalyst BattleTech minis. I'm starting with those. 
Example.


----------



## MGibster (Aug 12, 2022)

payn said:


> I have a large amount of current Catalyst BattleTech minis. I'm starting with those.



Back in the 90s, I painted my Panther pink.  And for my Crusader, I painted him dark blue and gave him a little bat symbol inside a yellow oval on his chest.  I find BattleTech miniatures challenging because of the scale.  

Duncan Rhodes as a decent tutorial for painting a Mad Cat (one of my favorite mechs).


----------



## MGibster (Aug 12, 2022)

I'm gonna pick some BattleTech mechs up too.  Just for fun.  We can paint them together!


----------



## Warpiglet-7 (Aug 12, 2022)

Not great but….able to
Use primer As first coat since army painter matches the primers
With little bottles of regular paint!


----------



## MGibster (Aug 12, 2022)

Warpiglet-7 said:


> Not great but….able to
> Use primer As first coat since army painter matches the primers
> With little bottles of regular paint!



That's pretty good.  White is a very, very difficult color to paint and that's especially true when it's the whole darn model.


----------



## payn (Aug 12, 2022)

I have a Vicktor model assault mech. I think I'll start here with this Davion field paint job. Should be easy with the WWII paint set I got coming. My models pose is very similar, but the arms are in an upright forward position.


----------



## MGibster (Aug 12, 2022)

Factions – Camo Specs
					






					camospecs.com
				




A spot for camo specs for BT factions.


----------



## Aeson (Aug 12, 2022)

I find, I lack the patience and focus, not to mention steady hand to paint. I think about it from time to time. I've invested in Kickstarters for unpainted miniatures in recent years. Amazingly, some of them actually were shipped and arrived. Damn you Blacklist Games. _shakes fist_ One day I may give it a go.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Aug 12, 2022)

One suggestion I highly recommend?  Use a make-up brush for drybrushing.  Works amazing.  Also, if you're using speed paints, I like Army Painter over Citadel contrast.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Aug 12, 2022)

One thing I learned using speed paints is that it’s really important to prime your minis with dark recesses, then dry brush lighter color over it. See the aboleths in this picture as an example. Most paints are more opaque so you don’t need to do this with them, and single color primer is fine (like the purple worm). But speed paints?  You’ll want to do the layered primer.


----------



## Warpiglet-7 (Aug 12, 2022)

Sacrosanct said:


> One thing I learned using speed paints is that it’s really important to prime your minis with dark recesses, then dry brush lighter color over it. See the aboleths in this picture as an example. Most paints are more opaque so you don’t need to do this with them, and single color primer is fine (like the purple worm). But speed paints?  You’ll want to do the layered primer.
> View attachment 257387



Do drybrushing before the speed paints?


----------



## Sacrosanct (Aug 12, 2022)

Warpiglet-7 said:


> Do drybrushing before the speed paints?



Yep.  speedpaints seem like just a thicker wash; very runny and thin.  So if you do drybrushing before, when you put on the speed pain, the highlights and shadows are already there due to the transparency of the speed paint and you really don't need to drybrush after that.  Only those areas where you want a defined highlight to show.


----------



## Aeson (Aug 12, 2022)

I like Angela from Hobby Night. She talks painting and does tutorials. She also talks board games and other geekdom.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Aug 12, 2022)

Here’s a quick comparison of the alchemist purple speed paint from Army painter with a white primer, black primer, and one with layered primer. You can see with black primer, you can’t even really tell the color.


----------



## Warpiglet-7 (Aug 12, 2022)

Sacrosanct said:


> Yep.  speedpaints seem like just a thicker wash; very runny and thin.  So if you do drybrushing before, when you put on the speed pain, the highlights and shadows are already there due to the transparency of the speed paint and you really don't need to drybrush after that.  Only those areas where you want a defined highlight to show.



Makes perfect sense.  It’s a way like zenithal highlights or whatever they are called


----------



## Retreater (Aug 12, 2022)

Warpiglet-7 said:


> Makes perfect sense.  It’s a way like zenithal highlights or whatever they are called



Yeah you can Zenithal highlight by drybrushing lighter colors over darker primer - or do it with airbrush/rattlecan. I've been very happy with the results since I started using this technique last year. Really helped me paint the HeroQuest set quickly and with decent quality.


----------



## MGibster (Aug 12, 2022)

I'm trying to come up with some sort of painting plan for these BattleTech miniatures, but the scale is really throwing me off.  For the most part, I'm used to painting anywhere between 28-32mm in scale (See T-47 from Star Wars:  Legion below for reference).  At this scale, I was able to add a lot of detail to the miniature itself with panel lining and various weathering effects.  But BattleTech is 6mm to 10mm (depending on who you ask), and what works on 32mm doesn't necessarily work at 6mm.  





For example, if I were to use regular grass for a BT mini then it'll look oddly huge compared to the mech.  I'm toying with the idea of having a mech with evidence of battle damage/repaired limbs, but will that scale well at 6mm?  If I paint some battle damage around the shoulder and paint the arm an entirely different color from the rest of the mech, will you be able to tell it's a replacement arm?  How well will weathering look?  I'm thinking of using some pigments to darken the feet a little bit because those parts get dirty.  Or what about a chipped paint look?  Tough to say, but I'm happy to give this a shot.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Aug 13, 2022)

If you're painting 6-10mm stuff, you're going to want to paint on the _suggestion_ of details rather than actually using the same techniques as for larger stuff... The human eye isn't as powerful as a camera, and can't clearly see details that small unless held right up in front of you. Although you can paint reflections in a 32mm mini's eyes, they won't be visible more than a foot away and will just blur together in the viewer's brain. At 6mm, you can barely see the eyes themselves. So you go back to basics, and paint on simple details that, when translated by the human brain looking at it from three or six feet away, will translate into what you want them to see. Sort of like the technique of pointillism in art... (hell, the quickest way to draw chainmail in an illustration or paint it on a flat surface is to just use alternating black and silver dots.)

For small holes or armor damage, just an uneven black dot or bright silver streak will do to suggest a bullet hole or collision damage. For large holes in armor, once the actual paint scheme is dry, just paint on an uneven black spot with a handful of really tiny silver dots around the edges to represent the ragged shards of bent metal protruding from the hole.

 When I was performing with the local_ Rocky Horror Picture Show_ cast, playing Eddie, to represent the scar on his forehead where they removed his brain solely with makeup, I used to draw it on like this:





Folks would come up to me after the show and be shocked that it was just two-dimensional -- they thought I'd been wearing FX prostetics...


----------



## MGibster (Aug 13, 2022)

Mad_Jack said:


> If you're painting 6-10mm stuff, you're going to want to paint on the _suggestion_ of details rather than actually using the same techniques as for larger stuff... The human eye isn't as powerful as a camera, and can't clearly see details that small unless held right up in front of you. Although you can paint reflections in a 32mm mini's eyes, they won't be visible more than a foot away and will just blur together in the viewer's brain. At 6mm, you can barely see the eyes themselves.



That's actually great advice.  Don't feel pressured to paint to photorealistic standards, given the scale and the distance of your audience, it's kind of a waste of time.  I know my miniatures look a lot better on the table than they do in my photographs.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Aug 13, 2022)

MGibster said:


> I know my miniatures look a lot better on the table than they do in my photographs.




 My miniatures look a lot better in other peoples' photographs than they do on my table...

(After 35 years of practice, you'd think I'd be better by now, lol...)


----------



## MGibster (Aug 13, 2022)

So here is what I’m starting with today: 




From the current boxed set.  I'm going to keep the base fairly simply and apply sand and pebbles.  Once that's done, I'll lay some primer down, base coats, and see where I want to go from there.


----------



## MGibster (Aug 14, 2022)

I've applied the base coat of some Citadel brown and Zandari Dust.  So these four miniatures are 80% done with the remaining 20% being details like the canopy, washes, anything extra on the minis, as well as finishing the base up.  That final 20% is where I'll be spending the bulk of my time on these mechs.


----------



## payn (Aug 14, 2022)

MGibster said:


> I've applied the base coat of some Citadel brown and Zandari Dust.  So these four miniatures are 80% done with the remaining 20% being details like the canopy, washes, anything extra on the minis, as well as finishing the base up.  That final 20% is where I'll be spending the bulk of my time on these mechs.
> 
> View attachment 257596



Nice, I was thinking of doing a Kurita lance in similar colors. The brown would be swapped for something more crimson.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Aug 14, 2022)

MGibster said:


> I've applied the base coat of some Citadel brown and Zandari Dust.  So these four miniatures are 80% done with the remaining 20% being details like the canopy, washes, anything extra on the minis, as well as finishing the base up.  That final 20% is where I'll be spending the bulk of my time on these mechs.




 Nice. Just a thought, though - on the guy with the missile pods, have you considered extending the camo pattern across the inside of the pod covers and the front face of the pod? It occurs to me that the pods would be completely covered in the camo pattern when the covers are closed, but when they're opened, suddenly the opponent is looking at two big non-camouflaged squares...


----------



## MGibster (Aug 14, 2022)

Update


Mad_Jack said:


> Nice. Just a thought, though - on the guy with the missile pods, have you considered extending the camo pattern across the inside of the pod covers and the front face of the pod? It occurs to me that the pods would be completely covered in the camo pattern when the covers are closed, but when they're opened, suddenly the opponent is looking at two big non-camouflaged squares...



Nah, I figure he runs around with the missile pods closed most of the time only opening them when raining hot death upon his enemies.  

But I'm pretty much done with the first mech, an Awesome.  
Reactor online.
Weapon system online.
All systems nominal.


----------



## payn (Aug 14, 2022)

Im working on a lance right now. Base coated in American Green, barrels in gunmetal silver. Going to do some highlights in grey/silver. I'll get some pics soon, but my phone is old. Kids these days would call it a potato.

Not sure yet how to do the canopies.


----------



## MGibster (Aug 15, 2022)

And the Battlemaster is finished.  I tried something new with the canopy and it didn’t work out.  But good enough for Inner Sphere work I reckon.


----------



## payn (Aug 15, 2022)

MGibster said:


> And the Battlemaster is finished.  I tried something new with the canopy and it didn’t work out.  But good enough for Inner Sphere work I reckon.
> 
> 
> View attachment 257660



The canopy looks great. What techniques did you use?


----------



## MGibster (Aug 15, 2022)

payn said:


> The canopy looks great. What techniques did you use?



I tried a glazing technique, but I'm thinking I wasn't patient enough and ended up using paint that wasnt thinned enough.  I'm not entirely unhappy, but it isn't exactly what I was looking for.  But you know what?  Live and learn.  Just keep practicing.


----------



## payn (Aug 15, 2022)

MGibster said:


> I tried a glazing technique, but I'm thinking I wasn't patient enough and ended up using paint that wasnt thinned enough.  I'm not entirely unhappy, but it isn't exactly what I was looking for.  But you know what?  Live and learn.  Just keep practicing.



I can see what you are saying. It has a little bit of a graphic novel look as opposed to a photo realist look. Not knocking im fine either way, but have from time to time missed what I was going for during painting. 

Currently, I used a dark green for a camp spec for a lance I'm painting. It's very dark and I'm thinking I would have been better off with a lighter shade to let the details shine a bit more. Thinking about the canopies next. 
(From my "potato" phone)


----------



## MGibster (Aug 15, 2022)

payn said:


> Currently, I used a dark green for a camp spec for a lance I'm painting. It's very dark and I'm thinking I would have been better off with a lighter shade to let the details shine a bit more. Thinking about the canopies next.
> (From my "potato" phone)



I might paint one of my little guys a nice NATO green and dry brush with a lighter green and see what that gets me.


----------



## payn (Aug 20, 2022)

I have been busy this week painting up some BT minis. I am looking into canopy work and fine details for my Davion lance (Vicktor, Enforcer, Hunchback, and Raven). I started a Kurita lance (Banshee, Grasshopper, Centurion, and Hatchetman) but ended up just going a desert camo look instead. Finally, just started today on a merc outfit fire blaze orange look (Marauder, Archer, Valkyrie, and Stinger).



 



 


Sorry my phone camera sucks.


----------



## MGibster (Aug 20, 2022)

payn said:


> I have been busy this week painting up some BT minis. I am looking into canopy work and fine details for my Davion lance (Vicktor, Enforcer, Hunchback, and Raven)




It's tough getting a nice photo with a camera phone.  Those are looking pretty good.  And some sort of blazing orange color is certainly an easy way to make your mechs distinctive on the table.  

There are a few things I like about the BattleTech miniatures.  Well, at least two things.

1.  They look like combat vehicles.  I'm not arguing that mechs are realistic, only that BT mechs look like they're designed for war rather than designed to be aesthetically pleasing.  Shermans, Jeeps, and T-34s weren't winning any beauty contests no matter how good or bad they were. 

2.  Mechs are much cheaper to buy and look better than they did 25 years ago.  It's a little disappointing that I can't but individual mechs, but a 4 pack for $25 sure beats purchasing one for $8.00 or more.  

I'm halfway through the BT boxed set.  I have four more to paint, and I'll probably do something a bit different just to add a little variety to the mix.  



The tough thing about camouflage is that it is designed by nature to hide details.  Even on a larger scale model, a lot of the detail effects are difficult to see even in person because the camo pattern breaks up the model.  But at the 10mm scale, I guess you really don't need to worry so much about the detail.


----------



## MockingBird (Aug 24, 2022)

Retreater said:


> Vallejo is a solid choice. I prefer the dropper bottles to the paint pots of Citadel, and it comes out to a bit cheaper too.
> Because I'm not fancy, I use a lot of Army Painter's stuff. It's also in dropper bottles and even cheaper than Vallejo. It just took some effort to get the paints the way I like them. They came out a little thicker than I liked and took a lot (a LOT!!!) of shaking to be able to paint with them. Putting some medium and ball bearings in the bottles really helped this.
> The Army Painter brushes are also a good mid-point in quality and price. The Regiment and Character brushes are the ones I use for most things.
> Army Painter makes a Speed Paint as well. I don't like it as well as Citadel's Contrast paint line. However, I don't think either would work well with mechs. There are no metallics in the lines and they don't do great on flat panels (but work better on cloth, fur, leather, etc.)



Don't know if anyone mentioned it yet but the Vallejo model air is a bit thinner. I use it in airbrush ( that's what it's for) but I've also brush painted with it and it works fine.


----------



## MGibster (Aug 27, 2022)

I present to you, one Panther light mech.  Da da da da-da da-da da da da da da da da da da.


----------



## payn (Aug 27, 2022)

MGibster said:


> I present to you, one Panther light mech.  Da da da da-da da-da da da da da da da da da da.
> 
> View attachment 259225



Is that a metallic paint?


----------



## MGibster (Aug 27, 2022)

payn said:


> Is that a metallic paint?



I used six drops of Metallic Medium from Pro-Acryl and added two drops of magenta ink from Liquitex.  If you want your own metallic colors, I recommend inks plus the metallic medium.


----------



## Warpiglet-7 (Aug 27, 2022)

payn said:


> I have been busy this week painting up some BT minis. I am looking into canopy work and fine details for my Davion lance (Vicktor, Enforcer, Hunchback, and Raven). I started a Kurita lance (Banshee, Grasshopper, Centurion, and Hatchetman) but ended up just going a desert camo look instead. Finally, just started today on a merc outfit fire blaze orange look (Marauder, Archer, Valkyrie, and Stinger).
> View attachment 258526 View attachment 258527View attachment 258528 View attachment 258529
> Sorry my phone camera sucks.



I like the big mech in particular!

Also if anyone is interested I have the key to well painted minis!

My daughter paints better than me.  I am running a sweat shop!  She is doing a squad of skeletons for me not more than 3 feet away as I type this! 

I am a genius!


----------



## Richards (Aug 27, 2022)

I'm a little surprised you haven't stylized this as a "Paynting Minis" thread.

Seriously, though, nice work all around!  I learned long ago I don't have the patience or the skill (or the patience to acquire the skill) for painting minis.

Johnathan


----------



## el-remmen (Aug 27, 2022)

While I've played D&D since '83, and used minis since about '97, I didn't start painting them until 2020 - and in that time I have painted over 200 minis (probably over 300, but I only started counting this year). I use cheap brushes. I have tried more expensive ones, but maybe I am just bad at taking care of them or using them right, but they don't seem to last any longer or do any better a job for me.

As for paints, I use all kinds. I don't really care. I am decent at getting these minis table ready and some of them do look pretty good - but I don't worry about it too much. I prime everything black (even minis that are supposedly "pre-primed") that way if I miss the hard to reach spots it just looks like shadows.

Oh and someone else on here once recommended that I use a thinned out pink as an undercoat when painting yellow or white - colors that tend to have poor coverage. I don't know why, but it works!


----------



## Mad_Jack (Aug 28, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> While I've played D&D since '83, and used minis since about '97, I didn't start painting them until 2020 - and in that time I have painted over 200 minis (probably over 300, but I only started counting this year). I use cheap brushes. I have tried more expensive ones, but maybe I am just bad at taking care of them or using them right, but they don't seem to last any longer or do any better a job for me.
> 
> As for paints, I use all kinds. I don't really care. I am decent at getting these minis table ready and some of them do look pretty good - but I don't worry about it too much. I prime everything black (even minis that are supposedly "pre-primed") that way if I miss the hard to reach spots it just looks like shadows.
> 
> Oh and someone else on here once recommended that I use a thinned out pink as an undercoat when painting yellow or white - colors that tend to have poor coverage. I don't know why, but it works!




 I once painted a mini with a Q-tip and latex house paint samples just to show somebody it could be done well*, lol...
The important part of any brush is whether or not it keeps a nice sharp point, and I've had cheap brushes that did that for years and expensive ones that crapped out quickly. Cleaning them well after every use and making sure that you don't get dried paint up into the ferrule is important for making a brush last.


 As for undercoating, any fairly light mostly-neutral color can be used for an undercoat on a color that doesn't get good coverage (and is a good way to subtly change the character of the overlying color), but a light pink definitely works for yellow or white. When using metallics, most folks generally undercoat with black or blue for silvery metal, and warm brown for things like gold or brass.



*Also... Fingerpainting, lol


----------



## Aeson (Aug 30, 2022)

I've seen some minis packaging say no priming needed. Are there plastic minis that don't require priming? Is it always good practice to do anyway? 

Someone mentioned putting something in the bottle to help with mixing. Any suggestions on what works best? 

Anyone have a preference on glue?


----------



## payn (Aug 30, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I've seen some minis packaging say no priming needed. Are there plastic minis that don't require priming? Is it always good practice to do anyway?
> 
> Someone mentioned putting something in the bottle to help with mixing. Any suggestions on what works best?
> 
> Anyone have a preference on glue?



My Battletech minis are plastic and I have been priming them. I have a ton of Reaper Bones and those are resin and do not need primer. I guess you just need to look it up or ask.


----------



## Aeson (Aug 30, 2022)

I gotcha. I see little guys made out of grey stuff and call it plastic. It might be resin instead. I'm learning all kinds of stuff in this thread.


----------



## payn (Aug 30, 2022)

Awesome and Catapult. Moving on to some fine details soon.


----------



## el-remmen (Aug 30, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I've seen some minis packaging say no priming needed. Are there plastic minis that don't require priming? Is it always good practice to do anyway?
> 
> Someone mentioned putting something in the bottle to help with mixing. Any suggestions on what works best?
> 
> Anyone have a preference on glue?




I am Team Prime-It-Anyway.

I usually thin my paints in the palette with some thinner. For thick paints that starts to coagulate in the bottle I have little metal ballbearing things that help agitate them when shaken.

As for glue: I just use Gorilla Brand super-glue.


----------



## payn (Aug 30, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> I am Team Prime-It-Anyway.
> 
> I usually thin my paints in the palette with some thinner. For thick paints that starts to coagulate in the bottle I have little metal ballbearing things that help agitate them when shaken.
> 
> As for glue: I just use Gorilla Brand super-glue.



I used to use Citadel paints and they are pretty thick. I am now using Vallejo and they are just the right consistency for me. Easy to thin more if I need to.


----------



## MGibster (Aug 31, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I've seen some minis packaging say no priming needed. Are there plastic minis that don't require priming? Is it always good practice to do anyway?



I am also on team prime.  I even prime models made by companies who say I totally don't need to prime them.  


Aeson said:


> Someone mentioned putting something in the bottle to help with mixing. Any suggestions on what works best?



Little glass beads/balls are fine.  Some people use BBs, but I suppose those might rust over time.


----------



## Mannahnin (Aug 31, 2022)

I'm also an err-on-the-side-of-priming guy.  You just want to make sure it's a fine, light coat to not obscure any detail. Try to ensure that if you're using a spray can (my preference) that you're doing it from at least 10-12" away and that it's not too humid or cold when you're doing it so it doesn't clump or get "fuzzy".  Make light quick passes and rotate the minis.

I remember back in the 80s Mithril Miniatures' MERP line actually came with a fine grey primer coat on them, which was nice. Not that I ever actually _painted _them.  The couple I had were *such *nice sculpts that I didn't dare.  Didn't want to mess them up with my inexpert fumbling. But they still looked gorgeous just in that grey primer.

For years when I first started painting large quantities and getting any good at it in the late 90s and early 2000s the maxim was that you always needed to wash minis with soap and water to clean off mold release chemicals and then let dry completely, then prime, for best results.

Later many companies seemed to get good at pre-cleaning their models.

I remember when I got the first Reaper Bones kickstarter they were supposed to be no-prime-needed and I tried it, but had inconsistent results.  Some definitely had bad/patchy coverage when I painted straight onto the white Bones material. So I went back to default of always priming first.


----------



## Aeson (Aug 31, 2022)

I bought some Vallejo paints. I'm going to give painting another try. It's been close to 20 years since the last time I tried.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 1, 2022)

The first-gen Reaper Bones were made of a fairly hydrophobic plastic, which meant that thinned-out paints wouldn't stick particularly well. The plastic also didn't react well to a lot of spray primers, and occasionally remained sticky even months after priming. The generally-accepted solution was to prime them with brush-on primer before painting. (It was also discovered that, for some bizarre reason, Reaper's Brown Liner made for a really good primer.)
Later generations of figures didn't have that issue to the same degree as Reaper changed the formula of the plastic several times even before they changed to using their current grey color instead of the white. (And Bones Black minis use a slightly different formula in their plastic than the regular grey Bones.) Which may or may not indicate that the hydrophobic quality might be related to the amount of plasticizer in the mix...


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 1, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I bought some Vallejo paints. I'm going to give painting another try. It's been close to 20 years since the last time I tried.




 At the very least, you might want to use a strong pair of reading glasses* while painting, if you don't have a stronger means of magnification. I keep a pair of cheap +3.75 glasses around for when I'm painting somewhere other than home and can't bring my regular painting set-up with me.
None of us are as young as we were 20 years ago, lol.


* Unless you have some horrible coke-bottle prescription because you're just generally half-blind, any dollar-store pair of reading glasses will do. If you have a Dollar Tree in your area, they're literally just $1.25 a pair...


----------



## payn (Sep 1, 2022)

Mad_Jack said:


> The first-gen Reaper Bones were made of a fairly hydrophobic plastic, which meant that thinned-out paints wouldn't stick particularly well. The plastic also didn't react well to a lot of spray primers, and occasionally remained sticky even months after priming. The generally-accepted solution was to prime them with brush-on primer before painting. (It was also discovered that, for some bizarre reason, Reaper's Brown Liner made for a really good primer.)
> Later generations of figures didn't have that issue to the same degree as Reaper changed the formula of the plastic several times even before they changed to using their current grey color instead of the white. (And Bones Black minis use a slightly different formula in their plastic than the regular grey Bones.) Which may or may not indicate that the hydrophobic quality might be related to the amount of plasticizer in the mix...



As someone sitting on a mountain of Reaper Bones, this is great to know.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 1, 2022)

Mad_Jack said:


> At the very least, you might want to use a strong pair of reading glasses* while painting, if you don't have a stronger means of magnification. I keep a pair of cheap +3.75 glasses around for when I'm painting somewhere other than home and can't bring my regular painting set-up with me.
> None of us are as young as we were 20 years ago, lol.
> 
> 
> * Unless you have some horrible coke-bottle prescription because you're just generally half-blind, any dollar-store pair of reading glasses will do. If you have a Dollar Tree in your area, they're literally just $1.25 a pair...



I keep a pair of reading glasses in the car, in the bedroom, and living room. That way they're always within arms reach. lol I thought about magnification. My reading glasses are not that strong yet. I might invest in a pair for this reason though.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 2, 2022)

payn said:


> As someone sitting on a mountain of Reaper Bones, this is great to know.




 If you have stuff from the first three Kickstarters, or from that era, you'll definitely need to wash it and should probably prime it (test your spray primer first to see if it leaves the test figure sticky even after it dries). Anything after that, priming is mostly a matter of choice, especially after they started using the grey color for everything. (Most folks painting for tabletop quality or higher still prime them anyway, however.)

Recently, they've begun using Siocast plastic resin for their new figures, and are transitioning the older ones over to it as well. It's a process that uses 3D printed masters, silicone molds and injection molding to combine the best aspects of traditional resin casting and injection molding.





Aeson said:


> I keep a pair of reading glasses in the car, in the bedroom, and living room. That way they're always within arms reach. lol I thought about magnification. My reading glasses are not that strong yet. I might invest in a pair for this reason though.




  If you use glasses for reading already, I'd recommend picking up a pair of +3.75 or +4.00 lenses to use for painting. Even if you're just slapping a single coat of paint on them without highlights or shadows just to put them down on a table for your game, good clean lines are the basis of having good-looking minis and being able to see what you're doing makes painting good clean lines easier.
You might want to bring a mini to the store with you and try on a few different magnifications to figure out which is the best magnification for being able to see the mini as clearly as possible while still holding it at a distance that's going to be comfortable for you while painting it.

If you stick with the hobby, later on you should pick up a cheap magnivisor off of Amazon or somewhere.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Sep 2, 2022)

Mad_Jack said:


> If you have stuff from the first three Kickstarters, or from that era, you'll definitely need to wash it and should probably prime it (test your spray primer first to see if it leaves the test figure sticky even after it dries). Anything after that, priming is mostly a matter of choice, especially after they started using the grey color for everything. (Most folks painting for tabletop quality or higher still prime them anyway, however.)



I had first gen Bones I primed with Army Painter White that wasn't sticky.

Until two years later.  All of them became tacky.  The only way I've found that works is to avoid spray rattle cans.  Use an airbrush.


----------



## Marc Radle (Sep 2, 2022)

Or brush on primer


----------



## MGibster (Sep 3, 2022)

I finished up the rest of the starter box.  Good times.


----------



## payn (Sep 3, 2022)

MGibster said:


> I finished up the rest of the starter box.  Good times.
> 
> View attachment 260077



Nice jungle camo!


----------



## Aeson (Sep 4, 2022)

I think this will be my first victim. 



Shouldn't be too complicated. Not real detail to worry about.


----------



## payn (Sep 4, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I think this will be my first victim.
> View attachment 260265
> Shouldn't be too complicated. Not real detail to worry about.



Thats got an old school feel to it. Cant wait to see what you decide to go with.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 4, 2022)

That guy's got some atrocious mold lines.  

Also, it looks familiar - where's he from?


----------



## MGibster (Sep 4, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I think this will be my first victim.
> 
> Shouldn't be too complicated. Not real detail to worry about.



Where the heck did that come from?


----------



## Aeson (Sep 4, 2022)

MGibster said:


> Where the heck did that come from?



From Amazon. This set shows a box, but mine were in a tube. They're not the standard gaming size. 

Fantasy Creature Mini Action Figure Playset-98pc Monster Toy Miniatures w 14 Unique Sculpts - Dragons, Wizards, Orcs, and More- XL 1/32nd Scale Dungeon Character Accessories https://a.co/d/28HMtWq


----------



## Aeson (Sep 4, 2022)

Mad_Jack said:


> That guy's got some atrocious mold lines.
> 
> Also, it looks familiar - where's he from?



They're not perfect. They're cheap. lol I'm going to do what I can to clean it up first. Some of these will be what I use to practice on.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 5, 2022)

From the look of him, I'm guessing it's probably a somewhat harder plastic? Good sharp hobby knife will do the trick.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 5, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I bought some Vallejo paints. I'm going to give painting another try. It's been close to 20 years since the last time I tried.



The paint sets arrived today. They were in a soggy box because dumdum driver left it in the rain instead of putting it under cover. It had rained all day. At least the contents were dry.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 5, 2022)

Gah.

Jack just did a dumb thing - I just jumped on an EvilBuy grenade that I really couldn't afford to jump on since money is really tight right now.
(An eBay grenade is one of those listings you click on and suddenly find something you've wanted for a long time - and either you usually only have a few minutes left on the auction to whether to decide if it's worth it or not or the price is so good on it that you can't pass up buying it* right now*, because you know it'll be gone before you get your next paycheck...)

But Jack is now going to be the owner of, among other things, one of his "Holy Grail" figures - Ral Partha 2nd Ed. AD&D 11-064 Lord Soth, mounted and on foot... I already had the standing and mounted figures, but not the horse.



 



Fortunately, there's at least one other figure in the miniature lot I just purchased that I can resell to recoup part of the cash I laid out for it.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 5, 2022)

Mad_Jack said:


> But Jack is now going to be the owner of, among other things, one of his "Holy Grail" figures - Ral Partha 2nd Ed. AD&D 11-064 Lord Soth, mounted and on foot... I already had the standing and mounted figures, but not the horse.



I used to have the Lord Soth figure on his feet way back in the day!  I loved that mini.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 5, 2022)

I don't remember which company it is, but there's a new 3D print of not-him floating around...


----------



## MGibster (Sep 6, 2022)

For those of you who might not be familiar with the Fallout video games, these are Protectron robots from the table top miniatures game Fallout:  Wasteland Warfare based off the popular CRPG.  And these are examples of what I'd call a successful failure in that I didn't achieve what I envisioned but it looks pretty good anyone.  In Bob Ross terms, these are happy little accidents.

The Protectron on the left was given a basecoat of Mission Models white primer followed by a basecoat of Mission Models sea-foam green.  I used Citadel Leadbelcher for the metallic parts and then I used Vallejo Rust Texture to add some rusty spots to the model.  Don't see the rusty spots?  That's because when I applied some Vallejo oiled earth wash to the model it obliterated the rust spots.  And as I used a brush to move the wash around, you'll notice it removed some of the sea foam green to reveal the primer below.  But I decided this worked well for a post apocalyptic robot that was centuries old and the paint job probably wouldn't be holding up too well.  

The Protectron on the right had a base coat of Mission Models white primer followed by a base coat of some weird name for a blue from Citadel.  I laid on the Vallejo oil earth wash on pretty thick and let it dry and I like the results. 

The Vallejo rust texture's failure was likely due to user error.  I simply didn't give it enough time to dry and cure before applying a wash which reactivated the rust allowing me to brush it off.  It's also possible I didn't shake the paint enough as it didn't really leave behind much of a texture.  I'll have to do some additional testing before I render a verdict.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 7, 2022)

Nothing I do will look as good as what I've seen here so far. Please keep in mind this is a work in progress. I'm not finished. I just wanted to share the progress. I wasn't sure about the bone white. In this light I see the difference vs primer. At first I couldn't. 





I'm of the mind, no matter how it looks in the end, some color is better than none. It doesn't have to be perfect.


----------



## payn (Sep 7, 2022)

Aeson said:


> Nothing I do will look as good as what I've seen here so far. Please keep in mind this is a work in progress. I'm not finished. I just wanted to share the progress. I wasn't sure about the bone white. In this light I see the difference vs primer. At first I couldn't.
> 
> View attachment 260689
> I'm of the mind, no matter how it looks in the end, some color is better than none. It doesn't have to be perfect.



Not bad, I bet those abs could wash out some.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 7, 2022)

payn said:


> Not bad, I bet those abs could wash out some.



I probably shouldn't have painted the abs just yet, because I did intend to paint it a different shade. I plan to use a flesh tone for the snout. I want to give the horns red tips, and pin point red eyes. I'm not sure what I want to do with the weapon. I have a couple different shades of brown to choose from for the shaft. Gunmetal grey for the head? Maybe a little more red?


----------



## Aeson (Sep 7, 2022)

I learned that a little paint goes a long way. I just need a small drop for most things. I put too much brown out on the palette.


----------



## payn (Sep 7, 2022)

Here is what I'm working on today. A frost camo look for a Cyclops and Thug battlemechs.


----------



## DrunkonDuty (Sep 8, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I probably shouldn't have painted the abs just yet, because I did intend to paint it a different shade. I plan to use a flesh tone for the snout. I want to give the horns red tips, and pin point red eyes. I'm not sure what I want to do with the weapon. I have a couple different shades of brown to choose from for the shaft. Gunmetal grey for the head? Maybe a little more red?




You can always paint over the top. Too many layers will hide detail but with thin paints you can usually get a t least a couple of layers on without doing so.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 8, 2022)

DrunkonDuty said:


> You can always paint over the top. Too many layers will hide detail but with thin paints you can usually get a t least a couple of layers on without doing so.



As you progress, you eventually end up having to layer paint to get it to do what you want and that's especially true for flesh.  For this giant, I applied a fairly dark flesh tone and followed that up with multiple layers of ever lighter flesh tones.  If you lok closely at the face, you'll see that he's got a red blush around his nose and his cheeks.


----------



## Marc Radle (Sep 8, 2022)

MGibster said:


> As you progress, you eventually end up having to layer paint to get it to do what you want and that's especially true for flesh.  For this giant, I applied a fairly dark flesh tone and followed that up with multiple layers of ever lighter flesh tones.  If you lok closely at the face, you'll see that he's got a red blush around his nose and his cheeks.
> 
> View attachment 260703



Wow, that looks amazing!


----------



## MGibster (Sep 8, 2022)

Marc Radle said:


> Wow, that looks amazing!



That's really just a photo of me chasing kids off my lawn.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 8, 2022)

And here is my completed Inner Sphere Striker Lance.  It's been a long time since I've painted BattleTech models, and I'm not sure I like painting at this scale (10mm) as much as I enjoy larger scales.  At this scale, I just have to accept that I won't be able to add the details I like adding at larger scales because you're simply not going to be able to see them.  

And on another note, let's talk aesthetics for a moment.  While I don't want to describe BattleTech as being "realistic," because it's got battle mechs walking around, I would have to say that the design aesthetic is convincingly realistic when it comes to looking like a military vehicle.  They're not really designed to look cool so much as they're designed to look functional (though some of them do look cool).  So the paint jobs I find most flattering are those that are more on the realism side of camouflage or at least muted colors like green, tan, browns, etc., etc.  Aside form not being a great paint job, the Black Jack below in the darker blues just looks ridiculous.  (The Pink Panther gets a pass because it's supposed to look ridiculous.)  But you don't improve your skills without going outside your comfort zone, and painting in a different scale is certainly a new experience.


----------



## payn (Sep 8, 2022)

MGibster said:


> And here is my completed Inner Sphere Striker Lance.  It's been a long time since I've painted BattleTech models, and I'm not sure I like painting at this scale (10mm) as much as I enjoy larger scales.  At this scale, I just have to accept that I won't be able to add the details I like adding at larger scales because you're simply not going to be able to see them.
> View attachment 260794
> And on another note, let's talk aesthetics for a moment.  While I don't want to describe BattleTech as being "realistic," because it's got battle mechs walking around, I would have to say that the design aesthetic is convincingly realistic when it comes to looking like a military vehicle.  They're not really designed to look cool so much as they're designed to look functional (though some of them do look cool).  So the paint jobs I find most flattering are those that are more on the realism side of camouflage or at least muted colors like green, tan, browns, etc., etc.  Aside form not being a great paint job, the Black Jack below in the darker blues just looks ridiculous.  (The Pink Panther gets a pass because it's supposed to look ridiculous.)  But you don't improve your skills without going outside your comfort zone, and painting in a different scale is certainly a new experience.



Yeah I am having the same issue, my eyes are too bad to get to the level of detail id like. 

I also painted the striker lance recently. Here is my scheme. Still thinking on canopy and other fine details.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 8, 2022)

Yeah, after a certain point, there's just no way you can paint little details on stuff so that human eyes can still see it.
The smaller you get, the harder it becomes to paint individual details (or even the suggestion of details like rust, battle damage or mud) so they'll still show up to the human eye.





MGibster said:


> As you progress, you eventually end up having to layer paint to get it to do what you want and that's especially true for flesh.  For this giant, I applied a fairly dark flesh tone and followed that up with multiple layers of ever lighter flesh tones.  If you lok closely at the face, you'll see that he's got a red blush around his nose and his cheeks.




 Yeah, minis are small enough that they don't really cast their own shadows or show their own highlights very well, so if you want them to be visible you have to paint them on by hand.
If you look at a digital illustration blown up enough to see the individual pixels, you'll notice that something "green" is actually drawn with about seven or eight colors going all the way from black in the shadows to yellow or white on the highlights. It's the contrast between those various colors that makes the human eye read them as being three-dimensional and blended together as various shades of green.
For minis, painting something "green" means you end up having a base color, a shadow color and a highlight color - three separate shades of green. Or more. Or other colors, depending on how much time you want to invest in the figure - if you're assembly-lining twenty orcs for your tabletop game most folks are just going to dip them in a thinned-out wash of black or brown, which will naturally pool up in the recesses of the figure as it dries, adding in the shadows...

On MGibster's giant, for the flesh you can see he's gone from a reddish dark tan in the shadows up to a yellowish white on the forehead highlights. This orc I painted with green skin (linked for nudity) has a few more muscles to it, so you can see pretty clearly that although the base color of the flesh was forest green, the shadows go all the way to black in some spots and the highest highlights are a light mint green. She's got, hrm, I think three layers of highlights and shadows on her.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 10, 2022)

I need to do some touch up, but this is gonna be the final look of him. I was thinking if I paint the other minotaurs, I'll paint the loincloth a different color to give them easily identifiable markings.
"I attack the orange one"
"The green one makes his save. "


----------



## MGibster (Sep 10, 2022)

I always said I'll never win any contests, but my Imperial Knight army was voted best painted in our last Warhammer 40k league.  Hurrah!


----------



## Andvari (Sep 11, 2022)

Fire giant I painted a few days ago.







Now these guys I spent a lot of time on.




For a "quick" paintjob, after priming, I fully paint in the base colours, then cover those areas in washes. Some areas I will repaint in the original colours, leaving the recesses in the darkened colours. After doing so, I add in highlights on edges, raised areas and places where the light might hit, such as the upper portion of a chest.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 11, 2022)

Andvari said:


> For a "quick" paintjob, after priming, I fully paint in the base colours, then cover those areas in washes. Some areas I will repaint in the original colours, leaving the recesses in the darkened colours.



My Space Hulk Terminators are still half done after a number of years.  Yours look nice.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 11, 2022)

Do you need a wash labeled paint to do a wash? I've seen the word used and I've seen paints. I don't know much about it.


----------



## DrunkonDuty (Sep 12, 2022)

You can just thin regular paints to use as washes. That being said, I have never really done that (like maybe once or twice ever) and usually just buy washes.

Then there's inks, which are different. IIRC the coloured particulate is much finer, giving you a different (smoother?) effect. 

Nowadays there's other types of paints too. About which I know basically nothing. So over to more knowledgeable painters...


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 12, 2022)

A wash is just a technique using watered-down paint so that it mostly flows into the recessed areas - it's a quick method of shading.
 Using a black or brown wash (one or two drops of paint to five-ten drops of water) is a much quicker way to add in your shadows than painting them. Because you watered down the paint, it'll be translucent, and the underlying color will show through, but because it will also pool up into the recesses of the figure as it dries, those areas will end up being tinted the color of the wash. If you look at the linked pic of the orc I painted, you can see what a wash looks like on the wood on the inside of her shield - the dark wash pooled up a little bit in the wood grain, but mostly in the spaces between the boards. It's essentially the same thing as when you shave in the bathroom sink, then let the water drain out slowly - as the water leaves, it leaves behind particulate matter i.e., the leftover shaving cream... In the sink, whatever leftover shaving cream didn't get left on the sides of the sink will pool up near the drain, and on a wash, the color is darker in the lower parts that were the last to dry and most of the pigment ended up.
 You can also use the same principle for a technique called glazing where instead of just applying it to areas you want to shade, you paint over the the whole area to give a nice even tint to the entire thing.

There are a number of wash recipes readily available online, but many companies sell their own pre-made washes.
Inks perform a similar function to a wash, although generally they tend to end up a bit shinier when dry.

 Games Workshop (Warhammer)'s Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil are very popular brown and black washes, respectively, and even people who don't use GW paints often use them.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 12, 2022)

Mad_Jack said:


> Games Workshop (Warhammer)'s Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil are very popular brown and black washes, respectively, and even people who don't use GW paints often use them.



I'm slowly moving away from GW paints as a whole, but I'll probably be using their washes forever.  Well, maybe.  They changed the recipe lately and I haven't given it a try yet.  

@Aeson, a common technique with a wash is to apply it over the entire miniature (or just part), remove as much as you can from the raised or flat areas, and once it dries come back and apply your base color to the raised/flat areas.  It makes your minature look a bit more 3 dimensional.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 13, 2022)

Here’s a work in progress.  This is a piece of terrain produced by Games Workshop for Warhammer 40k.  In the first photo, I've put down some base colors and added a few details.  First tip, don't automatically use white for white.  I used Army Painter's Stone Golem, and I had to apply three coats to get it it to be completely opaque.  Thin coats of course.  






I applied an oil wash over the skull area.  You can see that the wash did a lot of work here by helping define the teeth and adding some shadows.  You can get a similar effect with an acrylic wash as well.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 16, 2022)

I thought I'd try painting a bear miniature I have. I painted it black first with the idea of going over it with brown also. The idea would for it to be mostly brown with areas of black highlights. I'm not really getting the results I had hoped for.


----------



## Andvari (Sep 16, 2022)

You'd probably get a decent result from painting it all brown and then covering it completely in a dark brown wash.
Make sure the initial brown paint isn't so thick it clogs up the recesses. Depending on how thin it ends up being, you may have to paint it over more than once before the black doesn't show through. Just wait for it to dry before applying the second layer.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Sep 16, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I thought I'd try painting a bear miniature I have. I painted it black first with the idea of going over it with brown also. The idea would for it to be mostly brown with areas of black highlights. I'm not really getting the results I had hoped for.



Black highlights or recessed areas?  (Highlights on the top of the surface, recessed are the creases).  If you're looking for black recesses and mostly brown on the top, then paint black and drybrush on the brown.  If you want brown with black highlights on the top most layers, then paint brown and drybrush black.

This is brown with black dry brush and then cream drybrush


----------



## Aeson (Sep 16, 2022)

Recessed is the correct word.


----------



## Andvari (Sep 16, 2022)

I'm getting a lot of painting done at the moment. 8th mini over the last 5-6 weeks. Making the most of it while the desire lasts. The box of shame is shrinking!


----------



## Aeson (Sep 16, 2022)

Sacrosanct said:


> Black highlights or recessed areas?  (Highlights on the top of the surface, recessed are the creases).  If you're looking for black recesses and mostly brown on the top, then paint black and drybrush on the brown.  If you want brown with black highlights on the top most layers, then paint brown and drybrush black.
> 
> This is brown with black dry brush and then cream drybrush
> View attachment 261548



That's the idea I was going for. Now I'm wondering if I can salvage it. I guess I can finish going over it in brown then do a black dry brush. I'll see what that looks like. Thanks.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 16, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I thought I'd try painting a bear miniature I have. I painted it black first with the idea of going over it with brown also. The idea would for it to be mostly brown with areas of black highlights. I'm not really getting the results I had hoped for.




Allow me to show you my failure of a bear from 2019 or early 2020.  I think this is a WizKids model, and while I don’t remember what I was trying, whatever it was failed and I just walked away.  It happens to all of us


----------



## Andvari (Sep 17, 2022)

MGibster said:


> Allow me to show you my failure of a bear from 2019 or early 2020.  I think this is a WizKids model, and while I don’t remember what I was trying, whatever it was failed and I just walked away.  It happens to all of us



Still deployable on a table


----------



## Aeson (Sep 17, 2022)

Andvari said:


> Still deployable on a table



I agree.


----------



## payn (Sep 17, 2022)

Thirded.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 17, 2022)

Andvari said:


> I'm getting a lot of painting done at the moment. 8th mini over the last 5-6 weeks. Making the most of it while the desire lasts. The box of shame is shrinking!



I am beyond jealous of this mini.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 17, 2022)

Andvari said:


> Still deployable on a table




Even if you don't get the results you want, a painted miniature always looks better than an unpainted miniature.  And if you don't try something new, you'll never improve.  

With that in mind, I'm working on another Games Workshop giant.  One of my goals with this project was to paint a darker flesh tone and I'm fairly happy with the results.  I started by using Pro Acryl Dark Golden Brown and followed that up by mixing the original base coat with more and more Pro Acryl Shadow Flesh until the final layer was just the Shadow Flesh alone.  Because the paint is slightly transluscent, I got a pretty dark finish.  

But other than a reddish nose, the flesh looks flawless.  How many of us have flesh that's so uniform free from freckles, moles, or other blemishes?  So every painter gets to a point where they have to make a decision, "Am I done with this, or should I keep going?  Will I ruin this if I keep going or improve it?"  And that's a tough decision, it took me a while to get the skin on this miniature to do what I wanted it to do and screwing up means starting over.  But I'm going to give something a try and I'll let you know the results.  Maybe it'll work or maybe I'll fall flat on my face.  Nothing ventured nothing gained.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 17, 2022)

That reminds of this video released yesterday. Has anyone tried airbrushing?


----------



## MGibster (Sep 17, 2022)

Aeson said:


> That reminds of this video released yesterday. Has anyone tried airbrushing?



I've been known to dabble.  One of the best things about an airbrush is that it saves you a lot of time when it comes to blending colors.  But I must admit, my airbrush is both hated and loved by me.  It's a different skillset than your brush technique and sometimes the airbrush will treat you poorly, but when everything is working it works great.  As Angela learned in the video you linked, sometimes you have to even thin paint specifically designed for the airbrush.  

If anyone here wants to start airbrush, I recommend purchasing a middle of the road airbrush and set up just to make sure you like it before you go crazy.  Don't go super cheap, because you might have a bad experience with cheap materials.  But don't spend $400 for a super good airbrush either.  I currently have an Iwata Revolution CR I purchased in 2020 for about $100.  The total cost for my airbrush, compressor, and other tools was probably in the $350 range.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 17, 2022)

Eyes... _Hates_ them, we does, my Precious...

This is why I always do the eyes first, lol - easier to fix if I screw em up and don't need to worry if I get paint on other things. Plus I can just hold their little heads underwater in the stripping bucket until they stop struggling and decide to cooperate, hehehe...

This guy in particular is a good example - not only is he wearing a hood, but his eyes are also deep set into his face behind that beak of a nose and the bushy eyebrows...








I've kinda stalled out on this guy, but I really need to change the color on his sleeves to a less green color - I was using an undead skin tone triad from Reaper, but it's a little too green for what I want to be old linen. I haven't even started highlighting his hood, and need to finish basecoating everything below the edge of his tunic and his staff.
I also need to grab something better than my crappy camera phone to take pics with, lol. I spent a lot of time on his face and beard for a just-slapping-paint-on-something-so-I-can-still-claim-I-paint-minis guy, but you can't really see it in the pics.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 17, 2022)

I didn’t do much.  I loaded my airbrush with some burnt umber ink.  Normally I would spray ink around 15 psi, but that would have resulted in a smooth application which was not what I wanted.  I applied the ink at 5 psi which got me these little dots and am happier with the results.


----------



## el-remmen (Sep 17, 2022)

MGibster said:


> Allow me to show you my failure of a bear




Does not remotely look like a failure to me. Later, when  I am feeling less vulnerable I'll share a _real _failure.


----------



## el-remmen (Sep 17, 2022)

Aeson said:


> Do you need a wash labeled paint to do a wash? I've seen the word used and I've seen paints. I don't know much about it.




While it is possible to make your own washes, my advice is to buy a set of basic Vallejo washes and use those just until you get the hang of using them. They can even be thinned further to make them flow and last more.

Personally, my attempts at making washes have mostly left my minis looking dirty and uneven. (Once I learned to use a few drops of dishwasher rinse aid they got better - but still I mostly use homemade washes for terrain and vallejo ones for mins).
I stick to lighter colors drybrushed over darker colors, working lighter as I go and as necessary - and have not had as much success drybrushing dark over light.  Cheap make-up brushes you can get on Amazon work great for dry-brushing - but any old brush will do - in fact, the older and shoddier the brush (up to a point) the better they can be for that purpose.

My experience is that once you get the hang of dry brushing and using washes to even the most basic degree you will end up with results you never though were possible from your level of skill. I am not a great mini painter, but I do have stuff I am proud of because it is far beyond what I ever thought I'd be capable of when I decided to paint a handful just for use on the table when we switched to remote play using a table camera when the pandemic started (before that I just used unpainted minis as DM with players painting their own or asking others to do it - and occasionally I'd have a player I could trust to separate knowledge paint a special monster for me - I did it that way for about 23 years!).


----------



## el-remmen (Sep 17, 2022)

Mad_Jack said:


> Eyes... _Hates_ them, we does, my Precious...




I hate eyes so much I save them for last before deciding if they are even necessary. Sometimes the shading of a flesh wash on a small mini does enough to suggest the presence of eyes and that is good enough for me.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 17, 2022)

I just wanted to give you an example of layering.  The base color you see on the pants is Dark Golden Brown by Pro Acryl and it’s the same base color I painted on for the fleshy bits.  When I’m done, I’m hoping for pants that look like distressed leather.


----------



## el-remmen (Sep 17, 2022)

I just wanted to share a pic of the first minis I painted back in spring of 2020 (though the pic is from later). I figured lizardfolk would be a good and easy place to start, and sometimes I get the urge to strip and repaint them with the skills I have acquired since, but I also like looking at how far my work as come.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 17, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> I just wanted to share a pic of the first minis I painted back in spring of 2020 (though the pic is from later). I figured lizardfolk would be a good and easy place to start, and sometimes I get the urge to strip and repaint them with the skills I have acquired since, but I also like looking at how far my work as come.



If you ever strip them, keep a few around as a reminder of how far you've come.


----------



## el-remmen (Sep 17, 2022)

Some more recent ones. . .


----------



## Aeson (Sep 17, 2022)

Green guy has a green guy on his stick.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 18, 2022)

Trying my hand at Minsc and Boo.



I don't think I'll do them justice. Boo might just be a little light brown blob on Minsc's shoulder. lol


----------



## Aeson (Sep 18, 2022)

Behold Sharkenbear! 



I'm really not happy. All those white spots are driving me nuts. I'm trying hard to get them all. I keep working at this one. I've never tried to strip paint off before. What should I do if I decide to go there with him?


----------



## MGibster (Sep 18, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I'm really not happy. All those white spots are driving me nuts. I'm trying hard to get them all. I keep working at this one. I've never tried to strip paint off before. What should I do if I decide to go there with him?



That is a ridiculous miniature and I'm sad I don't own it.  Consider priming in black.  It's a cheap and easy way to avoid having those white spots show up.  Alternatively, make sure you apply multiple _thin_ coats of your base color to ensure complete coverage.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 18, 2022)

MGibster said:


> That is a ridiculous miniature and I'm sad I don't own it.  Consider priming in black.  It's a cheap and easy way to avoid having those white spots show up.  Alternatively, make sure you apply multiple _thin_ coats of your base color to ensure complete coverage.



I probably should have primed in black. This is the one I tried painting black then brown. So some of the spots were missed when applying two different colors. 

You too can have your very own sharkenbear and with a $3 off coupon. It's a nifty little set. Everything has 5e stats and lore. And I insist on pictures to be posted of any and all paint jobs.

Wildspire Fantasy Minatures w/ Huge Dragon for DND Miniatures Monsters DND Accessories 28mm Bulk Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures D&D Miniatures & DND Minis Tabletop Miniatures Figurines DND Figures https://a.co/d/89aiZKI


----------



## Aeson (Sep 18, 2022)

I'm actually happy with how he's turning out. No where near perfect, but a very good try in my opinion.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 18, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I'm actually happy with how he's turning out. No where near perfect, but a very good try in my opinion.



There's no such thing as perfection and you'll likely always feel as though there's something else that can be done to make it better.  Sometimes you just gotta say, "I'm satisfied with this."


----------



## MGibster (Sep 18, 2022)

Here’s an update:  I’ve decided the pants are done.  I went for a distressed leather look by painting some scratches on the surface and then using a wash to blend it all together.  It’s the first time I tried this technique, and I look forward to trying again in the future.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 18, 2022)

So Krylon spray primer is a BAD idea. Days later the minis are sticky. Perhaps I should have gotten a spray primer that's meant for miniatures? I went cheap and it bit me in the


----------



## Sacrosanct (Sep 18, 2022)

Aeson said:


> So Krylon spray primer is a BAD idea. Days later the minis are sticky. Perhaps I should have gotten a spray primer that's meant for miniatures? I went cheap and it bit me in the



Any aerosol spray primer would do that because the chemicals in the propellants is what causes that stickiness.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 19, 2022)

And I’m getting closer to calling this done.  Not sure how I feel about the skull on his club, it’s too brown, but I need to work on his shaft (heh heh) his forearms, and the human he’s carrying.  And I still need to finish the base as well.


----------



## DrunkonDuty (Sep 19, 2022)

Aeson said:


> So Krylon spray primer is a BAD idea. Days later the minis are sticky. Perhaps I should have gotten a spray primer that's meant for miniatures? I went cheap and it bit me in the




Yeah, spray-on primers are not a good fit for plastic minis. I've got a couple of minis that are tacky to the touch a couple of years after I primed them. Doesn't happen in every case, it must depend on how much propellent winds up on the mini.

And just to repeat what mgibster said up thread - thin coats of paint are the best. Most tutorials I've watched say to thin your paints to a consistency like milk. I suspect you're thinking what I thought when I first heard that phrase "WTF? Isn't that just water?" But it works. And, if you thin too much, that's ok, you can always do another layer.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 19, 2022)

The set the minotaur is in has griffins. I spray primed a couple of them and they're sticking to any surface I put them on. I think I'll just use brush on primer for now. I'm having better results with it.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 19, 2022)

Aeson said:


> So Krylon spray primer is a BAD idea. Days later the minis are sticky. Perhaps I should have gotten a spray primer that's meant for miniatures? I went cheap and it bit me in the



It depends on what the minis are made out of, but I really don't know the difference between the kinds of plastic used by each company.  I have some Reaper Bones minis that are still tacky to the touch after having been painted for a few years now.  But the plastic and resin models I have from Games Workshop and other companies never get that tacky feeling with canned primer.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 19, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> My experience is that once you get the hang of dry brushing and using washes to even the most basic degree you will end up with results you never though were possible from your level of skill.




 Any time I teach someone to paint minis, I always tell them to ignore all the fancy painting techniques they see in the videos and focus on mastering the basics first - especially since mastering brush control is the basic stepping stone towards learning to do all those other techniques. I teach people how to paint straight and curved lines well enough that they can make the lines the same thickness all the way through on a piece of paper before they ever touch a figure... 
Some people try to dismiss things like drybrushing and washes because they're basic techniques, but anybody that's ever had a freshly-grilled burger knows that basic can be done exceptionally well.




el-remmen said:


> I hate eyes so much I save them for last before deciding if they are even necessary. Sometimes the shading of a flesh wash on a small mini does enough to suggest the presence of eyes and that is good enough for me.




 I'm primarily a display painter rather than painting for gaming, so it's the opposite for me - I spend more time on the faces than any other part of the figure, and if I can, I'll paint in the reflections of light in their eyes.





el-remmen said:


> I just wanted to share a pic of the first minis I painted back in spring of 2020 (though the pic is from later). I figured lizardfolk would be a good and easy place to start, and sometimes I get the urge to strip and repaint them with the skills I have acquired since, but I also like looking at how far my work as come.
> 
> View attachment 261606




 Ral Partha 11-444 troglodyte and 11-475 lizardman... Nice. 

(Yeah, I'm _that _guy with the complete encyclopedic knowledge of every fantasy mini ever produced rattling around in his head, lol. I collect the RP Official AD&D 2nd Ed. 11-XXX series figures and box sets...)

I go back to the old Testors Enamels and brushes days, and was painting for more than five years before starting to dot in the eyes with a sharpened toothpick and another five before I discovered drybrushing, lol. Most of my early work looks like a five-year-old colored them with crayons.

The dwarf in this pic is from the old TSR Monks, Bards and Thieves set, and is probably the earliest mini I painted that I still have.


----------



## el-remmen (Sep 19, 2022)

Aeson said:


> All those white spots are driving me nuts




Consider thinning the paint a bit, it will help it get in the recesses. But yes, brush on black primer is your friend.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 19, 2022)

Last night I was working on the last parts of my fat giant man and I got a bit tired of it and just set it aside for a while.  I find that 75% or more of the work on a miniature is actually done very quickly, but the remaining 25% where I add details that make the miniature pop can take a significant amount of time.  When I get close to the end of a miniature, I sometimes just rush things because I want to get it done which gives me less than stellar results.  What I should do, and what I reccomend to you, is that when things get a bit tedious and you don't feel like moving forward, just set your project aside and walk away for a bit.  Are you on a time table?  Do you need to get this done now?  No.  So just walk away and come back later refreshed and ready to go.


----------



## el-remmen (Sep 20, 2022)

Does anyone else work on multiple minis at a time? That's what I do to avoid burnout on any one of them. I usually have 6 to 12 going at a time.


----------



## DrunkonDuty (Sep 20, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> Does anyone else work on multiple minis at a time? That's what I do to avoid burnout on any one of them. I usually have 6 to 12 going at a time.




Oh yeah. Earlier this year I looked at my cupboard of shame and said "That's it. You're getting done!" So I have about 50 minis on the go. I started by priming them all black. Then I started on all the base coats, 1 colour at a time. So all the dark brown bits. Then all the steel bits. Then all the skin tones. Etc. I'm at the point where I can't do large runs anymore. But, despite the fact that I don't paint anywhere near as much as I should, I'm making good headway.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 20, 2022)

I haven't had too many going. I have thought about it. I have a pair of griffins I'm painting at the same time. I figure since the paint is out might as well do both.


----------



## payn (Sep 20, 2022)

I did a tiger print on a coupe of mechs. Bushwhacker and Cataphract.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 20, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> Does anyone else work on multiple minis at a time? That's what I do to avoid burnout on any one of them. I usually have 6 to 12 going at a time.



I usually have several projects going at once.  But if I'm painting a squad of something, I'll work on them all at the same time.  i.e.  I'll paint the armor on all 10, move on to to their uniforms, then flesh, then weapons, etc., etc.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Sep 20, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> Does anyone else work on multiple minis at a time? That's what I do to avoid burnout on any one of them. I usually have 6 to 12 going at a time.



Yes.  And some of those minis I've been working on since some point in the mid 80s....

...I am shameful..


----------



## el-remmen (Sep 20, 2022)

Earlier this year I decided to be a late backer on a kickstarter for a metric shiz-ton of minis, but I still had a ton of unpainted minis. I decided that I was going to try to paint _all_ my remaining unpainted minis before the KS was due to be fulfilled this month (no sign of fulfillment yet, _shocker!_). I did not want to get 200+ more minis while still having 200+ unpainted ones. Soon after my wife and I discovered our efforts to have a child had come to fruition and the kiddo (born just a week and a half ago) was also due in September. Suddenly, getting all these minis painted before September seemed all the more crucial. I started keeping track of which ones I painted and how many, and the date of completion.  

Here is the data round up so far:




While I was very proud of myself for successfully painting every single one of my old minis (unpainted minis in my collection starting in the mid-90s and going through the early 00s), there were still some substantial number left of minis I purchased post-2019 when I started running a 5E game. I ended up painting all those too. All that remained were a bunch from the Minis i in a Box subscription service. . . so I started painting some of those very specific and wonderful minis (though less generally useful), when a friend who was moving offered me what we left of his Reaper Bones IV KS fulfillment (another several dozen minis) for $40 + split the shipping. How could I say no? So I put the remaining subscription service minis aside and started in on some of those

Of course, now that the baby is here I am not sure when I will get back to painting (heck, even playing is going to be delayed) but I feel I basically accomplished what I set out to do.

The numbers in June are low because we went on vacation _and_ I spent most of that month making dungeon tiles and other terrain. I can share the list of what I painted, but it is _long_. . ._obvi._


----------



## DrunkonDuty (Sep 20, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> Soon after my wife and I discovered our efforts to have a child had come to fruition and the kiddo (born just a week and a half ago) was also due in September.




Congratulations! Very happy for you and your wife.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 21, 2022)

Well this is it.  I decided to cry uncle and just say I'm done with this model.  I used some pigments on the feet and base to give him a more dusty appearance.  This dude doesn't take baths and his feet should be filthy.


----------



## ersatzphil (Sep 21, 2022)

...I had no idea we had a minipainting thread.



Sacrosanct said:


> Yes.  And some of those minis I've been working on since some point in the mid 80s....
> 
> ...I am shameful..



If it makes you feel any better, I still have Rogue Trader era minis that are still unpainted that I bought as a kid in the early 90s. But, a WhizKids displacer beast I did finish fairly recently:


----------



## MGibster (Sep 21, 2022)

ersatzphil said:


> If it makes you feel any better, I still have Rogue Trader era minis that are still unpainted that I bought as a kid in the early 90s. But, a WhizKids displacer beast I did finish fairly recently:



Those old miniatures have a certain charm to them.


----------



## el-remmen (Sep 21, 2022)

MGibster said:


> Those old miniatures have a certain charm to them.




I would do nothing but 80s/90s Ral Partha minis if I could find more of the ones I want for the prices I want to pay.


----------



## MGibster (Sep 22, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> I would do nothing but 80s/90s Ral Partha minis if I could find more of the ones I want for the prices I want to pay.



There’s a Ral Partha model of an ogre mage carrying a maiden in one hand I would love to find.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 22, 2022)

MGibster said:


> There’s a Ral Partha model of an ogre mage carrying a maiden in one hand I would love to find.




 That's the RP Official AD&D 2nd Ed. 11-405 Ogre Mage... Hard to find a complete one since the katana was a separate piece and the hand holding a choice of maiden or tanto was also separate.
Despite managing to collect the body and both hand options, I still don't have the sword for him.




el-remmen said:


> I would do nothing but 80s/90s Ral Partha minis if I could find more of the ones I want for the prices I want to pay.




 Although the AD&D minis are out of print, Iron Wind Metals ended up with pretty much all the other old RP molds and the casting rights for them... None of the stuff that was licensed IP for various games, etc., but they do have pretty much all the old Tom Meyer RP and Thunderbolt Mountain figures. (There was even a Kickstarter a few years back to resurrect the old Chaos Wars stuff.)

If you're looking for some of the AD&D stuff, I'm a collector, and I have more than one copy of some of the figures...


----------



## MGibster (Sep 22, 2022)

Here's an Imperial Fist Space Marine I painted way back in 2012.


----------



## el-remmen (Sep 23, 2022)

I made a sharktopus from a shark toy and modelling clay.  Why, you may ask, does it only have four tentacles? Because if it had eight, it'd be an octoshark. duh! (and it'd also be top heavy and tip over )


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 23, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> I made a sharktopus from a shark toy and modelling clay.  Why, you may ask, does it only have four tentacles? Because if it had eight, it'd be an octoshark. duh! (and it'd also be top heavy and tip over )




I love doing conversions, probably even more than painting, lol. A good number of my Bones minis from the Kickstarters over the years have ended up as conversions - every so often I reach into my box and blindly pull out a couple of figures then mash them together the best I can in a quick-and-dirty conversion and slap some basic paint on them.
Which is how I ended up with this pirate-sea serpent mermaid... The bottom half is a medusa that I sculpted the fish tail on. For obvious reasons, I called her Cap'n Morganna...


----------



## Starfox (Sep 24, 2022)

I use color set from Foundry - a UK based miniatures maker more focused on historical than fantasy but otherwise similar to Citadel - some designers work for both manufacturers. The paints themselves are very similar to what Citadel colors used to be - they are in the soft plastic pots Citadel used earlier.


----------



## Starfox (Sep 24, 2022)

A yes, spraying black and drybrushing is a very easy, effective way of speed painting.


----------



## Andvari (Oct 14, 2022)

Painted a big old wyvern. Could have done more with it, but it started getting a bit tedious. I think if I paint a similar wyvern I'd go for a warmer brown coloring on its main body.






I agree with working on multiple models, although I don't think 10-12 would work for me. Currently have 4 models in progress. As for priming, I started brushing on black as I find it relaxing. I used to use a gray primer can. It worked out quite well. I followed the priming tips in this video:

.


----------



## el-remmen (Oct 14, 2022)

I thought wyverns were purple or indigo or that could have just been my impression from the Monster Manual.
Great work, though! I love the wings, they look like raw flesh.


----------



## Andvari (Oct 14, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> I thought wyverns were purple or indigo or that could have just been my impression from the Monster Manual.
> Great work, though! I love the wings, they look like raw flesh.



I believe they can be various colours, with brown or grey being the most common.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Oct 14, 2022)

Andvari said:


> I believe they can be various colours, with brown or grey being the most common.



They can be whatever color the painter wants   When I painted my big Cthulhu mini, I used a purple palette rather than "well, actually, it should be green."


----------



## el-remmen (Oct 14, 2022)

Sacrosanct said:


> They can be whatever color the painter wants   When I painted my big Cthulhu mini, I used a purple palette rather than "well, actually, it should be green."




Oh I agree. I painted an otyugh pepto bismol pink!


----------



## MGibster (Oct 14, 2022)

Sacrosanct said:


> They can be whatever color the painter wants  When I painted my big Cthulhu mini, I used a purple palette rather than "well, actually, it should be green."



Did someone say purple Cthulhu?


----------



## Andvari (Oct 15, 2022)

This one turned out pretty well, I think. She appears to be channeling Bobby energy.


----------



## MGibster (Oct 15, 2022)

Andvari said:


> This one turned out pretty well, I think. She appears to be channeling Bobby energy.



I was going to say nice job on the hair and fur.  But then I'd also have to say nice job on the flesh and the metal as well.  It's easier to just say nice job.


----------



## Andvari (Oct 22, 2022)

A pair of trolls up to no good.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Oct 27, 2022)

Messing around with speed paints. By pre-priming the highlights an shadows, they work reasonably well for things like painting armies or batches of monsters, but I don’t think I’d use them for individual PC representations.


----------



## el-remmen (Oct 27, 2022)

Can someone explain to me what makes something a "speed paint?"


----------



## MGibster (Oct 27, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> Can someone explain to me what makes something a "speed paint?"



Speed paints, contrast paints, etc., etc. are designed for you to put one layer over the miniature and be done.  It's formulated to flow into the nooks and crannies while leaving highlights in the raised areas simulating shading and highlighting.  You can get satisfactory results using speed paints, especially if you just want a nice table top standard for the miniatures used in games.

@Sacrosanct's models above are a good example of a decent speed paint job.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Oct 27, 2022)

MGibster said:


> Speed paints, contrast paints, etc., etc. are designed for you to put one layer over the miniature and be done.  It's formulated to flow into the nooks and crannies while leaving highlights in the raised areas simulating shading and highlighting.  You can get satisfactory results using speed paints, especially if you just want a nice table top standard for the miniatures used in games.
> 
> @Sacrosanct's models above are a good example of a decent speed paint job.



With speedpaints, slapchopping is the key.  What is "slapchopping"?  Basically, you prime and drybrush before putting on any paint.  Without doing that, speedpaints aren't that good IMO.  With it, they can turn out pretty well if you're in a hurry.


----------



## reelo (Oct 27, 2022)

Here's two Anglo-Saxon huscarls with standard-bearer I painted a couple months ago. Minis by Victrix and paints by Vallejo.


----------



## el-remmen (Oct 27, 2022)

MGibster said:


> Speed paints, contrast paints, etc., etc. are designed for you to put one layer over the miniature and be done.  It's formulated to flow into the nooks and crannies while leaving highlights in the raised areas simulating shading and highlighting.  You can get satisfactory results using speed paints, especially if you just want a nice table top standard for the miniatures used in games.
> 
> @Sacrosanct's models above are a good example of a decent speed paint job.






Sacrosanct said:


> With speedpaints, slapchopping is the key.  What is "slapchopping"?  Basically, you prime and drybrush before putting on any paint.  Without doing that, speedpaints aren't that good IMO.  With it, they can turn out pretty well if you're in a hurry.




Ha! That describes how I paint already!


----------



## Andvari (Oct 27, 2022)

I saw one video of a slapchopper with an airbrush painting a better-looking miniature in 25 minutes than what I can do in 5 hours


----------



## Andvari (Oct 27, 2022)

reelo said:


> Here's two Anglo-Saxon huscarls with standard-bearer I painted a couple months ago. Minis by Victrix and paints by Vallejo.



These look great. It also looks like I need some Victrix minis. They look perfect for the Norse mythology homebrew game I want to run one day.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Oct 27, 2022)

Well, I learned a lesson today.  when using speed paints, do NOT brush on or dip varnish.  Rattle cans are out, because the aresols tend to make the plastic get sticky.  So the only I recommend varnishing speed painted minis (not metal) is to use an airbrush.  The liquid will cause the speed paint to reactivate, and if you brush or dip, the paint comes running right off.


----------



## reelo (Oct 27, 2022)

Sacrosanct said:


> Well, I learned a lesson today. when using speed paints, do NOT brush on or dip varnish. Rattle cans are out, because the aresols tend to make the plastic get sticky. So the only I recommend varnishing speed painted minis (not metal) is to use an airbrush. The liquid will cause the speed paint to reactivate, and if you brush or dip, the paint comes running right off.



Reactivation is a well-known issue with Armypainter Speedpaints, unfortunately.

I have high hopes for the upcoming Vallejo Xpress colours.


----------



## reelo (Oct 27, 2022)

Andvari said:


> These look great. It also looks like I need some Victrix minis. They look perfect for the Norse mythology homebrew game I want to run one day.



Victrix are great! If only I had the time, space, and funds to make a nice Norman army...


----------



## Sacrosanct (Oct 31, 2022)

I think after literal decades, time I revisit the paint jobs on my very first minis I got as a kid. Yes, some of these are from 1979 . I’m old lol. And yes, some of them I never got around to painting, but only primed. And others I’ve painted multiple times over the years. Back in the day when the only available paints to me in Ketchikan Alaska were Testors enamel paints for model cars.


----------



## MGibster (Oct 31, 2022)

Sacrosanct said:


> I think after literal decades, time I revisit the paint jobs on my very first minis I got as a kid. Yes, some of these are from 1979 . I’m old lol. And yes, some of them I never got around to painting, but only primed. And others I’ve painted multiple times over the years. Back in the day when the only available paints to me in Ketchikan Alaska were Testors enamel paints for model cars.



While miniatures have gotten better over the years, I find those old models charming.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Oct 31, 2022)

MGibster said:


> While miniatures have gotten better over the years, I find those old models charming.



Yeah, same.  I'm still a bit bitter that miniature use went to a larger scale, essentially making it very odd to use some of my old favorites with modern minis.  My barbarian looks tiny and...not nearly as imposing compared to a modern mini lol.


----------



## Andvari (Oct 31, 2022)

There's always the Nolzur basilisk.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Oct 31, 2022)

Andvari said:


> There's always the Nolzur basilisk.



Do you mean, the "we know you're really buying this for the grell." basilisk?


----------



## Mad_Jack (Oct 31, 2022)

I glanced at that picture briefly, and there were only two of those figures I didn't instantly recognize, lol.

I love the old figures because a lot of them just have_ soo_ much character that the modern ones lack - skeletons almost all seemed to have individual personalities, and they weren't afraid to put out whimsical stuff like Grenadier's Comedy Lords set or Ral Partha's Texas Bob... One of my most prized old minis is the Ral Partha three-headed not-the-Three-Stooges troll...


----------



## el-remmen (Nov 4, 2022)

I painted some hill giants I ordered off Etsy and I am in love with them. . .


----------



## MGibster (Nov 4, 2022)

el-remmen said:


> I painted some hill giants I ordered off Etsy and I am in love with them. . .



Those are just me from my pre-COVID exercise days.


----------



## MGibster (Nov 19, 2022)

I have yet another Games Workshop giant I'm working on here.  For some reason I used a red base coat following by a very light red highlight and then some coats of thinned down burnt sienna ink.  It wasn't working at all so I switched gears.  I used a highlight of dwarf flesh and followed that up with a few layers of a burnt sienna glaze and ended up with much mor satisfactory results.  I used dwarf flesh plus some pink for the scar tissue.  I went ahead and sprayed a matte varnish in order to protect what I have done so far.  If you ever use inks, you're a risk of reactivating if you do any additional painting.  I've got a lot more brush work to do on this dude to finish him.


----------



## MGibster (Nov 19, 2022)

Here’s an update.  I used some layering and dry brushing to add some more discoloration to the scarred areas.  And then the teeth of course and the horns.  I glazed on a few layers of sepia and a final glaze of red/sepia around where the horns growing out of the head.


----------



## MGibster (Nov 20, 2022)

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, something goes horribly, horribly wrong.


----------



## Richards (Nov 20, 2022)

Is that what happens when you wield a vorpal weapon but you're too short to reach your foe's neck?

Johnathan


----------



## MGibster (Nov 22, 2022)

And here's the final result.  I'm pretty happy about how the skin turned out.


----------



## MGibster (Nov 24, 2022)

And now for something a little different.  This is an ogre skeleton from Reaper.  I applied a base layer of dark aluminum with the airbrush from Vallejo and then followed that up with some Typhus Corrosion from Citadel.  The fun part came when I used Dirty Down Rust Effect and Verdigris on the weapon.  The rust looks okay to me, but I'm not too keen on the verdigris.  Maybe I need additional layers of verdigris to get it to look right.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Nov 25, 2022)

Painted this infamous mini using pretty much only speed paints to see how it turned out.


----------



## MGibster (Nov 25, 2022)

Sacrosanct said:


> Painted this infamous mini using pretty much only speed paints to see how it turned out.



Looks like a Ray Harryhausen creature!


----------



## Sacrosanct (Nov 25, 2022)

MGibster said:


> Looks like a Ray Harryhausen creature!



Now that you say that, it's all I see lol.  Although it's actually the Demogorgon mini from Stranger Things


----------



## el-remmen (Nov 25, 2022)

Sacrosanct said:


> Painted this infamous mini using pretty much only speed paints to see how it turned out.
> 
> View attachment 267809



Amazing!

I have that old school troglodyte that is unpainted in the background.


----------



## MGibster (Dec 1, 2022)

I bought some minis to give as gifts to my players.  This pair is going to a married couple.  Too cute?


----------



## MGibster (Dec 5, 2022)

I've got three more I've finished as gifts for my gaming group.  Two plague doctors, his and hers, and one knight.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Dec 6, 2022)

The problem with painting a batch of monsters in prep for gaming night is I feel the detail suffers as I skip past them in exchange to get them done.


----------



## Sacrosanct (Dec 6, 2022)

in other news, I started painting the custom sculpts on some monsters from my Twilight Fables book I released a couple months ago


----------



## MGibster (Dec 6, 2022)

Sacrosanct said:


> The problem with painting a batch of monsters in prep for gaming night is I feel the detail suffers as I skip past them in exchange to get them done.




When painting batches of minis for gaming purposes, they're typically less detailed than your centerpiece model.  But when you have all your minis painted, as a group they look really impressive on the table.


----------



## MGibster (Dec 9, 2022)

Working on some Imperial psykers for 40K.


----------



## Aeson (Dec 23, 2022)

Coming soon to retailers near you or online.


			https://wizkids.com/dd-nolzurs-marvelous-miniatures-paint-kit-limited-edition-giant-space-hamster/


----------

