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Hey all, I'm fairly new to painting and I'm looking for some advice and criticism on what I've done so far. All I have to work with at the moment is the basic citadel paints/brushes/washes.

I attempted to use washes on these models, but I'm not quite sure the effect came through.
Here are some samples of the models I have done so far:

I think they look great. All you might need is some chapter symbols on the shoulder pads, or unit designations.

warpcrafter wrote:I think they look great. All you might need is some chapter symbols on the shoulder pads, or unit designations.

Thanks I'm going for a Blood Angels list and I wasn't really sure how to use the decals that come with the models. When they dry do they just stay on by themselves, or do I have to put some kind of varnish over them to keep them in place?

models look very neatly painted!
personaly I don't like using washes, I find they make things look a bit shiny.
It takes a little while longer, but adding different layers of paint gives a much nicer shading effect. eg basecaot with a colour darker than your desired finish, then mix it a little lighter and paint away from the cracks and creases, keep adding lighter layers getting gradually closer to the desired colour as you paint the highest points of the surface. like a pyramid of colour, dark at the bottom bright at the top. (dont be afraid of mixing your paint, but keep it thinned with water)
washes are good for getting into the cracks of metals etc.
If you're fairly new to painting then your painting is great, keep it up!

Find some brush on 'ardcote paint the shoulder pad with that then put on the transfer 'ardcote again then mat over the whole mini and jobs a good un.

sonofruss wrote:Find some brush on 'ardcote paint the shoulder pad with that then put on the transfer 'ardcote again then mat over the whole mini and jobs a good un.

Yeah!!! If you want really shiny shoulderpads! 'ardcoat' is a gloss varnish. you could put a gloss varnish on if you want them really shiny, but arcoat takes a while to dry and you could leave fingerprint in it if you touch it when it's wet.

I have always found that water sticks the transfers on fine, once they are dry, thats is how they are designed to be used.

uri lee are pants wrote:models look very neatly painted!
personaly I don't like using washes, I find they make things look a bit shiny.
It takes a little while longer, but adding different layers of paint gives a much nicer shading effect. eg basecaot with a colour darker than your desired finish, then mix it a little lighter and paint away from the cracks and creases, keep adding lighter layers getting gradually closer to the desired colour as you paint the highest points of the surface. like a pyramid of colour, dark at the bottom bright at the top. (dont be afraid of mixing your paint, but keep it thinned with water)
washes are good for getting into the cracks of metals etc.
If you're fairly new to painting then your painting is great, keep it up!

One of my friends was trying to explain this to me, but you did a bit better of a job, thanks. I figured using washes was the best place to start, as it seems to be the easiest way to highlight.

sonofruss wrote:Find some brush on 'ardcote paint the shoulder pad with that then put on the transfer 'ardcote again then mat over the whole mini and jobs a good un.

Thanks for the advice

uri lee are pants wrote:Yeah!!! If you want really shiny shoulderpads! 'ardcoat' is a gloss varnish. you could put a gloss varnish on if you want them really shiny, but arcoat takes a while to dry and you could leave fingerprint in it if you touch it when it's wet.

I have always found that water sticks the transfers on fine, once they are dry, thats is how they are designed to be used.

So if I'm not looking for a shiny surface, water is the way to go? :p

The transfer sticks to smooth surfaces better than flat the 'ardcoat is to help the transfer to stick then you protect it with the 'ardcoat then spray the whole fig with dull coat to kill the shine.

Tips I alwasy give people who ask, THIN your paint. You can always add more paint. Paint in the lines, it sounds really silly but a neatly painted fig just looks better than one with colors all bleeding over each other. Base coat in grey anything you want to paint white, and use black under any metalic paint. Lastely keep it simple to start. You can alwasy go back and add more detail or skills you picked up later. A clean, evenly painted basic fig will look way better. Also Like I said you can always go back and "upgrade" the fig later when you learn some thing new.

No one uses matt sealer or what? Washes only stay shiny if you leave them that way,I think your missing out big time but not using washes. Just matt coat them, GW matt seale, testors dull coat etc. Hell even brush on matt sealer will work, but dont rule them out thats just silly.

Captain Vyper wrote:

No one uses matt sealer or what? Washes only stay shiny if you leave them that way,I think your missing out big time but not using washes. Just matt coat them, GW matt seale, testors dull coat etc. Hell even brush on matt sealer will work, but dont rule them out thats just silly.

I didn't say I dont use washes, I just dont use them instead of painting different shades. imho that is a 'cheat' way and doesn't look as nice as a blend of paints. I know washes are what they will tell you to do in a GW shop, it is a quick way of getting a shadow effect, but I never learned from a GW shop! I was taught 2nd hand from someone who has a golden daemon trophy(and they know what they're on about). I know I am nowhere near as good, but I like the results much better from these techniques.

Like I said, washes are good for getting the cracks on metals (and very small skulls ), then another shade over the top and a highlight works really well.
So if you are using washes as a quick any easy way of getting shade, highlights can be done as well as this. Painting a very thin line on the very most highest edgest with a lighter shade gives a great highlight

I did try a matt varnish once, but it ruined my model, I was really annoyed!!! it dulled all the highlights. I thinks that some parts can be shiny(metal, glass etc) and others dull, so blanket spraying a matt sealer isn't for me. (brush on might be an option, but i've never tried, it would have to paint on thinner than ardcoat for me to even consider it)

I think they are good but need a bit of farnish and maybe polish them up by re coating it black and not using so much paint to give it a bit less of a lumpy look then they will look great. You know what would make them look even better... CONVERTING THEM TO CHAOS!!!!

Yeah matt varnish kinda blends the color in a tad , if you have your highlights just rite I would say dont varnish it but if you know your going too mkae that last highlight a tad brighter than normal .

1) Great looking figs. Very clean good use of color.
2) Tips. Time to start trying some highlights.... You can add water to your washes to get better control. You can off load your brush and apply the darker color in a more controlled manner in layers.
Decals. Gloss coat, I use a brush on from Walmart hobby dept, then decal. You can use a product by Micro Mark called Micro sol to soften the decal to let it better conform to the curve of a shoulder pad. After drying then more gloss coat. Finally a seal with Dull coat/matte varnish. I'm a big proponent of dullcoat.

Now... as stated, dull coat can really bring down metallic highlights. A lot of painters wait to do their metallic highlighting post sealant. Just the final highlights with mithral or mithral and gold mix.

3)Wash or not to wash. Well.... what about to glaze or not to glaze, Controlled or non conrolled, Paint or ink? What medium to use?

There a number of articles on the subject. I don't like to dismiss anyone technique out of hand because there are uses for each and every one of them in the proper situation. ME.. I'm lazy painter and use washing frequently on table top figs. Is it cheating? Certainly not. My marines get an overall "dirty" wash on them before working to highlights. This is a true wash made of black paint, Dark brown ink, and some black/brown paint (VMC SS Camo black brown). The paints are thinned with an acrylic wash medium (10 parts water: 1 part future floor wax).

I think there are mostly marines in this link... They also use the decal technique above.
http://jgemrich.smugmug.com/gallery/5032833_oJmFt#464384561_7gsEG

Regards,

Double post...whoops

its a good start man.
don't forget to hit up the helmet eyes

Only trying to help!
I never thought of using a matt varnish before doing highlights, sounds like a reasonable idea.

uri lee are pants wrote:Only trying to help!
I never thought of using a matt varnish before doing highlights, sounds like a reasonable idea.

I think your suggestions are top notch. They lend to the fact their are many ways to get outstanding effects. Some of these techniques work better with one style vs another or even work for the "goal" of the paint job. ie. getting your army to the table top or display pieces.

Metal highlights post varnish works very well. I think I got that on some of the "full metal mayhem" painting sites.

ps. if your thinking about a matt spray varnish, read this first:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/236598.page

Damn good if that's you're first attempts. A little blotchy, but it's expected. You're white helm turned out quite nice. It's one of the hardest colors to paint correctly.

-J.

Yeah dude thats really good. I'm also just starting out and yours are better than mine!

I try to use a five colour system. For Blood angels I would use a black primer then the following system:



Thin out the paints and add some flow improver if you can. Build up the paint in layers; first paint all the parts you want as red with the dark red getting the paint down into the cracks. Then cover the whole lot with the 1st shadow but this time avoid the cracks. Than paint it with your chosen colour (I'm assuming Blood Angels Red). Then pick out the obvious highlights with the first highligh and finish off by painting the highest points with your 2nd highlight.

Use a similar system with your flesh tones.

Pick out the guns etc however you want.

To finish my models off I like to use a matt varnish then pick out any gems/lenses in gloss varnish afterwards.

Ok this is a bit heavy on the pics but I wanted a range of large and small models and different types too. All mine are sealed with gloss coat then matt sealer. I am amazed that anyone who dosnt seal their figs and actually uses them dosnt have to constantly repair chips and other damage to the paint work. Admittedly the majority of plastic now make is less of an issue ( I all but guarntee that a metal model that is gamed with and not sealed will not last long with out damage, as even the acids and oils in you skin can do damage to your figs) but if you spend loads of time on your figs I cant see how you would not want that work protected. maybe that just me. Gloss Satin or Matt is all up to the look you want for your fig, I prefer a earthy more realistic look ( all sci-fi weried skin color stuff aside). Matt sealer dosnt do much of any thing to the look of the fig that you did not paint on there. It only knocks the shine off and you can alway paint on top of the sealer too and bring a spot back up or what not if you really need to, but the fig is protected from damage.

Wow, not much advice from me but I think they look great for a first attempt, my first efforts are terrible! Good job, keep it up.

They look good - you should proud!

There's plenty of good tips already but to add my 2p:

It's hard to see in the pics but it looks like you've not drilled the barrels on the bolters. Drilling a hole in them with a pin vise (small tool that fits little drill bits in) can make a bug difference to the look af a weapon.

Your bare headed marine could do with some eyes - rather than try for a full pupil, iris and, err, white bit an easier approach in to paint the eye area one colour and put a dot in the middle with a black fine liner pen.

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the positive comments, and helpful advice!

Your figs look great. You definitely have the foundation of a good artist. I have to second the cry to use matte sealer. It really does add to the life expectancy of your paintjobs. Especially with metal figs. I can't tell you how many times I found myself touching up metal figs before I discovered matte sealer. Plastics hold up a lot better but I'm not sure if it's because they actually hold up better or if it's just that the dull plastic doesn't show through as obviously when a small speck of paint wears through. When it wears through on metal you can see it bright and clear.

I also like washes. Usually I use them as a base coat because they fill in gaps a lot better than regular paint. Then I drybrush or add highlights over them.