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I am somewhat new to 40k, and have only played for about a month or two. But I have been looking around at the models on this site, and they look a lot better than mine. One of the comments I continuously see for new painters is: use dry brushing. Now being a new player and painter I don't know exactly what or how to do most of the painting steps except for winging it.

So I was wondering if somebody could send me to a video, or a topic (I couldn't find any that pertained to Tyranids), that shows me the step by steps of painting?

Eftz3 wrote:I am somewhat new to 40k, and have only played for about a month or two. But I have been looking around at the models on this site, and they look a lot better than mine. One of the comments I continuously see for new painters is: use dry brushing. Now being a new player and painter I don't know exactly what or how to do most of the painting steps except for winging it.

So I was wondering if somebody could send me to a video, or a topic (I couldn't find any that pertained to Tyranids), that shows me the step by steps of painting?

Any kind of colour scheme in mind?

Eftz3 wrote:I am somewhat new to 40k, and have only played for about a month or two. But I have been looking around at the models on this site, and they look a lot better than mine. One of the comments I continuously see for new painters is: use dry brushing. Now being a new player and painter I don't know exactly what or how to do most of the painting steps except for winging it.

So I was wondering if somebody could send me to a video, or a topic (I couldn't find any that pertained to Tyranids), that shows me the step by steps of painting?

http://www.mediafire.com/?5znldzcki1m How about a free how to paint book. Its got some handy stuff in there. I have just really started to try and paint better and I look through this a lot. (Not really just about nids but it should help)

do you use a wash?

No, I don't use wash.

Also, my color scheme is probably going to be a variant of leviathan, with a mostly purple carapace, and a darker skin.

I have been doing this for about 2 years now and have been amazed at how my painting has improved because of several things. I have watched a variety of painting tutorials on YouTube, read "How to Paint Space Marines", and just looked at high quality paint jobs very closely when given the opportunity. I have been an artist as far back as I could pick up a crayon but but the sheer scale of painting miniatures was a whole new challenge. The biggest challenge for me was to not expect to be a master painter right out of the box. I have painted a couple thousand points of SM that I would now deem mediocre, but as I have continued I put more time into each model I paint, sometimes discovering new techniques as I paint. I overused the dry brush technique when i first started, it can give you a good look, but is better utilized when combined with other techniques. I use layering, washing and dry-brushing in combination to get a better result. You can check out my gallery and I think you'll see the gradual improvement, I have since used a dull coat to knock the gloss off my early models. I have also gone back and repainted certain areas to reflect my new found skills.

Having the right tools for the job is another big deal. I started out with a Citadel standard brush, and used it for everything. I now use it for foundations and base-coating, and then switch to a fine detail brush for pretty much everything else. I have also messed with my paint consistency thinning it down get better layering and letting it set up a bit to get some better detail. When i first started using washes I completely overused them and only used one color for everything. i have now been a lot more thrifty with the washes and have switched from the basic Badab Black to many of the other washes available.

The more you do the better you get, just don't get frustrated and keep rocking out. Start with the simpler models and work your way into the heavier details. www.miniwargaming.com has some great video tutorials, and they'll help you paint like a pro in no time at all. they show some simple techniques that will get you out the gate with some nice odds.

Also to answer a couple questions about some of the techniques:

Drybrushing: essentially you are getting your brush saturated with paint and then rubbing the majority off. you then lightly brush some of the detail areas on your model and the raised areas are going to pick up some of the remaining paint in your brush giving you a cool highlighting effect.

Wash: basically a thinner version of color that allows you to brush onto detail areas and the pigment settles into the recesses of the detailed areas allowing you to easily get a nice shadowed effect.

Layering: this is a more advanced technique that involves layering one color over another but letting some of the original color show through...this can be done many times to give you a very nice gradient. Most of the master painters use this technique along with single line highlighting.

Hopefully this helps you along. I have completely fallen in love with this hobby. It's been worth every red cent.

in this case www.youtube.com can be your best friend