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THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS,REMEMBER TO CHECK BACK OFTEN FOR NEW CONTENT.
IF ANYONR HAS CONTENT OF THEIR OWN THEY'D LIKE ADDED OR YOU HAVE QUESTIONS TO ASK PLEASE PM ME AND WE'LL WORK IT OUT.THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.

The following is a guide to help New Players,Modellers and Painters learn a few basic tips and techniques with information I compiled from varios Threads around the net and my own Experiences.I'm a newb myself and I hope to show you how easy it is to complete Minis to a Good tabletop standard with no previous experience.A few pics of my first ever Minis are below for you to check out.Hope I help a few players overcome the daunting task of modeling and painting, from walking in the store all the way to tabling a force.

...INDEX...
Page 1
- Choosing A Color Scheme
- What You Need
- Basic Modelling Tips 101
- Basic Painting 101

I love the Idea of this thread, it would remove the 300+ threads on, how do I paint this better, or how do I paint like this. Bringing it together is a great idea.

I can tell this thread will go well!

Good luck

So after the better part of an hour i have a few photos of some of my finished Minis. I Apologize in advance for the not so good photos. I have energy efficient bulbs everywhere AND my good HD camera is on the Fritz so its good old iPhone4 and "Environmentally Friendly" lighting.
Enjoy

Here's Just a few close ups of some of the details. Again sorry for the Photo quality.I will endeavor to get some better ones.





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At the moment i still need to add facial highlights but I (or my 2 year old son) misplaced my White paint. These minis wont win any prizes but i believe they are at a standard that a Beginner shouldn't be embarrassed to show off. It didn't take long to achieve this and it wasn't difficult.I used only a very limited Palette and as i said i have never painted minis before.It only takes a few simple techniques that can be applied to anything, not just IG. I would be happy to do a step-by-step if anyone shows me some interest in seeing it, and ill try to answer any questions.

Awesome. Only thing I'd do is do a quick wash of a darker skin tone on the face & hands, highlight with a lighter tone on the face and paint the eyes black.

Other then that you're done, just put the decals on and seal with a clear coat.

ZatGuy wrote:Awesome. Only thing I'd do is do a quick wash of a darker skin tone on the face & hands, highlight with a lighter tone on the face and paint the eyes black.

Other then that you're done, just put the decals on and seal with a clear coat.

You have my to do list worked out spot on mate. Great minds think alike i guess haha.

Looks good for only painting for a week.

Edit: Also looks like it swapped out your flag to the US one, if you want it locked to a specific one just PM a mod.

Ok ill have a crack at a bit of a guide for anyone who would like to read it.Its not so much an "amateur painter masterclass" as it is just a bit of info and a few tips i learned to overcome some of the problems and concerns i experienced as a Brand Newbie about 5 long days ago haha. A helping hand from one Newbie to Another.

TIPS ON PICKING A COLOR SCHEME
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So i guess if you've read this far you have already picked an army. Before you start painting it is important to have a solid picture in your mind of what you want your minis to look like, easy if your following an existing scheme but if you want to make one up it helps to think about where your troops are from, whats it like there, the terrain, the climate, their history and the current condition of their planet/homeworld etc. Is it Wartorn, Is it Industrious and Rich, Jungle or Concrete Jungle, Arctic or Desert? Picture it in your mind what someone fighting there would look like and that's what you can aim for. I chose to create a little fluff about a once Prosperous planet with many great cities covering its surface, destroyed by years of harsh fighting. I wanted my troops to look gritty and worn out from years of fighting In the dark dirty rubble of their former glorious cities. You could also choose a much more glorious background for you army, make it bright and colourful and proud. Thats the beauty of it, it can be anything you can imagine.

PAINTING AND MODELLING.PICK YOUR WARGEAR.
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Once you have decided on a paint scheme its time to get your paints and brushes.Dont forget undercoat/primer aswell.I hobby on a tight budget so i got my Brushes from the craft section of Bunnings' for $1.50 each but they work fine. I bought 2 with flat square tips about 4mm wide and one that comes to a point about as sharp as a pencil and they seem to be able to do everything i need. Also $5 for a can of FLAT white (or black/grey) spray primer.It works a treat. Also think about which glue you will use. Model glue is very strong but it tends to melt the plastics together so it doesn't leave too much margin for error.I use super glue, its strong but the joins can be 'snapped' apart i you drop models. I think that's a plus though because it allows more margin for error as a beginner.If you glue something and your not happy with it, or its just plain wrong, it can be 'snapped' off (carefully) and moved without really affecting the model and its easy to paint over the old glue as you (should) use so little. Good idea to get a pair of cutters to remove pieces from the sprue and a box cutter or scalpel too.
Grab the paints you need, hopefully its been kept simple and you need maybe 2-3 colours (plus a flesh tone and a weapon finish colour) and a wash. I got citadel because it was on special
To help decide what colours you need you can use the suggestions on the back of the model kits, but substitute their mains and highlights for your own scheme. Time to get home and get started.

BASIC MODELLING 101.
Time to finally build your models.I suggest organizing a workspace without too much clutter and arranging your things so you know what goes where.Obviously the modeling is fairly straightforward,I won't bore you with instructions as there is some in the box telling you how to remove pieces from the sprue and which bit goes where.It makes a big difference to the finished product if you remove the mold lines before you paint, you can do it a number if ways, most basic is to use the BACK of a knife and scrape it off, don't use the blade or you might remove chunks instead of lines.I also use a variety of nail files and polishers, luckily my partner is a nail technician so I stole hers but you can get them for $1 to $3 at any shop with a makeup section.just get a VERY FINE one and use it softly over the mold lines.The nail polisher is like a super fine file and if used on already smooth surfaces eg: SM shoulder pads, it gives it a finish smooth as glass and it looks fantastic when painted.Be sure to check all your parts match up and line up properly before you put glue on them.Once your satisfied, its a good idea to glue your first model together and fully paint it to make sure the scheme you have in mind transfers over well to the actual model.You don't want to get halfway through painting a bunch of Minis then realize you want to do it differently.VERY IMPORTANT, make sure you equip your units with weapon/equipment choices that adhere to the codex rules.

NOTE:Unable to upload photos right now but will write as much as possible and add photos asap

BASIC PAINTING 101
Ready to paint your first Mini?

UNDERCOAT/PRIME: Grab your newly completed mini and make sure it's free from dust, hair, moisture etc. you should prepare a spraying area for your priming work.You can use a cut up box on a tabletop to stop overspray if you need to,I spray outside on a narrow stand on a tabletop and just let my overspray fly away.This is good because it doesn't allow the spray pressure to move dust onto your mini and it prevents the overspray hanging around and ending up on the model.Try and ensure your spraying area is as free from dust as possible and is away from the wind.Shake the can well and spray holding it about 12"/30cm from your mini.Spray just as much as you need to get a good even coat all over,no bare plastic should be visible but it should still be light enough not to obscure the fine details.Color schemes that are dark should use Black/grey primer and lighter ones a White primer. PICTURES TO COME ASAP

BASE COLOR: This is the main color of your scheme and probably covers a big majority of your figure eg your Guardsmans clothes or your SM armour. Take just enough paint from the jar as needed to do the job.I like to put it in a paint bowl and add water to thin in out.Add a few drops of water and stir it through.Add as much as you need to reach the rough consistency of milk,the amount needed will change depending on the color and brand of paint so start with 1-2 drops and work up, use common sense and patience to get it right.Once you've got it worked out apply it to your model,be careful to be neat but remember you can paint over a light colored mistake with a really dark or metallic colour but not vice versa,so don't be too scared.the thinned paint should go on thick enough to not be see through and thin enough you can still see every detail.It will settle a bit more in the cracks and add a little depth.It may take more than one coat depending on what you want to achieve so paint,let it dry and repeat until you get the desired effect.Patting a bit of the paint off on a paper towel after dipping the brush helps you get a good thickness to apply, but you'll have to experiment a little to see what works for your mini and your scheme.Once you're happy it's time to move on.

SECONDARY COLOUR/ACCENTS: Prepare your paint the same as for the primary colours,however when you apply it use less paint on the brush and be careful not to put too much on as it can run onto your Previous work.This colour is normally for Armour Trim,Shoulder and knee pads,helmets,flak vests etc. sometimes it suits a models accessory pouches and scabbards too.Some paint schemes colour their weapon casings this way too.Again, once you have painted what you want and reached the desired effect it's time to continue. Pictures On The Way.

Solid painting. If we could compile similar threads and then have a table of contents page by page based on this thread that'd be outstanding. Is it possible for mods to move posts around? That'd be really convenient and would help interested parties find what they need.

This wouldn't be a substitute for most P&M tuts but it'd streamline the info.

Guide updated..More to follow soon.Pictures on the way.Thanks for comments on the minis.Fir suggestions on this thread Please Pm me.

You shold turn this into an article, it would be better off...

What happened to this guide, sorry to necro, but seems very useful for me (beginner)