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Ok...so I am to a point now where my paintjobs are obviously tabletop quality (No ego), but I cannot get over that hump.

I want to progress my painting skills, and I know there are probably many things I can do to make that happen, but I am not sure where to start. Consider the attached photos, and please provide some constructive criticism. I don't consider myself really great at anything, but I know I need to work on my:

Basing
Line Highlighting
Wet Blending
Finishing Models (as in...completing them)

Anyways, have a look, tell me what you would do to improve on these. Help me cast off this taint and become taint-less.

You may be able to improve somewhere...I just cannot see where. Fine job.

I think these are a bit more than "Tabletop quality". You could try weathering powders or extensive freehand. If your only working on marines that might be whats holding you up. Pick up some xeno commander to try something completely different. Aside from that I dunno really I'm very impressed by how these look.

If you want to improve, my advice would be to deviate from the proscribed Eavy Metal school of painting, and explore how scale military modelers do things. You can pick up a lot of excellent techniques from magazines like Fine Scale Modeler.

You could try oil filters/washes, heavy weathering with powders just to name a few.

I think your painting is really good as it stands.

It might help if you hang out here:
http://www.coolminiornot.com

Some of the best painters from around the world post there. There's some tutorials in the articles section too. Everyone has their own unique style of doing things so watch the submissions and see which ones you like best and try to emulate them

I really appreciate the comments, guys.

When I used to do model tanks and airplanes, and some older Reaper mini's, I painted them more 'realistically'. As someone pointed out, I draw most of my influence straight from the Eavy Metal team now. I'm getting to the point where my lining is better and my wet blending is passable. Also, I am dusting my smurfs with Ultramarine Blue from above, with an airbrush, to get some instant shading.

I'll try weathering next. The only thing is...the fluff states that UM armor generates an ultrasonic pulse to repel any dirt and debris, at least I am pretty sure. Fluff aside, weathering would create more interesting possibilities.

I think you can ignore the fluff if you think you like what you have.

Very good stuff, might I add. Probably a lot better then my average

I'm not sure what to say TBH. Maybe a bit more weathering? You know, some chips might offer a lot. One think I have seen people do is highlight the underside of the chip with a lighter blue and the upper with a darker, for an indented effect. That looks very good. Also remember to add a layer of something like black or tin bits between the silver and the blue too.

Hope I helped.

I see no way to improve these beyond weathering or battle damage.

Definitively better than tabletop quality. I agree with the other posters, I think you have just about perfected the 'eavy metal school of painting. And I don't know that your current ultramarine paint scheme is leaving you very much growing room.

I guess what I'm saying is I think you have the basics down to perfection, and that is what the 'eavy metal method is all about. But now you obviously need to expand out to more exotic and eye catching techniques, though I worry that, that may be tough to do with Ultramarines.

Weathering powders have been mentioned.

Expanding out into oil paints and washes could be a good move. Oil is a very different medium form acrylic, and really opens up some interesting windows. I think it could make your shading much more dynamic and eye catching.

I think your power weapon effects have room for improvement. Yours is very...workman like. I'm sure you have seen the other styles out there, maybe give them a shot.

Some OSL might be a good move too. I know i is often overdone, but that doesn't mean you should learn how to do it. The obvious options are swords and plasma weaponry, but what about lava, glowing ooze, and phosphorescent plants? Adding OSL to your bases can really make a mini come alive.

Your freehanding is very impressive. Maybe attempt some free-hand borders, it can really add impact to a piece of cloth.

I've found materials simulation to be a fun area. Copper/bronze with a patina, ceramics, marbles, etc.

Finally, weathering and battle damage. Paint chips and the like can really add to a model.

Admittedly, it can be tough to incorporate some of this into and Utramarine army, especially weathering, but with some creativity I think there is still room to learn. Or you may even want to start painting non-space marine figures. I moved on to necrons and it really opened up the possabilities for materials and OSL, and guard opens up fun weathering options.

OSL sounds fun, actually. I just got a bonus at work...maybe I need to pick up a Carnifex, always wanted to paint one...could break me out of this slump.

On my best day, I don't think I could paint this well. Your marines look awesome!

Wow, thanks for the kind words, Havok! Your marines look fine...just mix a little Space Wolves Grey, maybe a 1:3 mix to start with whatever blue you are using. Water that mix down a good bit and apply it to places where light would catch. That'll add a little depth, it's what I do. Then finish it off with some line highlighting, which I see you are already doing.

I've been doing 40K stuff on and off for a long time...I just keep getting into a funk where I don't feel like my painting is going anywhere. It is honestly probably because I don't actually play the game. There is a GW store about 5 miles from my work, which I visit quite often, I just haven't painted enough mini's to field an army!!

Is there a preferred brand of weathering materials that people use? I'm sure a quick search would turn up this info, as well. But ya...those mini's are the product of a childhood of building tanks and planes and ships, progressing to fantasy mini's, then getting into 40k. I never really took painting seriously until I got into 40k...

When I first discovered line highlighting, I abused the hell out of it. I did some really crappy blending too, and my freehand was TERRIBLE. If you have access to an airbrush, or have a can of spraypaint in the color that you are basing your mini's with...go ahead and prime with black and then dust with your base color, or a shade lighter than that. Apply that base color from above the model and give it a decent coating. The end result should be that if you look at the mini from above you'll see the color that you sprayed, and if you look at it from below that mini will be significantly darker. I hope that makes sense!

I think I need to go to GW and get a game or two in, that'll probably motivate me to field an army.

I'm a really slow painter, FYI. That Space Marine Commander with the power claw has about 4 hours of work into it. The Chaplains I painted as a pair...the pair took probably 6 hours. I work so, so slow...but it's relaxing and I don't make as many silly mistakes.

Using a wet pallet helps, that way your paints last a lot longer so you can go back and correct a mistake if you make one.

MiG is reputed to be the highest quality, but also the most expensive. They have paid to have studies done to confirm that position. A study supporting the person paying for the study obviously should be considered a bit biased, but it is fairly convincing. They use a higher concentration of pigment and process it a bit more so you have finer particles.

Forgeworld is repackaged mig.

Vallejo is good, though supposedly not as good as MiG.

Doc O'Brien's 'self adhesive' weathering powder is the most affordable, all 12 colors for 20$. But it has binding agents in it (hence the 'self adhesive'), which some people don't like, and uses less pigment.


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Oh, and pastels as a weathering powder are really worth mentioning. You can buy high quality art pastels (not oil based) and grind them down on sand paper to create your own weathering powders.

On the plus side you have many more color options, and they are much cheaper than pigments. However, they are much granier, more of a dirt than a dust or a soot. You can do much subtler effects with powders.

Which is a good reason to use both. Just as using multiple shades for an effect adds depth and realism (you should always use 2-3 different reds for rust, for example), using different textures adds to the effect too. Powders and pastels in conjunction produce much better effects than either alone.

Also, you can make your own 'iron' powder from pencils.

I think you are way to hard on yourself....they look great!

The only thing I can think of is that you might want to put some heads on the officers. :-p

They look fantastic. Far better than tabletop quality

Cato Sicarius conversion as the headless horseman?

Haha...faces are the bane of my existence. I nailed Calgar's face, to my standards at least, but I'm in a slump right now where I am constantly making horrible looking faces.

Gonna be driving past GW today, may pick up a Carnifex or something fun and different from Space Marines.

Like others have said I think your paint is way over tabletop quality although this is always a bit arguable. The only thing I can comment is the poses always look a bit static so that is one of the areas I think you have room for improvement. Plus good bases can really make a good paintjob like yours pop out. Apart from that only freehand, a bit more of shading and highlights and better blending. You can do blending way better than me but there is still room for improvement as well.
Nonetheless I really feel they are excellent quality specially at an army level.

I found that the AwesomePaintJob video on faces really helped me. http://www.youtube.com/user/awesomepaintjob#p/search/0/-ac1oLYiyi8

Wow, Honda Racing have traded in their Flame Proof Coveralls for Power Armour!

Nice models, I would finish them. You have good painting skills, there are alot of step by step tutorials for faces. If I were you I would go with the flow. You have mastered painting detailed miniatures, maybe it's time to pick up an airbrush.

The next question is what are you actually painting? Sounds like a stupid Question? It isn't! Are these for an Army, a display piece, a diorama, are these test models or do you want an Ultrasmurf army?

If so great, where are they fighting? Snow? Desert? Green brush, jungle? Lava Fields? Urban?

Alot of inspiration comes from placing your army somewhere? Are they facing down Tyranids on Macragge? Orks at Black Reach? It all comes together with an Army Narrative, the basing should be the same across them all and draw them together as a fighting force, it gives them a Homogeneous look.

So far, I have these in my army...

Assault Squad
Vanguard Assault Squad
Devastator Squad
Terminator Squad
Tactical Squad
Terminator Chaplain
Assault Chaplain
Scout Squad w/ Sniper Rifles
SM Commander
Cato Sicarius
Calger w/ Honor Guard
2x Rhino

Not the most elegent selection probably, I just bought what looked fun to paint!


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I want to field a full army and eventually play, and I want them to be of good quality as far as paint and basing goes.

I really, really want to get into the realm of the Golden Demon guys, I realize they are on another level, though.

I bought the tutorials from miniaturementor...they are pretty darned good.

Thats well beyond tabletop quality.

Well without sounding harsh, it's a learning process. I think a Snow base might be a nice element.

Bottomline, you are not going to win a Golden Daemon 1st time out (I hope you prove me wrong in this regard). Painting is a learning process and there is very little I can teach you because I think your painting is better than mine.

What I can definitely say is 50% of my painting is by listening to others, following guides and trying it out myself. The other 50% is just pure experimentation. Get some bases try out some different flocks, paint scheme's, foliage, grass, rocks, urban rubble etc.

This army is a step gap, to your next army, so I reckon you should push the boat out and try lots of options. The next army you collect could well be that Golden Daemon winner, it is up to you.

Just curious...which airbrushing techniques should I try? Right now I am just using my airbrush for instant shading / base coat.

try these..

OSL (object Source Lighting) technique it's very "en vogue" right now. ( that hansel he's so Hot right now)

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Zenithal_Airbrushing,_OSL_and_Snow_and_Ice_Tutorial,_subject_-_Grey_Knight

Painting NMM (Non metallic Metal)

http://www.blackmoor.ca/articlesnmm.htm

Putting serious thought into going out and picking up a gravity feed airbrush. My Paasch syphon-feed is very nice, but it is a pain sometimes.

That OSL on the power weapon looks great, I see how it could easily be overdone, though. The one in that tut is pretty convincing.


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I'd like to experiment with airbrushing power armor, but that may be near impossible. A gravity feed airbrush should allow me to run at very low PSI (at least lower than a syphon-feed) and if it is dual-action I'd be able to just creep the paint out of the airbrush. With my cheapie Paasch airbrush I can get my lines down to about 1/32" or smaller, but that is really a stretch and the paint is dry and ick before it even touches the model.

See what I mean, look around see something read up on it abit next thing you know you've been inspired to do something. I get inspired by my fellow dakkanauts all the time. Good luck, and start a P&M Blog so we can see your progress, your painting already looks like it's at the 9 out of 10 level.

Cruddy pics...but I am really leaning now towards the lighter UM color scheme with more blending. I did some more blending on the power fist. To me, at this scale, the mini's need to have their colors a little washed out to look right. But then, that's what I was always told when trying to match a real life color on a tank or plane...pick a shade or two lighter than real life to make it look right on a scale model.


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I think I may have over-painted the SM Commander...

Did more work on the standard bearer...I hate standards....

Yeah that scale paint theory passed me by, but I have subsequently read up on it and there is a definite logic to what they are preaching. I'll have to play with washed out/ grey out colour schemes.