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I like to think that I am a decent model painter, but I just don't have that edge that a lot of people I know have that leaves their models looking better then just a step above mediocre. One problem I have been running into is white paint has been laying on thick and leaving brush strokes.

Any tips or advice? Handy techniques?
Thanks in advance.

Thin your paints, and live with the fact that to get a smooth white you need between 3-6 thin coats of paint (letting each one dry thoroughly before applying the next).

A quick tip. When working with thin white paint touch the tip of the brush lightly to a piece of tissue paper before applying it to the model.
It won't cover any better, but it will prevent the (thin) paint from running into place you don't want it to go.



...

thin all your paints
start with medium ish grey and then a light grey when they dries then do white in about 3+ coats till you like the look but personaly always start with great saves tons of time and it looks better when its done

If what you're painting has a lot of white, a technique I use is to do a lot of the work with the primer.

Start with a thin primer coat in black - it doesn't have to be perfect, but make sure it has decent coverage. With your white primer, layer on several thin coats and soon you'll have a gleaming white base to build on. If you're careful with your shading, you won't even need to paint any more white on.

Airbrush. That tip right there will save you HOURS upon hours of basecoating models.

Thinning paints depends on the paint really. I don't have the new GW layers, but supposedly they are already too thin.

If you use Vallejo, then thin away! I thin with a 10:1 mix of water: Liquitex Flo-Aid.

Also, a few drops of liquitex Slo-dry in each bottle of paint will prevent them drying up on you while they sit on the shelf, and increases their working time on your palette.

Experiment different techniques that you can do. See what you like the most; practice. Simple as that!

Practice is a big one, yes. Rome wasn't built in a day and all that.

Looking back at my very first models compared to what I can do today, my 12 years of work and effort is starting to really pay off. I may not spend 12 hours on every single model I paint, but on the ones I do, I like to think it shows.

I am assuming by thinning my paints I would just add a little more water to them? Bare with the novice here haha.

Is there a specific brand of paints that you would recommend? The GW paints usually treat me pretty well, but I haven't tried out their new formulas. I still have the old paints with the black top. Some of their paints turned out to be pretty thick and kind of bad quality though in my opinion (Bleached Bone is horribad).

When I get back from work today I will upload some pictures of my recently painted models and some models I have painted in the past if you nice fellows care to critique.

Check out this link:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/416755.page

its a collection of useful painting and modelling advice, contributed by the helpful dakka users

Here are my most recent works. Eldar are just a pain to paint in general because of all their fancypants gems and those damn helmets..but I had fun nevertheless.

The Saurus Warrior is a model that I went back and touched up a few days ago. A veteran from my original Warhammer Fantasy Lizardmen army.

Tell me what you think everyone. I think the picture quality might not be quite good enough to capture everything, but bare with me and my cheap camera.

You've obviously got a very steady hand, your brush controll is quite good. Neat highlights. The only problem I see is that your paint is too thick. thin it down so it doesn't leave any new texture on the model.

Sounds like you need to start thinning your paint more.

I prefer flow-aid, but a lot of people use water.

This is a common problem with Games Workshop paints, they are easier to work with (one coat - done), but they don't have the consistency that a lot of painters prefer.

Emerett wrote:Sounds like you need to start thinning your paint more.

I prefer flow-aid, but a lot of people use water.

This is a common problem with Games Workshop paints, they are easier to work with (one coat - done), but they don't have the consistency that a lot of painters prefer.

I don't use any paint straight from the bottle, even washes. Which ones are you using without thinning?

MrMerlin wrote:You've obviously got a very steady hand, your brush controll is quite good. Neat highlights.

Thank you kind sir.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

Emerett wrote:Sounds like you need to start thinning your paint more.

I prefer flow-aid, but a lot of people use water.

This is a common problem with Games Workshop paints, they are easier to work with (one coat - done), but they don't have the consistency that a lot of painters prefer.

Yeah Games Workshop paints aren't all that they are cracked up to be. Most of them are pretty decent quality, but I have found some colors that.....well

Should I go to the trouble to get myself some flow-aid, or will water work well enough?

I've used my spit to thin paints, seemed like it worked well enough

LordTyphus wrote:I've used my spit to thin paints, seemed like it worked well enough

Not sure if troll....

Eldar=Win wrote:

LordTyphus wrote:I've used my spit to thin paints, seemed like it worked well enough

Not sure if troll....

What, is there something wrong with that? It's been awhile since I've painted but that seemed to work on GW paints, all you need is a little.

LordTyphus wrote:What, is there something wrong with that? It's been awhile since I've painted but that seemed to work on GW paints, all you need is a little.

Just too involved to get some water out of the tap? Then again I guess it is an easier way of making sure you don't put too much water into your paints then using a dropper.

Resourceful.

Eldar=Win wrote:

LordTyphus wrote:What, is there something wrong with that? It's been awhile since I've painted but that seemed to work on GW paints, all you need is a little.

Just too involved to get some water out of the tap? Then again I guess it is an easier way of making sure you don't put too much water into your paints then using a dropper.

Resourceful.

It's probably better just to get water.This is something I saw this really good painter do when I was early into the hobby so it kinda stuck to me, maybe it's one of those "Does anybody else do x" things. I'm not sure if it'd work to well on a pallet though, I just spit a little straight into the pot.

LordTyphus wrote:It's probably better just to get water.This is something I saw this really good painter do when I was early into the hobby so it kinda stuck to me, maybe it's one of those "Does anybody else do x" things. I'm not sure if it'd work to well on a pallet though, I just spit a little straight into the pot.

I shall try it.

Eldar=Win wrote:

LordTyphus wrote:It's probably better just to get water.This is something I saw this really good painter do when I was early into the hobby so it kinda stuck to me, maybe it's one of those "Does anybody else do x" things. I'm not sure if it'd work to well on a pallet though, I just spit a little straight into the pot.

I shall try it.

Just remember, it's easier it to add then to take away when it comes to that. Although, maybe cornstarch would work making it thicker if it gets too too thin.

LordTyphus wrote:

Eldar=Win wrote:

LordTyphus wrote:It's probably better just to get water.This is something I saw this really good painter do when I was early into the hobby so it kinda stuck to me, maybe it's one of those "Does anybody else do x" things. I'm not sure if it'd work to well on a pallet though, I just spit a little straight into the pot.

I shall try it.

Just remember, it's easier it to add then to take away when it comes to that. Although, maybe cornstarch would work making it thicker if it gets too too thin.

Umm. I'd strongly recommend sticking with water. No offence to LordTyphus, but saliva has enzymes and a mild acid in it which could theoretically change the consistency and properties of the paints. Also, don't mix cornstarch into your paints to make them thicker... that would be a really bad idea. If you need to re-thicken a paint, simply leave the top off for a few hours until it's thickened to your desired consistency.

Like people have said already, you can thin with water, or a mix of 10:1 distilled water/Liquitex Flo-Aid for good results, especially with the Citadel or Vallejo paints. You're aiming for a sort of full-fat milk consistency.

Other pointers... for your white, the new Ceramite White is fantastic, still needs thinning a bit to avoid chalkiness but covers in two coats beautifully. To the person who said that the Layer paints are thinner than the milk consistency, that's erroneous from my experience. Perhaps they didn't shake the bottle before they started? The entire Citadel range does have a tendency to separate now. The Layer paints I've used (straight from a sealed pot) are just a shade or two thicker than the perfect consistency for normal painting (which of course makes them practically useless for drybrushing).

Citadel paints aren't low-quality as such, they've got good pigmentation and particle size for miniature painting, though some of their colours are a little less stunning than others, especially in the old range (red, orange, yellow, white, oh my). However, most of the other ranges don't do very well on some colours either, I believe Vallejo has issues with greens? Really it's best to get a few of the starter packs and just try them all out and see what you like. Just remember, that just being thick doesn't mean "bad quality", you're the one supposed to thin the paints to a usable consistency, and as I mentioned earlier, thicker paints give you more options when it comes to methods such as drybrushing. The new Layers take less effort to thin, but you can't drybrush with them without a lot of effort. Similarly, the new Dry paints aren't going to be doing any extreme highlighting without a lot of work from the painter.

Hope that helps. But seriously, ex-nay on the spit and cornstarch.

Yeah I actually tried the spit method and it does effect the paints . It works well enough, but water definitely works better. Also, I am having a hard time trying to figure out exactly how thin I should get my paints....

Skim milk.

Eldar=Win wrote:Yeah I actually tried the spit method and it does effect the paints . It works well enough, but water definitely works better. Also, I am having a hard time trying to figure out exactly how thin I should get my paints....

Experiment until you find a consistency that works for you. Skim Milk, Melted Butter, Whole Milk... I have heard all of those, and they each work, but again the horrible p-word comes out... Practice and use what works for you. Find a baseline and adjust to your style. You got the tough part down with the brush control, now just refine.

Different paints work at various consistencies. Some will need to be thicker than others. I've used various different brands over the years (P3, Vallejo, Citadel, Coatd'Arms) and find that practice is definitely the best way to find out what consistency will work best for you. It may take longer but you will ALWAYS get a better result by applying several thin layers than one thick. This will allow you to build up colours slowly and make it easier to provide definition on the model. Looking at your painting it is already quite neat. I reckon if you water down the paints, use thin layers rather than thick and experiment with washes to add definition and depth you'll be happy with the results

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Categoryakka_Modeling_and_Painting_FAQ

My work here is done.

There's a fair amount of help on thinning paints in this thread that was hanging about recently: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/444959.page

DiabolicAl wrote:Different paints work at various consistencies. Some will need to be thicker than others. I've used various different brands over the years (P3, Vallejo, Citadel, Coatd'Arms) and find that practice is definitely the best way to find out what consistency will work best for you. It may take longer but you will ALWAYS get a better result by applying several thin layers than one thick. This will allow you to build up colours slowly and make it easier to provide definition on the model. Looking at your painting it is already quite neat. I reckon if you water down the paints, use thin layers rather than thick and experiment with washes to add definition and depth you'll be happy with the results

I have only ever used Citadel paints, or when I first started years and years ago cheap paint from Walmart. Citadel seems to work well enough, but I starting to get interested in paints then come in the dropper style...Unfortunately, due to money I will probably just stick with getting my GW paints at a decently discounted price at my FLGS.

LadyCassandra wrote:There's a fair amount of help on thinning paints in this thread that was hanging about recently: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/444959.page

Thanks a lot this thread was very helpful.

I use tamiya x20-a paint thinner, which I guess is technically for tamiya paints to be used with an airbrush. But I've gotten great results using it with citadel and Vallejo paints by just dropping it onto a daub of paint onto my pallete and mixing it up. Its worth giving a try.

White paint has always given me a problem, especially the citadel and Vallejo white. They always dry into a waxy, blobby mess and thinning them has caused me problems. I don't use them. Instead I use tamiya flat white, which dries into a quite nice, even later without any thinning.

So, my advice in general would be to try out different types of paints, especially those not strictly geared towards miniature painting. There's no rule that says you must use citadel paints to paint miniatures, as it's results we find pleasing that is the ultimate goal, not being a hobby loyalist.