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So i kinda just started painting after throwin some dice with my buddys aobr set. I was hooked from that point on. I dint really have any one really show me how to paint or any prior experience so i just experimented with soeme techniques and have been using the same techniques since. Im just curious if what im doing is taking away from the models or if there is a better way. Basically i prime black then put down a base coat. Then i pretty much wash the model in nulin oil or other wash depending on color scheme. Then i dry brush a lighter color over the surfaces and then do the details. Heres a few example.

It's a technique. For some things, a good one.

What sort of project would it be good for? I always feel like my models never look up to standard also i always here so much about the various steps of highlighting wich is a step i find makes things look unnatural.

You're doing the basic "tabletop quality" paint method: base coat, wash, drybrush, fine details. It's ideal for getting decent looking models quickly (very important if you're doing a whole army), but if you want the best possible quality you'll need to use more precise techniques.

Oh, and highlighting doesn't have to be unnatural. Just use more subtle colors and blending, the extreme highlights you see on GW's catalog pictures are just one style of painting.

Agreed. You're doing fine. You'll not win any awards but I'd be happy playing against those models. The thing is that since your army is newer you're probably just trying to get everything painted. And for that, you're doing just great. Nice and tidy and effective. Once you get everything done or just feel like really spending some time on a model, work on your shading and highlighting. Learn to blend colors, as mentioned above. Myself, I can't stand that unnatural white edge highlight style. I'd rather not bother than do those crazy edgings.

xCamdenx wrote:
What sort of project would it be good for? I always feel like my models never look up to standard also i always here so much about the various steps of highlighting wich is a step i find makes things look unnatural.

Cloaks, rough textures (scales, full-sculpt feathers), hair, horse skin, stone (combine with stippling and more layers to get a rough 'texture' but smoother colour transition). Skaven. Goblins.

Remember that highlighting a miniature has three purposes; first to fool the eye into thinking the model is bigger by reinforcing how light hits it and second to artificially exaggerate the general shape of the mini by increasing contrast on edges etc beyond 'normal' lighting. The third purpose is artistic; perhaps we want to fake the environment or light sources on the model to imply a 'mood', perhaps we want to add detail that isn't really there (chipping etc).

I also don't like the extreme highlights and I find blending very hard to do, no matter how much I try I can't get it right!

I think those models look great!

i'm with you on the blending btw - i can never seem to get it to work right either.

That's prettty much the technique i use most of the time.

I think it can also depend on what army and colour scheme your going for. My main army right now is necrons which i do in a copper colour scheme - for this the dryburshing technique is quite forgiving as metallic paints, to a dregee, highlight themselves. A quick drybrush to pick out the edges usually works for me. (see galleries for examples).

For an army like, for example, Tau you might want more precise edge highlighting. In this case drybrushing probably wouldn't be the best way to go.

One thing i see alot at my flgs is where it looks almost cartoonish, everything is like outlined in black then bright colours. The dude who judges our painting competition lways goes for that look i never even place and i think the realistic look looks much better than the cartoonish look imo.