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@ Guildenstern: Nice model there! I have recently started using reaper paints as opposed to Gw and theyve got such great greys! Ive been using Snow Shadow as a base for my NMM aluminums and i love it!

@ Matthew: Honestly, im not sure id want to do a whole army in grey by brush...that scheme works, for me, because its fast. In terms of zenithal highlights, do you mean zenithal priming? Most highlights in general are "zenithal", but in terms of the above scheme, because its done by airbrush, what i did was after solid black prime, i coated the whole mini in dawnstone, sprayed from the bottom upwrds, Eshin Grey, then zentithal from above with admin grey. So in effect, yes it is zenithal highlighted.

nerdfest09 wrote:Hey DrH yep the gold is more a wash and when you sandwich it between a couple layers of green wash it gives the flakes some depth through the colour.

Cool. I shall give it a try when I get a chance.

jah-joshua wrote:@Dr.H: nice reflections on the building...
i have always wanted to try it out on a Sci-Fi visor in orange and black...
i have the perfect girl for it, when i finally get the chance to bust her out

Thanks Jah'. I await in antisi...pation for that.

Interesting use of lilac to highlight red. I've only ever used orange or pink. Works well.

I very much enjoy reading your thoughts (as with anyone's really).
While I'm not really one for competitiveness, I do like to do anything to the best of my abilities.

I only started on miniatures as my scale model collection was getting too large to find somewhere to display them, and miniatures (with a smaller, individual footprint ) would be easier to place on shelves.
It was only after someone suggested I try selling my work, and it selling quite well, that I considered really pushing my limits in all the corners of modelling.
Still looking for my own little niche, but soon I'll be a millionaire.

Matthew, what problems are you having with grey? What can you do with red that you can't with grey?
I find painting with grey to be really nice. Highlighting up to white, shading with black.
I do have a standard range of 4 grey paints, plus black and white, and I'll blend between each of them (so about 10-11 steps/layers, at most) to get a smooth finish.

The way to get the best out of grey is to find good spot colours, and use the lack of colour in grey to make those stand out.
e.g. bright glowing red eyes, a green computer screen, a charging blue plasma weapon.

Also, just because you want the main colour to be "grey" on the model, doesn't mean you can't shade it with other colours: These will give a different feel to the model (depending on the colour) but still keep it as grey. Shading or highlighting with blue will give a "cold" feel to the model, green with give it an eerie feel. etc.
You can then use the complimentary colour (from a colour wheel) as the spot colour and it'll really stand out.

 Matthew wrote:
I really like that theme...

Do you reckon zenithal highlights would look good? Heavily shaded Eshin Grey as base, pure Eshin Grey followed by 50:50 Eshin Grey/white?

I do a lot of grey painting these days as its the primary shade for my admech. I base with mech standard grey, then a thin coat of eshin grey, light wash if nuln and then then layer up from eshin > dawnstone > administratum grey. mixing a bit more of the next shade in each time for each highlight. Final all over glaze of really really thinned down eshin grey with a spot of rhinox hide in brings all the layers and transitiions together. Grey is one of my favourites to paint now as I find it quite forgiving. Good luck

You know what guys, Grey is actually a colour I feel is my weakest to paint! I love the look of grey marines like Imperial Harbingers/Space Wolves etc and would love to do a grey force one day but I can't get the effect I want. I did someSpace sharks for Whaley and they were what I'd call o.k tabletop but I wasn't pleased as I've been with other work, and the only way to give them a 'pop' was with chipping and tribal markings in white.

So any brush methods i'd drink up :-)

Hey everyone, currently on vacation, thought I'd share an update on my marine. I got some great lighting outdoors.

Sorry I can't upload it here, on my phone: https://imgur.com/a/4h89n

I'm trying tonblend both shoulderpads, not sure if the red is too dark or not.

Mind if i join in gentlemen?

http://behindthelinesgaming.blogspot.com/

Anyone can join in Swampyturtle

Right, so, I wasn't happy with my answer to Guildenstern, and I've had a chance to run though my thought process when choosing some colours...

One of my weaknesses is colours. I have a few colours I really really like and I tend to like dark colours overall, in terms of the whole painted shebang so to speak. I see a lot of very inspirational work you all and others have done and I just can't quite grasp how you got the colours to go together. Maybe it's simply experience, having used a lot of colours etc and knowing how to apply them together.

This is a tricky thing to answer for me in any specific way. I do, and have always, had a good eye for colours (not to blow one's own paintbrush). But I do generally "just know" what colours would work and what don't.

For my current project I'm building a city, building by building. Painting each one before gluing it on.
Each building needs a unique paint scheme to match their unique shapes.

This is one of those projects that I'm making up as I go along; there is a general plan to the build, but I'm letting it dictate how it turns out far more than normal.
I've added quite a few buildings so far and this brings us to the latest building...

In the bottom photo (the skyline shot) of this picture you will see a transparent, cylindrical shape; tapered at the top to a smaller cylinder and with a circular "wall" around it's base...
...The one of the very right of that photo...
Behind the play and stop buttons.


This had part of GW flight stand added to the top and now it has been painted.

This shows what the city looked like before adding it:

and it was destined to fit in that blank hole next to the red and blue one; front right.

My first impulse was to break the shape down to 4 sections:
The clear ball on top - to be left clear.
The cylinder supporting that ball,
The main bulk of the building,
and the surrounding "wall".

Each would get a different colour/shade.

To get contrast, so that the different sections stood out, one or two of the parts would be light and the other a dark tone.

My first impulse was that I wanted the middle part to be brick-red.
Why? Just because it wasn't grey.

The upper cylinder, I wanted metallic, possibly dark, so that was basecoated black.
Why? So that it contrasted with the clear ball on top, allowing that to stand out.

The wall around the base was then going to be a stone colour.
Why? Again, not to be grey, but be light enough to contrast with the brick-red.

On the left here you will see the base colours at the point that I decided it was wrong (and would then write this post):

The red is stronger than it was going to be eventually, but...

Looking at the whole city with it at this stage flagged some problems (and you can see one in the above photo):
The red, even toned down, would unbalance the city being with that next to the other (quite bright) red building.
And the black, red and not-yellow-but-yellow-based colour, reminded me of the German flag, and I try to avoid recognisable colour patterns on models unless I want to draw attention to it.
Also, in toning down the red it would become darker and therefore have less contrast with the dark metal above it.

So that scheme was thrown out and I had to plan a new scheme.
This time looking at the whole city.

First thing in these cases I look at what I know:
I know that the back of the model will have a lot of green, as there will be trees etc on the hills behind the city.
I know that there will be quite a bit of blue at the front of the model, as that is where the sea is.
I know that the red in the city is currently balanced between the red-blue building and the red-sail building on the other side.
I know that I want the yellow cradle (on the skyscraper in the middle) to stand out in the finished city.
I know that most of the city is surrounded by grey roads and paths.

This means that I can't use green or blue as the main colours, because this building would merge/clash with either the trees or sea, and will be adding even more of those colours that already (when painted) have large areas on the model.

Red is also out as a main colour, as already proven.

Thinking of the colour wheel now, I try to look for what is missing on the model so far.
As this model is not a limited pallet model I run through the main colours and their mixtures and tick them off:
Red - yes
Green - yes
Blue - yes
Purple - no, but too close to both red and blue
Orange - no, but on one side too close to red and on the other side...
...Yellow - The only colour left, but...

I wanted the yellow cradle to stand out, remember. So I can't use a bright yellow (and who would paint a huge building bright yellow anyway...), so a yellow-based colour then: sand / stone = winner.

A light sand colour will then be used for the main body of the building, this can then contrast with the dark metal I wanted for the top part... and then what can I use for the "wall" around the bottom, without using any other colour (as they have all been ruled out)...

Back to grey.
Luckily the grey roads and paths are at each end of the spectrum (light paths and dark roads), so I can go somewhere in the middle and still contrast with both.
But that is a large flat area, and it needs breaking up... welcome freehand.

And that results in what you see on the right of the above picture, and in the whole city here:


Hopefully that helps, or at least gives clues to how to think when planning a scheme.

Loving this thread! I don't have time to contribute just now, but in about a week I will be all over it! Great idea for a thread.

OK here we go, did a little tut on how I am doing my gore lately, please be gentle, and you may notice I have stolen Nerdy's metallic green technique, works a treat. (of course I am not as good as Nerdy, thats a given) just shows though that this blog is helping.

Anyways, like I said be gentle...


Hope it helps someone.

Great idea wetting the surface so the paint runs, I can see that being quite useful for oil streaks, rust, verdigris ect as well actually.

Hey guys! Loving everything thats being added! i apologize for my own lack of updates but my big move back to los angeles is in one week so my painting has been sidelined for a short time. I have been painting but mostly just throwing paint around and putzing around with techniques i cant do well. Needless to say its all junk.

@ swampy: you are absolutely welcome to join us!

@ Dr H: its interesting to see the relationship you have with the color wheel. Almost everything i do is decided before i paint. Usually. My infinity stuff has been a little trickier because i dont paint as much of that stuff so it isnt in my mind yet.

@ Cam: Great tut dude thank you! And just as Paradigm nailed it, it is a tactic modellers use for streaks and rust called an oil wash. Where you use a mineral spirit over the area you want rusted or streaked, then use oil paints and the spirit breaks the tension and oils can be manipulated easily. I see it alot in those gorgeous forge world masterclass books. Makes me wanna paint a tank. Bebop painting tanks?? Nahhhhh....<_<

Nice work Cam, I can imagine your technique under some water effects would look great too!

Thanks for the Tut Cam. I'll have to see about using it on some World Eaters I'm looking to do .

http://www.coolminiornot.com/392744

Dudes....this just popped up on cmon. Insane. The wine sifters/glassware especially are blowing me away!!

Wow. Could and will look at that for hours..........

I know right? It says in the intro that he's been painting for 3 years. That discourages me a Little bit, but I have to assume the peeps that get to this point so quickly have experience in graphic arts in other areas? It's what I tell myself so I can go to bed at night.. Either that or they literally paint minis all day every 24/7/365. Lol...

Looking at it, it is not a 28mm mini, much bigger scale.

Though it is still an amazing paint job. Incredible work like you say after just 3 years in the field,and it sounds like his first go at NMM as well!

I looked his work over he has the eye for color and a talent for detail. But don't let beautiful work like this discourage you instead make it drive you to a higher stander for your own mines

Indeed. Use things like this for inspiration and do not despair that you don't think that you are as good as that. You don't know how much the painter has failed before producing that.

While (s)he said that they have only been painting miniatures for 3 years, there is clearly a long background of art behind it.

Also, that may be the only thing that (s)he has painting in the last year, how many models have you painted in that time...

And it's clearly cheating, using a larger scale model.

It's a great job, and must have been very hard work. This sort of thing is never easy for anyone.

And lastly, remember that there are people out there that may think the same things about your work (that it is unobtainable), but you got there after much hard work.

You do the time, and you don't know how far you can go.
Practice practice practice.

I love your cities Dr H they're very inspiring! and the tutorial is awesome!

So is yours, Cam - I never thought of using Tamiya clear red over BftBG. I have them semi-equated as the same thing in my head, I think.

RE: CMON

I'll be honest. I often avoid that site. It gets old, looking at so many really beautiful models. Instead of seeing something I may eventually be able to achieve, I only see what I will never obtain. So, yeah, don't like it much.

And I do realize everyone (can/does) get better... but when you look at stuff actual artists can do, versus us hobbiest.. well, it's just not a fair comparison.

Anyway, I find groups like this much more encouraging. There are techniques that are at least possible for me to obtain and learn. Plus I can bug you guys about how you did it

Hello fine painters!
I would like to know how you all take pictures so damn well? My photos are awful and I don't know how to improve???
Any tips?
Cheers
STG

Photos are something I struggled with a lot early on, and to be honest is still probably my weak spot so I am always trying to improve. Here's a few things I've picked up along the way:

- Learn your camera. Set some time aside to play around with the settings, lighting arrangements, distance from the minis until you find something you're happy with. Personally, I find you want macro on, ISO as low as it'll go and exposure middle to low depending on the light you're using (brighter lighting=lower exposure

- Use a tripod if you can, or if not, at least rig something up to keep your hand and camera steady while you take pics. Setting a delay on the camera between pressing the button and taking the pic can help too, as it gives the camera time to settle from the movement caused by you pressing the button (sounds silly, but it makes a big difference). Following on the equipment note, try and set up a light box of some sort. This doesn't need to be complex, mine is a cardboard box with two sides cut off, a piece of tracing paper taped over the top (to diffuse the light/remove glare) and a piece of black foam as a background. Makes all the difference in the world!

- Download this:
http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/index.php
It's free, and very easy to get your head around even if, like me, you've never really done image editing before. You can use it to clean up and sharpen pics, adjust the light levels or colour balance so the image better reflects your actual paintjob, and it's also very easy to stick a bunch of pics together in the 'page' section, which helps things look a bit neater and more professional.

Hope that's of some help!

Also, remember that good lighting accounts for at least 50% of the result. You can take great photos even with a potato camera with good lighting. The vast majority of "bad" photos I have seen here on dakka are due to too little, or misdirected light (for example taking photos of dark minis against a light background).

Try going outside (on a preferrably cloudy day), hold the mini against a darkish background - not too close, ideally you want the background to be a bit blurred, and snap away. Don't just take one shot, because it is often difficult to tell on a tiny screen if it is sharp or not, but if you take several, chances are that at list one of them is crisp. The more light you have, the less you need to keep the camera perfectly still, but avoid direct sunlight because that would mostly be too much contrast.

Thanks a lot you guys!

Ok, dug out my box of mid 90's models, and snapped some pictures. When I say mid 90's, I mean it; I was collecting for the Battlesystem Skirmishes game, which was printed in 1991. Also, I was 10, so be kind

Spoilered for too many pictures.


So that's the old stuff, here's some new, and a mix.


I hope you guys enjoyed that blast from the past! I have around 40-50 other models from that era bouncing around here, including about 15 kobolds, 15 ogres, and probably 20 gnolls. I think I will strip/paint some up for comparison later, and maybe cram them into a KoW army!

Very cool everyone.

Latest effort, lets see if you lot have had a positive affect, used lots of the advice you guys are giving here.





Lots more...Spoilered.

So thoughts please.

That's an awesome little scene there Cam, wonderfully atmospheric!

I figured I would pollute this thread with my meager offerings.
I started painting around the summer of 2014, when the 6th edition Tau Codex dropped, and as such my first army was those space commie fishfaces.

After a few months, I branched out into my own Raven Guard successor chapter as well.

In addition, I started experimenting with new things like OSL and washes. Then I also hit a bit of a necromunda/INQ28 craze, and I think it was a bit of a turning point for me.

This guy was one of my favorite models I have ever done, but I digress. Finally, I started taking commissions for various people around my area


So there is everything! I hope they aren't too bad!

Yo what's up all!!! Crazy busy few weeks for me, I drove across country with all my stuff in a uhaul and then had two days before going back on tour for 8 days. Needless to say I've my missed some stuff eh?

Cam: I'm so stoked on the incredible progress you've made with your painting skills!! You're really putting in the effort it seems to push yourself and it's really paying off. Trying new techniques and such, they are all looking great and I like that you've tightened up your color schemes. Keep at as I know you will!!

AUG: welcome, and no way is it polluting! We love models and we love people who love painting em! Your work is always welcome here so thanks for sharing it!!

Well, I know me personally, I'm looking forward to finally getting to sit down and start painting I think my next project is to either, now that I'm in LA, seriously begin to build a 40K army again because I can actually play now, or...go at another Mobile brigada, this time probably the female in pink armor, since that MB unit will be inspired by bubblegum crisis. And finally, guys don't be shy about posting ANYTHING related to high quality mini paining and the pursuit of it, links, articles...whatever's in your head. If this threads lifespan is hinged on my support, ehhhhhhhhh lol......I'm not the most reliable of folks IJS

Cheers guys!!!
Bebop

Not done any new or innovative painting recently. Still working on this CD City of mine.

But, the next job is the water for the river and sea. I'm going to do a fair amount of tests for this and may be able to report back in here in a day or two.