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I have been reading about the dipping technique recently and I'm considering giving it a go but I'm not sure I like the idea.

I was wondering if anyone who uses this technique or who has fielded against an army painted this way can give some comments on how it looks and feels.

Does it look rushed? does it look like not so much effort has been put in? Do you feel good about painting in this way or do you just use it as a way to field a lot of troops quickly?

Just let me know what you think of the technique.

Thanks.

I try to paint to a very high quality, but I have absolutely no problem with people using the dip technique.

Simply put, not everyone is an artist, and even if they want to paint things well, or even if they could, the realities of time constraints and costs mean people can't paint to that quality.

Also, some people just want to get the minis on the table to play. For them it's a game more than it is a hobby, and that's just fine.

Dipped minis can also look really good. With a simple layer of base color, and a dip, a model goes from an unshaded mess to something that has more definition.

It has its uses, what army are you planning on doing it with?


I think tyranids and deamons are the best 40k armies to use this on.

I really thought it was sacrilege when I first head about it years ago. I have to say now tough, the process and info has been refined and its gotten better. The artist in me wont let me do it, but I really think it work well for some people. Those who just cant paint now have an option. Those who paint for other ( like me, though like I said I just cant do it) for profit ( yeah right ) have a quicker way to get a basic table top army out there in a very short amount of time. I would much rather play vs a dipped and finished army that at least the guy made the effort to paint , then all the half painted, primer coated, bare plastic/metal armies there are. Come on how many people actually have a fully painted army on the field anyway, dipped or other wise? If you like it and it works for you DO IT!

Does it help people get better looking armies fielded, faster? Yep. I'm all for it then, even though I don't use the technique myself.

I am in the process of finishing my nurgle CSM army which is all dipped. I personally really like being able to get models on the table and looking good with minimal time.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/226847.page

I like dipping tyranids, do some basic highlighting on the body before dipping - the dip, then put colour such as markings dappled spots etc on the skin - then do all the hard plate areas with a really high number of highlight layers. Let me get 1/2 the mini done in no time, letting e spend more time on the rest!

Anything that gets actually painted armies on the table can't be all bad.

That said, I think dipping works best for things like tyranids or space marines, where they're supposed to be somewhat shiny.

You may want to look into the new washes too, I've heard good things about them. A little less extreme than dipping.

Yeah, the new washes are really good for getting armies out quickly as well. They require more of a base than dipping does, but still yeild great results

If you want to get rid of the shine, just give it a coat of matte sealer.

I'm not going to paint an army this way at all. I have just been away from painting for a long time and I had never heard of the technique before. I was just thinking about trying it on a couple of kroot.

I think dipping is only usefull when your more focused on the games half and the hobby half.

I just finished a Forgeworld Hierodule. It's not dipped, but it was given a full model stain, which conceptually isn't that far off. I used that technique on my entire Tyranid army because it gives it a very consistant look that is repeatable in bulk.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/237062.page

A few of my models. They were primed the color of the chitin, base-coated a couple of colors and then I brushed on a wood stain / sealer. I was extremely happy with the results and have never had any negative comments made after I explain the process I used. As to speed, I managed to get 2500pts of nids painted in just over a month. If you have any questions, PM me, I'll be happy to explain exactly how I did it.

Pics shown are before and after dip. The pictures were taken while the dip was still wet, the shine dies down a LOT once fully dry.

Broodlord



Lictor



Hive Tyrant.



Hive Tyrant 2. No before pics but this is after the dip has dried completely.

I echo many of the sentiments here. If people complete their armies for play that much faster, then I'm all for it.

It is funny that I know a few people that have armies painted rudimentary at best (seriously, one guy uses no more than three colors and no highlights or shading) but are too proud to dip because they consider themselves great painters and artists.

I also tend to dip my armies and think they end result is pretty good. I say paint it the best you can and the dip one see if you like it if so dip the rest.

Dipping can work in some areas definately, like look at those tyranids.. they look much better than what i had done ages ago and they probly took 1/2 the time..

Yeah and you can paint on top of the dip. Nothing saying you cant go back and add special high lights and other detail if you want. As for the shine, well You should still seal a dipped fig and matt coat will take care of the shine. I have seen some VERY nice looking dipped armies. Just because you dip them dosnt mean they are going to look as good as some one who takes the extra time to finish off the figs. Its all about the time you want to put in. You can still do it alor quicker than standard painting and have a nce lookin army.

Ive seen some people do some really amazing stuff with dipping. Ive also seen it done bad. I think you need to plan it out first. But it can look really good!

Dipping is a great way to finish an army. I've done several. It works best with 'neutral' colors, whether you use a brown or a black stain. It also helps to hit the 'high points' with a paintbrush with some thinner to help it flow.

With the GW washes, a similar effect can be achieved with the washes, and may be easier to apply.

I dip every model I paint. The mix I use (personal mix consisting of Future Floor Finish, sepia brown and black artist's ink, and a drop of black gesso) looks great, provides beautifl shading and throws a layer of a hard shell protection on the paint job. I just go over the areas I want dulled down with a layer of dull coat and jobs a good 'un.

Just give it a try. If you don't enjoy it, then don't use it.

I concur with many of the people here. Dipping is both effective and not time consuming, it worked great for my desert themed tallarn army. I'm all for it. Although, since the new washes aka badbad black came out I find dipping has lost some of its luster.

Dipping is cool for gamers who want good looking models out quickly, but it really really irks me when a professional painting service dips and charges $7 a model.

As far as I am concerned, dipping is just another technique, like wet blending or dry brushing. It is not an end all, be all technique, but it does allow for a much faster shading/highlighting process than one can do by hand, and likely a good bit faster once you get good at it. I recommend adding it (or a similar washing process like I use) to you bag of painting tricks as it will really improve both the quantity and quality of your figures,

I will say that i like the dipping. It looks good and Nids, not to sure on other armies though. I followed Porkuslimes technique that is posted somewhere on this site and mine came out good. The only reason i dip is my hands are very shakey a trying to paint detail sucks. If you look in my gallery i have a single termagaunt done. The main difference is that while alot of people use a lighter stain I went straight to ebony. Yes it does give it a shine but not as bad as the picture looks cause of the flash on the camera. Every one at the local store loves the way it came out.

Sanchez, any chance you could post a tutorial on your process?

Sure. They were really easy and the process goes nice and fast.

1. Spray the models while they are still on the sprue with an acrylic spray paint. I used Model Masters - Desert Sand for my nids.

2. Clip the pieces off the sprue and clean up any flash. Touch up the paint with GW bleached bone.

3. Apply base coats of all the other colors you want to use. I used the following:
Weapons like scything talons, spines, hooks, horns - GW Blood Red
Chitin - GW Liche purple
Teeth - GW Skull White
Tongues - GW Snot Green
Eyes - GW Sunburst Yellow
Fleshy Parts - GW Dwarf Flesh
Wing Membranes - GW Scab Red

4. Apply dip with a brush to entire model paying attention that it doesn't clump up in any areas you don't want too dark. You do want to allow it to clump up in the recesses. After trying it out once, you'll see what i'm talking about. A thinner application is best at first, you can always add more. I used Minwax Polyshade stain / sealer in dark walnut. I add a very small amount of white spirits to the can to thin it out a bit. Shake VERY well before each use, this stuff settles out a lot very quickly. The ratio I used is about a cap full of spirits to the smallest can of stain you can get. Use a larger brush that you don't care about, it will be shot by the time you're done. You can buy both stain and spirits at your local Lowes or Home Depot.

5. Let the dip dry for a full 24 hours before doing anything else you may want to do like dull coat. I didn't feel the need to do anything after applying the dip.

Last thing I can say about the dip is it is a dark brown so it seems to work best with warmer colors. If you want to do a similar process using an alternative that works well with light blues / greens and other cool colors, check the modeling / painting tutorials for the Payne's Gray tutorial.

Here's one more picture from a tournament with a much better camera and lighting than the above pictures. This really captured the look of the army in my opinion.


And here are some recently completed Kroot using the same method.