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This Thread here gentlemen, has to be one of the most supportive and helpful thread i have seen. It really sums up what DAKKA is all about! Just thought I would throw that in. Torch keep it going and within weeks you will be better at painting than you ever imagined, practise, good direction, articles and sometimes just a health bit of experimentation. Just remember the Golden Rule of Dakka, we were all beginners at one point.

Yep Dakka community give some super tips and has helped my painting improve by miles to what i used to be like.

But as many have said washes will help and the main washes i use on my ultramarines are Asurmen Blue, Dabad Black, Devlen Mud and Gryphonne Sepia

Here's the best lens/eye/gem tutorial I've seen. Very, very simple to replicate and the effects are quite good.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/287338.page#1457409

Don't worry too much about how you do your bases. Wars could be fought over the different schools of thought on how they're done. I personally do my base last, but I know to get the really good ones you need to do some prep work prior to gluing it down.

Crazy! As good as your first models were, that gunner looks even better. Keep at it!

Appreciate all the constructive criticism. I find that as I progress, my painting seems to get better and better. I guess the old adage "practice makes perfect" holds true to miniatures as well!! Again, thank you all for helping me continue to become better!!

Torch, you are going to find that the more you paint, the steadier your hand and brush control becomes.

No amount of research is going to improve that for you, it is all practice practice practice

There is already a lovely improvement between the first pic and your gunner, my best bit of advice I can give to give a quick improvement is to wash all the dips and crevices with a half water, half asurman blue/badab black wash once more, and to try undercoating your gold areas with a slightly watered down layer of tin bitz.

What tin bitz will do is create a dirty gold colour underneath their shining gold, so it will help the shining gold be brighter, and also make them look slightly battledamaged if any of it peaks through the gold layer

It is very easy to do, only takes 1 undercoat of paint and gives great results.

You appear to be using ultramarine blue, if so, as Ifalna said, this wash should really help you: Mix 1 pot of Asurmen Blue and Badab Black together, it's great for contrast in recesses but still retains blueness, so it looks like shadowed blue.

With shoulder pads especially, add just a really small amount of water around the edges where you're going to apply the wash, no more than dampening really. it has 2 bonuses firstly, if you mess up, then it's easy to fix and secondly, the wash will flow into the damp area once you touch your brush to it so you can have as little brush contact on your actual model as possible, which helps with keeping the shaded area thin.

Tip for painting white, although it seems you have to down already, paint a layer of Dheneb stone, followed by several thin coats of skull white will get you a nice crisp white.


By the way, can you share your secret of how you got the transfers on so smoothly, mine always crinkle up.

RayvenQ wrote:You appear to be using ultramarine blue, if so, as Ifalna said, this wash should really help you: Mix 1 pot of Asurmen Blue and Badab Black together, it's great for contrast in recesses but still retains blueness, so it looks like shadowed blue.

With shoulder pads especially, add just a really small amount of water around the edges where you're going to apply the wash, no more than dampening really. it has 2 bonuses firstly, if you mess up, then it's easy to fix and secondly, the wash will flow into the damp area once you touch your brush to it so you can have as little brush contact on your actual model as possible, which helps with keeping the shaded area thin.

Tip for painting white, although it seems you have to down already, paint a layer of Dheneb stone, followed by several thin coats of skull white will get you a nice crisp white.


By the way, can you share your secret of how you got the transfers on so smoothly, mine always crinkle up.

I first put down some of the decal transfer liquid. I then put the decal on the edge of my brush and then slide it on. I then rub it with the brush once it is in place until everylast piece is the way I want it. I always make sure it is soaked with the decal transfer liquid. I dont really do anything special, just keep it wet and use patience.


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I also just used the wash and all it did was make the entire thing a darker shade of blue. Do I go back and dry brush with the ultramarine blue??

Ah yes, decal Transfer soloution, damn, was hoping you had a method that didn't involve that.

And for applying washes, use a really small brush and just paint it in the crevices themselves, rather than washing the entire model. So like along the very edges of the shoulderpads and within the crevices.

Drybrushing with UB would also work with the models that you've already done it to.