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I'm kind of at an impasse and I'm hoping someone can offer some assistance.

Making a long story short, I'd like to take the next step in my painting but I'm kind of stuck for how to go about it. Specifically, I'm talking about more advanced blending/shading techniques and how to represent light on a miniature (not "glowing" light effects... more like general highlights of armor in sunlight). I think my basics are pretty sound (though there's always room for improvement), regular highlighting, washing, using thin paints w/ multiple layers, edge highlighting... all things I can do or are working to improve (but I understand them).

I'm working through my Mantis Warrior space marines and while they are by far the best painting jobs I've ever done... still, they aren't quite "right" in the way the armor plates look... blending is still blotchy and uneven, light does not play naturally across the face of the plates, etc. I know there are a lot of really good painters on dakka, and I am an avid consumer of their P&M blogs... but it's clear that I haven't been able to put the tidbits that I pick up here and there into a cohesive, consistent painting approach.

I have tried to search through the tutorials and while I've found some really neat stuff, I haven't really found anything that addresses my particular needs. Guess I'm at the point where I've realized my own limitations to infer the process by observing and was hoping that somewhere out there might be a step-by-step walk through of the processes (with photo's hopefully) understandable by someone with no artistic background. I know a lot of you get paid to do what you do and I don't expect any trade secrets... but I thought someone might be able to point me in the right direction.

I could provide examples of where I'm at currently, but if you look in my gallery at the Mantis Warrior folder (not the solid green guys, they're 20 yrs old), and the Great Marine Swap Projects folder you'll get a pretty good idea where I'm at. The areas needing improvement will be obvious.

Thanks,
Gits

Hey man I think your stuff looks really good. But I guess you could start with some of the amazing videos out there. The miniature mentor series has some awesome ones... I would recommend the Julien Casses and Allan Carrasco videos right off the bat. Following a similar style (uber dilute paint) is Jeremie Bonamant's own video.

I found putting my minis up on CoolMiniOrNot.com, while incredibly humbling, really did help me improve... It's tough to get a good rating there hah.

I took a class with Matheiu Fontaine this summer and it was incredible. Basically it boiled down to 3 things - paint with ultra dilute paints, understand and use smart color theory, and time. The major factor being time... Actually all around it was a great class and had an unexpected wealth of great information... like making cheap wet pallets, and understanding where the 'focus' of the model should be (usually the face) and thus putting the most drastic highlights there etc.

For starters I would say try pushing yourself with very dilute paints. Start with the extreme, like basically water with the slightest tint of pigment... if it runs all over your model, then you have too much paint on the brush and you need to wipe it off properly... eventually you get the hang of how much to load up on your brush etc.

Just keep trying, try some different style of minis and come back when youve learned new things from different styles

@Gunz: thanks! I'll be sure to look those videos up, might be just the kind of instruction I need to get me over the hump. I've visited that site before but haven't really spent much time there... perhaps it would be worthwhile to get some Simon Cowel type feedback.

@kravus: That's kind of what I've been doing, though I must admit to being pretty fixated on marines as of late... Perhaps it's time for a little break when I finish up a project or two.

If you really wanna push your painting then i'd suggest joining a painters forum such as the Reaper one, CMON, Platoon Britannica or whatever. You will get honest feedback and crit on your work, while being surrounded by some of the worlds best. Short of moving in with Jmpn, it's about as good as you'll get.

Take a break from army painting and actually push yourself out of your safe zone. You'll never reach new horizons if you don't leave the shore behind, and all that stuff...

You're better than me

If you have hit an impasse y'all can always take solace in that...

Perhaps... but I really want to get better than ME... if you get my drift...

I'd reccomend watching videos and asking for "show and tell" from someone at the FLGS or hobby goup or something like that. Youtubers I can reccomend are Awesomepaintjob, Jawaballs(he has a great blending but easy blending toutorial(sp?) somewere on his channel.), GirlPainting, Miniature Mentor and the list goes on. Just look through their video's until you find the one you like, and then observe.

IMO, although written toutorials are great, watching someone do it on videos is better, and the best is to see someone do it in person if you have that option.

I actually learned alot by picking up the how to video Hot Lead, it taught me alot.

As far as my FLGS goes, I think there's only one person that paints to the standard I'm talking about, though we have a number of good, solid painters. I've never met him... he just ghosts in on occasion, drops off an unbelievable mini for the display cabinet & disappears into the mists again... Very enigmatic.

I'm liking all these video suggestions... not the least because I can play them over and over until it sinks into my thick skull.