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Hey guys, I'm new to the forum so sorry if I do something wrong in my post.

Got a friend that says good things about this site so decided to check it out.

I just got into the game so I'm still learning the rules, and haven't finished building my army. I wanted to give painting a shot and see how good/bad I was, so I went and painted this guy. This is my first time painting a miniature other than one I did years ago at age 14. And all I really did on that one was dip it in black and call it done.

The picture isn't perfect but it's clear enough I think to post. There's just a few bits that look weird but it's overall accurate. It's also from a few days ago and I've done a bit more work since then, mostly on his strap(made it more clearly brown) as well as did more work on the basing for it. I think I need to get a third layer down to completely hide the black base.

There's bits of silver showing through on his armor(or other metal areas), but not that I can see on the cloth/leather looking bits. So I kind of think they give it a battle worn look that adds to him.. Maybe that's just me. And I know this wouldn't be okay on something like a Commissar at all.

Anyway, critique and tips very appreciated.

Looks pretty damn good for a first model, certainly a lot better than my first attempt.

Nice work

Not bad dude, not bad at all.

You're getting bits of metal shining through - are you priming this model properly? Get some spray primer and prime the model before painting. I recommend Krylon, flat black. You can get it at any hardware store for like 6 bucks. I'm guessing you didn't prime the model since the tab he's standing on is bare metal, but I might be wrong.

Here's a hint for snow - paint the base white first! Snow flock is typically semi-transparent, and if it's white beneath it'll look a lot more like snow.

Priming aside though, this model is an excellent start.

Thanks guys.

You're right SRM, I didn't prime-spray.

I did try to brush prime, but ended up thinning my paints too much I think.

I'm kind of scared of using random paints but I'll give it a shot on a normal guardsman.

As for the base, yeah thanks. I figured that out afterwards saw other people making the same mistake as me. And I discovered it's near impossible to paint the base after any basing textures is put on. But I'll be keeping it in mind for the rest of my army for sure.

Spray primer is a must, especially on metals. I primed a lot of my metal minis back in the day with black paint, thinned or not, and the paint invariably wore off :(

Spray primer all the way.

Thanks Brother. I'll go pick up some later for sure.

How do you protect the paint on your guys after they are done? I'm worried about making them look too shiny, but I can see metal bits shining through even if I never touch or move him.

Also I hear you need to hold the cans a foot or so away when spraying and only do it in short-bursts until they are covered.

Matte varnishes will be less shiny than straight paint if anything. They aren't as durable as gloss clear coats though, so lots of people do a gloss coat and then a matte coat to knock back the shine. I used to recommend Testors matte spray, but apparently it's non-archival, so it will yellow over time. Krylon might be your best/most readily available bet.

Ideal spraying distance from the model varies by what kind of primer you're using. I think there's at least one recent thread reviewing spray primer.
Make sure you don't start spraying while pointing at the model, you want to hit the model with sweeps of spray. Yes on the short bursts. Like brush painting you want multiple thin coats for good coverage not a single thick coat.

For the base ideally you should texture it (I always recommend concrete patch from Home Depot or similar...it comes in a convenient tub and is just right for spreading on bases...you don't even need glue), paint it (as dirt for instance) and THEN put the flock on that.
You really want to texture the base before spray priming (texture, not flock obviously) so that you can cover up those ugly metal tabs.

Commissar_Kasrkova wrote:Thanks Brother. I'll go pick up some later for sure.

How do you protect the paint on your guys after they are done? I'm worried about making them look too shiny, but I can see metal bits shining through even if I never touch or move him.

Also I hear you need to hold the cans a foot or so away when spraying and only do it in short-bursts until they are covered.

Testor's Dullcote is the best I can think of. Krylon makes a sealant too but it's not specifically for minis - could work on them, but I'd rather take the safe route.

plastictrees wrote:Matte varnishes will be less shiny than straight paint if anything. They aren't as durable as gloss clear coats though, so lots of people do a gloss coat and then a matte coat to knock back the shine. I used to recommend Testors matte spray, but apparently it's non-archival, so it will yellow over time. Krylon might be your best/most readily available bet.

Ideal spraying distance from the model varies by what kind of primer you're using. I think there's at least one recent thread reviewing spray primer.
Make sure you don't start spraying while pointing at the model, you want to hit the model with sweeps of spray. Yes on the short bursts. Like brush painting you want multiple thin coats for good coverage not a single thick coat.

For the base ideally you should texture it (I always recommend concrete patch from Home Depot or similar...it comes in a convenient tub and is just right for spreading on bases...you don't even need glue), paint it (as dirt for instance) and THEN put the flock on that.
You really want to texture the base before spray priming (texture, not flock obviously) so that you can cover up those ugly metal tabs.

Brother SRM wrote:Testor's Dullcote is the best I can think of. Krylon makes a sealant too but it's not specifically for minis - could work on them, but I'd rather take the safe route.

Thanks a bunch guys, I really appreciate the info. Got a bit of money so I'll be grabbing these at my next stop to GW.

I need to pick up some more paints including flesh colors for my commissars and starting forces. I plan on replacing most with forgeworld Death Korps later, a few of which I have already. Though I have two female commissars I plan on keeping with them.

Very nice, I think among other things that you've picked a good thing to start with, theres a certain gritty element to the paintjob which may be due to innexperience or may be intentional but either way looks really good in my opinion.

Commissar_Kasrkova wrote:

Brother SRM wrote:Testor's Dullcote is the best I can think of. Krylon makes a sealant too but it's not specifically for minis - could work on them, but I'd rather take the safe route.

Thanks a bunch guys, I really appreciate the info. Got a bit of money so I'll be grabbing these at my next stop to GW.

I need to pick up some more paints including flesh colors for my commissars and starting forces. I plan on replacing most with forgeworld Death Korps later, a few of which I have already. Though I have two female commissars I plan on keeping with them.

You won't find testor's dullcote at GW, try a local hobby shop instead, they should have it!

Joyous_Oblivion wrote:

Commissar_Kasrkova wrote:

Brother SRM wrote:Testor's Dullcote is the best I can think of. Krylon makes a sealant too but it's not specifically for minis - could work on them, but I'd rather take the safe route.

Thanks a bunch guys, I really appreciate the info. Got a bit of money so I'll be grabbing these at my next stop to GW.

I need to pick up some more paints including flesh colors for my commissars and starting forces. I plan on replacing most with forgeworld Death Korps later, a few of which I have already. Though I have two female commissars I plan on keeping with them.

You won't find testor's dullcote at GW, try a local hobby shop instead, they should have it!

Thanks I will.

I don't actually have a local GW, I have to order online from them. But there are a few stores around here that more or less fit the bill for them too.