Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I have been a long time GW player and have always been far more int o the 'gaming' side of it than the 'hobby' side of it. I love a well painted army and all, but my skills just don't run in that direction.

Still, I would much rather play with painted minis than grey/silver ones, so I do the best I can. This has worked out well with GW products so far, but I am now looking into other miniature lines and games. My biggest reservation, though, is not whether I can find local people to play these other games with (I am confident I can con a couple friends into any game) but in my ability to put out a reasonable looking army/gang/faction/whatever.

Many miniature lines are far more detailed and awesome looking than what GW puts out and I am intimidated by the minis. My question is, what has been the experience of less talented painters, like myself, trying to paint up some of the more detailed and kick butt minis available today? Did your minis look good? Are there any tricks or advice I should know to cheat it (aside from drybrushing, which is all I can do anyway)?

well, so far the most detailed model i have painted (only done about 10 models, havent painted much yet) was surprisingly easy.

I used a (i think it was, at least) 00 brush, that helps alot with the small details and with highlighting.

For some parts of the more detailed models, ive been advised to use washes, particularly GW badab black and Devlan mud.


sadly, im not the best painter (at least tabletop quality though) so thats the best advice i have.

Well, I'm hardly an expert, but here are my tips:

Don't paint when you're tired or when you feel you have to. Paint because you want to, then you'll be enthusiastic and interested.
Don't buy cheap brushes. Spend the extra money and get good tools, then the work will be easier to do.
As an older (40+) painter, I'm not as good at making out all those tiny details as I was 20 years ago. I use this magnifying lamp to make it easier for myself.
Look at other people's work and steal, I mean, get ideas, of what you like and what looks good
Buy a cheap disposable set of plastic army men to practice painting small details specifically, and paint schemes in general.

Hope that helps.

I am a tabletop quality painter at best for a variety of reasons, but I have a technique for addressing detailed models.

1. Carefully assemble the model. Be very wary of mold lines.
2. Prime the model with white primer. Actually, I prefer Army Painter Skeleton Bone primer.
3. Wash the whole model in Devlan Mud.

Now you have an assembled and primed model, and you can see all the detail. Now it's a matter of (4)blocking out basic colors, (5)dry brushing the metallics, and (6)more wash. Or you could dip and Dullcote.

This will not win you a Golden Demon, but you will get an army on the table in short order.

Dry brushing and heavy washes, thats all you need

Spray Primer is a must. Acrylic paint doesn't like bare plastic and metal. It needs some thing to stick to. there are meny good primers out there, GW sales one as do most hobbie paint retailers, but I use enamel car primer. Its cheep (£5 a big tin), sticks to any thing and just look at how meny colours it comes in

Look at diffrent makers of paint, some adhere better that others, some have a better pigment count to others. Me I use the appel barel cheepish acrylic and water colour paint for washes (good for flesh and fabric folds).

As it has been said, brushes. The better they are the better you can load the paint onto the brush. Now I know we can't always buy what is the best but, if you pay more than a tenner for a set of 5 brushes (fine, liner, flat and big) they will last you a good 5 to 10 years (mine lasted 6 years before replacment).

For dry brushing and washes, use the oldist and most beat up of your brushes as both techniques will tear up you new pricy brushes in no time.

Over the years your skills will improve to the point were you will become a lazy painter and paint a 10 man squad of IG in 2 hours to table top level by taking short cuts

For a good tabletop quality mini Id go with dipping.

get a can of Minwax Polyshades (I reccomend Mission oak satin). Thin it down about 20% with thinner/mineral spirits. Shake well and set aside. This is your "dip".

Clean, prime and paint your minis. You only need a few basic colors. Most likely you can just paint them the way you usally do. Use water based paints.

Do not flock, gravel, etc the base yet. Paint it if needed.

Once all the paint is dry brush on the dip. It will be darker in the details and lighter on the more open areas, this is good, dont try to correct it. Cover all painted areas with the dip.

Let sit for around 24 hours. When its not tacky to the touch its ready. It will have a moderately glossy finish to it. If you want a flat finish simply spray the mini with Testors dulcote.

Now you may flock, sand, etc your base if needed.

Your done. They wont win any prizes but you will have good tabletop quality minis with minimal fuss.

I second the priming white. When you're painting, the white will show through more on the areas with thinner paint and pool in the crevices. It's like washing and dry brushing in one step if you have the perfect consistency.

I disagree with priming white for beginners. Priming black will leave anything you don't paint very dark, and as that's likely to be spots that are hard to reach, it works like shadows, to your advantage.

But, that's really not the best advice you can receive.

Painting is a skill. Like any other skill, it has to be learned and practiced over time. There are no shortcuts to the basic skill of getting the paint onto the figure where you want it. The biggest difference between 'crap' figures and 'tabletop' figures is found not in shading or in drybrushing, it's in brush control.

My advice to all starting painters is worry about getting the colour you want on the figure cleanly, without going over the lines. Learn to brace your hands to reduce any shaky tendencies. Accept that you might need to paint slowly at first to gain the muscle memory associated with painting - like anything else, once you have this muscle memory, you'll be able to speed up.

Once you have brush control down, everything else, from drybrushing, to washes, to blending, becomes easier. Without brush control, any of these techniques will look sloppy and you'll still wonder what you're doing wrong.

I am by far not an expert painting. I have done very little wet blending or feathering, and am intimidated by both techniques.

I also rarely use washing or drybrushing, because while they are easy to do, I like the look of well painted lines better.

My biggest advice is to take your time and don't feel in a rush. Prep work such as cleaning up mold lines and flash makes a huge difference. And don't be afraid to experiment.

I put about 18 hours into the model below. I know painters here who could knock out a similar quality in 3 hours, but I had fun painting it and am very happy with the end result. I get a lot of compliments on it when it's on the table.



Another model I spent roughly 20 hours on (converting and painting) is my looted Land Raider Battlewagon, below. No washes or drybrushing were used at all.



Also, I totally agree with redbeard. A big part of why I'm not using washes or drybrushing is because I am working on my brush control. You can see alot of sloppyness in the highlights on the big mek, and I want to get to the point where I can do those really thin highlights. The only way to get there is to practice.

P.S. I heart votes!

My advice is to use washes. I never got on well with drybrushing (and I still rarely use it) but I would be totally lost without my washes. They add depth, shadow, and weathering- all in one nice coat of watery awesome!

Also, I doubt not having an amazing, super-high-quality painted army will stop people playing with you in non-GW games. I don't know about the house rules of individual gaming clubs and all, but generally speaking people are unlikely to cast you out because of your painting skills.

Drybrushing is a little over-rated. A couple of suggestions:

1. Find a primer that is close in color to you desired color scheme. Rustoleum/Krylon makes a camo line that comes in Dark Green, Brown, and Khaki. Obviously, there are the standard white, black, and grey primers. I've also had luck with Almond and Sandstone. In some case, this allows you to prime and basecoat.
2. Use the largest brush you can possibly get away with. I do the majority of my painting with #4 and #2 flat brushes. You might have to practice on your brush control, but you can put down paint and do edge lining very quickly with flat brushes
3. I like washes a lot. In particular, I use very thinned Liquitex Paynes Grey. When possible, I select base colors that can be washed with the same wash to simiplify things.