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On a scale of 1-10, I'm a 4 at painting. I can never figure out how people get small details like eyes and stuff without messing up everything else. Can anyone give me some general tips for painting SM? (Yeah, I'm suckin at SM, I'm that bad )

Leonus Cohol wrote:On a scale of 1-10, I'm a 4 at painting. I can never figure out how people get small details like eyes and stuff without messing up everything else. Can anyone give me some general tips for painting SM? (Yeah, I'm suckin at SM, I'm that bad )

I recommend for eyes a smaller brush head and a magnifier. That way you can get a better look without straining your eyes and it should help you see the groves for eyes better. And I find a smaller brush tends to have just enough paint for the eyes and any bit of run of is either insignificant or can be easily painted over.

Just my

Painting eyes to actual scale is incredibly difficult. Most times to me they look like dopefiends. I don't piant the eyes at all, I prefer to tie the facial shadows into the eyes. If you really want to do them I suggest a type of brush called a spotter. In size 18/0 to size 0

Get a small brush and when you're painting, rest your painting hand on the hand that's holding the model. This will steady it. Also, don't drink stuff with caffeine before painting. Your hands get jittery, even if it's just a little bit. I haven't had soda in almost 2 years now and my painting has gotten exponentially better, not to mention my health.

A general painting tip is to think your paints - if you're painting straight out of the pot, make sure your brush is at least a little moist. It's better to put multiple thin coats on than one thick gloppy one. For painting eyes, refer to this post I made in another thread on the topic:

Brother SRM wrote:Are you talking eyes on bare heads or lenses on Marines?
For lenses, paint the whole lens one color - let's say red. Paint the outside corner with a dot of white and the inside corner with a dot of a lighter color, in this case orange:


For actual eyes on helmetless heads, paint the whole eyeball black. Then, paint the corners white with the tip of your brush:

I'm not even talking about eyes. I mean small details like the Chest Aquila and Purity Seals. :(

Well, waterd down coulors, small brushes, focus and PRACTICE.

You could start by painting the detail first, but then you'll have to worry about messing the detail...

Be patient - you will get better with practice. I remember, when I started out painting my first space marines. The coats where uneven, the details nonexistent - fast forward almost two years later and you can really see an improvement in my painting. Just try tackling your challenges every day and soon you will see positive results.

Cheers,


IK-Painter

put both hands on a table, rest one hand on the other. The important thing is to make sure that you are comfortable and that you don't have to strain your muscles to line up the brush. Use a desk lamp to put light directly on your model. Take care of your brushes!!! I use "The Masters" Brush Cleaner and Preserver to keep those small brushes clean and well shaped. Only dip the very tip of your brush in the paint, the farther into the brush paint gets the more the tip will spread out.


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Also find a copy of the book "How to Paint Citadel Miniatures". Its got some great tips

its usually also easier--not sure if mentioned already--to start painting from the deepest recesses working out to the outermost-surfaces. This way, you dont go back to fix stuff after fiddling with something like eyes.

In any case, it's still fairly common to go back and fix stuff. I find when I'm painting, the first character is well done, but by the 15th, my patience has left me, and the last guys need touching up.