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Im pretty sure this has been asked before, But how is it that some of you get your minis looking EPIC when painting them AFTER you've built them. I can get them in my opinion mediocre at best when i paint them unbuilt or build and paint.

Mad brush skills + washes + cleanup

Are the army painter dips worth the price of the can they are in?

army painter dips are just minwax with some color added...

I'd honestly go with washes instead of dipping but if dipping is what you prefer then Army Painter is likely the way to go.

Clthomps wrote:army painter dips are just minwax with some color added...

Fairly certain they're not.

But either way, they are not a bad thing.

What I think people do not recognize when they post comments such as "army painter's dips are just minwax with some color added" is that you're going to run up a bill about equal to the can of a thing of Quickshade when you choose to start fiddling with making your own dips. It's very much a trial and error process, and you will ruin some models in the process.

Skal098 wrote:Im pretty sure this has been asked before, But how is it that some of you get your minis looking EPIC when painting them AFTER you've built them. I can get them in my opinion mediocre at best when i paint them unbuilt or build and paint.

I won't describe my results as Epic, but I think they are better than average. I do it by judiciously applying masking, careful brush work, and washing. I do it BECAUSE I used to paint each part individually and assemble, then realized how much of the hard work I did was covered up. Assembling let's me just paint what is seen. Sometimes I leave particular parts off for accessibility or because they are radically different than the rest of the model. I do blue tack it together first to get an idea what does an doesn't need to stay off.

Don't bother with Army Painter, minwax is just as good. I think hand made washes are better.

ummm, brush controll and time? Anyway some people just find it easyer to paint a full model, others in bits

Just remember two things. Keep your paints thin, don't forget to wash. It took me a while but I've finally got an eye for just the right paint thickness now, and painting snakebite leather and flesh colors is a breeze now. Also, a figure that looks meh can really benefit from a wash, bringing out the shading.

If you are new to painting the pre-made stuff is your best bet.

Even if you are not, home made washes and shaders can be hit and miss and will take experience to get right (and experience to know exactly what you want out of them in the first place). They also (in the beginning) will probably end up costing you more than the pre-made stuff as you try and get your mixes right.

Ok. Here's my take on this. Chances are the Epic paint jobs you see are not fully assembled when painted. In order to effectively paint a miniature, sometimes you must build and paint in sub assemblies. Ex: Painting a Space Marine with a bolter. Fully assembled, it is impossible to paint the chest area of the figure unless you can warp space. These hard to reach places are impossible to reach with a brush/airbrush/spray can. However, building and painting the figures in sub assemblies makes things a lot easier. If you're building something like the Tyranid Genestealers, then it's possible to assemble the figure and paint it afterwards.

There might be other ways around using using unpainted figures for gaming. Like maybe adding magnets to the figure (which would require a bit of time and effort in itself) or somehow tacking the figure together but still able to break it down for painting.

Another issue with homemade washes is color and texture consistency from batch to batch. I made an ink wash for my Plague Marines and it came out w/ a deeper green than I would have wanted but didn't notice the mistake until after I had washed quite a few of my newer DG and once I'd done that I kept using it just so the ones I'd other done would not look so out of place.

And I have to comment here, my opinion is that Minwax is nothing like a shade made specifically for dipping miniatures. Some people can (and do) get good results with a degree of luck and skill, but the number of armies I've seen that looked genuinely good from using wood stain is grossly outweighed by the absolutely horrible (even damaging) results I've seen to other armies, especially armies from novice painters just getting into the hobby. For what my advice is worth, spend the money for Quickshade or use washes that are made for miniatures (like GW Griffon Sepia, Dev Mud, etc).

I would ruin my miniature if i painted them and then put glue on them, not to speak of the gaps.

Yea same here. I always have assembled and then painted. Clean up and washing is the way to go.

The models I am making at the moment are assembled and painted in stages, as I am airbrushing them and they have lots of overhangs etc.

Normally I assemble completely and then paint.

I really find the visual of the assembled mini helps keep me focused on the end result while I'm painting it.

On the 'dip' subject I've had pretty good success with the future+water+paint mix. I like that I can tint the wash any color I want and with future if I don't like the results right away (either too much pigment or not enough) a quick rinse of the miniature while it's still wet means no harm no foul with no ruined minis. There's no bad odour and it's really cheap.

I generally leave backpacks and guns off, painting them separately. Getting that bit of color on the ball of the SM backpack when doing shoulder trim is obnoxious, even with very fine brushes.

It's all about technique and tools. Right brushes for the right job. Washes are good, but if you really want to get good, try doing stuff without them. It'll give you a good foundation of painting. There's no real shortcuts for amazing models, just practice.

Washes = Liquid Talent

G. Whitenbeard wrote:Washes = Liquid Talent

Not necessarily, but it does not hurt.



That bad boy would have been far, far less good looking if I'd had to make my own washes every step of the way. As it stands, the only washes I've made for him are the rust and verdigris ones.

I'm with the OP... its like effing magic how stuff turns out. I've mostly built then painted. Painting and building has gotten me some good results though, I'm just not too experienced with it. I might try it with my next project.

I use vallejo paint,

tres magicale!

LunaHound wrote:I use vallejo paint,

tres magicale!

I know, right? I don't know why I don't have more... its a shame the only store I knew that had it has discontinued carrying it.

djphranq wrote:

LunaHound wrote:I use vallejo paint,

tres magicale!

I know, right? I don't know why I don't have more... its a shame the only store I knew that had it has discontinued carrying it.

Miniature market? they give free shipping to Americans -_-

I've found Vallejo's stuff to be severely overhyped, personally.

VMC and VGC can be nice, but given the same prepwork so can GW's paints. Bonus point is you don't generally need to find an online retailer for GW's paints, as most LGSes stock them--and sell things for at least a 5% discount.

The only thing I've found worth my money from Vallejo are their cleaning stuff(the brush cleaners, airbrush thinner, etc) and the Vallejo Air Colors. The VAC are fantastic beyond belief, and I cannot stress enough how much I love them.

It is all about brush control, I have said it before....cleanliness of the paint job almost always wins out over coolness...if you want to become a "epic" painter, spend less time looking for shortcuts and more time practicing painting a straight line.

Ashton

LunaHound wrote:

djphranq wrote:

LunaHound wrote:I use vallejo paint,

tres magicale!

I know, right? I don't know why I don't have more... its a shame the only store I knew that had it has discontinued carrying it.

Miniature market? they give free shipping to Americans -_-

I'll probably start ordering it from them. I generally liked going to this particular store but online retail probably will be the only way I'll be able to get VMC now.

So pretty much time and practice, ok just wasnt sure if there was some trick to it.

Kanluwen wrote:I've found Vallejo's stuff to be severely overhyped, personally.

VMC and VGC can be nice, but given the same prepwork so can GW's paints. Bonus point is you don't generally need to find an online retailer for GW's paints, as most LGSes stock them--and sell things for at least a 5% discount.

The only thing I've found worth my money from Vallejo are their cleaning stuff(the brush cleaners, airbrush thinner, etc) and the Vallejo Air Colors. The VAC are fantastic beyond belief, and I cannot stress enough how much I love them.

I hear a lot of praise for VAC. I'll definitely check those out when I get an airbrush.

They make these great brushes where the ferrule is bent at an angle. You can use them to get in behind things. They haven't caught on in 40k yet, but they will once people try them.

How can Vallejo paint be considered "over hype" when they produce such different results?

Yep sticking with vallejo

djphranq wrote:I hear a lot of praise for VAC. I'll definitely check those out when I get an airbrush.

Let me know when you do, i got an airbrush but it keeps clogging up and im scared to use it lol