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I have played about a handful of 40k games with various armies borrowed from my friends, it is a fun game, don't get me wrong, but I don't think it is for me. I feel stressed when I sit down to write a list for an army that I want to build mainly because I don't know if I am making the right unit choices and I don't know of any strategies to use for that army but this is all besides the point. I have been thinking long and hard for the past couple days and I have realized that my true passion in this hobby is for painting and modeling. I love building the models and figuring out different poses for them. I really love building custom models. I really enjoy painting (even though my skill level is really low). With all that being said I am reaching out to the Dakka community and asking for advice, I want advice and tips on what steps I should take to take my painting level from where it is right now to the point where I can actually start working on commissions. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated and I will try to comment and ask questions where I see fit. And before anyone has posted here I would like to thank you all that lend a hand to help me. Thank you.

The community here is really great for help especially with someone who has an open mind. I'm sure you could get more help if you first show pictures of some models you've painted ski we know where you're at right now.

Actually, I did the same thing. Post a few pics and see what other people have to say. They can give some pretty good advice and they're very nice people.

Yeah, the game is pretty fun but like you, I much prefer modeling/painting over playing. A few things though:

First, it is hard to give advice and tips on improving your painting when you haven't offered any examples of where you currently are. Go ahead and upload some pictures to share with us so we can give you the advice you may or may not need. They don't have to be fancy pictures, so long as they are well lit and clear. Please share!

Second, get the idea of being a commission painter out of your head... for now. There are quite a few commission painters here on Dakka and most of them will tell you to focus on improving your skill before attempting to make it in the commission market. It is a tough business to get established in and there is little market for low quality paint jobs. Once you get to a good enough level, you have to build reputation which takes time. I'm not saying don't do it, but don't make it your number one priority. Plus, keep in mind there is a big difference between painting what you want when you want and painting something else that someone else wants when they say they want it... make sense? It can make you hate what you love very quickly.

Third, the best tip I can give you without seeing your work is paint outside of your comfort zone. Don't just paint all space marines, eldar, or whatever; paint something from a different genre made by a different manufacturer and even a different scale. You will be surprised how much you can learn about yourself by doing that.

I'm also more painter than gamer. My advice is have good tools, and attention to detail. As far as tools, have a good, sharp hobby knife, a good set of small jewelers-type files, and most important, good brushes. Either Red Sable, or Kolinsky Sable, but they do make a huge difference in paint control. Better control equals better results.

Lack of attention to detail will kill an otherwise good paint job. Remove mold lines, fill in all seams and gaps, put in at least a little effort on the base. Drilling barrels is another detail that makes a better looking model. And as Scooty said, push the boundaries a little. Use bits you have lying around to practice new techniques on.

Beyond that, it's just a lot of practice.

Really, it just comes down to practice and experience. Tutorials and the like can get you so far, but the more models you paint, and the greater variety of models, then the better you will get.

Also, be prepared to try new stuff. Once you can paint to a good 'better than tabletop' standard, then start experimenting with 'special effects' such as weather, OSL and NMM, as often those kinds of techniques can make good models great.

As others have say, if you throw up a few pics, we can help more.

At the end of the day, though, you should be painting what you enjoy. Commission painting may be something you can eventually do for a little profit (Although I imagine not much unless you're really really good) but for now, paint because you love painting.

best tip..... HAVE FUN paint because you want to because it relaxes you or gets your brain away from the goings on in the world. expect to mess up alot and figure out what you did and what could have been done differently.
Other than that ummmm pics would help out alot and always remember to thin your paints lol

Thank you for all the tips. I am going to get pictures of one of the models that I built and painted up shortly. Where do I buy miniatures from from other companies other than GW and PP, I would like to expand my miniature base.

This is stickied right here in P&M:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/373197.page