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So, after deciding that putting transfers over zimmerit would most likely result in awful looking transfers, I've decided to do all the markings on my 15mm Panther G by hand...Unfortunately I suck at freehand.

Does anyone have any kind of advice or tips for doing freehand at such a small scale?

LazzurusMan

After a disasterous first attempt a while back, sometime soon I will test freehanding some geometric designs on the hulls of Shining Spears by first drawing them out using a Sharpie Pen (the one with a super-fine tip) then painting color over/ inside the lines.

I don't know how well this will go, as this will be my first try using this method. Previously I have found the Sharpie Pen better at free-handing black details (example Tyranid Kraken spots and Harlequin Print Lines) than the brush.

Hope that helps, I know it's not the right game, but I'm convinced of the versatility.

That's actually a great idea, just need to get a very fine tipped sharpy!

My only warning (because enen in person my friends don't know what I'm talking about until I grab mine out of my bag and show them) is to be sure you get one of the metal-tipped 'pens.' You should be able to find it in Office Supply Stores/ Sections.

Good luck, I look foreward to seeing/ hearing about the results.

I draw stuff on with pencil over the undercoat (undercoat in white), and then follow that - at least with a pencil you can rub out if you make a mistake. After that, it's working with a teeny-tiny brush so I don't overload the brush and the freehanding comes out all blobby.

Only problem is I'm trying to paint a 5mm little cross, and THEN paint a white line on all four corners. My last attempts were...less than adequate...

Tip from my DE friend with super powers over paper and cardboard: if you want a fine tip on your pencil, trace a few lines on paper using a strait ruler. Warning: the side of the ruler will become coated in graphite.

I'd use both methods, using the pencil to draw the symbol. Go over the pencil in white, use Sharpie to add in black detailing.

I've heard that a sharpie can leech in to the surrounding paint over time, not sure how that would affect using it for freehand (might look good now but not so much in a few months? not sure).

Another option is to use masking tape. If it's a simple design you may be able to cut it on to masking tape, even more complicated curves you can cut in to several small pieces of masking tape to build up a design.

Another possible method is to use a masking fluid, if you find you don't like the design you can just remove it and start again.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
I've heard that a sharpie can leech in to the surrounding paint over time, not sure how that would affect using it for freehand (might look good now but not so much in a few months? not sure).

Really? That's news to me. I will have to set up some tests. I wonder if it is jusr certain paints or all brands. Either way thank you a lot, I'm very grateful to be told this. I'll refrain from advising use of Sharpies for now. Just don't expect results to the experiment for at least a year.

I've decided I'm going to take the transfer I have, stick to a piece of paper, cut it out and use that as a sort of stencil to paint the black, then just line around it with white.

Good luck, then. Look forward to the pictures.

 LazzurusMan wrote:
I've decided I'm going to take the transfer I have, stick to a piece of paper, cut it out and use that as a sort of stencil to paint the black, then just line around it with white.

That's a great idea, good luck!

 LazzurusMan wrote:
I've decided I'm going to take the transfer I have, stick to a piece of paper, cut it out and use that as a sort of stencil to paint the black, then just line around it with white.

Instead of paper, why not just use masking tape? That's basically what it's designed to do.

Practice on paper & draw the design on the mini with a pencil.
Also varnish the model first.
Also note that on the actual vehicles, a lot of camo & markings was done by hand with a brush so it wasn't always neat.

For markings and writing at a 28mm scale I always use Micron pens.