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.

Hey guys, first post here! have been looking at these forums for some time now and I think that the paint jobs/modelling you guys do is amazing, so im gona ask the best

I just bought a "starter set" with paint and modelling tools from GW ( is there any other site I can buy paint and stuff from, they seem to be lacking supplies atm )

I just wanna know the basics of painting a model, I bought me some orc's and goblins since I find these the most interesting and good looking "race" in warhammer fantasy world.

but I dont really know how to start doing them, I want to achive a good result.. I know it wont be perfect since its the first time I do some painting but thats why im asking. just need a few tips&tricks when it comes to modelling and painting.

ty.

First and foremost, thin your paints. Most painters recommend a milk like consistency. Secondly, dont try to over reach yourself immediately, you can get disheartened easily. Stick to the basics at first. Brush control, neatness etc. You tube tutorials can be an excellent help, however don't get too hung up on copying the style of others, if you find something that works for you then go with it. Finally, welcome to the hobby, may it provide you with years of enjoyment. TC

Here's the basics that will get you a decent paint job. Orks are a good race to start with. For every color, you need 3 tones of it. Light, medium, dark. Or, light, medium, dark wash.

1. Prepare the model well. File off the mold lines, give it a wash in some water with a drop or two of dishwashing soap and test every piece for fit BEFORE you take the cap off the glue. Don't forget to bore out the gun barrel with a pin vise and appropriate drill bit. A "flashy" mini that has visible mold lines will ruin the best paint job.

2. Prime. Most people use black or white. It really depends on if you're going for a dark mini or a brighter, more colorful one. Don't skip this. Don't over-do it either. Too much primer clogs the detail.

3. Basecoat. Start with the skin, then do the parts closest to the skin, etcetera. Use your 'medium' tone paint.

4a. The next two steps can be done in either order, but will give you different results.

4. Wash. Use a darker tone than your basecoat.

5. Drybrush. Poor man's blending. Works best on raised areas. First go with a 50/50 of your basecoat and lighter color, then top it off with the straight-up lighter color. Today, this technique is mainly for stuff like fur and chainmail, but if you're good at it you can get good blended results wherever on the model. It's easier than blending once you figure out where the sweet spot is regarding how much paint to have on the brush. I'm not dissing blending techniques. They're just not considered "basic". Eventually, you'll experiment with blending and use that or drybrushing on different textures on models.

If you wash after drybrushing, make sure your drybrush job is a little lighter than what you think looks right. The wash is going to darken and tone it down a bit.

6. Detail. This is where you whip out the tiny brush and the magnifying glass and pick out the buttons, touch up boo-boos, eyebrows etcetera.

7. Varnish Your basic choices are gloss, semi-gloss or flat. Most of the time, you'll be spraying it on, but you can get good results spraying it flat first and then manually painting on gloss or semi-gloss on specific parts. Again, don't go too heavy or you'll get a sort of filmy finish. You can always add more, but can't take it off.

Other tips:

Paint should be the consistency of milk. Unless, of course, you're going for a specific technique that requires a different consistency of paint. Drybrushing works better with thicker paint.

Always use distilled water to thin. There's another post somewhere that explains why, but they're right. You can get a gallon for a buck or two at just about any supermarket.

Use two cups for water. One for thinning, one for cleaning your brush.

Good lighting. I was young once and painted a lot of miniatures in the middle of the night with sub-standard lighting. I thought they looked great...until the sun came up.

Last tip: I know it's tempting, but don't start with the miniature you think is the coolest. Do the grunts and get your first 1000 mistakes out of the way, then watch some YouTube videos on more advanced techniques you can gradually master. This will make your character models stand out more as well.

That's about it. Basecoat, wash and a drybrush job can produce some surprisingly high-standard paint-jobs which look great on the table, quick, and fairly easy.

Welcome aboard, both to Dakka and the hobby as a whole. Here's how I'd suggest starting out painting:

1) work on brush control, as this will open so many other options to you. At first just focus on getting the paint 'in the lines' as it were, practising until you don't overlap areas or have paint going on to the wrong parts of the model. Don't worry about highlighting or anything yet, just concentrate on getting the paint in the right places.

2) once you have brush control down, the next thing to look at is colour. Colour Theory is a huge field and sometimes even the best painters don't understand all of iut, but knowing what colours work with what will really help make your models look better. Look up the basic principles of contrasting and complimentary colours and go from there. A basic understanding of this will stop models looking garish or rough.

3) once you have a scheme set and are good with a brush, look up Dry Brushing and Washing. Both are exceptionally simple techniques that, once you have the basics down, can really make models look great on the tabletop. This again will require some knowledge of colour theory and the way light acts on colours, but put simply, raised areas will be lighter (achieved through dry brushing) and lower areas will be darker (achieved through washes)

From there, the world is your oyster, and even if you stop at washing and dry brushing, you'll have some neatunits to put down on the tabletop!

Other tips:
Thin your paints, either with water or acrylic thinner. It will prevent detail from bring obscured and make highlighting and brush control easier.

Make sure you have a proper lighting setup that allows you to see clearly what the model will look like in daylight. All too often, I've had models look fine at the desk only to put them on the table in a different light and be disappointed.


Most importantly, don't be put off if your first minis aren't spectacular, every painter starts somewhere and practice makes perfect. Also, post your work on here, the community are great and can really help you out!

God luck!

Just what I wanted, detailed tips on this subject. Thank you all for helping me out, waiting for my package from GW online shop, btw is there any other places then GW that sell Warhammer fantasy supplies?

erifro25 wrote:
Just what I wanted, detailed tips on this subject. Thank you all for helping me out, waiting for my package from GW online shop, btw is there any other places then GW that sell Warhammer fantasy supplies?

Look around for your FLGS, most places that carry tabletop gaming stuff will carry some sort of paint line. My local store carries GW, Army Painter, and Vallejo stuff. Failing that, online stores are always an option.