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,

Im having trouble with painting (im just generally bad at it ) is there any techniques that could improve my painting?

Thanks

Perhaps if you post some pictures of your work I could help more, but making the assumptions that you are fairly new to painting and are aiming more for army that looks good on a table than a Golden Demon winner, here's some basic tips:

You'll likely have seen this before, but thin your paints. This can be done with either water or paint medium, but either way, you want to be adding one of those to your paint until it is of a milky consistency (or slightly thicker for basecoats) but still opaque, and does not leave streaks or marks when you apply it.

Buy or make some washes. Using washes (very thin paints) is a great way to add shading and depth in a single coat; applied over an area, they will pool in the recesses and darken them, giving instant shading. An army with just a basecoat and wash will look leagues better than one just basecoated.

Youtube and the internet at large is a great resource, so just do a Google search for painting tutorials, both general and specific to what you're working on, and you should be able to learn a lot.

Hope that helps!

Post pictures.

Honestly, im sick of everybody saying "thin your paints to milk like consistency". Though it works, not a lot of people understand this thickness it seems. For another way to think about it, thin them until they run off of your brush like ink from a good, liquid ink pen. Im sure you have one of those Uniball pens or similar laying around; this is what I mean. (Sorry if I sounded like a d*ck here. Didnt mean to! Haha)

Other than that, keep your paints wet with a wet pallet. Youtube and the dollarstore are your friend here, toooons of videos and it costs maybe 5$ to make with household stuff.

Thin, thin, thin. Its better to paint in multiple thin layers (especially whites, reds and yellows!) than 1-2 layers of thick paint . I should also point out that most paints are translucent and allow pigment from underneath to show. Light over dark is still rather dark and visa versa.

Be patient! Let your layers dry before you paint on the next layer. The thinner the paint, the more time it needs to dry. If you paint on a semi dry layer, it rubs, lifts, clumps and does all kinds of nasty stuff that is easy to avoid by just being patient. To help with this, paint a few models at a time. Inusually do 2-3. Oh!, leave ample time for glazes and washes. I let those stand for anywhere from 30 mins to over night.

Use every angle of your brush. The sides of your brush work well for edge hilights, the tip of your brush can be manipulated for different tasks. Point it by rolling it on your tongue, the back of your hand, paper towel etc., for detail work. Flatten it along your tongue, paper towel etc., for a wider brush to cover more area.

Most importantly, be patient with yourself and understand its a process. Just keep practicing and plugging away. Dont forget to keep your brushes clean and in good shape. Take care of your tools and your tools will take care of you!
AND DONT BE AFRAID TO POST PICTURES. This allows others to C&C your work. Remember, you can always ignore advice, but you should always take it

Hoefully this helps !