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What FOR SURE colors do you need to not only paint tau but any paints that you just need to paint mini's? What brushes do you need? Whats the best primer to start with (I've heard black is the best unsure though)?

Erm... Well I guess it entirely depends on what colour you are going to paint your arm... If you paint your tau blue and green you'll want blue and green, if you paint them pink and yellow... You get the idea.
I guess Black and White are pretty stable colours for things? I know I use them a lot.
Brushes you'll want a few tiny ones for details, a few a little bit bigger for less details, bigger for drybrushing and washes, bigger for tanks and stuff... Just buy an assortment of brushes from amazon or somewhere.
And as for primer I just use skull white and I do fine...

For primer, i would suggest a black primer because in my experience, they provide a smoother finish, and also can give you shadows in those hard to reach places.

Paints wise I would watch some tutorials on YouTube, they will tell you all the paints needed. I'd suggest a tutorial by the apatheticfish if you don't have an airbrush, or a tutorial by buypainted if you have access to an airbrush.

Just make sure to thin your paints.
Also, nuln oil wash by gw is a fantastic/ easy way to give depth to your models.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
One last tip, store your brushes with their point facing down if you want to extend their lifespan. Gravity will pull water out from the bristles, causing less corrosion of the glue by the water.

Thanks for the info

Huh. Never knew the store bristles down thing I always found my brushes would curl if I did that. I store horizontally.

Ok. First things first.
Decide on a color scheme you want for your Tau. This will tell you what colors to get.

As to a good stable of colors. I would recommend all of your primary colors (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow etc) Brown and Khaki get used a lot as well.

Brushes..... That's a 30 post question right there. I personally use a Raphael 8404 Round Size 1 for about 90% of what I do. The other 10% being divided between a synthetic brush for washes and a plastic bristle brush for alcohol based metallics. (I still have probably 10 brushes sitting there that hardly ever get used but I'm sentimental like that).

Primer - This is gonna come as a shock, but neither gives you a "smoother" finish. Use black if you want your final product to be darker, use white if you want your colors to really pop.
I personally use Vallejo Grey surface primer. I find the grey to be very neutral and I can use washes and highlights to adjust the color tone of the mini's.

I hope that helps a bit.

If your going to paint your tau in the classic colour scheme here is a fast easy way to paint them (for fire warriors but can be transfered to anything really):

Prime black (just easier to paint the pants this way)
Averland sunset on all the armour bits (takes a few layers)
Ushabti bone on all the edges for highlights
Agrax earthshade only in the cracks of the armour

Reapply another layer of overland sunset on places you botches the earthshade
Rhinox hide or dawnstone drybrush on cloth bits
Leadbelcher drybrush on metal parts
Sept markings in whatever colour you want

Just pick out other details you want with whatever colours. This is just a fast and easy way to get a tau army in the table

Cool thank!

 doktor_g wrote:
Huh. Never knew the store bristles down thing I always found my brushes would curl if I did that. I store horizontally.

I don't mean the bristles directly against the table/ cup lol
Have them hanging upside down, or put them upside down in a cup but with their little caps on them still. (I'm thinking of the gw brand brushes, how they come with little caps)