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Made in br
Fresh-Faced New User




I began paiting 6 months ago. bought some infinity, some 40K and some Warmahordes and begun paiting them, In this time I acquired:

An airbrush+vallejo paints kit (Stenback and someone)
The 4 little paint sets from GW
Some Reaper brushes
Some GW brushes

Often, I see people painting and using things like thinners, wet pallets, masking putty/tape. I see that their miniatures look a lot better than mine ( My colors do not "pop", and also do not look smooth...to the eyes it seems like dry paint( I think I'm not explaining this enough-maybe I'll upload some photos later). Armour do not seem like metal, my golds are glittery( not like solid gold, but as golden glitter). I have difficult paiting faces, and also eyes. I wonder if I'm using the right size of brushes.

So, What is best in life? I mean...What is essential to have on the miniature painting business? How can I improve my technique?
   
Made in us
Nasty Nob






How can you improve? Paint. Keep painting. Paint more. Get a test figure and paint it, strip it, paint it again, over and over. You will discover techniques just by painting.

As for specifics... it sounds like you have some decent tools to work with. Let's see...
Remove all the obvious mold lines.
Make sure you prime your models. It really helps.
Wet palette: yes. Make one yourself, just get a plastic container, a sponge, and some parchment paper. It will keep your paint from drying out.
Depending on your paint, you might need to thin it with water. Multiple thin layers look much better than 1 layer put on thick.
Flow aide/flow improver is very useful stuff.
To make colors pop, a common technique is to paint a lighter color underneath (blue+white), then a darker color on top (blue). This will be brighter than just the end color on top of primer.
Not sure what to tell you on metal. There are many thoughts in this realm. Personally, I paint it black, dry brush metallic silver, and then maybe add some other highlights.
Faces: base color, wash, wash, wash, until you are happy with the pigment.
Eyes: depends on the faction/race. For Orks, I just dot them with red. For humans, you could dot white, then add a tiny dot of black. I've read some people just draw a black line down the middle of human eyes. If they're wearing helmets, you can make the eye holes glow. (Disclosure: I don't paint humans. )
Don't forget to varnish/seal them. Many players will spray with a glossy varnish first (for durability), and then matte after (to take off the shine). Testor's Dullcoate.

Yeah, post some pictures. Hard to give more than general advice if we don't know where you're at right now.

Tons of good info in the Dakka Painting articles section:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Categoryainting

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/04/25 13:13:49



My P&M blog: Cleatus, the Scratch-building Mekboy
Successful Swap Trades: 6 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Human flesh has a whole range of painting techniques in itself.

The same with eyes, depending upon how they are sculpted.

Hopefully the sculptor was smart and just sculpted a ball where the eye should be, so that the painter can then paint the eye how he/she wishes (I loath it when sculptors sculpt in an iris and pupil).

YouTube is awash with tutorials.

As the other response has said, practice, repetition, practice, repetition, etc.

I used to be a very accomplished miniature painter, but a couple of accidents in the 90's made it such that I could not paint miniatures for nearly 20 years.

When I started again, I noticed that nothing seemed to be working (the paints had all changed, my technique was rusty, I could not remember much of the technique, miniatures were sculpted differently to those I was used to workng with, etc.).

It took me mutilating a couple of hundred miniatures before things started to work out (even watching tutorials wasn't helpful in many cases).

But the simple repetition helped to discover what was working and what was not (and I am still having issues with metallics).

One thing that I have noticed about the paints now compared to what I was using in the 80's/early-90's:

The newer paints dry too quickly on their own, and are often as thick as the paints I would find in a tube (like Liquitex, made for a canvas).

Flow control fluid, and retarder-thinner (you can get a retarder that is also a thinner) helped a HUGE amount in terms of painting control.

Also... If you are having problems with brush control, there are brush calesthenics you can do that help you to stay within the lines while flooding an area, paint straight, regular lines, paint regular curved lines that have a steady curvature, paint regular sized dots or points, paint dots inside dots that are centered, etc.

If you try these things on a simple primed piece of paper, or cardboard, they will help when it comes time to do the same things on a miniature.

And like Cleatus... I cannot recommend enough the removal of mold-lines.

These wil interrupt details and the flow of shading. You will notice that even a relatively bad paint job looks remarkably better on a miniature where the mold-lines have been cleaned/cleared from the miniature.

MB
   
Made in gb
Thane of Dol Guldur





Bodt

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Meanin: if something isnt working, try another technique. That being said, some things just take practice.. And repetition.

Heresy World Eaters/Emperors Children

Instagram: nagrakali_love_songs 
   
Made in au
Elite Tyranid Warrior





Brisbane

Yep, practice and perseverance are key.

I struggle with smaller minis (Infinity & Malifaux) and getting skin right is hard.

The latest Malifaux models I'm painting have been stripped 4 times because it just wasn't looking right. Now this attempt, using the same techniques, I've finally got close to the results I'm after.

Having all the tools and tutorials is only a small part of the battle. The rest is honing your skills and application of information and tools

Keep it up! You will be rewarded!

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2015/04/25 22:51:24


Get your models on the table and looking good!


My Armies: Dark Angels: 4500 points - Hive Fleet Verloren: 7500 points
 
   
Made in ca
Nasty Nob





Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Practice practice practice...but with guidance. Oh how I wishing had YouTube when I was learning.

It can take years before you get 'good' or like your own work. I know I find I eventually got to a stage that for me was perfect and I stopped pushing my boundaries. I can now paint above tabletop and make my minis look stellar from afar but I will never win any awards. I've been painting minis for 18 years now as a reference.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/04/26 04:49:41


Current Project: Random quaratine models!
Most Recently Completed: Stormcast Nightvault Warband
On the Desk: Looking into 3D Printing!
Instagram Updates: @joyous_oblivion 
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka






Here are my suggestions:

1. Study miniatures painted in a style that you like, and research how to duplicate that style.

2. Learn the difference between technical skill and artistic ability, both of which can be developed. Some models don't look good because you need to develop the right painting skills; others could look better if only you did something as simple as chose different colors. For instance, if your models don't "pop", you're probably not creating enough contrast. That might be because you need to highlight some edges or darken some recesses, or it might mean that you're just choosing colors that aren't complementary, not contrasty enough, or just not good-looking used in tandem.

3. Try to identify technical weaknesses, and specifically practice those skills. For instance, if you can't paint white nicely, practice painting white with different techniques until you get it right. If you have problems with flesh, prime 10 models and ONLY work on the fleshy parts, and when you're done, strip them and do them again and again, until you're happy with the results. Observe each time what you like and don't like.

4. For introductory to mid-range skillset, try Duncan Rhodes videos on the Warhammer channel. These are fantastic. Also, his DVD which comes with the Citadel How-To book (yea, it's pricey), is an excellent introduction that I highly recommend as a way to learn the basics.

Don't be disheartened. Everyone gets better, the more you paint!

Good luck, bud

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/04/26 06:29:23


 
   
 
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