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.

I'm keen to improve my painting skills after years away from the hobby and would love to hear any tricks & tips you feel like sharing that've helped you on your journey.

Do you have one in particular that's made a big difference?

1) clean mold lines is huge if you haven't done so.
2) GW washes
3) don't glue everything together then paint, glue parts that won't get in the way of brushes, paint parts that will get in the way separately, then glue them.
4) drybrush
5) wet palette

Agrax Earthshade. It's beautiful.
Nuln Oil. It's beautiful.

Thin your paints.
Use a palette with concave 'dimple' wells. It's no wet palette, but it keeps paint wet longer than spreading it thin on a flat palette or tile.
Flow improver + Daler Rowney matt gel glazing medium = great wash medium.
Concentrate highlights on upper surfaces rather than just 'raised areas'.

I just got back into the hobby a few months ago, but I think that I've improved a fair amount since then. The Night Goblins that I painted back in January and February probably look a little bit different from the models I've painted this month and last (speaking of which, I should probably post some of those up soon...).
After the obligatory "THIN YOUR PAINTS" advice, I'd recommend just experimenting with new techniques and having fun. Pick up some cheap decade-old generic OOP minis at your local comic book shop and just go nuts with some new technique that caught your eye online. If it's a dud, then it's a dud, but if it comes out alright, then you've got a reference to work off of and a nicely painted mini to boot.

000 brush to get very fine edge highlighting. Use retardant so it does not dry on the brush.

For me it was to buy 5 paints for every colour you want to do.

Eg. for red:

1. Base coat - Mephiston Red
2. Wash - Carronburg Crimson
3. Highlight 1 - Evilsunz Scarlet
4. Highlight 2 - Wildrider Orange
5. Highlight 3 - Tau Orche

(Optional 6 - Glaze Bloodletter, or Lahimum Medium + base colour)

(I might have spelt some paint names wrong).

For me buying lots of different colours saw the biggest improvement. :-)

 Bottle wrote:
For me it was to buy 5 paints for every colour you want to do.

For those of us without unlimited funds, it can alternatively be taken as an opportunity to learn color mixing. Not only will your technical abilities improve, but your eye for color schemes and combinations will be further augmented, once you understand how each pigment interacts with the others.

Yeah. I bought empty pots, and mixed all the intermediate highlighting tones I wanted. I also record all the mixes, so I can make them again. I have a balance that does milligrams for this.

There have been a few over the years. First came when I discovered the effect washes had on otherwise flat paint jobs, turning them from appalling to actually decent to look at. Then came the general thinning of paints, which is essential for good results on any mini. Thinned, glaze-like highlights built up over multiple layers are a good tool to use once you get better, as they give a much cleaner look once finished.

Practice. Ratio of practice to reading about getting better should be 100:1

I "found" YouTube... watched techniques... tried em myself (still do). To date my greatest inspiration.

 granander wrote:
I "found" YouTube... watched techniques... tried em myself (still do). To date my greatest inspiration.

This. So much this.

Though buying and using high quality brushes and a willingness to work on new techniques are close.

Take care and be well.

Wet palette. Months of struggling with proper paint thinning turned into a few days of really getting the feel for it, once I made a wet palette. Turns out I didn't have some oddly specific mental deficiency, I was just battling dry air and my relatively slow painting speed. Breaking down that particular barrier allowed for all sorts of subsequent progress.

Thinning paints and figuring out how to work the thinner paint.

And the wet palette - which keeps the above thinner paint consistent. This makes for faster and better painting.

1) Learn paint consistency NEVER paint from pot to miniature on one brush. NEVER. Always dip water and paint onto palatte mix and learn what colours need what attention re water (they differ).
2) Be neat.
3) Copy models you like. Use their colour schemes. Use the GW photos for this.

That first one was the step that took me from average to "wow did you paint that?"

ConanMan wrote:
1) Learn paint consistency NEVER paint from pot to miniature on one brush. NEVER. Always dip water and paint onto palatte mix and learn what colours need what attention re water (they differ).

you dont have to. you can pre-wet the brush and then take a tiny amount of paint from the pot. This is handy for blending too, as the paint on the brush runs out you get the water coming through to help spread the paint thin. if you always use a palette you waste a lot of paint.

I agree that wet palettes are handy for keeping paint just the right consistency.

Agrax Earthshade is probably the one trick pony most used. Instantly creates 'dirty' models.

Wet pallet. Has completely changed the way I paint.

I have a home-made one out of an old flocking container, and a cheap chamois cut to size.

Put enough water on the chamois to make it slightly more than damp, throw a piece a parchment paper in there and paint off that. It's astounding how much better the paint applies.

I'm using so much less than I used to and the bonus is that with the wet pallet I can close the top and any leftover paint will be usable for 48-72 hrs after.

Steadying of hands/fingers using figures glued to craft sticks (15 mm) and a double hand hold (28 mm) for brush control.

A painting approach with a perspective changed from what-I'm-putting-on to what-I'm-leaving-behind (base colors, translucence, pseudo black lining).

For me, it's been using very thin glazes to modify / stain colours. The trick is to use very little paint & teasing out the edges with a damp brush to get the transition even more subtle:


That & coloured primers to speed things up a whole lot!

I stopped using stupidly tiny brushes thinking I'd need it for the detail. Sure it's useful for eyes and other details, but when you're highlighting edges and such, a size 1 brush is better.

Very tiny brushes tend to hold very little paint, and you'll find yourself constantly going back to the palette for more paint. This breaks the smooth flow of painting and will often make things last longer for no gain.

Most brushes suitable for painting miniatures tend to have sharp points anyways. The rest of the bristles are for holding the paint.

Also, you don't have to paint with the point itself. I rarely do anymore. Paint at a slight angle.

Research and understand basic color theory. Keep a color wheel at your painting bench. Even something as simple as what colors are across from each other on the color wheel will make choosing schemes much easier and result in more appealing minis.

One other trick that isn't mentioned, but which I discovered sort of my fate:

DON'T stop painting for long periods of time.

Apparently, painting miniatures is not quite like riding a bike.

You might remember bits of what you used to do, but fine detail or motor skills can degrade without use.

So... It would probably be a good idea to always keep some junk minis around to paint, if you somehow wind up in a situation where painting is difficult.

MB

Holding the figure upside down to paint eyes, allowing me to see better into the face.
It also means symmetry is a lot easier to achieve because you're not fighting your brain.
i used to take two or three passes to get pupils sorted, now as long as I've steadied my hands, I can usually do it on the first go.

Also learning to put colours under thinner pigments to give them a boost (yellows under reds, browns under golds, etc)

Most importantly, not trying to force things, and feeling no shame to put things away for another day.

Wet Pallet & Matte Medium made the biggest changes for me.

Most importantly, good eyes.
When I first started I had perfect vision but my techniques were sloppy.
I was getting better and learning new techniques but went on a forced hiatus for around a decade.

Now that I'm back and trying to pick up where I left off, I'm missing my perfect vision :( My eyes blur out when trying to focus on the models now.
Magnifier glasses help, along with a desktop magnifier, but it's no replacement for perfect vision :(

Using the biggest brush suitable for the job.

When I started painting miniatures I had an artist friend who convinced me I should use 10/0 brushes to paint miniatures.

If I could go back in time, I would immediately smack him in the face for that.

Glazing. It's a great way to paint flesh and cloth.

+1 for learning to use washes and drybrushing