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Hi All

So new to painting warhammer 40k and thought i would share some of my first models and see if anyone has any advice going forward

havent done any matt varnish or basing yet. also just tried to highlight the sarge so far & not the rest of the squad- didnt think i did that part well.

thanks for any feedback

Wow, nice!!

I would consider doing the edge highlights on the SMs and also maybe adding washes to the symbols on all the armor and then another highlight, but your paint jobs are awesome.

I think you did a really great job highlighting the Sarge. Especially as it's your first try!

Nice work. You say you're a first time painter? Could have fooled me, these look better than my first attempts for sure!

Yes, highlights on the other marines would be a good idea. Basing them will really finish off the job. Maybe a wash on the emblems to add a little depth.

Keep up the good work!

nice lines. get some washes, and work on layering up to highlights, then youll be sorted.

Really great for a first attempt!

Now paint another unit and it will look even better!

That main guy really needs eye brows, he freakin me out.

It looks good, but you really need to use some washes. Especially on the face, Aquallias on the chests, purity seals weapons etc. It'll help give them some depth and make them look all the better.

Holy cow, I just started painting and wish my stuff looked this good.

Agreed, washes will make everything look better, makes the details pop. Do that and they are gonna be eye candy. Final touch would be basing.

Keep it up!

Smooth...

you have a steady hand and should go far.

thanks all for the feedback

i started to wash the chest, seals, parts of the guns & abit of the dark angel shoulder. i did use another wash but was a light tone one, so opted for a dark tone and does look like it might be better.

plus i play about with the sarges robes and done alittle more washing on it, think it looks abit better to (need to try sort his eyes but its pretty hard lol)

started to highlight some of the marines aswell, so will share best i varnish & base to see what you think (want to get as good as i can before i base etc)

Looks really good, either a Gryphon Sepia or Agrax Earthshade wash would work well on the bone coloured parts, depending on what look you're going for. The edge highlighting looks really good, now do it on the rest of the squad - be prepared to get very fed up

so had a bash and doing some washes on the chest and around the outside of the shoulder pad(not going onto the trim part) and I did a dark wash to try and seperate the wings from the sword on the shoulder pad.

then done some highlights & washes on the seals & abit of the gun lines on the other marines

again thanks for the time to look & give feedback


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Yeah the skin looks a lot better with the wash on it along with the Aquallias too

Looks really great!

Try some lighter highlights on the emblems. They will POP!

Like the others, I think these are some great paint jobs, especially for a first timer! The highlighting is working nicely. You are a very clean painter, which is key, I think. When I first started I was in too big a rush to get done, and so my paint jobs tended to reflect my haste. Well done!

thanks all

i will see if i can highlight the chest alittle, then do the other 6 of the squad and base them. once done ill share the output

then onto the next lol, i went alittle trigger happy(cant see to stop buying $hit haha) and got 3 tactical squads, 14 terminators, veteran squad, 2 devastor sqs and 9 bikes oh and the command sq - so got alot of work ahead of me.

Hey heru,

Great Job you are definitely on the right track. Just like the others said you are a very clean painter and I see lots of potential in the near future if you keep painting. Might I add when painting skin or anything really in general I find a layer or 2 of lighter paint after the wash really makes it pop. I started painting about a year ago and I've learned so much along the way if your interested you can check out my blog in link posted below. It's pretty much my experience as a new painter from when I started till now and there is a bunch of tips you might find helpful during your painting journey. If you ever have any questions about painting or need some advice don't hesitate to ask me.

Link - http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/640396.page

Keep up the good work can't wait to see more, cheers!

Locking nice, get them based and they will lock even better

thanks again all for the input

been a busy week so only managed to sort a few test bases (got another style of a tile look, waiting on my no more nails to dry lol)

what you think of these bases?







ps is there a better way to take pictures cause i just dont think mines capture them as good as in person, got a 14mp camera so would have thought it would be ok:(

Make a cheap, home made light box. Take a 12"x12"x12" cardboard box. Cut out three sides with a one inch border around the side. Use scotch tape to secure Paper Towels on each side. Then use industrial lights from Home Depot ($8 each) with Day time lights in them. Tape a white poster board to the back and bottom of the box on the inside and take pictures like that using your camera. Then use a program on your computer to enhance the images.

I used that set up for these pics:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/684762.page

I used a black poster board background using the same set up for these:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/683597.page

The 2 words you will hear the most is more contrast. Your painting is very clean which indicates great brush control so now all you need to do is work on the contrast.

Don't worry, your off to a great start and will get there with more practice.

Welll done on making alot of people feel dumb, first go !!!?
Well done dude!!!!

That's some excellent work! Out of interest, are you thinning your paints? I'm not sure if it was the light of not, but I thought I could see some brush marks on the kneepads of your last pic. If I could humbly suggest, if you aren't thinning you paints, you should consider it as it'll vastly improve the smoothness of you paintjob.

Get yourself some dropper bottles like the 20ml reaper/vallejo paint droppers off eBay, and some Flow Improver (Liquitex Flo-Aid is quite common - I use Winsor & NewtonArtists Acrylic Flow Improver). Mix it up about 2ml of Flow-Improver to 18ml Water in your dropper bottles -that's roughly a 1:9 ratio of Flow-Improver to Water (You may want to buy some disposable pipettes for measuring out). Then just put a couple of drops in your paint until it's a smooth consistency and you should be able to eliminate all you brush marks. It may mean you have to put 2 thinner coats on where you previously did just one, but It'll vastly increase the quality of your work.

Once again, great work - keep it up!

hi there sorry for delay in getting back, been busy with one too many nights out

yes i usually mix some water in with my paint (the army painter paint i have)

so i finished touching up the full squad and made some bases, feel free to check them out

and thanks again all

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/686880.page#8576792