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Dakka I've got a question.

We've all seen Blanchitsu style, or our own Paradigm, or other artists with their own signature style of painting.

Now, I'm not asking anyone to tell me what my personal style is, but am I asking how one embarks on the personal journey of deviating from the standard GW method that those of us who have started in the last decade have been indoctrinated with? How would one begin the task of forging their own acrylic-lined path that ends with a "personal style"?

I'm personally a fan of the more realistic, more contrast-based miniatures, most of which tend towards muted or darker palettes, but I also love bright, bright colors, almost neon, but only in sparse doses. I love realism over anything, and yet my painting is currently from-the-mouth-of-Duncan GW style.

Simply looking for community experience and input. Feel free to share personal experiences of style development, and thanks!

My style is simply based on the least application of work generating the best result. I do prefer varied colours from the norm, because...who cares about colours if you're not playing a major Space Marine chapter.

I don't think I have a style at all in the artistic sense. I don't think you set out to create a style...you do what you like and if it's a different way of doing it, so be it. The worst way to find a style is to hamfist or force yourself into one. Coming from an artsy background there are artists and people who want to be artists. There's a massive difference between the two

I see your point! I agree that there are those who wish to be artists, and those that are. I think my dilemma is that I do commission painting, and those are based off of previous work in the GW style of things, but I want to expand into other territories, which is made difficult by the fact that that's not what I'm getting paid for. If I didn't need the extra money from painting, I could easily paint my own models and develop from there, but alas, I don't have that luxury right now. I think more of what I'm asking is how to get oneself to branch out from the comfort zone (the GW style) in pursuit of a style more accustomed to my taste?

Side note, this could be a completely irrelevant posting. I'm just thinking out loud and looking for input and sometimes I realize it was a dumb question a few days after the fact...

Stop follow GW style of painting. I think people make a mistake by follow and stick (not trying other techniques) to GW style of painting.
Base>wash>highlight...
Experiment, there's so much to learn. Watch other painters/artists. Think about what look and style would you like and go for it.

more realistic, more contrast-based

This sounds like an oxymoron to me. What tends to make miniatures look less realistic is when the contrast is pushed too far (exemplified by what is known on Dakka as the "look at me, I've got an airbrush" style) especially on small areas that in reality would never display that level of transition without some highly unusual lighting.

I pursue what I feel is a more realistic style, my ultimate, but ultimately impossible, objective is to paint models that look as if they're real, so I favor lower colour deviation in terms of area highlights and limited use of edge highlighting. This has the added advantage of giving you plenty of headroom if you do wish to push things to emphasize an element of a model.

The only way you'll develop your own style though is, as has been said, to stop copying somebody else's (i.e. GW,) give it time, decide on an objective, even if you feel it's something you'll never likely achieve like mine, it gives you a star to navigate by, and experiment.

Plus did I mention to give it time?

You need a thick skin, a good eye and the confidence to push on while you are developing. These days I just use a bog standard GW style on my 40K stuff because my preferred style is the desperately unfashionable drybrush layering. But when I paint historical miniatures I often revert to my preferred style, there being fewer expectations when painting Sarmatians rather than Space Marines.

Thanks for the input Azrael. I think "more realistic, more contrast-based" was a poor way to word it on my part. I would say my favorite "look" is something muted and realistic, but in keeping with the fact that it's art, maybe eyes glow brighter than they probably should, etc. it's difficult to put into words and ultimately probably pointless. I agree with giving it time lol I don't expect to change how I paint overnight. I don't have his direct permission, but there is a YouTube user named Zatcaskagoon Miniatures, who recently uploaded a tutorial on how to paint a Death Guard marine, and the finished product looked like the attached image. (All credit to Zatcaskagoon) To me, this would be the dream way to paint to my personal taste. Obviously, I will keep the skill set developed from the GW style for when a commission warrants it. But my set goal is to reach a tier like that. It has a very muted, low color-count palette (obviously the darkness is exacerbated by the fact it's Death Guard) and I feel it gives a very pseudo-realist vibe with artistic embellishment like the eyes and the level of contrast between the lightest points on the armor and the darkest. I am a little ashamed I have clung to the GW style, but I have issues with comfort zones

I believe in always learning when it comes to the hobby we all enjoy and frankly, I could use some rough words of encouragement to get my in gear.

Also, Azrael, your Emperor's Children Rhino looks a lot like the realistic style I favor. Love it!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 ZenBadger wrote:
You need a thick skin, a good eye and the confidence to push on while you are developing. These days I just use a bog standard GW style on my 40K stuff because my preferred style is the desperately unfashionable drybrush layering. But when I paint historical miniatures I often revert to my preferred style, there being fewer expectations when painting Sarmatians rather than Space Marines.

Yeah that's what I'm running into is that a lot of these do go in the local store's display case, but a lot are gaming minis also, and I feel like if you're playing in a ruined city or even just narratively playing on a realistically painted tabletop (like many, many terrain setups are) that the armies may look a little out of place if they are neon pink and blue space marines riding tanks that don't have a scratch on them. Not to devalue anyone's personal taste, it's just my preference, as those armies can look fantastic as a standalone project or on the right table. On your point of the historical minis, I don't recall very many armies marching to war in vibrant teal armor (I'm not a history buff so don't judge too hard though), so I can definitely see why you would switch back to a different style than GW

What Elbows said, really.

I don't think I go out of my way to make my own style, though I can tell my minis definitely look different from someone else's for instance.

Everyone sees colour a little differently, has different likes and dislikes. Really the GW way, while not at all bad, is meant to get TT minis out there so people can play their armies, using GW products which of course they also want to sell you. It's definitely not a bad place to start imo, for instance.

I think the main thing is as others have said here, experiment, get more experience, look at more artists work, tutorials whatever. Heck, go to painting classes if you attend cons!

I just think the wider you open your window to what's possible in any style, the better your art, and eventually the better and more pronounced your own style becomes.

Thanks! The Rhino is actually one of triplets, and the whole project was an exercise in weathering, the headcanon for the army is Emperor's Children around the Scouring era, so they've fallen, but not for long enough for the whole army to mutate or change. Functionally this is to allow me to straddle 30 and 40K and avoid the 40K scheme that's I'm not a fan of. Given they've just escaped the Battle Of Terra, it makes sense to me that their gak should look pretty beaten up.

The reason I'm explaining all this is because it goes back to the whole "experiment" thing, I'd dabbled with powders and the odd bit of sponge weathering before, but these Rhinos were an experiment going further. So I used oil based products for the first time, chipping medium, as well as using techniques I'd used more extensively. There are things I've learned going forward which will now become part of my style and I'll refine, others I'll revise completely or abandon (or in the case of this project, most things worked out, so not much I'll abandon.)

Also, the fact that you can't point at another artist and say this is what I want to do is a positive, just be careful not to abandon the GW style and simply switch, leave room for your own ideas and variations.

It's like anything else you will look to do, you build a "toolbox" filled with all of the techniques and tools of the trade. This involves research and putting in time learning new things. Eventually you will find that some tools get used more than others and that some of them appeal to you more. It's at this point that your style will begin to come through, but don't think that you can force it. This takes time, lots of it, before you will ever get there. Also, remember that when you do get to that point it won't be because you tried to get there, it will be natural.

I'll echo what a bunch of the others have said - experiment with the paints. Take the underside of a base, mix some paints, and play with them. Gemstone colours, Technical Paints, just for starters.

Then you can look at other suppliers - Golden Art Supply has some very nice paints - iridescent paints which speak for themselves.

And then you have Interference paints, which are for a colour-shift aspect, semi-reflective particulate in a specific colour. Mix it to your paint, or apply it afterward - the paint is transparent in general nature, only triggering on light angle.

You can also look at transparent colours for tinting, or Vallejo's Fluorescent paints which are also transluscent, to provide other effects.

You can study until you're blue in the face, but you won't find your own style preference until you start experimenting - try the techniques you find, play around with the paints, try other additives.. it's a journey of self-discovery more than anything.

Since you kindly mentioned me in the OP, only fair that I chip in!

The key things, as others have said, are persistence, practice and patience. The distinctive look I try and achieve (particularly on Marines) comes as a result of years of basically throwing stuff at a wall and seeing what sticks. The reason that Marines in that style are my forte is that I've painted several hundred over the years in various styles and schemes and each time, hopefully get a little closer to refining the very specific look I aim for. For every decent one in my gallery there's five or ten more paintjobs that will never see the light of day again and exist now to be stripped and redone or cannibalised for parts.

It's not just learning the techniques but learning the models as well; SM are a bit of a gift for this as they're all broadly similar. The highlights are going to fall on the same areas, the weathering will accumulate around the same points, and an effect that works well on one will likely work as well on another. The same principles that get you war-worn Imperial Fists armour gets you grimy Death Guard, ect.

Then there's the other driving factor, aside from any technical proficiency, which is being able to hone down exactly what it is you want to achieve, and then, crucially, figure out what you can learn from others who have done similar things before. Find those painters and dissect their work, soom right in and see just how and where effects were applied, get in touch with them on forums to ask for advice and feedback. Without being able to study the works of folks like Januine, Nerdfest09 or Jah-joshua on here (to name but a few of my major inspirations, there are many more just on Dakka) and ask them for advice and feedback, my own progress would be years behind where it is now. This isn't to say copy them directly, as that way, you're not developing your own style which is the whole point, but don't be afraid to 'borrow' techniques from the people you're inspired by. You might like the way one painter does metallics, how another does cloths, another faces... learn those methods, combine them with a few you've discovered yourself by chance or experiment, and bam, your own distinct style will start to materialise.

Once you hit that point, the cycle starts again; you now have the genesis of a style, so take that and refine it further; figure out what works for you, discard what doesn't. If you learn a particular technique only to find it doesn't really gel with what you're trying to achieve at this point, you still gain something, another area of technical proficiency that might seem irrelevant today but vital to a new element of your style a week, month, year further along in its development. It has to be an organic process, and the more you let it develop naturally rather than trying to force yourself to paint like this person or that, the quicker your own niche will become clear.

Hope that's of some help! The other thing to keep in mind is that it is very rewarding to look back on the path you've taken and see something unique develop at the end of it; when you get to the point where you've got a look that is recognisable, individual and fits the vision you had months or years ago, that's a very satisfying moment.

I was a drawer/illustrator and canvas painter before I found miniatures so I try to make my models look like a living 1970's Jim Starlin comic book. I go for bright colors and a cartoony look. I try for a clean, weathered finish on things.

I love experimenting with different mediums apart from the GW line and use a lot of bold colored rattle cans. Often I will try a new technique with a new unit - practicing white and yellow, colored metallics, washes, etc.

I have also realized that I am too shaky and have too short of an attention span to ever be a high level painter, so I am for high end tabletop quality. I want my army to pop and look awesome, but I also try to find the quickest way to do that.

 Modock wrote:
Stop follow GW style of painting. I think people make a mistake by follow and stick (not trying other techniques) to GW style of painting.
Base>wash>highlight...
Experiment, there's so much to learn. Watch other painters/artists. Think about what look and style would you like and go for it.

So much this, it's one of the reasons I dislike all those painting guides that plague Youtube and other places (though I can see why people enjoy them. It's just I don't). Painting shouldn't be as binary as "Paint it this way. get this result". Experiment, use colours and/or paints from off the beaten path. I experimented with using glowing fabric paint to paint some ghosts. It worked after a little dialing in of the technique. I just dug out some old Word Bearers from when I was younger, they were painted with red ink straight over a black undercoat!

I've been told that my own miniatures have a very Blanche-esq. style to them. Though I think this may be more in the conversion work than the painting. I've got a bit of a dirty style which is especially prevalent in my Death Guard which is my most recent work. It's by the same token I can't wait for my Relic Knights KS to come in. They're bright, vibrant and cartoony and a complete and utter departure from my normal style, and with this comes new things to learn and new paints to experiment with (I'm eyeing up some paints from Culture Hustle for them).

Iv been liking my Slightly weathered but otherwise still clean no super mega edge highlighting style.

mostly because im lazy to do edge work.

Ruin wrote:
Experiment, use colours and/or paints from off the beaten path. I experimented with using glowing fabric paint to paint some ghosts. It worked after a little dialing in of the technique.

Great point. War gamers seem to be allergic to Michael's/AC Moore/Hobby Lobby. It like 98% of gamers use strictly GW/Vallejo with a 1% dribble of Army Painter users. I've gotten some great results from the Plaid/Martha Stewart craft paints (especially for basing).

I was first introduced to Golden Arts Supply moons ago when my aunt, an artsy type herself, pointed out their Pumice Gel material - great for gritty basing, takes paint colour really easily, can be smoothed on or sculpted, nice stuff.

Then I started looking at the other stuff they had.

Groo, Ruin, I think to a degree there's a level of elitism to things - "oh, you used cheap walmart acrylics" or some such, that they seem to be portrayed in a negative perspective amongst the wargaming crowd. They just don't really know what other interesting things out there can be had.

Sauragnmon wrote:

Groo, Ruin, I think to a degree there's a level of elitism to things - "oh, you used cheap walmart acrylics" or some such, that they seem to be portrayed in a negative perspective amongst the wargaming crowd. They just don't really know what other interesting things out there can be had.

Cards on the table, 90% of my paint range is CDA, GW and Vallejo, as that is what is readily available to me in B+M stores, but occasionally I'll branch out into odd areas just to see if it would work. I'm looking forward to using some of this stuff from Culture Hustle (I bought their Vantablack paint, just to see what it would do when undercoating a mini with it) on my Relic Knights stuff when it eventually shows up.

Ruin wrote:
Cards on the table, 90% of my paint range is CDA, GW and Vallejo, as that is what is readily available to me in B+M stores, but occasionally I'll branch out into odd areas just to see if it would work. I'm looking forward to using some of this stuff from Culture Hustle (I bought their Vantablack paint, just to see what it would do when undercoating a mini with it) on my Relic Knights stuff when it eventually shows up.

They are the most popular paints for a reason - they are good. (And the craft store stuff often sucks balls)

Ruin wrote:

Sauragnmon wrote:

Groo, Ruin, I think to a degree there's a level of elitism to things - "oh, you used cheap walmart acrylics" or some such, that they seem to be portrayed in a negative perspective amongst the wargaming crowd. They just don't really know what other interesting things out there can be had.

Cards on the table, 90% of my paint range is CDA, GW and Vallejo, as that is what is readily available to me in B+M stores, but occasionally I'll branch out into odd areas just to see if it would work. I'm looking forward to using some of this stuff from Culture Hustle (I bought their Vantablack paint, just to see what it would do when undercoating a mini with it) on my Relic Knights stuff when it eventually shows up.

You cant get vantablack.

that black is a process that grows nanotube forests on a material in a special heated oven or something and is exclusively licensed to one person for artistic purposes.

Black 2.0 is not the same.

But if you got how does it look? (bleh misread post that gak once you get it )

Groo_The_Wanderer wrote:

Ruin wrote:
Cards on the table, 90% of my paint range is CDA, GW and Vallejo, as that is what is readily available to me in B+M stores, but occasionally I'll branch out into odd areas just to see if it would work. I'm looking forward to using some of this stuff from Culture Hustle (I bought their Vantablack paint, just to see what it would do when undercoating a mini with it) on my Relic Knights stuff when it eventually shows up.

They are the most popular paints for a reason - they are good. (And the craft store stuff often sucks balls)

I've tried 3 craft paint ranges...all three were crap compared to Vallejo paints, but they have their uses like terrain painting. Now I use Vallejo, Scale 75, Army painter and
a few Warcolour paints.

 Desubot wrote:

Ruin wrote:

Sauragnmon wrote:

Groo, Ruin, I think to a degree there's a level of elitism to things - "oh, you used cheap walmart acrylics" or some such, that they seem to be portrayed in a negative perspective amongst the wargaming crowd. They just don't really know what other interesting things out there can be had.

Cards on the table, 90% of my paint range is CDA, GW and Vallejo, as that is what is readily available to me in B+M stores, but occasionally I'll branch out into odd areas just to see if it would work. I'm looking forward to using some of this stuff from Culture Hustle (I bought their Vantablack paint, just to see what it would do when undercoating a mini with it) on my Relic Knights stuff when it eventually shows up.

You cant get vantablack.

that black is a process that grows nanotube forests on a material in a special heated oven or something and is exclusively licensed to one person for artistic purposes.

Black 2.0 is not the same.

But if you got how does it look? (bleh misread post that gak once you get it )

I'm aware of that (the site in question even forbids Mr Kapoor from buying it!), but its the closest publically available approximation. I've only got black 1.5 and a few test bits on flat surfaces like foil worked like you'd expect, but it didn't work like the pictures you see online on a mini I undercoated with it, as you could still see the contours etc (maybe I mixed it incorrectly, but that's what I'm harping on about. Experiment!). Might give it another go in the future, but it was an experiment I just need a relevant project to try it on.

Ruin wrote:
the site in question even forbids Mr Kapoor from buying it!

Yeah i saw that and laughed

Its honestly not remotely close to Vanta black but it will be way darker than any say rattle can spray primer.

vanta absorbs like 99% of light hitting it.

(oh man a nightbrining in metal in that process would be siiiiiiiiick)

though im fairly sure the second you apply any sort of varnish the effect wont work.

speaking of fancy paints. that unicorn rainbow seems pretty cool. wish it wasnt a heat changing color. rather would of liked it to function as a normal color shifting paint.

does anyone use citadel paints? I would like to try something other then Vallejo.

thanks

I still have citadel paints in my collection - I like their metals, shades, and the technical paints.

I've also got a couple others like Moot Green, Evil Sunz Scarlet, Wild Rider Red..

You just need to paint paint paint paint. Your style will naturally evolve out of quirks you develop, the shortcuts you attempt, the experiments you try. For example:

I paint entirely from white undercoat after finding how much I loved it when working on ghostly undead.

My custom skin tone mix (flayed one flesh + a drop of Genestealer purple) came about by me trying to make a skin colour for some Hybrid Abberants but accidentally created a nicer regular skintone in the process.

I paint eye bags with a slight pink rather than the standard blue. I found I liked this after giving it a shot painting on a lunch break with a limited selection.

For me, anyone who has a distinctive style didn't just magic it out of thin air. They got here through hours and hours of painting. Watching tutorials, sharing ideas, and trying out something new to find what works and what doesn't.