Switch Theme:

Using Sharpies to prime models  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


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.




Made in us
Neophyte undergoing Ritual of Detestation





Please don't hate me, I know you spent a lot of money on paints and such,
but this has been really good because the sharpie ink is particularly tacky.
   
Made in us
Ultramarine Chaplain with Hate to Spare






^haha, lolwut? Does that work? Does it last? If you spill your liquor on it does it wash away?

And They Shall Not Fit Through Doors!!!

Tyranid Army Progress -- With Classic Warriors!:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/743240.page#9671598 
   
Made in us
Neophyte undergoing Ritual of Detestation





 Insectum7 wrote:
^haha, lolwut? Does that work? Does it last? If you spill your liquor on it does it wash away?

I mean...
sharpie has a reputation for just not coming off. lol.
   
Made in us
Did Fulgrim Just Behead Ferrus?





Fort Worth, TX

I don't know about using markers to prime models, but in the past I've seen markers used to paint models. Whether it be metallic markers used for trim and details, or even painting the whole model.

"Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see.
One chants out between two worlds: Fire, walk with me."
- Twin Peaks
"You listen to me. While I will admit to a certain cynicism, the fact is that I am a naysayer and hatchetman in the fight against violence. I pride myself in taking a punch and I'll gladly take another because I choose to live my life in the company of Gandhi and King. My concerns are global. I reject absolutely revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method... is love. I love you Sheriff Truman." - Twin Peaks 
   
Made in us
Neophyte undergoing Ritual of Detestation





 Tannhauser42 wrote:
I don't know about using markers to prime models, but in the past I've seen markers used to paint models. Whether it be metallic markers used for trim and details, or even painting the whole model.

This is what I do.
Even though I just began collecting and painting, my first models look pretty damn good. I'll put up a picture soon.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MourKE62G5uEdWfDr-gSM8je50k0EGhI/view?usp=sharing

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/05/25 02:36:37


 
   
Made in eu
Frenzied Berserker Terminator




Southampton, UK

If it works for you and you're happy with the results, then fair play, go for it. Personally I can't imagine anything more frustrating than trying to get the tip of a sharpie into all the nooks and crannies on the average GW model!
   
Made in it
Insect-Infested Nurgle Chaos Lord






 Insectum7 wrote:
^haha, lolwut? Does that work? Does it last? If you spill your liquor on it does it wash away?


Well....

I "painted" my very first minis with Graffic Traffic pens (which were a line of permanent markers for custom colouring a line of white Matchbox cars), the Chaos Champions from Legend of Zagor. It didn't turn out well. At all.


Games Workshop Delenda Est.

Users on ignore- 53.

If you break apart my or anyone else's posts line by line I will not read them. 
   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

I cannot imagine what the benefit would be.

Spray priming takes a few seconds to do and a few minutes to dry. And I almost never have it come off.

What benefit does scribbling over dozens of models with a sharpie have?

 
   
Made in us
Grumpy Longbeard






Markers been used in the hobby before yes.
Sharpies are permanent markers, until you put some rubbing alcohol on them or hand sanitizer.

I think spilling hard liqueur or bottle of hand sanitizer on your models is highly unlikely.
However when sealing the model, the varnish might act as a solvent to the sharpie right before it sets.


This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/05/26 02:00:33


 
   
Made in gb
Stealthy Grot Snipa






UK

 Mothsniper wrote:


I think spilling hard liqueur or bottle of hand sanitizer on your models is highly unlikely.





You've never played with me or Jim then...

Tell you what though, these might be handy for doing freehand shapes on armour for blind old fethers like me with no brush control - may have to have a play...

Skinflint Games- war gaming in the age of austerity

https://skinflintgames.wordpress.com/

 
   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







You could get one of those airbrush adapters and spray your sharpie as an under/base coat

Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in us
Neophyte undergoing Ritual of Detestation





 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
I cannot imagine what the benefit would be.

Spray priming takes a few seconds to do and a few minutes to dry. And I almost never have it come off.

What benefit does scribbling over dozens of models with a sharpie have?


It's mostly convenience. I can just do them whenever I feel like it with little startup time or preparation.
If you already have an apparatus, that is def what you should do.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/05/26 18:13:13


 
   
Made in au
Grizzled Space Wolves Great Wolf





One warning I have is that over time the sharpie may bleed through the paint. It's not common any more, but in years gone by people have used markers for preshading of models and reports I read were that it'd look good initially and then some time later the preshading would start bleeding through and become too prominent.

I can't attest to that personally, as I've never tried it myself, it's just something I've read over the years.
   
Made in se
Longtime Dakkanaut





How well does paint stick to sharpie ink? Isn’t it glossy and designed to be a top layer? I’d have thought thinned paints would run all over it
   
Made in us
Daemonic Dreadnought





Eye of Terror

mrFickle wrote:
How well does paint stick to sharpie ink? Isn’t it glossy and designed to be a top layer? I’d have thought thinned paints would run all over it


Acrylic paint does not adhere to ink.

Sharpie ink is Permachrome, which is primarily Xylene and a polymer binder. While it's called permanent, that's not exactly true because it can be wiped off most surfaces.

While it's possible for paint to dry on top of this ink, the binding would be weak without some kind of solvent (i.e. alcohol.) Without a binder, the paint would just be a thin layer on top of the ink. You'd probably be able to peel the paint off in a single sheet.



   
Made in us
Neophyte undergoing Ritual of Detestation





 techsoldaten wrote:
mrFickle wrote:
How well does paint stick to sharpie ink? Isn’t it glossy and designed to be a top layer? I’d have thought thinned paints would run all over it


Acrylic paint does not adhere to ink.

Sharpie ink is Permachrome, which is primarily Xylene and a polymer binder. While it's called permanent, that's not exactly true because it can be wiped off most surfaces.

While it's possible for paint to dry on top of this ink, the binding would be weak without some kind of solvent (i.e. alcohol.) Without a binder, the paint would just be a thin layer on top of the ink. You'd probably be able to peel the paint off in a single sheet.




This is interesting. I might have to rethink.
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut






The purpose of the primer is to make the surface rough enough so that the acrylic paint can adhere, stay and flow properly. Clearly the best primer is a spray can. That doesn't have to be a ridiculously priced GW spraycan, it can be a generic spray can or even hair spray, i.e. a clear coat.

While the sharpie definitely is more portable with less fuss than a spray can, it will not reach into all recesses and is unlikely to offer the right properites as a primer and long term stability.

I wouldn't recommend using a brush on primer, since that suffers from issues with the application thickness and is generally the worst product made for priming.

Your picture shows that the paint is uneven, that could be just too thick paint, or you struggling to apply it evenly on the sharpie treated surface.

If you do a grey knights force, just get a silver spray can, that will give you the base colour and a good surface to adhere to for all further painting.

   
Made in us
Neophyte undergoing Ritual of Detestation





 Stephanius wrote:


Your picture shows that the paint is uneven, that could be just too thick paint, or you struggling to apply it evenly on the sharpie treated surface.


Right so, the left arm had a storm bolter on it and when I took it off, some of the glue stayed. Is that what you're seeing?
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Spray cans really are the quickest option for a good result. I understand the idea that a sharpie just sits in your pocket and no mess or whatever but I think you need the right tool for the job .

However maybe you have hit upon a marketable idea, the primer pen
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut






 Just_Breathe wrote:
 Stephanius wrote:


Your picture shows that the paint is uneven, that could be just too thick paint, or you struggling to apply it evenly on the sharpie treated surface.


Right so, the left arm had a storm bolter on it and when I took it off, some of the glue stayed. Is that what you're seeing?


No, even the flat, unmodded armour pieces show texture, that looks like way too much paint or too thick paint.

The text in the armour panels should be easily readable, but in your picture it isn't. Part of that will be the picture and the choice of colour. Everything that isn't the raised top of the letters is supposed to be darker. Applying gold thinly, applying a dark wash like nuln oil and then touching up the letters with gold again should be the way to go.

The holes in the visor shouldn't be filled with silver paint.

Don't feel bad though. "Thin your paints" is the most frequent advice given to new painters for good reason. ;-]

Below you find a picutre of a Dreadknight that I modded and painted the base colours on for a friend of mine for comparision. Not a fair comparison mind you, but something less fancy that a studio artists paintjob for the packaging and advertising.

Spoiler:

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/05/27 21:28:21


   
Made in us
Neophyte undergoing Ritual of Detestation





 Stephanius wrote:
 Just_Breathe wrote:
 Stephanius wrote:


Your picture shows that the paint is uneven, that could be just too thick paint, or you struggling to apply it evenly on the sharpie treated surface.


Right so, the left arm had a storm bolter on it and when I took it off, some of the glue stayed. Is that what you're seeing?


No, even the flat, unmodded armour pieces show texture, that looks like way too much paint or too thick paint.

The text in the armour panels should be easily readable, but in your picture it isn't. Part of that will be the picture and the choice of colour. Everything that isn't the raised top of the letters is supposed to be darker. Applying gold thinly, applying a dark wash like nuln oil and then touching up the letters with gold again should be the way to go.

The holes in the visor shouldn't be filled with silver paint.

Don't feel bad though. "Thin your paints" is the most frequent advice given to new painters for good reason. ;-]

Below you find a picutre of a Dreadknight that I modded and painted the base colours on for a friend of mine for comparision. Not a fair comparison mind you, but something less fancy that a studio artists paintjob for the packaging and advertising.

Spoiler:


Ah yes, I've since cleaned it up, scraping off paint from the helmet and reapplying. Getting the eyes good required many coats of silver and when I was done, it was way too thick and I just started over. This was model #1 I think. Getting the lettering done without bleeding into the recesses might be too hard. I'll try a different technique, but a wash might be the best option.

This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2022/05/28 01:36:21


 
   
Made in us
Grumpy Longbeard






 Skinflint Games wrote:
 Mothsniper wrote:


I think spilling hard liqueur or bottle of hand sanitizer on your models is highly unlikely.





You've never played with me or Jim then...

Tell you what though, these might be handy for doing freehand shapes on armour for blind old fethers like me with no brush control - may have to have a play...


Fair enough lolz

 
   
Made in us
Insect-Infested Nurgle Chaos Lord






 Just_Breathe wrote:


Ah yes, I've since cleaned it up, scraping off paint from the helmet and reapplying. Getting the eyes good required many coats of silver and when I was done, it was way too thick and I just started over. This was model #1 I think. Getting the lettering done without bleeding into the recesses might be too hard. I'll try a different technique, but a wash might be the best option.


Sorry mate, but that just reads to me as you're pissing into the wind with this. Seriously, get some spray primer and you won't have to take such counterproductive steps and potentially ruin your models.


Games Workshop Delenda Est.

Users on ignore- 53.

If you break apart my or anyone else's posts line by line I will not read them. 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut






I'm not sure about Sharpie ink, but I made some terrain a while back where I used a ball point pen to carve stone blocks into foam. I painted it gray, gave it a black wash and then a gray drybrush. The blue ink of the pen eventually bled through the paint. I washed it with black paint again to try to cover over the blue in, but it bled through again.

The below pictures show the progress of the project, but I don't have a picture of the current look with the blue ink bleeding through, so I'll try to get one tomorrow.









   
Made in us
Stealthy Space Wolves Scout





Folkvang

This is not insane at all!

I use MolotoW inks to prime my minis and it works just fine. I assume the same applies for sharpies. In my experience, if it works, don't bash it. So just do the thing and win like you should

Find me on Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/user/Tacocatra
Find me on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/ariartcorner
Check out my Etsy!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ariartcorner 
   
Made in us
Veteran Knight Baron in a Crusader





 Just_Breathe wrote:
 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
I cannot imagine what the benefit would be.

Spray priming takes a few seconds to do and a few minutes to dry. And I almost never have it come off.

What benefit does scribbling over dozens of models with a sharpie have?


It's mostly convenience. I can just do them whenever I feel like it with little startup time or preparation.
If you already have an apparatus, that is def what you should do.


I can't imagine how you would save any time. How long does it take to walk out in your garage and spray some models? Sure you have to wait 15 min between coats but you don't have to sit there watching paint dry. I spend a grand total of 30-45 secs actually painting to get a nice coat of primer on a whole squad. It would take me far longer to do 1 guy with a sharpie. Also it looks terrible IMO
   
Made in us
Insect-Infested Nurgle Chaos Lord






 Freya wrote:
This is not insane at all!

I use MolotoW inks to prime my minis and it works just fine. I assume the same applies for sharpies. In my experience, if it works, don't bash it. So just do the thing and win like you should


OP is colouring them in with Sharpies, not using an airbrush attachment. Big difference there.


Games Workshop Delenda Est.

Users on ignore- 53.

If you break apart my or anyone else's posts line by line I will not read them. 
   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

Toofast wrote:


I can't imagine how you would save any time. How long does it take to walk out in your garage and spray some models? Sure you have to wait 15 min between coats but you don't have to sit there watching paint dry. I spend a grand total of 30-45 secs actually painting to get a nice coat of primer on a whole squad. It would take me far longer to do 1 guy with a sharpie. Also it looks terrible IMO


It occurs to me the person may not have a garage or equivalent.

I've primed in a parking garage in an apartment building, on a balcony or even in a bathroom with the fan on and window open, haven't suffocated myself yet. Just get a good plastic tub and be careful which way you point the can.

I also love that this thread includes a chemistry lesson

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/06/01 12:58:19


 
   
Made in us
Stealthy Space Wolves Scout





Folkvang

 Grimtuff wrote:
 Freya wrote:
This is not insane at all!

I use MolotoW inks to prime my minis and it works just fine. I assume the same applies for sharpies. In my experience, if it works, don't bash it. So just do the thing and win like you should


OP is colouring them in with Sharpies, not using an airbrush attachment. Big difference there.


Is it a big difference? You're putting ink on a mini. Paintbrush, airbrush or sharpie is unimportant. The only difference is speed. Everything I do with an airbrush I can do with a brush. So is there really a big difference other than the speed at which you can paint? Nope.

Find me on Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/user/Tacocatra
Find me on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/ariartcorner
Check out my Etsy!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ariartcorner 
   
Made in us
Insect-Infested Nurgle Chaos Lord






 Freya wrote:
 Grimtuff wrote:
 Freya wrote:
This is not insane at all!

I use MolotoW inks to prime my minis and it works just fine. I assume the same applies for sharpies. In my experience, if it works, don't bash it. So just do the thing and win like you should


OP is colouring them in with Sharpies, not using an airbrush attachment. Big difference there.


Is it a big difference? You're putting ink on a mini. Paintbrush, airbrush or sharpie is unimportant. The only difference is speed. Everything I do with an airbrush I can do with a brush. So is there really a big difference other than the speed at which you can paint? Nope.


Um, yes.

There is honestly no polite way to answer that if you really truly think those are all similar ways to apply paint...


Games Workshop Delenda Est.

Users on ignore- 53.

If you break apart my or anyone else's posts line by line I will not read them. 
   
 
Forum Index » Painting & Modeling
Go to: