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I was wondering when hand painting models my paint job that i am doing looks more rough then smooth does anyone have suggestions on how to fix this also can anyone suggest some good brushes for painting that are going to last I picked up a citadel one but it does not seem to be to good of quality.

My first question is are you thinning your paints? If not, start there. I'm still new and after reading the forums tried thinning and it made a ton of difference. If you are thinning and you think it's the brushes, I like the Army Painter brushes. I just ordered some Rosemary and Co. brushes due to a lot of recommendations.

No i have not tryed thining my paints i will try that out and see how that turns out.

Definitely thin down your paints a bit with water, then apply in a few layers, allowing each layer to dry full before reapplication Rosemary and Co are very good brushes for the price.

Thinning is trial and error at first. If you can, get an eye dropper to add water to your pallet, or just over saturate a clean brush in water. Don't thin in the tub itself , bad idea, trust me. Dab on a pallet or old CD case and thin till it's about the consistency of milk. Good luck! Everyone has to learn and this is a great place to ask questions.

Wicked Carrot I hope you are right, I'm holding off painting my Blood Angel characters till they arrive!

Multiple thin layers of paint is far superior to one thick coat. The added bonus is that you can layer multiple colors to acheive different effects or hues.

As for brushes, I'm not really all that familiar with a lot of brands of brushes, but I will say that a good natural fiber brush, and take care of said brush (i.e. don't get paint on the ferrule, clean thoroughly, and occasionally condition), it will pay dividends for you in the long run. Look to spend about $5-$10 on a good quality brush (if you're starting out, don't drop $30 on a premium brush just yet, wait until you have your technique down). Nope that helps!

 spectreoneone wrote:
Nope that helps!

Just now, I lost my mind laughing at this.

Its really trial and error. Each manufacturer is a little different, and even the age of the paint affects the spread. You'll find the right consistency.

I've gotten back into painting after a long hiatus, and a problem Im having is many of my paints are dried out and the color is no longer made. So, I've had to switch paint makers (from GW to Vallajo) to try and get as close as possible, but the thickness is different and its almost like learning how to paint again. Many of the Vallajo paints are too watery.

One thing you might want to try is washing your miniatures before painting them. You should always do this anyway to remove grease and finger prints. But If they are left sitting out (even for a short time) then they will pick up tiny bits of dust and lint. It is usually too small to see, but when you paint over it it gets trapped under the paint and causes the surface to be uneven.

Another thing you might want to do is wash your brush more regularly. Even if you aren't changing colour, you still need to wash your brush after every few strokes to stop paint drying on the bristles. If paint dries on the bristles then it goes lumpy and won't flow properly. It gets harder and harder to paint without leaving brush strokes. This is especially important with fine detail brushes.

As other have said thinning your paints is important. Retarder is really useful for this as it doesn't break the pigments apart.

You can also sometimes fix a rough layer by going over it with gloss varnish (you can matt it again later). Mixing gloss varnish with your paint can also help to smooth and glaze.

well what i do, some people might look at me and say DA FAQ?

but i thin my base coat of black 1-1 then once i base him and he is dry, i wash over the whole model with black ink. then once that drys i dry brush the whole model with black again, to get rid of the shin from the ink.

Come out pretty smooth if you ask me.