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.

 TyranidPainter wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:
Professionally painted means that you are painting for a profession. A significant amount of your living wages come from painting.

A commission painter is just someone that paints and gets paid to do it.

But keep it up man.

Y'no know what I mean. I am a commission painter. I became one of those the moment I got my first client. By professional standards I mean I can put it on ebay as 'professionally painted' and not get bad feedback. My feedback is currently 100% and I don't want to do anything to tarnish that.

But again, there is a difference between x type of painter and y type of painter. Putting Professionally Painted is only true when you're making a living off of those sales.

They make much smaller LEDs than that. I would get some flat diodes and hide them entirely inside the gun.

 Alfndrate wrote:

 TyranidPainter wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:
Professionally painted means that you are painting for a profession. A significant amount of your living wages come from painting.

A commission painter is just someone that paints and gets paid to do it.

But keep it up man.

Y'no know what I mean. I am a commission painter. I became one of those the moment I got my first client. By professional standards I mean I can put it on ebay as 'professionally painted' and not get bad feedback. My feedback is currently 100% and I don't want to do anything to tarnish that.

But again, there is a difference between x type of painter and y type of painter. Putting Professionally Painted is only true when you're making a living off of those sales.

Not strictly true.
By definition I am a professional, fully qualified automotive custom painter and panel beater. I have paperwork to prove it.
however my main income does not come from custom painting cars and bikes, there just isn't enough sustainable work available.
does this mean I am not a professional in this field? if so, I have wasted about 15 years and £20'000 on a hobby.
IMO being a professional is about taking something seriously and never taking your skills for granted, constantly looking to improve your skill set, taking the advice offered by those who are ''better than you'', and a general attitude of, 'yes, i am good at what i do, but i can and will improve'.

Nidpainter has met all of these criteria despite a somewhat 'shaky' start.
fair play to you TP. keep up the good work.

tomcat31 wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:
But again, there is a difference between x type of painter and y type of painter. Putting Professionally Painted is only true when you're making a living off of those sales.

Not strictly true.
By definition I am a professional, fully qualified automotive custom painter and panel beater. I have paperwork to prove it.
however my main income does not come from custom painting cars and bikes, there just isn't enough sustainable work available.
does this mean I am not a professional in this field? if so, I have wasted about 15 years and £20'000 on a hobby.
IMO being a professional is about taking something seriously and never taking your skills for granted, constantly looking to improve your skill set, taking the advice offered by those who are ''better than you'', and a general attitude of, 'yes, i am good at what i do, but i can and will improve'.

Nidpainter has met all of these criteria despite a somewhat 'shaky' start.
fair play to you TP. keep up the good work.

Thank you Tomcat but I see what he's saying. It would be unfair, if not untrue, for me to call myself a professional painter before I am making a steady profit from it.
Also thank you Al, you do have a point.
Anyway titles aside I have tried The Army Painter Quickshade dip. I'm happy with how the models turned out. Obviously I wouldn't have expected them to reach the same standard as if I'd have spent a full week painting them like I did that hivetyrant but I am still pleased with the quality they came out as. It truly is a good way to get an even shade all around. Hopefully I will have some pictures of them to show you tomorrow .

I love the improvement, painting wise and attitude wise. My favorite still has to be the redmagaunt, just because of the color contrast and how vibrant it is. Keep that gak up. P.S. As much as I like to see your 'Nids, another army would be nice, if just to see how your learning can transition from one to another. Just a thought -Feasible

Well I said I’d post more pic today and here they are.
These are the models that have been dipped:






And here is my prime, he is unfinished so far:

Looking pretty good. Make sure to hit the dipped models with a coat of Mat varnish to remove the shine and you will be golden.

Feasible wrote:
I love the improvement, painting wise and attitude wise. My favorite still has to be the redmagaunt, just because of the color contrast and how vibrant it is. Keep that gak up. P.S. As much as I like to see your 'Nids, another army would be nice, if just to see how your learning can transition from one to another. Just a thought -Feasible

Thank you for your advice. There will be other armies coming in a couple of months but utill then here's my converted Bran Redmaw of the Spacewolves:


I know the picture quality isn't exellent so please excuse that.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 darefsky wrote:
Looking pretty good. Make sure to hit the dipped models with a coat of Mat varnish to remove the shine and you will be golden.

Golden Ha Ha XD. Well ok. I'm not sure if it's necessary with Nid's with them being covered in slime and that but I'll consider applying it to the bodies and leaving the carapace shiny.

You are not bad but some things i see could use some work, Your freehand painting is alright, and for a decent price i'd say that is the painting level i would expect but to be honnest not the modeling.

first, i would add something doesnt have to be anything 2 fancy can be simple as sand or grass to the base.

2nd mold lines, they stand way out especialy when dry brushing. take a scalpel and very carefuly remove them.

next, you have the same problem i have with photos were not very good at taking them lol, try a well lit area so you can better show off your details and try using a high grade camera if you aren't already (not a cellphone camera)

also if your going to try selling them. adding extra details and customizing them... hollow out the barrels with drill bits, add flame firing out of the barrels, you would be amazed what you can do wtih the extra bitz and spure pieces you normaly wouldnt use.


also dry bryshing will bring out tons more detail when done right, you will add lines of details to the muscles youdidnt realize were there.

hope this helps you out

wazrokk wrote:
You are not bad but some things i see could use some work, Your freehand painting is alright, and for a decent price i'd say that is the painting level i would expect but to be honnest not the modeling.

first, i would add something doesnt have to be anything 2 fancy can be simple as sand or grass to the base.

2nd mold lines, they stand way out especialy when dry brushing. take a scalpel and very carefuly remove them.

next, you have the same problem i have with photos were not very good at taking them lol, try a well lit area so you can better show off your details and try using a high grade camera if you aren't already (not a cellphone camera)

also if your going to try selling them. adding extra details and customizing them... hollow out the barrels with drill bits, add flame firing out of the barrels, you would be amazed what you can do wtih the extra bitz and spure pieces you normaly wouldnt use.


also dry bryshing will bring out tons more detail when done right, you will add lines of details to the muscles youdidnt realize were there.

hope this helps you out

It certainly does. Thank you, alot of what you said has already been said though. The problem is these models were assembled and partly painted before they were first put to me. I've started to remove mold lines on my larger models but even on them it is SOOOO time consuming :(. Ahh well, I guess it helps. Thank you for your advice bud.

At theOP it's a lot of work to remove those lines, like you say. I feel your pain. My many bandaid covered fingers do too hehe. A little preparation saves a lot of time. I have primed 150 goblins black without removing all mold lines... To then have to remove them then before continuing... And have to reprime the ... It's a total pain. I have even dry brushed robes before noticing... Then have to paint the grey exposed plastic like that's now showing and try to match highlights....it really sucks when mold line on a face or skin when that happens to me as trying to color match a bright vibrant color opposed to black just seems harder over the bare exposed lineof the plastic model where ya cut mold line...

So all I can say is be very patient. 5 minutes of forethought can prevent 45 minutes of fixing it later.

If you're like me, you may paint it then be like an it's fine with the line... Then that orc looks at you like... "Why am I not pretty like the other girls at school?" And bam, start shaving mold lines off a fully painted model out of guilt.

I have a lot or goblins with grey plastic stripes on them despite them nearly having 3 colors on them at this point >.<

Learn from our mistakes!!!

 TyranidPainter wrote:
Rite well here is another project I am doing. I have enlisted the help of my brother on this one as I required his electronics expertise. Here is a prototype of my L.E.D. Necrons:




In the finished products I will attempt to better conceal the wires. What do you think?

Personally I wouldn't bother with LEDs on just a troop choice, fair enough with larger models, but just a bog standard warrior the time and cost isn't really worth all the effort.

As someone said, focus on the painting quality rather than the novelty aspect. I've got 60+ warriors and the thought of connecting all those to light up, knowing full well they'll die soon, seems pointless. It'd be more time turning them on than they'd be on the table! It's a nice idea but bigger models only for LEDs

Hey people. Sorry for the late post, I’ve been rather busy lately. Right well I have another few pics for your viewing.
This one is a fully magnetized tyranid carnifex. I had hoped this would be my finest piece yet however I didn’t know that the new citadel gloss, or “Ardcoat”, needed watering down so it dried white. Fairly embarrassing. Anyway after that I kinda just rushed the rest but here it is anyway:







Now this next one I am particularly proud of. It took me ages to complete but if I own a model that can surpass that 7 rating then this is it:







Automatically Appended Next Post:
Why did that last post say I was American?

I still like the blue and grey scheme much more IMO

The 'Ardcoat I've used in the past didn't need watering and dried to a beautiful high gloss finish, and very clear.

Perhaps they've changed the formula, and not for the better...

Try Vallejo's gloss (it's very good), or Klear floor polish (also works very well). With the Klear, you need to clean brushes with a little ammonia solution or windolene type stuff - plain water doesn't quite cut it. I'd recommend using older brushes for that.

Constructively, your basing is letting you down - you're being way too heavy with the static grass. Apply in small clumps over a brown earth base (painted sand) and you'll get a neater result:


Also, pay attention to the rim; make sure your coat there is solid and smooth and even as possible. I get scrappy here in terms of finish sometimes, but aim for a solid colour and it won't draw the eye too much.

Beautiful archers wynter.

 Feasible wrote:
I still like the blue and grey scheme much more IMO

Thank you for saying gray. Alot of people refer to it as white -.- . And thank you, that is my own personal colour scheme, though I did use a model out of the codex as a reference.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

winterdyne wrote:
The 'Ardcoat I've used in the past didn't need watering and dried to a beautiful high gloss finish, and very clear.

Perhaps they've changed the formula, and not for the better...

Yes, they have changed the formula :(. I much preferred the older one, simple and quick.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

winterdyne wrote:
The 'Ardcoat I've used in the past didn't need watering and dried to a beautiful high gloss finish, and very clear.

Constructively, your basing is letting you down - you're being way too heavy with the static grass. Apply in small clumps over a brown earth base (painted sand) and you'll get a neater result:


Also, pay attention to the rim; make sure your coat there is solid and smooth and even as possible. I get scrappy here in terms of finish sometimes, but aim for a solid colour and it won't draw the eye too much.

Thank you. I have taken you advice and used them on the very model your talking about, though I still think I may have been abit heavy on the static grass :(.
Please take a look at the next couple of pics and tell me what you think .


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I have changed the base and gone over an area on the gun where the paint had gone over abit. Tell me what you think:




Also here is a spoiler of my upcoming masterpiece so you all have an idea of what’s coming:



I thought I’d experiment with the light on this next one. Needless to say the picture quality wasn’t improved but I think it makes the model look abit more eerie

When applying static grass, I put down a bit of PVA, then grab a pinch of static grass and dab it on to the glue several times so it sticks in a variety of directions, then tap off excess, and blow on it to get it to stand up (and get rid of remaining excess). It looks like you're just sprinkling it on; this doesn't work very well.

The posing on those arms...

Just.... Why....?

Why on earth would you stick the talons above his head on the green one like that?


The Warriors have the hands and arms built INTO The guns for a reason....

Bloodhorror wrote:
The posing on those arms...

Just.... Why....?

Why on earth would you stick the talons above his head on the green one like that?


The Warriors have the hands and arms built INTO The guns for a reason....

I kind of agree here dude, the posing looks a bit awkward on the green one.The painting however looks excellent. Keep it up my friend that 7 is on its way for sure.
As for your issues with ardcoat, it doesn't need thinning bud, just lighter coats. All varnishes "fog" when applied too heavily.

tomcat31 wrote:

Bloodhorror wrote:
The posing on those arms...

Just.... Why....?

Why on earth would you stick the talons above his head on the green one like that?


The Warriors have the hands and arms built INTO The guns for a reason....

I kind of agree here dude, the posing looks a bit awkward on the green one.The painting however looks excellent. Keep it up my friend that 7 is on its way for sure.
As for your issues with ardcoat, it doesn't need thinning bud, just lighter coats. All varnishes "fog" when applied too heavily.

I fail to see his point. They are boneswords. I can imagine in the days where the sword was the main weapon on the battlefield they would have held them in similar positions to intimidate their opponents

Those... are Scything Talons. and it doesn't really work for an Alien species who is also carrying a giant venom Cannon.

The posing kills the models for me.

Well I read through most of this thread - huge improvements have been made, but all the Tyranids look almost half finished.

It has been mentioned a few times - the skin of the nids looks extremely flat. Your efforts on the armoured plates with the feathering stand out right away, but the lower half the the model looks as though it was just one colour painted on directly from the pot of paint.

One thing to do after you've applied your wash on the bone coloured areas is to do a dust to the areas (extremely light dry brush) using something light - fortress grey perhaps. It really helps make some of the raised surfaces pop.

Worth a try.

 gossipmeng wrote:
Well I read through most of this thread - huge improvements have been made, but all the Tyranids look almost half finished.

It has been mentioned a few times - the skin of the nids looks extremely flat. Your efforts on the armoured plates with the feathering stand out right away, but the lower half the the model looks as though it was just one colour painted on directly from the pot of paint.

One thing to do after you've applied your wash on the bone coloured areas is to do a dust to the areas (extremely light dry brush) using something light - fortress grey perhaps. It really helps make some of the raised surfaces pop.

Worth a try.

Thank you for the advice however I do do that. All of that. I guess I just need more practice. I have a few more pic to show when I can next do so. I think they're the best I've done yet. I hope that you'll be able to see the techniques better.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 SheSpits wrote:
The posing kills the models for me.

I think the poses give the models individual personalities and makes them unique. But maybe I have gone over the top abit :(.

Posing is fine, but its hard to be done right.

Posing for Termagants is the coolest and imo simplest. Just heat them in boiling water for a few seconds until you can curve their tails just a TEENY bit.

Gives them a bit of motion.

 Bloodhorror wrote:
Those... are Scything Talons. and it doesn't really work for an Alien species who is also carrying a giant venom Cannon.

Clearly your not a Nid player. True they are an alien race but a Tyranid Warrior is more intelligent than a human, a space marine and possibly an eldar. These creature can wield swords and massive cannons like they're part of their own bodies because, in the fluff, they are.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Bloodhorror wrote:
Posing is fine, but its hard to be done right.

Posing for Termagants is the coolest and imo simplest. Just heat them in boiling water for a few seconds until you can curve their tails just a TEENY bit.

Gives them a bit of motion.

Ah thank you. I didn't know you could do it that way. I mingh try it later.

 TyranidPainter wrote:

 Bloodhorror wrote:
Those... are Scything Talons. and it doesn't really work for an Alien species who is also carrying a giant venom Cannon.

Clearly your not a Nid player. True they are an alien race but a Tyranid Warrior is more intelligent than a human, a space marine and possibly an eldar. These creature can wield swords and massive cannons like they're part of their own bodies because, in the fluff, they are.

Buddy, I've been playing Nids for 5 years now... I'm not disputing the fact that they can wield giant weapons and giant guns, i'm disputing the fact that the posing of him roaring with swords held high would be fine, if it wasn't also for the ranged weapon as well...

Its essentially me on my roof Holding a pitchfork and shouting FETH OFF OR I'LL STAB YOU whilst shooting them with a bazooka.

 Bloodhorror wrote:

Buddy, I've been playing Nids for 5 years now... I'm not disputing the fact that they can wield giant weapons and giant guns, i'm disputing the fact that the posing of him roaring with swords held high would be fine, if it wasn't also for the ranged weapon as well...

Its essentially me on my roof Holding a pitchfork and shouting FETH OFF OR I'LL STAB YOU whilst shooting them with a bazooka.

Oh I see. I guess it's just a matter of prferance. My warrior's are equipped with deathspitters, bonesword and a lash whip to make them jack of all trades. Since all tyranid weapons are assault weapons it makes sence to allow them to shoot down their foe before chargeing in. Also with the new overwatch rule, why not give a close combat unit the opportunity to take afew out before compleatly annialating them.

Ok, just a few more pics of one of my recent models. I'm Planning on moving on from nids soon though. Just to mix it up abit:







This is my fave warrior so far and I'm especially proud of the way I've applied the washes on this one. Tell me what you think?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also here are my 8 genestealers that have been dipped with the behemoth coulour scheme