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I got the marines from my therapist. Paint is a mix of Vallejo and craft store bs, and a single bottle of lotharn blue from citadel, and some homemade ink in the cracks that looks like balls.

the base is a poker chip I had lying around. I used pliers to crush the Tau helmet, and the skull chunk is from one of those space marine flying skull things.


If you dont have anything nice to say, then you should say it and help me improve.

This is your first mini ever? What a way to introduce yourself to the community!! Nicely done. Big fan since I find Angry Marines awesome and Tau suck.

It's an amusing bit of modelling. I like it immensely.

The tone of your post cracked me up. Did your therapist suggest violence in art would be helpful?

Dont know if you want tips on improving the paint job, so I am going to sign off now.

Love the idea. Is he any less angry now he's done that?

You've got the neatness down pretty well for an early figure. Everything's pretty much where it should be, and your freehand on the shoulder is very clean.

Thin your paints (more). Stops you end up with a clumpy effect, makes it easier to do details, crevices and such. Just water will do it, and then wipe the excess off on a kitchen towel or someone you don't like very much. it's absolutely okay if it takes two coats to get a solid colour. Hell, some folk take more than that, but they're more patient than us mortals.

After that you could start looking at washes and how they bring the details on things like armor and faces.

Great first miniature. Just to echo what others have said;
1) thin your paints more
2) experiment with washes to get more definition

timetowaste85: yeah, my first painted one. the therapist didnt have a lot in the way of paint.
colonelfazackerley: I used to be an angry, violent gorilla, and this was a better suggestion than flower arrangement.
Buttery Commissar: if you use those little citadel pots, how do you thin them? do you just pour water into the pot, or use something else? TELL ME YOUR SECRETS.
Dreadclaw69: washes. thinning. got it. thanks!

Don't pour water into the pots.

Have a palette, and regularly add a bit of water (dip brush into water and mix into paint, clean brush, continue painting).
As a baseline, just keep it somewhat thinner than you get it from the pot and you should have a decent basic start.

As for your angry marine (interesting first pick, if you're *starting out* with the 1d4chan memes I'd love to know where you are in a couple of months ):
Basecoat white, paint yellow of choice, apply Games Workshop Reikland Fleshshade over all of the yellow parts, making sure it does pool in the recesses and does not pool on the flat bits. Easier than it sounds as long as you pay some attention while the wash dries. And yes I am telling you to watch paint dry, at least the first few times around
after that you can paint the basic yellow color back onto the flat bits (do not get this into recesses, of course), and after that, mix some white into the yellow and paint nice thin lines (highlights) onto the edges.

FYI BTW, yellow is generally not regarded as an ideal 'easy' colour to get right, but if this is model no. 1 I'd say just keep at it and you'll be okay


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Oh, IMO it's usually best to thin paint used to paint on highlights a little more.
Not so much that it flows off the edges, but enough that it flows off of your brush real easily, moreso even than when you're just painting the flat surface.
...It makes more sense once you just try it.

I use old soda/water bottle tops and add a drop of water to some paint to thin it... These things make a great palette to use to paint with.


To echo someone else's reply, Yellow can be a tough color to make look good.


But for your first mini? Beats the heck outta my first models. Keep plugging away, practice makes permanent.

Pringles tube lids make excellent palettes as well. And if you're mixing up a colour, because it's clear you can hold it over the model for a tone-check. Also you can just throw them away and not have to wash anything.

Yeah, don't put water directly in the pots unless they are super clumpy and dying. For one they don't like it, and for two, if you change your mind and want a thicker paint for dry brushing later, you made life hard for yourself.

I'm lazy so I just add a few drops of water and then SHAKE THE OUT OF THAT LITTLE POT Angry Marines style and check to see if it's got the consistency I want and repeat until satisfied. I'm no pro, but I'm not aspiring to be and this works fine.

There's a lot of character in this piece, I hope you do some more

 katfude wrote:
I'm lazy so I just add a few drops of water and then SHAKE THE OUT OF THAT LITTLE POT Angry Marines style and check to see if it's got the consistency I want and repeat until satisfied. I'm no pro, but I'm not aspiring to be and this works fine.

that's actually a terrible piece of advice. The correct way of thinning your paints is an art in itself but just using the right consistency improves your painting incredibly! Never pour water in the pots, you'll just mess them up.
Usually it's best if you don't start with bad habits since it's hard to get rid of them later. If I suddenly lost all my experience with painting and had to start over new I'd like someone to introduce me to a wet pallette immediately. It makes life so much easier!

 katfude wrote:
I'm lazy so I just add a few drops of water and then SHAKE THE OUT OF THAT LITTLE POT Angry Marines style and check to see if it's got the consistency I want and repeat until satisfied. I'm no pro, but I'm not aspiring to be and this works fine.

about that....


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 tommse wrote:

 katfude wrote:
I'm lazy so I just add a few drops of water and then SHAKE THE OUT OF THAT LITTLE POT Angry Marines style and check to see if it's got the consistency I want and repeat until satisfied. I'm no pro, but I'm not aspiring to be and this works fine.

that's actually a terrible piece of advice. The correct way of thinning your paints is an art in itself but just using the right consistency improves your painting incredibly! Never pour water in the pots, you'll just mess them up.
Usually it's best if you don't start with bad habits since it's hard to get rid of them later. If I suddenly lost all my experience with painting and had to start over new I'd like someone to introduce me to a wet pallette immediately. It makes life so much easier!

I know, right? I shook up a pot of something called brass scorpion, now it looks wierd.


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 Bolognesus wrote:
Don't pour water into the pots.

Have a palette, and regularly add a bit of water (dip brush into water and mix into paint, clean brush, continue painting).
As a baseline, just keep it somewhat thinner than you get it from the pot and you should have a decent basic start.

As for your angry marine (interesting first pick, if you're *starting out* with the 1d4chan memes I'd love to know where you are in a couple of months ):
Basecoat white, paint yellow of choice, apply Games Workshop Reikland Fleshshade over all of the yellow parts, making sure it does pool in the recesses and does not pool on the flat bits. Easier than it sounds as long as you pay some attention while the wash dries. And yes I am telling you to watch paint dry, at least the first few times around
after that you can paint the basic yellow color back onto the flat bits (do not get this into recesses, of course), and after that, mix some white into the yellow and paint nice thin lines (highlights) onto the edges.

FYI BTW, yellow is generally not regarded as an ideal 'easy' colour to get right, but if this is model no. 1 I'd say just keep at it and you'll be okay


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh, IMO it's usually best to thin paint used to paint on highlights a little more.
Not so much that it flows off the edges, but enough that it flows off of your brush real easily, moreso even than when you're just painting the flat surface.
...It makes more sense once you just try it.

thats some really good advice. thank you. I have a bottle of that Reikland stuff, I will try it. (why the hell dont they just say brown shade?)

Love model and everybody at our local club hates the Tau so...Great job for a first model. I know my first was not that good.

Only fine tuning I would recommend on that actual model is the following:

- The storm Bolter looks very shiny. A black wash would help bring out some of the detail like the small lines on the mag.

- You have silver on the bolter and a bit of silver on the edges of the power fist but the main body is yellow, very yellow. Maybe paint the aquilla on the chest in the same silvery color followed by a dark wash so it's not too shiny and looks a bit more dirty. Or paint the aquilla with the same red as the shoulder pads to break the big part of yellow in the middle of the fig.

...I really would take that picture out of your post before someone else works out what it is. Also it's about two feet wide on my monitor. At the least, spoiler tag it so we don't have to scroll sideways to see your paintjob.

I guess the most important question is, did you enjoy doing the thing? And what's up next?

(why the hell dont they just say brown shade?)

First of all, it's one of three brown shades, that would get confusing. (the other are called Agrax Earth and Seraphim Sepia, which is, of course, not confusing at all.)
Secondly they seem to want to make the names as IP-specific as possible. They obfuscated the hell out of the paint range names a while ago, apparently for such a reason.

As an aside, Reikland Fleshshade is also the least brown of the 'brown' washes; it's more of a reddish, somewhat dark orange hue, really.
Also its primary use is in painting skin tones, so the flesh part of Fleshshade actually makes sense.
(Also Seraphim Sepia is very much a sepia tone, and earth tends to be somewhat brownish so at least they're somewhat logical to remember.)

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
...I really would take that picture out of your post before someone else works out what it is. Also it's about two feet wide on my monitor. At the least, spoiler tag it so we don't have to scroll sideways to see your paintjob.

I guess the most important question is, did you enjoy doing the thing? And what's up next?

It seems to be an innocent massager but (at least in hentai) it's usually used as something else, yeah.

I have to say, the painting needs some improvement BUT HOLY, those are some serious diorama skills! Awesomely done!

Not really much to add other than "try to follow Bolognesus advice" because I think he said it all

wow thats a lot better than my first model!
angry marines are awesome and tau are a joke so good job.

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
...I really would take that picture out of your post before someone else works out what it is. Also it's about two feet wide on my monitor. At the least, spoiler tag it so we don't have to scroll sideways to see your paintjob.

I guess the most important question is, did you enjoy doing the thing? And what's up next?

I borrowed it from my wife. She doesnt use it as a massager either.

I got a human plasma gunner world war 2 guy. no title on him, but I will put him in a different post.

 Priest Foxley wrote:

Buttery Commissar: if you use those little citadel pots, how do you thin them? do you just pour water into the pot, or use something else? TELL ME YOUR SECRETS.
Dreadclaw69: washes. thinning. got it. thanks!

Place the paint on a pallet (a piece of cardboard would do I suppose) using a brush take some paint out of the pot and put it on a pallet. Then you take your brush and place the tip in water for just under a second before mixing the water on the brush with the paint.

the fact that you have the male circles to post your mini and its that good is a kudos from me, I am too meek to show off my pathetic attempts at painting, I still love every min of it its like meditation if you ask me... I know its a silly idea but a little bit of fire and pliers and you could have squeezed a tau head into a squashed look

This thread is full of win!

You... I like you...

Lovely piece of action there. I like the mildy disinterested look on the beaky marine helmet. Also the piece of skull on the ground covered in blue looks well done as well.


You have gotten good advice in thinning paints etc from others, so I'll throw in a littel piece here as well: The tiny "scroll" that the angry marine has on his shoulder, can be filled with some small scribbles to make it look like text. There are plenty of examples in the gallery of this and IMO it makes the models look more detailed without too much flicking as well.

Great first miniature, thin your paints, maybe look into washes and technicals.

I lost it on the paint shaking technique. Keep it up, work on thinning your paints and you will do just fine.

I think, after seeing your attitude here, you can begin expecting an application to be my new best friend. You're fething awesome.

Check out this one, its a dakkite, who made a similar diorama.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/449954-.html

 timetowaste85 wrote:
I think, after seeing your attitude here, you can begin expecting an application to be my new best friend. You're fething awesome.

dude, those busts! you got some serious talent. application drekking approved.


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 triplegrim wrote:
Lovely piece of action there. I like the mildy disinterested look on the beaky marine helmet. Also the piece of skull on the ground covered in blue looks well done as well.


You have gotten good advice in thinning paints etc from others, so I'll throw in a littel piece here as well: The tiny "scroll" that the angry marine has on his shoulder, can be filled with some small scribbles to make it look like text. There are plenty of examples in the gallery of this and IMO it makes the models look more detailed without too much flicking as well.

micron pen? ive heard of this technique.

Totally awesome. Great free hand on the right should pad too.

D