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Hi. First time posting on dakka, but I’ve been reading for a while. I painted some of my first guys a few weeks ago (the space marine half of the 40k Dark Imperium set) and didn’t use primer. I’ve been playing with them a while and now I have a few questions:
1. The paint seems to be staying on despite the lack of priming (I didn’t know it even existed until after I started, and then I just wanted to finish my guys fast) but there is a bit coming off on the rim of the captain’s cloak. I can’t prime them now, but would some kind of matte varnish be good to just keep it all stuck together?
2. I want a good looking but dirty Ultramarines army, so I’ve been doing clean, careful painting and then a grimy all over a grad earthshade. Is there a better (but still easy) way to get this affect without looking too different? (I want my army to look cohesive without having to repaint the guys I already have)
3. Any general things that I could improve based on the pictures attached?

NOTE: Please be brutally honest. My feelings mean nothing, just tell me what ever comes to mind.

Thanks!


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Sorry. CERAMITE white, not ceramic.

Apply another wash to darken recesses, then highlight with a slightly lighter shade of blue. Looks like a good start!

Well, I say this in all seriousness; you're already ahead of about 60% of people who play Warhammer 40K. I mean that. Your starting skill level is superb, and you're already at a decent tabletop standard.

Easily above the majority of people who play the game. You're not going to win any competitions in the next year, but your colour application is nice and crisp, and you're staying within the lines. White is always tough to paint - even moreso when you don't have primer! (yeah, definitely prime them!).

Just keep painting, and skill will come along. Don't rush at trying every fancy technique you see on YouTube. Start simple, start clean and then start trying stuff as you get more comfortable.

They look absolutely great for a first attempt. Brilliant work.

On to the critique

1. "Clumpy" paint means you haven't thinned it enough. It's a tricky thing, thinning paints to the correct consistency, particularly bright colours imo. Thin the paint down and do multiple coats. I know everyone says this as you probably roll your eyes and think "this sounds awful, painting the same bit like 3-5 times but trust me it'll look way better.

2. I play Orks (as you can probably tell) and I hate seeing units that look "clean". They're supposed to be on a battlefield, they'd be all beaten up! I've found that going around select edges of armour with a silver paint (I use Ironbreaker) helps add a chipping and worn effect. Don't do all the edges, and try not to be too consistent. It's hard to explain, but you want it to be jagged so it looks natural. If you feel up to it try thin, quick strokes to make the effect that a bullet has pinged off a pauldron.

3. If you want to go "extra dirty" you might want to get the technical paint "Typhus Corrosion". It's really weird to describe but is like thin mud with bits in. I put it on rusted or old blades, joints of armour and a drop around rivets typically. It really adds to the grime. When you feel more comfortable and if you feel it suits your army aesthetic you can do it running down vehicle panes and things. I wouldn't do that on infantry though.

4. Look on YouTube for resources that suit what you're trying to go for. Search for people who have done beat up marines before and try to copy their technique if they explain it. If you can't find a marine style that you want to create, look at other races. I've used techniques for painting Age of Sigmar, old, rusted, undead weapons on my Orks' Choppas sometimes because I thought the aesthetic fit.

I hope that helps a little? The most important thing I think is to visualise what you want to achieve then try and make it happen. Whether that's through online research or your own imagination is up to you.

 Elbows wrote:
Well, I say this in all seriousness; you're already ahead of about 60% of people who play Warhammer 40K. I mean that. Your starting skill level is superb, and you're already at a decent tabletop standard.

Easily above the majority of people who play the game. You're not going to win any competitions in the next year, but your colour application is nice and crisp, and you're staying within the lines. White is always tough to paint - even moreso when you don't have primer! (yeah, definitely prime them!).

Just keep painting, and skill will come along. Don't rush at trying every fancy technique you see on YouTube. Start simple, start clean and then start trying stuff as you get more comfortable.

Yeah honestly your layers are even and clean, you paint within the lines and all that jazz just fine.

as for the model id say it looks flat for now. you want to bring out a wee bit of contrast with some washes and highlights.

Okay, thanks!

So, as far as I can tell I should:
Prime (obviously)
Thin lighter clumpy paints
Generally look at YouTube/ what others have done
Add contrast with more targeted washes/highlights (like in crevices etc.)
Practice.
Thanks for the advice! (Also, Emperor’s Bowels! those replies were quick!)

We all at to start somewhere dude, in my case I started about 10 steps behind you!

One day I'll put pics of my old models on here to give everyone a good laugh. 10-14 year old me was not a great painter, it happens.

You are doing better than I am now! That is a starting model to be proud of. But as others said, thin, wash, and highlight.

Yeah, you're doing a great job painting them.

While I wouldn't call Primer optional, it's really there to keep the paint in place. A matte varnish would definitely make up for the oversight.

I use Liquitex Matte Varnish and find it offers the most strength while diluting the colors the least. I'm not always happy with metals after the varnish coat, and sometimes go over them again (it's fine to paint over varnish.)

With regard to technique - besides some careful washes, the one thing I would learn how to do is some edge highlighting. That would really make the blues pop without making them look too pristine.

That's a great start. On the subject of Ceramite white, it's literally the worst GW base colour I've come across. Every pot I've had has been very thick and seems tacky like it's half dried out.

The paint had definitely separated in the pot and it took about 5 minutes of aggressively violent shaking to get it to a sort of colored-water-with-lumps stats. Would an off-white like ulthuan grey work better?

I dabbled in highlighting with some of the backpacks but didn’t have the courage to do it to my leaders. I also tried a bit of highlighting on my Hellblaster Sergeant’s bald head which was... meh. (I just told myself that maybe he had had his head blown apart and it was just scar tissue.)

How are you highlighting? Are you mixing paints together?

Do you have a wet palette? If not I would look online how to make DIY one and do it now. It massively improves painting generally and makes mixing much easier.

If you are washing space marines, paint the washes into the recesses of the armour joints directly. Its not to difficult to do with a nice fine brush, and will stop any pooling on the main armour panel which can give you a mottled effect. It will add a lot of depth to your mini's without highlights, always a good thing.

But great job on your first minis! As others have said, prime, thin and wash/highlight. Edge highlights look great on Space Marine Armour, just add a couple of thin lines to the upper edges of some armour panels to create a good effect, you dont even need to do all of them. Thinning paints makes life easier for you, if you control how much paint is on your brush it lets you do two to three thin layers, meaning you can do almost anything.

As for white, I use a grey base coat, Ulthuan grey for the first layer then a white scar highlight. Blue wash if I want a cold look to it, which would work well on a Smurf.

To be embarrassingly honest, I’ve just been mixing a bit of the white-colored water from the ceramite white with some macragge blue and having at it . The bald head was with a bit (well, more than a bit actually) of Rajasthani flesh over bugmans glow.

Ulthuan grey over a grey base, or just ulthuan over the primer?


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Sorry, RAKARTH flesh, not... I’m not sure what.

Ulthuan over a grey base, it is pretty pale for a grey so you want something light underneath it.

Okay! Critique... I will say for starting out... I wish I was that good starting out.
Would have avoided a lot of pain and ugly looking painting on my part.
Yours however is not.

1) Seeing parting lines on the model. It makes a huge difference if you file those down or washes and shades would make them look worse.

2) Yep, primer is a must in my books. Painting is too much "work" to risk it peeling off.

3) First to address your old paints issue: try getting an acrylic "medium" and use that to touch-up your paints: too much water eventually does nothing but make lumps. I tend to get "Liquitex Matt Medium". That stuff is the "binder" that the pigment floats in. I hate all that fine work having that "chalky" texture.

4) A good trick for metallic: paint a non-metallic color over the surface you plan to paint metallic, they tend to be a bit transparent so it will give a much better line. Also you can almost do a wash with the metallic and it looks awesome even with a sloppy job done. For a deeper look, go shade or two darker with that first "block paint" before metallic.

5) Use the shade, do not believe the idea of "slopping" it on, target recesses and rivets/bolts it does require some cleanup: pooling in exposed surfaces can look ugly like a water mark. Your blue would look much better with a blue shade applied. NOTE: I strongly recommend getting all your pretty painting done BEFORE shade unless it is some edge highlighting. Some people apply a hard clear coat first for better flow and easy cleanup of the shade then seal again later.

6) For whites, I have to narrow down between two choices: for older more "natural" looking materials, base coat a light tan (I have tried darker brown), then a cream, then edge highlight or a careful wash of an eye-gouging white. For a more new / magical / clean look: base coat with a very light grey (some blue to it), it even covers black pretty much in one coat. Then go to an off-white (with a hint of blue) then again a highlight with eye-gouging titanium or whatever name white. NEVER block color a light sucking black or full white: you cannot go any further to show detail.

You have a good steady hand, you stay in the lines very well.
I saw a few unpainted bits near the hilt of the sword but your detail is excellent.

I am teaching my son (11yrs) how to paint and taking on the GW Cairn Wraith and that spindly guy takes a steady hand so I am getting a new appreciation of the learning process.