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I've almost finished my first batch of infantry from open fire that I bought a few months ago, and after watching the battlefront tutorial over and over I've noticed that my models don't quite pop as much. The grey is more green and muted on my models, and their camouflage smocks are MUCH brighter than mine. Is it my paints (which are exactly what battlefront say I should use) or does battlefront do something they don't mention in the video? It's really bugging me as they just look bland and sort of one coloured at the moment :/

Are you using Vallejo paints?

A lot of the time when companies paint models for being photographed they will over highlight and shade. If you see the models in person they look exaggerated and odd. In the photos it makes them pop and gives high quality definition to the models. If camo is done to look realistic then by design it will appear muddled. On miniatures you have to exaggerate the camo to get that pop.

I'm using the exact vallejo paints listed in the video by battlefront. I mean, I'm happy with the way I've painted them, but the colours just don't fit what was shown in the video.

I had the same problem as you http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/544060.page


In the end i have just lightened all the colours i use (just adding a little white to the flames of war recommendations) and it works much better

What colour did you base them?

Mine were based black and then vejello colours used




I found it took a couple of thin coats to get the colour I wanted.

I didn't use a base coat *prepares for the mental ass kicking from EVERYONE on dakka*

Normally I basecoat black though, and I get the same results, and after looking at yours the colour is about the same, so I guess I got them right.

Thanks for the help guys! LazzurusMan

What colors did you use? Were these washed after being base coated?

No washes what so ever, and I can't exactly remember what colours, but if you find the battlefront video on youtube shoing how to paint the open fire germans you'll find the clours I used.

It has been a while since I painted Germans but if I recall correctly it should be german field gray for the uniform and german dark gray for the helmets. I think I used a black wash over the base coat and then built up the highlights over top. It worked pretty well. The final highlight I had to go pretty light (almost white).

I started with german camo dark green, then layered with fieldgrey leaving the green in the recesses, including the helmet.

So, after painting another panzergrenadier I've realised my mistake...I hadn't left enough shading in the recesses, and I'd left too many other bit's grey. I didn't realise that the ammo pouches were black, and that the mess tin was that lump on their back! Thanks again for all the help guys, and look out for my finished infantry bases in the near future

LazzurusMan

I've found, that if you don't do the Cartoon-Style BF painting they can look wierd if you follow their guides.

I went down the tried and tested, base colours, wash, and a very very light, dry brush and then final detailing for many of my miniatures.

USMC



PARA's



I do not try to do the layered approach of the BF mini's because I dislike the cartoon feel and I use Vallejo exclusively for my paints.

At this scale I don't bother too much with Camo, I go for the impression of Camo rather than precision.

I use the layer approach with mine, but it depends on what colors you're using though. With my German SS, it's the base color, followed by the dark wash and then use the base color for the highlights, hitting the raised areas. For my camo, i use the colors that would stand-out a bit but not so much where it pops or anything. Use some faded approaches to the spots and some "bright" ones.







Now for lighter tones, such as used on my North African Bersaglieri, I use the base coat over black, then a brown-wash (the old Devlin Mud by Citadel or Argax Nightshade [sic?]) then it's a dry-brush of the Dun color or Iraqi Sand/Light Sand to give it a somewhat "sandy" look to brighten up the edges a bit.

I notice that in your picture you have not yet based the stand. Try doing that, it may sound odd but after you've finished basing the models they always look more complete.

Basing really makes a different with the 15mm scale stuff. But that being said, your mini's look great. Professional photography can explain a lot of the difference you see between yours and the examples from Battlefront, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. Like I said, your stands look great.

Well, after a bit of a highlight and remembering how to take photo's of something so small on a camera phone I got these pictures. I'm surprised how well the fieldgrey uniform came out, but I'm a little let down by the camo, the green grey just doesn't seem light enough after highlighting the fieldgrey, and I have no vallejo colours lighter than green grey to mix it with. What do you guys think?

Also, what sort of insignia etc should be painted on them? That's another thing I know nothing about.

There is a falsehood to camo, in reality you wouldn't want Highlights, because it would make you stand out.

So if you are going for realism that camo is awesome. If you want a brighter / more false representation but actually more visually appealing at that scale then you need to exagerate some of the detail.



This is the cartoon look I refer to...I'm not keen on it though it is impressive. It's the same with my FW miniatures I prefer natural / real over cartoonish.

Also you might want to grab a Daylight bulb, I bought a Daylight lamp and it made a huge difference to matching paint colours and hues. Which if you paint under Yellow / Artificial light they look very different to white light.



I was skeptical, but the under the white light conditions of Flash my models looked much better when painted under the same light conditions.

Also buying a light tent, can help in photography and cost as little as $20 / £15 on Ebay.



I use my Lamp, and it diffuses through the tent, then put a piece of paper at the bottom. You can then take amazing photo's with even a SMART PHONE Camera.

Okay, so first of all thank you all very much for your input. The 4 guys on the base are now finished and I'm VERY happy with them, unfortunately I'm not sure how I should go about basing them. All I have to hand is PVA, GW sand and grass flock and some woodland scenics clump foliage.

Would those materials be acceptable for basing FOW miniatures?

Lazzarus,
Those materials sound great. The recessed spots on the Battlefront bases make basing easy. Just do your best to fill in around the figures and you'll be set.

Well, I've decided to buy the basecrafts 15mm basing kit first, as that'll give me a great range of materials to use, all for the outstanding price of £12!

Camo looks brilliant, nice work