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Okay so I've decided its time to start painting again. And with that decision there are several things for me to consider before I start...

While I was never a terribly good painter I do have the benefit of at least I never put in large amounts of time honing the skill either, so hopefully if I do that Ill be at least somewhat decent. At this point its been close to 15 years since I've done anything except slop some paint on large pieces of terrain with a brush so I've forgotten what little I knew to begin with. That's probably a good thing as I most likely wasnt doing stuff correctly anyway.

Now as far as "how to do ___" tutorials I've got a selection of them to watch and can find most of that type of thing on my own, although I wouldn't be opposed if anyone had any favorite content creators they might want to pass along ( bonus points if its the same person doing them for continuity purposes as opposed to a different person teaching x technique).

What I could use is some wisdom when it comes to buying what is essentially new everything in the painting department as far as supplies go, those things you wish you bought at the start or did in regards to improving your skill. I may as well at least try my best to get it right from the start since I have the chance.

Anyway thanks for the help hopefully I'm sure Ill be adding stuff to this as it occurs to me.

Well welcome back to painting! I took a big break from models and was never good at painting and then I got back into it and became a better painter thanks to all the resources on this forum and elsewhere online!

Here's a list of stuff that will help you out and get better painting results:
- High quality brushes (this is the most important thing you'd be amazed how much you painting skills go up using good quality brushes...lots of different kinds available I find a 0 brush good for most applications)
- wet pallet (I find this a very good tool for paint management and getting your paints to the right consistency which is essential to proper layers)
- brush cleaner (I use Masters Series Brush Cleaner...helps keep those pricey brushes clean!)

That's probably the essential stuff for me anyways, hopefully others will give some good tips too!

Yep Ive got my make a wet pallet video saved already!

Im actually in really good shape for brushes. (a relative who owned a ceramics studio passed and I snatched up any potentially useful painting stuff) Not too many smaller ones but alot of very expensive brushes in general.

Ah yes brush cleaner, thats one thing I never even heard of last time I was actively painting, guess it didnt matter much though since I was using junk brushes anyway.

So.... when did paints get so damn expensive? These things are at least double what I remember them costing :/ Maybe Im remembering wrong though. Probably.

Im going to give this a shot later this week but has anyone tried something along the lines of these I was thinking mix in some flow aid toss it in a bottle such as this and it might be good to go?

I mean if it is decent itll come out to <1$ a bottle and the bottle is ALOT bigger than typical miniature paint. Of course that doesnt mean anything if its trash. Was just something that occurred to me when browsing supplies. The gf dabbles with canvas painting so Ive got some of those paints around and can give it a test go, but I figured I may as well ask here in case someone has given it a try. A forum search has turned up mixed results on how feasible they would be.

Ok on the basic colours: here is a very interesting thread about tube acrylics. If you're going to try to use the tube stuff, the recommendation is not to buy the basic stuff, because it's student grade low quality stuff (referencing aforementioned thread). You'd really want the higher grade acrylics.

*On the other hand* I've seen several people use craft acrylics and doing an awesome job with them o.O not something I'd recommend just saying, possible, especially if you're strapped for cash.

As for actual intended for miniature paints, yes they've definitely gone up. I seem to vaguely recall my first testor's pot (granted, enamel) was like $1.29.

Vallejo is a good brand of miniature paint, I do like reaper's line of paints especially their triads, so you haven't got to guess about base/midtone/highlights (really nice with flesh), I like GWs washes. I've heard good things about Vallejos inks but not tried them. A lot of people like Army Painter and the Minitaire (sp) line? I believe made for or made by Badger.

You really really want a couple of round sable 1s, 2s, and maybe one smaller (for like eyes) and one larger for bases. Three brushes to start would be great - I tend to buy more 1s than 2s now.

definitely secondly the brush cleaner, that stuff is awesome!

My only other suggestion to start off with is really just make sure your paint pot isn't a silly cup... so you don't mix it up with anything you're drinking (course you can always make sure you drink out of something that you won't mix up with your paint water too )

I actually stumbled upon that thread earlier today One of the handful where people were considering what I was. And yea it sounds like the basics are semi questionable for mini painting. The more expensive soft body line sounds superior. Not to say that I havent found some people having good results with the basics.

The biggest issue seems to be the pigments in hobby paints are ground much finer, and once thinned the liquitex stuff seems to be a bit more translucent and require more layering. Which probably is just fine depending on what you want to accomplish with painting. If your goal is to just toss down some base coats and dip the models it clearly isnt the way to go.

Like I said Ive got a few tubes of the basic stuff around the house at some point Ill give them a quick trial run see ho feasible it may or not be. If it doesnt work its not a huge deal, it was just a thought and since Im not curently locked into any specific colors from companies since Ive got a horde of gray models... now is the time to experiment.

Far as companies that actually make hobby paint. GW was largely what I used, but even back then I never thought it was that great. And now with the other options out there Im probably just going to look elsewhere. I did also use vallejo towards the end of my meager painting career, I remember having very mixed results with them. Again I wasnt good and probably was doing plenty wrong so its not fair to lay all the blame on the paint manufacturer.

Ive been looking at the reaper line a bit if I do go the hobby paint route its probably where Ill end up starting. Army painter looks good for primer at the very least, $20 for a can of GW primer aint happening. I remember complaining with friends about the price when it was like 8$ a can. But we all stuck with it cause we got the best results. Hopefully something else is good by now


And yes the water cup mixup would be bad. Probably a minor miracle that it didnt happen in the past since I used to paint while probably doing a 50/50 split of my attention on the actual painting) and the tv. ( I told you I was never any good at painting!)

Note that Reaper paints have a very matte finish which some (like myself) do not like.

Hehe good good - reaper has a lot of really good threads on their site, not knocking yall of course but I always figure the more help I get the better chances of getting a result that works lol

we're kind of spoiled for choice now, for paints honestly, makes it harder to choose sometimes

I don't spray can prime much here in Georgia anymore due to the humidity, but many people have had good results with a simple can of Krylon flat white/black primer, also. Although I really like the GW primer it is pretty expensive and anyway I've had to switch to brush on/air brush priming myself.

 Ghaz wrote:
Note that Reaper paints have a very matte finish which some (like myself) do not like.

Interesting I didnt know that. I think I generally prefer a matte clean look though so it shouldnt be an issue. Ill see if I can find some comparison pics or more info on this just in case though.


And yea an airbrush for priming and other stuff would be nice, but is a whole nother skillset to learn, and I suspect Ill have my hands full just getting to a competent level with a brush.

I've recently dived back in and had to get a new setup from scratch.

You're already there in terms of brush, palette and brush cleaner advice. For paints I would go for dropper bottles, or transfer any paint you get to droppers. So much easier to shake-up, save paint and stop it drying out. I've gone mainly for Vallejo Game range as I can match the GW colours but for much cheaper. I haven't tried the craft paints route but decent craft stuff has been useful for other uses (matte medium for glazes and washes is MUCH cheaper if you get it from the craft shop, for example).

I went straight in for an airbrush as I have other uses for it. I have found it so useful for priming and getting initial shaded basecoats on. However, it is a big investment and discretionary so can understand you not going for it. I haven't found the learning curve all that bad for the basics but to master it will take a lot of practice!

Other handy tips I've picked up:

- Using large corks to temporarily mount your miniatures for painting is great. Gives you a firm base to hold onto and a lot of control. I drill pins into the bottom of the feet and then stick the bottom of the pin into the cork. I can then trim the pin and use it to mount on the base
- Make sure mold lines are properly removed. They look terrible if you use washes
- Some cheap craft store brushes are useful for applying washes or drybrushing
- Painting and then assembling after is a great way to speed up painting. Far less time touching up errors or trying to reach fiddly bits
- Personally I have found organisers for my kit to be some of the best purchases! Little boxes with compartments mean I know where everything is and I am not scrabbling around the detritus on my desk looking for the thing I need before the paint dries

HTH

Yea the airbrush is looking pretty tempting, a little looking around and the 80$ ebay kits are fairly solid for learning on one anyway. I dunno maybe Im just overestimating how often it might clog etc. Stuff like that would annoy me. And yes I saw several vids of ways to lessen the chances of dry tips and other issues. I just still am on the fence in general in regards to one.


Anyone have anyplace they like to buy cheap practice models from? Ive got alot of random models around to use and Im sure I will but I was just wondering if anyone had any source for something cheap and a little more detailed than say buying a bag of plasic army men to learn some techniques on.

From my experience you need to paint a small number (3-6 infantry) of models 100% finished before moving on to the next.

After the first batch you learn what worked, what did not work. If you don't like the final result- GET OVER IT and keep on moving forward and keep painting the next batch.

You WILL GET BETTER each time you start a new batch. You will slowly have a painted army!!!!!!

 womprat49 wrote:
From my experience you need to paint a small number (3-6 infantry) of models 100% finished before moving on to the next.

After the first batch you learn what worked, what did not work. If you don't like the final result- GET OVER IT and keep on moving forward and keep painting the next batch.

You WILL GET BETTER each time you start a new batch. You will slowly have a painted army!!!!!!

Okay except theres no way Im going to practice painting on my 500 model high elf army... Need to get to not only a decent level first but somewhat of a consistent one, otherwise half or whatever portion of the army is going to look terrible when compared with the rest.

Thus why I was asking about cheap model lines etc. While I own a fair few models most of them are in the monster/hero category. I dont really have too many rank and file guys I dont care what happens to. And I fully expect the first well probably several batches of guys to just be stuff I want to toss. Which is fine, but not the attitude to take to the forgeworld super heavies or oop monsters and various other things Ive got sitting on my shelf.

Reaper bones aren't terrible for that-like $3 a blister or less. On the other hand, the mold line cleanup can be annoying due to the pvc not scraping like polystyrene. Another option would be historicals. Victrix has stuff like 48 greek hoplites for ~$40, and warlord has WW2 infantry in the same price per model range, both in the more normal grey polystyrene plastic.

I'm curious to know what videos you have saved up and plan on watching, do you mind sharing them?

Stop by GW and pick up some free bee minatures. they ususally hand em out to new people trying to get into the hobby. its Great for practicing.

personally would figure out exactly what kinda painting you are going for.

super high quality? or just simple and clean gaming models.

because for quality, id get an airbrush and various glazing mediums for the hair brush

for speed, id go with army painter spray primer, and there line of color matched bottle paint.

it should get your base cote down really fast. unless its a very multi colored model.

my 2 cents beside what everyone else mentioned.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 xevv wrote:
Yea the airbrush is looking pretty tempting, a little looking around and the 80$ ebay kits are fairly solid for learning on one anyway. I dunno maybe Im just overestimating how often it might clog etc. Stuff like that would annoy me. And yes I saw several vids of ways to lessen the chances of dry tips and other issues. I just still am on the fence in general in regards to one.


Anyone have anyplace they like to buy cheap practice models from? Ive got alot of random models around to use and Im sure I will but I was just wondering if anyone had any source for something cheap and a little more detailed than say buying a bag of plasic army men to learn some techniques on.

Honestly my airbrush is 90% clogged at all times. but it never bothers me.

i use some 90+% iso before i have to use it, it clears it out pretty much.

or lacquer thinner if i was using a lacquer before hand.

after im done i flush it out with the same solvent then water. it still sticks but its fine for base coating.

simplycj Ill pm you some of the stuff Ive got saved when I get home. Just a collection of stuff Ive found with various searching but I have no problems sharing.

As far as what kind of painting Im going for- Well I havent even played a game of warhammer or any wargame for that matter in probably 10 years now. At some point maybe I will again but its certainly not some rush to get it painted so I can play a game with it situation. During that time I kinda kept buying.... more so to just have that really nice showpiece high elf army I always wanted more than anything I suppose. Ive pretty much (or I hope so at least) stopped buying now that my army... looks like an army... its over 500 strong.

Now like I said theres no rush, but, I would like to keep my sanity so the end game goal is to come up with some system that is fairly good quality, nice and clean, but... isnt going to take 6 years to paint. But as Ive mentioned before my skills are probably close to nonexistent now so I want to start off learning/relearning on some basic stuff, build some level of skill then move on to the behemoth task of the elves.

Ill go look and see if I can find some more traditionally painted HE stuff that was done with an airbrush, most of the stuff I can remember seeing was done in a style that was super well done but was done in a way to really showoff what an airbrush can do. Which just isnt the style I personally like. I just have always liked the traditional style/scheme myself. Which I guess means you wouldnt recommend an airbrush?

Hoi boy its going to be fun.

for the most part i think you can get a VERY good looking army just by practicing painting inside the lines

after all that a good wash and varnish and it should look very good.

Yea if it all ends up like the image Ive had in my head for a long time itll be a pretty nice display. Got plans of it all being setup on what is essentially an 8x4 castle. (thats a whole nother project Ive been testing the waters on slowly lol)

But yea Ive liked plenty of "simple" clean paintjobs. So my personal taste isnt anything too flashy which is good cause that many models... something flashy and crazy would drive even a talented painter mad I assume.

Its time the two models that are painted hand company.