[Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by $iljanus »

This looks like a nice portable option. Runs off an AC adapter so don’t need to worry about charge and it looks like you can make some adjustments to pressure. Price is reasonable so one could also get another better quality starter airbrush if desired.

Master Airbrush Kit

Don’t know if I want to go down the rabbit hole of more complex painting with an airbrush but I really can see the convenience for priming and varnishing.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by hentzau »

Interesting. As you said, the price is low enough. It says it does 15 PSI "on demand", I'm usually spraying at about 20 PSI, so the 15 PSI on demand is a little on the low side for me. Might need to go a little bit thinner in your paints for that. If you get one, be interested to see how it works out for you.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

Lower pressure also tends to produce results that aren't quite as smooth, as the paint isn't atomized as much.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by $iljanus »

It’s been pretty fascinating reading about airbrushing and I found another cordless compressor from a company called Spraygunner. They carry many of the popular airbrushes and their NO-NAME cordless compressor brand caught my eye. The way they promote the various brands they sell sounded like the place is run by enthusiasts who paint seriously…or they’re pretty slick but I’ll be optimistic.

Universal Cordless Compressor

Watched some YouTube reviews that put the compressor through its paces using a variety of mediums and assorted airbrushes and nozzle sizes and it seemed to do quite well. To keep me on track I’m trying to keep these criteria and reasons for trying airbrushing in mind.

-Would like the ability to prime “year round”. I use rattle cans outside which is okay when the weather is optimal but it isn’t environmentally nice.
-Airbrushing varnish would be simpler than brushing it on I think and if I’m speed painting I’ll currently need to resort to a rattle can which brings about the issues mentioned above.
-Need a small footprint and some noise is expected since it’s a compressor after all regardless of size but a small compressor should hopefully be reasonably quiet (or not annoying)
-Should get a reliable “starter” airbrush. The Badger Patriot 105 seems to be well regarded. Looks easy to break down, plenty of available parts if something needs replacing, been in the business for a while.
-I can play around with doing some proper zenithal effects with an airbrush.
-Keep the price reasonable.
-Will it get me painting more often?
-On an aesthetic level, airbrushes are really cool looking tools. I respect that.
-Essentially, would initially want to just prime, varnish, perhaps spray on a base coat if I didn’t want to use contrast paint for a particular figure so I don’t mind starting small. Who knows, I may outgrow the compressor and want something larger. But that’s not in the immediate future.

Thanks for indulging my wool gathering!
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Zarathud »

Reaper Townsfolk painted with Army Painter Speed Paints:

Retainers and Kingsmen - The footman's "slaughter red" reactivated on the skirt because I didn't finish that part right away, leading to some splotchiness. The "zealot yellow" cloak on the lord is really nice.
Image

Women, Children and Farmers - the rightmost man shows the wonderful "hardened leather" pants, "holy white" sleeves, the yellow "malignant green" tunic and "pallid bone" for blond hair. The cloaked figure had the more finicky colors that still worked out -- the light denim "runic grey" under the "camo cloak" that I have problems mixing up smoothly, with a light "zealot yellow" blonde over the crusader skin (which mixes). The "runic grey" worked out more nicely on the crone.
Image

Tavern Patrons - These are pretty clear, and you can see the "zealot yellow" straw hat against the yellow "malignant green" shirt again with the "runic grey" pants.
Image
I was happy how the skins turned out differently while only using the "crusader skin" tone -- not always intentionally, as sometimes I ended up with additional layers which really darken up. The lighter skin tones are from lighter layers and being more careful cleaning up pooling. I started adding in some primer white (Army Painter) to specific areas where I needed to go back and fix problems, and that avoided reactivation issues. But I usually do that on a second day of painting, as I do a bunch of models then come back later to fix and add details.
Last edited by Zarathud on Fri Jul 08, 2022 8:20 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by $iljanus »

I really like the kid in yellow in the middle. He’ll probably pick my pocket or give me the plague but I like the details on him. Same for the old man in green in the third panel along with the monk looking fellow with the large purse who’s going to get pinched by the kid in panel two. :lol: Looking forward to maybe painting at least one figure tomorrow to get a feel for the paint.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Zarathud »

Edited the above to add commentary.
$iljanus wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 12:39 am I really like the kid in yellow in the middle. He’ll probably pick my pocket or give me the plague but I like the details on him. Same for the old man in green in the third panel along with the monk looking fellow with the large purse who’s going to get pinched by the kid in panel two. :lol: Looking forward to maybe painting at least one figure tomorrow to get a feel for the paint.
That kid was my attempt to recreate a funny family photo we call the "pollack sunshine twins" with my sister and a cousin in the purple tights and plaid yellow sundress. Not PC, but my mom's favorite pictures are us looking very 70s fashion-challenged.

The monk is the dark "cloudburst blue" which is very dark but bold. Pairing with the leather really made for a great emphasis on his failure to follow the vow of poverty.

The old man sculpt just popped with the Speed Paints. That's all the modeler.
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“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
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[Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Zarathud »

For Father's Day, I finished installing the painted MDF paint racks I bought from Impudent Mortal. The original owner died in 2020 after I bought 2 racks, but someone on etsy bought up the remaining stock and designs and I was able to pick up my final 2 racks at this year's Adepticon. Spray painting white on MDF is terribly inefficient, but I got it to work eventually.

My painting set up now fits above my computer:

Enlarge Image

Yes, I have spent more money than prudent on paints because I'm terrible at color theory and can't mix colors consistently. I started learning with Reaper color triads, then moved into Army Painter with a few Vallejo. The leftmost rack is all speed paints, contrast paints, inks, tones, and white/black or primers. The rightmost rack is my metallic paints, including a nice set of Army Painter color metals with some Turbo Dork paints that I used for my Car Wars cars. One rack is basic colors, with the other rack divided 1/3 among flesh/skin/bone colors, 1/3 browns and 1/3 greys. I still have 10+ year old paint bottles where the ink rubbed off but the paints are still usable because dropper bottles are so much nicer than Citadel pots.
Last edited by Zarathud on Fri Jul 08, 2022 8:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Smoove_B »

Big write up (and lots of photos) from North Star Miniatures (Frostgrave, Rangers of Shadow Deep, etc...) and the use of Speedpaints.
So that’s it, a unit of fifteen of them done in about a day, if I did it all together, for the painting. This is very quick for me and I can now visualise doing one or more whole armies using the Speedpaints and not only that, also combining them with more conventional painting for particular effects that I have liked, like flesh and fur.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by baelthazar »

$iljanus wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 12:26 am It’s been pretty fascinating reading about airbrushing and I found another cordless compressor from a company called Spraygunner. They carry many of the popular airbrushes and their NO-NAME cordless compressor brand caught my eye. The way they promote the various brands they sell sounded like the place is run by enthusiasts who paint seriously…or they’re pretty slick but I’ll be optimistic.
I have the NO NAME Tooty compressor and I am pretty happy with it. Solid build, works fast and is pretty quiet.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

Now is a good time to mention that if you're going to be airbrushing, you need to be wearing a respirator. A good paint respirator is fine if you're using acrylic (I use this one, but you can get it a lot cheaper than that.) But if you're airbrushing anything other than acrylic (check your varnishes!), you also need to make sure that it has non-expired filters rated for organic solvents (I use these in conjunction with that same respirator.

Even though acrylic isn't toxic, you don't want to fill your lungs up with particles of it, and much of the mist that hangs in the air is just dried atomized acrylic paint.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by $iljanus »

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 12:37 am Now is a good time to mention that if you're going to be airbrushing, you need to be wearing a respirator. A good paint respirator is fine if you're using acrylic (I use this one, but you can get it a lot cheaper than that.) But if you're airbrushing anything other than acrylic (check your varnishes!), you also need to make sure that it has non-expired filters rated for organic solvents (I use these in conjunction with that same respirator.

Even though acrylic isn't toxic, you don't want to fill your lungs up with particles of it, and much of the mist that hangs in the air is just dried atomized acrylic paint.
Was looking at spray booths but having a respirator is also pretty prudent. With a portable compressor working outside with a cardboard box and a N95 would be an interim option but for year round work inside I figured it would be best to gear up appropriately. I think my indulgent wife would be less indulgent if I started getting primer on the wall. And probably my lungs will thank me. Boy this hobby is expensive... :lol:
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

Spray booths are nice, but they are more about protecting the house and housemates than your lungs - you still need the respirator for the particles, and a filters for solvents. I mean, you could probably get by using a chemist's vent hood for a spray booth...
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by baelthazar »

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 12:37 am Now is a good time to mention that if you're going to be airbrushing, you need to be wearing a respirator. A good paint respirator is fine if you're using acrylic (I use this one, but you can get it a lot cheaper than that.) But if you're airbrushing anything other than acrylic (check your varnishes!), you also need to make sure that it has non-expired filters rated for organic solvents (I use these in conjunction with that same respirator.

Even though acrylic isn't toxic, you don't want to fill your lungs up with particles of it, and much of the mist that hangs in the air is just dried atomized acrylic paint.
I use the same respirator, but I don't have those nice filters. Which reminds me, my filters are probably out of date and I should go ahead and replace them. I think the varnish I normally use is acrylic-based, but it is good to know that a better filter might be needed.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

The organic vapor filter isn't needed for acrylics, just for anything with an organic solvent (IE - almost any paint, varnish, or anything else that isn't water based.) Personally, I use them just so I don't have to dig up MSDS on every product I want to spray.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by miltonite »

Kael, Wild Magic Sorcerer
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Eyes are still janky, I need a smaller brush for them.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Daveman »

I know I'm still just an amateur, but I don't bother painting eyes on typical sized miniatures (28mm?). Just make sure whatever wash I'm using on the face really settles in and makes the face stand out.

Larger sized miniatures I'll try and do something, or 28mm stuff when I want the eyes to be yellow or red, etc.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by hentzau »

Daveman wrote:I know I'm still just an amateur, but I don't bother painting eyes on typical sized miniatures (28mm?). Just make sure whatever wash I'm using on the face really settles in and makes the face stand out.

Larger sized miniatures I'll try and do something, or 28mm stuff when I want the eyes to be yellow or red, etc.
Been painting on and off for 30+ and I don’t paint eyes. Used to when I first got started but I always sucked at it. Not worth the bother at this point.

If I start on the Crisis Protocol minis again I may try again.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

I always painted eyes. I got pretty good at it, too. Here are some tips - it isn't a small brush, it's a brush with a fine tip - too small of a brush and the paint dries in the brush too fast to work.) Second, don't try to pain the eyes as eyes. Cover the entire area, then 'trim' the edges with the underlying color. This shows the easiest technique - paint the whole area white, then make lines for the pupils making no attempt to stay within the eye, then use darker flesh paint to cover the parts that aren't eye, then clean up to the edge of the darker flesh.

But a few years ago I saw this video, and I stopped painting eyes unless they were part of the 'character' of the miniature (like white eyes on zombies, or red eyes on a demon.)

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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by miltonite »

I was using a 1 I think and the tip is not the greatest. I should have used a newer brush but was being stubborn and didn't want to grab another when I should have. We will all just have to try not to look at the slightly janky eyes. These are only for tabletop quality. No one should be looking that closely anyway.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by $iljanus »

baelthazar wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 11:31 pm
$iljanus wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 12:26 am It’s been pretty fascinating reading about airbrushing and I found another cordless compressor from a company called Spraygunner. They carry many of the popular airbrushes and their NO-NAME cordless compressor brand caught my eye. The way they promote the various brands they sell sounded like the place is run by enthusiasts who paint seriously…or they’re pretty slick but I’ll be optimistic.
I have the NO NAME Tooty compressor and I am pretty happy with it. Solid build, works fast and is pretty quiet.
Spraygunner has a couple of nicely priced NO NAME compressors that range from 47 down to as low as 40dB. When I looked up how loud that would be in real world terms it’s reasonably quiet. Uh oh for my wallet…

I did end up going for the cordless NO NAME compressor (before I started watching some full sized compressor review videos) and a Badger 105 Patriot air sprayer and I’ll post in more detail about that in a while. But I am certainly intrigued by a full sized compressor. As I said, uh oh…
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Smoove_B »

So yeah, my issues with my Nemesis miniatures persist. My last conclusion was that it was the primer I'd selected - perhaps it was too old and its now funky on the miniatures. So I did a quick test with primer that I know works with Contrast paints by spraying over the bad stuff and allowing it to dry/cure. Now the minis are all sticky and sure enough, the Contrast paints still bead off the minis like they're waxed. It sticks in some spots but beads off in others so the contrast paint flow process isn't working at all.

Simple Green, take me away.

It's my own fault, really. I should have done one and tested it instead of batch priming all 20 miniatures thinking I was being smart. Lesson learned.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 10:47 am So yeah, my issues with my Nemesis miniatures persist. My last conclusion was that it was the primer I'd selected - perhaps it was too old and its now funky on the miniatures. So I did a quick test with primer that I know works with Contrast paints by spraying over the bad stuff and allowing it to dry/cure. Now the minis are all sticky and sure enough, the Contrast paints still bead off the minis like they're waxed. I
Sticky minis is often an indicator, not of bad primer, but of a primer that's having a chemical reaction with the miniatures themselves.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Smoove_B »

Interesting. I did not know that. I am going to completely strip them back down and use the primer I know works with Contrast paints on other miniatures. If that still results in the contrast paints beading off, I will just fully transition to paper standees. :D
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

Blackhawk wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 11:03 am
Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 10:47 am So yeah, my issues with my Nemesis miniatures persist. My last conclusion was that it was the primer I'd selected - perhaps it was too old and its now funky on the miniatures. So I did a quick test with primer that I know works with Contrast paints by spraying over the bad stuff and allowing it to dry/cure. Now the minis are all sticky and sure enough, the Contrast paints still bead off the minis like they're waxed. I
Sticky minis is often an indicator, not of bad primer, but of a primer that's having a chemical reaction with the miniatures themselves.
Sure enough, I found a few references to Nemesis (assuming I found the right one) using PVC for for their miniatures. Basically, they're Bones. Most commercial primers (or, more specifically, the accelerant/solvent) will cause a chemical reaction with PVC that turns them tacky and hydrophobic. Some people have solved it by giving the tacky miniatures a spray of Dullcote, but that's no guarantee.

If you want to use a rattle can primer with PVC, try Army Painter.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

This is a much-quoted Bones post that may be of help.

And yes, always test - the bottoms of bases works if they didn't come on sprues.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by hentzau »

My table for a Pulp Alley game last night…

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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Smoove_B »

Problem aerosol spray primers and paints:

Krylon white primer – doesn’t bond, stays tacky
That is absolutely what they were originally primed with.
Rust-oleam Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2x – slight tackiness possible
This is what I just tried using (or the modern equivalent)

Well...now I know. While I'm not happy, I do at least appreciate finding out what the F is going on.

EDIT: This would be one instance where having an airbrush would have avoided this mess. I have a pile of Bones miniatures too that came to me right before I moved and have been sitting untouched. I guess I could have learned this sooner if I wasn't such a slacker. :D
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 11:22 am EDIT: This would be one instance where having an airbrush would have avoided this mess. I have a pile of Bones miniatures too that came to me right before I moved and have been sitting untouched. I guess I could have learned this sooner if I wasn't such a slacker. :D
FWIW, the primer I recommend with airbrushes is Badger Stynlrez, and it also makes a great brush-on primer.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Smoove_B »

I've tried using Vallejo surface primer as a brush-on option and I didn't find that it worked well with the contrast paints - because getting an even coating with brush on was difficult (for me).

But yes, the thought occurred to me I could use brush-on primers as well but then the whole process takes so much longer.

I feel like this is all pushing me to get an air brush and I don't appreciate it. :D
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Zarathud »

I have been priming Army Painter white and it's worked well with Speedpaints. It also goes over decently over the preprimed Nolzur's miniature line.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

Zarathud wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 11:45 am I have been priming Army Painter white and it's worked well with Speedpaints. It also goes over decently over the preprimed Nolzur's miniature line.
With Nolzur's (and whatever the Pathfinder version was), I learned that it is really beneficial to strip them first. They don't just prime, they super-prime. They pour it on thick and goopy until the detail is gone, and every miniature looks like Odo on a bad day.

I use LA's Totally Awesome (the best acrylic stripper I've found, and I've tested most of them) with good results. It's available at dollar stores, too. Just be aware that doing so will disassemble the multi-part pieces.

Here:

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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by $iljanus »

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 11:43 am I've tried using Vallejo surface primer as a brush-on option and I didn't find that it worked well with the contrast paints - because getting an even coating with brush on was difficult (for me).

But yes, the thought occurred to me I could use brush-on primers as well but then the whole process takes so much longer.

I feel like this is all pushing me to get an air brush and I don't appreciate it. :D
You want this (pats Badger Patriot 105 airbrush), don't you? The desire to reliably prime all year round is swelling in you now...
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Zarathud »

While some Nolzur's models are pretty heavily primed, most of them are fine. I would be rattle-can spray priming, and I can get enthusiastic. They're fine for tabletop quality, and the convenience is why I'm buying them anyway. I have noticed how the thinness of the Army Painter Speedpaints makes a difference in keeping the detail.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by miltonite »

So I am not totally happy with this one. The owner is happy and I guess that is what matters. Using washes improved it to where I don't hate it.
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Of course, any suggestions on things you see that I could have changed to make this better are always welcome.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

miltonite wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 11:42 pm Of course, any suggestions on things you see that I could have changed to make this better are always welcome.
Replying from that perspective alone (and purely to be answer your request for suggestions - the miniature looks fine!)

I think one thing that holds it back is the lack of contrast. Mid tone brown skin, mid tone green clothing and bow, black hair. It's dark, and the eye doesn't really see what's what on it. And painting large areas a single color is really tough - you have to actively push for contrast to get it so that you can see the character's style (a miniature's personality is tied to those details.) If you're working entirely with Contrast paints, it's even more challenging.

Here's a trick to check for that particular problem - take a photo of the piece, then convert it to black and white:

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Note that with the exception of the belt, the entire piece is almost the same shade of gray. It would benefit from lighter and darker tones.

Thoughts on ways to address that keeping with the straightforward painting: Make the 'leaf' sections of armor green (cuffs, chest, leg plates, etc.), but make the rest of the armor a lighter color. Or make the deeper armor (the shirt, pants) a different shade of green (probably darker and less 'green - like a deep olive - try mixing some brown into your green on test it on paper next to the base green until it 'pops'), but make the 'leaves' much brighter and more saturated. The leaves have some very distinctly sculpted veins on the armor - take advantage of that, either through washes or highlighting (dry-brushing the armor with the base green + yellow, then again more lightly with more yellow and less green.) Alternately, make them a very pale green, close to yellow, then use a green wash to deepen the dark areas.

If you're just using contrast paints, consider painting the leaves in a warm yellow, then thinning some green with some contrast medium (this is must-have for working with contrast paints!) and using (possibly) several layers over the leaves. Let each one dry, and repeat until it looks right.

As a different option, lighten the fur. Make it a lighter color to offset all the dark in the armor and hair.

Here are some examples. These are meant as representative of the colors, not painting style:

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Note how, by making the cloak and the shirt a much lighter color, the armor really pops. The pants and boots are also lighter than the armor, but there are two things going on with them. One, they're adding yet a different shade of brown to the miniature (so four browns - shirt/cloak, armor, boots, pants - rather than one.) Second, if you look at it, the focus is on the torso and head. By having the boots darker, the pants a little lighter, then having the shirt bright with the deep brown armor, it pulls the eye up to where you want it to be looking. Also note that the hair and cloak are almost the same color, but the painter darkened the inside of the hood the separate them a bit.

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Same miniature, but all green this time. Notice how the boots and pants are dark, but the plates are a little lighter, and the leaves are extremely bright. And how the edges are brighter between sections to set them apart (contrast paint can do a version of this - but some colors are too dense out of the bottle, hence the contrast medium.) The artist even made sure that the edges of the gloves were lighter to distinguish them from the sleeves. The cloak is a deeper shade of green. Just on this one piece, you have four colors of green, from dark to almost yellow.

Doing the black-and-white trick with this one:

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There you can still see the distinctions between the shades, as the gray goes from almost-black to almost-white.

And a tablaxi ranger:

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Other than a some highlighting, there isn't much contrast within the individual colors on this one (the fur and armor would look fairly flat in black and white), but the lighter fur with darker bow and the way the yellow and green (analogous to each other on the color wheel) work together adds interest.

I hope that's of some value :ninja: to you.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Zarathud »

I've never thought of it that way, thanks for the tip Blackhawk.

I used to use Vallejo AV inks to darken and tint areas. I wonder how they'd work over the Army Painter speed paints.

That said, most people are just happy to have painted figures. And reality can be drab and monotone.
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“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by hentzau »

Zarathud wrote:I've never thought of it that way, thanks for the tip Blackhawk.

I used to use Vallejo AV inks to darken and tint areas. I wonder how they'd work over the Army Painter speed paints.

That said, most people are just happy to have painted figures. And reality can be drab and monotone.
Well, the reactivation of the Speedpaints would be an issue. You’d have to varnish first.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Blackhawk »

Reality is drab, but reality is full size. At miniature scale, the folds and ridges are too small to create the same kind of natural highlights and shadows that reality has from the light alone. The smaller folds in your shirt are bigger than the entire miniature, and a deep, shadowed hood is only a millimeter or two deep. That means that something like clothing or a face, when painted exactly like the real thing (a single, even color), will look flat. That's why we have to help them along by exaggerating the lights and shadows.

Most discussions center around achieving that with regular paint, but a lot of can be achieved with contrast paint just by letting them do their job. Don't just cover the whole area - push and pull the paint so that it is pooling in the recesses. Don't keep adding coats until it is evenly colored - raised area being lighter is why they are called "contrast" paint. And use contrast medium to thin the colors with denser pigments (the ones that tend to not leave lighter areas on their own.)

And for important pieces that really need to look good, consider that contrast paints are intended to replace the first two steps of the painting process (base coat and wash), and don't provide the rest of the steps. A little bit of dry brushing, pin washing, or edge highlights really improve on the results, and aren't that time consuming or hard to learn.
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Re: [Miniatures] Painting tips and progress reports (with pics!)

Post by Malificent »

Zarathud wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 1:26 am I've never thought of it that way, thanks for the tip Blackhawk.
People have told me to take a photo of the mini in black and white BEFORE painting as reference, but I don't think I have ever had anyone suggest this and it makes SO much sense. Double thanks!
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