[PAINT] My painting notes
John Hwang
minis (700+) and armies (Eldar, Harlies, Chaos, Marines, Sisters, Guard,
Empire, Orks, Saurus) for myself and customers to know what I'm talking about.
First, you need to make a couple of important decisions right off the bat. Are
you going to paint Dark or Bright; Realistic or Fantastic? Quick and Dirty,
Tabletop Playable, or Showcase Display (not a realistic option for the newbie).
This will affect how you go about things.
Dark vs Bright strongly affects which primer you use. If Dark, you will need
to undercoat in an appropriate color to produce good Red, White, or Yellow
colors. If Bright, you will need to undercoat to get good metallics, and will
need to wash more heavily to bring out shadow details.
Similarly, Realistic vs Fantastic will affect what your army looks like from a
distance, vs close-up.
And the last decision will strongly affect your speed and quality. More
details and more colors will take somewhat more steps. Same with the amount of
time you're willing to spend getting smoother surface finishes, or clean, sharp
edges between colors.
0. Supplies
Get the following: a set of *good* brushes, water-based paint, spray primer,
hobby knife, needle files (various), and epoxy putty. The knife and files are
to clean up molding imperfections like mold lines and stuff like that; also to
file rough spots smooth. Epoxy putty is to fill gaps and voids caused by air
bubbles and whatnot. If you have multi-part metal models, you'll need a pin
vise, brass rod, and CA (superglue, which you'll also need for joining metal to
plastic). If you have multi-part plastic models, you'll need solvent-based
plastic cement, preferably liquid cement, tho the gels are OK, if not quite as
clean and convenient.
Good brushes are a the ultimate key to getting sharp detail and "clean"
results. Your best bet for getting these is at a hobby store. Useful sizes,
from largest to smallest: 2, 1, 0, 00 (2/0), 000 (3/0), 5/0, and 10/0. GW's
Citadel brushes are simply terrible at holding their points *and* expensive --
are only good for basecoating and then as cut-down "stippling" brushes. I tend
to do most of my figures painting with the smaller brushes (3/0 and 5/0) for
more control of how much paint I use, but I'm not afraid to break out the big
brushes (2 and 5) for tanks and vehicles. As with all things, whatever works
for you is the right answer. As you'll be using the same set of brushes for
*all* of your minis, this is *not* the place to try and "save" money; if
anything, double (or even triple) up on the brush sizes you use most often so
that they last just that much longer.
All enamel and acrylic enamal paint is CRAP -- it just doesn't go on quite as
smoothly as the true acrylics and the required solvents will eventually eat up
your brushes. Water-based acrylic paint is a godsend for cleanup and brush
longevity -- you'll still have to use solvent once in a while, but you don't
need it *every* time you paint. As for which brand of acrylic paint, there are
a lot of opinions. Here's what I've found: Ral Partha, Armoury, and *current*
GW "screw-top" paint is all CRAP -- Ral Partha comes out "chalky"; Armoury
doesn't finish nicely; and GW's new screw-top top paints dry too quickly, seal
the lid to the jar, and are very expensive. I use and recommend the *OLD* GW
"pop-top" paint (now marketed as "Coat d' Armes"), Floquil/Polly S, and Badger
acrylics. I'm very curious about the Vallejo paints, but I'll need to finish
off my old GW paints first. One thing's for sure, you're going to need a lot
of paint colors -- I'd guess at least 16 colors (I have over twice that many
pots of paint). You can always mix paints to get intermediate colors, but
unless you have a number of paint jars for storing custom mixes, you'll find it
difficult to duplicate colors exactly. You don't need to get inks, glazes, or
washes immediately, as these can be "made" by thinning down regular paint,
however, the color intensity will be slightly reduced. Also, if you start
having problems with the lids sealing themselves to the jars, try running a dab
of petroleum jelly over the screw threads before closing them up -- it gives a
better seal, but doesn't let them seal up so tight.
And finally, be sure to get spray primer. I like GW Primer over Armoury Primer
-- GW's black is actually black, not a dark grey. OTOH, there have been a lot
of reports of problems (gritty, rough finishes) with most recent batches of GW
Primer. According to GW, if you swirl the paint in the can or shake it
side-to-side, instead of shaking the can up-and-down the problem isn't as bad.
Yeah, people use white primer, too, but I'm actually not such a great fan;
White primer is for Bright and Fantastic models, and I paint Dark and
Realistic. Though I suppose if I were ever to have an army with a base color
of yellow or white, I suppose I'd consider priming white.
If you have multi-part models, get a pin vise and some brass rod. Strongly
recommended. Two sizes: 3/64" and 1/32". 1/32" is easier to work with, but
3/64" is stronger. 1/16" would be reserved for really big stuff, like Dragon
Wings. 1/64" is for tiny stuff, like weapons into hands. Most of my pinning
is done with 3/64" brass rod. I'm a *very* firm believer in pinning
metal-to-metal joints. While it's possible for pinned joints to rotate loose
over time (and then, only if they're shallow due to the thinness of the part
they're going into), they'll almost never come undone -- unlike plain CA
joints.
1. Plan
Make a plan of what to paint. I recommend saving your best models for last. I
know you'll be *sorely* tempted to ignore me here, and jump immediately on that
limited-issue Ancient Great Dragon. Don't do it. It'll look terrible and you
be greatly disappointed. Instead, start with something simple, small, and ugly
-- I'd recommend a basic monster like an Ork or Goblin. Plan to paint in
groups of 5-10 *similar* models, starting in smaller groups. After you get a
few under your belt, it'd be OK to throw in something "special", simply for
variety. But remember to save your best models until you have an idea of what
you're doing.
The more models and *kinds* of models you paint, the better you'll get. Your
first batches of models are going to end up pretty bad. Sorry. But that's how
you're going to learn. If you're so motiviated (about a year from now), you
can strip and repaint them later. Plan on repainting *only* after you're fully
painted -- as in every single mini being painted to a decent "tabletop"
standard. You'll be much happier to have everything painted, even with some of
it poorly painted, than having only a small proportion of your figures painted.
There's been some debate over the "right" number of basic, non-detail colors to
use. It's all up to you, but fewer colors will tend to be darker and more
serious. Fewer colors, with shading, highlighting, and washes will usually
look better than more flat colors. Experiment here.
I've found anywhere from 2-4 basic colors seems to work fine, depending on the
model. A basic color is anything which you can see from a distance, say across
a room. 2-4 detail colors seems to be a good way to go as well. Detail colors
are things which are sharp when you hold the model in your hand. When in
doubt, paint one model until you like it, then duplicate the paint job. If you
have any "throwaway" models, this is what they're good for.
2. Prep
Prepping the model is probably the most under-appreciated, but most important
step in getting things to look really good. It's relatively easy to paint on
more and more details and adjust colors long after the mini has been painted.
But re-prepping a model is just about impossible without stripping off the
existing paint and primer. Thorough model prep is the *only* way to get truly
smooth finishes and "invisible" mold lines for true showcase-quality minis,
allowing the paint to go on without having to cover or paint with surface
blemishes.
If you need to strip old paint or primer, do it now. I soak both plastic and
metal models in a Castrol Super Clean solution when I need to strip paint or
primer. Chemically, the active ingredient is "Sodium Hydroxide" (NaOH),
commonly known as "lye". BTW, most paint strippers and solvents will dissolve
and weaken CA joints, so expect to see the model come apart if it was assembled
with CA. In addition, many paint strippers dissolve epoxy putty, so if there's
something which was sculpted on, it'll be usually completely gone when you're
through removing the old paint.
File off mold lines and other such stuff. If it needs assembly, esp. pinning,
now's the time to do it. Pins should be at least twice as deep as the
diameter, preferably three (or four) times the diameter for greater strength.
Multiple pins are often preferable to single pins, due to the "tighter" fit and
prevention of parts rotating, but this depends on the model and joint in
question.
Straighten spears and swords and whatnot. Flatten feet as necessary. If you
try to do this after painting, the paint will usually flake off. This is also
the time to drill out any weapon barrels -- the effect that this gives is very,
very good for realism, tho it is a bit time-consuming.
Attach the model to the base. This gives you something to handle the model by
as you prime and paint it, to reduce the problem of fingerprints and scratches.
Personally, I also bend the base "tag" corners so that the dig into the slot
for a stronger, better attachment to the base. As a side bonus, it also allows
you to play with the model before you're completely done painting it.
3. Prime
Priming is *very* important, as the primer is what actually sticks to the
model, giving a surface for the paint to adhere to. Without priming, the model
will chip and flake very easily, as most paints adhere very weakly to the
plastic and metal which most minis are made of.
De-grease the models so the primer will stick the model and won't be affected
by mold release agents, finger oils from prepping, etc. A quick dip in a water
with a few drops of dishwashing detergent will usually do the trick. Just be
sure to let the model dry *completely* before actually priming.
Spray lightly, from different angles to achieve full coverate. Multiple,
thinner coats are better than fewer thicker coats, but it's most important not
to spray so much that you obscure detail. You want a uniform color, so you can
see whether any prep work was missed. But if you can't get all of the model's
crevices and hollows primed, that's not a major problem -- just touch it up
with your big brush before you start painting.
If priming shows it needs re-prep, or the priming went badly (too thick, gritty
finish, and/or bubbles), fix it now: strip the primer, re-prep as necessary,
and re-prime. The sooner you re-prep, the easier the painting will go, and the
smaller the amout of touch-up will be required.
4. Paint
You will find your own ways of doing things here. I generally use the same
painting template for whatever I paint: undercoat, basecoat, wash, highlight,
and clean-up.
First, I undercoat as necessary so that the primer doesn't bleed into the final
colors: grey then white for "light" areas, black for metallics, brown for
parchment, dark flesh for skin, etc. With black primer, metallics are
automatically undercoated, but I need to undercoat for any light areas. When
using white primer, one needs to undercoat for the dark areas, and
"pre-shading" by giving the model a few dark ink washes doesn't hurt at all --
the dark ink will tend to settle in the crevices and folds, but it will take
quite a while for heavy washes to dry. And if using grey primer, one will have
to undercoat for metallic *and* light areas. At this point, the model won't
look anything at all like what it's supposed to be, but it will be ready for
the real painting to begin.
Next, I basecoat the entire model, starting from larger areas to smaller
details, but when basecoating, I don't worry about getting paint in the "wrong"
places. Because I work from the largest areas down to the smallest details,
I'll be painting over any smudges or errant brush strokes. I generally
basecoat quickly, and the initial applications of paint will be rather sloppy.
However, basecoating details last allows these to be painted quickly.
After basecoating, I apply dark washes to enhance shadow detail. For large
areas, I find it best to paint the ink wash into the crevices rather than to
simply coat the surface -- it keeps ink where I want it to be. For smaller
details, I'll paint the entire detail with the ink wash. This is the slowest
process, as washes take a very long time to dry, even when painting largish
blocks of minis, say 16 at a time. This is where assembly-lining large groups
of minis really helps.
Once the washes have dried, I'll drybrush with the original base color to more
smoothly blend the wash into the base color -- alternately, one can layer
washes with progressive paint and ink blends to achieve a smoother shading
effect, tho this is much more time-consuming. Afterwards, I'll drybrush "true"
highlights with a lighter highlight color. And as with the layered washes, one
can layer highlights with progressive paint blends to achive a smoother
highlighting effect. IMO, the multi-layered approaches are simply too
time-consuming for ordinary rank-and-file miniatures; I also doubt that most
basic 25-28 mm miniatures have large enough surfaces for these to be effective.
Finally, I'll do clean-up, touching-up any errant brush strokes before calling
the model "done". As these tend to be very small, they're quick and easy to
clean up. But this is probably the most important, yet overlooked, step in
making a model look "professional". A clean model nearly always looks better
than a sloppy model -- sloppiness undoes a lot of the effort one puts into the
painting.
Major basic painting techniques which should be mastered:
Drybrushing usually saves time for textured stuff like fur and hair. Starting
with black, one puts a bit of paint on the brush, and drags it over the
surface. Then bit less paint in a lighter shade, and an even smaller amount of
paint in an even lighter shade. Note that drybrushing is still painting,
"pulling" the paint across the surface, not "pushing" the paint onto the
surface. As long as you *pull* the paint, your brushes should not be destroyed
by the drybrushing process (I've been using my brushes for regular painting and
drybrushing for *years* without any ill effects). The key to good drybrushing
is controlling the amount of paint on your brush: you want just enough to wet
the tips of the bristles, but not so much as to paint with. While this looks
simple, it takes quite a bit of practice to get this right.
Painting and Inking works for paneled things. Other stuff can be painted, then
crevices wetly inked with black or a much darker shade, then panel centers
drybrushed with the original or somewhat lighter shade. Most metal and armour
can be done this way.
Washing with black, brown, etc. works well for big metal surfaces. Paint it
all a basic metal color. Then wash it with thinned down black (or off-black)
ink (or paint). The black should work it's way into the crevices, taking down
the brightness and picking out the detail. Drybrush lightly with the metallic
paint when it's all dry to pick up the raised detail. BTW, you can also wash
metallics with colors other than black to differentiate different types of
weapons -- I use blue for Power weapons, red for Force weapons.
Washing with color works nicely for cloth. Drybrush dark grey, light grey, and
white. Then heavily wash the entire surface with colored ink. This may take a
couple coats until you get the color you like.
Mottling with different colors usually saves time for camoflague patterns (e.g.
woodland in greens, urban in greys, desert in tans). Starting with a base
color, use a cut-down "stippling" brush and dab overlapping "splotches" of a
lighter and a darker color, finishing with the base color again. Smaller,
tighter patterns generally look better than larger, bolder patterns -- remember
that the pattern is supposed to be scaled down to about 1/64th normal size...
Patterning (e.g. "splinter", "ambush", and "tiger stripe" camoflague; stripes,
checks, harlequin diamonds, and tartans) is *extremely* time-consuming to
paint. But the fine detail makes them visually impressive showcases of
painting skill, especially in large groups. Penciling in guide lines is *very*
helpful for the regular pattenrs. Save these (or at least the final
patterning) for last, after you've got a bunch of regular (or basic) models
painted. I have one platoon of guardsmen in tiger stripe camoflague, and
that's *plenty* for me.
Shading and/or blending a series of related colors to make a smooth color
"fade" is much slower than painting flat colors. But gives a more attractive
result. Usually best to blend the colors on a palette (ceramic tile works
well-enough, dirt cheap), but blending on the model will usually work well
enough, too. The hardest part is to achieve consistency from model to model.
Best to save these for detail touches or (unique) character models.
If you're going to make/mix your own paint (for custom colors), there is a
*big* difference between using inks and paint. Inks use a clear base, while
paints have a white base. So inks should be mixed into a paint base so the
resulting paint will cover over underlying paint. Inks used directly will
apply pigment, and tend to "tint" the underlying color, with the side effect of
making it appear "darker", due to the deeper shade which results. Inks will
also give a glossier shine than paint -- this only matters if you're not
overcoating or sealing.
Experiment. A lot. You *will* have to touch-up a bit after any washing or
drybrushing. That's OK. The touch-up work is how one gets sharp, crisp edges
between colors for better definition.
5. Base the models.
Here, it's merely a question of how much time you want to spend "finishing" the
model. Various approaches include:
Painting the base. Simplest and fastest approach, but not especially
impressive to look at. The only real painting which I recommend is painting
the edge to match the underlying "soil" color, typically a dark brown -- the
green edges look terrible.
Flocking the entire top surface with colored foam "foliage" or "grass". The
edge is painted in a related color. This is best for simulating the grassy
lawns which GW seems to love having battles on. This is also relatively simple
and fast, but I also find this rather unimpressive to look at.
Texturing by gluing sand or gravel to the base with white glue; sealing with a
watered-down coat of white glue; painting and highlighting when dry (this can
take a while). This is best for simulating sand, asphalt, rubble, soil, etc.
I think this is the minimum for a decent-looking base, and even then, highly
dependant upon the terrain you play on.
Adding flock foliage over a textured surface gives a "natural" base, but is
very time-consuming. But if you're going for a natural-looking ,
super-realistic, and/or model railroad effect here, this is the way to go.
This is good for simulating woodlands, swamps, marshes, scrubland, etc. Very,
very nice, with a *lot* of visual texture due to the combination of flock and
surfacing. Also gives the ability to do a two- (or multi-) color complement or
contrast with the minis colors. I've decided on using natural bases for the
vast majority of my models, using the Woodland Scenics landscaping materials.
And of course, there are the "scenic" bases which GW loves, featuring painted
skeletons, helmets, and whatnot added onto the base. How much time *do* you
have, anyways??? BTW, if your bases are looking better than your models,
perhaps you're spending too much time basing... I reserve the scenic touches
for commander-type models.
There are two *very* useful basing-related "tricks"which are useful in
distinguishing similar or otherwise identical models: to paint a nametag on
the base, so that individual models can be numbered or named; or to paint the
edge (or some portion thereof) in an identifying color. Personally, I don't
like the look of armies using colored base edges -- it's too distracting and
breaks visual army cohesion.
FWIW, I'm *very* far behind on my basing, but at least I'm all but fully
painted...
6. Overcoating.
Overcoating is the process of covering the model in a clear coat to protect and
seal the paint. Some people recommend overcoating while one paints, after each
major step in painting. Most people only overcoat when done painting.
Overcoating between painting makes sense when it'll be a while between steps,
or when playing with partially-painted minis.
I've seen gloss overcoating (e.g. nail polish) and it just doesn't look very
good because it's not realistic. Maybe, drop-by-drop for gems and such, but
definitely not for normal surfaces. Flat or semi-gloss surfaces look much
better, as they're more realistic, more scale.
I've not yet done much overcoating, waiting for everything to be painted and
based to standard, first. I intend to use Krylon Satin, as it comes
well-recommended.
John Hwang -- JohnHw...@cs.com.no.com.
--- John Hwang "JohnHw...@cs.com.no.com"
\-|-/
| A.K.D. F.E.M.C.
| Horned Blood Cross Terror LED Speed Jagd Destiny
David Gausebeck
>using white primer, one needs to undercoat for the dark areas, and
>"pre-shading" by giving the model a few dark ink washes doesn't hurt at all --
>the dark ink will tend to settle in the crevices and folds, but it will take
>quite a while for heavy washes to dry.
The problem I've had with heavy washes is that the pigment doesn't
settle into the crevices... it settles mostly at the edges of where
the liquid's standing when I start to let it dry. So I can end up
with two dark lines next to each crevice rather than darkening the
crevice itself. As a result, I've mostly gone to repeated lighter
washes, with maybe a final darker/less-diluted wash painted directly
into crevices.
-Dave
Berto
"John Hwang" <johnhw...@cs.com.no.com> wrote in message
news:20020414010409...@mb-fg.news.cs.com...
> Here's my version of the basics on painting. I've certainly painted
enough
> minis (700+) and armies (Eldar, Harlies, Chaos, Marines, Sisters, Guard,
> Empire, Orks, Saurus) for myself and customers to know what I'm talking
about.
There is another thread regarding another excellent primer (IMHO), of
outstanding introduction to the art of painting figurines, and painting in
general. It is a thread regarding Creating flesh washes which goes in
similar areas and expands on the art of painting.. A must read and a good
copy to have around. Have already placed a copy of the threads from all who
contributed to the files esp. Myr and Hwang.
Again Thanks,
Berto
James S. Mackay
wrote:
>
>The problem I've had with heavy washes is that the pigment doesn't
>settle into the crevices... it settles mostly at the edges of where
>the liquid's standing when I start to let it dry. So I can end up
>with two dark lines next to each crevice rather than darkening the
>crevice itself.
What you need to do is break the surface tension of the water in the wash. I
use either Flow-aid, which is available at the art supply store, or Future
floor polish, from the supermarket. You could also use a tiny amount of
detergent to do the same thing.
The only thing I would add to Mr. Hwang's excellent overview is in the
"Overcoating" section - I generally use GW Matte sealer, which is actually a
satin finish, and then Testor's Dull-Cote, which is dead flat. Gems, blood, and
anything else wet or shiny gets a coat of gloss by hand.
If you're actually interested in the hardcore technical issues of miniature
painting, have a look here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mini-painter
...it's mostly about display/competition quality miniature painting, rather
than painting armies, but there are a wealth of tips to be had.
James S. Mackay
Ida...@aol.com
ICQ# 6662780
remove "nospam" to reply
Richard Lobinske
>Here's my version of the basics on painting. I've certainly painted enough
>minis (700+) and armies (Eldar, Harlies, Chaos, Marines, Sisters, Guard,
>Empire, Orks, Saurus) for myself and customers to know what I'm talking
>about.
I 've painted at least as many minis in 30+ years of model building and 20+
painting minis.
>>Note, liberal snippage, just relevent passages quoted<<
>Epoxy putty is to fill gaps and voids caused by air
>bubbles and whatnot.
Save the epoxy putty for sculpting, use a good filler putty for gap filling.
For epoxy putty, I have found that Apoxie Sculpt is a much better product than
kneadatite at a much better price (1 Lb for US$15 with shipping).
>As for which brand of acrylic paint, there are
>a lot of opinions.
Modelmaster Acryl: excellent color range, good out of bottle paint coverage,
though occasional bottles are a bit thin. Metallics are not that great. This
line includes a lot of historical military colors that will work well for
realistic or natural paint jobs.
Gunze Sanyo: Also a very good color range, great coverage, though rather fast
drying. Flats are usually semi-flat. Good range of military and nonmilitary
colors.
Tamiya: More limited color range, good price for size of bottle. You
absolutely must wait for a coat to completely dry before painting over, or you
will get an odd stringing effect.
Modelmaster Metalizer: Not an acrylic, but these are the best metallics I have
found, the very fine pigments actually produce a surface that looks like smooth
metal and not tiny metal flakes. Use the non-buffing paints only, the buffing
metalizers are too fragile for gaming minis.
>Yeah, people use white primer, too, but I'm actually not such a great fan
While many people use black, I prefer to use a grey primer. Grey will have the
least influence on overlying colors and elminates the need for buffer coats
between color coats and primers. BTW, I recently did a side-by-side comparison
of the metallics I have on hand over black, white and grey undercoats. With
Gunze Sanyo, Modelmaster enamel, and Modelmaster Metalizer, there was no
visable difference between undercoats on the final finish, while a slight
difference was noted with the old-style GW paint.
>When in
>doubt, paint one model until you like it, then duplicate the paint job. If
>you
>have any "throwaway" models, this is what they're good for.
The various soft-plastic 1/72 scale figures from Airfix and Revell make good
experiment figures that are cheap enough you are not concerned about spoiling
them.
>Personally, I also bend the base "tag" corners so that the dig into the slot
>for a stronger, better attachment to the base. As a side bonus, it also
>allows
>you to play with the model before you're completely done painting it.
>
I will fill the slot with epoxy putty, then set this on wax paper and press the
tab into the slot. Remove the wax paper and trim off excess putty, transfer to
top of base and spread out over top of tab and exposed slot. Sculpt as
desired. this will hide the tab and slot, and produce a very strong
attachment.
>And if using grey primer, one will have
>to undercoat for metallic *and* light areas.
I disagree, I have done side-by-side comparisons and if you are using good
metallics, there is no difference in final appearence between white, grey or
black undercoats. Also, I have not had problems with light colors over grey
primer.
>the
>green edges look terrible.
Goblin green, yes, using an olive drab works well (especially since that is
what I use as a table color)
Appying Decals (Wateslide Transfers)
1. Apply a clear gloss finish to the model, this will help the decals adhere
better and avoid possible silvering of the decal film (tiny air bubbles trapped
under the film). 2. Cut the decal from sheet and dip into warm water, the
decal will curl, then begin to relax, remove from water and set aside until
decals slides freely.
3. Apply a drop of decal setting solution (Microscale Microsol/Microset,
Walters Sovaset, Testers Decalset) to the model, then use a brush or forceps to
slide the decal into place, follow with a drop of decal solution on top of
decal. Set aside to dry, the decal will wrinkle and look like a disaster, but
will settle down to conform to the model contours.
4. Apply a light gloss coat to seal the decal, follow with any desired flat
finishes.
Finally, NOBODY has the One True Way to paint, pick up ideas and concepts from
wherever you can and experiment with them to find the combinations that work
for you.
Death before dishonor,
Nothing before coffee
Shameless website Plug: Military Life on Saipan, 1944-1945
http://members.aol.com/RLobinske/Saipan.html
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John Hwang
I'm guessing you're not using something to break up the surface tension, so the
water is drying higher up, and then giving a place for the pigment to settle.
Add a bit of detergent to your wash.
And perhaps not to go so heavy with the wash, too much water, not enough ink?
In a "heavy" wash, I'm covering the entire model, rather than just targeted
spots or crevices.
John Hwang
>Great intro, just a few add-ons.
Sure!
>>Here's my version of the basics on painting. I've certainly painted enough
>>minis (700+) and armies (Eldar, Harlies, Chaos, Marines, Sisters, Guard,
>>Empire, Orks, Saurus) for myself and customers to know what I'm talking
>>about.
>
>I 've painted at least as many minis in 30+ years of model building and 20+
>painting minis.
So if I project down the timeline, egad, that'll be a lot of minis...
>>>Note, liberal snippage, just relevent passages quoted<<
Of course. It's a long post. :)
>>Epoxy putty is to fill gaps and voids caused by air
>>bubbles and whatnot.
>
>Save the epoxy putty for sculpting, use a good filler putty for gap filling.
>For epoxy putty, I have found that Apoxie Sculpt is a much better product
>than kneadatite at a much better price (1 Lb for US$15 with shipping).
This is probably a matter of taste and availability. I have quite a bit of
epoxy putty left over, and only need the *tiniest* bit at a time to fill gaps
and such. So I don't "need" a filler putty. Yet. :)
>>As for which brand of acrylic paint, there are
>>a lot of opinions.
>
>Modelmaster Acryl: excellent color range, good out of bottle paint coverage,
>though occasional bottles are a bit thin. Metallics are not that great.
>This line includes a lot of historical military colors that will work well for
>realistic or natural paint jobs.
This is a newish line by Testors. The really good thing is that it's pretty
easy to come by through hobby stores.
>Gunze Sanyo: Also a very good color range, great coverage, though rather
>fast drying. Flats are usually semi-flat. Good range of military and
nonmilitary
>colors.
Gunze does a lot of military models. Availability is not as good.
>Tamiya: More limited color range, good price for size of bottle. You
>absolutely must wait for a coat to completely dry before painting over, or
>you will get an odd stringing effect.
Yes. This is because it's an acrylic enamel. I don't like it at all for brush
work.
>Modelmaster Metalizer: Not an acrylic, but these are the best metallics I
>have found, the very fine pigments actually produce a surface that looks like
>smooth metal and not tiny metal flakes. Use the non-buffing paints only, the
>buffing metalizers are too fragile for gaming minis.
Cool. Something to look into once I finish off my existing metallics. :)
>>Yeah, people use white primer, too, but I'm actually not such a great fan
>
>While many people use black, I prefer to use a grey primer. Grey will have
>the least influence on overlying colors and elminates the need for buffer
coats
>between color coats and primers.
I think that if GW made a dark grey primer, in the old or UK formulation I
would use that exclusively.
>BTW, I recently did a side-by-side comparison of the
>metallics I have on hand over black, white and grey undercoats. With
>Gunze Sanyo, Modelmaster enamel, and Modelmaster Metalizer, there was no
>visable difference between undercoats on the final finish, while a slight
>difference was noted with the old-style GW paint.
Ahh... And as that's what I'm using, that explains my preferece. :)
>>When in doubt, paint one model until you like it, then duplicate the paint
>> job. If you have any "throwaway" models, this is what they're good for.
>
>The various soft-plastic 1/72 scale figures from Airfix and Revell make good
>experiment figures that are cheap enough you are not concerned about spoiling
>them.
The only problem is that these models don't quite match style and texture of GW
minis. While a Marine, Guardsman, and Guardian are both human-shaped, the way
that they're sculpted, textured, and detailed means you can't translate color
schemes directly and expect them to work equally well.
>>Personally, I also bend the base "tag" corners so that the dig into the slot
>>for a stronger, better attachment to the base. As a side bonus, it also
>>allows you to play with the model before you're completely done painting it.
>
>I will fill the slot with epoxy putty, then set this on wax paper and press
>the tab into the slot. Remove the wax paper and trim off excess putty,
>transfer to top of base and spread out over top of tab and exposed slot.
>Sculpt as desired. this will hide the tab and slot, and produce a very strong
>attachment.
Hmm... I have a lot of epoxy putty. I may do this. :)
>>And if using grey primer, one will have
>>to undercoat for metallic *and* light areas.
>
>I disagree, I have done side-by-side comparisons and if you are using good
>metallics,
Recall I'm using old GW paint. :)
>there is no difference in final appearence between white, grey or
>black undercoats. Also, I have not had problems with light colors over grey
>primer.
For me, they're just not quite as bright. I've tried painting yellow over grey
primer and it just didn't work.
>>the green edges look terrible.
>
>Goblin green, yes, using an olive drab works well (especially since that is
>what I use as a table color)
I use dark grey edges.
>Appying Decals (Wateslide Transfers)
Ahh... I should note this in the next version, along with an expanded section
on primers.
>1. Apply a clear gloss finish to the model, this will help the decals adhere
>better and avoid possible silvering of the decal film (tiny air bubbles
>trapped under the film). 2. Cut the decal from sheet and dip into warm
>water, the decal will curl, then begin to relax, remove from water and set
>aside until decals slides freely.
>3. Apply a drop of decal setting solution (Microscale Microsol/Microset,
>Walters Sovaset, Testers Decalset) to the model, then use a brush or forceps
>to slide the decal into place, follow with a drop of decal solution on top of
>decal. Set aside to dry, the decal will wrinkle and look like a disaster,
>but will settle down to conform to the model contours.
>4. Apply a light gloss coat to seal the decal, follow with any desired flat
>finishes.
>
>
>Finally, NOBODY has the One True Way to paint,
Yup. Hence my note that this is "my version".
>pick up ideas and concepts from wherever you can and experiment
>with them to find the combinations that work for you.
Yup. Also noted. These mega-painting guides are more for people who're new to
painting and need some place to start. But they're nice at sparking thoughts
and discussion among the more experienced painters as well.