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Miniature painting

Started by Beorning, August 12, 2015, 05:32:42 AM

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eBadger

Quote from: Ershin on February 24, 2018, 04:49:10 PM
Would anyone have any other suggestions for basing a mostly female murder cult obsessed with blood?

I'd go simple stone texture, chalk-drawn summoning circles and inscriptions, and lots of blood - spatter, puddles, collected in bowls or cups, etc. 

Ershin

Quote from: Andol on February 24, 2018, 05:47:35 PM
Hmmm... Well my question would be what models from the Daugthers of Khaine sub-faction are you painting? Depending on that, then I would suggest that you pair the red crystals since the Daugthers of Khaine are heavy on the blood theme. Save any blue crystals for the Dark Elf Corsairs and there fleet XD. As for anything else I am curious what kind of idea do you have for them in action.

By that I mean I always paint and base my Skaven as though they are invading Lustria and a Lizardman environment. XD... So there is that to think about...

I was planning on starting with a set of Doomfire Warlocks and maybe some witches, I don't feel confident enough to tackle the more complex models just yet (plus storage space is currently at a premium) and the snake ladies have yet to be available for pre-order.

As for them in action... I'm not sure what narrative I want for them beyond stalking the Realm of Darkness to be honest. Hmm. Maybe getting some cheap minis, cutting them apart and painting them as stone to look like smashed statues to represent them reclaiming a ruin of one of their former temples or cities?

Quote from: eBadger on February 25, 2018, 01:45:44 AM
I'd go simple stone texture, chalk-drawn summoning circles and inscriptions, and lots of blood - spatter, puddles, collected in bowls or cups, etc. 

Ritual circles would be interesting.

Andol

I personally would go with both idea presented to tell the narrative of them trying to take back a former temple that is within a city. Though given they are a fast attack cavalry unit, the blood splatter might go best if it was coming from the cut up mini's on some of them. Maybe as enemies whom they and the infantry sliced apart. Combine that with some statues and your gold :D.

Save the summoning circle for their witches... thought make sure to look up how they use them. I think it might have something to do with Medusa, but I am not sure. Oh and yes... those new upgraded giant Medusa figures look so badass :D




TerribleTira

So I just yesterday got a miniature i the mail that I had ordered the weekend of Black Friday. Geez! Hassle free, my butt!

Idej

While yes I have built models, I haven't painted yet.  Any kind of paints you'd recommend to use for models?

eBadger

Quote from: Idej on February 26, 2018, 11:39:02 PM
While yes I have built models, I haven't painted yet.  Any kind of paints you'd recommend to use for models?

Then welcome to the addiction! 

Water based acrylic non toxic paints are the industry standard. P3, game color, citadel, army painter, etc are all similar enough.  And use primer! 

Worth checking out some basic tutorials on YouTube as well. 

Sprikut

#306


Started to paint one of the Luxumbra busts.. Not entirely happy with how the blue turned out but I Think Im going to move on with the rest of the bust just for the sake of ensuring I actually finish painting something.

eBadger



Anyone do gaslands?

Was a fun palette cleanser and some practice on rust effects.

Beorning

Gaslands? Is this a game? Tell us more :)

Meanwhile, here's what I've been struggling with for a few weeks: the Meteor remote for the Nomad faction in Infinity:





A challenging model - it has an awkward shape which made it hard to paint at times. Also, the assembly itself was frustratring, as the model fell apart at one point and I had to glue it together once more. I also had to use greenstuff liberally, as I can't imagine attaching some of the parts without it (like the tail, which connected to the main body with a slot that's not even 1mm wide!). I also had some trouble with attaching it to the transparent rod...

On the other hand, it's the first mini I've made that is 100% complete: with a decorated base and varnishing. BTW. It's not visible on the photo, but I experimented with using three types of varnishes (satin, matte and gloss) to make the model look better. It actually worked out: most of the model was varnished with satin varnish, but I used matte varnish on the engine openings - and it really helped to make them look like black openings, not shiny parts of the armour (Vallejo's black paint is really, really glossy). The satin varnish also helped with the white parts: Vallejo's white paint is absolutely flat and these parts really didn't fit with the rest of the model. The varnish made them a bit more glossy... Finally, I used gloss varnish on the parts that were supposed to be glowing, like the colour sensors on the front. Again, it sort of worked!

Overall, I'm sort of pleased with this model, although it could've been much better, of course. Aside from painting, it didn't end up being very symmetrical, for once...

Pockets

Ok, so a quick little something Beorning. If you're going to paint something that's predominantly one color (in this case Red) paint the whole model red then come in and do your additional colors.

Another thing, you can use a little bit of poster tack to pack into the holes for assembling prime/paint over it, then when you're ready to assemble, remove the poster tack so you have the untouched plastic. It'll make assembly a whole lot easier. It will also make putting it on it's stand a lot easier.

Otherwise, looks good man.
08/02 - New A/A Update

Beorning

Hm... Could you expand on the second advice? I'm not sure how that's supposed to work, exactly?

Pockets

One of the reasons why folks have a hard time gluing stuff together is because they have paint between the layers of plastic/resin which creates a weak bond. It makes assembly of painted parts difficult, however, by using the poster tack or liquid mask you can put something in the way to preserve the plastic. Then when you're ready to assemble put a little tamiya plastic cement on one spot of where you want to glue it together. You'll find that putting the model together will be a whole lot easier as the plastic will bond together far easier without the paint in the way. Plus by preventing the paint from going on in the first place you don't have to worry about scratching or damaging the paint by going back over with a hobby knife.

I prefer using liquid mask because I can have more control over it than sticky/poster tack. Plus it comes off fairly easy with a pair of hobby tweezers.
08/02 - New A/A Update

Beorning

Ah, I see! But I actually assemble the model first - I paint them later...

Nevertheless, thanks for advice!

Andol

Hey guys what are varnishes... I was thinking of putting them on that really big model I posted, but I wanted to learn more about them and try them out on some little mini's first.




Pockets

Varnishes are a protective layer that you put down on a model once you're done painting it. Though certain techniques are made easier by varnishing the model at different stages. They usually come in three flavors: Matte (no no shiny reflective properties), Satin (Semi-shiny), and Gloss (really shiny). They all have their roles, but for the most part I use a matte varnish.
08/02 - New A/A Update

Andol

Do you know what there roles are?




Chanticleer

Quote from: Andol on April 04, 2018, 07:49:32 PM
Do you know what there roles are?

The roles match their descriptions: matte varnish should be used to protect parts of the miniature which don't normally reflect light, such as cloth or flesh. Gloss should be used on parts of the miniature which have a little bit of shine (think polished leather or plastic) while gloss should be used on parts of the miniature that you want REALLY shiny (gold, polished steel, silver, or super-glossy plastic).
My current O/os (need work)

Beorning

Quote from: Chanticleer on April 04, 2018, 08:24:35 PM
The roles match their descriptions: matte varnish should be used to protect parts of the miniature which don't normally reflect light, such as cloth or flesh. Gloss should be used on parts of the miniature which have a little bit of shine (think polished leather or plastic) while gloss should be used on parts of the miniature that you want REALLY shiny (gold, polished steel, silver, or super-glossy plastic).

I'm no expert at this, but I'd say that if you need shine on some parts, then satin should be enough in most cases. I varnished a few of my miniatures and satin turned out to give enough shine to metallic parts etc. I use gloss only for obviously reflective parts, like glass and goggle lenses, as well diodes, headlights etc.

Dhi

I don't know of anyone who uses varnishes to simulate textures. It's customary to block out the metallics with something like painter's tape or liquid mask or saran wrap, and hit the rest with a light matte varnish.

Full gloss varnish has the advantage of being completely transparent, so it sees use among advanced painters to seal a layer for additional detailing, or to seal oil-based paints so acrylics can be used on top.

Just one painter I know swears by satin as a compromise between reducing shine and retaining clarity, but I don't see the point in this as I only ever want one or the other, never both.

eBadger

#319
Shine is usually the bane of good minis.  I've seen paint on gloss used, but mostly for wet effects: slime, puddles, dripping blood, etc. 

I hit everything with matte; the cheaper mattes are basically semi gloss, honestly, so I just use cheap stuff if I don't mind a little shine (such as on my ships, where I don't mind a varnished look to the wood). 

For metal, I paint them to 90%, matte, then hit them with the last couple levels of highlights.  IMHO it gives a really nice metallic look and helps emphasize the highlighted edges without a drastic color variance.  You can see the effect on the car up above, where most of the body looks dull and rusted but the shining edges make your eye read the entire thing as metal. 

Edit: also, lest it be missed: absolutely put a protective clear coat on your models.  It will preserve your paint job greatly.  Clear spray can be fussy, so be sure to spray in a warm, dry environment.  Cold and wet will make it dry fuzzy and opaque.  If in any doubt, test on something expendable first. 

Pockets

Ultimately, the final use of a varnish it to protect the paint job. I generally go over the entire model with Testor's Dullcote. Front. Let it dry. Back. Let it dry. Top. Let it dry. Then depending on the size and type of model, I'll repeat the process. Then once it's done, I'll go back in and brush on some Gloss Varnish over the metallics or anything else that needs to be shiny.
08/02 - New A/A Update

Sprikut

Two things to note about varnish. The wrong kind of varnish can strip the paint on your models. (Even testors dull coat comes in two or three flavours) so make sure you get the matching kind and test it on something first.

Second gloss varnish can be used to fix models that go frosty. A layer of gloss will typically fill in the cracks causing the frostyness and then another layer of satin or matte will dull it down again.

Andol

Wow this seems kind of confusing as is... I just wanted to protect the paint job on my models. To be honest it takes me long enough to do everyone that it is hard to call anything truly expendable. I mean what is the easiest want just to protect the paint job if I don't want to be fancy about it... this is the very first time I have even thought of using varnish so the jargon is new to me.




Pockets

I've been painting for years using this and never had a frosty varnish job.

But I think part of it is that I start the spray to the side of the model then sweep it over the model twice at about ten inches before stopping to let that side dry.
08/02 - New A/A Update

Sprikut

Quote from: Andol on April 05, 2018, 06:59:08 PM
Wow this seems kind of confusing as is... I just wanted to protect the paint job on my models. To be honest it takes me long enough to do everyone that it is hard to call anything truly expendable. I mean what is the easiest want just to protect the paint job if I don't want to be fancy about it... this is the very first time I have even thought of using varnish so the jargon is new to me.

well one of the nice things is even frosted models aren't destroyed you can fix them. As for testing all you really need is a loose piece of plastic/metal/a base with some paint on it.