Miniature Painting Suggestions

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If I post a pic of a miniature I painted can you offer suggestions or advice on how to improve?
 
wow a hi res photo really makes it clear where you made mistakes doesnt it?
 

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Ok, just taking my first look right now, but initial impressions are these are really good. The paint looks relatively smooth, there's obviously a good shading for contrast, and have to say really like the bluish-tinged metal on the barbarian and the wearing on the axe metal. I can offer some suggestions to make them "pop" a bit more, but overall your technique seems pretty well developed.

A couple questions before I start - do you prime in black? When doing the muscles/skintone on the barbarian was this bugman's glow, cadian fleshtone and a wash of Reikland?
 
The paints we're all vallejo paints that I picked up at gencon a decade ago I think. I usually use black primer but I can't be sure on the barbarian. Probably because I picked him up in a paint by numbers kit and he was my first attempt at using black lining. I'm pretty sure I just painted his skin a single brownish color with a dark brown wash.

I've been debating getting back into painting and the positive comments you've given might have just pushed me over the edge to try again.
Thanks!
 
Correction I have old reaper paints. I tried a little painting this afternoon. Man my hands are jittery these days. I have an old Thrudd the Barbarian mini I'm painting over. Sadly I did a poor job to begin with both painting and prepping so this might not be my best work.

I have a real hard time getting started for fear of screwing up.
 
Correction I have old reaper paints. I tried a little painting this afternoon. Man my hands are jittery these days. I have an old Thrudd the Barbarian mini I'm painting over. Sadly I did a poor job to begin with both painting and prepping so this might not be my best work.

I have a real hard time getting started for fear of screwing up.

I'm working on my larger reply to you till, but I'll say I understand this - I went through a period of "painting paralysis" because I just didnt trust my skills were good enough to do justice to the minis I had that I really loved. My suggestion is this - go to Craigslist, or find a sale, of a batch of minis for dirt cheap. It doesn't matter what they are (I just used a bunch of Reaper Bones), and take each one and try out a specific technique. No pressure, just paint for the sake of painting. Take an effect you'd like to create and try your best to create it. Pretty soon you'll be confident enough to tackle the minis you like. Its also worth remembering that metal minis can be stripped quite easily as many times as you like.
 
I'm working on my larger reply to you till, but I'll say I understand this - I went through a period of "painting paralysis" because I just didnt trust my skills were good enough to do justice to the minis I had that I really loved. My suggestion is this - go to Craigslist, or find a sale, of a batch of minis for dirt cheap. It doesn't matter what they are (I just used a bunch of Reaper Bones), and take each one and try out a specific technique. No pressure, just paint for the sake of painting. Take an effect you'd like to create and try your best to create it. Pretty soon you'll be confident enough to tackle the minis you like. Its also worth remembering that metal minis can be stripped quite easily as many times as you like.
I go to thrift stores a lot. I picked up some Lord of the rings plastic minis I'm going to fiddle around on for now.
 
What do you like to use to clean old metal minis?
Last I looked into it the recommendation was easy off oven cleaner.

Can you clean plastic minis? I have a bunch of blood rage and Zombicide Black Plague minis I'd like to paint when I get good enough
 
I've tried a variety of things for stripping metal such as simple green, oven cleaner, etc. What I've find works best and easiest is acetone (the key ingredient in fingernail polish remover, can be bought by the huge tub at hardware stores for about ten bucks). Acetone has zero effect on metal, but absolutely destroys paint, plastic, and glue. Its very quick, you can soak a mini for 15 minutes to half an hour, and then an old toothbrush will take everything off in under a minute. Afterwards I wash them off in warm soapy water, do an initial dry with a paper towel, then leave them to air-dry for a day before priming. Of course, acetone is safe enough on metal that I sometimes just drop chunks of them in a mason jar filled with the stuff and leave them for days or weeks before getting to them. Usually by that time all paint and other matter has collected at the bottom of the jar in a rubbery grey ball.

The only issue with acetone is that its pretty toxic. I work in a pretty well-ventilated office, but some people recommend wearing a dust mask while using it. I wear kitchen gloves. Afterwords, I usually dispose of it down the sewer grating in the back alley.

As for plastic minis, I've seen a few suggestions, but the only one that's worked for me is Dettol. It takes much longer than acetone, stuff needs to be soaked for about 48 hours, and it takes a lot of scrubbing with a toothbrush afterwards, and a toothpick for the crevices.
 
You think I should start a new thread on our discussions on painting to a separate thread so it stops getting in the way of your painting primer?
 
You think I should start a new thread on our discussions on painting to a separate thread so it stops getting in the way of your painting primer?

We can do that...I think I can move the posts to a new thread, I just have to figure out how to do that
 
You think I should start a new thread on our discussions on painting to a separate thread so it stops getting in the way of your painting primer?

Just figured out how to do so, so...new thread :smile:
 
Fantastic! Next mini I paint might get a thread. I feel like I mostly see great painted minis with advice and not a lot of half assed painted minis showing how getting better(or not) really looks.
 
I hate white primer. I can't tell as easily if it's covered the mini completely and at my skill level if can't reach into a crevice it's in, it leaves a bright gleeming indicator of my failure to cover it. Black seems so much more forgiving because it just becomes part if the shadow when I miss that spot.

Is there a reason to love white primer that I'm missing?

Also somewhat annoying is how every time I try to type white primer it spell corrects it to white privilege
 
Easier to paint certain colors over a white primer than black. Yellows, reds, for example. "Easier" in the sense of requiring fewer coats for a good basecoat. Though, you could primer in black, and then put a coat or two of white paint on the specific areas that you're later applying reds/yellows/etc.

Then, there's the factor that if you're painting something that's going to be predominantly white, anyway - like Stormtroopers or skeletons - it'd be easier to start with a white primer.

Also, there's likely a color tonality that'll be defined by the primer you use. A black undercoat will lend itself to a miniature with darker tones; and a white undercoat will lend itself to a more brightly-colored miniature.
 
Excellent answer. Thanks!
 
Yeah, K-Peterson pretty much covered it. The long and the short of it is that a black primer is hard to build up from to get the areas that you want vibrant colours, especially as noted "problem" colours like yellow and red. But black is incredibly good at hiding mistakes and creating a layer of shade.

I go with the best of both worlds...I spray prime black, and when that dries I dry brush white paint-on primer, particularly hitting the places where light is coming down. This is known in the biz as "Zenithal Priming", and with larger figures Ill take this a step further...spray prime black, wait a day and hit it with a light spray of grey primer from a 90 degree angle, and then when that dries will lightly spray white from directly above. This creates a natural pattern of shadows and lights and basically I can apply colours as a series of washes and glazes.
 
lol, the hard part about this thread is actually a lot of stuff I'm saying here I'm planning on covering in more detail in the other thread.

For example, the reason my longer reply is taking so long is that its basically a summary of Chapter 2.

I'll try to keep this informative and helpful but as brief as possible, as I will be delving into way more detail.

The two main suggestions I have for improving on the work "as is" on the example figures is a series of highlights and sharper colour contrasts.

One of the early rules I learned was "never end on a wash." Always, after applying a wash, go in and reapply a layer of paint, even if its the same shade from before the wash. In particular regarding the Barbarian's skin, this will create a much smoother yet dynamic distinction between the shades and flesh, and clean up the blacklining. The biggest issue with painting minis is that they are so small that light does not reflect on them the same way it would if they were human or "regular" sized. A large parting of painting then is simply creating this illusion of light's natural reflections, which gives the figure a feel of weight and mass. I'd say the Barbarian was 90% done...I'd just go in with a very light glaze (using 2:1:1 ratio of paint: water: glaze medium or Future shine) of the mid tone, and then a series of highlights going one shade lighter, just picking out the top edges of muscles and the distinct facial features(cheekbones, forehead, length of the nose, and maybe for that model the top of the chin, as he has a very impressive chin!).

(In my chapter on this I'll provide a series of drawings showing the various highlight sections of the face, but here's an example from a quick google search...)

519255.jpg


The colour contrast thing is a bit trickier, one of the reasons I'm devoting an entire chapter to colour theory. But to go with a quick example, there are "warm", "cool", and "neutral" colours. Most colours have both warm and cool iterations, but in general reds, yellows, and oranges are warm colours, while blues and greens tend to be cool colours. Neutral colours are just that - they don't draw attention and can kind of go with everything - this is whites, greys, blacks, and browns (but again, it is possible for some browns to be warmer and some greys to be cooler, etc). A good colour scheme will focus on one primarily, contrasted with the other. So a primarily cool figure will include a few distinct warm colours to create a dynamic.

In the case of the Barbarian, you'll notice attention is immediately drawn to the red pants/loincloth. This is because every other colour is neutral or cool (even the base is winter-cool). But because the red itself is a bit dulled, the figure seems a bit drab overall. And the question is, is that where you want the focus of attention to be? Imagine, instead of black, his eyepatch was also red. Or the jewel around his neck a vibrant ruby. Suddenly you've shifted focus to the facial area. Or, insted of the cool tan colour for his leather straps, a rich brown-red leather instead? This would cause his skin to "pop" and his muscular chest to be a major focus.

The other way this dynamic is created is by using complimentary colours - those that exist at the opposite end of the colour wheel to your main colour. So taking the knight for example, the primary colours are green and steel/grey (neutral). The details then are yellow, which is an analogous colour to green - its sits right beside it on the colour wheel, as yellow is part of the make-up of green. The opposite of green, its compliment, is purple. Any element of purple on that figure is immediately going to draw the eye's attention.

Thats a really brief and simplistic explanation, but this subject is what I'll be devoting the most time to explaining in my other thread.
 
I'd like to see some examples of your painted miniatures, TristramEvans TristramEvans. Especially if you're got any step-by-steps visuals of your highlighting process or anything along the lines of wet-blending examples.

I am very much a tabletop-quality miniature painter. Painted on and off for the past 15 years. Watched a lot of YouTube tutorials; sat in the garage for hours painting, and meticulously correcting mistakes (lots of mistakes). Experimented with the dipping technique. I have a lot more to learn about highlighting and advanced techniques. (Well, techniques that are "advanced" for me. :smile: )
 
I'd like to see some examples of your painted miniatures, TristramEvans TristramEvans. Especially if you're got any step-by-steps visuals of your highlighting process or anything along the lines of wet-blending examples.

I am very much a tabletop-quality miniature painter. Painted on and off for the past 15 years. Watched a lot of YouTube tutorials; sat in the garage for hours painting, and meticulously correcting mistakes (lots of mistakes). Experimented with the dipping technique. I have a lot more to learn about highlighting and advanced techniques. (Well, techniques that are "advanced" for me. :smile: )
For the foreseeable future I think I'm in the tabletop quality miniature painter.
 
I'll be putting a gallery up soon of my more recent stuff, and doing some step by steps to accompany my primer, but as for the elusive wet-blending, I'm afraid its a notoriously difficult process to photograph (hence the lack of good online tutorials). Moreover wet-blending refers to at least 5 distinct techniques under the same umbrella. Its outside the scope of my primer, as its a technique(s) more suited to competition painting where subtle blends precede over sharp contrasts, but I can talk a bit about it here when I get some more free time.

Anyways, here's one of my recent minis (note I also need to upgrade from my cellphone camera)
20664162_10154872366951238_5639304256090628219_n.jpg


Tabletop quality is all I aspire to, except in very rare cases that I'm willing to spend a month or more on a single miniature (as is the case right now with McDeath). I push myself to high tabletop quality, but I am by no means a Golden Daemon painter, that sort of devotion takes years of meticulous work and as I said in my opening to the primer, the effort doesn't translate to tabletop play, which is ultimately what I'm focused on.
 
I'll be putting a gallery up soon of my more recent stuff, and doing some step by steps to accompany my primer, but as for the elusive wet-blending, I'm afraid its a notoriously difficult process to photograph (hence the lack of good online tutorials).
I've watched some interesting YouTube videos from a fellow named "Sorastro" who covers some advanced techniques. It's all a new world to me; there are some basic techniques that I have yet to ... well, I won't say master, but get a handle on.

Anyways, here's one of my recent minis (note I also need to upgrade from my cellphone camera)
How much time would you estimate you've spent painting this giant? I'm always curious about the time investment that more skilled painters spend on individual minis. I can easily spend in excess of an hour painting a single rank-and-file - Blood Bowl miniatures, for instance. Though I do paint them in small groups.
 
Sorastro is one of the few creators I support monthly on Patreon. His stuff is fantastic. I just wish there was an index as to which videos covered which techniques, because as it is I'm jumping through his stuff too often. And its highly amusing you mention Sorastro, as the frost giant was entirely done based on his tutorial for that model. If you like Sorastro, I also recommend Vince Venturella's Hobby Cheating series, who amusingly Sorastro himself watches for new techniques and inspiration. I think the presentation of Sorastro's videos is far superior - not just the camerawork, and Sorastro's own music compositions, but he spends exactly the right amount of time showing the step without it dragging into tedium or going so fast I cant tell how it was done. But Vince goes into far more practical detail about certain subjects (again, Sorastro really needs an index).

As for time, its really hard for me to estimate, because its never in one sitting. I get in an hour or two here or there when I can (and rarely time myself). So 3 weeks could only be 5-6 hours.
 
If you like Sorastro, I also recommend Vince Venturella's Hobby Cheating series
I will definitely check him out. I can always use more sources of painting knowledge, step-by-step tutorials, etc.

There are some painters I follow that I wish had some video content of works-in-progress, because I'd really like to know how they achieve some of their results. StoneColdLead is one.
 
StoneColdLead did some of my favourite old school Skaven this side of Nico. I got the chance to pick his brain on those on the Oldhammer forums a while back.

skaven%202%20montage.JPG
 
lol, the hard part about this thread is actually a lot of stuff I'm saying here I'm planning on covering in more detail in the other thread.

For example, the reason my longer reply is taking so long is that its basically a summary of Chapter 2.

I'll try to keep this informative and helpful but as brief as possible, as I will be delving into way more detail.

The two main suggestions I have for improving on the work "as is" on the example figures is a series of highlights and sharper colour contrasts.

One of the early rules I learned was "never end on a wash." Always, after applying a wash, go in and reapply a layer of paint, even if its the same shade from before the wash. In particular regarding the Barbarian's skin, this will create a much smoother yet dynamic distinction between the shades and flesh, and clean up the blacklining. The biggest issue with painting minis is that they are so small that light does not reflect on them the same way it would if they were human or "regular" sized. A large parting of painting then is simply creating this illusion of light's natural reflections, which gives the figure a feel of weight and mass. I'd say the Barbarian was 90% done...I'd just go in with a very light glaze (using 2:1:1 ratio of paint: water: glaze medium or Future shine) of the mid tone, and then a series of highlights going one shade lighter, just picking out the top edges of muscles and the distinct facial features(cheekbones, forehead, length of the nose, and maybe for that model the top of the chin, as he has a very impressive chin!).

(In my chapter on this I'll provide a series of drawings showing the various highlight sections of the face, but here's an example from a quick google search...)

519255.jpg


The colour contrast thing is a bit trickier, one of the reasons I'm devoting an entire chapter to colour theory. But to go with a quick example, there are "warm", "cool", and "neutral" colours. Most colours have both warm and cool iterations, but in general reds, yellows, and oranges are warm colours, while blues and greens tend to be cool colours. Neutral colours are just that - they don't draw attention and can kind of go with everything - this is whites, greys, blacks, and browns (but again, it is possible for some browns to be warmer and some greys to be cooler, etc). A good colour scheme will focus on one primarily, contrasted with the other. So a primarily cool figure will include a few distinct warm colours to create a dynamic.

In the case of the Barbarian, you'll notice attention is immediately drawn to the red pants/loincloth. This is because every other colour is neutral or cool (even the base is winter-cool). But because the red itself is a bit dulled, the figure seems a bit drab overall. And the question is, is that where you want the focus of attention to be? Imagine, instead of black, his eyepatch was also red. Or the jewel around his neck a vibrant ruby. Suddenly you've shifted focus to the facial area. Or, insted of the cool tan colour for his leather straps, a rich brown-red leather instead? This would cause his skin to "pop" and his muscular chest to be a major focus.

The other way this dynamic is created is by using complimentary colours - those that exist at the opposite end of the colour wheel to your main colour. So taking the knight for example, the primary colours are green and steel/grey (neutral). The details then are yellow, which is an analogous colour to green - its sits right beside it on the colour wheel, as yellow is part of the make-up of green. The opposite of green, its compliment, is purple. Any element of purple on that figure is immediately going to draw the eye's attention.

Thats a really brief and simplistic explanation, but this subject is what I'll be devoting the most time to explaining in my other thread.

Thank you. I'll need a little time to digest and implement the suggestions but I'll post back when I get a chance.
 
Hey Tristram do you normally glue your mini's together before painting or do some painting before glueing? It just seems to me like I'd have better access to all angles if I paint most of the parts before glueing.
 
Sometimes. When I did my skaven Doomwheel, I actually painted the whole thing on the sprue and just did touchups after I cut and constructed it. But this was when I started painting and probably wouldn't attempt that again. I'll sometimes leave parts separate if they're going to be really difficult, but I try to avoid it as much as possible because the joins are never as strong (at the very least always scrape the paint of the joins before gluing, because paint glued too paint isnt going to last long). If somethings that hard to get to though, often its also going to be hard to see or in shadow, so I'd just as soon leave it black.
 
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