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Post by monkeybarsixx on Mar 13, 2015 19:38:36 GMT
Hi folks, thanks for the great forum. I have been lurking for a bit. But now I need some serious guidance.
I am actually pretty new to tabletop gaming, and am brand spanking new to minis. I have never painted a mini(well, I painted a few back in the 80s).
I have a problem of jumping in way over my head when I get into something new. Case in point: I just picked up over 400 unpainted minis. I picked up both kickstarters from reapers bones. Man, that's alot of minis.... Lol
So. I have the stuff to paint, bit I need some guidance on what paint to buy.....
What brands r mostly recommended?
What is a good solid base of colors to get me going?
Is there a great starter paint set that can really get me started? I have seen some really huge sets, but that may seem like overkill at this point. (or maybe I really need all of those colors?)
Are there any favorite colors that may be outside of said set that I really need? Ex. A great metallic for armor, a great combination of greens for ogres, a great combo for flesh, a few pre-made washes.... Etc...
Any advice or guidance here would be great! I can't wait to get painting!
Thanks, Scott
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Post by Alexis on Mar 13, 2015 20:02:23 GMT
I just started painting my first minis about a month ago. So I had to start out from nothing. A friend and I went out to get some paint sets from Citadel by GW. There are several sets on their website, for base colours, layers, shading and drybrushing. We just got ourselves all of them and we were both really satisfied. They are expensive but you really get everything you need. Including nice metallics for armor, greens for ogres, different flesh tones and washes. Well probably even more than that. So far I haven't tried anything else yet, so I might not be the best person to give advice. Anyway I personally really like working with the Citadel colours and they are worth the price. But I might also need to mention that where I live there isn't really much choice. When we went out to buy paints in local shops it was either Citadel or nothing. ;-)
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Post by adamantinedragon on Mar 13, 2015 20:21:11 GMT
Painting minis is one of those things that people engage in for completely different reasons, expecting totally different results and using a ridiculous number of techniques and tools to accomplish. What advice to give depends very much on where you want to end up on that spectrum of mini painters from the "I just wanna have playable minis" to "I am an artiste!"
Some general advice. If you just want playable minis, you can get by with very minimal tools and cheap craft acrylic paints you can find at Walmart. If you want to go in that direction I'd still recommend that you invest in some decent brushes and learn how to use washes and dry brushing. Washes and dry brushing can make even minis casually painted with cheap paint look pretty good.
If you want to be more serious about it, you should look into getting more expensive mini paints, like those from Citadel. Those paints have much denser concentrations of pigments, which means your minis will look better with less paint, and you can get very specific colors instead of attempting to mix your own from the generic colors you find in the cheap paints.
I do recommend air brushes because they can be had relatively cheaply and with 400 minis to paint, you'll need to do a lot of base painting, and with spray paint, that can be expensive and smelly. You can easily spend as much on spray paints as you would on an air brush, plus you probably have to end up spray painting outside. I have an air brush and a cheap air brush hood I made out of foam core that allows me to airbrush in my craft room.
There are thousands of Youtube videos on the art and craft of miniature painting as well, and many of them are very, very helpful.
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Post by monkeybarsixx on Mar 13, 2015 21:29:39 GMT
Alexis, thanks for the quick reply. I will check then out. That's the company (GW) that does war hammer right? We do have one of their stores in my town. I think if I go in there, they will give me a quick painting lesson, and a mini to paint. That may be worth a look.
Was there a specific set u bought? Or a jumble of colors? What was the set or group of colors u started with?
When u say u got all of them, do you mean, you got ALL of them!?
Thanjs again, Scott
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Post by Alexis on Mar 13, 2015 21:40:57 GMT
Alexis, thanks for the quick reply. I will check then out. That's the company (GW) that does war hammer right? We do have one of their stores in my town. I think if I go in there, they will give me a quick painting lesson, and a mini to paint. That may be worth a look. Was there a specific set u bought? Or a jumble of colors? What was the set or group of colors u started with? When u say u got all of them, do you mean, you got ALL of them!? Thanjs again, Scott Yes GW does Warhammer, checking out the store is definitely a good idea. With all of them I meant all of the four sets I mentioned (I put the link in my previous post): The Base colour set, the shading set, the layer set and the dry set. I think all the sets combined are about 50 different paints.
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Post by monkeybarsixx on Mar 13, 2015 21:44:02 GMT
AdamantineDragin,
Thanks for the quick and detailed reply!
I guess I will probably fall into the "I want the best looking minis that I can make" category. When it's all said and done, I may end up doing speedy painting on some of the minis, but I definitely want to be able to get better and do the best work possible on some of the minis. I do understand that 400 MI is is alot, and is going to be a long haul project... Lol
So 2 responses, and 2 recommendations for citadel. I will start to look at that product line. How does citadel compare to valeo (yeah, I know I spelled that wrong) and to the Reaper brands? I ask about those because those were the ones I started looking at originally, based on some you tube videos...
I do have an airbrush, I have had it for ever, since high school. I messed around with it a bit, certainly looks like it's time to break it out.
If I go with citadel paints, is there a specific air brush line, or can all their paints be airbrushed easily?
As for using an air brush to prime, I have seen people use white, gray. And black.... Seems like it's a personal preference thing. To me though, it does seem that there may be times when each has its merits.
And one last question about air brush priming, especially on reaper bones... Would you use the citadel paints to prime, or would you get another type of paint?
And if I was priming white, do I actually need to prime the bones?
Thanks again, Scott
Ps... I will certainly be posting some photos when I'm done. Good or bad... Lol
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Post by monkeybarsixx on Mar 13, 2015 21:49:16 GMT
Alexis,
Gotcha! I will look specifically at those sets, and use that as a great starting spot!
Thanks again
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dmbrad
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 166
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Post by dmbrad on Mar 13, 2015 22:07:08 GMT
If you are going to buy actual miniature paints, I would recommend getting Reaper paints above any others. If you use reaper paints, you do not need to prime your bones minis at all. I have not tested other brands with this, but I know the reaper ones work without priming. As far as Citadel paints, I have heard from multiple sources that their current line of paints are inferior to past lines that were made by different companies.
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Post by monkeybarsixx on Mar 13, 2015 23:49:19 GMT
Dmbrad, thanks for the input.
The reason I was looking at Vallejo paints, is the reason u gave about citadel. That since some of the other companies rebrand another companies paint, the quality could become an issue. (note, I didn't see that reaper had a quality issue, just that it could become an issue with future versions of the paint).
Ok, so I am currently....
1. Not going to use Walmart paint. 2. Going to check into both citadel and reaper paints. While looking for a few other independent reviews of both lines. 3. Digging my old air brush out of storage.
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dmbrad
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 166
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Post by dmbrad on Mar 13, 2015 23:52:40 GMT
Reaper makes their own paints.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2015 0:19:12 GMT
reapercraft.boards.net/In regard to learning how to paint minis, go to the tutorial board and check out the Miniature Painting 101 videos, there are 50 and they cover everything you need to know.
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Post by monkeybarsixx on Mar 14, 2015 0:57:37 GMT
Dmbrad, thanks! That helps to alleviate the false worry I had... And since I will be painting reaper bones, maybe reaper paints r the way to go.
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Post by bloodchoke on Mar 14, 2015 0:58:31 GMT
I mostly use Reaper and Vallejo paints, though I also have a couple Citadels. I personally prefer the dropper to the tub for paints, and I can't really tell much difference between the three paints in terms of quality. Reaper and Vallejo are cheaper--which ultimately is the deciding factor for me, all things equal--and Vallejo can be picked up at any hobby store. Coupons can get you a bottle a day at 40%, and if you're lucky like I recently was, some jackass with hot pink spray paint will get them all marked down to half price. Reaper paints tend to be slightly thinner than others though, which may be helpful since you're just starting to paint and won't immediately have a feel for how to thin them.
Like others said, you'll need washes too. In my opinion, Citadel washes are FAR superior to either Reaper or Vallejo. I haven't tried other brands, but Citadel's are so good I don't really see any reason to. I would suggest getting a tub of Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil at a minimum, and probably Reikland Flesh Wash too, though I haven't tried it yet personally.
For brushes, I'd start with a decent multipack, since your first brush tends to not last very long. It takes a while to learn to use the edge of the brush and preserve the tip. Also, you'll need ruined and cheaper brushes for washes and especially dry brushing. I do the majority of my painting with a Master's Touch golden taklon brush from Hobby Lobby, a number two. That's about as small a brush as you'll need, except for a 0 to use for eyes. If you're not on too tight a budget, wouldn't hurt to go ahead and start off with one of those, as they're only about $6 and can be used for washes and base coats once the tips splay.
Bones don't need to be primed, just washed with soap, water and an old tooth brush. For the first coat, use paint straight out of the bottle (not diluted). If you paint other minis, I would recommend starting with black primer, as it will hide your mistakes better. I think it is a matter of preference ultimately, but I just use black most the time myself. I make a lot of mistakes.
Anyway, hope that helps. Look forward to seeing the results.
tldr:
Paints--Vallejo or Reaper Washes--Citadel. Only Citadel. Brushes--cheap pack + a golden taklon no. 2 Primer--none for Bones, black for others.
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Post by monkeybarsixx on Mar 14, 2015 1:01:27 GMT
Aj, thanks for the input. I have been watching tons of tutorials already. I actually think I am getting a bit overloaded, lol.
I need to get my paints and dive in.
But will take ur advice and watch 50 more videos. (I actually have watched a bunch of them, so I only have 27 new ones... Lol)
Everyone, again thanks for being so helpful. I really do appreciate the input. Please, keep any more suggestions flowing in.
(flowing... See what I did there... Flowing.... Ok, it's not really funny)
-scott
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Post by DnDPaladin on Mar 14, 2015 5:23:08 GMT
everybody gave their two cents... i'll also give mine, but i dont expect to say anything different then what others said...
colors you should get... - lots of white and lots of black. like more then 2$ bottles. - Brown - Blue - Yellow - Green - Red
this is all i have and fromt heer i can do whatever i need. you need darker colors, so put darker colors. beware, black and white aren't colors. so dont expect them to mix like computers do. they are their own stuff. usually from yellow, red and blue you can do everything else. just depends on what you need.
burshes are important... buy yourself a cheap set that goes from 10/0 (smallest) to 10 (biggest) most often then not they will sell the sets of 10 brush somewhere in between. i definitely recommend buying yourself a 10/0 brush, it really helps with fine details. at least that how it is for me. beware though, not all companies uses the same scales. so a 4/0 might be as big as another 10/0. so just look thru and find the smallest one you can.
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Post by adamantinedragon on Mar 14, 2015 6:49:16 GMT
monkeybarsixx, I wasn't aware that Citadel's reputation had declined. I don't actually use their paints, I am one of those "use cheap acrylic paints" people who buys my paints from Michaels or Hobby Lobby and mixes my own colors. But then that's mostly for two reasons: 1. I do a lot of terrain painting and don't really want to have two separate sets of paints one for terrain and one for minis. 2. I am a "good enough" sort of guy, and my goal is to have playable minis, not necessarily minis that I want to enter into an art contest. Every now and then I'll get "serious" about a mini, but most of them are painted with three or four colors, then inkwashed for shadow, and finally drybrushed for highlights. It works pretty well, I think.
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dmbrad
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 166
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Post by dmbrad on Mar 14, 2015 10:45:11 GMT
Another paint option for you is Army Painter paints. I have not used their actual paints but their washes and primers are great.
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 14, 2015 22:47:39 GMT
You may want to divide your figures according to whether they need a high-quality paint job, or can they be 'army painted' quality... With over 400 mini's to paint, doing a 'museum quality' job means you will finish in about 10-20 years... For PC's, a higher quality job is desired; for monsters, they will get limited table time, so block painting with either The Dip, or Magic Wash, may be sufficient (search the Internet for these terms for instructions, and finished examples). Be realistic in your painting, unless you don't mind playing with unpainted mini's. I'm an army painter, so all of my figures get the GEtGW (Good Enough to Game With -- they look good at arm's length) quality, for speed, and minimal time in the painting queue.
I might also suggest using plastic Army Men figures to practice upon. They're cheap, easy to experiment upon, and they pose no loss of money, should you fail miserably on them. They are detailed enough to learn the various techniques with, and they are just easy to practice upon. Regardless of what figures you choose to use as Guinea Pigs, remember that Simple Green cleaner is an easy, safe paint remover for mistakes... To remove paint, just soak the mini in Simple Green, full-strength, for 24-hours, then scrub with an old toothbrush, to remove paint from the recesses. Cheers!
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Post by monkeybarsixx on Mar 15, 2015 0:58:14 GMT
Bloodchoke,
Opps, I missed ur post the other day, looks like we were both typing at the same time.
Thanks for the breakdown. And for confirming the citadel washes. I've heard others talk about them too.
Also, thanks for the starting place on the brushes!
Results. Be coming soon
-scott
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Post by monkeybarsixx on Mar 15, 2015 1:03:01 GMT
D&DPaladin,
Thanks for the 2¢.
I was wondering g if some people paint with less colors and simply mix their own with the primaries. It does seem like buying an entire line of colors is a big undertaking.
-scott
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