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Post by dungeonmistress on Sept 28, 2014 22:44:08 GMT
So, one of my players bought a white plastic mini to represent him in the game and asked if I would paint it for him. Of course I said yes. Now I know i probably should have used a much smaller brush and Testor model paints or the equivalent, but I had to work with what I had on hand (eg: #3 brush and acrylic paints) Well, here are the results: My player chose the color scheme and hair color (which fits in with his back story). He's thrilled with the outcome , which is the most important thing, but I still would like to get advice and opinions from those of you who are more experienced with sort of thing.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 0:06:36 GMT
I think it looks great!, so yea a smaller brush may have been easier, but don't use testors paint. what you have is just fine. Thin it out a little and maybe look up some videos on YouTube on painting minis and you'll only get better.
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Post by SpielMeisterKev! on Sept 29, 2014 0:51:44 GMT
Howdy,
Daaang...If you can do that wit' #3, you will become an awesome mini painter with some finer brushes and experience. I suck at painting mini's but seem drawn to it for some reason? I made my saving throw vs the bones II but failed vs the dungeon saga, so I will have plenty of practice during fall 2015 after I receive them. I am already planning on upping my pledge to around 175 mini's?
Keep on paintin', Kev!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 1:00:52 GMT
I have definitely seen worse paint jobs than that, so well done I am sort of dreading the arrival of my Bones miniatures, since there are hundreds of them.. but, wow, so much practice, can only be good for my skills. I should say, the peacock on the shield is really great.
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Post by dungeonmistress on Sept 29, 2014 5:16:48 GMT
Thank you all for your kind word of encouragement. I am hoping to find a human wizard with a staff for my husbands character and paint that next. But where to look for something I can afford? MiniatureMarket.com? Or is there somewhere with prices?
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Post by beetlewing on Sept 29, 2014 8:00:13 GMT
That's a great first mini! I've done and seen much worse, haha. And I agree with @aj, nice job on the peacock. I only use cheap craft paints on mine. I like the price ($1-2 per color) as well as being able to use them for everything else, including painting on canvases. My hobbies are expensive enough without fancy paints. At arm's length, I can't tell the difference between cheap black and expensive black, and I seriously doubt anyone else can either.
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Post by grandinquisitorkris on Sept 29, 2014 12:52:58 GMT
its GREAT for a first attempt at painting . it does look a little flat though because it lacks shading (something EVERY painter has to learn) . you can either go with highlighting , shading , etc using paint , or of you want a quick shading method that i WISH i had learned YEARS ago , because it would have saved me a TON of time , i would suggest the "dip" method . also , for my figs i prime them with cheap walmart spray paint and then i use cheap acrylic craft paints for all my colors . here is a link on dipping figs , www-personal.umich.edu/~beattie/dip.htmlafter i dip them , i let them dry 24 hours and then hit them with a thin coat of testors dullcoat laquer to get rid of the shine .
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Post by grandinquisitorkris on Sept 29, 2014 12:57:53 GMT
That's a great first mini! I've done and seen much worse, haha. And I agree with @aj, nice job on the peacock. I only use cheap craft paints on mine. I like the price ($1-2 per color) as well as being able to use them for everything else, including painting on canvases. My hobbies are expensive enough without fancy paints. At arm's length, I can't tell the difference between cheap black and expensive black, and I seriously doubt anyone else can either. to be honest , unless its a super specialty color that noother company but "X" makes , i dont think ANYONE can really tell the dif between craft paints and hobby company paints , its equally easy to paint great with craft paints , and equally easy to paint poorly with the more expensive ones like games workshop .
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Post by dungeonmistress on Sept 29, 2014 15:37:30 GMT
its GREAT for a first attempt at painting . it does look a little flat though because it lacks shading (something EVERY painter has to learn) . you can either go with highlighting , shading , etc using paint , or of you want a quick shading method that i WISH i had learned YEARS ago , because it would have saved me a TON of time , i would suggest the "dip" method . also , for my figs i prime them with cheap walmart spray paint and then i use cheap acrylic craft paints for all my colors . here is a link on dipping figs , www-personal.umich.edu/~beattie/dip.htmlafter i dip them , i let them dry 24 hours and then hit them with a thin coat of testors dullcoat laquer to get rid of the shine . Thank you for that link, I have bookmarked that page. I will use that method on my next mini. I used to use the cheap Walmart spray paint, but I was getting so many non-functional cans of paint it was driving me crazy, and they started acting funny when I would bring the nearly full cans back with the complaint: it won't spray. So, luckily for me, there is a Lowe's just down the street from the Walmart, where I can get a much better quality (eg: the paint will actually spray) of spray paint for only $0.03 more per can! Whoopie! That first mini was plastic and took the acrylic paint well enough after I had sprayed it with a light coat of clear matte sealer, but what if I were to paint a metal fig, is there anything I should do differently?
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Post by beetlewing on Sept 29, 2014 16:24:26 GMT
That first mini was plastic and took the acrylic paint well enough after I had sprayed it with a light coat of clear matte sealer, but what if I were to paint a metal fig, is there anything I should do differently? I spray every mini with cheap rattlecan primer, no matter what they're made of. Not only does it give something for the paint to stick to, it also brings out the mini's details. Many times I've discovered sculpted details that I didn't even notice until I primed... like one of my troll's nipple piercings, lol.
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Post by Admin on Sept 29, 2014 17:47:23 GMT
Definitely worth getting a wide range of colours and brushes if you want to take up miniature painting.
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Post by Erasmas on Sept 29, 2014 17:53:15 GMT
Do not spray-prime the Reaper Bones miniatures! I did this with my first one and the primer never fully sets. It stays tacky and comes off when touched too much with your fingers (such as from handling it while painting on the acrylics).
Just a word of caution!
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valas
Room Planner
I'm being twisted, on the sideway down.
Posts: 459
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Post by valas on Sept 29, 2014 18:33:35 GMT
Do not spray-prime the Reaper Bones miniatures! I did this with my first one and the primer never fully sets. It stays tacky and comes off when touched too much with your fingers (such as from handling it while painting on the acrylics). Just a word of caution! I haven't had this issue with the bones. I always wash mine with warm soapy water before using a rattle can. The primer sticks well. Do you wash your bones?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 18:37:17 GMT
its GREAT for a first attempt at painting . it does look a little flat though because it lacks shading (something EVERY painter has to learn) . you can either go with highlighting , shading , etc using paint , or of you want a quick shading method that i WISH i had learned YEARS ago , because it would have saved me a TON of time , i would suggest the "dip" method . also , for my figs i prime them with cheap walmart spray paint and then i use cheap acrylic craft paints for all my colors . here is a link on dipping figs , www-personal.umich.edu/~beattie/dip.htmlafter i dip them , i let them dry 24 hours and then hit them with a thin coat of testors dullcoat laquer to get rid of the shine . Thank you for that link, I have bookmarked that page. I will use that method on my next mini. I used to use the cheap Walmart spray paint, but I was getting so many non-functional cans of paint it was driving me crazy, and they started acting funny when I would bring the nearly full cans back with the complaint: it won't spray. So, luckily for me, there is a Lowe's just down the street from the Walmart, where I can get a much better quality (eg: the paint will actually spray) of spray paint for only $0.03 more per can! Whoopie! That first mini was plastic and took the acrylic paint well enough after I had sprayed it with a light coat of clear matte sealer, but what if I were to paint a metal fig, is there anything I should do differently? I do the same for metal or plastic. The key for me was a few things: 1: when I prime, I go very very light. I also use the white primer, I just like it better 2: THIN YOUR PAINT! thin it with water. as for how much, it depends on the paint, but you want it to flow, not run on what you're painting (if that makes sense) 3: Layers, Layers, Layers. build up layers of color, don't expect to cover an area with just one coat. 4: Shadows and highlights. This is where I have the most trouble, but I like to paint the whole thing, give it a wash (or dip) and go in for highlights. 5: Base and seal to taste. Just one variation of how to get started
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Post by Erasmas on Sept 29, 2014 18:52:41 GMT
Do not spray-prime the Reaper Bones miniatures! I did this with my first one and the primer never fully sets. It stays tacky and comes off when touched too much with your fingers (such as from handling it while painting on the acrylics). Just a word of caution! I haven't had this issue with the bones. I always wash mine with warm soapy water before using a rattle can. The primer sticks well. Do you wash your bones? That's actually a hilarious question, taken out of context. But seriously, y'know... I do wash them before painting them now (having heard about that tip). However, now I am questioning the sequence of events and thinking that I may not have known this tip before painting the mini that I am referencing. So, you know what... I may not have... and that very well could have been the problem! I will have to try spray primer again in the future and see if that was it. I (very well may) stand corrected, everyone. Proceed!
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Post by beetlewing on Sept 29, 2014 19:02:40 GMT
I haven't had this issue with the bones. I always wash mine with warm soapy water before using a rattle can. The primer sticks well. Do you wash your bones? That's actually a hilarious question, taken out of context. But seriously, y'know... I do wash them before painting them now (having heard about that tip). However, now I am questioning the sequence of events and thinking that I may not have known this tip before painting the mini that I am referencing. So, you know what... I may not have... and that very well could have been the problem! I will have to try spray primer again in the future and see if that was it. I (very well may) stand corrected, everyone. Proceed! I haven't had this issue either. Maybe it has to do with the formula/brand of primer...? My current can is Krylon Colormaster ("with durable covermax technology"). I also use thin coats, as it can fill small details pretty quickly otherwise.
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Post by Erasmas on Sept 29, 2014 19:38:59 GMT
That also could be true, though I didn't use a different can than I use for my pewters or my other plastics. I have never had the problem with any of those. It only ever seems to have been an issue with that one Bones mini and the kraken I made.
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valas
Room Planner
I'm being twisted, on the sideway down.
Posts: 459
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Post by valas on Sept 29, 2014 21:40:26 GMT
I use a very cheap walmart primer. The color depends on what I am painting. If my minis are dark color scheme, I will go with black and white if it is to be a lighter brighter scheme. I like to build layers, but that takes practice. Definitely thin your paints! Especially if your using the craft base paints. I find them to be very thick. I use mainly reaper and GW paints for my mini's. Best thing to do is watch some you tube vids on the various techniques of mini painting and then experiment and paint lots of minis. Don't get discouraged if something doesn't come out the way you want - you can always strip it and start again!
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shadowfoot
Cardboard Collector
5th edition and Heroscape
Posts: 2
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Post by shadowfoot on Sept 30, 2014 5:34:53 GMT
So, one of my players bought a white plastic mini to represent him in the game and asked if I would paint it for him. Of course I said yes. Now I know i probably should have used a much smaller brush and Testor model paints or the equivalent, but I had to work with what I had on hand (eg: #3 brush and acrylic paints) Well, here are the results: My player chose the color scheme and hair color (which fits in with his back story). He's thrilled with the outcome , which is the most important thing, but I still would like to get advice and opinions from those of you who are more experienced with sort of thing. Looks awesome to me. Espicially for your first mini paint job.
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Post by grandinquisitorkris on Sept 30, 2014 9:00:42 GMT
its GREAT for a first attempt at painting . it does look a little flat though because it lacks shading (something EVERY painter has to learn) . you can either go with highlighting , shading , etc using paint , or of you want a quick shading method that i WISH i had learned YEARS ago , because it would have saved me a TON of time , i would suggest the "dip" method . also , for my figs i prime them with cheap walmart spray paint and then i use cheap acrylic craft paints for all my colors . here is a link on dipping figs , www-personal.umich.edu/~beattie/dip.htmlafter i dip them , i let them dry 24 hours and then hit them with a thin coat of testors dullcoat laquer to get rid of the shine . Thank you for that link, I have bookmarked that page. I will use that method on my next mini. I used to use the cheap Walmart spray paint, but I was getting so many non-functional cans of paint it was driving me crazy, and they started acting funny when I would bring the nearly full cans back with the complaint: it won't spray. So, luckily for me, there is a Lowe's just down the street from the Walmart, where I can get a much better quality (eg: the paint will actually spray) of spray paint for only $0.03 more per can! Whoopie! That first mini was plastic and took the acrylic paint well enough after I had sprayed it with a light coat of clear matte sealer, but what if I were to paint a metal fig, is there anything I should do differently? its an AMAZING time saver , and takes plain looking minis and makes them look great . though i should point out that i agree with the poster of the article that i use a brush to apply the dip , rather than actually dip the fig , so its easier to control . the nonspraying cans is probably because the tips get clogged . to fix that , after i finish spraying the figs , i turn the can upside down and spray a second or 2 till it clears the paint flow ( its is obvious when you see it happen) and once i am done with the can , i save the sprayer tip , so that if i get a clogged nozzle , i just pop it out and put in another . its something i was shown by a model builder because some of those paints dry pretty fast . as for metal vs plastic , it depends on how gonzo you wantto go . i know people who REFUSE to paint metal figs without first soaking them in vinigar , then a light wash , then priming , THEN bakingthem in the oven , etc ....... to make the paint last forever . but i find that as loing as you arent gorilla rough with the figs , a good coat of sealing makes the paint last pretty well . i have also seen pros who refuse to paint without wearing gloves , to keep body oils from their fingers from getting on the figs . i dont go that far . my rules for cleaning the figs is that i wash my hands prior to assembling the figs , and again prior to painting . if the figs come from another source where they have likly been handled by other people , then i squirt a little rubbing alcohol on a shop towel and rub it over the fig to remove any substantial gunk and oils . otherwise its all prettty straigh forward for either as long as they are primed with a flat paint or primer .
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