Free handing the 'U'

[Robert2004]

Hey guys,

 

Been recently using transfers and they are bloody awful to put on and often end up shiny and with one bit stuck up in the air (usually above the middle of the shoulder where is slopes around) and I've been thinking about free hand painting the 'U'. Trouble is I've never actually free handed anything at all and was wondering if anyone had any methods or tips on how to do it?

[greatcrusade08]

i do all mine freehand..

im pretty sure there is a tutorial on here somewhere that does it a similar way to me.

 

first i start with a solid bar, for the top of the 'U' and then draw on the semi-circular part.. and go back with blue and fill in mistakes and the cross piece of the top bar..

 

if that makes sense

[TSgt Hivemind]

That is an amazing cool idea, Greatcrusade.  I've been trying the freehand thing myself recently and it's not coming out quite right.  I'll have to try your method.

[Robert2004]

After searching the depths of the forum came up with this, for anyone else looking a simple method of painting the 'U', will definately try this later =]

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/139499-painting-ultramarine-freehand-chapter-badge/

[OldFlakes]

Hi Robert2004

 

I had trouble at first with the ultramarine decals but i now have it down to a U

 

What i do is coat the surface area with Ard Coat and let it dry. With the cut out decal i make another cut down the center of the symbol allowing the top half to overlap itself if needed, this can also help the decal conform to curvature of the shoulder pad.

 

Using micro set / solvent solution allows a decal to conform even more as it effectively melts it on to the surface area, but it is not strong enough to burn and damage any paint. this stuff is pure magic in a bottle and i cannot recommend it enough and i believe this will be the answer to most of you problems with decals.

here is a small video tutorial on the product

 

When the decal is completely adhered to the surface i then use a second layer of ard coat, and this last step is very important if you use any spray fixatives as without the second layer it may pick up any underlying air pockets.

 

Donn

[GrandMagnus]

This might be usefull to you, its what I do:

 

http://ventris-4thcompany.blogspot.com.es/2009/03/painting-ultramarines-symbol.html

[The Emperor's Champion]

Paint surface blue.
Paint white circle.
Paint blue circle in upper white circle.
Paint white rectangle across above the white circle.
Paint blue line down the middle of the white rectangle connecting the blue background to the blue circle.
Done.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/Ieyke/Warhammer%2040k/UMsymbolquickandeasy.jpg

[UltraRich]

I paint all my symbols so I do the following 

 

Really thin your paint. I normally start with a very thin grey paint. 

Paint a solid ball then paint a solid bar on top. (leave it to dry)

Paint a single line down through the bar half way into the ball with thinned blue

Paint another small blue ball over the line at the bottom. (leave it to dry)

Use thinned blue to tidy the bar at the top in terms of squaring it up. Its easier to square up the white with blue than paint the white square. 

Once it looks ok then over paint the grey with white. If you paint it with thin white it will flow over the grey without bleeding out. 

 

The main reason I use thin paint for this is its dead easy to over paint the symbol and drag the paint when it has a drying surface. Ive done it myself but you see a number of pads where the U is good but looks thick and has a surface because its either painted with to thick paint or in an attempt to get it tidy first time the painters gone over it again and again with out letting it dry.

 

I hope that helps

[Megapope]

Seconding Donnchadh to try out the Microsol and Microset, I guarantee it will make putting on decals so much easier. It's absolutely worth it and the two bottles will last you a lifetime. It really is as simple as:

 

1) gloss varnish surface

2) cut out decal and place on damp sponge

3) once varnish is dry, dab on some microset (blue bottle)

4) place decal onto surface

5) dab on some microsol over the top (red bottle)

6) wait to dry, maybe carefully dab down any raised areas with a brush

7) gloss varnish over top once decal is totally dry, matt varnish over that. 

 

http://i.imgur.com/Ru7FaRk.jpg

 

Unless you're very confident with freehand painting, decals will almost always look better (if done right) and decal setting formula makes all the difference in the world. Here are some of my transfers once I got the two bottles:

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tL0S9Uk4YRE/Tstcuwwf7pI/AAAAAAAABv4/Q8zxUSHJWVE/s1600/transfers_montage.jpg

[Robert2004]

Thanks guys lots of great Ideas out there, tried to paint my first shoulder pad free hand last night turned out ok, maybe a little small but will get better over time. Loving this idea of melting the decal onto the paint, with Micro Sol and Micro Set, will definately have to try that out in the near future. =]