jimbo13 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Hey all, I have a question about highlighting. Like the topic says I have real shaky hands and have trouble highlighting even on good days. Is using a tooth pick to highlight a suitable option to get nice clean lines? I have trouble getting a nice crisp highlight and thought this might be a way to accomplish it. Does anyone have any suggestions. No joke I usually have a beer or two to help my hands stop shaking so bad which has gotten exceptional results. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotsmasha Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I've two little tricks, that may help you out. The first is to place something on your painting area to rest your elbows on that will bring your model to eye line while your elbows are resting. The second is to lock your wrists together whilst painting, model in one hand, brush in the other. These two things will increase your stability and reduce your shakiness. Cheers, Jono Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3917725 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironwulf Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I'd recommend that you gently brace your elbows/wrists on your worktable to help stabilize your forearms. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3917726 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redtoof Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I heard somewhere that it's best to breath out before making any fine brush strokes, not sure if that will help but apparently you shake more while holding your breath in. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3917762 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaeron Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I've two little tricks, that may help you out. The first is to place something on your painting area to rest your elbows on that will bring your model to eye line while your elbows are resting. The second is to lock your wrists together whilst painting, model in one hand, brush in the other. These two things will increase your stability and reduce your shakiness. Cheers, Jono I'd recommend that you gently brace your elbows/wrists on your worktable to help stabilize your forearms. I heard somewhere that it's best to breath out before making any fine brush strokes, not sure if that will help but apparently you shake more while holding your breath in. These are all really good pieces of advice - and are ones that I've been following for quite awhile. It's hard sometimes to perfect, and may not always be ideal - but it will give you better brush control and reduce the chance of you messing any fine line highlighting. Don't be afraid if you do - I regularly block colours, and go back for detail later, and patch up any non-perfect highlight strips. Majority of people would too. If you need to go broader with the initial highlight and then reduce it down with the original colour, that would work equally effectively. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3917894 Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeBob Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I also have very shaky hands. The advice about keeping both hands on the table is what works best for me. My wife always knows when I'm doing detail work because my breathing gets rather pronounced so that works too. One odd bit of advice that I can give is to think about parts of a model that you won't be able to get to with both hands planted on the table. This comes up a lot with me on bigger models like land raiders. I purposely do not glue those parts to the model before base coating so that I can manipulate them later and glue at the end. My hands are so shaky that if I cannot keep my hands planted on the table I basically cannot paint. Good luck! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3918475 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Blaire Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Don't be afraid to "clean up" any stray marks. I don't usually get completely straight lines and end up cleaning up stray marks or diversions along the model to get them as straight as possible. Also, if you are edge highlighting and getting wobbly lines: don't use much paint at all, I usually try to have only about 1/4th of the brush with paint on the bristles. Run the edge/side of the brush against the edge you want to highlight. Don't try to use the actual tip of the brush to highlight lines against the edge. These won't necessarily stop the hand shaking, but they can help you deal with it. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3918551 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interrogator Stobz Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Hydrate, then hydrate some more, take regular breaks due to this hydration and create a firm base as described above. I sit at a chair 8" too low for my table so my elbows are raised up to nearly horizontal and when I lock my hands together to paint they are at eye level without struggle. Be COMFORTABLE, you will struggle to stop shaking if you are working hard at your painting station. Also Bryans paint brush tips are on the money. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3918602 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtle Discord Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Yep, start it messy, then go in with the base colour and clean it up. Buried somewhere in Legion Rising I talk about how I do my edge highlighting, and that is rule 1 for me; do the messy first, then clean it up. Repeat process until the miniature is done. Now, it becomes an issue if you're working on a surface with a blend or transition, since it's not a single colour you can go in with to tidy up, so it is situational, but most straightforward painting schemes will be fine. As mentioned, bracing your hands, writs, arms, and the model itself are key. The 'tripod' or resting on your elbows (hands locked together) while you also lean into the table you work as is a good all-round pose that will help. If you can setup a permanent painting spot, consider the height of your working surface itself and see if you can raise it; I put a second rather heavy (read: stable) smaller table on top of a standard desk to raise my painting area. It also has the added benefit of adding another level to your setup, so you store stuff under, and work on top. Naturally, bricks or blocks to raise the desk can also work. To give a real world example (read: where I got the idea) a jewelers' bench is roughly 39" high, and when you sit in a low (but still comfortable) chair the work surface will be at roughly eye level. My setup takes the standard desk height of 29" and boosts it up to just under 40". With it at that height I can literally stand the miniature at roughly eye level and brace just my fingers on the edge of the upper table as I paint; your hands can't shake when they are taken out of the equation. :) combined with good lighting, this simple change to my painting setup has helped considerably. It takes a bit of time to get use to it, but once you do you'll have a hard time painting without it. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3918628 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbo13 Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Thanks everyone for all the advice!!!! I've been using a lot of these methods now and it definitely helps. One thing I've been toying with is keeping my marines unassembled and painting them piece by piece so I can focus one piece at a time. Does anyone else do this? I unfortunately don't have a painting station, don't have the space so it's either the kitchen counter or the table, I'm a tall dude so I could kneel on the floor and it wouldn't help with the height.... I have tested the above mentioned methods and found them to be quite useful. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3918660 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotsmasha Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 With the height, place phone books (do they even happen anymore??) under your elbows to help out. Cheers, Jono Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3918776 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interrogator Stobz Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Another place I paint is at a coffee table in the lounge in front of tv, I sit on a cushion on the floor and the height is just right for detailed work. Or just be normal and use books/blocks and a bit of sturdy board as a raiser on the kitchen table like Grot and SD mentioned. Good luck Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3918784 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbo13 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 Haha I straddle a foot rest usually. I find that tends to be the best place, next to the tv and the best light source from overhead. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3918813 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noctem Cultor Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I normally make sure my arm is resting on something to help steady it and I switched to Army Painter brushes due to the grip giving me better control myself. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/301878-doing-highlights-with-a-shaky-hands/#findComment-3920271 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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