brush advice, technique and general what not to do's

[cravgar]

Hey there, 

 

I'm looking for some advice around my painting.  I've been painting my SW army for what feels like forever, and for the most part im happy but i'm learning more and more as I go, Its my first army. My current method is: 

 

- Base in Fang Spray

- Layer with Russ Grey

- Wash entire model in Agrax

- Dry brush with russ and fenrisian grey (separately)

- Averland and Mephistion for the shoulders

- then the golds etc etc... 

- Fur i'm still working on but do some basic things currently. 1 thing at a time for getting better

 

The biggest challenge i face currently is the faces, i'm terrible at them but i'm wondering if it is down to getting too much paint on the face in the first place and using the wrong brush.

 

Brushes.... So i use W&N series 7 and ive got a #1,#0,#000. I find that for the most part I use the 1 and then the 0 or 000 for the fine detail, however those smaller tips dry out very quickly often resulting in a mistake. am i using the right brush for the right job?

 

I've also got a niggling thought in the back of my head that whilst dry brushing works i think using the edge highlight technique and only washing the recesses is the way i should be looking to progress? 

 

My concern with the edge highlight is i've tried and failed a couple of times, i either don't get enough of an edge and then end up going back over and making a mistake, or i try to do a nice line and it ends up wobbly :) 

 

Below is  some of my work so far... all feedback is welcome and advice as i'm really torn between continuing as I am or whether some simple change can take me up to the next level

 

 

 

 

 

[Panzer]

Let me ask a question, do you want you models to look dirty or to look clean?

Because what I could immediately see is that you pour the wash all over the model which results in a rather dirty look if you don't put another layer over it. Try to put the wash only in the places you want shadows for a cleaner look.

Similarly, dry brushing results in a more dirty and rough look while edge highlighting if done properly will result in a very clean look. Edge highlighting is a lot harder but whether it's worth it or not entirely depends on what result you want.

You can play around with those two different approaches and see what you like better. Washing all over and only doing edge highlights, washing only the specific areas and doing drybrushing, washing only specific areas and doing edge highlights. Completely up to you. Experimenting is half the fun while painting. ;)

 

That being said for rough surfaces like fur drybrushing is ideal. Give it a good base colour, pour a wash all over it and then drybrush with different colours similar to the base colour.

 

As for the faces ... good question. I don't really do faces as I prefer helmets on my Marines but I know for Space Wolves that's a different topic entirely. :P However this looks like a decent tutorial:

Lastly, I know you didn't ask, but try to put give your bases some structure with sand or technical paints or something before you add the snow. It'll improve them a lot. ;)

[NiceGuyAdi]

This is a very quick article on From the Warp about using the side of your brush for edge highlighting, which I found really helpful.

 

There's also a longer article on edge highlighting more generally.

[Imren]

Learn to glaze! That was the biggest step change in my painting quality! here is very good tutorial:

 

 

Also this skin tutorial from the same guy helped me alot when it comes to skins and faces:

 

 

When it comes to tip dry on very small brushes (size 000 and below) mixing in retarder will solve your problem, I had a similar problem as you when painting eyes and eye lenses but this retarder solved that for me:

https://acrylicosvallejo.com/en/producto/hobby/auxiliaries-model/retarder-medium-70597/

[PeteySödes]

All the resources above will help a lot! Just wanted to add that it takes time and practice, painting some line troops to hone the techniques is generally a good idea so dont get frustrated. Your stuff is off to a good start!

 

As for specific advice, one thing i saw was you mentioned smaller brushes drying out on you. Get some retarder medium and mix a touch in on your palette and it will help your working time immensely. I use Vallejo but i'm sure anything you get would work fine.