Returning painter requesting advice on what to improve..

[appiah4]

Exposition after figures..

I haven't been painting for almost four years (having children does that to you..) but now with the initiate almost ready to don her black carapace and start kindergarten full time, I'm finding myself with enough time to go back to painting. I've been mostly treading old ground and brushing up on skills by painting Blood Angels stuff, moving from crafts paints to Vallejo Model Color (man good paint really helps painting speed) but in terms of quality I seem to have hit a skill wall.

I can match my pre-natal skills, but I can't seem to improve any further. I probably need to try new things or change the way I do some other things, but I'm not sure doing what would yield the biggest improvements to my painting, so I'm cross-posting these lockdown projects from the Blood Angels forum with because need more pointers on how and where to improve.

So feedback is not only welcome but kindly requested.. Cheers!

[Imren]

I suggest you pin wash the miniatures with oil paint. That will give it a shade that not only looks better but alos is easier to manipulate. Check these vids:

 

 

 

 

 

Also look into weathering techniques such as pitting, sponge chipping, and regular chipping.

Edited April 25, 2020 by Imren

[MegaVolt87]

Yeah pin washing and weathering will really improve your painting style as it seems you are more into less extreme highlighting/ edge highlighting. Also look into unit and company markings for BA, really helps tie a SM army together and looks great too.

 

Are you batch painting or painiting one mini at a time? It can happen where your first 1-2 mini's look better than the last 1-2 because you lose focous/ attention. Something to keep in mind, its better to do a little each time than a big session. For instance, I'll sit down and only paint ammo pouches on 10 SM, mabye a wash then stop. It's slower, but it dosn't feel like a chore. Frame of mind is just as important. That alone can improve painting without learning anything new.

[BadgersinHills]

Looking great!

 

Oils tend to be smelly and require solvents, if you'd prefer to avoid that, gloss varnish and a black wash would be good too. (Citadel Nuln Oil Gloss seems built for this, but I think you could get similar results with gloss varnish and black wash blend.) 

Edited April 26, 2020 by BadgersinHills

[Dr. Clock]

These are already quite smashing!

 

Top tip has little to do with technique; you've got a strong foundation and I think you can paint quite well indeed...

 

Weathering etc. isn't super difficulty tbh, it's just 'extra steps'. Especially with the tech-adept, I can see that you can paint lenses and gems... and chipping processes need not be too dissimilar in terms of complexity.

 

So the main thing I'd consider to improve the finish would be to start with composition to focus on breaking up the 'one colour' feeling I get from the 5-man on the bottom. I can tell your 'armour' game is on point from the aquila and torso cabling; it's neat, and it's shaded appropriately... but that implies that something similar would be happening in all armour joins. That's not a technique problem, it's a process problem... and it will make the mini look more intricate and highlight depth by pulling the armour surface forward 'on top of' a black or metallic surface, while not really costing too much more time, or requiring any more techniques than you already have.

 

So if you can work in a 'background/undersuit' colour to the armour, and then as others pointed out you can work to bring 'applied detail' forward of the armour: rivets, insignia, weathering and whatever other greebling you've got going on... My main failing as a painter is leaving eyes off, but this would more or less fall in that side of things - again, you have the capacity to do all this, it will just take a little more time per mini.

 

The 'three colour standard' for me more or less turns into 'fore/mid/background colours or fields'... BA (and SM generally) are somewhat blessed by the fact that traditionally they go 'dark to light' which is easier to paint IMO than the reverse (I've painted Eldar with yellow undersuits and black armour, for instance)...

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.

[Lord Raven 19]

Might just be me, but the red looks a bit one dimensional compared to the blue. I would suggest getting more contrast between the light and dark. 

 

It also bugs me whenever the bodysuit is not painted on marines, it breaks up the sections of armour a bit and can help to improve the contrast on the armour.

[appiah4]

Thanks for all the comments and advice, I've tried to incorporate some of it into the next two figures I painted.. I haven't done the weathering stuff because they wouldn't fit in well with the rest of my BA army as they are all in immaculate battle ready condition, but I will try that with my Imperial Fists..

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The Scouts are a good demonstration of your skills. Good job.

[Magos Takatus]

The Blood Angels are really retro looking to me due to the colour choice. I also think that the undersuit needs to be painted another colour but I remember that in places back in the day the armour joints were the same colour as the armour in some images.

 

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/721279696547298836/

(sorry about it being on pinterest, I was unable to find it elsewhere)

 

I like that you have painted the Techmarine a different colour to the standard armour to distinguish him. I think the models could do with a tiny but more shading to produce more contrast as Lord Raven 19 has already stated. Your technique is neat so I believe you'll be able to improve quickly.

 

This is a good idea, I should have opened a thread up like this at some point. :)

[Xenith]

Alright Appiah?

 

The blue on the helms is very well done, and the lascannon lens and purity seal script shows me you have good brush control. As the advice above, the panel lines on thered armour could do with shading to give the red some depth. I'd personallu avoid oil wash as I'm lazy and dont want to try anything new, but contrast paints are excellent for this - paint some skeleton horde directly onto the recesses. If you have agrax earthshade, that works too, if you can add some medium it flows better and you can be messier with less clean up.

 

Other than that, chapter and company markings will break up the red and set these guys off. 

 

Don't forget to paint the ribbed soft armour joints! I see you've missed those.