Sylas's Sisters

[Sylas_Ehlonite]

Setting up this thread to be my WIP log. I am brand new to the hobby and am starting with a Sororitas army.

 

I just got my first box of minis today. It is a box of Battle Sisters and... they are so tiny. I knew they were miniatures, but wow. I am pretty intimidated at the moment. It will be an adventure for sure, but do y'all have any tips for a straight-up beginner?

 

I ordered paints based on Duncan's Citadel how to paint Order of Our Martyred Lady. I will be moving slowly to learn as I go. I don't really know the differences between the different Orders yet, so I hope I made the right choice.

 

Anyway, Sororitas is so dang cool. I can already tell that I want to go full Pokemon and collect them all. I will get some pictures up as I start to build here this weekend. Thank's for reading.

[sitnam]

Not sure if this is good advice, but before the Sisters came out I bought some of the finecast crusaders and assassin's to test my paint scheme before going on to my gals. You could even find some 3rd party miniatures for cheap. Reaper Miniatures are pretty cheap, and they have some somewhat suitable angels and stuff.

 

As for the Orders, just pick one you like either aesthetically or lore wise. You could even come up with your own order, but the nice thing about canon factions is you might easier find paint guides. Martyred Lady is, unsurprisingly, all about sacrifice for the Emperor

[ValourousHeart]

I recommend not pigeonholing yourself into a specific order given that you have so little experience with the army.  

 

Give yourself the flexibility to try all of the orders out.  Especially as GW likes to make changes to the way armies play, just look at the shake up that marines get with every new book.

 

If you like the look of Martyred Lady, use their paint scheme as a jumping off point, and make something your own that is inspired by their color scheme.

 

Duncan's tutorial can be used with any combination of colors, it is the technique that you are learning and it applies to all of the colors.

 

 

Edit - Some places like Forge World require that you use green rules for green marines, red rules for red marines, and yellow rules for yellow marines.  The issue is that Dark Angels (normally green) and Blood Angels (normally red) both have a yellow color scheme alternative in their codexes.  And Imperial Fist (usually yellow) has several alternative color schemes that are not yellow.

 

So following the box art means you run the risk of finding one of those individuals with a belligerent case of OCD.

Edited April 15, 2021 by ValourousHeart

[Sylas_Ehlonite]

Thank you for the advice. I really like the idea of getting a reaper mini to practice on first. I will do that.

 

Not pigeonholing myself into different orders makes sense too. I had been thinking it'd be easier to pick one just to get started, but I will spend a little more time thinking about where I want to go with my own army. Cool, thanks.

[ValourousHeart]

This might help even before putting brush to model.

 

It is the B&C sister of battle painter app.

 

It used to be color coded to the GW line of paints but the manufacture changed so the names aren't accurate any more.

But it is still good for getting an idea of where you want to start, or combinations you want to try.

 

You can then print it out and take it with you to the paint wall and figure out what colors you need.

[Sylas_Ehlonite]

This might help even before putting brush to model.

 

It is the B&C sister of battle painter app.

 

It used to be color coded to the GW line of paints but the manufacture changed so the names aren't accurate any more.

But it is still good for getting an idea of where you want to start, or combinations you want to try.

 

You can then print it out and take it with you to the paint wall and figure out what colors you need.

That is very cool. Thank you!

 

I got the Reaper Angel primed in grey Krylon primer this evening and am letting it dry to do my first test paint. Looking at it now, I can see that I missed a few areas with the spray. I just didn't want to overpaint and fill in the details. I guess this will be something I will learn in time. I know it isn't a SOB mini, but here is the primed angel for WIP.

 

https://imgur.com/a/Ol0S6zP

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by Sylas_Ehlonite

[ValourousHeart]

The main purpose of primer is to create a surface that paint will stick to.  For that you don't need a solid coat of black paint, your base coat will take care of that after a light dusting with primer.

 

If on the other hand you are using the primer in place of a base coat then you will need a solid coat of black paint.

[Jack Burton]

Welcome to the hobby and welcome to Sisters of Battle!  You picked the best time in the history of the Sisters to start an army.  

 

Have you ever painted any miniatures before?  If not, then I would just give a couple pieces of advice:

1. Start with a limited color palette (don't use tons of colors)
2. Thin your paints (with water!)  Did you thin them enough?  No you didn't, thin them some more.  Commit to doing many coats of thin paint and you won't go far wrong.

Don't get discouraged!  Nothing comes out looking exactly how you wanted it to, especially early on.  Post your results here, it's a great and positive community!

[Sylas_Ehlonite]

Thank you for the tips. The primer is grey because that is what Duncan used in his tutorial so I was following that. I have seen people say use black so now I don't know what I should do. On this practice piece, I will keep it grey just because I don't have the black yet.

 

Yes, this will be the first model I have ever painted and is only the second thing I have painted. I did a Dice Tower earlier this week. I have a wet pallet I will be using to paint with. I am hoping that will help thin the paints.

 

These are the paints I have:

 

Gal Vorbak Red, Corvus Black, Mephiston Red, Leadbelcher, Ulthuan Grey, Nuln Oil, Mournfang Brown, Retributor Armour, Pallid Wych Flesh, Agrax Earthshade, Cadian Fleshtone, Reikland Fleshshade, Kislev Flesh, Screaming Skull, Mechanicus Standard Grey, Stormvermin Fur, Administratum Grey,  Daemonette Hide, Evil Sunz Scarlet, Stormhost Silver, Liberator Gold, Skrag Brown, White Scar, Stirland Battlemire, and Dryad Bark.

 

 

I do have a question about the piece. The bubbling in the picture below, did I just mess up the rattle can painting?

 

 

[excelite]

Well the primer color basically is your personal choice and depends on what you are trying to achieve.

 

Since I‘m also quite a the beginning of my painting journey you might want to take a grain/bag of salt for the following:

 

You can use a color that you plan on using for a large part on your model and remove the extra steps to prime first and afterwards do a couple layers of base color (like deathguard Green primer instead of black primer and multiple layers of brush on DG green)

 

Grey’s and off whites derm. to work great for contrast paints.

 

Black is often used in combination with lighter sprays as a base for cenitals.

 

Personally I prime Matt black since it is very easy to see if there is enough primer on the model and therefore I can achieve a thinner paint job without clogging details. Also blacks have a tendency to cover a lot better than others like white.

 

The downside of this is that I tend to need more layers of base paint to fully cover the black primer.

 

I tried grey primer, but that is quite hard to see (on grey plastic) and therefore I tend to apply it way too thick (but it works great on colored plastic like in the conquest magazines).

 

As for your question about the bubbles, I had that happen in the following scenarios:

 

1. primer was applied too thick

2. primed from to close distance

3. wasn‘t moving the spray fast enough (too long on a single spot of the model, this also causes case 1)

4. very high humidity while priming

5. didn‘t thoroughly shake the spray

 

In your case it looks to me like the primer was applied quite thick.

 

ValerousHeart already put it in quite good words: you basically just want to dust your model with the primer, it does not need to be a solid coat.

 

That being said... I personally like having a solid coat of the primer since it feels like covering that with base colors is easier to get a spotless coverage. But this is purely personal preference.

 

I hope there is some useful information for you in this wall of text, also if somebody knows better, feel free to let me know since I‘d like to learn myself ;)

[Sylas_Ehlonite]

Thank you for breaking everything down. That really helps a lot. I am excited to get painting. Hopefully I should have something to post this evening with the test figure.

[Dread]

It sctually looks like you used paint rather than primer from what i see in the pic. Was it a paint and primer can? If so then you need to get just primer. Its a bad selling point for paint companies. There is just a dab of primer in the can and its only to thicken the paint up. Black is the best imho especially since i do alot of dry brushing.

 

Hope this helps and welcome.

[Jack Burton]

Is that a Reaper Bones mini?  I have had a lot of trouble with those taking primer well.  I washed them in soap and water first and that helped a moderate amount, but I really never got along with that range.  I felt that they just never took paint well at all, so I don't know how good this will be as a first try.  Anyone else work with these?

[Sylas_Ehlonite]

It is listed as Rustoleum Primer https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00106IZLO?psc=1 so I am not really sure.

 

Yes, it was suggested above that I try my first painting on a cheap reaper bones angel. Try out the paint scheme and get my 1st-time jitters out of the way.

[sitnam]

Yeah that might be my bad. I only recommended them because they are cheap, I've never really painted one besides an abomination paint job my five year old wanted to do on a dinosaur.

 

On the other hand, I'm not sure if the rust-oleum is great for plastic miniatures

[excelite]

The primer you linked mentions a „high output“ cap... this sounds like a possible source of your trouble, since you are trying to achieve a paint layer that‘s as thin as possible.

 

While i haven't worked with enamels or oil based products yet, as a beginner i would stay away from those at first. I'm sure they work great, it's just that i personally try to remove unknown factors when learning.

 

As for that specific mini: I haven‘t worked with those, but whatever mini you use, as long as they are cheap and made of plastic they should be fine to test a color scheme?

[Sylas_Ehlonite]

Is there a preferred primer? I would be rattle canning or I suppose using a brush.

[excelite]

No I don‘t think there is.

 

I‘m sure there are more threads like this around here:

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366670-grey-primer/?fromsearch=1

 

In the end it‘ll be a trial and error process to find out what you like and suites your way of doing things.

 

I’ve had good results with chaos black from GW and matte black from Army Painter. Also I had very bad results with the white from AP.

[Dread]

I use rustoleum 2x flat black primer. Also their white when needing bright colors.

[ValourousHeart]

Personally I like the GW sprays, mostly because 2 of my armies use Zandri Dust for the armor color.  With that and because I'm using the spray as my base coat, I completely coat the model.  But GW is also the local store that I hang out at and play. So I recommend supporting the place you play at any way you can.

 

It took a while before I got the hang of priming, and have pretty much screwed up models in every way possible with primer.

 

• To far away, the paint starts to dry in the air before it gets to the model.  This gives you the cobwebs and speckling.
• To close, the paint is to concentrated and goes on super thick.
• To humid, the paint goes on with too much moisture which separates that paint so it dries feeling like sandpaper.
• You can prime in the rain.  But you really shouldn't.

 

Personally I avoid the hardware store primers.  A lot of them are designed to fill in gaps for a smooth surface.  Wonderful when priming drywall or trying to cover that rust repair on your car.  But on miniatures those gaps are your details.  Now I understand that isn't all of the primers at the hardware store, but knowing my luck, I don't play that version of Russian Roulette.

 

Shake the can a full 2 minutes before priming.  And shake it again for 2 minutes if you leave the can still for more than 30 seconds.

 

When you are done priming you need to clean the nozzle.  Turn the can upside down, and spray until the mist is clear.  Once it is clear turn the nozzle cap 360 degrees to break up any chunks caught between the cap and the straw coming out of the can.  Turn the can upside down again and confirm that the mist is still clear.  DON'T use a sharp object to clear a clogged cap, as that will widen the hole and decrease you ability to maintain a steady flow out of the can.  If you need a little more force to clear the cap, buy a can of computer air duster, and put your paint cap on the canned air and spray the clog free.  Pop the air can cap off and pop your paint can cap directly on the air can.

[Sylas_Ehlonite]

Finally got some paint on the angel test piece.

 

 

 

https://imgur.com/a/Xjkqmoc

 

This is the first mini I have ever painted. This is a test run. It is a Reaper Bones Angel for practice. Looking for C&C. Thank you.

Wings are Mechanicus Standard Grey with a wash of Nuln Oil. Kind of scared to try any highlighting. Not much room there, and my hand isn't steady. Do they look good as is, or should I do some highlighting with Administratum Grey, Ulthuan Grey, or some White Scar?

I see some mistakes that I will work on next time. A few small bits of grey (looks white) base layer peeking thru. The one really big problem I had was the face. I started with Cadian Fleshtone. Then a bit of Reikland Fleshtone. I really liked it at this point, but the tutorial I am following (Duncan from GW) had me go on and add highlights with Kislev Flesh (which made it look terrible), and then I was supposed to add another small highlight of Screaming Skull. I ended up repainting with Cadian Fleshtone and then hitting it with Reikland Fleshtone. Not sure what to do from here. Also, the tutorial doesn't cover eyes. Duncan just left them as is. Should I try to paint in the eyes? I am thinking it is way too small for me to attempt right now.

The next step would be edge highlighting. I'm not sure where to do that, or if I should just call it done with this one. It is my first mini, and even though it is a bit rough, I am pretty happy. What do y'all think?

Edited May 5, 2021 by Sylas_Ehlonite

[excelite]

For the wings I would give dry brushing a shot, they look detailed enough to have a nice result and it‘s a lot easier than highlighting by normal brush, especially if you have shakey hands (like I do).

 

This is also how I did my first robes, leathers and clothing in general. I‘m just getting into doing this by hand and I think going the drybrushing route first helped me to understand how and where to place the gradients.

 

Concerning edge highlights, I’d definitely have a go at the sword and the lamp, they seem like an easy start to do so.

 

Skin is quite a beast to get right, most of the tutorials on YouTube seem to be for male or monster skin, female skin ones are quite rare. Also this is something I personally think can make or break a paint job and therefore I try to have a new go at it every now and then with methods I learned in the meantime. - still not satisfied, but getting closer… step by step ;)

 

 

Your question about calling it done or not isn‘t an easy call. This is a testmodel and therefore I‘d try everything I would like to see on my final model. You can‘t ruin a testmodel, it will not be fielded (probably) and the lessons you learn from it are quite valuable.

 

For example this model basically screams at me to try drybrushing one wing and manual highlights on the other, just for the sake of comparison. Sure, it’ll look like crap to have an asymetric paint job, but who cares? In the end i know what works for me and what doesn’t… and since you have 4 trys on this model, I’m sure you can see an improvement if you do one by one, evaluate the result, figure out what you did good/ what you didn’t like and try to improve upon on the next.

 

About the eyes: I just scrolled through your posts again and couldn’t spot the size of the brush(es) you use. If you have a super small one available, I’d go for it, otherwise I’d hold off for now and have a go at it at a later point in time.

 

All in all I like your first shot, it definitely looks better than my first one ;)

[ValourousHeart]

Never get rid of that angel!

 

Never strip it!

 

Never repaint it!

 

Every couple years, compare that first model with what ever you just painted, and be encouraged at your progress.

 

 

 

Also, the tutorial doesn't cover eyes. Duncan just left them as is. Should I try to paint in the eyes? I am thinking it is way too small for me to attempt right now.

 

About the eyes: I just scrolled through your posts again and couldn’t spot the size of the brush(es) you use. If you have a super small one available, I’d go for it, otherwise I’d hold off for now and have a go at it at a later point in time.

 

Eyes are easy!  Just put a big blob of white on either side of the face and mash in a dot of whatever color you want the eyes to be.  The more asymmetrical the better.  I recommend closing your eyes and acting out the shower scene from Psycho when painting eyes on models.  Here are some examples of what they will look like.

 

http://i.imgur.com/s5p6BHj.jpg

 

Or maybe don't do that.

 

There is a very very very good reason that Duncan didn't cover the eyes.

 

Take that angel and one of your friends with you and go outside.   Hold the angel out at arms length.  Then have your friend walk away from you until your friend appears to be the same size as the angel.  Look at your friend's eyes from that far away and then decide how much paint you need to give your model the same eye color that your friend has.  I know that these sounds ridiculous, but new painters never get it, until you force them to see these ridiculous example.

 

What ever shade you use to show the contours of the face will be sufficient for eyes at this stage and for any "Battle Ready" models.

 

If you want to paint lenses in helmets... don't wait until the last step to paint the lenses.  Do them right after the base coat and then clean up around them.  A spec of light or dark color on the lenses is like a flare or null that would naturally occur on a curved surface, but a stray blob of red on an edge highlight looks like you sneezed while painting the eyes, and then said "Screw it."

 

Paint the red lenses, clean up the black, then add the white edging.  You can see that they got a little black in the corner of the lens.

 

Once you've decided to tackle object light source in the form of Displays glowing back on the person holding them or from them holding a torch, and your comfortable with that.  Then move on to glowing eyes.  Once you are confident with glowing eyes, and as your final step move on to intentionally trying to paint eyes on bare faces.

Edited May 5, 2021 by ValourousHeart

[Jack Burton]

Hey Sylas congrats on the first mini every painted!  It puts my first to shame.

 

I second the recommendation to keep that mini forever, I have my first ever painted and I really enjoy seeing it, and giving it a laugh and a shake of the head from time to time :).  Painting is a long process but it's very rewarding, stick with it!

[Sylas_Ehlonite]

Thank you for the kind words and the feedback.

 

I was looking at the sprues on the Battle Sisters box tonight and I really started asking myself if it wouldn't be better to have all of my first units wearing helmets. haha. I was thinking along the lines of what ValourousHeart was saying about learning on the lenses first. Plus just skilling up on painting.

 

Now to start putting them together.