Getting Back into Painting --- Two Minis

[Kage2020]

Prompted by comments elsewhere, my desire to get back into the hobby that is wargaming---and Warhammer wargaming in particular---has motivated me to get back into painting. I've identified two minis that I want to paint, so here they are (attached).

 

Now, I haven't painted for over 30 years. So this is going to be a learning curve. I'm sure that I could have found something simpler to paint (almost anything, I imagine!) but these minis really "spoke" to me.

 

On the left we have an Inquisitor model that really said "Gregor Eisenhorn" to me based upon this image. On the right, we've got a combination of a Death Jester my rather took a fancy to Maugan Ra and I just love this sculpt. It just says volumes despite its (relative) fragility, with some parts of the model only being 1 mm (ish) thick.  O.o

(The last GW mini that I painted was a 1st edition sculpt metal Death Jester that I did in black with blue shades and highlights that I was going to try and repeat.)

 

My first step, clearly, was to base paint. First mistake. I used some Rustoleum primer spray from Wally World (aka "Walmart") so it's got some uneven coverage. I'm guessing that I should also have used black primer on the mini on the right since it's going to be mostly black. Not sure whether I should give up and just print these out again or persist just for the practice. I think that I'm going to go with the later.

 

Given that my eyes aren't as good as they used to be 30+ years ago (excuse! excuse!) I was thinking of doing a quick, thin wash to highlight some of the details and address the base coat faux pas. So, possibly a sepia wash on the Inquisitor because of the flesh tones and the fact that the dominant colour is going to be red. Black wash for the Death Jester-thingy, of course, over the body and not sure if I'm going to do anything else.

 

ADVICE WELCOME!!!

 

@malika666 --- If you're here, this should have you falling of your chair laughing at me from what I recall of my previous conversations about mini painting. :)

 

Forgive the photo. Had I spent last time typing and more time with lighting it and not using a reMarkable 2 as a backstand...? 

 

Edited February 13 by Kage2020
Making fun of myself.

[Karak Norn Clansman]

Best of luck! The basecoating issue is nothing major. Nice idea with giving them a wash: Why not try it out? Stride boldly forth, and conquer painting with brush stretched out! ;)

 

My brother recently bought some special paints to allow him to mimick the gorgeous 3rd Edition Eldar codex cover Dire Avenger armour. I'll hunt down links if this sounds interesting.

Edited February 13 by Karak Norn Clansman

[Kage2020]

57 minutes ago, Karak Norn Clansman said:

Best of luck! The basecoating issue is nothing major. Nice idea with giving them a wash: Why not try it out? Stride boldly forth, and conquer painting with brush stretched out! ;)

 

My brother recently bought some special paints to allow him to mimick the gorgeous 3rd Edition Eldar codex cover Dire Avenger armour. I'll hunt down links if this sounds interesting.

 

I'm trying not to overthink things for two reasons. 

 

First, it's just not worth the stress. Real life is busy enough then what is the point of getting grey hairs over it? I mean, I have very few non-grey hairs as it is!

 

Second, I keep on forgetting that these are 3d printed and cost so little money (proportionately) than the latest mini that I bought from GW: Maugan Ra. That was $40 compared to---what?---$0.20 for both of these?

(And if the tiny minis challenge me at first, I might get some practice by just printing them out larger!)

 

Next image, post wash. I've just got to make sure that I don't go "old school" (read: bad habits) and stick the paintbrush into the ink wash bottle. I have a wet palette and have been watching the YouTube tuts for a reason. :)

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

Welcome back!  

 

First off, I wouldn't worry too much about the primer. If it's missed some bits, you can always just go back in with a paint brush to make sure it's all got paint on it.

 

With regards to your eyes, there's no shame in using a magnifier, or reading glasses - lots of people do.  If you're looking at a quick approach to painting, it might be worth taking a look at GW's Contrast line (and Vallejo's Xpress Colour equivalent). Juan Hidalgo puts them to excellent use.

 

Were the paints Coat d'Arms (the old GW line), or Warcolours Nostalgia 94 by any chance, @Karak Norn Clansman?

[Kage2020]

1 hour ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

With regards to your eyes, there's no shame in using a magnifier, or reading glasses - lots of people do.

 

I do have one of those sets of magnifier glasses---binoculars, more correctly, I guess---that make me thinking that I'm wearing a heavier version of Google Glass. I guess that, like Kirk from Star Trek, I just get a little bit embarrassed wearing them. Heh, maybe exactly like wearing Google Glass or, worse, Apple's new AR device. ;)

 

1 hour ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

If you're looking at a quick approach to painting, it might be worth taking a look at GW's Contrast line (and Vallejo's Xpress Colour equivalent)

 

I have seen made videos about contrast, speed paints, slap chop, or whatever technique or product line(s) are mentioned on the YouTubes. Of course, these are later invents from when I was painting 30 years ago and, I think, I'm more invested in doing things "old school" like I did back then. Contrast paints, while great, seem to be more about getting minis on the table for that battle rule that you need a painted army. Which is all hyper-doody and all, but I'm wanting to paint for the relaxation (ha!) and to give my eyes a rest from the screen (ha!!), which I spend far too much time in front of.

 

In terms of paints, as this might help, I have: 

• Vallejo Fantasy Colour (16); 
• Vallejo Game Colour Washes; as well as
• Vallejo Airbrush Thinner, and Thinner Medium; and 
• Games Workshop Basic Paints & Tools.

Of these, the GW Base White is the only dud one. Much of the pigment (?) has dried and all that seems to remain is a little pigment and grey medium.

 

I'll try and get to the washes tonight, as well as gluing together the tiny bits 'n' parts to the Primaris Aggressors that I bought for my son. (But, nooooooo, he likes the Aeldari and adjacent 3D prints because they somehow look more like "robots". *sigh* )

[Firedrake Cordova]

Yup, I remember the old painting guides written by Mike McVey, and when inks were a thing.  

 

Contrast paints were indeed aimed at getting minis on the table (they were advertised as basically a single-coat solution), but people like Juan Hidalgo and Warhipster have been getting excellent results using them, along with some highlights. If you thin them down a lot (with medium, not water!), they also make very good washes  

Edited February 14 by Firedrake Cordova

[Kage2020]

54 minutes ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

Yup, I remember the old painting guides written by Mike McVey, and when inks were a thing.  

 

Aye, back in the day---IIRC---I can remember doing washes over a whole bunch of layers, which ended up muting the entire miniature (and all the work that had been done). Now I see them being used strategically, such as when someone base coats in the wrong colour (doh!) or through the use of glazes.

 

See? I know (some of) the terms, but the question remains whether I can actually apply them. O.o

 

* * *

In my case, to try and help differentiate the detail I think that I'm going to put a wash over the top of the base coat that might also serve to provide a deep shadow in the absence of using black as the base coat. :)

 

54 minutes ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

Contrast paints were indeed aimed at getting minis on the table (they were advertised as basically a single-coat solution), but people like Juan Hidalgo and Warhipster have been getting excellent results using them, along with some highlights.

 

The only problem that I have with contrast paints (or whatever a brand might call them) is that the final mini tends to look... muted. Here I run into a lack of colour terminology as I don't know whether "desaturated" is the correct term even if it is the one that I want to use. Either way, the difference between elements on the mini tend to average too much depending on the base coat and/or zenithal.

 

*shrugs*

 

I guess I don't know what I don't know. I will, however, check out at least some of the videos of the people that you link to (and thanks for linking to them). 

 

Edited February 14 by Kage2020

[Kage2020]

I'm sure this is old news to everyone here, but I finally carved out a quick minute to add a quick sepia and black wash to the two minis. It's light and day in terms of the detail that I can see with the naked eye.

 

Next time I'll base coat in an appropriate "colour", but if I'm basing one of the Primaris Aggressors that I got for my son in black, how the heck am I going to see the detail unless I do a zenithal highlight? Or is it a case of just "get gud" and move the mini around under a strong light source? 

 

Though this was quick (and I can see a couple of areas that I missed with the speed), it felt really good to be holding a paintbrush again and I was surprised that my hand was steadier than I imagined it would be. Woot!

 

(And, remember, if I do anything tragic I can just spend some hours and print off some more. I'm actually thinking of printing out the miniature on the right in a larger format anyway!)

 

 

 

The things like "pooling" that I'm seeing in the black wash doesn't really bother me at the moment, nor does the fact that everything is washed in black rather than varying it depending on the ultimate colour used. My eyes just needed to see the detail.

 

Edited February 15 by Kage2020
Because I wanted to and you can't stop me (Yes, I know you can...) ;)

[andes]

FWIW, I use one of these things to assist my aged eyes:

 

 

Some people like the visor style, but I love this kind. YMMV

[Kage2020]

22 minutes ago, andes said:

Some people like the visor style, but I love this kind. YMMV

 

I have the visor style with multiple levels of magnification (if necessary). 

 

I'm just waiting for the next month until I get a reasonable daylight table lamp. 

[Firedrake Cordova]

Have you tried blocking in the areas with flat colours? (I find that helps make the shape of the model more obvious) Or are you having issues identifying the areas of the model?

 

1 hour ago, Kage2020 said:

a quick sepia and black wash to the two minis. It's light and day in terms of the detail that I can see with the naked eye.

I'm pretty sure GW used that trick for the images in the old black-and-white catalogues from the 1990s  

 

16 minutes ago, Kage2020 said:

I'm just waiting for the next month until I get a reasonable daylight table lamp.

Sounds like a good plan  A few people use Ikea's Tertial desk-lamp with a 10-15W daylight ES27 LED bulb ... it works, but is a bit directional when compared to the "proper" hobby lamps.

Edited February 15 by Firedrake Cordova

[ZeroWolf]

Can't wait to see those two in colour 

[Kage2020]

3 minutes ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

ave you tried blocking in the areas with flat colours? (I find that helps make the shape of the model more obvious) Or are you having issues identifying the areas of the model?

 

Well, I base coated in white and with the naked eye I was having trouble with seeing the detail. With the wash I can see the detail a lot clearer.

 

I'll probably start with the simpler (right) model to put on several layers of black (majority), white (bones), silver (details), and gold (chain and cross thing) to block it out before going any further. Not sure if that's entirely what you mean.

 

With the model on the left, that's mostly going to be red (robes), brown (cloak), black (armour), and and gold/bronzes.

 

12 minutes ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

I'm pretty sure GW used that trick for the images in the old black-and-white catalogues from the 1990s  

 

I am nothing if not independently unoriginal! 

 

12 minutes ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

Sounds like a good plan  A few people use Ikea's Tertial desk-lamp with a 10-15W daylight ES27 LED bulb ... it works, but is a bit directional when compared to the "proper" hobby lamps.

 

I was leaning towards this one.

[Firedrake Cordova]

14 hours ago, Kage2020 said:

Well, I base coated in white and with the naked eye I was having trouble with seeing the detail. With the wash I can see the detail a lot clearer...Not sure if that's entirely what you mean.

I was wondering if you were having issues seeing the detail because the model was white (sometimes white or black can end up being quite featureless), or it was a flat colour. It sounds like it's the latter.

 

I'm no expert on the lamps, so can't really comment on the one you linked to. It looks like it should be good - having a CRI of 95 is a good start.  

 

 

[Grotsmasha]

16 hours ago, Kage2020 said:

Next time I'll base coat in an appropriate "colour", but if I'm basing one of the Primaris Aggressors that I got for my son in black, how the heck am I going to see the detail unless I do a zenithal highlight? Or is it a case of just "get gud" and move the mini around under a strong light source? 

This going to sound counter intuitive, but don't start at black, for that exact reason.

GW have Corvus Black that is an almost Black, base in that, hit it with Nuln Oil and the detail will pop, and the model will still read as black, whilst still having darker recesses

[Xenith]

On 2/14/2024 at 11:38 AM, Kage2020 said:

Contrast paints, while great, seem to be more about getting minis on the table for that battle rule that you need a painted army.

 

This is one use that they have, but if you look at them like pre-thinned, high pigment paints, they can change your life. I paint basically using only contrasts these days, and still do traditional edge highlights and stuff. Their 'go into the recesses' properties also make them great for traditional recess shading.

 

Black legion is like a super pigmented black ink that will cover a white base coat solidly in one pass. It's amazing. Skeleton horde is like the old chestnut ink, or a wash, and I use it to shade purity seals etc. 

[Kage2020]

I've been staring at the models for a while now (usually when I'm meant to be working) to get an idea of how I want to paint them---colour schemes, strategy (heh, as much as I can figure one out) etc.

 

I have one question: 

 

The miniature on the right (Death Jester/Maugan Ra proxy) is going to be primarily black (blue highlights), but what's really getting me at the moment is whether to go with all black or try and mix it up somewhat. If so, I'm torn as to what colour. I mean, that's a lot of surface area that's going to take the eye away from the central figure.

Help?

 

15 hours ago, Grotsmasha said:

This going to sound counter intuitive, but don't start at black, for that exact reason.

GW have Corvus Black that is an almost Black, base in that, hit it with Nuln Oil and the detail will pop, and the model will still read as black, whilst still having darker recesses

 

Ironically the resin is grey. I'll see if I can find a base coat that is a dark grey because I don't have any trouble seeing that!

 

I'll stow away the paint recommendations for later. I'm trying to keep any future expenditures on paints etc. to requirements rather than wants. 

 

8 hours ago, Xenith said:

I paint basically using only contrasts these days, and still do traditional edge highlights and stuff. Their 'go into the recesses' properties also make them great for traditional recess shading.

 

I will take that correction. As a future purchase, I'll see if I can source some contrast/speed paints. The only ones that I can find at the moment---without going to a Warhammer store---are from Amazon and they're coming in at $10/pop or Vallejo at $150 for the set. O.o

 

  

On 2/15/2024 at 2:53 PM, ZeroWolf said:

Can't wait to see those two in colour 

 

I shall endeavour to do that this weekend. For what it is worth, these rendered/coloured images are what I was going to use as a base. What I'm going to achieve is, of course, nowhere near this...

 

 

 

The "Void Reaper" is a bit different. The artists in questions did two versions and this is the second one. I think that they went a bit over-the-top with the should skulls and way prefer the run amulet.

 

Edited February 17 by Kage2020

[Kage2020]

I'm painting the mini. 

 

Back in the day this would mean painting "from the pot" . Now this is verbotten, apparently.

 

I'm painting with Vallejo and it looks like . 

 

Can anyone help? 

 

Seriously.

Edited February 24 by Kage2020
=][= Don't dodge the swear filter =][= <-- Oopsie. I'll try not to let it happen again!

[Boc]

7 hours ago, Kage2020 said:

I'm painting the mini. 

 

Back in the day this would mean painting "from the pot" . Now this is verbotten, apparently.

 

I'm painting with Vallejo and it looks like . 

 

Can anyone help? 

 

Seriously.

I paint from the pot still, and just add water and thinner directly to the pot until I get the consistency that I want. Because I'm suuuuuper lazy.

 

Could we get an updated pic? It'd be useful to provide directed feedback. I can't help with colors but can give advice on the technical side. 

 

How's your paintbrush? Good or decent quality? That could have a lot of impact depending on what you're struggling with. 

Edited February 24 by Firedrake Cordova

[Firedrake Cordova]

Can you elaborate on what you're not happy with? Is it coverage, visible brush strokes, etc? Are there particular colours you're unhappy with (which one)?

 

The set of Vallejo paints you've got is from the old Game Colour line (it was re-formulated last year). Some of the paints will separate and so need a really good shake (or a stir) to mix properly, and the line had variable coverage (some covered really well, but the lighter reds/yellows/oranges tended to be more transparent) - the new line separates less, and has much better coverage on the transparent colours (and it has a matte finish instead of satin) - I don't know if any of that is playing a part here.

Edited February 24 by Firedrake Cordova

[ZeroWolf]

I concur, some pictures could help with getting to grips with the problem.

[Kage2020]

Thanks for the feedback. FWIW, it was coverage and visible brush strokes. That and just the sheer glossiness of the paint. It's hard to see in this image but, alas, it's hard to take a new image for reasons explained below.

 

 

It looks like fate has intervened. When cleaning the kitchen, which is where I'm having to paint, my wife knocked the holder/handle thingy off the table onto the floor. The mini in question (the Maugan Ra proxy) was shattered into 3-4 pieces and is now in the bin. Womp. The bad thing about resin would be the relative brittleness and, of course, the sculpt itself isn't built to be as durable (e.g. there are some points in the mini that were <1mm).

 

Guess I'm going to have to replace the nFEP on the 3d printer, or get the new printer up and running, and start a-printing the mini again. Perhaps I'll print out a 25cm tall one, too, which is probably the only way that I'm going to get a good quality paint job on it due to failing eyes. O.o

 

At which point, more photos. 

 

Edited February 24 by Kage2020

[Firedrake Cordova]

Oof, that sounds frustrating!

 

Poor coverage and visible brush strokes with a dark colour is a bit of an unexpected one - one implies the paint was over-thinned, and the implies under-thinned (or starting to dry on the palette). Personally, I tend to add a little drying retarder to try to counter acrylic paint's short working time, and flow improver to try to make sure the paint goes on smoothly.

 

I may very well be wrong, but I think a glossy finish is indicative of paint not being fully mixed? I know when shaking the Vallejo paints, sometimes you get a small amount of unmixed paint in the nozzle, despite the rest of the bottle looking fully mixed.

[Kage2020]

21 minutes ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

Oof, that sounds frustrating!

 

On the bright side, it does give me a reason to set up the new printer and force me to actually repair the nFEP. I have a tendency of procrastinating to the extreme without some form of external motivation. (The idea of having to go through dialing in the resin exposure, however, is not something that I'm looking forward to.)

  

21 minutes ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

may very well be wrong, but I think a glossy finish is indicative of paint not being fully mixed? I know when shaking the Vallejo paints, sometimes you get a small amount of unmixed paint in the nozzle, despite the rest of the bottle looking fully mixed.

 

Perhaps this is the case. I shook it up vigorously, or I thought I did, but maybe it wasn't enough.

 

I doubt that it was due to drying because it was (a) fresh out of the pot and (b) I'm using a wet palette (which is properly wet). I had only added a couple of drops of water (applied from the brush itself).

 

Other paints that were on there for several days were still usable. 

 

This is what I get for not painting a Marine which, by comparison, is so much easier to paint. O.o

 

Edited February 24 by Kage2020

[ZeroWolf]

Poor phoenix lord, well, he'll be back I'm sure