[uberschveinen]

So, after building one point two metric buttloads of models for various armies after having gotten back into the hobby, I've gotten to the point where I can no longer not paint them. While this in and of itself is only a problem in the sheer scale of the project ahead of he, I have come up against an unxepected and quite disastrous snag. Simply put, I cannot, for the life of me, remember how to paint the damn things.

I've tried. Many times, many ways, nothing works. I inevitably end up staring at a barely-painted model wondering just what the bollocks I do next.


I don't need help with techniques. I do know how to drybrush, inkwash, blend, shade, and all that. What I don't know is everything else. The procedural details, such as the paint you put on, how you mix it, when you put on each layer, that sort of thing.

As such, I would like to see people say what it is they do between picking up the spraycan and putting down the paintbrush. Help from the members of the forum more focused on high-quality painting is best, but frankly, I need all the help I can possibly get.

 

[Bloodhound]

What I do is basically start on the head and finish that. I put on the main colour and highlight it. Then I add another colour.

Then I do the body, the arms, the crotch, the legs.

Not much of a procedure really. Just pick a point to focus on and finish it.

 

[Magin Chao]

I glue the legs and torso tother, pin it to some wood and paint it, the glue on the head and paint it, then paint the arms and gun before gluing them, glue them, and inster the green rods to my neccies

 

[bl0203]

If you prime in black try giving it it a once over with black paint brushed on to even out your base coat. If you do white start with covering all the areas you need darker in black.

I usually start from the inside out, paint all those cracks and crevises so you don't have to go back in later for touch ups. Then finish with the outside and raised areas.

For the main parts of the model, layer up in threes...dark, middle, highlight with the lightest. Or you could use your middle color, ink it recover the high points with your middle color finishing with high lights.

You can try GW Foundation Paints for your base coating, there a little thick but they ussually cover in one application, just make sure you thin them a little. Otherwise I normally use the standard GW paints and ink. The best Dull Coat I found is Testers Model Master Dull Coat, its a small can but it doesn't give that dusty look like GW.

Hope this helps, Good Luck.

 

[uberschveinen]

I know to paint all of it.

I know how to put them together. I am, in fact, rather good at putting them together, as the finished version of the Chaos Lord I mentioned here earlier will attest to.

The last post is more like it. At least now I have a starting point.

Does anyone have any experience with how ink washing works with layered colours? I have experience with the former and like the girtty tone it gives models when done my way, but haven't combined the techniques.

I would also appreciate advice on when to apply advanced techniques from some of the forum's semi-professional painters.

 

[The Son of Horus]

Generally, I tend to do all the deep crevasses first with a line-in with a dark ink...I use Reaper paints for the most part, and their line of liner ink is pretty amazing. The blue liner is a blue-grey color so it's pretty much perfect for lining in models primed white that are staying white.

As bl0203 said, working from the inside out is generally easier since you shouldn't need to go back and touch up too much as you layer your highlights.

I tend towards a slightly more complicated highlight unless I'm painting white armour and use a light bone color to lighten a mid-tone and a deep grey to darken it, and highlight and shade based on that.


I tend not to wash with ink, but apply it in targeted areas to provide a line-in shade. When you have distinct layers, a full wash isn't going to look right-- you'll pretty much have to use it as a targeted glaze over areas that would be weathered more.

Which other techniques come to mind? I think you probably have an idea of how to highlight, drybrush, and the like.

 

[The Wraithlord]

I paint all the large, flatter areas first starting with the lowest points on the model like in grooves etc. I bring those areas up to full paint or close to it and then start on the higher up areas like the details. Once the details are done I go back and touch up any of the first areas if needed and then do a final pass over the details to really bring them out. Faces are almost always left for last along with hands. If a model is going to have a power sword I tend to leave that for the final detail pass as well so that its colours don't get me offtrack with the rest of the model. After the model is fully complete, I then do the base work. Follow that up with a coat of Testors Dull Cote and fini.

I tend not to wash with ink, but apply it in targeted areas to provide a line-in shade. When you have distinct layers, a full wash isn't going to look right-- you'll pretty much have to use it as a targeted glaze over areas that would be weathered more.

Agreed. Inks work best at the starting stage when the layering has not fully begun. If you are layering thin enough to not show a visible line between the layers then it may work alright but if there is even the slightest colour difference, the inks will actively highlight it despite the idea that they help blend.

I would also appreciate advice on when to apply advanced techniques from some of the forum's semi-professional painters.

What type of techniques are you referring to?

 

[bl0203]

I ussually use the advanced stuff for my HQ models and unit sergeants so they stand out more then the rank and file troopers. I would love to spend a lot of time on each and every model in the army, its just unrealistic IMO.

 

[uberschveinen]

I would have thought that patch-inking would make the model look odd due to the gloss effect it leaves when dry. I know that spot-inking with black in battle-damaged areas looks excellent, especially in metallic dings, but that's a special case, really, like the chestnut ink on the blood spatter. Maybe if you put it on a different colour as a deep shade, but then you're still contending with gloss.

To analogise, my situation is like knowing how to press the individual kepys on the keyboard, but not knowing the order in which to press them to type words and sentences. I understand and can do most of the techniques, even complex ones, since I don't forget that sort of thing. I just need to know when to do each indidivual task that must be strung together to turn an unpainted model into a painted model.

 

[uberschveinen]

So the process is really:

Apply undercoat spray

Get them damn gaps

Start in the bastard bits.

Put on intermediary colours, like grey for where white's going.

Paint on the colour i'll use for shading on the whole bit.

Paint in the primary colour one the bit except the part you want shaded.

Highlight.

If using more than three layers, alter above as required.

Do fancy fiddly bits like energistic effects on power weapons, text on robes, eyeballs.

Fix cockups from primary painting.

Fix cockups from fiddly detail painting.

Ink where neccesary, the parts where it's not practical to use proper shade, like faces, grilles, and others.

Varnish, or if like me, leave for when you inevitably come back to it, find yourself dissatisfied, and start over.

 

[torealis]

I reckon thats a pretty good synopsis Uber.. just do all those stages on one part of a model at a time, starting in the recesses and working out.

 

[Sinizter]

I like the base coat white.
Then I come back with black, and paint all of the dark areas/shadow areas. Keeping my brush nice and wet I blend that into the white. Basically turning the entire model greyscale.

Then I start with the first primary color. Such as Ultramarine blue, and paint very thin watered down coats onto the model. Then I move to the next color such as gold, and do the trim.

Basically working my way from the biggest color down to the smallest color. So things like eye's come last.

Once everything is done I come back and start cutting colors, and making highlights.

 

[Warpath]

I think everyone is different in how they paint or which parts they paint first but most of us follow the same pattern of techniques used through out the model.

Here is how i would paint a basic space marine (and i do the whole squad at the same time)

Ok from a base coat of black (paint a blood angel) i'd use the new foundation red, and use 2 thin coats (watered down 50/50) this will be my base colour from this i'd then put an ink wash on the darken all the recessed, this would be 30/30/40 black red and water. After this stage i'd go over the areas that are going to be black, like the area on the joints. As i normaly work on squads the first would be dry so no real waiting around, so onto the next stage a mix of foundation red and blood red 70/30 ish mix this will cover all the armour and i will keep adding more blood red to the mix (which is always watered down) and painting more towards the edge of the armour plates. I wouldnormaly do 3-4 layers upto pure b'red the a 2 stage high light with red and orange 50/50 then a sharp highlight of orange and yellow.

After all the armour i would then do my next stage, skulls purity seals etc all the same techniques just different colours. When painting the model i always start at the base too, if you paint the models in the same order by the time you have done 10 and move on to the next 10 you should fly through them as them as the process will be second nature.

Hope this helps ??

Warpath

 

[moc065]

I tend to build the figure in a pose that I think I can actually get a Brush into, so I don't have to do seperate pieces.

Then I wash the figure to remove oils and dirt.

I also glue all the stuff onto the base.

Prime with Black Primer for almost all occasions, and then use a Tank brush and more Black paint to make sure I don't miss anything.

I then line up the entire squad using Blue-tac on the top of old paint pots so I have something to hold on to.

I then paint the main colour for whatever is the lowest layer of the Figure and tend to paint from inside out (skin, clothing, armour, runes, weapons, etc).

When section has its base colour, I do any Inking that I want and often use Glaze medium to get the ink to flow right where I want.

I then do several very thin layers over the base colour to highlight outwards to the lightest edge.

When the lowest area is done, I move on to the next higest layer.

When all layers are done, I do any freehanding, laquers/varnishes and then the base gets done later.

Here is an example of my most recent figure (which I did as a single for test purposes, the other 2 are being done in the next day or two).

For this figure I did the Metals, then the Blacks, then the Greens and finished up with the Reds.... It took about 2.5-3 hours total, and the base should only take a few minutes which I will do when I have more figures ready to do at the same time.

 

[uberschveinen]

Good stuff.

However, I would disbelieve any advice about bases and painting them, as the ones I use for my leaders tend to be miniature dioramas in their own right.

What do people do when there is no practical way to paint a model while completely assembled? A number of my conversions are of such a complexity it just isn't possible to do them conventionally.

 

[Warpath]

What do people do when there is no practical way to paint a model while completely assembled? A number of my conversions are of such a complexity it just isn't possible to do them conventionally.

If you show us the models then we maybe able to point you in the right direction, if the model is so complex i would think about pinning the model and paint the sections on there own then put all the painted pieces together. You'll find a lot of painters do this anyway, i do it with marine back packs and guns so i can detail them better.


Warpath