Need painting help, a few questions.

[GamerChick16]

Hi all, i am more or less a painting noob, i've been doing it badly for a little while and i need to ask a few questions.

1. HOW THE F'ING HELL Do you paint white, yellow, and bright colors???? When ever i do it, i just get extremely uneven areas, while some areas are completly uncovered by paint. It's like using pure water as paint.

2. How do i paint in 'dim' colors, it's hard to explain what i mean here. But i'll try my best.When ever i paint say black, it comes out extremely glossy, flahy and stuff, and it looks like it's really think when it's not. How do i make it look well, more normal.

3. How do i drybrush...Well..?

4. What is highlighting? How do i highlight?

I could post pictures, but their'd be no reason, you wont get anything but a out of focus blurry black spot on the images... AKA Crappy Camera, even when set on 'upclose'  

[TheBrick33]

When You are drybrushing, be sure to wipe most of the paint off on a paper towel. I mean all but the lightest color should really appear on the ridges of yout fingerprint. Then, just brush it on the area you want the effect, and repeat the first part when you don't get any more paint out of the brush.  

[EsgarBlackpoxs]

If you're having toruble with the bright colors, you're either A) using watery paint (or a watery brush), or B) not basecoating. Be sure to prime your models before you paint them.


Not quote surte what you're talking about with the black...

As Thebrock said, when drybrushing, wipe nearly all of the paint fof your brush. WHen you go over the models, it should only catch the raised areas of whatever you're painting.

Highlighting is when you paint a lighter color on top of the base color, usually on top of raised areas. The higher the area, the more layers of highlights. If you look at my burning boy in my shoota boy thread, his skin has about five layers of highlights, while the fire has four. To highlight, paint a lighter color of the same range (EX: Fiery orange on the raised areas of a blazing orange basecoat). Most of the time though, you want to blend colors to get a smoother transition between highlights.


Hope that helps.  

[GamerChick16]

I primed my models, i don't use a watery brush, and i use GW colors. So are GW like extra watery or something? Hmm, if i had a better camera, i could show you what i mean about the black. But thanks anyways.  

[Ruric Torrune]

Alright, try shaking the paint can, it might not be mixed. Also the black that GW puts out is naturaly a little glossy, I dont think you will find one that is just right. It will ether be too flat or too glossy. What both the others have said about drybrushing is what you need to do. I cant realy help you with the Yellow, but for White try base coating the area with a gray,(For example, I paint the sholder pads of my Black Templars Codex gray before painting on white) It will provide a better base color than black, and will give it a little shading in crevasses. Other than that, practice, practice, practice. When I first started I couldent paint ether, now I have people that want me to paint their armys for them. So just practice, and dont forget to put some of the focus into playing the game, else wize you'll end up like me, a well painted army and little tactical sense... But I'm getting better... 3nodding  

[darkmage676]

GamerChick16

Hi all, i am more or less a painting noob, i've been doing it badly for a little while and i need to ask a few questions.

1. HOW THE F'ING HELL Do you paint white, yellow, and bright colors???? When ever i do it, i just get extremely uneven areas, while some areas are completly uncovered by paint. It's like using pure water as paint.

2. How do i paint in 'dim' colors, it's hard to explain what i mean here. But i'll try my best.When ever i paint say black, it comes out extremely glossy, flahy and stuff, and it looks like it's really think when it's not. How do i make it look well, more normal.

3. How do i drybrush...Well..?

4. What is highlighting? How do i highlight?

okay for start make sure you slightly water all your paint down not to runny but just rite for that nice smooth effect.

1. for white paint codex grey first then water down the white then apply seven thin layers over, for yellow do the same but with brown as a base coat. bright colours ill explane in highlighting

2.mix in abit of grey

3. just draw the brush across a pice of paper or your finger till theres a little bit left then draw it across the model.

4.for highlight using the oringinal base coat mix it with black then gradually build it up graduly till you add white or bleach bone to it then apply the lightest bit of it to the highest part of the bit your highlighting

hope that clears things up for you  

[FlashbackJon]

You should ALWAYS water your paints. GW paints are the opposite of watery.

You should be painting with paint the consistency of skim milk, slightly translucent, and you should be doing two to three coats of your base color. The first one will look like crap, don't worry. Just let it dry completely in between coats.

If your paint looks glossy, and you're using GW paint, you're laying it on WAY too thick. Water it down, as above. If the miniature is done and you still have "gloss", just spray it down with a matte sealant. You should seal all your finished minis anyhow and matte's usually the way to go.

Bright colors almost require a white undercoat. I prefer to undercoat black, then lay down a layer of white beneath my bright colors. To get a good looking yellow, trade that white out for bestial brown as a base, then build up your yellow from there.

Highlighting is a technique meant to replicate the effect of light and shadow on your miniature. The most basic form of highlighting involves painting raised areas a lighter color than surrounded recessed areas - and that's generally all you need to know. Successively lighter colors take up successively less area on each raised portion.

A lot of folks also use a technique called edging, in which you paint a lighter color on the edge of armor plates, clothing, or anything with a defined edge or seam. It works really well on marines and other armored folks and it can go a LONG LONG WAY to making a mediocre paintjob look great.

Don't be afraid to go extreme with highlights - you need the extra contrast on something so small. It will scare the hell out of you when you paint it, but set it down on a table and it'll look fantastic.

The key to any highlighting is to mimic natural light. Turn off all the lights in your room, then shine a desk lamp about 45 degrees down towards the front of your miniature. The places that are lit up are places you want to highlight. The shadowed places are where you want to leave the base color, or even paint in shadows (I wouldn't recommend the later, however, until you really know what you're doing).

Another option is a thing called blacklining. Once your miniature is mostly complete, you go back and paint black lines between places where two colors meet - mostly in deep recesses and crevices. Alternatively, you can use another dark color such a brown or gray. It sounds like a horrific thing to do to a miniature, and takes some practice, but it will really make your colors pop.

Hope that helps.  

[Angel Kitten-Chan]

If your like me who doesn't have a lot of money to buy lots of different paints, for bright colors, do what I do, use little water, and do about 2 coats of the color, such as white and yellow. When I started I only had 4 colors, black, Hawk turquois, skull white and boltgun metal. It's a little difficult to say how to paint, but I have to say this, dont do a thin layer, do a thick one.  

[yamabusha]

If your painting bright colors you dont want a black undercoat. Try to undercoat with a darker shade of the color or the color itself if you want to ink it. Like if you want them yellow undercoat redish orange and work your way up with brighter colors

'Dim' colors I had a problem with also. GW black which I assume your using is semigloss. I dont buy from GW for my own resons mostly money but I would suggest going to an arts and crafts store and picking up some acrylic non gloss black. Other than that if you really dont want gloss then dont use inks. I was also told that purity seal will take some gloss off but it hasnt worked for me yet.

To drybrush you dip a dry brush into the paint and wipe all of the paint off onto whatever. It may seem that there is nothing on the brush I assure your there is. From then just paint it on. Note that this is hell on your brushes and there is no real way around it other than to use one brush as your drybrushing brush at a time since it will inevitably be destroyed.

Highlighting is when you paint lighter colors on the higher points of an object to show how light hits it. This is a good example.

 

[GamerChick16]

Thanks all, sorry for the redicously late responce, one last thing, any tips for painting flesh. As, i have got me some wood elves, and well i am wondering what you're guy's tactics on painting 'elvish' flesh, or just white flesh. biggrin  

[A.R.G.U.S Mykal]

GamerChick16

Thanks all, sorry for the redicously late responce, one last thing, any tips for painting flesh. As, i have got me some wood elves, and well i am wondering what you're guy's tactics on painting 'elvish' flesh, or just white flesh. biggrin

Dwarf Flesh, Elf Flesh, Elf Flesh+White, then touch the brows and nose, perhaps chin, and the ears with a drybrush of white.

-Mykal

 

[GamerChick16]

A.R.G.U.S Mykal

GamerChick16

Thanks all, sorry for the redicously late responce, one last thing, any tips for painting flesh. As, i have got me some wood elves, and well i am wondering what you're guy's tactics on painting 'elvish' flesh, or just white flesh. biggrin

Dwarf Flesh, Elf Flesh, Elf Flesh+White, then touch the brows and nose, perhaps chin, and the ears with a drybrush of white.

-Mykal

Thanks, i'll try it, i hope it comes out good ^^  

[Xenos Mortium]

A.R.G.U.S Mykal

GamerChick16

Thanks all, sorry for the redicously late responce, one last thing, any tips for painting flesh. As, i have got me some wood elves, and well i am wondering what you're guy's tactics on painting 'elvish' flesh, or just white flesh. biggrin

Dwarf Flesh, Elf Flesh, Elf Flesh+White, then touch the brows and nose, perhaps chin, and the ears with a drybrush of white.

-Mykal

I'm glad the Death Korps of Krieg don't have any exposed flesh. neutral  

[A.R.G.U.S Mykal]

Xenos Mortium

A.R.G.U.S Mykal

GamerChick16

Thanks all, sorry for the redicously late responce, one last thing, any tips for painting flesh. As, i have got me some wood elves, and well i am wondering what you're guy's tactics on painting 'elvish' flesh, or just white flesh. biggrin

Dwarf Flesh, Elf Flesh, Elf Flesh+White, then touch the brows and nose, perhaps chin, and the ears with a drybrush of white.

-Mykal

I'm glad the Death Korps of Krieg don't have any exposed flesh. neutral

That's just me personally. I dislike one layer of paint on anything. 4 is a nice minimum that can add depth.
mrgreen

-Mykal

 

[GamerChick16]

Alrighty, here for a few more questions.

I am thinking to make my bases of my guys look 'Fangorn foresty' So, think Lotr TTT ground, any tips on how to make them look like that?

I have already bought some grass, and i have some twigs. On a side note of all of that, and tips/how do you base models, lol.


This is just for a future refrence, any tips on painting tatoo's?