Painting techniques

[Goblin-King]

Make sure you seal your styrofoam before you spraypaint it.

This! Spraypaint will melt styroform like a blowdrier on a snowball!

[Sjeng]

That's grey? It looks like you recast it in metal.

No, the top ones are actually black. the bottom 2 are grey

What can I use as sealant?

[Sjeng]

I bought some cheap ass cans of spray paint yesterday at the Action (Dutch cheap shop), just to test them out on my miniatures, as a cheap alternative for the expensive GW citadel chaos black primer (€12,50). These were only €2,- a can!

One grey matte primer spray, and 1 black matte spray, both acrylic. The black one didn't say it was a primer, so I got the grey one as well, as backup.

I sprayed a cheap mini from Dragon Strike, that I had given a milliput tile base, also 1 plastic base with milliput on top, and one milliput base made from a mold I made from an original HQ base. Just to see how it would stick on plastic and on milliput:

proef-lak.jpg

The grey primer coats very well, leaves a smooth surface when applied thinly in 3 layers. I'll post more results when I've painted these bases, to see how the paint holds.
The Black spray also coats pretty well, smooth surface, and no noticable flaws. You can see some dots in the picture, but that's probably reflection from the flash, as I can't make that out in regular light. I'll also post results after I've put some paints on these black coated models/bases.

So far I'm happy with the result. Let's hope the paints will hold on these coats well.

I'm planning on using the primer and the black spray on styrofoam, which I'll use to make dungeon tiles with as soon as I get one of those foamcutters (with the heated thread). Also bought 6 tubes of acrylic paint (blue, red, yellow, green, black, white) for €1,50 at the Action, to use for these dungeon tiles as well, applied on top of the spray primer. I can simply mix the colours for different shades.

update:

The black spray is perfect. I can paint over it easily. Only tried the tile bases so far, I'll try the skeleton soon.
The grey primer is not so great. It covers just fine, but when dry, the surface seems to be a bit greasy, so when you apply thinned paint, it pools up a bit. And I usually thin my paints a bit with water, so the grey is a nono for me. I'll stick to the cheap replacement black coating. It covers plastic as well as milliput very well. On plastic it does seem to be just a bit more greasy than the citadel chaos black though, but on milliput it's perfect. We'll see if it's a good solution for plastic minis when I paint the skeleton.

[Sjeng]

An update on the wet-blood-effect here: viewtopic.php?f=56&t=897&p=15207#p15207
And it seems Mod-podge is a good sealant for styrofoam / polystyrene

[Sjeng]

I've been searching for some more painting tips, and I just wanted to point out that I occasionally described how I painted some of my minis in my mini topic here.
So check that out for some tips.

There's a topic on painting here, but it's only 4 posts long so far.

Some tips I found on google:

So you want to improve your painting skills . . . now what? I can guarantee you that the best artists out there didn’t become that way just from picking up a brush. Okay, there may be a very small handful with natural talent and who were able to see their skill improve much quicker than we non-super human folks; but, the majority of the top painters have spent many hours improving their skills.

Equipment is key. Without the proper tools, improving can be very difficult. Some essential items include:
Proper lighting – Have at least two desktop lamps. My preference is to have one with a daylight bulb as my primary lighting source and another with a regular household bulb sitting on a shelf shining down over the entirety of my work area.
Mini Files and super fine grit sand paper - To get a clean smooth paint job, you need a smooth surface. Mini files come in various shapes from round to flat to curved. If you're considering competition level painting, cleaning up the mold lines and uneven surfaces is a must. Fine grit sandpaper (300+ grit) will help smooth out uneven surfaces and give a nice shiny finish to apply primer. On a side note: Fine grain milliput can be applied in thin layers with a wet brush to fill in any pits formed during casting. A dremel with a brass brush wheel can also be used to smooth the surface of pewter miniatures, but when trying this for the first time, use an old mini so that you can get the feel for how it will affect the surface.
Good quality primer - Spray primers are an industry favorite but you have to be careful to use them ONLY under the recommended conditions. By this I mean in the right weather and at the right temperature. Using them in humid or cold conditions can cause the primer to create a lumpy texture which can be a real pain after taking so much time in smoothing and sanding a miniature. If it's cold outside, I stick with the Reaper brush on primer. Side note: Brush on primer comes in very handy for touch ups. More than once I've accidentally bumped a mini into my lamp and chipped the paint/primer. With brush on primer I can just touch up the chipped area.
Proper brushes – I have yet to purchase a brush from the local hobby store that is of high enough quality to use in miniature painting. The most important thing to look for in a brush is a sharp point. There are quite a few high quality brush manufacturers. I currently use the Winsor and Newton Series 7 Miniature Brushes as they are made specifically for miniature artists. My preference is to use a size 2 for the majority of my painting and size 000 for fine details such as eyes. Try different brands until you find one that works well with your painting style.
Good quality acrylic paints – You can have the best technique around, but if you are using low quality paints you will never be able to produce high quality results. There are quite a few brands available to miniature painters; from Reaper, to Games Workshop, to Vallejo; the paint you choose will have a direct impact on the quality of your work. My strongest suggestion on paints is to buy paints made for miniature painting, NOT the cheapo .79 craft paints.
Magnifying headset – You may look like a dork wearing it, but a magnifying headset can make a world of difference. You can’t imagine all the little details the natural eye will miss. My recommendation is to get a headset that allows for different magnification. Mine has lenses that can be adjusted out depending on the amount of magnification needed.
Ceramic pallet – This isn’t a necessity but it is much easier to work with than the tin pallets found at local hobby shops and a lot less expensive since you can just rinse and reuse.
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” – Is there a particular painter that you just love the style of? Well, don’t just look at their photos, really study them . . . then emulate them. If at first you don’t succeed try again, and again, and again. However many times it takes keep trying. And don’t limit yourself to just one artist. There are as many talented artists out there as there are styles and as you practice the different styles you’ll find that your own style will emerge.
Maintain a painting journal – This will be the lifeline to reproducing your fabulous results. Some things to include in your journal are: Miniature name, colors/mixtures used, techniques used, freehand designs - anything that you may need to reference in the future.
Give it a rest – So you’re finished painting and ready to apply sealer. Don’t be so sure about that. Once you feel that you completed the mini or even a section of the mini, give it a rest. By that I mean, let it sit for at least 24 hours before doing any more work on it. As your eyes adjust to details in the individual areas, you may lose sight of the overall quality. Letting it sit overnight allows your eyes (and mind) time to refresh and literally look at it with fresh eyes. It’s been my experience many times after doing this that I may have not blended as well as I thought or that I have one eye with a larger pupil than the other. With fresh eyes I can go in and touch up the necessary areas before committing to sealer.
Lights, camera, action - If you have a digital camera that can do macro photography . . . use it! Even when using the magnifying headset and taking a 24 hour break, it seems like the camera can always find flaws that you never noticed. Now, getting great photos is a tutorial for another day. So for now, just focus on using the photos to improve your work. This photo is of a work in progress where I've indicated things that didn't jump out at me until I looked at the photo.
Practice Makes Perfect – That leads me to the most important step in improving your miniature painting skills – practice, practice, practice. The top artists sometimes spend upwards of a hundred hours or more on one single miniature. Granted, it would most likely be for a competition piece, but the point is they put in the hours. No matter what you do in life, very few of us have a natural ability. Improving takes time and effort. “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”

Good luck and happy painting! Stephanie Sasaki
http://www.miniaturerealm.com

Another site:
http://www.how-to-paint-miniatures.com/

Personally, I use this:
- Citadel Chaos Black spray primer for minis with darker colours and metal armours, fur.
- Bone white / bleached bone spray primer for lighter mini's such as skeletons, mummies, zombies, people with a lot of skin showing.
- A thick brush for larger surfaces
- A drybrush
- A fine brush for details
- Lots of acrylic paints (I have citadel, but there are many such as Vallejo or Reaper that have very good paints too)
- a sharpy knife or scalpel
- some files
- washes from citadel
- Army Painter Quickshade (this stuff is great!!!) for dipping
- Army Painter matte varnish spray for the finishing layer.
- An old coffee pot for water (never let your brushes stand on their tips in the water!)
- Some old cloth for cleaning and paper towels
- milliput for scultping if you feel like doing that

[Big Bene]

- For priming I use valleyo brush-on white primer and a generic grey acrylic primer from the hardware store. Only used the latter for rank-and-file models so far, but I come to think I've been overly careful, as the results are just fine.
For paining, I use paints from several brands, but I jsut love citadel foundation. It's perfect for lazy guys like me. A good light source is essential!
- Don't forget glue! I use mostly superglue, and actone to glue plastics.
- For modelling/modding: files, cutters, dentist tools, jigsaw blades, green stuff (for some uses, mostly I prefer Milliput, too), rapid mould.
- For moulding: legos, putty, silicone rubber, precision scales, syringes, vaselinie, spoons, old brushes, old clothing.

[bruenor]

Don't think anyone pointed out Tamiya Clear Red for use as blood.
Can be used straight from the pot as fresh blood or mixed with a little brown ink/wash/paint for older dried blood.








My old old old old zombie from years ago, was my first use of TCR, and I was hooked on it after that.

[TMU]

http://thearmypainter.com/

Hi! Found this site, have you bought anything from there? If not, do you know that which ones of these quickshades and army painters should I buy? + I do need base colours, I have enough acrylic paints for real painting.

[Sjeng]

I have the army painter matte varnish spray for finishing my minis, which is great stuff. apply in 2 or 3 VERY THIN layers, and be patient, let it dry for at least 30 minutes-1 hour in between coats. don't coat in freezing temperatures.

I also have the army painted quickshade, dark tone, which is superb! You can dip in minis completely (skeletons and zombies do well) or apply with a brush (for other minis). I've had great results, and the matte spray takes away the shine it creates perfectly. Check my painting topic for results. I tested it with a very quick and sloppy paintjob, and still my test zombies looked great!

[TMU]

I have the army painter matte varnish spray for finishing my minis, which is great stuff. apply in 2 or 3 VERY THIN layers, and be patient, let it dry for at least 30 minutes-1 hour in between coats. don't coat in freezing temperatures.

You mean that anti-shine?