Problems Galore

[IvenBach]

So you don't thin your highlight down making them more watery? Just tone down the color with white? I guess looking at the minis up close while painting them makes me thing that's how everyone is going to see them. Same goes with photos. I'll keep working on them and post some more images as I finish the ones I'm working on for more suggestions. As always any hints and tips are welcome. It seems that some of the techniques that seem really tough to achieve are actually much much easier when someone explains it.

[Sjeng]

no I don't water them down. I do use water with my paints, but that depends on how thick the paint is. Some pots have thicker paint than other for some reason. And I do shake well.
I only use water to keep the paint at the right thickness so it is applied well. But same thickness for base colours and highlights.

[Spiky]

For my highlights I generally use the same consistency paint, but just a slightly brighter shade than the base colour used. Then I highlight with another shade brigher only on the very raised edges.

Just one note be careful with highlighting black, as it can easily look grey if you go too hard with the highlights. For black I'd probably leave most of the armour deep black and just paint a neat line of highlight around the raised edges of the plates (like the blue one in Sjeng's photo).

The real painting experts use a bit more water in the paint when they're blending from one colour to another. This can take a lot of time and I've not got the patience for it usually

[IvenBach]

Pretty much any technique that isn't really basic I don't see myself doing in the short term. With my hobby (non miniature) paints I read in these 2 last night it can be anything from a disaster to actually not that bad. http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?/topic/48762-the-good-the-bad-and-the-craft-paint-open-for-anybody/ http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/939475/you-dont-need-special-miniatures-paint/page/1. Was hoping to pick up some reaper paint on ebay but the price went much too high for me. I'll end up finding a good deal. Just have to keep at it and hope nobody else sees it.

As far as highlighting went I did some slight touchups and it looks a bit better. Just need to tone down the rivets an the armor. The orange I used came out to be much too bright for the overall mini. I'm starting to do better with dry brushing and not leaving too much paint on the brush when I go for initial strokes. Slowly learning and making some progress.

[IvenBach]

Tried some more painting. Results were decidedly better than before. The images were shot with phone as it's only thing I have available. So while they are an uploadin'

Dry brushing that went better than expected. Was able to get get a visible difference in the color without having it being glaring and too bad.

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The eyes came out much better than expected on most and here are the lucky ones that seemed best. When learning from tutorials and reading it was stated to leave just a litte more white on the outside of the eyes than on the inside otherwise they'll look crosseyed. Is that how some of you here do it?

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They I was working on. The covering on the bench makes the purple highlight drown out. The orange I'm going to try and bring down with some type of shading or a thin coating of black like i did on the chainmail covering the crotch and buttflap. Does anyone have any hints on how to keep the paint only on the raised rivet surface? I have a bothersome time with it and try and get it more than the tiniest touch to make it look like the entire rivet is that color rather than just the head.

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Bases. Initial venture into painting my bases. Went well but still feel like i'm making the 'stones' too small. For whatever reason it's hard for me to make the stones all straight. Not that I can't do it but that it seems more natural to have them this way. Or am I just imagining?

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My zombies wont cover worth squat. Splotchy all over. I can't thy Ivory to cover even after 3+ coats. Tried a light brown to progressive dark brown with same results. Any suggestions?

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Compared to the first few I did It seems like i'm stepping in the right direction.

[Sjeng]

for models with light skin, try primering them in skull white. Gret and black are hard to paint in light colours, unless you start with brown, then beige, then skull white, then bleached bone etc. or beige - elven flesh or yellow, whatever final colour you want.

I primered my Skaven black, because many have armour on, which is easy to drybrush metallic over black. I painted the skin/fur dark brown, and added elven skin over that twice. works nicely.

[IvenBach]

start with brown, then beige, then skull white, then bleached bone etc...

I'll try that, hopefully tomorrow. This is all my 1st experience with miniatures so I just went ahead and primered all of them at once. Didn't think about what the final color would be.

I did a little more today, erm yesterday. I'm having an easier time staying pretty much where I want when painting and am doing much better with eyes. It helps being able to use the hints that others have for them and it makes doing them so much easier. I also noticed that painting outside on the porch makes a WORLD of difference. I'd read it many times but tried it today and was so much easier seeing spots that could use a second layer to fully cover any thin spots.

[bruenor]

I think you'll still have all kinds of problems until you switch to paints designed specifically for miniatures.

That said, Sjeng has a good point about brighter/lighter colours are better undercoated white first.

Games Workshop do have specially designed paints now days for covering straight over darker undercoats, without having to go on too thickly with your paints.
Personally I thin every paint I use to get it to flow easier, and several thin coats looks better than one thick coat that will obscure the details you want to keep.

You are improving, with each miniature, and it's nice to see them tidy and smart looking.
Eyes are a pain, some paint them on first and paint around them, I like to do them last, or I find the mini stares at me the whole paint job lol.
I find it easier to do a black slash, followed by either a white dot to each edge or a white slash over the top and a balck dot in the middle.

If you can find one on eBay, try to get one of these books, they will be invaluable;


Both basically the same book, just ones newer than the other, but both contain really helpful tips and tricks. Well worth every penny/cent

[IvenBach]

As I can afford it and have more disposable income I'll get what paints I can. Any suggestions or information is wanted as it will help me have a more well-rounded scope of painting and techniques. I have found several ways to overcome and avoid some of the earlier problems I was initially having. I'm painting with what I have right now to get some of the basics down and get accustomed to it even though I'm a long ways off from actually being ready and properly equipped. Every mistake I make, identify, and then correct is one that i'll hopefully never do again.

Thanks for participating in this recurring train wreck. I'll surely post more tragic photos as I journey along. One day they'll be where I'd like them to be.

[chaoticprime]

The stuff just above basically just lacks linearity. Those door bases, however, have nothing but that. Try combining the two.