Miniature Painting/Sculpting/Modelling Megathread (Shut up and use Simple Green)

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Miniature Painting/Sculpting/Modelling Megathread (Shut up and use Simple Green)

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hobocrunch: Mar 11, 2008; I'm walkin' here

!amicable posted:

I think bigger dudes are generally easier than smaller guys because you get a lot of area to mess around in. You can slap in your shadows and high lights on pretty large areas compared to infantry.

How do you usually paint infantry, do the same stuff but larger! Also, I'm doing Circle heavies now as well so feel free to ask about a specific one.

I think it's probably more the case that I'm painting my infantry wrong and the same methods don't carry over as well. I'm having all kinds of problems with shading because generally I've been relying a lot on washes. Been practicing on an Argus, but I want my Shadowhorn to look really nice. I wanted to get a nice colour tone across the army for their skin, but I can't seem to make anything work.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 11:47

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# ? Jun 8, 2024 07:30

stabbington: Sep 1, 2007; It doesn't feel right to kill an unarmed man... but I'll get over it.

Skin: With larger areas, you won't get very good results just slapping on washes and hoping for the best. Painting them into the creases in muscles works a lot better. Similarly, you only want to strongly highlight the portions of skin that'll be getting some light.

I did both of these things pretty sloppily while speedpainting this Gorax that frequent readers of this thread will probably groan at me for reposting for the millionth time, and it looks pretty great from any distance that people are going to be looking at it on a gaming table. Ignore the weird texture problems in the blown-up image, they're from a funky priming mistake.

Sadly, my advice for fur is probably pretty useless, since my usual tactic is to base with a medium brown, drybrush with a warm grey, wash with devlan mud or other dark brown, drybrush warm grey again, lightly drybrush warm off-white, and I'm never happy with how that turns out, but everything else I've tried looks even worse.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 12:30

frest: Sep 17, 2004; Well hell. I guess old Tumnus is just a loverman by trade.

Recently started easing my way back into painting. Finished up an Empire Wizard the other night:

# ? Feb 23, 2012 12:59

Fearless: Sep 3, 2003; DRINK MORE MOXIE

That kinda looks like Willem Dafoe, not that there is anything wrong with that.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 14:58

frest: Sep 17, 2004; Well hell. I guess old Tumnus is just a loverman by trade.

Fearless posted:

That kinda looks like Willem Dafoe, not that there is anything wrong with that.

Lore of Shadow wizards are arcane spymasters of deception and illusion, so I wanted to make him look a little less Gandalfy and a little more plain-faced everyman. I can't imagine a guy showing up to covertly spy on stuff with his 4 foot long beard and pointy hat

also his staff broke so now it is a Rod of Power

# ? Feb 23, 2012 15:06

Lethemonster: Aug 5, 2009; I was hiding under your bench because I don't want to work out

I primed some models using tamiya primer spray, now they are waterproof and therefore paint proof. WTF?

# ? Feb 23, 2012 15:38

JoshTheStampede: Sep 8, 2004; come at me bro

Lethemonster posted:

I primed some models using tamiya primer spray, now they are waterproof and therefore paint proof. WTF?

Spray some dullcote on it and see if that gives a decent surface for painting?

# ? Feb 23, 2012 15:52

Blade_of_tyshalle: Jul 12, 2009; If you think that, along the way, you're not going to fail... you're blind.

There's no one I've ever met, no matter how successful they are, who hasn't said they had their failures along the way.

Fearless posted:

That kinda looks like Willem Dafoe, not that there is anything wrong with that.

Luke Skywalker.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 16:11

dexefiend: Apr 25, 2003; THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING!

Blade_of_tyshalle posted:

Luke Skywalker.

Absolutely looks like post-motorcyle-accident Luke Skywalker.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 16:14

PaintVagrant: Apr 13, 2007; ~ the ultimate driving machine ~

CROSS POST

Making custom bases is pretty fun. I figured out a way to not kill myself with CA fumes, ie - stick everything in/on GS. I used some wood disc things that arent beveled, just to change it up from the typical 40k-style bases that infinity uses.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 17:18

frest: Sep 17, 2004; Well hell. I guess old Tumnus is just a loverman by trade.

dexefiend posted:

Absolutely looks like post-motorcyle-accident Luke Skywalker.

Did he grow an "emergency chin" beard?

# ? Feb 23, 2012 17:43

Blade_of_tyshalle: Jul 12, 2009; If you think that, along the way, you're not going to fail... you're blind.

There's no one I've ever met, no matter how successful they are, who hasn't said they had their failures along the way.

Bacta stimulates all cell growth. :colbert:

# ? Feb 23, 2012 17:44

frest: Sep 17, 2004; Well hell. I guess old Tumnus is just a loverman by trade.

Blade_of_tyshalle posted:

Bacta stimulates all cell growth.

I think you're on to something

# ? Feb 23, 2012 17:46

Silhouette: Nov 16, 2002; SONIC BOOM!!!

PaintVagrant posted:

CROSS POST

Making custom bases is pretty fun. I figured out a way to not kill myself with CA fumes, ie - stick everything in/on GS. I used some wood disc things that arent beveled, just to change it up from the typical 40k-style bases that infinity uses.

Those bases are hot as hell, I can't wait to see those finished.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 18:17

crime fighting hog: Jun 29, 2006; I only pray, Heaven knows when to lift you out

PaintVagrant posted:

CROSS POST

Making custom bases is pretty fun. I figured out a way to not kill myself with CA fumes, ie - stick everything in/on GS. I used some wood disc things that arent beveled, just to change it up from the typical 40k-style bases that infinity uses.

Holy poo poo dude, you gotta tell me where you got the materials to make that stuff!

# ? Feb 23, 2012 18:26

Silhouette: Nov 16, 2002; SONIC BOOM!!!

crime fighting hog posted:

Holy poo poo dude, you gotta tell me where you got the materials to make that stuff!

Looks like 3/16" MDF to me, Home Depot and Lowes have it in the lumber department.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 19:08

Danger - Octopus!: Apr 20, 2008; Nap Ghost

SirJoeKCB posted:

Repost from the Warmachine thread:

Just finished up a journeyman league and this is what I got painted up:

I know nothing about Warmachine, but I have an Iron Warriors army that loving needs that central...thing. What is it called?

# ? Feb 23, 2012 19:09

PaintVagrant: Apr 13, 2007; ~ the ultimate driving machine ~

crime fighting hog posted:

Holy poo poo dude, you gotta tell me where you got the materials to make that stuff!

The wood discs I got at jo-anns fabrics, like 1.50 for 8 of em in a little bag.

Otherwise its GS, evergreen plasticard sheeting, GW barbed wire, etc. Oh, and drywall tape for the grid looking stuff.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 19:10

stabbington: Sep 1, 2007; It doesn't feel right to kill an unarmed man... but I'll get over it.

Danger - Octopus! posted:

I know nothing about Warmachine, but I have an Iron Warriors army that loving needs that central...thing. What is it called?

Cryx Machine Wraith

# ? Feb 23, 2012 19:56

dexefiend: Apr 25, 2003; THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING!

Progress Ahoy!

Still need to wash the mounts and do highlights on everything.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 20:26

Lethemonster: Aug 5, 2009; I was hiding under your bench because I don't want to work out

What do you guys do when you just aren't enjoying painting a model? The new finecast Sammael model is awful in pretty much everyway but I'm painting it for a friend so I can't just put it down. It's making me not want to paint!

# ? Feb 23, 2012 22:35

stabbington: Sep 1, 2007; It doesn't feel right to kill an unarmed man... but I'll get over it.

If I'm not having fun with a painting project, it goes on the shelf until I feel like I'm interested in it again. This is pretty much why I don't paint models for anyone but myself.

e: to try and be at least a little helpful, a couple of my friends who do paint stuff for other people just put time limits on stuff. One will only put 3 hours of work into any given model. Another will paint something for the duration of a TV episode on Netflix, then do something else for a bit.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 22:43

Red Robin Hood: Jun 24, 2008; Buglord

My painting commission from watches porn while he paints. I couldn't do that :fap:

# ? Feb 23, 2012 22:48

Ashcans: Jan 2, 2006; Let's do the space-time warp again!

Normally I put the thing down and come back to it later, but if you're working on it for someone else that might not be an option. You could try grouping it in with other things that you want to be painting - so like when you do the base coats for something rad, you have to do his before moving on.

Sometimes things get tedious and you just have to power through. Slug back some Four Loco and put on Eye of the Tiger.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 22:51

JoshTheStampede: Sep 8, 2004; come at me bro

Lethemonster posted:

What do you guys do when you just aren't enjoying painting a model? The new finecast Sammael model is awful in pretty much everyway but I'm painting it for a friend so I can't just put it down. It's making me not want to paint!

Are you not enjoying it because it's a bad model, or because you aren't enjoying the colors/scheme? If its the latter, you can always strip it and start over with a scheme you like better.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 23:09

Flipswitch: Mar 30, 2010

stabbington posted:

If I'm not having fun with a painting project, it goes on the shelf until I feel like I'm interested in it again. This is pretty much why I don't paint models for anyone but myself.

Put it down, work on something you want to and come back to it in a few weeks/days/months depending on your preference. I do the same with my canvas paintings and sketches a lot as working on them when you don't want to always ends up a mess and a result you're disheartened with.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 23:16

!amicable: Jan 20, 2007

hobocrunch posted:

I think it's probably more the case that I'm painting my infantry wrong and the same methods don't carry over as well. I'm having all kinds of problems with shading because generally I've been relying a lot on washes. Been practicing on an Argus, but I want my Shadowhorn to look really nice. I wanted to get a nice colour tone across the army for their skin, but I can't seem to make anything work.

Washes will still work, but second what stabbington says:

stabbington posted:

Painting them into the creases in muscles works a lot better. Similarly, you only want to strongly highlight the portions of skin that'll be getting some light.

I did both of these things pretty sloppily while speedpainting this Gorax that frequent readers of this thread will probably groan at me for reposting for the millionth time, and it looks pretty great from any distance that people are going to be looking at it on a gaming table. Ignore the weird texture problems in the blown-up image, they're from a funky priming mistake.

Sadly, my advice for fur is probably pretty useless, since my usual tactic is to base with a medium brown, drybrush with a warm grey, wash with devlan mud or other dark brown, drybrush warm grey again, lightly drybrush warm off-white, and I'm never happy with how that turns out, but everything else I've tried looks even worse.

His Gorax looks pretty sick. I think what I have done is basically under coat, define all of the dark areas on muscles on the entire body then go back and darken the areas that would be getting less light. Finally I came back in with highlights and tried to get some fur texture by using little strokes instead of applying swathes of color.

As for fur, I just do the same thing but then come back and highlight individual hairs. That is, I treat it like normal mass, shade the areas that I need to, shade where light wouldn't hit it, then come back and pick out the highlights on individual hairs.

I should be done with the flesh on my Stalker in a day or two, so you can take a look. It's not amazing, but it is pretty easy to do; I think it takes like five or six stages to get the skin done:
1. base
2. overall darkening
3. shading informed by lighting
4. overall highlights
5. highlights informed by lighting
6. touchups?

# ? Feb 23, 2012 23:25

Red Robin Hood: Jun 24, 2008; Buglord

40% something at Michael's

http://weeklyad.michaels.com/stores/4613/coupons

# ? Feb 23, 2012 23:39

stabbington: Sep 1, 2007; It doesn't feel right to kill an unarmed man... but I'll get over it.

PV posted this about liquid green stuff in the Infinity thread, but it needs a wider audience, because it is a sweet tip about using it.

PaintVagrant posted:

I just brush it on heavily, then use a wet blister sponge to wipe off the excess and leave it in the cracks. Its super easy to clean off with a wet brush/sponge/whatever.

Using a blister sponge to deal with the excess makes dealing with liquid green stuff a lot easier. Certainly less effort than the milliput washes I'd been using before. About as messy, but nothing that some paper towel laid out in your workspace can't deal with.

# ? Feb 24, 2012 00:29

bhsman: Feb 10, 2008; by exmarx

Quick gut check: Should I paint five Grey Hunters for March or six Blood Claws? I've got awesome little conversions in mind for either option, I just want to complete a unit so I can have my 500pt list finished by April.

# ? Feb 24, 2012 00:42

Beerdeer: Apr 25, 2006; Frank Herbert's Dude

What is a "blister sponge?"

# ? Feb 24, 2012 00:45

Red Robin Hood: Jun 24, 2008; Buglord

bhsman posted:

Quick gut check: Should I paint five Grey Hunters for March or six Blood Claws? I've got awesome little conversions in mind for either option, I just want to complete a unit so I can have my 500pt list finished by April.

Both of 'em!

# ? Feb 24, 2012 00:47

bhsman: Feb 10, 2008; by exmarx

Red Robin Hood posted:

Both of 'em!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCpMIe8FjEU

# ? Feb 24, 2012 00:49

The Supreme Court: Feb 25, 2010; Pirate World: Nearly done!

Beerdeer posted:

What is a "blister sponge?"

It's the inevitable effect of handling various glues, resins and plastics; a condition where the skin on your hands is effectively replaced by open, oozing sores.

It's not all bad, however, as you can now use your rotting flesh to absorb paint spills and excess modelling putty. Also counts as a shrine of nurgle.

# ? Feb 24, 2012 00:50

PaintVagrant: Apr 13, 2007; ~ the ultimate driving machine ~

stabbington posted:

PV posted this about liquid green stuff in the Infinity thread, but it needs a wider audience, because it is a sweet tip about using it.

Using a blister sponge to deal with the excess makes dealing with liquid green stuff a lot easier. Certainly less effort than the milliput washes I'd been using before. About as messy, but nothing that some paper towel laid out in your workspace can't deal with.

Yeah I cut a little strip of the foam, wet one end. Use the wet end to get most of the liquid GS off, then the dry end to get any residue/etc off.

# ? Feb 24, 2012 01:17

Verdugo: Jan 5, 2009; Lipstick Apathy

Lethemonster posted:

What do you guys do when you just aren't enjoying painting a model? The new finecast Sammael model is awful in pretty much everyway but I'm painting it for a friend so I can't just put it down. It's making me not want to paint!

If it's one of my own, I stop painting it. I put it in my "project box" for another time.

If it's a comission, I contact the client, cancel the commission, and take a partial payment, or no payment, depending how much I hate it and how little got done. I do all comissions on contingency.

In general, the advice I give for any of my fellow members in my local wargaming club who are getting into painting minis: don't paint for friends, for the same reason don't do skilled work for friends, it leads to either them taking advantage or resentment/arguments which result in them becoming ex-friends. Also painting poo poo you don't want to paint is a great way to do a bad job and get burned out.

# ? Feb 24, 2012 01:29

Greggster: Aug 14, 2010

frest posted:

Lore of Shadow wizards are arcane spymasters of deception and illusion, so I wanted to make him look a little less Gandalfy and a little more plain-faced everyman. I can't imagine a guy showing up to covertly spy on stuff with his 4 foot long beard and pointy hat

also his staff broke so now it is a Rod of Power

He looks a lot like Mark Hamill in Hamilton, and I love it because Mark Hamill is (sort of) that type of character there.

# ? Feb 24, 2012 01:35

Nash: Aug 1, 2003; Sign my 'Bring Goldberg Back' Petition

Fearless posted:

That kinda looks like Willem Dafoe, not that there is anything wrong with that.

I say a bearded Mark Hamill

Edit: Beaten like a Tauntaun by a wampa

# ? Feb 24, 2012 03:59

thiswayliesmadness: Dec 3, 2009; I hope to see you next time, and take care all

Lethemonster posted:

What do you guys do when you just aren't enjoying painting a model? The new finecast Sammael model is awful in pretty much everyway but I'm painting it for a friend so I can't just put it down. It's making me not want to paint!

I used a "do it or else" method this year by doing the oath thread and having a clause that anything I failed I'd have to buy for the goblin grab bag. 12/12 months of painted models (once I finish my wagon this month). I found doing so many orks started to wear on me though, so I started just randomly painting other stuff I had. A little variety keeps you more interested. Sometimes the model looks like crap with just a few colours on it too and can put you off finishing it. Doing a few detail pieces on it so it looks less oogy might help as well.

# ? Feb 24, 2012 04:22

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# ? Jun 8, 2024 07:30

PierreTheMime: Dec 9, 2004; Hero of hormagaunts everywhere!; Buglord

Crosspostin' a Skaven Warlord I managed to finish up pretty quickly:

Only 140+ more to go!

...For a tiny starter army. :suicide:

# ? Feb 24, 2012 04:37

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Miniature Painting/Sculpting/Modelling Megathread (Shut up and use Simple Green)

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