I just finished painting my first mini, and I wanted to share it here!
It's a custom mini I made using Hero Forge. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I just used cheap craft paint that I bought from Joann's for about 50 cents a bottle. Next time I think I need to be more careful about the primer; I think I put too much on, and that created some weird textures. I also want to get better at adding highlights/shadows. The eyes are also wonky, but that might just be a matter of developing a steadier hand. Or getting smaller brushes.
Any other mini painting noobs want to share their early attempts? Or more experienced folks can offer tips - that would also be welcome.
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"We're the perfect combination of expendable and unkillable!"
Thanks! Yeah, I read up on using washes and tried to do it a little bit (on the belt, the boots, the hair) but I don't think I fully understand the concept yet. It's just a matter of practice I guess - figuring out the right ratio of water to pigment and stuff.
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"We're the perfect combination of expendable and unkillable!"
A wash is done with thinned out paint or inks (inks are generally expensive). What happens when you paint over an area with a wash is that the color will naturally flow into cracks and grooves giving that area more visual depth.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
Yeah, I get the theory of it more or less, but when I tried to do it, it seemed to darken the whole surface, not just the cracks. I think maybe I hadn't used enough water to dilute it?
Also, do you have tips on how to shade areas that are flatter? E.g. beneath the arms - it's not creased, but logically I'd think that should be shaded, but I couldn't quite figure out how to get a smooth transition from the "shadow" color to the base color.
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"We're the perfect combination of expendable and unkillable!"
I play warhammer 40k as well as d&d and I understand your pain. I stick to to the paints games workshop make but that’s because I find it easy to follow the guides. There’s loads of great short videos on the warhammer tv page you could check out on YouTube. Some wash on the face can make a massive difference.
My main advice for you though is it’s better to do multiple thin coats than one thick coat. You get better control and an even layer. It takes more time but the results are much better.
You might also consider using the "dip" method. I"m very much an amateur min painter myself but I've found that it's a great way to get a table quality paint job that's both time efficient and durable.
Dip method is just one coat, the dip, Min Wax Polyshades antique walnut is what I use, is very thick and work best if you brush it on so it doesn't get too thick. Make sure you use a cheapy disposable brush and wear gloves.
Washes will darken the whole surface, but not as much as you would think initially. As the wash dries, it recedes more and evaporates and some of the original color shines through. I do like to finish with a lighter colored drybrush after washing to add even more contrast. There are hours of great tutorials on YouTube if you want to see it in practice.
Looks great! Eyes take a lot of practice. Good brushes are definitely key. The only thing I would change is the color of the buttons. It makes the vest look very flat to have them the same color.
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I just finished painting my first mini, and I wanted to share it here!
It's a custom mini I made using Hero Forge. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I just used cheap craft paint that I bought from Joann's for about 50 cents a bottle. Next time I think I need to be more careful about the primer; I think I put too much on, and that created some weird textures. I also want to get better at adding highlights/shadows. The eyes are also wonky, but that might just be a matter of developing a steadier hand. Or getting smaller brushes.
Any other mini painting noobs want to share their early attempts? Or more experienced folks can offer tips - that would also be welcome.
"We're the perfect combination of expendable and unkillable!"
Looks really great, especially for a first attempt. Only suggestion might be to use wash on it to bring out a bit more shading.
Nice work! You don’t to buy expensive paint to get great results. Using good brushes if anything makes a difference.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Thanks! Yeah, I read up on using washes and tried to do it a little bit (on the belt, the boots, the hair) but I don't think I fully understand the concept yet. It's just a matter of practice I guess - figuring out the right ratio of water to pigment and stuff.
"We're the perfect combination of expendable and unkillable!"
A wash is done with thinned out paint or inks (inks are generally expensive). What happens when you paint over an area with a wash is that the color will naturally flow into cracks and grooves giving that area more visual depth.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Yeah, I get the theory of it more or less, but when I tried to do it, it seemed to darken the whole surface, not just the cracks. I think maybe I hadn't used enough water to dilute it?
Also, do you have tips on how to shade areas that are flatter? E.g. beneath the arms - it's not creased, but logically I'd think that should be shaded, but I couldn't quite figure out how to get a smooth transition from the "shadow" color to the base color.
"We're the perfect combination of expendable and unkillable!"
I play warhammer 40k as well as d&d and I understand your pain. I stick to to the paints games workshop make but that’s because I find it easy to follow the guides. There’s loads of great short videos on the warhammer tv page you could check out on YouTube. Some wash on the face can make a massive difference.
My main advice for you though is it’s better to do multiple thin coats than one thick coat. You get better control and an even layer. It takes more time but the results are much better.
your mini looks pretty damn cool.
You might also consider using the "dip" method. I"m very much an amateur min painter myself but I've found that it's a great way to get a table quality paint job that's both time efficient and durable.
Thanks! About how many coats would you say it should take, on average? Just so I have an idea if I'm going too thick or too thin.
"We're the perfect combination of expendable and unkillable!"
Dip method is just one coat, the dip, Min Wax Polyshades antique walnut is what I use, is very thick and work best if you brush it on so it doesn't get too thick. Make sure you use a cheapy disposable brush and wear gloves.
Washes will darken the whole surface, but not as much as you would think initially. As the wash dries, it recedes more and evaporates and some of the original color shines through. I do like to finish with a lighter colored drybrush after washing to add even more contrast. There are hours of great tutorials on YouTube if you want to see it in practice.
Looks great! Eyes take a lot of practice. Good brushes are definitely key. The only thing I would change is the color of the buttons. It makes the vest look very flat to have them the same color.