Cerridwyn1st

I've had similar problems with a WN7 I bought through the internet. I've still got my receipt, so maybe I can return it. I tried to "retrain" the brush by coating it with brush conditioner. If it still has the splits, I guess I better see about sending it back. My precious WN7 3/0 miniature that's so used the label is rubbing off has none of these issues. Not only only is the label rubbing off, but the handle is so beat it looks like it's been through a train wreck. But the bristles are still pristine.

That's pretty cool, Orchid. I'll have to try it. Sometimes I cruise through boards and look at other examples of what I'm working on for inspiration. It helps a lot, until you come across a Jenova or a Haley. Now that's performance anxiety.

Very cool. Can't wait to see it painted.

That's cool, Tam. I'm going to have to try that on my next dragon. What about the glass beads in different colors? I've seen them for paper decorating, any ideas how they'd work for basing?

Zaph, could you please give instructions on how that's done? As for the other issue, you can always log a comment/complaint with them. Not that they listen. I suggested they set up a Reaper catagory in the Miniatures section, which they haven't done. Maybe more than one person has to ask.

Have you tried drybrushing the black-primed fig with white? Gives it some texture and helps you see the details. Don't do this on weapons, though. The metalic paints just never seem to look right with white underpainting. Sometimes you can use the drybrushing to add texture under the paint. I did this with a guy in heavy battle armor that I wanted to look weathered. Worked great. There are times when my painting is very well-planned and I know exactly what colors I'll use and how. Most of the time, I just paint the biggest area in a color I like, then ask myself what would look good with it.

Yikes. Easier said than done, if you're anything like me... "I like this brown for leather, but maybe I'll try THIS one! But I don't want the belt to look like the boots, so I'll need to use THIS OTHER one for the boots. And, of course, the scabbard... Well, the scabbard's just going to need yet ANOTHER brown... Hmm. The pants are already brown... Maybe I should repaint them. Where are my blues? The shield's already blue, but I have THIS OTHER blue I could use..." Well, you know, Wiz, you could always take a good selection of basic colors and mix what you want. But that assumes you know how to mix... Wreck is trying to paint in the sleeper cab of a tractor/trailer rig. Doesn't sound like he has the luxury of taking 100 or more paints with him. Maybe get some of those flip-top keeper strips like they sell at Wal-Mart and store small amounts of a variety of paints. I've done this before, but now I prefer to just plan in advance and carry only a few bottles of what I really need. Wreck says he's only home every other weekend, so in addition to not having much space, he can't go home at the end of the day and pick up what he needs. So he may have to be more flexible and better planned than the rest of us would have to be. I'd suggest using dropper bottle paints (Vallejo, Andreacolor, Reaper Masterpaints (coming soon)) for the main colors. If you have some Reaper or Citadel colors you can't live without, transfer to dropper bottles or strip/flips so they take up less space. Good luck, Wreck.

What ratios do you use for thinning? Got a good sorce for dropper bottles besides mail order to Western Plastics?

Tim Alan - Galaxy Quest And when you get yourself in trouble you can't handle, there's always the Omega-13 device, a.k.a. the Pine-Sol bath. Ew, not Pinesol. Simple Green. Pinesol leaves a sticky mess that's a pain to get off. Simple Green strips clean.

When I first started painting, I used Liquitex Basics. I still use them sometimes, especially black to touch up primer, or white for underpainting. But I rarely use the other colors anymore. There is nothing really wrong with them. I often make custom inks with them, as a matter of fact. But I guess I just got tired of the hassle of having to thin my paints so much. I've gotten in the habit of thinning my model paints now, but I still haven't gone back to the tube paints. The range of colors available in model paints is huge, they take up less space to haul around, and only need a little thinning when put on the pallet. I guess those are the primary reasons I use model paints now instead of artists acrylics. Oh, and I do have one tube of Windsor & Newton Payne's Grey that I use a lot. Probably get a bottle of the Master's Colors in Blue Black when they come out, then the WN will be relegated to the same box as my other tube paints. Getting a good selection of colors in tube paints could get expensive, but the way. A little bottle of modle color will last you a long time, and the tube paint may dry out before it's all used. You would probably be better off just getting model paints. Cerri

Cruising through Wal-Mart Sunday, I came across a Tylenol display with these padding things stuck in it. I noticed they were the PERFECT size for how I like to pack my minis for sale. I lay the mini down on the pad and trace an outline around it. Then I cut the shape and pull it out to a thickness that will hold the mini securely. Cover with the other pad, flip, trace, cut that one to match, then sandwich the mini between the two pads. I've been making custom boxes to put the foam in, but I've got a big lot of stuff to ship out to one guy, so I'm using masking tape to hold the foam pieces together. I've never had a mini packaged this way get damaged in shipping. I was using cheap sponges for this, but I ran out and haven't been able to find them again. There are a lot of WalMarts in my area and they don't seem to mind me cleaning out the packing foam. So I guess I'll hit a few more before the displays are gone. Thought some of you who sell and send minis might want to know about this packing method, especially since the material is free salvage of what would otherwise wind up in a landfill.

I have these little swab things - much smaller than a q-tip - that I picked up from a model store. You know, the guys who sell cars and planes and things. These work pretty well for spot stripping or making corrections, as they are much finer than q-tips. You can use alchohol to strip Vallejo. Their website says you can use it for corrections, but I found out that alcohol will strip the paint, not just clean off a small boo-boo. My mentor, Dragsonsreach, recommends nail polish remover to spot strip part of a mini. I used this when I realized I'd painted the colored squares on my latest fig backwards. (oops)

Wreck: Yeah, I'm with Orchid: that rinse well may well be indispensible. If nothing else, it will limit the amount of water you have that can spill. I normally take along a painting kit when I go to work. It is comprised of two flat plastic boxes, like the ones used for tackle items. One is about 8x10 inches and only has one side. The other is smaller in diameter but has two sides. I don't usually paint a lot at work. The lighting is bad and there isn't much room or time to really "get into it". I usually work on cleaning and basing my minis so I can optimize my painting time at home. When I do paint at work, I make sure I do the following: 1) Plan ahead. I will have only a few minis that I'm actually going to paint on. The most I've ever had at painting stage was four, and they were all the same sculpt. 2) Only use a few colors, stored in dropper bottles. Smaller, easier to transport, less chance of spilling. Also paint-on primer. Vallejo and Reaper both make paint-on primer. 3) Pallet. A larger carry-out lid makes a nice pallet after you wash it. The rim will help keep water or paint from going everywhere. The parchment used to handle bakery goods with a piece of paper towel, both cut to size, will finish your pallet. 4) Take care of your brushes, and make sure you have caps for them. If you loose your caps, you can use cut bits of coffee stirrers or straws instead. 5) Portable light. The need for this depends on what you have available to you. May not need it at all, may be crucial. You can kind of use one of those clip-on booklights, assuming you have something to clip it to. You can also get magnifiers for some types of booklights at Michaels. Oh, and did I say plan ahead? You won't have a lot of room to carry stuff, so decide on what you really want to work on and plan exactly what colors you will need for it. Everything you need to reasonably work on a few minis will fit in a small tacklebox, as long as you plan ahead.

Wow, Jen, that is awesome! Um, guys, I really LIKE the shell. The reason it looks awkward is that her hads were set up originally to support something flat, but the shell is round. If you did a conversion of her hands so they supported the shell, I think it would look cool. I'd put a few coats of varnish on the shell. It wold look nicer (kind of dull now) and make it less fragile.

Brush control means lots and lots of practice. Well, getting it means lots and lots of practice, anyway.

Yeah, get Pink Soap or the Master's cake brush soap. Both are with the brushes at Michael's. Apply the soap, shape your brush, and let it dry. That will take care of a lot of things - stray hairs, bent bristles, ect. It won't do much for synthetic bristles that have curled because, well, that's what they do. But it will help some.

Never fear, paint in dropper bottles goes a long, long way.

Shade his teeth. Should be lighter at top, darker at bottom. Washing with ink should do the trick.

Boy, you guys make me feel like a real cheapskate. I get those little one ounce dixie containers from a co-worker. She gets pickles for her Chick-fil-a in them. I just was them up and use them to store my mixes. Not very air tight; I add a spritz of water on a regular basis to keep them moist. I do have two GW paint pots with flipper lids. Keep brush cleaner in one, alchohol in the other.

Well, Chas, I haven't been painting that long, either, but I'm asked about "how do you do eyes?" quite frequently. I'd say I get that question at least once every painting clinic I run. It isn't that eyes are all that hard, but they take a certain amount of skill and the right equipment. So the next time someone looks at one of your minis and asks you to tell them about how to do eyes, take it as an opportunity to talk about overall painting techniques. Because truth to tell, they are having problems with all their painting (whether they realize it or not), and it just shows alot more on they eyes.

Well, since I started this, I'll throw my newbie tips in. Don't buy itty-bitty brushes with golden taklon bristles. Go hang out where there are other painters and learn from what they do. Or better yet, find a mentor. The way to learn all those techniques, (eyes, NMM, shading, etc.) is the same way you get to Carnegie Hall - Practice, baby, practice! Oh, and thin your paints!

Here's a question to the experienced painters here. What would you say to someone just starting out, that you wish had been said to you?

I asked Dragonsreach, my online mentor, why inks were so shiney, and why they smelled so bad. He replyed that it's because inks aren't really inks - they are varnish with pigment added. Scratch inks for me! I either mix my own by thinning paint with different additives or just use varnish. I made one ink by mixing Liquitex Basics with Magic Wash and water. I think I overdid the Magic wash - the stuff took forever to dry. Because it took so long to dry, it did some funny things. Like not staying where I put it, but instead running to the bottom of the model (if it was upright) or front (if I laid it on its front). But it was beautifully matt. It gave a beautiful, rich, deep blue color to the mini. Another painter I know of, Arkaal, never uses inks. He uses Vallejo paints thinned with water for washes.

Changed from Mcarrkul to Cerridwyn1st so it would match my online persona.

Base coat Vallejo Filthy Brown. Stain with your favorite dark brown wash. I use Plaid Walnut varnish, thinned a little with water. If you want extra hightlights, mix a small amount of Vallejo Bonewhite in with the Filthy brown, and sidebrush the highpoints of the hair. These are Vallejo Game Colors, by the way.