Painting Dog

Official word from the horticulturist is that the Google maps photos aren't close enough/well resolved enough to say for sure. Best she could do was "some kind of oak, some kind of cedar" (I also wasn't sure which specific trees folks were interested in). I may just have to commit to getting good photos next year to solve this important mystery. 😉

I didn't see this until after I was home, so didn't have a chance to take a picture. If someone wants to post one / send me one, I can see if the horticulturist at my work can ID it for you. (I ask her these kinds of questions all the time. LOL!)

Did anyone see food trucks today? Or does that not start until tomorrow? Meanwhile -- Lovely painting beer with you today, OneBoot! 😄

Does the wood grain paint actually produce a wood grain effect?

Cloudy grey is the one I ended up picking for use. It is, as you said, a nice middle shade in that neutral range. Thanks, everyone!

Backpack came out great, too!

That looks delightfully horrific! 😁

So I'm starting to play around with swatching my paints, as part of maybe getting a better feel for colors and how to see them. As part of doing this, I'd like to make sure I have a really basic neutral grey to play with. What would folks say is the best neutral grey in the Reaper line? Thanks!

I have painted a few of the Dungeons & Doggies miniatures, and really like them. But, MAN, are some of them tiny (chihuahua rogue, I'm looking at you)!!

I also mostly use the Tanned Skin triad for Caucasian skintones, with the Fair triad mostly for highlighting. I find that starting with the Fair triad makes for a really pasty-looking skin. I think the Olive Skin triad does well for duskier skin, and I really like the Dark Skin triad for darker skin tones. It's really pretty, and has given me some very nice results. I am also a "maybe slightly better than middling" painter, so YMMV. 😁

Yuck! And I mean that in the best possible way. 🤢

I think it's some nascent doll house envy from my childhood, but I love scenery (and especially furniture) almost more than the minis in gaming. These look great! Especially love the table with the meal and little cutting board. 😁

While I like the coverage and look of the Scale 75 metallics, I find I don't use them much because they separate out in the bottle so thoroughly, and you have to shake them FOREVER to make them usable, even with a vortex mixer. I just find myself sighing and reaching for something that takes less commitment most of the time. I really like the Vallejo Model Air metallics; go on really smoothly, and look nice. The VMA silver and chrome are especially nice. I wish they had a nice, bright gold, though. The only golds I've been able to find in Vallejo metallics tend to have a greenish tinge that I don't care for.

I do a quick toothbrush-and-soap on every model, even ones that people say don't require it. If nothing else, by the time I'm done handling it for cleaning and any building / modding, I feel like it has a bunch of skin oil finger prints all over it, and I like to start with a nice clean surface.

In the pictures, the blue seems a bit strong. Maybe a wash to move it more toward grey? Otherwise, the detail on the fleshy bits is gross (in other words, great)!

Nice work with the freehand on the dress!

I love that the guy with the sack already has such a worried look on his face! 😁 Nice work!

You could also try heating the plastic to soften it, then muscling the tab into the slot. That can sometimes also help avoid gapping, since it will then shrink down tight again as it cools. (Still use some super glue, too.)

Just adding to the color discussion: I struggle with choosing complementary colors that then make my mini look like Barney/Superman/a Halloween decoration, too. 😆 I've found this usually happens because I'm focusing on the very basic, saturated versions of the main colors. Try moving into more desaturated versions of the greens and purples, at least for some of the tones, and see if that helps.

I really missed that, too. I know it's a ton of work, but it was really great to be able to take part in ReaperCon even when I couldn't make the trip to attend.

In your picture, it looks like the bottoms of the paint bottles are fairly flush with the opening. Is that the case? If so, how hard is it to snag one and pull it out? This is a great tutorial. I am now eying my chopsaw with interest...

Congratulations, Andy! A true Renaissance man! 😁

I'm already excited for ReaperCon 2023! I had only just started going (had 2 or 3 years under my belt) when the pandemic hit, and haven't been able to get back since. But wife and I were just chatting yesterday about me going next year. 😁

When my paint collection has gotten out of hand, I sometimes go through and cull colors that seem to be the same -- or at least close enough to the same that my less-than-perfect eye for color can't tell the difference. I wonder, though, if it's possible to get to the same end color (visually) but with a different mix of pigments. Can it be that two colors LOOK the same, but that the pigments used to create them make them behave differently when more experienced/creative painters than myself do stuff with them? I honestly don't know the answer to this.

I really love the subtle blues you worked into the scales. Very nice!