morganm

Would love to see how they look before the dip. Thx for posting.

Thanks for taking the time to really go through this in detail!

Thanks for the help and links! The orange tack stuff is by Elmers and I don't like it because it isn't sticky enough. As you can see I had to use large blobs that basically wrapped around the edges of the base to hold anything down. This prevents you from priming & painting the base in spots. I've switched to Super Glue GEL and just use a few dots of it to hold things down quite secure while leaving the whole base exposed.

Revisiting this thread because I've totally trashed all of my crappy brushes in my last few painting sessions; even the Reaper Kolinsky Sables I got last Christmas are hosed. I refuse to do any real painting until I get some good brushes. I'm sooooo sick of fighting hooked / curled tips, stray hairs, and only getting one stroke before the tip is lost. Looking at http://www.dickblick.com/products/da-vinci...es/#description Da Vinci Maestro Kolinsky Brushes for watercolors How about these: 06754-1000 5506 Restauro Retouch, Size 0 06754-1001 5506 Restauro Retouch, Size 1 I'd really like to get a Liner but what size... 1, 0, or 5/0 ? To me it seems like a liner would help with doing eyes, mouths, teeth, claws, and other hard to reach details... no? What do you think of the Sharp Round vs Round vs Retouch? I know ppl have mentioned DaVinci Maestros, sizes, and types but haven't really put the variables together... if you look at that site there's dozens to choose from and I'm just overwhelmed trying to pick a few good brushes. What specific DaVinici Maestro type and size do you use? EX: Retouch 0, Liner 5/0, Sharp Round 1. Pls be specific, thx!

Prep'n and prime'n

Needed a nasty worg for our next game and thought the winter wolf model would fit nicely. This is my first finished model with absolutely no drybrushing. I actually went in on the eyes and did the white then a layer of yellow to make them almost glow. He looks more blue in person which didn't really show through here where he looks mostly black. I love how he turned out but as you can see in the photos there's a lot of speckles where I didn't get paint down in deep enough. Actually he looks worse on camera; I can only spot a few white specs with my eye in regular light... but under hundreds of watts zoomed in with a camera you can really see them all =P How do you get paint in to those tiny nooks?

More models done for next game! I'm happy with how they turned out; not bad tabletop quality IMHO =) I actually took the time to do eyes, teeth, claws, nose and sealer!

Still working through Learn to Paint Kit 2 - Cloth and Skin. Overall I like how the layering technique is turning out; it's like magic =) I usually base coat, wash, and drybrush so this is all very new to me. I put a few missplaced dark spots on Tsuko and which I was not happy with. However Laruana is turning out quite nice and for once a figure actually looks better on camera. Her layers don't blend that smooth in person. Those eyes.... oh those eyes.... I practiced on 4 wolves and did OK with getting one layer on the eyes but no iris. Then went on to these two models and totally hosed them up. I've actually touched them up a bit so they weren't abysmal. I don't have a good enough brush to do the inner parts of the eye yet. I'm also not happy with Tsuko's mouth. I didn't even bother with trying any shading on Laruana's mouth after I saw how bad Tsuko's went. Basically Tsuko is my 'try this and fail' model =) Then I try again on Laurana and it comes out a little better. These are also my last time using that dang orange tacky junk. I threw the rest in the garbage! Advice is welcome; especially on eyes, mouths, and how to get smoother layers.

Had to get this one done for a game coming up soon. Overall I'm happy with it and suprised how I could get some of the detail painted well enough. Coverage isn't smooth and the primer was a botched job from my final fit with spray on primer so he has a very grainy texture to him.

I see the smartass responses have already ensued so I'll hold mine back =) I don't play WoW because it costs money that I would rather spend on minis and table top gaming =^.^=

What is the stuff called specifically? Thx

Prepped about 30 minis. Broke 3 tips off of needle files in the process =P

Thanks for all of the advice here; it really does help!

Tried to strip some minis today and the W&N Cleaner wasn't doing much of anything. These were botched primer jobs; only have a couple coats of spray on Krylon automotive primer. Soaked for 10 minutes and hit it with a stiff brush for several minutes and only removed a few tiny specs. I'm thinking this primer is a bit more resistant than the water based acrylic stuff I stripped off before. Anyone have experience stripping off this Krylon automotive primer?

Sweet, that's exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

My real question is how to "properly thin" down the sealer. Not how to make it more matte or shiny. I did notice on the Reaper website a page talking about the differences between Pro Paints and Master Series Paints. There was a brief blurb about thinning the brush-on sealer slightly to make it more matte but again... it didn't give a clue as to how thin it should be. I did a few tests yesterday with some rations: sealer:water - 4:2, 3:3, and 1:2 None of them clouded up or frosted. They look the same as before I put any sealer on. They were already shiny so they aren't any more shiny but not any more matte either. Also shook the bottle very well. Seems easy enough to shake up sealer to mix it. Unlike some of the paints where they are more thick and hard to mix by shaking (such as the brush on white primer)

Yeah it's not as deep as a novel can go; that's for sure. However I thought it had enough depth, twists, and suspense to make it quite entertaining. I have learned something about myself over time though... I'm easily entertained =)

My wife and I went and saw the new Sherlok Holmes movie. It was really a great movie; well worth the ticket price... wich is hard to justify lately. The action was exciting, well done suspense, plenty of quirky humor, a good plot, and great characters. I also loved the music; Hans Zimmer has once again produced a great soundtrack. I really liked it and my wife thought it was a great movie as well. She's usually not into these kinds of movies either and actually commented on how she liked Sherlok's fighting style (an unorthodox style; reminded me a lot of Legend of Drunken Master)

I'm ready to seal up some minis I finished this week. Never used brush-on sealer to actually seal something =) Used it to help make washes but not for it's actual intended purpose. I did some searching on here but not a lot of advice on how to use it properly. Some ppl suggested using several thin coats instead of slopping it on but didn't state how to thin it down. Should I thin down the Reaper MSP Brush-on Sealer ? What ratio of sealer:water should I use? Will this sealer give me a glossy, semi-glossy, or matte finish? If it's glossy; what brush on matte varnish can I use to dull the sheen? Should the brush-on matte varnish be thined down as well? If so then what ratio should I use to thin it? (Please don't suggest any spray varnish... I've given up on spray products. Something I could pick up a Michaels would be nice. ) Thanks!

I'm on a roll! Started and finished a whole model lastnight. One of the figures from Alternative Armies - HF033 Shambling Zombies

Yeah I switched to brush on primer for the same reasons. Just never could get a good coat of spray on primer. I use RMS white brush on primer. I wouldn't say mine comes out like water; more like melted ice cream. Both bottles I have are the same consistancy and they were purchased months a part. I actually thin it down; about 4-5 drops of primer to 1-2 drop of water. If it's too thin I usually just wait a few minutes and it thickens up; air in my house is very dry =/ If it's sat a long time it can really be a bear to get mixed again by just shaking. I let mine sit for like 8 months and really had to stir and shake to get things mixed up. I've actually taken a stiring stick to the stuff before shaking it. Popped the dropper tip off and stired it up. Then shook it for several minutes.

Finished up all of the wolves lastnight. They just need some sealer and they are done. They will debue at our next game night =) Put on a final coat of primer for 2 models from 65009: Townsfolk: Strumpets Primed 2 more - 65005: Monique DeNoir, Vampire - Cullen from 65038: Cullen and Ash

Sometimes I suprise even myself.... Preped 17 minis - 5 Old Glory wizards - 5 Old Glory trolls - 4 Reaper wolves - 3 nefarious women of the night Primed 7 minis - 4 Reaper wolves - 2 women from 65009: Townsfolk: Strumpets - 1 65002: Jade, Dancing Girl Painted 4 minis (90% done) - 4 Reaper wolves (65058: Dire Wolves , 65038: Cullen and Ash, 65091: Winter Wolf ) I really can't belive I've done this much painting in the last week. I haven't painted in almost a year! Really missed slopping paint on minis; it was a lot of fun doing these figures.

Some great ideas here, thanks! I almost bought those townsfolk at my FLGS the other day but ultimately the anvil is smaller than what I need. Love the one on eBay but I'm just too damn cheap =( I think I'll try my hand at carving one out of pink foam or buying some poly-clay and sculpt one... hmm maybe that "Marblex" poly-clay would work as I could get it in a stone texture... then I don't have to paint it =)