morganm

Laruana now with body suit done, loin cloth done, and base coats on all dark leather stuff. I'm really happy with how the blue cloth is turning out. The green body suit... meh... transitions between layers are too bold. I tried to smooth them out with a 'glaze' but it just didn't work. I don't think I had enough paint in the glaze or perhaps I'm expecting too much from a glaze and I really need to do this with better layering then a glaze.

Also worked on Tsuko. About the same state... Hair base coat (needs highlights), skin is done, red cloth has base coats and shade (needs highlights), straps have base coat (need highlights) Same washed out photos =P I swear the next ones are better!

Spent a few more hours on it this weekend. Here's Laruana; skin is done, hair has base coat (needs highlights), body suit is done, and loin cloth has base coat with one layer of highlights (needs shade and more highlights). Sorry the photos are washed out. I had plenty of light and forgot the flash was on =P Didn't want to waste time setting up good photos as I was on a roll so I just took some quick shots in the middle of working, didn't check them, and moved on.

Hmm... I already have a jigsaw and a recipricating saw.... just need some strong rubber bands methinks =^.^= http://www.taxidermy.net/forums/IndustryAr...03172F3891.html

That's why I stopped using spray on =(

Basecoated some more props. Started stripping about a pound of figures =P About half of them are botched spray on primer jobs and the other half are paint jobs from previouse owners.

Look'n good! Did you use spray on primer?

I have a question.... how do you eat these cheese flavored munchies with out getting cheese-tastic residue on your paint brushes =) ...some of your dark secrets are revealed when you photograph in your work area!

Lurker: Nail.. head... you got it. I'm sweating the details of priming and it really helps that you said yours come out uneven or sometimes splotchy which doesn't effect your layers of paint on top of it. Also great tips on technique. Vaitalla: I'm slowly learning how a bigger brush with an awesome tip is better than a smaller brush. It never really occured to me but I read some other threads where people were expressing the same. Now that I have some quality brushes I'm finding how true it really is. I'm amazed with what can be done using #2 and #1 sizes when they are quality brushes.

Lurker: It does not run or pool. Just covers better in some areas compared to others. That's an interesting point about shrinking concentric circles; I wonder if my real problem is technique and not the primer... How should I be brushing on paint? Do I lay the brush on to an unpainted area and brush into my last stroke? Do I start brushing in the paint of the last stroke and pull out in to unpainted parts? My real question is ... how do I lay down a smooth, consistent, layer?

With regards to applying a couple of thin coats of white brush on primer.... how do you apply it smooth and consistantly? Take a smooth cloak or dress for example. Whenever I prime surfaces like this I get areas that are thinner than others.

Same here =) Problem is I don't think $50 would cover a babysitter + sending my wife out for a few hours as well!

Had some last minute stuff I needed for last nights game. Painted up 22 props from Hirst Arts mold #85. Really enjoying my new brushes!

Replacement brushes came and none of them had a protector around the bristles! I was very dissapointed to see that but I thought I'd run them through some clean water and see if I couldn't straighten them out. Little water, a few brush strokes on paper, and they snapped right into position. Even got to use them this weekend and really like them a lot :D

I use these cheap visors and really like them. 1x is fine for most things but flip down the 2x often. Usually see them in hardware and tool shops in the bargin bin for $5-$10. Tried the magnifying glass on a swivel arm... totally sucked. Ended up hunched over the glass trying to hold the mini under it in just the right spot. I like the visors because I see wherever I point my head. I can hold the min up and sit in a more upright position so my back and neck aren't strained. Never hit my visor on my lights. I use pretty high watt lights and keep them out of the way. Usually have 200-400 watts of full spectrum light so I can keep them 4' away and still have lots of light. Those binocular visors sound trick what with keeping your depth perception. The visor I use is fine untill I swing down the single lens 3x zoom and then I totally loose my depth perception.

How long do they keep that nice tip (with proper care and feeding)?

Tested out my new fancy brushes lastnight! Worked a little bit on LTPK:2 models. Finished up a couple of props for this weekend's game.

I think this thread could help; especially toward the end: http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=33939 The last 8 cheap brushes (which are now trashed) I bought could have paid for 2 high quality brushes (and they will last much longer with proper care)

I engaged DickBlick customer support yesterday afternoon. They responded that evening apologizing and asked which brushes I was having problems with specifically. I replied back this morning and they already replied again saying replacement brushes would ship tomorrow. To top it off they said keep the bad ones and do whatever you want with them! Very hard to find customer service of this caliber anymore; truly 'no hassle'. Tested them out last night. Just putting them through some water and brush strokes on paper really helped them a lot. Most of the wild bristles fell in to place. Still a couple I couldn't tame so I'll get those replaced. Love the long sharp tip on that liner! Paint goes on so smooth with these brushes. I was surprised how well the $3 DickBlick brand red sable worked but I think the real test will be how long it lasts. It was a real pleasure painting and not fighting my brushes!

Md20 of course! http://www.microlite20.net/ It's a streamlined version of D&D 3.5. Who would have thought you can smelt down D&D 3.5 to just a few pages of rules yet still be very robust and completely compatible? I've adapted it to the setting of Pathfinder and our current group is having a more fun playing D&D than we have in years. Hours wasted during gameplay looking up and debating have been replaced with pure gaming. As a DM I've reallocated hours of prep time that to painting and terrain building. Fans have made plenty of varients and adapted it to other systems as well. Oh yeah... it's free!

I love Oswald; he has more table time than most of my minis! Have not painted him yet but I did prep him; that alone was a chore. It was hard to sort out details from mold lines. Would love to see a rendered version of him in the Inspiration Gallery!

Checked out my new brushes; smiled at one and frowned at the other 3.... splayed hairs >:( Painted the dining room, living room, main hall, kitchen, and foyer.... not the painting I wanted to do but I did spend a fair amount of time using a 1/2" brush trming =P

They came in the mail on FRI and I checked them out SAT night. Haven't had a chance to paint with them yet but I did inspect them. The liner looks perfect but the round 1 and 0 have several stray hairs. The round size 0 even came with out a protector around the bristles which was dissapointing; it had quite a few stray hairs. I even used my tongue real quick to try and straighten them out to make a nice point but there were still a couple of stray hairs... Should I surgically remove the stray hairs or go through the hassle of returning them? I ended up going with: Davinci - Maestro Kolinsky - Series #10 Round - size 1 and 0 DaVinci - Maestro Kolinsky (Red Sable) - Series #1200k Liner - size 0 Blick - Masterstroke Red Sable - Round - size 2

Just drop $50 on good brushes so I plan on actually using them!

Fair bit of sclupting to put that one together; nice work! That red color is so rich and the painting so far has a lot of depth. It's gonna be another outsanding piece to be sure!