Search the Community

Well the New Year gets me thinking of years past and things to do in the coming year. So I think it is high time that we resurrect the New England Paint Day. For those of you unfamiliar with the New England Paint Day, it is a get together of like minded individuals; to paint, share techniques and to just have a plain old good time. On to the debate. As this is a New England Paint Day, we have to figure out the location. In the past, they have been hosted by individual painters and at game stores. I can set up a time with Pat at my FLGS (Citadel Games Cellar in Groton CT) or I can host at my house depending on the number of people. For those who were at the last CT paint day, the Citadel has moved down the street to a new location and has much better lighting this time around. I am open to other locations if it is more convenient for the majority; someone else would just have to step up and procure a location. Right now I should be good for most weekends up until April. So, who's interested?

I put together a few documents related to using Bones. I've submitted these to the Craft section of the website, but as it may be a little while before Reaper has the time available to add them, Bryan suggested that I post them here. Bones - Frequently Asked Questions Bones - Preparation (mould line removal, glue, putty, etc.) Bones - The First Coat is the Difference (this document) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Painting Bones Miniatures: The First Coat is the Difference One of the revolutionary features of Bones miniatures is that you can paint them straight out of the package. Because this is such a departure from recommendations for painting metal or resin miniatures, it is understandable that this feature raises questions and concerns for painters unfamiliar with Bones. Painters familiar with other types of miniatures will find that there are some differences in how the first coat of paint behaves, or that there are painting techniques or substances that require a little tweaking to use as a first coat on Bones figures. The Bones material is a little hydrophobic, meaning that it tends to repel water. Paint diluted with water, sometimes even just a little water, may display a tendency to bead up or pull away from crevices or higher raised areas. The more water added to the paint, the greater this effect. The first coat of paint applied to the surface can also take a little longer to dry than usual. The image on the left is a Bones figure straight out of the blister, the one on the right is a primed Dark Heaven metal miniature. Each was painted with a brushstroke of Master Series Walnut Brown paint of various dilutions. From right to left: undiluted; 1:1 paint water ratio; heavily diluted. On the Bones figure, the stripes painted with diluted paint display beading and pulling away, but the stripe painted with undiluted paint covers smoothly with clean edges. Once you apply a first coat of paint, primer or other appropriate surface preparation to a Bones miniature, you can freely use paint of any dilution and the full array of painting techniques! Painters who prefer to use thinned base coats, those who like to start with a dark wash over white primer, and those who use black or custom coloured primer need not despair! The following information will help you find ways to tweak your preferred techniques to work with the Bones material. It also includes information about brands of primer, paint and other substances that are known to work or not work well with Bones, and tests of the utility and durability of certain of these products on Bones. Slightly Thicker Paint Will Not Obscure All the Sculpted Details For years painters have been reading tips and tutorials that exhort them to thin their paints so as not to obscure the detail sculpted into their figures, and to obtain a better quality paint job. While it’s definitely the case that using excessively thick paint can affect detail and paint quality, I think it is also true that some people are worrying too much about this in regards to painting Bones. Reaper Master Series and Master Series HD are produced with a consistency pretty close to ideal for base coats. Several other miniature paint lines are produced in a similar consistency, or require only a small amount of water to reach the correct consistency. Two or three layers of such paint will not clog up all the detail on your model. Also, remember that when you paint metal or resin miniatures, you normally paint over a coat of primer. One layer of undiluted paint on a Bones miniature is equivalent in thickness (if not thinner) than one or two coats of primer on a metal or resin figure. The picture above is of four Bones bases. The tiny text relief sculpted into the bottom of these is a perfect way to test whether paint coats obscure small detail. Each of these bases was given four coats of a substance, and then brushed over with a paint wash to bring out the detail. (The bottles of paint and primer used in this test were fairly fresh, no more than a year or two old.) From left to right, the bases were coated with four coats of undiluted Master Series Pure White, four coats of undiluted Master Series White Primer, and four coats of undiluted Master Series Brush-On Sealer. I prepared a second base with the Brush-On Sealer as the wash didn’t quite turn out on the first. The word ‘Miniatures’ has lost a little detail on the base coated with four undiluted coats of paint, but apart from that both it and the primer coated base still have excellent detail. The text is still mostly legible on the bases coated with Brush-On Sealer, but some detail has been obscured. Wash Bones Figures Before Painting Many people find that the paint is less likely to bead up if the figure has been washed. Also, if you’ve had your figure out of the blister for a while, or you’ve handled it to remove mould lines or otherwise prepare it, you should clean it before painting, as it probably has dust and skin oils on it that may repel paint or cause paint to chip off after it has dried. All you need to clean it is some dishwashing liquid and an old toothbrush. Give it a scrub, and then rinse it really well to get off all the soap. Let it dry before painting. (You can hurry up the drying with a hairdryer set on low.) Black Primer? Custom Colours? Paint One Coat of Paint over the Entire Figure First! Some painters prefer to paint over black or gray primer. Others start with a primer of a particular colour to speed up painting units. For example, you could paint a coat of khaki on a unit of modern army figures and be half way finished painting their uniforms. One way to get the same effect as a dark wash over white primer on Bones is to first apply an all-over coat of white paint, followed by a dark wash. (Keep reading for other ways to do washes directly on Bones.) Some Primers Work on Bones Traditional metal or resin miniatures need to be primed before any paint is applied. Paint applied over bare metal does not adhere well, and rubs off with even light handling. Primer etches into the metal on a microscopic level. Paint adheres well to primer, so using it forms a stronger bond. Bones figures do not suffer from this issue! Acrylic paint painted directly onto the Bones surface is as durable, if not more durable, than if you use paint over primer on Bones. If you still prefer to use primer, Reaper’s Brush-On Primer works well on Bones, and is available in black and white. Another product people sometimes ask about is gesso. Fine arts painters use gesso to prepare canvases for painting. Some people have experimented with liquid gesso as a primer for miniatures, Bones and otherwise. People have reported it working in terms of creating a surface that you can paint thinned paint over. Reports vary as to how durable the material is, so it may not be the best choice for miniatures that are going to be handled. For those who prefer to use spray primer, the best option is to use an airbrush to apply a coat of acrylic paint to the Bones figure. Reaper Master Series paint thins well with Golden or Liquitex Airbrush Medium, and maintains its strong adhesion, though I have found that adding airbrush medium does noticeably increase the drying time of the paint. Aerosol spray primers and some spray paints can have some issues with Bones (and with other plastics). The chemicals in some of these primers and paints do not react well with Bones. The main effect seems to be that the primer never completely cures, remaining tacky to the touch. Some will also fail to form a bond with the Bones material. The following is a list of aerosol paints and primers that people on the Reaper forums have reported testing on Bones. Please consider the list just a guide. The best idea is to test your chosen spray by using it on a small Bones figure you don’t care about a lot. After you give the spray time to cure, carefully look over the figure to make sure the chemicals in the spray haven’t reacted with the Bones material to melt or otherwise damage it. If not, test the primer surface by touching it to see if it stays too tacky to paint over. Also, flex parts of the figure to make sure the primer doesn’t crack. Note: Some people have successfully used Krylon primer, and possibly other spray primers that some people have reported as problematic. And other people have reported problems with primers that some felt worked well. One difference seems to be that a light spray rather than a heavy coating is more likely to minimize tackiness. Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity are also always a big variable with any spray product. Recommended aerosol spray primers and paints: Army Painter white and coloured primers Krylon Dual Paint + Primer Duplicolor Sandable – slight tackiness possible Rust-oleam Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2x – slight tackiness possible Problem aerosol spray primers and paints: Krylon white primer – doesn’t bond, stays tacky Testors Enamel flat black – stays tacky Walmart Valu flat white – stays tacky Krylon Primer red-brown – stays tacky Citadel spray Use a Medium to Thin Your Paint or Make a Wash Water is the element in thinned paint that causes it to bead up on the Bones surface. If you try thinning your paint with a dilutant other than water, you may be able to create a mix that is closer to the consistency you like to paint with. Depending on what you use, you can even create something translucent enough to act as a wash or glaze directly on the Bones. Mediums designed to work with acrylic paints are good products to try. Examples are matte medium, glazing medium, airbrush medium. Reaper’s Brush-On Sealer can be used this way. Note that many of these products are a little less fluid than water, so they may not dramatically change the consistency of the paint (it’ll still feel a little thick rather than watery, but it will look a lot more transparent). You can also test adding just a drop or so of water to your mix of paint and medium to see if you can get closer to the consistency you prefer. I diluted some Master Series Bone Shadow with various mediums to make washes. From left to right, the products are listed below. Master Series Brush-On Sealer: I added one drop of water to a large drop of paint and several drops of Sealer. Worked well. Liquitex Matte Medium: A thick product. I added a drop of water. Beads up too much to work well for a wash. Liquitex Glazing Medium: Another thick product, I added a drop of water to my mix. Took longer to dry than the others. Did not sit in crevices well enough to work well for a wash. Very shiny finish. Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium: Applied well, dried quickly. Even application of the colour. Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer: Worked decently, seems a bit more inclined to pool in the crevices with less colouring on the surfaces. Shiny finish. ADDEDUM (not pictured) Golden Acrylic Flow Release (undiluted): Applied well. Took a little while to dry. Shiny finish. Reaper Flow Improver: Applied well. Took a little while to dry. Finish is shiny in areas where wash pooled. Use a Medium as a Primer Because of how well acrylic based products adhere to the Bones material, it is also possible to use mediums as a primer alternative. Once dry, you can paint over them using thinned paint. These are applied by brush, or possibly with an airbrush. I tested a number of different brush-on products on some Bones Cave Trolls. These were straight out of the package and had not been cleaned. After the products dried, I applied a thin coat of paint to see how it behaved over each product. Reaper Master Series Brush-On Primer: Exhibited slight pulling away from some high or curved surfaces, though generally it just required running the brush over that section again to establish coverage. Dried quickly. Reaper Master Series Brush-On Sealer: No significant beading. Dried quickly. Paint was less durable than with the other products, see the durability testing section for more details and pictures. Golden Airbrush Medium: Bubbled a bit when applied, thin enough to pool a bit in depressions. Took more than 40 minutes to dry. This product works well if you use a drop or three to thin paint down for a base coat, although it does increase the drying time slightly. Due to it drying time, this is not the best choice as a primer alternative or for thinning washes that will be applied directly over Bones. Liquitex Matte Medium: Somewhat thick. Minor beading and pulling away. Significant beading when thinned with water. Dried quickly. When paint was applied, there were still some mild occurrences of paint pulling away from higher/curved areas. Liquitex Glazing Medium: Pretty thick consistency. Dried fairly quickly. The paint coat still beaded a little. Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium: Dried fairly quickly. Paint went on quite nicely. Also works on metal miniatures. Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer: Dried quickly. The paint layer exhibited slightly pulling way. Folk Art Blending Gel: Extremely thick. Beaded up too much to use. Not pictured as it worked too poorly to continue to the testing stage. Speed Paint Drying with a Hairdryer Whether on a Bones or metal miniature, if you find that your paint is taking too long to dry, you can speed up the drying by using a hairdryer on the low setting on the paint. If the paint you’re drying is a wash, you should let it dry naturally for a little bit, or you risk blowing the paint out of the crevices and depressions you want to darken. Testing the First Coats for Durability Once you get your paint applied, you want to make sure that it stays there. In my experiments, the most durable Bones miniatures are those where the first coat applied to the miniature is undiluted Master Series paint. Several of the other substances I tested were pretty close in durability, but it should be noted that there were a few that performed poorly. I painted these ghosts in August 2012. They accompanied me to Gen Con and Pax Prime 2012, stored loose with some unpainted Bones in a plastic container I carried in my backpack. Their travels included a six hour car ride and return plane trip. At the conventions they were handled extensively by dozens upon dozens of people, including being tossed on tables. The paint jobs were stressed pretty much equally through the Gen Con trials. The ghost painted only with Reaper Master Series paint was handled a lot more than the others during the Pax Prime trials. The ghost sculpt has some thin and thus particularly bendy areas, most notably on the hood and where it meets the tombstone. I flexed these parts by hand repeatedly to additionally stress the paint. Unfortunately I chose poor colours to easily be able to see all the damage in the photos. After the first coat I used painting techniques of thinned layers and washes with no difficulty and with the same effect on each of the miniatures. From left to right the first coat on each miniature was as follows. Undiluted Reaper Master Series Paint: Displayed the least damage during the Gen Con trials. Following Pax, has some chips at the flex point on the hood and near the tombstone. Was handled a lot more than the other figures. Reaper Master Series Brush-On White Primer: A few very small chips at the flex points, and some paint has scraped off a few sharp protruding areas. (Edge of the hood, finger tips on one hand.) Dupli-Color Sandable White Primer Spray: The unpainted base stayed slightly tacky to the touch for weeks after priming. The figure has several small areas where paint was scraped off, but only one chip on a flex point. Testors Dullcote Spray: This product created a good surface for painting, but performed very poorly in the paint durability tests, and I would not recommend using it as a primer substitute if you plan to use your Bones for gaming. Chips formed on the major flex points early in the Gen Con testing, and the paint has flaked off extensively from there. The figure also has some small areas of scraping damage, but those are no more notable than on the Brush-On Primer or Dupli-Color figures. I wanted to perform a similar test with the other surface preparation products I tried. First I painted on an additional coat or two of paint. Then I placed the figures loose in a plastic box with some other Bones, a wooden, MDF and plastic base, and a metal figure. After wrapping the box in a towel secured with rubber bands, I put it in my dryer on the air setting for 10 minutes or so. The green painted areas on each figure are those that were painted over the primer alternatives. The brown painted areas are Master Series Paint directly on the Bones surface. (These were part of tests for methods to remove mould lines.) The brown areas on each exhibit very little damage. Some have none, some have a few small chips or scrapes. (However it should be noted the brown area of this sculpt has far fewer surface protrusions than where the green was painted.) From left to right: Reaper Master Series Brush-On Primer White; Reaper Master Series Brush-On Sealer; Golden Airbrush Medium; Liquitex Matte Medium. Three of the four show pretty similar levels of damage. The figure painted with Brush-On Sealer as a primer displays the most paint damage of all figures tested in this series. From left to right: Liquitex Glazing Medium; Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium; Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer. Damage levels are pretty similar to the better performers above. The Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium and Liquitex Glazing Medium performed the best of the seven products tested. (The Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium performed better in terms of acting as a primer, and is inexpensive, so would be my recommendation between those two.)

Some of these came back as other numbers, but but the rest won't be brought back by Reaper and some might be present in other paint lines. (Twilight Triad 9727) 9079 Deep Amethyst 9080 Indigo Sky 9081 Pale Indigo - mix equal portions of Imperial Purple and Sky Blue (Colored Liners Triad 9738) 9112 Red Liner - Reaper 9307 (Discontinued now) 9113 Green Liner - Reaper 9308 9114 Violet Liner - Reaper 9237 (Discontinued now) (Muted Purples Triad 9740) 9118 Dusky Grape 9119 Bruise Purple - Reaper 9326 (Bones 5) 9120 Faded Purple (Clear Brights III Triad 9744) 9130 Clear Orange - Lava Orange 9218 and Explosion Orange 9219 9131 Clear Viridian - Peacock Green 9226 (Discontinued now) 9132 Clear Plum - Royal Purple 9240 (Blush Colors Triad 9747) 9139 Antique Rose - KS Old West Rose 9140 Blushing Rose 9141 Porcelain Rose (Historic Blues Triad 9751) 9151 Steely Blue 9152 Military Blue - Reaper 9269 (Discontinued now) 9153 Weathered Blue (Desert Camos Triad 9752) 9154 Dune Shadow 9155 Desert Khaki 9156 Desert Sand (Mist Greens Triad 9756) 9166 Shadow Green - Reaper 9270 (Discontinued now) 9167 Field Green 9168 Mist Green (Terracotta Clays Triad 9757) - Redstone Triad 9775 (Discontinued now) 9169 Muddy Clay 9170 Terracotta Clay 9171 Fired Clay (Cold Greys Triad 9758) 9172 Stormcover Grey 9173 Coldstone Grey 9174 Icy Grey - KS Aircraft Grey (slightly greener) (Volcano Browns Triad 9760) 9178 Cinder Brown 9179 Volcano Brown - Reaper 9268 (Discontinued now) 9180 Ashen Brown - Reaper 9327 (Tropical Colors Triad 9761) 9181 Bright Coral 9182 Saffron sunset - Reaper 9247 9183 Cloud Pink - Reaper 9286 (Discontinued now) (Reptilian Greens Triad 9762) 9184 Serpentine Shadow 9185 Reptus Green 9186 Scaly Highlight (Sandy Colors Triad 9764) 9190 Sandy Brown - Reaper 9249 (Discontinued now) 9191 Sandy Tan 9192 Sandy Yellow (Sea Blues Triad 9765) 9193 Stormy Sea 9194 Clouded Sea 9195 Seafoam Blue (Humanoid Skintones Triad 9768) 9202 Troll Shadow - MSP Stained Olive 29838 (Discontinued now) 9203 Gnoll Brown 9204 Halforc Highlight (Reaper Ink II Triad 9771) 9211 Green Ink 9212 Blue Ink 9213 Purple Ink (Spring Greens Triad 9749) 9145 Moth Green - Reaper 9248 9146 Spring green - Reappearance at RCon 2015 9147 Luminous Green - Reaper 9248 + 1 drop of white (Redstone Triad 9775) 9223 Redstone Shadow 9224 Redstone 9225 Redstone Highlight (Bright Skintones Triad 9716) 9232 Bright Skin Shadow 9233 Bright Skin 9234 Bright Skin Highlight (Shading Colors Triad 9779) 9235 Red Shadow 9236 Green Shadow 9237 Violet Shadow (Dusky Skin Triad 9784) 9250 Dusky Skin Shadow 9251 Dusky Skin 9252 Dusky Skin Highlight (Evening Colors Triad 9789) 9265 Deep Twilight 9266 Violet Light 9267 Sunset Purple (Neutral Bone Triad 9791) 9271 Dirty Bone 9272 Graveyard Bone 9273 Splintered Bone (Western Colors Triad 9795) 9283 Old West Rose 9284 Lone Star Leather 9285 Denim Blue (Chronoscope Colors Triad 9797) 9291 IMEF Olive 9292 Bathalian Chitin 9293 Alien Flesh (CAV Colors Triad 9799) 9295 MSP Core Colors: Rach Red 9296 MSP Core Colors: Malvernian Purple 9297 MSP Core Colors: Adonese Green (Partial and non Triad colors) 9073 Chestnut Gold 9093 Golden Highlight 9121 Khaki Shadow 9142 Stained Ivory 9157 Olive Shadow 9159 Worn Olive 9175 Swamp Green 9177 Camouflage Green 9210 Red Ink 9220 Olive Skin Shadow 9222 Olive Skin Highlight 9226 Peacock Green 9229 Worn Navy 9230 Soft Blue 9238 Regal Purple 9244 Muddy Soil 9249 Sandy Brown 9268 Volcano Brown 9269 Military Blue 9270 Shadow Green 9277 Spattered Crimson 9278 Gory Red 9282 Maggot White 9286 Punk Rock Pink (Heavy Gear paints) RPR 61101 Terra Nova Tundra (Possible alternative: NMM gold?) RPR 61102 Macallen Brown RPR 61103 Redrider Crimson RPR 61104 Dune Shadow RPR 61105 Mekong Moss RPR 61106 Giant Fern RPR 61107 Okavango Swamp RPR 61108 Republique Red RPR 61109 Armadillo Tusk RPR 61110 White Sand RPR 61111 Paxton Red RPR 61112 War Paint Red RPR 61113 Arthurian Blue RPR 61114 Blue Crescent RPR 61115 Atlantean Aqua RPR 61116 Coated Armor RPR 61117 Factory White (Ghost white + Blue Flame perhaps?) RPR 61118 Grel Flesh RPR 61119 Afterburn Grey RPR 61120 Hazard Yellow RPR 61121 R.a.m. Black RPR 61122 Durasheet Alloy RPR 61123 Skunkworks Gunmetal RPR 61124 Beacon Yellow RPR 61125 Fallout Grey RPR 61126 Ash Grey RPR 61127 Waveform Aquamarine RPR 61128 Gamma Shielding Gold RPR 61129 Cat's Eye Umber RPR 61130 Cat's Eye RPR 61131 Red Dust RPR 61132 Drillbit Metal HD Line: 29803 HD Entrail Pink 29804 HD Rusty Red 29805 HD Burning Orange 29807 HD Mustard Yellow 29810 HD Mossy Green 29814 HD Ice Blue 29816 HD Solid Blue 29817 HD Winter Blue 29818 HD Nightsky Blue 29821 HD Sunburn Flesh 29829 HD Golden Brown 29830 HD Ruddy Brown 29832 HD Concrete Grey 29833 HD Ash Grey 29834 HD Field Grey 29835 HD Dirty Grey 29836 HD Military Grey 29837 HD Armor Grey 29838 HD Stained Olive 29839 HD Maroon Red 29840 HD Garnet Red 29845 HD Gilded Yellow 29846 HD spruce Green 29848 HD Jungle Camo 29849 HD Umber Brown 29850 HD Elfin Flesh 29851 HD Tropical Aqua 29852 HD Dwarven Flesh 29853 HD Rosy Pink 29854 HD Arctic Grey

I put together a few documents related to using Bones. I've submitted these to the Craft section of the website, but as it may be a little while before Reaper has the time available to add them, Bryan suggested that I post them here. Bones - Frequently Asked Questions (this document) Bones - Preparation (mould line removal, glue, putty, etc.) Bones - The First Coat is the Difference (primer, primer alternatives, paint durability) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bones Miniatures: Frequently Asked Questions What are Bones Miniatures? The Bones material is a polymer plastic. It is light-weight and slightly flexible, and is very durable. You can paint a Bones figure straight out of the package, and that paint job will also be pretty durable. Bones figures are as detailed as metal figures, for a much lower cost. Bones miniatures are produced with integral (built-in) bases, but it is easy to cut the miniature off of the base if you prefer to put it on something else. It is also easy to cut the figures apart to convert them into different poses or change weapons. What is the bare minimum I need to know to start painting my Bones right now! If you want background on why these are the recommendations or what other alternatives might also work, read the rest of this document, Painting Bones Miniatures: Preparation and Painting Bones Miniatures: The First Coat is the Difference. Remove Mould Lines Remove by slicing just under the mould lines with a hobby knife, in a similar motion to paring vegetable or hand-sharpening a pencil. Files work best if you file in one direction, then remove burrs by filing in the opposite direction. Reshape Bent Parts Dip the misshapen piece in boiling water for a minute or two, remove and move into desired position, then immediately hold in ice water for a few minutes. NOTE: Read additional information in this document for safety recommendations! What Glue to Use Superglue aka cyanoacrylate works best to glue Bones to itself or other materials. What Putty to Use All major brands of putty tested work with bones. (Green Stuff, Milliput, etc.) What Works as a Paint Stripper Soak figure in Simple Green Concentrated All Purpose Cleaner for 12 – 24 hours, then scrub it with an old toothbrush. Best Primer None. Start with a first coat of undiluted Reaper Master Series Paint, then paint as normal from there. This is the best choice for durability and a good painting surface. Other acrylic paints that work with miniatures should have similar results. Paint can be applied with a brush or airbrush (diluted paint seems to work with an airbrush.) Best Primer if You Want to Prime Anyway Reaper Master Series Brush-On Primer in black or white, or Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium (also brush-on.) Best Spray Primer Many aerosol primers will not cure completely on Bones. Reaper forum members have reported good results with the Army Painter sprays. How to Do a Wash Directly on Bones Thin your wash with one of the following mediums and just a small amount of water if necessary: Master Series Brush-On Sealer, Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium, Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer. Can you really paint Bones miniatures straight out of the package? Absolutely! However, if you’ve ever painted metal, resin or plastic figures in the past, you may notice some differences in how the first coat of paint behaves. Paint diluted with water (even just a drop or two for a thinned base coat) may bead up and pull away from crevices. The more water you add to the paint, the more you’ll notice this effect, so water-thinned washes used directly on the Bones material don’t really work. That first coat of paint may also take a little longer to dry. Most people find that the paint applies a little better if you first wash the figure. Just scrub it with a little dish soap and a toothbrush and allow it to dry before you start to paint. Another alternative is to apply a primer or another surface preparation that works with the Bones material as the first coat. Once you get that first coat on, you can use highly thinned paint in subsequent layers and it should behave pretty much the same as on any other figure. For more information, methods to use thinned paint directly on the Bones surface, tips for quicker drying and a list of primers that do (or don’t) work with Bones, please see the Craft document Painting Bones Miniatures: The First Coat is the Difference. What kinds of paint work on Bones Miniatures? The Bones material is designed to work with Reaper’s Master Series and Master Series HD lines of paint. Internal testing and feedback from customers suggests that Bones also works well with the other major miniature paint lines, including Reaper’s discontinued Pro Paints, Vallejo Game Color, Vallejo Model Color, Privateer Press’ P3 Paints, and Games Workshop. Artists’ acrylic paint are also likely to work on Bones. However, please note that Reaper does not offer any guarantee or assurance that the Bones miniatures will work with any particular paint other than Master Series and Master Series HD. You are advised to test your preferred paint on a Bones figure to decide for yourself how well it works. If your paint does not work well on bare Bones, you can prepare the surface with a coat of Master Series paint and it will likely work over that. How do I remove the mould lines from a Bones figure? Like all miniatures, Bones figures have small mould lines as a result of the manufacturing process. You do not need to remove these to paint or use a Bones, but many people prefer to remove them for aesthetic reasons. You can remove these with the same tools you would use on a metal figure – hobby knife, files, and/or sandpaper. However, you may find that you need to use these materials in a slightly different way. Hobby knives work best if you slice under and along the mould line in a paring motion rather than scraping them along the mould line. With files and sandpaper, file in one direction perpendicular to the mould line. If you find you have burrs of material remaining, lightly file those off moving the tool in the opposite direction. How Durable is the Bones Material? Bones figures are remarkably durable, and not just in comparison to metal and resin figures. People have dropped Bones from a height of one storey, ground them underfoot, driven over them with a car, carried them loose in backpacks and pockets, and they’ve sustained no damage. The light weight of the material means drops and falls hit with much less mass behind them. The give of the material means it’s much better able to absorb impact, where a brittle material like resin will likely break. They’re not indestructible, but they can take an impressive amount of damage. We had several Bones figures out at the PAX Prime 2012 convention for people to examine and abuse. We bounced them off the floor, and invited dozens of people to step on them. One of the small kobolds with narrow diameter legs did break at one ankle on the third day. Another figure suffered a very small area of damage due to the friction generated by someone’s shoe grinding it across the floor. If Bones are so durable, is it hard to cut them up for conversions? What glue should I use? The Bones material cuts easily with a sharp hobby knife. Cuts have smooth edges and do not deform surrounding material as often happens with metal. So it is an easy matter to swap a head from one figure to another, or cut off an arm and reposition it slightly so you can customize individual figures within a unit. All it takes to glue them back together is regular superglue (cyanoacrylate). You can also use superglue to adhere Bones to metal or wood. Green Stuff and other two-part putties work well if you need to fill gaps or sculpt on additional details. Pinning is a good idea when attaching metal parts to a Bones miniature, as the added weight of the metal will otherwise make the join weaker. The plastic parts are quite stable when glued together, but pinning doesn’t hurt in plastic-to-plastic conversions, either. How durable is a painted Bones figure, though? Bones miniatures painted with Master Series and Master Series HD paint are surprisingly durable. You probably don’t want to grind one underfoot or drive over it with your car, but you’ll be amazed at what they can handle. Figures are unlikely to experience notable damage to the paint from regular handling, bumping against each other on the table, or getting knocked over, even when playing with the most ham-handed of players. My painted test figures survived being tossed unsecured in a plastic box with a bunch of unpainted Bones that was carried around two conventions (PAX Prime and Gen Con 2012). They were handled by hundreds of people and literally and repeatedly thrown onto tables from heights of several feet. They have some dings and chips, but the bulk of the paint jobs survived. The paint on these figures had not been coated with any sort of protective sealer. The durability of other brands of paint may vary. I have not done the same sort of extensive testing with other brands of paint. In my limited testing of how well other brands of paint apply to bare Bones, I did notice that Vallejo Model Color paints seemed to rub off the figure pretty easily. I did not notice that happening with the other brands I tested. (P3, Vallejo Game Color, Pro Paint, Adikolor.) Can you remove unwanted paint from a Bones figure? Sometimes painting a figure doesn’t go exactly as planned. If you would like to strip the paint from a Bones figure so you can start from scratch to paint it another way, just drop it into a dish of Simple Green Concentrated All Purpose Cleaner for 12 – 24 hours, then scrub it with an old toothbrush and it is ready to paint again. Some paint colours may leave a stain on the Bones material, but should not leave any texture or affect subsequent layers of paint. Simple Green in an eco-friendly cleaner sold in most hardware stores and some grocery stores. Brake fluid also works, though is a much more toxic material. Are Bones figures less detailed than their metal counterparts? Bones figures are bright white, which makes them hard to photograph. A number of people who have lacked confidence in the product quality based on the photographs in the online store have been pleasantly surprised by them once they can look at one in person. However, there are also a few people who feel the quality of the Bones is a little less than that of their metal counterparts. When available, Reaper’s online store includes photographs of painted versions of the figures that may give you a better idea, but looking at Bones yourself in person is really the only way to find out how you feel about them. I compared one of the smaller Bones, Dwarf Warrior 77011, against his counterpart, Fulumbar 14146, under magnification. The only real difference I noted between the two was that the texture of the chainmail loin cloth and the laces on the gloves were a tiny bit shallower on the Bones figure. You can see a comparison of a Bones and metal figure of the same sculpt painted identically in this thread on the Reaper forums: http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?/topic/47477-bathalian-bones-vs-metal-challenge/ Do Bones have sharp edges on weapons? Weapons and the like on Bones figures are cast at pretty much the same thickness as similar parts on Reaper’s metal figures. However, since Bones is a flexible plastic material, you will never be able to shave or file down an edge or a point to the same sharpness that you can achieve with a metal figure. Are the photographs of Bones figures in the online store and catalogue the same figures as the ones for sale? The online Reaper store and catalogue photographs of Bones miniatures are taken of production run figures – the same figures that Reaper packages up to sell. Can I do anything about a bent spear or sword on a Bones figure? You may find that sometimes the thinner parts on Bones, like spears and swords, will look a little bent. Or the figure might be leaning back or forward too much on its ankles. If you want to straighten those out, hold the figure with tongs or in a colander, and dip it into boiling or near boiling water for at least a minute or two. Remove it from the water, reposition the part, and immediately dunk it into a bowl of ice water for at least a minute. It should hold in the new position. If you expose the figure to heat at a later time, it may revert to its original position. For this reason, if you want to wash the figure with soap and water prior to painting, you should use cool water or wash it before you heat it to reset a warped part. Important safety notes: Please exercise caution! The Bones material may get hot when dipped in boiling water, so you should use protective gear rather than touching it with your bare fingers. The Bones material might be damaged or damage your pot if placed in direct contact with the pot surface. If you are under the age of 18, please ask your parents for permission and have them read this section before boiling Bones figures. Are Bones made in China or the United States? All Bones figures made prior to March 2013 were produced in China. In March 2013, Reaper installed the machine necessary to produce Bones in its factory in Texas, and began the process of transferring production in-house.

While fixing up the hobby room for the fiancee we came across the age old problem of Not Enough Places to Put Things. She likes to do acrylic canvas painting and I like to use the craft paints for terrain so we have a bit. We both like seeing what colors we have available as we work on a project and I wanted something that wouldn't clutter the work table or take up valuable shelf space. We've got several big windows in the room and while the natural light is great, the limit the amount of shelves we can have. I opped to try and make use of some of the dead space created by the window frames. 1-1/2" standard Schedule 40 PVC pipe fits the standard 2oz bottles well. I used a band saw to cut the pieces quickly. I used a fence to make sure all the pieces came out the same length. (marking it out >150 times would have been a pain) While quick, my saw left some debris. A quick twist with some 60 grit sandpaper took it right off and put a very slight bevel on the edge. All sanded and ready to go. Did a quick test fit with a bottle of paint and tried a few layout options. My goal was to fill the trim board on either side of the windows with storage tubes. Since we may sell the house some day I didn't want to mount the tubes direct to the trim. I opted to attach the tubes together, letting most of the weight sit on the table and then use a small metal bracket in the top side of the window trim which is often unpainted because nobody looks up there. I wanted something that I could pop off easily if I got sloppy with with the glue so I laid everything out on a piece of concrete board siding. It had the added featured of it was flat, had a straight edge I could line the pieces up on and I could draw out my trim dimensions so I knew what area I had to fill. I used the same glue that is used to glue the pipe together for plumbing. The stuff I get for work happens to be grey. You get what you pay for when it comes to glue so don't scrimp.Just don't get the stuff that is for wet or submerged pipe. It will literally push your parts around. Since I knew we were going to paint the whole thing I didn't care what color I had or if the printing on the pipe was visible. I made marks with a sharpie to show where the pieces touched so I'd know where to apply the glue once I picked it up. It also made sure I had the glue covered portion in the right spot when I put it in place. Got all my ducks lined up, Just gotta let it dry over night. I could actually pick it up after an hour but I wanted to give it plenty of time to fully set up. I ended up adding one more row after this picture to get it close to the top of the window trim. After everything was painted I screwed a small strip of metal to the top to let me screw it to the trim. If you look at the top of the center organizer, you can see the metal bracket. It is bent in an L shape so the screw is in the top of the trim, not the front. The larger units are done with 4" drain pipe (Thinner wall=cheaper per foot) One coat of glue made them stick together but I had to do several more coats to get some structural rigidity. I just used standard pray paint to cover them.

Is there somewhere I can find a list of all Reaper paints and what lines they are in? I'm trying to figure out the new SKUs and where they fit in for my swatch book but I am unclear as to where to put some things. I've searched and cannot find a list that's not the discontinued list.

Hi All. I am returning to painting miniatures after a long hiatus. I have a lot of bones from the first kickstarter, a mix of unpainted metal miniatures, and some of the wiz kids pre-primed miniatures. Would the Bones Ultra Coverage Paint be a good option for a general paint set that can address all of these different material types? Thinking about buying this set: Reaper Master Series Bones Ultra-Coverage Paints Basic Set Any advice would be appreciated here.

Scale 75 is expanding their line of artist tube paint and inks. More general colors, some more specialized inks (apparently matte ink), and fluorescent paint tubes - that actually glow under black light. Bonus for folks who have previously backed their Kickstarters too. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scale75/scalecolor-artist-smooth-acrylic-paints-2/description

Hi! Thats my first time at these forum. First i want to apologize for my bad english. And now... Here they are! The goblin bombs from Mad Dragon, three miniatures i found in a friend's garage long time ago. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did when painting them.

Hi everyone. I've been thinking a lot about color while painting recently. It's been a major motivation for some of my more recent projects. I wanted to talk about some of the things I've been doing and hoped that some of you would share your thoughts about color choice as well. First of all, my paint collection is fairly modest. Probably around 50. But I'm a firm believer that you don't need a ton of different paints. I add paints periodically to fill gaps - especially colors that I find myself struggling to mix well (purple continues to be a struggle and I need some better options). I love the Reaper Triads - they're a great way to expand a collection and get colors that behave well together. Also a great way to teach newer painters the philosophy behind layering. For awhile I was running with the philosophy that I wanted to avoid mixing more than two colors at once. Especially because it's harder to duplicate. I was using the triads a lot as a guide while painting. However, I have recently pushed away from using triads. I have been playing around with more limited palettes. Not exactly the 3 color challenge, but just really considering whether or not I need to grab a new bottle, or if I can mix what I want using something I already have. With this philosophy, the triads clash. So I definitely find myself grabbing the midtones most often. I've been thinking of this as "mindfully limited palette." Sometimes I grab the colors I know I want ahead of time, other times I'll grab a new color as I go. Typically this involves a black and a white and then 5 or less unique colors. Often a red, blue, yellow, and brown. Though not necessarily the purest versions of those colors. I might choose a greener blue. Or a brownish red. There's two ways I've been playing with this. One is by leaning into a more monochromatic palette. I have found it really fun and challenging to try to imagine the setting a mini is in and reflecting that environment in the color choices of the mini. It's also a fun challenge to make many different shades and tones using similar colors. This is what I had in mind while painting this Ice Witch, and Swamp Skeleton. The other way I have been playing with these limited palettes is to try for a more unified tone, but not necessarily monochrome. There's a painting theory behind a "mother color" where you mix a bit of one color into every other color on your palette. While I haven't gone that far, I have found that reusing colors, even in different mixes, helps unify the piece. Just like balancing colors across the mini. I don't have as many good photos of this, as my best examples are the most recent minis I've been working on - really pushing color variety while using limited paints. This Kobold is sort of like that, though he definitely is a bit more monochromatic. I'll have to come back and add my more colorful examples. What kind of color theory and challenges have you been playing with to motivate and push your painting? Please feel free to share photo examples. This has been a major source of excitement and motivation in my painting recently and I feel it's really improving my results. I would love to see what everyone else is doing!

It was suggested that I take an online Bob Ross painting class by my MIL as something to do while stuck inside. The kit and ticket for the class are like 60$. It was suggested that I just use acrylics and slow-dry medium. I think this is a great idea. I plan on using my Reaper paints on some heavy card stock or water color paper to achieve this. My problem is trying to find acrylic paints that are equivalent colors to the oils that Ross used. Anyone have any leads or ideas about a color chart or list or something?

Something a little different for a WIP. I’m building spinner racks for my paints and tools. There will be a 6” and 5” diameters that will hold 8 paints per level. The Tool spinner will have a single level with 1/2” holes and hold 16 tools, paints will get separate spinners for my Oilbrushers ( one level 3/4” hole, 8 brushes), dropper bottles will get three levels with 1” holes (8 paints per level) and the 6” spinner will be for the big bottles ( 1 3/8” inch holes, 8 per level) with three levels. Hopefully this will help my chaotic workspace stay a bit more organized. this is the 6” spinner with the holes drilled, except the center, and ready for the bandsaw.

Does anyone know what the closest match to dirty grey is out of the currently available paints? I'm kind of on my last little bit of it, and I used it on a bunch of stuff that I'll likely need to get close to matching in the future.

So my niece is turning 13 next month. She already has a huge interest in minis and loves to paint with me. I'm trying to build her a kit or care package for her birthday so we can video chat and paint together. I'm at a loss as to what to put in it though. She has a ton of minis I gave her and a few brushes but I want to get her like a full starters kit of sorts (paint, better brushes, brush soap, etc.). I'm already considering the first LTPK. What would you put in it for someone just starting out?

Hi!! my name is Katerina and I'm new to painting miniatures, I begun with a miniature from NonSenseminiatures, the Barbarian, I buyed the 54mm because it's bigger and maybe easier to paint.I asked some help to NonSense and he already made a base coat for me, I would like to get some help for painting because I see too much information and don't know were begin.I already make painting but totally differentAlso he gave for me a discount code Katerina10%, because he will sell my paints also!!!

I don't have a blog, and I am not veteran or post enough content to justify making one - so while these musings may be better served in that format, I will leave it here for anyone who is interested to view and chime in. It just so happens that my best friend happens to work at Rustoleum as a colorist; so lately I have been picking his brain since he has an extensive knowledge about pigments, paint make up, and the chemical intricacies therein. As I have delved further and further into the hobby, I have been looking more into the deep subjects of color theory and how paint is made/composed. After reading James Gurney's Color and Light, as well as Michael Wilcox's Blue & Yellow Don't Make Green, I was really intrigued about what exactly paint is and how exactly color interactions work. Now I am guilty as the next person in owning WAY too many paints - not to say anything about minis! While color mixing may seem irrelevant to some, understanding how paints function can help even those of us who own a complete gamut of convenience mixed colors. This post is about exploring more of the technical and "scientific" aspects of paint and color theory to hopefully assist others in understanding the what and why of paint. Rethinking Paint Colors - Subtractive Color: Up until recently, I have always viewed the primary colors as Yellow, Red and Blue, and with those you can mix secondary colors; Green, Orange, and Purple. While this is technically true after a fashion, the difficulty lies with pigments themselves. Pigments do not actually *contain* color. Instead, they absorb most of the light spectrum *except* a specific wavelength of color. As Michael Wilcox states, "Of all the pigments available to the painter, none can be described as pure in hue. There is simply no such thing as a pure red, yellow or blue paint." That means chemically, there isn't a paint pigment out there that returns a pure Red - unlike in say digital art where a specifically purely calibrated hue can be made, paint is limited by the properties of the physical pigments themselves. As Michael Wilcox theorizes with a colour bias wheel (bottom-right), primary pigments almost certainly lean towards secondaries. This follows the concept of the Munsell Wheel (bottom-left). You may have heard of a split-complimentary color palette, and this is the reason why. Artistically, these have been described as "Warm" and "Cool" versions of the primaries, but scientifically, they are colors that absorb or reflect more of a particular wavelength. There are Violet-Reds (Cool Reds, often called "Crimson") and Orange-Reds (or Warm Reds, that lean more towards Orange), Violet-Blues and Green-Blues, and Orange-Yellows and Green-Yellows. One the concepts to understand when mixing paints is that you are not creating a color, but rather you are effectively destroying colors and what remains is what is returned to the eye. Referencing the above color bias wheel, if you were to mix a Violet-Blue and a Violet-Red together, both containing pigment(s) that return a great deal of Violet wavelength, the little remaining Blue/Orange and Red/Green wavelengths in each pigment would cancel each other out, leaving the Violet behind. This would yield a more saturated or more pure hue of Violet. Conversely, mixing a Green-Blue and a Orange-Red ("Warm" Red) would be a very desaturated Violet, with more of a gray tone. Keep in mind that this doesn't make a color "bad"; desatured tones by including more complimentary colors is a very useful tool! In fact, for making shadows, using a great deal of complimentary colors to desaturate is a great technique. The problem is when these colors come about unexpectedly; after all, you can have a very "intense" Red and a very "intense" Blue, but mixing them may not produce a very intense Violet if they are "moving away" from each other. Now that is all being said, it is time to forget it...sort of. RGB is based upon the concept of Additive Mixing, or how colored light interacts. With additive mixing, fully saturated Red/Green/Blue light will produce White light. However, in paint pigments, it should be pretty obvious that mixing pigment primaries of Red/Yellow (or Green)/Blue together will not yield White. This is due to Subtractive Mixing, where pigments effectively destroy each other ala Thunderdome in Mad Max, and only the survivors reflect light back. A more modern approach to color theory and pigments is CMYK or Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and "Key" (or commonly known, Black). Adding these colors into the standard primaries gives us the "Yurmby" wheel. If you have looked at a color printer, for example, the colors used are NOT Blue/Red/Yellow, but rather Cyan/Magenta/Yellow. This is because due to the subtractive nature of pigment/ink mixing. These colors present a larger printable gamut (i.e. range) of color; for example, without White, it is difficult to produce a Pink tone with Red vs Magenta. A thin Magenta will read more Pink than a thin Red. Printers do not use White ink and instead leverage the paper for white, effectively printers are printing in an underpainting style. However, we as artists DO use White pigments and this makes things a bit more complicated as we do work with Tints (White) and Shades (Black). Like most science, the direct answer regarding an accurate color wheel is: it is complicated. For observable light, there is a bit more consistency and repeatability. However, when working with "tiny wavelength absorbing/reflecting mirrors" of pigments, things become a bit more complex. Additionally, there are other aspects that that go beyond the basics, such as the effect of specular and perception of color. It gets really heady when you start dipping into Kubelka-Monk Theory and K/S. Paint Composition: Most paint is made up of 3 parts: Pigment - particles that absorb and reflect certain wavelengths of light. Binder - The 'medium' or 'glue' which holds the pigment in suspension and forms a film. For acrylic paint, this is the actual acrylic part. Solvent - The liquid that allows paint to be viscous; as it dries, it allows the binder and pigment to harden forming the film. For acrylic paint, the solvent is water. Adjusting the ratios of these can have some interesting, and sometimes disastrous effects in terms of the stability of the paint. For example, introducing too much solvent, and the binder and pigment lattice structure can break apart. This can cause "coffee staining" or splotchy spots where the bonds pull apart, leaving areas without a film at all. The pigments in paint are held in a suspension. Like hot chocolate mix, there are tiny particles that are suspended in a liquid. Given enough time or evaporation, the liquid will leave these granules behind. If you have ever mixed a packet of Swiss Miss cocoa, you know that the mix can settle at the bottom - and that attempting to add dry powder to a liquid is more difficult than adding a liquid to a dry powder. This is another reason why mixing your paints is important because it is easy for the heavier pigments to tend to settle out of the binder/solvent solution. Speaking of solutions, that is the main difference between paints and inks. Inks, specifically alcohol inks that use dyes, are a solution. The staining dye actually becomes homogeneous with the liquid. Just like dissolving sugar or extracting coffee/tea, there isn't any particulates that separate out. However, most dyes are not lightfast - a property that will be discussed in more detail further. Acrylic inks that use pigments are not "true" inks insomuch as they are composed just like an acrylic paint. The difference being the smaller size of the pigments and the viscosity of the binder/solvent being much thinner. Paint Additives Outside of the 3 main components for paint composition, there are also some optional additives that some manufacturer's include in their paint. These can be things such as: Extenders/retarders, which delay the setup of the paint film, allowing for more mixing to occur before drying. Thinners, which dilute the pigment to binder ratio, usually increasing translucency and viscosity - commonly this is done with water for acrylic paints. Flow Aid, which reduces the surface tension of paint, allowing it to flow more easily and level - Reaper is known for adding a bit of flow aid into their formulation. Opacifiers, which increase the opacity of a paint - usually some type of calcium or bicarbonate. Matting agents, which reduces the glossiness of acrylic medium. Fillers, which are commonly used in student or inexpensive paints to reduce cost and add mass without adding more pigment. You can add some of these additives yourself to your favorite brand of paint to adjust the handling qualities. The most commonly added is solvent/thinner in the form of water to "thin your paints" to reduce the viscosity and lower the overall density of the paint, building up multiple thinner layers of paint films in a "layering" fashion.

I'm a fan of the Scale 75 paints, they have a new range called artist colors. The paint comes in tubes. I wonder if anyone has tried these? You're thoughts on these?

My husband and I run the Paint and Take table at a local convention, Recruits. It's held at the high school, admission is free for all area students, games are child friendly, etc. We get really good turnout. The paint table is free for kids of all ages, even grownup kids, and it is funded entirely with donations. All of the figures, all of the paint, water cups, brushes, etc come from the wonderful community we have here, from the internet, and from vendors. It's typical for me to arrive early Saturday to set up and find one or more anonymous boxes of figures or paint waiting. A couple of years ago at Reapercon folks helped fill a box with mouslings for me to give away. I could not do this without the support I get from the painting and gaming community. So here is this year's class: (BTW, if you got stuff in your Bones4 core that you do not want, find me at next year's Reapercon, I will see it goes to a good cause) This is our table about ten minutes after setting up. Busy the entire day. Some of the fine works of art created by the kids who participated. They look forward to this all year. Got to pick up more baby dragons next year. I only had the one and it resulted in crying. :( More later,

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cephalopodstudios/cuttlefish-colors-a-hobby-paint-line/description About Cuttlefish Colors is a hobby acrylic paint line that we here at the studio have developed. These paints work and blend very well with other major brands of hobby paint on the market right now, but at a much cheaper price tag. Why use Cuttlefish colors Beastclaw Raider painted using Cuttlefish Colors For years we used just about every other major brand of hobby paint out there, always looking for that perfect color, the smoothest paint and the most cost effective. Lets face it, if you’re into tabletop war-gaming you know how expensive this hobby can be. We were so tired of spending 5-6 dollars a bottle on paint, only to have them dry out with their flip top lids, the dropper styles were great but so difficult for us to get locally, and the consistency of the color varied greatly. Deathguard Marine painted using Cuttlefish Colors So, ten years ago we began doing research on the properties of hobby paint, how it’s made and where we can get the materials to do this. After hundreds of failed attempts to “make” our own paint and thousands of dollars spent on failed formula’s we finally found the one that worked the best. This formula gives you a smooth thin coat with good coverage and blends fantastically with other colors in the line, AS WELL AS other hobby paints on the market. we began to experiment with different pigments and for the past 2 years have been painting miniatures with the paints we would mix up and bottle for ourselves. It was about 6 months ago that our friends and local game group started asking about what colors we used and we told them, Well, We make our own. Ever since that day people have been asking us "Can we buy some of your paint?" After thinking about it and seeing if it was possible...well...here we are! We are very excited to bring our line of hobby paints to everyone, and can't begin to thank you enough for checking us out and hopefully, just hopefully pledging! Thanks from the bottom of our hearts, Cephalopod Studios

Good morning guys! Q: if buying one of the reaper core sets (108 bottle set), what's the main difference in them? I'm looking into buying a complete paint set. I've been doing a ton of research and have settled on a reaper core set (i already own several reaper paints and love them). I know that everyone suggests a blend of several companies based on which has the best, e.g. yellow, or metallics. I just want to make it simple, buy a set and build from there. I'll mostly be painting 40k and privateer press models with some terrain and 3d prints mixed in (i have a cheapo set of acrylics from Michael's for large terrain and 3d prints). I've also considered the Vallejo Model set, and Army Painter Mega Set. Thanks in advance!

A noobish question, should I thin down reaper washes? Or are they ready to use out of the dropper? Sorry if this has been asked.

I hear horror stories about people getting frozen bottles of paint. Is there any way to tell if the paint has been frozen prior to using it? I was concerned about this when I did my holiday paint order, but it was a little unseasonably warm the day they were delivered. What does frozen paint look like & is there a way to salvage it if it has been frozen?

OK, I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but are Reaper examining the potential for colorshift paints? With those big bugs coming in Bones IV, now (or very soon) might be a good time for some sparkly shiftiness. If this can't be answered, that's OK--nuke away. But I'd be curious to know the ifs and whys (if available). I just suddenly felt like I needed them.

Hey everyone, Having spent the last 4 weeks away from any sort of miniatures (Fun vacation tho!), I'm super eager to paint again, and with my return flight being tomorrow, I thought I'd make this thread as a sort of documentation/to-do list. I want to clear my backlog because I'll be frank I'm sick of staring at unpainted plastic every day and I want to do something remotely productive in these remaining four weeks I have free. I have mostly Warhammer miniatures, though there is some Mantic and Reaper stuff in there. First of all to be done is this charming fellow. A Stormcast chap who I first tested sculpting fur on, which I'm reasonably happy with. A closer look at the fur, which does look like guacamole in this picture. Right now it's a standard basecoat and drybrush fur, but I will re-doing the fur and wet blend it to something like what this fellow has. Have a nice day!

After a poll this seems to be the best place to put this thread. For the most part I'll stick photos under spoilers because my phone likes to make them large. So I bought a sketchbook today with the intent to catalog and show off all of my paints. I thought it was quite the appropriate book to get. First I made a grid on a page. Then added the title to each column: Name & SKU, None, Base, Wash, Brown Liner, Blue Liner. That's as far as I've gotten. Next I plan on starting to fill out paint names and SKU's. Then I will prime the squares with some plain white brush on primer (Vallejo in this case). I'm really hoping that the paper is thick enough to avoid the water from just being absorbed. If it isn't I will go to the craft store and buy a better book with different paper and can use this for something else later. Each column is a different thickness of paint/what I'll be putting it over. So None is straight out of the bottle, Base is thinned enough for a base coat, Wash is thinned down to a wash consistency, and Brown and Blue Liner will have each of them put over the primer and then a base consistency paint over that. I'm going to spend some time filling out the names and SKU's and then I'll get to priming the squares. Might go back and go over the lines with a sharpie or pen to make them a little more apparent where the lines are for my sake. ETA: I already have a spreadsheet of all of the paints I own and then sub-sheets broken down by line/company. I think there is a way to put color samples into the sheet but I've yet to figure it out. So I'm making this so I don't have to pull out all of my paints when I need to color scheme something. I can just pull out the book and go from there. It'll be much more efficient for me.