CeilingNinja Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 A few questions: 1) What are the best paints for a beginner? 2) What is a good mini to start with? 3) What sort of brush is good? If I think of anything else, I'll ask, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orchid_Noir Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 1: I would say, if you know you enjoy painting already, go ahead and start with the Reaper Master Series. No learning or buying a new "system" when you need a better paint. 2: One you like, seriously. Otherwise what's the point? 3: Natural hair! Avoid the sythetics, even if you are buying a lower$ natural. Synth's curl and can be aggrivating. Spend the extra time and effort to care for whatever brushes you do choose, you'll be amazed how long a brush can last when cared for. Really, IMO, if you know you want to do this, then invest a little more to get the right tools at the start. The better supplies can actually make it much easier to learn (smooth blends with cheap craft paints anyone?) Hope to see some pieces from you soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeniXbane Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Master series paints are the best but also the most expensive. Reaper Pro Series Paints are also very good and a little less expensive. Then there are craft paints (like Delta, Americana and Folk Art) that are often on sale at Michael's for much less than the Reaper paints and I think they're pretty good. I would go by your budget for this one. If you can afford the MSP's that's great, if not, you might be better off with a cheaper alternative. I personally have some of everything. As far as what mini, I agree with Orchid on this one, paint whatever you want. That's what makes it fun. For brushes, Windsor and Newton Series 7 is the brush I see most recommended. It's more expensive but should last a long time and make up for the cost differential. You should get a few cheapos for painting in cracks and drybrushing because that will ruin your good brush. As far as brush size, I'd recommend a few in the range of 0 to 5/0. Good luck and enjoy your painting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qwyksilver Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 In the long run, a well maintained Kolinsky Sable brush, will cost you less than the multitude of less expensive synthetic brushes you have to buy over the same time span. You pay more upfront, but it's worth it. Winsor & Newton series 7 are one of the most popular high quality brushes. Dick Blick is a great site to find them for low costs. Synthetics are good to use for mixing colors, painting terrain, drybrushing, and other applications where you are not going to care how good the brush is. Never throw away an old brush. Even old beat up ones can be used for fodder for terrain and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drjsallison Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Definately take Qwyk's advice. I use old synthetics for mixing, cheaper and older naturals for "non-wet blending" and a bunch of the Reaper Master Series Brushes (Kolinski Sable) - find them Here. The Master Series paints are more than worth their weight in gold and flow noticeablybetter than your average paints. Make the investment if you are serious and you will not be disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooseyjoe Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 hmmm, the only new advice I can give is to decide what you are trying to do. If you want to make a bunch of detailed and beautiful minis that take hours each, then these folks already got you covered. If you are trying to paint an army, then I would recomend putting some research into "THE DIP". The dip can pump out a whole pile of solid table-toppers in the same amount of time as one "traditionally" painted mini. The dip will leave them neither as detailed nor as brilliant, but it will gett them done and perty good looking, and do it fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vutpakdi Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 I started painting again after a long hiatus in late August 05, and I'm very happy that I picked up the MSPs as my paints. Yes, they are more expensive, but I find them well worth it to me given that my "free" time is at a premium these days. Something that is very helpful to me as a beginner (again) is that the MSPs are organized into triads of colors which work for a base, a highlight, and a shade (so, you don't have to worry about getting the color mixing just right). The dropper bottle style also is very helpful in measuring for mixing and thinning. As for a miniature, I would echo the "one that you like", but also add one that isn't too intricate/detailed to start and one that isn't the "perfect" miniature that you might be so afraid to mess up as to never start. If you play D&D, you might pick up some minis that you could use as cannon fodder opponents. For example, if you have players which face orcs or ogres with some frequency, find some orcs and ogre minis. From the Warlord line, the Bull Orc Archers and the Bull Orc Hunters are good choices. I'd also recommend going to Dick Blick for Kolinsky Sable brushes for the main painting and Michael's or Hobby Lobby (look for the 40% off coupons) for some synthetics. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeilingNinja Posted March 8, 2006 Author Share Posted March 8, 2006 Thank you for the answers so far - here's another question I thought up: If I make a mistake, what should I use to fix it? If I accidentally paint over something with a wrong color or something, how do I get rid of the paint there without ruining the mini? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krztoff Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Thank you for the answers so far - here's another question I thought up: If I make a mistake, what should I use to fix it? If I accidentally paint over something with a wrong color or something, how do I get rid of the paint there without ruining the mini? Paint over it with the 'right' color. If your paints are thinned (they should be!), there won't be a noticable build up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePolo Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 If I make a mistake, what should I use to fix it? Yepper... just paint over that sucker... Make sure that the first layer dries first, or you might do more harm than good! Don't let little mistakes frustrate you, either. Painting is 80% patience, anyway (heck, I think I spend more time fixing than I do painting). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whizard Hlavaz Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 If I make a mistake, what should I use to fix it? Yepper... just paint over that sucker... Make sure that the first layer dries first, or you might do more harm than good! Don't let little mistakes frustrate you, either. Painting is 80% patience, anyway (heck, I think I spend more time fixing than I do painting). Can't stress Polo's advice enough. Be patient with yourself. Painting isn't about getting it right the first time, it's about fixing your mistakes. As I like to say -- "It's not how you <screw> up, it's how you recover." And have fun. That's really the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaper User Vaitalla Posted March 8, 2006 Reaper User Share Posted March 8, 2006 Three Key Points of Advice to Beginners: 1. THIN YOUR PAINTS. Paints for this hobby are meant to be thinned. About three to four drops or brushfuls of paint to one drop or brushful of water is good for your starting basecoats. You may have to do two coats over the primer instead of one, but they'll come out much smoother! 2. Very Little Paint on the Brush! The more paint you have on your brush, the less control you have over where it goes, especially when it's thinned. If you're using a palette, wipe a bit of the paint off of the brush against the side of the palette before you apply it to the miniature, so the brush isn't overloaded. If the brush is keeping a good point after you've wiped some of the paint off, you're good. 3. A Brush That Keeps a Very Good Point. As stated above, starting with decent tools makes all the difference and keeps you from becoming overly frustrated. After that, paint a bit and then get back to us! --Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabberwocky Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Thank you for the answers so far - here's another question I thought up: If I make a mistake, what should I use to fix it? If I accidentally paint over something with a wrong color or something, how do I get rid of the paint there without ruining the mini? Another consideration, especially if you have painted something very detailed or have something just right and will be going over that area with something pretty tricky (such as freehand), think about spraying a thin coat of varnish over the mini. Once it has been sealed, you can lightly wipe off any mistakes (if done quickly) without risking the underlying paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant_Crunch Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 If the mini isn't going to be part of an army, browse the minis at you FLGS and sooner or later one of them will jump out to you and tell you how it wants to be painted. This is usually how I pick ones that I'm going to paint for the joy of painting, I just look till I find one that as soon as I see it I have an idea of how I want to paint it. (for some reason 9 times out of 10 this ends up being a Reaper mini) If you're starting off by painting an army for a game, start with the grunts, they usually don't have as many fiddly bits on them. Reaper also has a few "Learn to Paint" kits for sale as well. I've not bought them but I have yet to see a bad review. IIRC they come with a couple minis, Reaper Pro Paints (often referred to as RPP) appropriate to the subject of the kit, and a painting guide with instructions. If you haven't yet, the painting forum on this board and some others are great resources for tips on perfecting techniques. I really prefer this board because the folks around here are real friendly and can carry a conversation without insults or writing in 1EE7. I started out using the bottom end of the craft paints and got decent results. After I got the basics like thinning the paints and getting good smooth coats I found it difficult to progress because the paints weren't up to it. I switched to the Reaper Master Series Paints (either referred to as RMS or MSP) and won't look back. They have made learning the next levels in a painter's bag of tricks much easier. I'm still no master painter by a long shot, but have been getting better results. Bottom line is, if you can afford better paints buy them rather than the craft paints. Where craft paints are useful is painting bases and terrain features. Welcome to the addiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:0) Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I also recommend either Vallejo Model Colour or Reaper Masters Series paints. They're definitely worth it. Also, I'll echo the praise for the Winsor and Newton Series 7 brushes. I got two for $14 from www.dickblick.com. They're $20 apiece retail! Also, pick up some quality brush soap to go with them (be careful to get acrylic and natural hair-safe soap. I'd hate to ruin such sexy brushes with the wrong soap. ) Besides that, just remember to thin your paints, and you should be set. Happy painting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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