I've got a need for speed!

[Ironworker]

Ok in my own effort to put up or shut up over the "other" recent thread I'd like to start a discussion about speed painting techniques and army painting techniques. I'll post a couple to get started and later on I'll add some pics.

 

1. A little thing I like to call "Don't Look Under the Covers". I do this a lot on large areas of steel like warjacks or big armored troops. First two layers is a loose metalic drybrush over a black basecoat. Wash with a dirty rust and if I'm feeling fancy a very thin purple after that. After the wash dried highlight with more careful highlights starting with the same shade as the lighter shaded drybrush working up at shade or two lighter than that quickly and spending more time on the parts that really show. Sometimes I do this with large areas in color particularly if I want the end result to look gritty and narly like a Nurgle Chaos warrior or some kind of undead. (pics later)

 

 

2. Next is "The Big Coverup" . This is closely related to the "dip" method but taken a step further. First block in all the base colors on everything. Next wash with a dark wash. Then using a good and damp but not fully loaded brush make broad highlights with the base color thined down enough to get it to flow but not so much it's totally translucent. Add two progressive highlights being careful not to get your brush into the deeper areas. Go as fast as you can manage while maintianing brush control but not so slow that your brush dried out in the middle of a highlight.

 

That's all for now. I'll try to add some pics. Please keep this going if you have anything to add. I want to know what you guys do when you have to have something done right now.

[kristof65]

One of the tips I learned from Damian Garcia was to change my brush. Some things can be accomplished faster by moving away from that Round Size 0 brush, and going with a #4 Shaper.

 

For drybrushing, particularly if you have a single large color block like Space Marine Armor, consider using a cheap #4, #6, or even an #8 or #10 flat brush to quickly paint in your base color and drybrush your highlight colors, then re-black everything, and finish off your details.

 

I've been drybrushing my army figures for ages, but I never considered using a larger brush while doing so - that probably cut my unit painting time by 2/3rds right there.

[Bilesuck]

I will add my tried and true black wash on everything but flesh and a few lighter colors, it shades almost everything.

[anvil]

1. figure out color scheme for army. (For me, the most laborious and time consuming)

2. prime white (unless your talking 15mm or less, then prime black)

3. thin paint, paint base colors

4. wash select areas in brown nad/or chestnut ink

5. flock base

 

If I'm really going to go all "assembly line", then I'll line up the paints in the order that I'll be using them trying to keep the number below 6 or so. Flesh, base color 1, base color 2, brown, black, white. The thin paints over white leave a hilighted look to them.

Something I've tried on Warmaster scale (10mm) is prime black (make sure to get everywhere), drybrush silver, then color ink where you want it. Looks fine for tabletop, I'll try to find pics if anyone is interested.

[Ironworker]

5. flock base

 

Yessir a unit with finished bases looks great in the field even if it's a simple paint job. An entire army with matching or stylistically consistant bases looks great and it's something that can tie a force together. On the other hand good paintjobs can be hurt with unfinished bases.

[Helltown]

5. flock base

 

Yessir a unit with finished bases looks great in the field even if it's a simple paint job. An entire army with matching or stylistically consistant bases looks great and it's something that can tie a force together. On the other hand good paintjobs can be hurt with unfinished bases.

 

This I know very much to be true... an unfinished base makes the mini look unfinished too. But now... I have flock so all will be well

[SaintRigger]

I will add my tried and true black wash on everything but flesh and a few lighter colors, it shades almost everything.

 

Black is good, but I really can't endorse using a brown or blue liner enough. Takes the same amount of time, but gives you more interesting and less stark shading than just black.

[Cerridwyn1st]

Another hint for speedpainting: do the whole unit at once. Line your guys up and paint all of each of the areas together. That way you don't loose painting time waiting for things to dry. Just pick up the next troop in the line and keep moving.

 

You can also make up a varnish mix. Some swear by Minwax but I use a mix of Plaid Walnut stain, Modge Podge matte and water. Seals and shadows in one step. Put the minis on a stick and dip them in the mix. Shake or spin to remove excess. Once dry, apply another coat of your favorite sealing and you're done.

[fieldarchy]

It's actually La Table en francais if that's what you were going for

 

Hope everything goes well regarding your need for speed!

[demonelf3]

I was meaning to post one of the above. Thin paint over white looks surprisingly good. The paint pools in the cracks and in the places where it's thin the white shows through. Great, quick technique.

[Ironworker]

Another wash technique for smaller areas is to lay the wash down then with a damp but not dry brush pick the wash back off of the highlighted areas while the wash is still wet. Don't use a dry brush for this or you will pick up the wash pooled into the recesses where you want it. This is also a good was to fix a small but glareing screwed up area.

[ReaperShaun]

I love speed painting. Here is my most recent speed painted mini. It was the "test scheme" mini for an army I am planning.

 

 

 

I used a size 0 brush for nearly everything. I find that using the largest brush possible helps save loads of time.

 

The first step was priming. I used black. I did this because it was "supposed" to be a black space marine with white trim, but it turned out that I wanted some color on it.

 

Second step was putting down the off white color. I knew where I wanted it to go on the mini before I started.

 

Third was the metallic red. I chose a metallic for the largest areas since I could cheat and skip highlighting and shadows.

 

Fourth step was the golds on the metals. I used a slightly smaller brush for this.

 

Lastly I put green in the eyes and did a quick freehand on the shoulder then brushed the whole thing with clear.

 

This whole process took me 9 minutes excluding primer and clear. I kept parts of the respirator on his back and his chest armor black primer just to add another color on the mini. I also left the joint gaskets black primer. The clear coat protected it so I didn't see a need to paint black over it again.

 

This miniature is headed for table top play and his companions will be painted nearly exactly the same way.

[Ironworker]

Another thing that can speed up units is that you don't always have to highlight or shadow everything to have a nice looking army. Not every different part of the model always has to be taken to the same level. This is commonly done on weapon shafts in large units/armies but I've also seen it used on large no metalic armor plates like space marines or warjacks. Paint the metalics and smaller details with some highlights and shadows but leave larger surfaces cleanly painted but not highlighted or shaded in any way. Often these large surfaces pick up their own specular highlights and don't need to be helped as much with highlights and shading. Similarly if that doesn't appeal to you try useing just washes on the large areas but washes and highlights on the smaller details. I even did some dark elves where I panted their boots and armor gloss black while treating everything else normally. It's not a contest level technique by any means but combined with a nicely finished base it can produce attractive results.

[Ironworker]

I love speed painting. Here is my most recent speed painted mini. It was the "test scheme" mini for an army I am planning.

 

 

 

I used a size 0 brush for nearly everything. I find that using the largest brush possible helps save loads of time.

 

The first step was priming. I used black. I did this because it was "supposed" to be a black space marine with white trim, but it turned out that I wanted some color on it.

 

Second step was putting down the off white color. I knew where I wanted it to go on the mini before I started.

 

Third was the metallic red. I chose a metallic for the largest areas since I could cheat and skip highlighting and shadows.

 

Fourth step was the golds on the metals. I used a slightly smaller brush for this.

 

Lastly I put green in the eyes and did a quick freehand on the shoulder then brushed the whole thing with clear.

 

This whole process took me 9 minutes excluding primer and clear. I kept parts of the respirator on his back and his chest armor black primer just to add another color on the mini. I also left the joint gaskets black primer. The clear coat protected it so I didn't see a need to paint black over it again.

 

This miniature is headed for table top play and his companions will be painted nearly exactly the same way.

 

 

Lol we were on the same page at the same time here. That space marine is exactly what I was talking about in my last post.

[ReaperShaun]

speed painting with washes

 

These three guys are part of a reven army around 80 strong. I painted the whole group assembly line style over a weekend.

 

Essentially what I did was block in my main colors on each model. First greens, then grays, then things like hair. After that was dry I hit the whole thing with a gray liner wash.

 

The only thing that is hilighted is the green... but it isn't really hilighted. I kept my green fairly thin so that gravity would pull the paint off of some of the raised areas and slightly reveal the white primer beneath it. Once the wash was applied it really pulled out the contrast. The gray also dumbed down the super bright green I used on the skin which was what I had hoped for.

 

When painting armies fast keep in mind that you want to keep it simple if time is a concern for you.

 

Second picture is to show how big of a difference the wash made. I apologize for the shadow falling on the guy on the right... but his forward foot is in the light.