Questions from a beginner - Where to start?

[Ferox]

The Dungeons and Dragons boardgames figures take paint quite nicely, though, once properly primed.

What kind of primer do they like? I usually use gesso, and have plenty of brush-on primer taking up space on my paint rack, but I've heard that some plastics prefer specially-formulated spray primers.

 

Can't say I'm excited about painting up the D&D board-game figures, but I surely would like to put some pigment on the Mansions of Madness critters.

[Blackbird71]

One more question on brushes: if you had a choice between Taklon or Red Sable, which would you choose? Or does it make a difference? My local hobby store has some inexpensive sets of various sized brushes in both materials, and I thought they would be a good place to start before going for the higher quality tools.

I believe the learn-to-paint kit comes with a pair of brushes that'll give you a good start. With that in mind I wouldn't buy more brushes unless they were high-quality Kolinsky Sables. (I've broken this rule, picking up a cheap set of red sable flats that're pretty good for basecoating terrain.) Be sure to keep the old brushes even if you upgrade, though: they're handy for brushing on primer and sealer (if you go that route), spreading PVA glue around bases, mixing paints, drybrushing, and other tasks that might damage your good brushes.

 

The kit comes with a 0 and a 00, I was more looking at getting some larger sizes. They're about $6-7 for 4-5 brushes, and I figure that they can always be relegated to mixing and sealing when I upgrade to the better stuff.

["That Guy"]

If you are thinking of upgrading, just do it now. You can't win the Daytona 500 with a bicycle. Go with natural kolinsky sable brushes, as the taklon ones have a horrible tendency to hook at the tip. Don't feel bad about spending 10-15 bucks for your brushes. I have a few that I've been using every day for about a year now with no issues. As long as you treat your brushes well, they'll return the favor when you use them.As far as primer, whenever it comes back to the shelves grab the Tamiya superfine white primer. It's what most high end painters use. I can't wait until I see the white gold return, as I have about one mini worth of spray left.

[Blackbird71]

Well, I put my first brush to minis last night, putting primer on a few pieces. All in all it went pretty well. The primer seemed a little thin, as even after 2-3 coats, the color of the metal still showed through in some places, but any thicker and it was in danger of obscuring detail. It seemed to have the most trouble building up on smooth surfaces, so I may go back over those areas with a slightly thicker mix before adding color.

 

If you are thinking of upgrading, just do it now. You can't win the Daytona 500 with a bicycle. Go with natural kolinsky sable brushes, as the taklon ones have a horrible tendency to hook at the tip. Don't feel bad about spending 10-15 bucks for your brushes. I have a few that I've been using every day for about a year now with no issues. As long as you treat your brushes well, they'll return the favor when you use them.

 

The thing is, I'm not trying to win the Daytona 500, I just want to take the car for a test drive around the block. I'm only planning on upgrading if the hobby seems like something I will enjoy long term, but for now I just need something good enough to get the job done during the trial run.

 

As for the brushes I used, I really wasn't impressed with the Reaper brushes included in the learn to paint kit; they were red sable, and the bristles were very splayed and would not hold a point at all. They worked okay for priming and could be good for large areas, but I don't think I'll use them for detail work.

 

I had also picked up a cheap pack of Taklons at the hobby store. For under $7, I got a 2/0, 0, 1, and 2, and they actually worked pretty well. I know many of you have said to just go for the good Kolinsky sables, but I had a few reasons for trying these. First off, in order to get started, I wanted to have a variety of brush sizes avalable until I learned what I prefered; I wasn't about to drop $60 to get a spread of Kolinskys. This way, I can get to know the brushes and get the good ones in the sizes of my choice. Time was also an issue. I wanted to start practicing and learning, and since no stores in my area carry the series 7s, I'd have had to order them and wait, or settle for some medium-high quality art brushes that I'd feel worse about replacing later. Bottom line, the Taklons are working well enough for now, and if I decide to stick with it, I'll get the Kolinskys later and the Taklons will make good mixing and sealer brushes.

 

I think I'll start another thread to document my progress with some pics of my work. If anyone feels inclined, maybe you can offer some pointers as I go along.

 

Thanks again to everyone for all of the great suggestions and advice!

[Serenity]

With brush-on priming or spray for that matter, you don't need to give them an even coat of white. As long as all the metal is covered to some degree, that's good enough. You can add more layers if you prefer, but stop before it starts looking rough.

 

Do the brushes that came in the Learn to Paint kit say "Sri Lanka" on them? I read on these forums that those brushes were mistakenly put into some of the LTP kits. They were supposed to be Reaper synthetics (red handles). I got a kit with a brush or two like that and was surprised how low quality they were.

 

You might want to follow up on it with Reaper customer service if you think it is worth the trouble. They bend over backwards to make their customers happy. They replaced a bad Kolinsky sable brush for me once.

[Mercius]

Reaper has great customer service for sure.

[Blackbird71]

With brush-on priming or spray for that matter, you don't need to give them an even coat of white. As long as all the metal is covered to some degree, that's good enough. You can add more layers if you prefer, but stop before it starts looking rough.

 

Do the brushes that came in the Learn to Paint kit say "Sri Lanka" on them? I read on these forums that those brushes were mistakenly put into some of the LTP kits. They were supposed to be Reaper synthetics (red handles). I got a kit with a brush or two like that and was surprised how low quality they were.

 

You might want to follow up on it with Reaper customer service if you think it is worth the trouble. They bend over backwards to make their customers happy. They replaced a bad Kolinsky sable brush for me once.

 

That's good to know about the priming; the pictures with the kit instructions show what looks like an even white coat with no color from the metal showing through. Thanks for the info.

 

The Reaper brushes do actually say "Sri Lanka" on them, and I guess the handles are more of a brown than red. Is this a mistake I should talk to customer service about?

[Mercius]

I would call them Blackbird...Reaper will want to make sure you got what you paid for.

[Kannan Fodder]

I still recommend taking care of your brushes, even if you got synthetics. They will last longer and hold a better point if you take care of them and clean/condition them regularly. I have a couple nylon flats that I use for drybrushing, and they are prone to staining when I use paints with strong colors. A good cleaning usually helps to avoid unintentional paint transfer.

 

I'll also second the post about Reaper's excellent customer service. I usually buy my minis at my FLGS, and I've had about a half dozen multi piece that were missing a piece. (I've bought hundreds of Reaper minis.) I've also gotten some miscasts. Reaper has replaced everything. They really do bend over backwards to keep us happy.

 

~M

[Elder One]

All of the above is good advice, but what I would do it find a game store where 40K is played. Most of the players paint and are willing to help someone new to painting.

 

Get a figure, some paint and a brush and start painting. Your first one will not be a work of art but will give you some experience. I would keep it and put it away. After painting a few more figures, take it out and you will see how much you have improved.

 

The main thing is to start painting!

 

Do not have a game store near, paint something and post it here and ask what may be done to improve it.

 

Not everyone paints the same way. I have ask many different people how they do something and then went home and tried it. Sometimes it works for me and I use it other times I can not paint the way they do.

 

Get the brush out and paint!

 

Have fun!

 

Randy

[vutpakdi]

The Reaper brushes do actually say "Sri Lanka" on them, and I guess the handles are more of a brown than red. Is this a mistake I should talk to customer service about?

Those sound like the poor quality "Paint and Take" brushes that used to be sent to stores as part of a Paint and Take kit. I'm pretty sure that you're supposed to be getting red handled synthetic brushes rather than the "sable" brushes (which goes to show that just because brushes are "sable" brushes doesn't mean that they are any good for mini painting).

 

if you drop a note to [email protected], I'm sure that they will send out some replacement brushes.

 

Ron

[Blackbird71]

I still recommend taking care of your brushes, even if you got synthetics. They will last longer and hold a better point if you take care of them and clean/condition them regularly. I have a couple nylon flats that I use for drybrushing, and they are prone to staining when I use paints with strong colors. A good cleaning usually helps to avoid unintentional paint transfer.

 

I have some of the Master's Brush Cleaner, and I've been using it to clean my brushes after each painting session. There's a few of them that still don't quite like to come clean; is there any solvent you'd recommend for removing particularly stubborn paint?

 

For anyone who is interested, I've begun documenting my efforts in the Works in Progress board here. Thanks again to everyone for helping me get started!

[Doug Sundseth]

I have some of the Master's Brush Cleaner, and I've been using it to clean my brushes after each painting session. There's a few of them that still don't quite like to come clean; is there any solvent you'd recommend for removing particularly stubborn paint?

 

 

Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner and Restorer

 

(IIRC, this is only available in the US.) Try to keep it off of everything but the hairs; it will strip the lacquer from the handle if you let it soak.

[Serenity]

W&N Brush Cleaner and Restorer is great stuff. Not only can you use it remove stubborn paint, including the gunk way down in the brush's ferrule, it is also good for stripping paint. I usually reserve it for spot stripping, clean-up stripping after a Simple Green bath, or when I'm in a bigger hurry to get the job done. However, I've noticed that some brush stains cannot be removed. I guess it is just the nature of synthetics to stain.

 

I'd check with customer service about the brushes unless you prefer the crummy red sables for some reason. I don't know who was responsible for putting those in the LTP kits, but someone was not exercising quality control. If I got those brushes in a kit and I didn't know any better, I'd seriously question buying Reaper brushes again. Fortunately, I read the forums so I know better.

[Ferox]

Have a look at

. Honestly, though: if you're using brush soap (like Master's brush cleaner -- my favourite) regularly and W&N cleaner when necessary, you're way ahead of most people and don't need my advice. Keep it up!