Noob here, please be gentle! (Pic heavy)

[Doug Sundseth]

On photography: You're getting significant underexposure. This is probably because you're using a white background, which the camera reads as very bright light. If you use a gray background, this will probably improve. (A black background will give you overexposure.)

 

More here: http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/55357-miniatures-photography-101/

[revloc02]

The mocking beast base is awesome, and the treasure is awesome too.

[redambrosia]

Doing tiny designs is all about practice and brush control. The more you practice, the better you'll get at it. The fact that you were inspired and brave enough to give it a go so early in your painting "career" is really cool  Don't be discouraged. Keep trying. I promise you'll get better.

 

And don't worry. ALL of us were dismayed the first time we took pictures of our minis I mean, except maybe Derek Schubert, whose name is measurement of quality for painting (I paint at like, .085 Schuberts).

 

To improve, the standard advice in these parts is to pick a technique, like shading and highlights for example, and work on it until you're satisfied, then pick another one and so forth. I like to recommend Dr. Faust's Painting Clinic on YouTube for free tutorials on basic painting techniques. (Cause I can't afford to pony up for Darksword's DVDs )

 

[Slendertroll]

Hey, looking good! Looks like you've got a pretty good grasp of the basic concepts, and from here it's mostly just working on brush control and slowly adding advanced techniques. (Others have said it, but it's the most common advice given on this forum: more contrast! Higher highlights and deeper shadows will make your minis look really spectacular.)

 

As far as varnish goes, the conventional wisdom is that if you're going to handle your minis (if you use them for gaming, for example), then you should always use gloss varnish, since it (supposedly) protects them better. Then, whether or not you use gloss varnish, do a final coat of matte varnish to kill the shine so you can take better pictures. That last step is a matter of taste, but for those of us who can mostly only share their minis with others online, it's pretty necessary. (I think in-person competitions generally favor matte varnish as well, since it shows what you actually painted more clearly, but I don't know that for certain.) For Bones minis, you may or may not need varnish at all (some use it and others say it's unnecessary as long as you follow proper prep procedures), but be VERY careful with sprays: the aerosolizers used in most spray sealers will cause Bones to turn into a sticky, never-drying mess. There are some brands that supposedly work, but I suggest playing it safe and sticking to RMS Brush-On Sealer. For me personally, that's always been enough on Bones, even without a layer of gloss first.

[ub3r_n3rd]

Great start! Welcome to the forum!

[Chaoswolf]

You're off to a great start, keep it up!!

 

Others have already hit all the points I was going to, so just let me add:

If you're having fun, you're doing it right.

[breegull]

Awesome work on the bases!!  A lot of new painters skimp out on basing, but yours really take things to the next level!

[Sakurafire]

These look very nice! I can't say more than others have said... More contrast. Thinner paint. More practice. You'll get there with due diligence! =D

 

Some websites you may want to check out:

arcanepaintworks.blogspot.com (she uses a very unique method, but has a lot of great tips... also in Australia and does classes)

http://studiogiraldez.blogspot.com(for inspiration, though he mostly does Infinity/Sci-fi miniatures.. he is an expert in contrast and blending, though)

[Pochi]

I plan on making a light box but figure my minis should be decent quality before I worry too much about that! Ha! I had white paper so I used that instead of just trying to take photos of them sitting on the table. Thanks for the tips though! I do want to try some of the pretty backgrounds and stuff I have seen others use eventually. I wouldn't have thought of scrapbooking paper as backgrounds if not for the forums! Finding the button to see things on the forums for more than the past 30 days has really opened up a whole new world! Even more helpful threads!

 

I do use my minis for table top. Well, some of them but the others never know when they might be called in off the bench! I will do some reading and research on different varnishes. Like I said, right now I am just using brush ons. I do think the Bones need a sealer. I have had to touch up my paint jobs just from handling them while I paint. The paint has rubbed off on edges of cloaks or hair. I am going to try sticking them to bottle caps like I have seen some do on here so I don't actually hold the mini.

 

Sakurafire, thanks for the links. It says she lives in Seattle but she does do international classes. I will have to read through more. I just read the first page you linked to and /facepalm! Just when i think I am getting good at faces and eyes! Ha!

 

I found a tutorial last night on the forums on how do shading by layers. Gonna give that a try. Wish me luck, I may be biting off more than I can chew! Ha!

 

Thanks again for all of the suggestions! My mini painting bookmark folder is now bulging with things to read and videos to watch!

[Limey72]

I think your off to a great start and your using the available resources. Keep it up and keep posting I like your stuff

[Slendertroll]

You said you've been reading the forums; have you had a chance to check the Bones How-To thread(s)? The key to getting paint to stick to Bones is all in the prep. Start by scrubbing them with an old toothbrush in soap and water, making sure to rinse them thoroughly. Then, get a good basecoat down. It doesn't need to be primer like metal minis use, and in fact primer doesn't work quite as well as undiluted RMS Brown Liner (or one of the other liners, but Brown looks best for living things). It's thinner than normal paints, so it doesn't obscure detail too badly, but something in its makeup sticks to Bonesium like nothing else, and other paints stick to it fine. It also has the advantage of pre-lining and -shading, so you can just leave the deepest crevices dark if they wouldn't get much light anyway. Once you have a solid coat of that down and dried, you can put anything on top of it in as thin of a layer as you can manage, and it'll survive all but the roughest handling just fine. Honestly, this will do more to keep the paint on your minis than any sealer can. (But doing both won't hurt, of course!)

[Pochi]

I have been washing them and have been using a spray primer.Will look into getting the brown liner asap. I think part of the problem with the paint rubbing off was how I was holding them while I painted. (thumb on bottom, finger on top of head) I was rubbing the paint off the top of their heads.

 

The one I am working on atm is a metal so i will get the brown before I do any more of the Bones. I have already prepped some of my Bones figures with the primer. Should I scrub them off and get the brown liner?

[Ted Kord]

You obviously figured it out quickly.  They look better than a lot of people I know who have been doing it for years.  I have no advice other than if you don't have good brushes, you might as well invest in a couple.  I found my Winsor Series 7 (sizes 1 & 00) made things noticeably easier than the citadel standard and fine detail brushes I was using before.  They are more expensive but I have never needed to replace them where citadel brushes I used to replace every 6 months or so.   

 

Also, the Army Painter Dry Brush.  It's at a 30 degree angle which makes it so much easier.  I don't dry brush every mini but there are some, especially if they have fur or feathers where I would not know how else to make it look natural.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Ted Kord

[Pochi]

Thank you, Ted, what a wonderful compliment!

 

I have already replaced one detail brush. It seems to be the brush I am most comfortable using (other than for big areas of solid color). I have that exact dry brush as well! The one that came with my original brush set, I was not crazy about. It seemed very bushy and I haven't used it at all.

 

I will be in the states in a couple weeks and plan on doing some shopping for brushes and looking at art supplies there. There just isn't anything like Hobby Lobby and Michael's here. There are some other art supply stores where I used to live that I will be hitting up as well.

 

Does Hobby Lobby/Michaels have the sable brushes? The brushes I am currently using are Wargamer and Army Painter brushes.

[redambrosia]

For holding the minis, I use a faux cork (the "x" makes it fancy  ) with a blob of poster tack on the top. Whether you base your minis or not, you can squish them into the poster tack, which will hold onto them, while you hold onto the cork. Then you don't have to get your grimy fingers all over your mini

 

Also, I glue my corks onto things that will keep them from falling over, like poker chips, Canadian quarters, washers... you know, useless junk