Questions from a noob

[tiniest rhombus]

When do I call a mini finished. When I'm messing it up more than I'm making it better or I'm sick of looking at it. Whichever comes first.

 

How do I decide what to paint next. What ever I'm in the mood for when I sit down to paint. which is why I have a ton of half finished minis sitting on my shelf.

 

I love minis. I look for dynamic poses, beautiful lines, odd, cute, big, little, busts. It'd be easier to describe what I don't like. I'm not a huge fan of cheesecake, I don't like silly proportions (I'm looking at you Kingdom Death) I'm not all that interested in sci-fi, modern or historical minis.

 

I quit using palette paper and started using parchment paper. And that's when I decided I like wet palettes.

[dsmiles]

I'm a writer, and writers have this saying, "nothing's ever finished, merely published". I get the definite impression a lot of you feel a similar way about minis. So... when do you do personally decide it's time to stop painting and "publish" your mini, whether or not you think it's "finished"?

When I'm painting for tabletop, there is a pretty specific point when it's finished. When I'm trying to go farther that that, "finished" is when I'm afraid that putting more paint on it will screw up what I've already accomplished.

 

How do you personally go about choosing what to paint next? For me, it's what I think I'll be able to use in a tabletop RPG. I have several homebrew campaigns I run with different groups, and I kind of know I'll need a certain number of goblins, a certain number of halflings, a certain number of crazy frog guys... I also know the sorts of classes my players tend to play and focus on those for hero minis. For those of you painting for art's sake or just for fun, what makes a particular mini especially appealing to you? 

Sometimes I paint what's next in the gaming queue, sometimes I pick up something I'll never game with. Depends on my mood.

 

How many minis do you paint a year?

20. No more, no less. Thanks to Goblin Math, I don't need to know any other numbers.

[amuller33]

I was painting this weekend and a realized the questions of  what mini I paint next is a simple one. I cheap with my paint so if I have some left on my pallete  I immediately dig into the bones to see what mini would work with that color and start the cycle anew.

 

AJ

[cerebro1974]

Welcome!

 

You are receiving, and will continue to receive so much good feedback. See my replies below:

 

 

I've seen a lot of people extolling the use of wet palettes, and I've seen discussion on how to make one, but what exactly are they good for? Is there more to it than simply keeping paint from drying out on your palette? Does it water down the paint? What, if any, effects does it have on mixing, exactly? Do you still need another palette alongside it for certain things?

 

Simply to keep your paints wetter longer. I use a wet palette as well as a mix of slo-dry and medium. Really helps for thin, great blending paints - however I am no master, and still have a long way to go! If you use your parchment paper you will not spoil/water down your paints, and you will see no effect on blending...

 

I also have a few more general questions that have no correct answer, but I'm kinda curious to get a few responses/opinions on, as somebody new to this hobby.

 

When you're doing a mini, how long do you typically paint for, not including drying time? What do you consider speed painting? When I see these incredible professional paint jobs, how long did those take to paint?

 

A good mini for me can take 4-8 hours, with a couple of breaks and allowing paint dry time. A lot of timing depends on the amount of details too, lots of pouches/buckles/etc? Plan more time!

 

How quickly do you go through paint bottles? Does it make sense to get an extra bottle of one's most commonly-used paints, or do those bottles last a long time?

 

Aside from black and white, paint lasts me a long time, but I mix mine down quite a bit, 1/2 & 1/2 with my medium mix for base colors, and 8:1 for my layering blends. Here is an example: I bought a dropper of leather in 2002, and it is still 1/2 full!

 

Do you personally use a sealer? Have you ever regretted not doing so?

 

I do use dull coat on all of my minis.

 

What are your ten most essential paints, the ones you personally use all the time for whatever reason? Flesh Triad, black, white, forrest green, stone, blue, rainy grey, and more white...

 

What painter do you think I absolutely must start being a fan of? What painter have you learned the most from since you started this hobby?

 

Yourself! If you try to narrow in on any one painter, you will miss a lot from so many others! In my first exchange I learned quite a bit from Meg and Anne, and through good posts and watching the forums, participating in exchanges, and just asking questions, I have learned so much from so many great painters. However, it comes down to you - how do YOU feel about colors, layers, mini choices, basing, etc. 

 

And, what the heck, tell me what your favorite Reaper mini of all time is. Has to be one you've actually painted. I think my favorite is 77021 Lindir, Elf Archer. I butchered the face, but it's a fantastic mini and I learned a lot from painting him when I was just starting out

 

02551 Monique - fantastic sculpt, beautifully sculpted and cast. My favorite, however, there are so many more....

[mrxak]

Three more questions from a noob.

 

What sort of cups do you use to wash your brushes with? I found some 3 oz paper cups that are a bit too small I think, plus I think they're kind of flimsy and I'm afraid they'll start leaking after a while during a long paint.

 

I know a lot of people use distilled water for their paint thinning. I think that makes a fair bit of sense, since tap water can have all sorts of stuff in it, but it also got me thinking. Do you guys also use distilled water to wash your brushes too?

 

What little squirt bottles can you recommend to me that'll give about the same size droplet as Reaper paint bottles? You know, either for dispensing distilled water for thinning, or perhaps for mixes or washes I make. I'd like a fairly consistent droplet between everything so I can calculate ratios easier.

[hammer570]

I haven't got on board the distilled water train yet, though I should, so I'll leave that one to others to answer.

 

Lots of folks use a basic tupperware container, I just use the big center well of my dry palette or an old mug.

 

I picked up a few 17ml dropper bottles from a local art supply store.  If they're not identical to reaper paint bottles, they're darn close.  Think they cost like $.50-75 apiece.  I'm sure they're readily available on amazon (searched 17ml dropper bottle paint and found a few hits) if you don't have a local shop.  Kinda surprised reaper doesn't sell them actually, looks like a few other popular paint companies do.

[Serenity]

I picked up a few 17ml dropper bottles from a local art supply store.  If they're not identical to reaper paint bottles, they're darn close.  Think they cost like $.50-75 apiece.  I'm sure they're readily available on amazon (searched 17ml dropper bottle paint and found a few hits) if you don't have a local shop.  Kinda surprised reaper doesn't sell them actually, looks like a few other popular paint companies do.

 

Reaper MSP Squeeze Bottles

[mrxak]

 

I picked up a few 17ml dropper bottles from a local art supply store.  If they're not identical to reaper paint bottles, they're darn close.  Think they cost like $.50-75 apiece.  I'm sure they're readily available on amazon (searched 17ml dropper bottle paint and found a few hits) if you don't have a local shop.  Kinda surprised reaper doesn't sell them actually, looks like a few other popular paint companies do.

 

Reaper MSP Squeeze Bottles

 

 

Huh. Where were those hiding? I specifically looked for something like that on the Reaper store and could not find it.

[hammer570]

 

I picked up a few 17ml dropper bottles from a local art supply store.  If they're not identical to reaper paint bottles, they're darn close.  Think they cost like $.50-75 apiece.  I'm sure they're readily available on amazon (searched 17ml dropper bottle paint and found a few hits) if you don't have a local shop.  Kinda surprised reaper doesn't sell them actually, looks like a few other popular paint companies do.

 

Reaper MSP Squeeze Bottles

 

 

 

Doh!  Also looked around the store and couldn't find them.  Guess I forgot how to internet today XD  Thanks Serenity!

[Doug's Workshop]

What sort of cups do I use?  I think it's an old jar from some pasta sauce.

 

I don't use distilled water at all.  Tried it, didn't see any difference.  I do have a water softener, so ymmv.

 

The little bottles have already been addressed, but I bought something like 50 for inevitable custom washes/mixes/destruction of dropper tops/ whatever.  US Plastics has them (and in different sizes, too), although shipping was kinda high. The Reaper bottles do hide; they don't pop up unless you kinda know what to search for.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Doug's Workshop

[Kheprera]

My rinse jars are glass jars from pasta sauce, thoroughly cleaned, and labeled: "Rinse," "Metallic Rinse," and "Final Rinse."

 

Why three? Wellllll... metallic and iridiscent paints have a different consistency to them, the mica chips that give them their shimmer, which can contaminate your other paints. When I'm painting I may be working on more than one part of a mini where part is metallic and the other isn't, so having the multiple rinses ensures I have little to no mica flakes ending up where I don't want any.

 

If I am not painting metallics, I only use one jar.

 

Also, I kept the lids for the jars, because I have cats and kids. If I have to get up from painting (food, kids fighting, etc), I put the lid on the water jar to keep the mess to a minimum when the cats decide that is the perfect time to hop on my paint table and knock everything over.

 

YMMV

[Cranky Dog]

Three more questions from a noob.

 

What sort of cups do you use to wash your brushes with? I found some 3 oz paper cups that are a bit too small I think, plus I think they're kind of flimsy and I'm afraid they'll start leaking after a while during a long paint.

My rinse cup happens to be a transparent green flanged glass tea cup.

 

Being transparent, I can see how much leftover paint comes off as I tap the brush on the side of the cup. Of course, the more paint I use, the cloudier the water gets, so it's also a "time to change the water" indicator.

[knarthex]

I use an old pickle jar with some old sponges cut to fit inside. this gives me something to drag the brush across to help clean it.

All the water in my home is filtered, so I have not used distilled water either.

I have ordered over 200 15ml bottles from the river site, as I have been transferring older paints from pots. I also use them for washes and glazes.

Make sure to label them!

I use a piece of masking tape and write the recipe on it with a sharpie.

They have a different size drop depending on what is in the bottle, but you learn to adapt. I also use Reaper, Vallejo, Scale Color as well as Scale 75 Fantasy & Gaming paints, and all of them have different sizes of drops, even within the same line!

I thin with a 50% mix of Golden Matte medium and Windsor & Newton flow improver mixed by the directions, or just the flow improver depending on what I am doing.

Edited February 18, 2016 by knarthex

[Corporea]

Welcome to the forum!  Lots of great questions!  Most all answered, but what the heck, I can join in!

 

I thought all art was never finished?     Seriously- I get to the point where I know I could fuss and fiddle forever, and it still wouldn't look the way I want it to in my head.  But when it at least makes me happy or I just can't look at the same mini anymore, I let it go.  Letting go is more than just a disney song for mini painting.  It is in fact possible to ruin a mini by overworking.  And you can tie yourself in a knot obsessing over something.  I know the endpoint is different when the mini is meant to be picked up by greasy gaming fingers and used to take out an evil lich versus set on a shelf and barely handled.  I learned to paint with watercolors, so too much muddling led to an icky mess in that medium.  It isn't much different for acrylics.  I guess the hardest part is finding the balance point between time invested and enjoyment of the final product.  Remember that we are always our own worst critics, and the tiny details that haunt us are most likely barely noticed by anyone else. 

 

I use two water cups- one is an old coke glass and one a plastic cup.  One is for when I rinse my brushes with soap and the other for a quick rinse in between colors or for adding water to my paint.  I don't use distilled water, but I guess our city water is ok.  I should probably change my water more often.  I tend to wait until I notice it's opaque...     the only time I'm finicky with water is when using metallic paint- I'll change it afterwards so i don't get sparklies in my regular paint.

 

I've used a butter tub lid for years as a palette and recently switched to a wet one with parchment paper I buy at the grocery store.  Having used both, I can say they each have merit, and your style of painting may lead you in one direction or the other.  The benefit of the tub lid is that it does not thin my paint at all, so it's great for a first coat on Bones minis.  I've come to love the wet palette when I switched to more of a layering technique.  I started mostly wet blending and gradually morphed to a hybrid style, but the wet palette thins my paints slightly, keeps them ready for about a week at a time (I leave my painting now mostly to the weekends, so I waste less paint with the covered palette) and helps me remember exactly which colors I'm working with when I forget to write them down!  

 

There isn't a right way to paint, but there are some things that make certain styles of painting easier.  Just like some people prefer a typewriter, each of us has a favorite work brush, palette, tips/tricks that we've come to find save either time or paint.  Or hair if you're the type to pull in out in frustration!  I never use liners for example, but lots of folks find them helpful.  I try to use mainly one brush throughout my entire painting session, because switching back and forth takes time, so I've tried to find the largest brush that still allows me fine detail and use it until I get sleepy or run out of soda.  I've spent up to 6 months on a single mini, but I don't paint every day.  I suppose the longest I've painted at one time is about 8 hours with a few breaks for more liquid/food, but I prefer to paint in 2 hour stretches and get up to walk around, change the focus of my eyes and regain my sanity.  It helps to change eye focus periodically, I've noticed.  I know Rhonda (Wren) used to teach a class on this, and if you're going to be painting for any length of time, it's a good idea to make it comfortable.  Not just in terms of something like daylight bulbs or a restful light for the eyes, but things like a comfortable chair, for me a foot stool to rest my feet, having a desk set-up that makes it easy to reach things without straining (I've boxed myself in with these nice ikea bookshelves full of stuff) and using a position to paint that prevents neck strain.   Also, I do change the distance I view the mini often- looking both up close and far away to make sure my paint holds up at both distances.  

 

I'm a lazy painter. Whatever makes it easier makes it more fun for me, because to me, painting is relaxing time.  It's using the part of my brain that gets neglected at work. What's worked for me might not work for anyone else.   Everyone paints at a different speed, and some techniques take more time.  For example, I can layer on a basecoat in a few shades quickly, but the blending won't be smooth.  Then I'll go back and slowly build up layers of thinned paint until I get a nicer gradient.  I have to wait for each of my layers to dry (it's like torture, I swear!) so I'll bounce between areas or even between minis while waiting.  Because as soon as I try to add too quickly, lo the paint doth muddy itself.  Sometimes patience really is faster.

 

I've learned so much from Rhonda Bender, Anne Foerster, Aaron Lovejoy, Andy Pieper, Michael Proctor, Marike Reimer, Jessica Rich, Derek Schubert (placed alphabetically cause they're all awesome!!)... and actually, being here on the forums with everyone.  This is a great group of folks all with fantastic input and a huge variety of knowledge and skills!  Watching others paint, seeing creativity at work, that's the best way to grow and improve.  This is the best resource out there. Except maybe paint.  That might be sort of necessary.

 

I pick my minis based on mood.  I have a pile of ones that call to me and want a certain scene set, or I think are just darn cool.  I paint less than I should, and usually because I have a deadline such as a birthday or a charity... or even a gaming session!  I'm a planner, so I think at least a little bit about what colors I want to use, what things I want to put on my bases or what tone I'm trying to set.  Sometimes, coming up with a story first tells me exactly what colors I need to use to tell it!  If I don't feel like painting but know I need to be productive, I'll putter with greenstuff and make bits, or play with my sculpey.  Or even just prep minis I might want to work on later.  I like a challenge to some degree, so anything that makes me work outside my comfort zone is probably good for my growth, though less fun.  Right now I just started working with some orange/yellows.  I usually live in a more desaturated world, so using bright colors puts hair on my chest.  I like pretty things, so anything that looks shiny works for me!  I don't do a lot of sci-fi.  Mostly fantasy.  I paint mostly reaper, dark sword, and recently kingdom death since I went in on the kickstarter.  Actually, I should be picking my minis based on the kickstarters languishing on my shelves... sigh. 

 

oh- the sealer thing.  I try to seal minis with reaper's brush-on sealer if they're leaving my care permanently (gifts, etc, where I'm not sure how they'll be handled) or if I'm using them to game.  For my competition stuff, I still use spray-on dullcote because I'm paranoid and the floor really is out to get me.

 

I think I've replaced maybe 3-4 bottles of paint I used up completely.  Otherwise, it'll probably outlast me since I keep buying new colors anyway!

 

Have fun painting!!!  My most sage advice is find what makes you want to paint.  If it's peace, don't sweat the details.  If it's a challenge, never stop pushing yourself.  If it's fun, make sure it stays that way!  If it's money... good luck!  I think that's kind of like writing.  A day job is way easier...     That was one reason I never went into art.  When it becomes work, I dread it a little more.

 

paint on, my forum buddies!!!!

[Doug Sundseth]

Three more questions from a noob.

 

What sort of cups do you use to wash your brushes with? I found some 3 oz paper cups that are a bit too small I think, plus I think they're kind of flimsy and I'm afraid they'll start leaking after a while during a long paint.

 

I know a lot of people use distilled water for their paint thinning. I think that makes a fair bit of sense, since tap water can have all sorts of stuff in it, but it also got me thinking. Do you guys also use distilled water to wash your brushes too?

 

What little squirt bottles can you recommend to me that'll give about the same size droplet as Reaper paint bottles? You know, either for dispensing distilled water for thinning, or perhaps for mixes or washes I make. I'd like a fairly consistent droplet between everything so I can calculate ratios easier.

 

I've used a small margarine tub for years. It's small enough to fit into one of the holes in my travel kit and large enough to hold a Master's Brush Cleaner and Restorer soap cake. It was also free and is trivial to replace.

 

I've used tap water for rinsing forever and don't see much point in doing otherwise. I also use tap water for thinning and rehydrating, but that's a closer question. All I can say is that I've never had a problem that I can trace to the water I use.

 

For reference, the bottles Reaper uses are called "Boston Rounds". If you buy them from a plastics supplier like US Plastics, know whether you're getting squeeze spouts and caps. They can be found as sets and a la carte.