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Painting order


Niceman
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I used to start with skin and do inside out, but after running into some problems here and there, I modified the method a little bit. I now start with hard to reach areas to easy to paint areas. I still usually start with skin. But then, for instance if the figure has a cloak, I'll do the parts of the cloak showing between the legs, and the inside of the cloak. This way I don't worry too much about bumping my brush places it shouldn't go when I'm doing the difficult to reach parts.

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Thanks for all your input!  Everyone's work looks so clean compared to mine so I thought I'd ask.  It seems that I'm not doing as wrong as I thought so that gives me hope ^_^

Mercy, you should see my stuff at in-between stages. In fact, I paint and highlight one color or part at a time largely because I am a sloppy worker (honestly) and thus don't have to worry if I get paint on areas that will be overpainted later--i.e. when working on flesh I can get that color on the garment areas. I also do lots of correction and touch-up as I go along (such as going back over darklining that's been obscured by stray paint).

 

It's really less about being a neat painter than it is about cleaning up and making sure the final product is neat. :lol:

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I like starting with the face and eyes, followed by skin work. After that, it tends to be either very chaotic or else I work from the inside out.

 

I also tend to do one part at a time right to completion, though sometimes for personal reasons, I like to block in some colors. Usually when I am rushing :P

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Thanks for all your input!   Everyone's work looks so clean compared to mine so I thought I'd ask.  It seems that I'm not doing as wrong as I thought so that gives me hope ^_^

Mercy, you should see my stuff at in-between stages. In fact, I paint and highlight one color or part at a time largely because I am a sloppy worker (honestly) and thus don't have to worry if I get paint on areas that will be overpainted later--i.e. when working on flesh I can get that color on the garment areas. I also do lots of correction and touch-up as I go along (such as going back over darklining that's been obscured by stray paint).

 

It's really less about being a neat painter than it is about cleaning up and making sure the final product is neat. :lol:

Jen:

 

Do you cover "mistakes" with white paint so the underlying color will be uniform? For instance, if you get flesh color on a cloth area, will you paint over it with white before working on the cloth? Just curious.

 

Back on topic - general rule, if I'm drybrushing, I do faces last. If I'm layering, I do faces first.

 

Reason? With drybrushing, it is a lot easier to slip and have the paint wind up where I don't want it. With layering, I have a lot more control, so it's OK to "dress" the fig, working inside out, as it were.

 

Mel

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Hard to reach areas are painted first. How do I determine which are hard to reach to begin with?, easy. I first block paint all (or most) of the colors on my minis.

 

This way I have a fair asessment of where the paintbrush may slip onto an adjacent area.

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It was interesting this weekend to see the different painting styles of many many painters. Some outside in, some inside out. Some thinning paints alot, others not so much. Some using flat palettes, some using palettes with depressions, some using hard surface palettes (like tiles) and others using a plain piece of paper.

 

What all this means to me is this: do what works best for you. But experiment to find out just exactly what that is.

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What all this means to me is this: do what works best for you. But experiment to find out just exactly what that is.

I second that. There is no one "right" way. Trying to do it like person A or person B can be good for experience, and eventually you'll find what works best for you.

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1. Primer

2. Base coat the entire mini

3. Change colour ideas

4. Strip mini

2. Re prime the mini

3. Re base coat the entire mini

4. Recessed detail like eyes, mouths etc

5. Shade everything

6. Highlight everything

7. High detail like buckles & nails

8. Strip mini

9. Melt mini

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Jen:

 

Do you cover "mistakes" with white paint so the underlying color will be uniform?  For instance, if you get flesh color on a cloth area, will you paint over it with white before working on the cloth?  Just curious.

Eek, I should have checked the boards before skipping off to ReaperCon...

 

Honestly, I rarely underpaint the mistakes unless it's really contrasting (say dark brown ink on blonde hair area). Given the coverage of Vallejo and Reaper paints, by the time I get the 'upper' basecoat smooth and opaque, anything beneath it is usually hidden.

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Jen:

 

Do you cover "mistakes" with white paint so the underlying color will be uniform?  For instance, if you get flesh color on a cloth area, will you paint over it with white before working on the cloth?  Just curious.

Eek, I should have checked the boards before skipping off to ReaperCon...

 

Honestly, I rarely underpaint the mistakes unless it's really contrasting (say dark brown ink on blonde hair area). Given the coverage of Vallejo and Reaper paints, by the time I get the 'upper' basecoat smooth and opaque, anything beneath it is usually hidden.

I'll cover stuff that contrasts, too. I rely a lot on the under color to get my top color, if that makes any sense. That, and I guess I'm just a persnickity git, too. :lol:

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1. Primer

2. Base coat the entire mini

3. Change colour ideas

4. Strip mini

2. Re prime the mini

3. Re base coat the entire mini

4. Recessed detail like eyes, mouths etc

5. Shade everything

6. Highlight everything

7. High detail like buckles & nails

8. Strip mini

9. Melt mini

That's just too funny, I can relate to that ::D: .

 

Just a couple of personal steps I'd add before your number 1. primer :... ( apologies for hijacking your idea etc. ::P: )

 

( aged 10 )

a. Buy mini

b. open mini

c. superglue mini straight to base with enough glue for a concrete slab

d. "paint" mini with *huge* brush and paint straight from pot

e. any troublesome areas like details, resolve by painting over whole mini more til it goes away. ( repeat for all details ).

f. any flash lines showing, resolve by painting over it more til it goes away ( repeat if neccessary ).

g. stand back and look at "finished" mini

h. wonder why it resembles a "shambling mound" now.

i. Put in box, put in cupboard. forget about as you discover girls.

 

( 20 years later )

 

j. find box...

 

:;):

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