Trying to get back to painting miniatures

[TriOpticon]

I have not painted a miniature larger than a 1/600 scale tank in about 9 years (outside of painting Gundam models which is way different/easier than miniatures).  At 1:600 scale it is very easy, even infantry, as it is just a spray of paint, wash and drybrush.  If I am daring I do a prick of flesh and black for boots/guns.  When I see the detail on some of the Bones and metal figures it just confounds me how people do it.  I look at some of the pictures and I see detail that I can't even see on the unpainted figure...

 

Anyway, so I am wanting to paint some figures to use in some games (Rangers of Shadow Deep, Blood on the Blade and Blood in Space) which has brought me here. 

 

I am posting here for a couple of reasons:

1. I live in Japan and don't have access to Reaper paints which I used in the past.  The 3 stores listed on the Reaper site are not near me and none of the mail order carry them and do not have a re-order date for even the miniatures.  I am more accustomed to using Mr Hobby (aka Gunze-sangyo Creos) Color/Aqueous/Acrysion paints.  I know Mr Hobby has nowhere near the number of colors but I was wondering if anyone else uses them and/or has made progress on an equivalency chart?  A long shot, I know.

2. I need motivation.  I am a gamer more than a painter.  I have half a mind to just buy figures and never paint them.  But that just feels wrong to me.  I don't mind plain plastic in boardgames but when it is a miniature game it just feels wrong.  I am also half-tempted to pay someone but I can be a stingy bastard.  Maybe this will be a New Year's Resolution.  If I can get active here it may help motivate me.

 

Thanks for listening to me ramble and Merry Christmas from Japan (it is Christmas morning as I write this and I am waiting on my teenaged kids to get up)!

[Inarah]

Welcome to the forum, and Merry Christmas. 

 

Painting for games is a great motivator. I am starting a new rpg campaign this weekend and have yet to pick a figure for my new character. So many to choose from....

[strawhat]

1.  Do you have an Android device?  If so, there is an app out there called paintRack.  It has a color-comparison feature that can help you find near-misses in many paint ranges.  It does have Mr. Hobby in the settings.  Courageous Octopus are working on an IOS version, but haven't announced anything yet.

 

2.  Motivation is a tricky one for me, as well.  For me, I think that the best motivation is using some painted minis in a game.  Once I get a couple done, those blank ones just don't look right...so I have to paint more, and more, and more...

[Corsair]

Okay, someone once told me that when painting minis, work from the inside out. Skin, clothing, armor and so on. Drybrushing is an always useful tool.

[Xiwo Xerase]

4 hours ago, TriOpticon said:

When I see the detail on some of the Bones and metal figures it just confounds me how people do it.  I look at some of the pictures and I see detail that I can't even see on the unpainted figure...

I find that some details don't show up until I prime figures and apply a transparent dark wash.  This is especially true of the white Bones figures.  (Note: I don't prime Bones figures.  I just start with the dark wash.)  My dark wash is a dilution of Reaper MSP Brown Liner, which is a very dark brown with (I believe) added flow improver and other things I don't completely know.

 

Brushes with fine points will help with painting those details.  Kolinsky sable brushes, while expensive, tend to keep their points longer if they're taken care of.  I primarily use two brushes, a size 1 Raphaël 8404 brush and a size 1 Raphaël 8408 brush.  The 8404 works better for most painting but the 8408 has a much finer point so I use it for things like lining and edge highlighting.  (I find I don't quite have the brush control to use the 8404 for everything.)  Others here use different brush lines, e.g. Winsor & Newton Series 7 or Da Vinci Maestro.  (Art stores usually call these brushes watercolor brushes.  I don't know what Mr. Hobby paints are like but Reaper's paints and many of Vallejo's paints are diluted acrylics that behave closer to watercolor paints than to acrylic paints.  Someone with a background in art could probably explain this better.)

 

As for motivation?  This works for me: Paint a miniature (or a set of miniatures for a game), post and maintain a WIP thread while you're painting, post completed pictures when you're done.  Actually completing something is pretty motivating for me, and since I can see I have made something, I am motivated to do another one, and so on.

[Dave Foley]

Hey TriOpticon. I just got back into painting minis, too. It is something that I find that sticks in the back of your mind as something to do, but maybe you aren't set up for, but you can't quite shake as something worth getting into, that's the painter in you whispering! There's really a lot of depth in painting, a lot of great artists out there to look to for inspiration, and the amount of character and atmosphere you can infuse a figure with by means of color will totally enhance your gaming experiences.

I lived in Tokyo for 8 years! Wooo~ Tokyo. 

GET BACK INTO IT! There's so much satisfaction to be had in finishing a miniature :-)

 

[Glitterwolf]

Welcome to the Forum and Happy Holidays!

 

If you want to paint for gaming you're talking about a Tabletop Paintjob.

So you don't need to go overboard like a Display Painter does/wants.

 

Basically as been said by Corsair, best way is to paint from inside out.

If you want quick results for a game, just paint the basic colours and then use an Army Painter Dip.

This will give a fast shadow/highlight effect.

 

You can always try to improve later if you want.

Just paint for fun and show the results.

 

Edited December 26, 2018 by Glitterwolf

[Gadgetman!]

You can always order Reaper paints from the USA or the UK site...  

(Now, if you had only done that when they were selling out the HD series for $0.99 each... )

 

Reaper's paints are good, but Vallejo, Scale75 and a few others are also pretty good.

(Scale75 have some amazing metallics)

Army Painter is also used. The big bonus with them is the vast choices in primers, and their Quickshade washes.

 

A good start might be Reapers Learn To Paint Kits.

Lots of paints, a couple of minis, and even brushes, all in one easy-to-carry case.

They even give you a set of instructiuons!

And as a bonus, the two kits they currently have are designed to be complimentary to eact other, so that after the 2 kits, you have a pretty decent collection of paints suitable for a lot of minis.

 

Yeah, the shipping cost will be rather high, if you have to order them from the US site. 

 

How far away are the 3 stores in Japan?

 

Oh, and my suggestion for brushes, is Rosemary & Co series 33 Kolinsky brushes. Their #0 is pointed enough to dot eyes, but still carry enough paint to get the the job done.  Add a couple of their cheaper filberts for painting large areas and you'd be all set.

 

[TriOpticon]

Thanks, everyone for the replies and words of encouragement!

 

@Inarah, thanks!  It is games that got me thinking of getting back to painting miniatures.

 

@strawhat, I do have an Android device (along with iOS) and have downloaded paintRack.  I am not sure of some of its color equivalencies but it is a definite starting point.

 

@Corsair, I remember that approach also.  I will definitely follow that approach as I start again.

 

@Xiwo Xerase, thanks for the info on brushes.  I hear a lot about how to take care of brushes so I probably need to learn more about that to make sure they last longer.  Any suggestions for videos/tutorials about how to take care of a brush?  For plastic models I just airbrush everything and since the parts are large enough I can easily mask off areas/lines that I want to paint so brushes don't come into play too often.  Mr Hobby paints are a little thicker so I use their thinner when airbrushing.

 

 I kind of feel that in the back of my mind, too, @Dave Foley.  I think I am more afraid of failure/disappointment.  You spend that time painting and it just looks horrible when you finish...I have been told that I am my own worst critic.

Tokyo is awesome for hobbyists.  Not as much for miniature gamers unless you play Warhammer which is why the games I mentioned above are solo and co-op games.  Of course, I do not speak Japanese yet so it is also hard to find out if others do play other games.  Frostgrave and Infinity are also played but feels like it is < 1% of the miniature gaming group.

 

Thanks, @Glitterwolf.  Definitely a tabletop/gamer quality is what I am aiming for.  I am not sure I am a perfectionist but there are times when my current project is "just not good enough" or something is off so I spend a lot more time on it than I should.  I think I will start with just the base colors and a dip/wash.  Get a couple under my belt and see how it goes.

 

@Gadgetman!, I have been contemplating ordering from Reaper or some other USA store.  They do carry Vallejo here, along with Citadel, AMMO, etc. but they are very expensive.  I have seen Army Painter also and it is a little less expensive.  I am a bit surprised that Reaper paints are not in some of the larger stores in Akihabara.  They have paints I have not even heard of (I had not heard of Mission Models until I saw them at VOLKS).  I do have the LTPK #1 in my cart as I type this and will probably order it today.  The instructions sound great, too.  I have trouble making a good color scheme (if there were not existing color guides for plastic models mine would probably look like mustard and ketchup or Christmas or Halloween colors).  I am color stupid, to be honest, and probably need a class on color theory.  The stores in Japan are 4-8 hours away by train and one is in Okinawa.  Thanks for the brush suggestion!

 

Thanks again, everyone!  Hopefully I'll start a WIP thread in the near future.

[Corsair]

Tamiya acrylics paints should be available there and they are excellent.

[Xiwo Xerase]

22 hours ago, TriOpticon said:

thanks for the info on brushes.  I hear a lot about how to take care of brushes so I probably need to learn more about that to make sure they last longer.  Any suggestions for videos/tutorials about how to take care of a brush?  For plastic models I just airbrush everything and since the parts are large enough I can easily mask off areas/lines that I want to paint so brushes don't come into play too often.  Mr Hobby paints are a little thicker so I use their thinner when airbrushing.

I don't have a handy video but here's a forum thread about taking care of brushes.

 

When painting miniatures, you want to thin your paint.  This keeps paint from obscuring tiny details.  And if you get an errant brush stroke somewhere, it's usually easier to fix.  Blending usually requires even thinner paint since you want the gradient to be smooth.

 

I second the recommendation for Reaper's Learn to Paint Kits if you can get them.

 

22 hours ago, TriOpticon said:

I have trouble making a good color scheme (if there were not existing color guides for plastic models mine would probably look like mustard and ketchup or Christmas or Halloween colors).

You can always start off by "borrowing" the color scheme from a favorite video game or television show or artwork or whatever.

 

If you learn by watching things: Dark Sword Miniatures made three sets of DVDs on painting miniatures, each with a different artists.  I believe the DVDs are regionless but I'm not completely sure.  The set with Jen Haley and Anne Foerster is probably the most introductory of the three and, on the first disc, Anne Foerster does a segment on choosing colors for a miniature.  (The set with Jessica Rich can be introductory but I haven't finished watching the DVDs so I don't feel as comfortable commenting on them.)

[TriOpticon]

@Corsair, I agree, they are excellent.  I also love going to their Plastic Model Factory in Shinbashi.

 

Thanks, @Xiwo Xerase. for the link to the brush care thread.  Seems pretty simple to do.  I will take a look at those DVDs.  YouTube has been helpful in many things so watching definitely helps.

 

I did order the LTPK Core Skills.  I am looking forward to trying it out.  I have some spiders from Descent Second Edition that I will prime while waiting for it to arrive.  The holidays have kept me busy so, hopefully, I will get to it this weekend.  If not, things will slow down by mid January.

[Sanael]

Welcome to the hobby!

 

You've got a lot of good advice so far in this thread. Absolutely find yourself a few good sable brushes, I especially needneedNEED my Window and Newton Series 7 #0 and #2 brushes, but also check for cheap synthetics. Most basecoats I do these days are applied with brushes that cost less than 50 cents apiece. The $30 brushes are for blending and detail work!

 

The other tool I would suggest is a very basic color wheel. This is an image of the one I use, it's pretty common and inexpensive:

 

Essentially, it should have the color wheel  and a mask that spins over it. The mask let's you see what is complimentary or what might make a good third color for your composition. For army or group painting, it's an excellent way to build a coherent palette without having to agonize over whether your eye "gets" it.

[Madog Barfog]

You may also be able to find a free color wheel online. I used to use one but after a while just understood what worked and what didn't - no doubt, due to the color wheel.

 

I have some Vallejo Model Color as they are sold locally here in Ohio. I prefer RMS (a bit thinner and specifically made for gaming) but some of the VMC colors (like Smoke) I will always have. 

 

One way way to get something painted to the table is to prep, prime white, and then wash with a thin dark color. This will bring out the details (which are hard to see just when it's bare metal). You can always finish the paint job later.

 

Re: brush cleaning - it's really simple. I mostly use "pink soap", available at my local art supply stores and likely yours as well. For heavier cleaning, I have some "The Master's" cleaning paste, but I seldom use it. At least it's cheap. That's it.

 

I took a six year break from painting. It was a bit of work to relearn some of what I had forgotten, but the learning curve was much faster than first figuring it out.

 

Dont worry too much about your paint job quality. No one will complain. Like any art form, painting minis gets better with practice. The only way to get it is to start.

 

Good luck!

[TriOpticon]

@Sanael, thanks.  I may have a color wheel around here somewhere. I wonder if Reaper could make their own color wheel showing their colors.

 

@Madog Barfog, I kind of like that idea of priming white and then a wash and getting it to the table.  Definitely getting started seems harder than I thought it would be.  Of course, with it being the holidays it is harder to do anything hobby related.  It also doesn't help perusing Reaper's store and thinking of how useful a certain figure would work in a game, etc...