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Miniatures

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  • Or an online painting class. I could do that.
  • The main reason I don't know how to paint mini's is simply the time constraint. There is so much I would rather do than paint miniatures. Like play with the miniatures and make Pew Pew sounds. I really need to find someone who loves to do it to paint for me for a fee.
  • The main reason I don't know how to paint mini's is simply the time constraint. There is so much I would rather do than paint miniatures. Like play with the miniatures and make Pew Pew sounds. I really need to find someone who loves to do it to paint for me for a fee.
    I actually would like to, but $$$$$
  • edited December 2011
    I can do an instructional video if there is enough demand.
    You might as well! I'll be a guaranteed viewer, and there don't seem to be any good step-by-step instructional videos on YouTube (as far as I can tell).

    Also, I heard that gel-based super glue is superior to liquid-based glue. True or False?



    Post edited by VentureJ on
  • The main reason I don't know how to paint mini's is simply the time constraint. There is so much I would rather do than paint miniatures. Like play with the miniatures and make Pew Pew sounds. I really need to find someone who loves to do it to paint for me for a fee.
    I actually would like to, but $$$$$
    Would actually like to what? Paint the miniatures, play with the miniatures, or pay someone else to paint them?

    If it's the first, I can offer some uber cheap recommendations for finding paints and brushes. If it's the second, I can offer some uber thrifty miniatures games with decent systems.
  • The main reason I don't know how to paint mini's is simply the time constraint. There is so much I would rather do than paint miniatures. Like play with the miniatures and make Pew Pew sounds. I really need to find someone who loves to do it to paint for me for a fee.
    I actually would like to, but $$$$$
    Would actually like to what? Paint the miniatures, play with the miniatures, or pay someone else to paint them?

    If it's the first, I can offer some uber cheap recommendations for finding paints and brushes. If it's the second, I can offer some uber thrifty miniatures games with decent systems.
    All of the above. Even if I bought a miniatures game on the cheap and painted it on the cheap, it's still lots of money. For the number of times I would play it, I would not be anywhere close to getting my money's worth compared to board games. Also, the board games I'm going to buy are way better at being games than pretty much any miniatures game. At most I would simply like to craft better pieces for existing board games.
  • Yeah, based on the types of games you like to play I think you're right. I didn't think miniatures games would be your sort of thing, unless you get the itch for something really tactical. In which case you could just play Battletech online and get your fill for free and very little time/effort.

    I love miniatures though. I've gotten a ton of mileage out of my varied miniatures' games, and the only reason I don't get more mileage out of them is becaues I don't have a dedicated area to set up the games.. which should end once my Geek Chic table is shipped.
  • Honestly, that's why I want to get Super Dungeon Explore. It comes with 50+ quality figures AND a self-contained game. Seems perfect for that type of hobby.
  • You'll see a cool video about how to ink, and how awesome it makes chainmail or plating look.

    Don't attempt it. Just learn regular old painting first. You'll know when you're ready for inking.
  • Inks and washes are one of those things that look easier than they really are. It is easy to fuck up a good paint job by doing a bad ink or wash.
  • edited December 2011
    Do canvas-painting skills translate at all to miniature painting? I'm pretty steady with my brush control, but I've only had experience with flat surfaces. Perhaps a few techniques that would apply to canvas painting would also apply to this situation?
    Post edited by VentureJ on
  • Not really, nor does it translate back. I mean, yeah, you can hold a brush or whatever, but it's not nearly the same.
  • Figures. Miniature Figures!
  • The two types of painting have some similarities but the execution is completely different. Canvas is flat while minis are three dimensional. Lighting tricks that work in one medium fail horribly in the other.

    Proper care and use of brushes and paints is universal.
  • I will be buying acrylic paints tomorrow, but I'm not sure which brand to get. I don't want to pay exorbitant prices, but I also don't want the paints to be of shitty quality.

    Should I go with Games Workshop? Reaper? Vallejo? Apple Barrel? FolkArt?

    I have no idea.
  • Games Workshop paints are really, really good for miniature painting, but really, really expensive, probably past the "get what you pay for" level. They best thing about them is the fact that they dry faster than any paint of comparable quality, making it a lot easier to work with.
  • Reaper Paints are in my opinion a much better buy than GW citadel. They thin out much better, require fewer coats, and each bottle comes with a tiny dropper so that your paint doesn't dry out when you leave the bottle open for long sessions. The colors are relatively analogous, and they have several special maetallics that GW doesn't have at all.

    Just don't use the shitty acryllics that you buy at Michaels. They are too thick, require many coats, and chip off very easily. Avoid enamel unless you really are going for extreme high gloss.
  • Keep in mind, I also want to be as cost effective as possible, so I'd rather stay away from GW paints. I keep hearing that they are very overpriced for what they are.
  • edited December 2011
    Practical tip for gettign primer on lots of small miniatures: get a plank of wood and some blu-tack, line dudes/tanks/whatever up on the narrow edge of the plank with the blu-tack, use spray paint primer.

    Saves a ton of time.
    Post edited by Dr. Timo on
  • edited December 2011
    *
    Post edited by Dr. Timo on
  • Sorry about that.

    Effing edit button is too close to quote button!
  • I've heard really good things about Vallejo.
  • edited December 2011
    I use citadel/GW paints. I don't know about how expensive they are because some of my paints are 20 years old! I have not purchased new bottles in a very long time. When they do start to dry out i just add some water and shake.

    Some if my bottles have black screw in caps, white pop tops, or black screw/pop tops. I also used to use paints with a bird on the bottle, Polly something? They sucked.

    Does GW still sell starter kits?
    Post edited by HMTKSteve on
  • edited December 2011
    Does GW still sell starter kits?
    To the best of my knowlege, they still do, both Citadel miniatures tools/paints kits and various GW Army kits.

    I should note, their tools are pretty high quality. Can't speak much for the paints, don't have a broad enough experience with brands, but the tools are quite good.
    Post edited by Churba on
  • GW paints are bullshit. What you want is an equivalency chart, Apple Barrel paints, some Acrylic Flow-Aid, and some distilled water. Mix the water and Flow-Aid per the instructions on the flow-aid bottle, and then mix that with your Apple Barrel paints to get the proper consistency (thin thine paints, young Padawan). Flow-aid will increase the rate of drying and aid the polymerization of thinned paints so that they don't separate past a certain point. You'll easily turn a big bottle of 50 cent Apple Barrel acrylic into a ton of GW Blood Red with almost no work that way.

    Also, look for a type of acrylic color called "Payne's Grey." Making a wash with that and flow-aid is basically liquid talent-- even better than Badab Black from GW, in my experience.

    I more or less only buy special washes from GW now (orkflesh, blood wash, etc.); I've never had a single problem after blending Apple Barrel to a proper consistency.
  • Have you guy seen that Army Painter product "Quick Shade"? It looks incredibly easy (and the results seem pretty good), but I can't help but feel like there is a much more cost-effective alternative.
  • It's a dip, so I don't think there really is an alternative unless you formulate one yourself, and even then your trial and error will make that route more expensive than just buying a tin. However, I've never used it.
  • It's a dip
    image
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