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
Do you know the ration of water to Flow-Aid to paint?
Depends. You premix the flow-aid with water; the flow-aid will come with a ratio for that. For your paint, it's largely about learning what consistency you need, and mixing to that point. Invest in a decent palette (which should cost less than $10) and experiment on some cheapo minis before you start painting expensive ones. Then you'll learn how to handle washes, inks, normal painting, shades, drybrushing, and varnishes, and you'll know how to mix and thin your paints to the desired effect. A good rule is that paint for standard painting and drybrushing should be about the consistency of whole milk.
Anyone play Flames of War? I'm thinking of getting in to the game because I'm intrigued by the 15mm scale, which in turn drives the price down (I hear about $200 will get you a very nicely sized army), and also the historical aspect. If you do play, what do you recommend for army choice?
For a game like that the first question you need to ask is, "Is there anyone playing this near me that I want to play with."
Agreed. I've thought about Flames a couple of times, but the only people who play near me are people who I'd not want to play against. Besides that, I actually like the Axis and Allies Mini's rules set for a WW2 tactical game. They're not perfect, but fun.
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.
I painted a Necromunda squad when I was 12 and chose to make it my first attempt at using wash. I chose flesh wash. Their skin looked as if it were fried to Colonel Sander's original recipe.
For people looking to learn how to paint, there is an old book that GW published with very detailed painting instructions. You can "acquire" pdfs of GW books quite easily if you want to read & learn.
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.
I'll go one step further. Hit up the candy aisle in your local craft store and get nut cups. They are like a hybrid between a dixie cup and a cupcake wrapper. Flip the cups upside down and put some blue tack on their bottoms. Jam one mini on each cup and you now have a super-huge base to handle the mini with. This allows you to hold it at all sorts of funky angles and do whatever you need to do w/o touching the mini itself.
As for paints, I have mostly GW paints, but as has been mentioned before, I have some of these pots that are nearly 20 years old. These are the old white pop-top ones, I have gone through spurts w/ painting, taking several years off between them. When I picked it up again 4 years ago I wound up buying a few of the newer style pots. Hopefully they stand the test of time as well.
So. I've heard of dips as magical things that make painting easier. Have any of you guys used dips? What are your opinions on them?
I've only heard of dips being used to seal the paint with a clear coat. I've never tried it, and don't know enough about the process. In my mind it seems like dipping a model in paint would be a process prone to over-application of the paint or seal, leading to a loss of detail. There's enough of a dipping crowd though that there must be a way to do it right.
I did some more research on it once I got home, and there's some really good explanations out there. Apparently it's not a replacement to painting, but a quick and easy way to do shading and pull out some detail.
Sounds like a cool concept but I'm not aware of any paint club near me. To be honest I'm sort of surprised that the jersey shore is devoid of a good game store. There are only 2 or 3 within 30 miles of me, and the only one even remotely close is 10miles/20-25min b/c it's all small roads, and is a festering den of body odor (The Game Room in Brick, NJ). Maybe this will change when I move north in a month. I wouldn't mind learning how to paint better minis.
Screw 40k. Warmachine all the way! I spent $200 on a new Full Army at standard price. I have no idea how much $200 can get you in Warhammer, but I don't think you'd get quite as much. I love the build quality of the miniatures, and I get the same painting/building experience as I would with 40k minis.
Also, I have to thank you guys for telling me about the alternative, especially since I actually prefer the gameplay of WM over 40k.
Great review by that guy. I don't know much (anything) about painting, but I like the glaze. The rest I could see exactly why they sucked because his explanation and video was so good.
Screw 40k. Warmachine all the way! I spent $200 on a new Full Army at standard price. I have no idea how much $200 can get you in Warhammer, but I don't think you'd get quite as much. I love the build quality of the miniatures, and I get the same painting/building experience as I would with 40k minis.
Also, I have to thank you guys for telling me about the alternative, especially since I actually prefer the gameplay of WM over 40k.
The beauty of 40k is the used market. The game has been around so long that you can find really good deals on older models if you are willing to put the time into it. There is almost 30 years of models floating around out there.
You can find good deals on e-bay or at yard/estate sales. I put together an army of between 3000-5000 points of Chaos Marines for about $200.
Buying new models is hella expensive though. If you're not buying used then your getting hosed.
If I were mega rich, maybe the company to buy is Games Workshop. If you modernized shit and stopped being a jerk, I bet it could make all the moneys. If it wasn't overpriced and jerky, I bet it could easily monopolize the entire market for minis. Also, I think minis might be on the rise based on what we saw at PAX East.
I'm probably going to get into FoW over the summer. They are 15mm as opposed to 28mm Warhammer models, so they are cheaper albeit harder to paint. I found a some images from this guy who does an amazing job at painting these little guys. It's quite impressive.
I'm probably going to get into FoW over the summer. They are 15mm as opposed to 28mm Warhammer models, so they are cheaper albeit harder to paint. I found a some images from this guy who does an amazing job at painting these little guys. It's quite impressive.
I'd get into FoW, except all the neckbearded grognards I've ever met who play it are the type of armchair generals who will refuse a pickup match if you use ochre instead of burnt umber when painting the canteens of your Polish infantry regiment.
I'd get into FoW, except all the neckbearded grognards I've ever met who play it are the type of armchair generals who will refuse a pickup match if you use ochre instead of burnt umber when painting the canteens of your Polish infantry regiment.
I'll just point to the relevant SA thread title.
"Historicals: That's not the proper green for German tanks in July of 1942"
Comments
For people looking to learn how to paint, there is an old book that GW published with very detailed painting instructions. You can "acquire" pdfs of GW books quite easily if you want to read & learn.
As for paints, I have mostly GW paints, but as has been mentioned before, I have some of these pots that are nearly 20 years old. These are the old white pop-top ones, I have gone through spurts w/ painting, taking several years off between them. When I picked it up again 4 years ago I wound up buying a few of the newer style pots. Hopefully they stand the test of time as well.
Also, I have to thank you guys for telling me about the alternative, especially since I actually prefer the gameplay of WM over 40k.
You can find good deals on e-bay or at yard/estate sales. I put together an army of between 3000-5000 points of Chaos Marines for about $200.
Buying new models is hella expensive though. If you're not buying used then your getting hosed.
"Historicals: That's not the proper green for German tanks in July of 1942"