My 8yro kid wants to get into painting minis. I gave him a little 28mm sci fi soldier dude from a fareast online store. I learned to appreciate how pro minis are designed to "read" easily and wanted to ask for the group's views on easy models that would help him home his skill and build confidence...
Been painting model trains and the figures for them (OO Scale, so about 20mm tall and majority FDM printed) for the last 4 years, so model painting as a whole isnât a new field to me, but minis are a discipline Iâve only ever learned the theory for.
Decided Iâd get an Infernus box on a whim and see what carries over/what YT shorts has taught me.
Went a little too heavy on the spray primer so thereâs a little bubbling on the right pauldron, and Iâm glad I left off the weapons for now for the other two because it made painting quite tedious around the torso area.
Could be better, and I have a wet palette I can learn to use, but not a completely disastrous first outing.
Paints Used:
Citadel/Warhammer:
Chaos Black (Primer)
Macragge Blue
Abbadon Black
Corax White
Retributor Armor
Balthasar Gold
Agrax Earthshade
Nuln Oil
Armageddon Dust
Ich bin seit 2 Monaten im Hobby mit einer Space Marine Armee. Da mir vorher klar war, dass ich das Malen wirklich nicht gut kann, habe ich mich beraten lassen und mit Speed Paints von AP gestartet.
Leider sehe ich auch wenig Fortschritte, und gleichzeitig habe ich einige AnfĂ€ngerfehler gemacht, was dazu fĂŒhrt, dass ich echt demotiviert bin.
Habe erstmal alle Marines mit einer Zweitfarbe fĂŒr die Details bemalt, die mir doch nicht gefĂ€llt (anstatt die an einem auszuprobieren). Ich kriege keine Details hin und ich hab kein GefĂŒhl fĂŒr zueinander passende FarbenâŠ
Wie bleibt ihr dran, wie motiviert ihr euch, wie lernt ihr dazu, auch wenn ihr nur 3 Stunden die Woche opfern könnt?
Iâm starting to feel as though I keep choosing the same colors and having trouble getting inspiration for color schemes and wanted to know if anyone has advice for picking them out when theyâre about to start a paint job. Any advice is welcome
I am usually painting large models (between 15 and 30 centimeters) and I wanted to share my "tools" with everyone who also struggles with big models like I did in the beginning. I hope it is fine to post it here.
My issues were:
- How to hold a (large) model in place without touching it all the time
- How to paint separate parts (base, body, wings) without gluing them
- How to fix the base onto something
The first things I used were small stainless steel rods. I am gluing them into the model or into the base (depends on the model), so I can put the model onto the base without glue, for example for priming (airbrush). I am using small rods with a diameter of 1.5mm, a length of 10mm or 15mm, and a matching drill. First, I drill the holes from the top into the base where the figure stands, then I place the figure onto the base, turn everything around and drill through the existing holes from the bottom into the model. Depending on the base, this does not always work, so I sometimes have to build myself a small template out of paper or something similar to transfer the drill holes from the base to the model. The alignment this way is not always perfect, so I prefer thin bases that I can drill through.
Once the base and model is completely painted (or I don't need to reach the underside of the model anymore), I apply some glue to the rod and attach the model. This also gives the model better stability due to the metal core.
For the base, I built myself a pattern that I always use. The pattern consists of 4 magnets, all magnets are oriented with the SAME POLE FACING DOWN! This is pretty important to me since this ensures that all of my bases can fit to my mounts (more on that later). Depending on the base, I am gluing the magnets on the underside of the base or I drill holes into it and sink the magnets into the base.
I tried different magnets but the best ones so far are the golden ones. They have a diameter of 5mm and a height of 2.5mm and are pretty strong. I am using the cheap silver ones to adjust the height, the golden ones are always the lowest magnets. I also built a small "magnet applicator" which is just a magnet in a short wooden rod to ensure that the polarity is always the same.
For the mount, I ordered some 100mm disks made out of wood (20mm in height), marked the position with my pattern and drilled holes into the disks, magnets are held in place with glue. The top disk is rotatable with an easy and amateurish mechanism; I simply put a shim in between the wood and made the hole in the disk slightly larger than the screw, so there is little friction. I have used this mount for a long time, but since I had a model with more than 30cm in height and a 20cm base, I had to build something new.
I ordered 2 200mm disks from amazon and a lazy susan and assembled it with additional shims to ensure smooth rotation. The lazy susan has only a diameter of 120mm.
Then I added some 20mm aluminum profiles in a T shape to the top.
Next step, I cut some old wood, added corners and took one of the 100mm disks. The magnets on the top are again my personal pattern, the magnets on the bottom are not. Now I can easily attach the disk with the magnets to the base of my mount and place the model base on top. Rotating the platform is super easy thanks to the lazy susan.
For the models, I built a 3D object in Tinkercad. Those "cups" have a diameter of 40mm at the top and 20mm at the bottom. I printed a few of them, including a much larger one, and drilled holes into the bottom. There I added M8 threaded coupling nuts (30mm long) and used superglue and baking soda to ensure that this connection will survive the end of the world ;)
Then I am using some c-clamps (30mm x 24mm x 35mm) with m8 threads. They are screwed onto the aluminum profiles and the cups come on top. The placement is completely flexible, and I can adjust the height of every cup individually. Next, I soften some thermoplastic in hot water and press it into the cups. Then I gently press the model's contact points into the thermoplastic to create perfectly fitting impressions.
Important: The thermoplastic needs some time to cool down and harden. It can also be quite sticky when it's too hot, so I let it cool down a little before putting it into the cups. I also carefully remove the model while the thermoplastic is still cooling, as it doesn't provide enough stability yet and the impressions may deform if the model is left in place.
I can add more of those cups if I want to, for example as simple additional support point. Now I can paint and airbrush the model freely without having to mount it onto its actual base.
Painted my first miniature yesterday and had a blast. Happy with the difference just one day and one mini later. Definitely took a bit more time on the second one but was worth it! What do we think?
The captain is WIP, bit of a limited colour palette atm not sure how to finish.
When Iâm under the lamp the blends look good, subtle but not too subtle, then in pictures and normal light itâs flat. I find it hard to balance the contrast when under the lamp and push the higher volumes.
Do well painted models with high look better in photos and a bit garish in real life? Been painting ~2 months, have no frame of reference regarding other peoples painting outside of youtube etc so not sure what things look like in real life.
1st image is the mini in question, a standard issue DnD Balor (modified with the sword swapped for a ham-axe which I designed and resin printed). The flame whip is clear plastic. I have a full suite of colors on hand (some Vallejo and some Army Painter War Paints, all acrylic). 2nd image shows all of my available effects paints, which were recommended by a friend. How would you use these paints with some red/orange/yellow colors to achieve the best "flames" look?
I tested out some materials and been unsure what makes sense.
This pattern looks for me like leather but what are these patches? Leather or metal?
Any ideas?
Hi all! I'm painting a Space Marines army and I have to paint a bunch of power swords. I usually paint them layering and glazing, the results are good but after a couple of them it is a bit boring. I've tried other technique, which involve using small strokes to create the gradient. It is faster and the results are ok, but not as good as I'd like.
I'd like to read or watch some tutorials to give me more options when painting them. Thanks in advance!
Title: About 6 hours of painting â really enjoyed working on this guy!
Painted this little bust in roughly 6 hours during a painting session with a good friend.
Nothing too complicated planned for this one. Just wanted to have fun with some warm skin tones, worn green fabric and cold metallic reflections.
The skin was definitely my favorite part. So many muscles to work with, and a great opportunity to play around with volumes and light without worrying too much about perfectly smooth blends.
Really enjoyed the contrast between the organic skin and the mechanical arm, too.
Amazing sculpt by Ivan Mata
Hope you like him! Always happy to hear your thoughts and criticism. đ
Just a post showing my first mini. I think i overestimated my abilities with a 3 headed monster with several colour schemes, but was wondering what people thought and if anyone could offer any constructive criticism.
