|
Madog's Quick and Dirty Guide to Miniature Painting
There are dozens of miniature tutorials on the Web, and thousands pictures of minis with explanations of how they were done.
So why would I want to add one more? To tie it all together and provide a "big picture", not to go into detail on any one topic. I'll also pass on the tips and tricks I've learned in over two decades of mini painting, and provide some tips on "painting on the cheap" for those with a limited budget.
Throughout the section, I'll be referring to various tools and materials. Our links section provides useful sources if you can't find what you need locally.
Mini Selection
Pick what you like. Reaper has an excellent selection of fantasy minis.
Mega Miniatures provides a range of decent quality miniature figures for an astonishingly low price.
Iron Wind Metals has a lot of great figures, especially classic Ral Partha pieces and Battletech mechs. Be sure to ask about their vintage mail order catalog.
EBay is a great source of all kinds of minis, with some great deals - just beware of sellers who gouge you on shipping, and don't trust PayPal with anything more than your credit card number.
Speaking of gouging, Games Workshop figs are popular, despite their pricing policy. I would avoid them unless you are playing one of their Warhammer games that call for specific figures.
Paint
Vallejo is considered the top quality when it comes to painting minis. They have 2 lines - Game Color and Model Color. Game Color is best for gaming miniatures and mostly imitate the popular Games Workshop color palette, which is a de facto standard for miniature paint colors. That's useful because so many people tell you what color of paint they used by referencing the GW colors. Model Color has a larger selection but the paint is formulated more for military or display models and does not withstand handling as well as the better sticking Game Color line.
Reaper paints are also gaining in popularity and are well respected by the people who use them. They have 2 lines, Reaper Pro Paints (RPP) and Master Series Paints (MSP).
MSPs were formulated by Anne Foerster, an excellent mini painter and Reaper's staff artist. Yes, it is possible to make a living painting minis! They are a more advanced formulation than the older RPP, with better flow characteristics. However, they aren't all as matte as RPP, and some may need more than one coat of coverage - a common occurrence in mini painting (especially with reds and yellows) and not really a huge drawback.
The Pro Paints are a recent reformulation of an old-school style of painting, and was the first line of paints Reaper produced. They cover well, go on matte, and with a few quick splashes of wash, you can field a decent army in a reasonable amount of time.
Again, Games Workshop sets the standard for paints, but not because of value. While they are widely available through retail and have been around forever, their containers leave a lot to be desired. Rather than using industry standard dropper bottles that accurately dispense paint as needed, they use old style paint pots which can spill. Worse, their tops (both the old style tops whose primary design goal was to be "cute" and the newer flip top style) contribute to paint splatter and premature drying out. In fact, their drying out problem is so bad that they have been accused of purposely using porous plastic in their containers to force you to buy paint more often! While we're knocking them, their other products, such as static grass and superglue, is exactly the same product you can buy with different labeling - only the GW brand is about 3 times as expensive! Avoid Games Workshop products when possible. They are the Microsoft of the gaming industry.
Other paints are available such as Iron Wind Metals, Rackham, Adikolor, and even Testor's enamels (and now acrylics). I've used them all, and they all work, but I would stick to either Reaper or Vallejo (or Games Workshop if your goal is to spend as much money as possible).
Painting on the Cheap: Craft Paints
The typical container of Vallejo, Reaper, or GW paint will cost about $3 US retail. Wal-Mart and other discount craft and hobby stores such as Michael's and Hobby Lobby sell craft paint in (relatively) large bottles for 50 cents to $1 each. However, their pigmentation is not as fine, and they will not hold up well to wear. They are pretty thick and will need more thinning than mini paint. They aren't formulated for such small detail work and may end up grainy or chalky.
In short, they aren't as good, but they will work if price is your primary concern and you aren't going for a high quality paint job.
Mixing Paints
Paints are going to need mixing, and for now I mean shaken up. To do this right you'll need to add an agitator to the bottle. While I have read lengthy discussions on which type of material is effective as an agitator without upsetting the "delicate pH balance" of paint, I have a cheap, easy, and effective solution: aquarium rocks. They are cheap, readily available, and meant to live in water without degrading or changing the water quality. Leftovers can be used for bases.
Be sure to rinse them off first, and if you have dropper bottles, the dropper tip will easily come off, allowing you to drop a couple of rocks into your paint. This will greatly aid in mixing them up. Just be sure to give them a good shake before you use them.
As far as mixing colors - that comes later.
Unclogging Dropper Bottles
I love dropper bottles, but sometimes they get clogged, and some colors are worse than others. Simply take a paper clip, straight pin, or something similar and use it to clear the clog. Keep it handy - some colors are in a state of continual clog.
Brushes
Let's make this a short discussion. You want to buy the Series 7 Miniature (S7M) line from Winsor & Newton. They were specifically formulated for mini painting. A good brush will cost $10 - $12 US and is well worth it. While there are cheaper brushes, they won't last as long - the bristles will "hook" near the end, and you'll have to replace them. I used to buy a $5 brush every couple of months. Now that I've spent $30 on W&N, the only time I need to replace them is when they have an encounter with spilled superglue.
There is no "cheap painting" tip here - other brushes will cost you more in the long run as they will wear out much faster. The only drawback to the W&N S7M line is that I have yet to find them in a retail store and have to mail order them. Don't be confused with the non-miniatures Series 7 you can find at the retail store. They aren't the same. Buy them if you can't order the miniatures for some reason, but get the S7Ms if you can.
Not only do they cost much less over time, they make a noticeable difference in your quality! You just can't scrimp here, so buy good brushes and some soap to clean them (see Brush Care).
You'll want a couple of other brushes, too, for priming, dry brushing, and other tasks you don't want to use your nice brushes for. Atlas makes a decent line of cheap brushes. Natural hair is better than synthetic, and Kolinsky Sable (which is made from the tail of a species of weasel known as the Kolinsky and not sable at all) is the best type of natural hair. Get what you can afford. For drybrushing, flat brushes work better than round.
Brush Care
Since I've convinced you to buy good brushes, I'd better help you take care of them. The best thing you can do with your brushes is clean them thoroughly in clean water. Don't do anything that will splay the hairs and ruin your tip. Swish the brush around or roll it against the side of the container, then gently wipe it dry on a paper towel. Remember that the tip is designed to drawn backwards towards the handle and not jammed forward or spread out, which will splay your hairs and ruin your brush.
Brush soap, also called "pink soap", should be used as well. This will really get your brush clean. There are different brands, pastes, and liquids, but they are all about the same quality. If your brush hairs do begin to fork or splay, try using some pink soap to reform the tip and let it dry on the brush overnight. Then rinse the soap off before use.
DO NOT use dishwashing detergent! This is designed to strip out all grease, and will remove all the natural oils from your brush. If you want to see for yourself, try washing your hair with it (but not on Friday night).
Store the brushes in a can with their tips up, or in a flat box.
Oh, and wash your brand new brushes out before use. They come from the factory with some sort of protectant on the bristles, and you don't want to paint with it.
Some people work hard to not dip the brush so far into the paint that it gets into the ferrule, the crimped metal part which holds the brushes to the handle. They fear it will be impossible to get the paint out of the ferrule, and ruin the brush. Personally, I've never had this issue, and the really good painters I've seen up close are pretty abusive to their brushes and would probably laugh off such concerns.
Work Area
Now that you have minis, paint, and brushes, you'll need a work area. You'll want a well lit area - natural light works best - and hopefully one that won't be disturbed. A table under a window works well, but even a walk-in closet can be used. Like any craft area, it can get messy, so don't paint on your dining room table without laying down newspapers.
You'll want to be able to get to your paints and other supplies easily, and ample light is paramount. If you can't use daylight, use "natural" incandescent bulbs, or Ott lights if you can afford them. Ott lights closely simulate natural light, and will allow you to see the colors without bias. However, they are expensive. Fluorescent lights are the worst as they will affect how your colors look.
An illuminated magnifying lamp with a natural incandescent bulb is a good compromise of price, quality, and usefulness.
Continue to page 2 - painting, puttying, and basing.
Copyright © 2007, Hacklopedia.com. All rights reserved.
|