[Archive] Growing The Warhammer Beard

Archive [Archive] Showcase & Army Blogs
1

Obsidian Muse:

Hello one and all,

I’ve always sucked at Warhammer. Granted, I like to think I have some skill at conversions, but when it comes to painting miniatures or just playing the game, I’m terrible. And I’ve had enough of it.

The purpose of this armyblog, and a Wordpress blog called Growing The Warhammer Beard, is to point a gun at my head to actually start an army (hopefully several, but one step at a time) and to get some feedback on assembling, painting and gaming. The Wordpress site will also feature some of my musings on the hobby and the grim world of perilous adventure that is Warhammer.

But you’re here to read about armies, so let’s start with the miniatures who I’ve recently painted, namely Team Mutant.

No, that�?Ts not a pun on how badly my miniatures are painted. My miniatures are badly painted, but the name �?~Team Mutant�?T comes from the 2012 Brush Slave League. Those who participate are encouraged to enter a new team (three painted humanoid miniatures) every month. While I intend to build a Chaos Dwarf army, it has been over two years since I last attended a hobby table. As such it seemed like a good idea to use some guinea pigs for my rusty painting skills. Enter Team Mutant!



These two Mutants and the promoted Beastmen hero �?~Billy Goat�?T were the only competent members of my Possessed warband, back when I played Mordheim. What I like about Mordheim, Warhammer Skirmish and basically every kind of Warhammer warband is that I find it a great way to start a regiment from a few models. You need to look closely at what you�?Tre putting together, but if you play your cards right the members of a warband can also form up into the command and rank and file of a regiment.



But right now the subject is the bad paintjobs on these miniatures who served me so well during Mordheim battles. Granted, with two years of neglecting the paint brush and only the nine paint pots from the Hobby Starter Set they were doomed from the start, but I believe you can only learn from your mistakes if you admit them. I�?Tm already planning to buy some more paints and painting tools to make sure my next attempt at giving my miniatures some color goes smoother. Right now I have two questions which I would like to be answered. First of all, with the paints Blood Red and Sunburst Yellow I could still see the Chaos Black undercoat even after three coats. I have no idea if this is normal or not. Secondly, I had trouble steadying my hand during painting, resulting in some frustrating botches. I presume that more people have this problem, and I welcome every advice on how to rectify this in further painting attempts.

2

JonJon:

Hi

First your not terrible and don’t run yourself down it’s boring and there are plenty of people out there who will put you down don’t help them.

Second there are tutorials on line all over the place watch them.

Third this is your hobby do what you enjoy if you want to better practice

Shake up your paint before using them,trim your brushes and don’t try to finish a miniature in one sitting take your time .

Jon

3

JMR:

Hey Obsidian Muse,

Right now I have two questions which I would like to be answered. First of all, with the paints Blood Red and Sunburst Yellow I could still see the Chaos Black undercoat even after three coats. I have no idea if this is normal or not.

Obsidian Muse
There’s a couple of things I can say about this, first of all, as you probably know you can either prime your models black or white (with GW sprays anyways). Both choices have ups and downs. One of the advantages of a white primer is that it’s easier for colours to stick. I personally tend to use both primers by first spraying them fully black, and then dusting them with white when the black is dry. This seems to give me the best of both worlds.

Secondly, you might simply have to give your paint pots a good shake before using. Paints tend to “separate” giving a layer of medium on top with all the pigmentation at the bottom of the bottle. Some colours do this more than others.

Thirdly, some colours are just a pain in the ***. Yellow is one of those colours. Even on a white undercoat you usually need 2 coats to get a decent look. If you’re starting from black, you could do the first coat in a colour that comes closer to yellow, but covers better. Ochre is a good choice.

Finally, you should consider picking up GW’s Foundation paints. I’m generally very sceptical about “optimized” speciality products - I mean, it’s just paint, right? - but Foundation paints have extra pigmentation, meaning they cover much much better than regular paints. Unfortunately there’s no Foundation yellow :slight_smile:

I personally think that with just Foundation paints and washes, you can create a pretty nifty looking army. If you’re not aiming for anything beyond table-top quality painting, Foundation paints should be sufficient (along with some missing colours such as black, white and yellow.)
Secondly, I had trouble steadying my hand during painting, resulting in some frustrating botches. I presume that more people have this problem, and I welcome every advice on how to rectify this in further painting attempts.

Obsidian Muse
I can’t really help you too much with this. All I can say is that you should try to find a comfortable position for your hands and arms. Some people paint while sitting in a lazy chair, but I could never do that. Whatever suits you best, I suppose.

A couple more tips for you:

When you’re painting with a colour that doesn’t seem to cover well enough (like yellow), don’t be tempted to just apply a thick coat. Always, always paint with thin layers of paint. Let each layer dry before applying the next. Patience is a virtue.

The eyes on a model can have a really big effect on the overall look of a miniature. It can really put life and emotion in a miniature if done right, but even when it’s done slightly wrong the whole miniature tends to look weird. It’s usually better to simply leave them skin-colour instead of doing them badly. I personally don’t paint eyes most of the time.

Finally, you could consider painting an unconverted model so that you can compare it to pictures or a tutorial found on the interwebs. You seem to really enjoy converting though, so maybe you should just keep at it :slight_smile:

Sorry for the wall of text :smiley: If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

Oh, one more point actually. The internet has tons of information on how to paint and tons of pictures to draw inspiration from. Just be careful you don’t get disheartened when your models don’t turn out like all the pretty pictures. There’s some awfully talented people out there posting models on the web and comparing your own models to them can drive one crazy!

4

frostbit3:

With unsteadiness, rest your hand that is holding the paintbrush on your painting table, as if you were writing onto a piece of paper. You should have plenty of range of motion, and will be MUCH more stable.

5

Rickie:

To get stable hands while painting, I just put them together, so if one hand shakes, so does the other. And like that I can paint my model 1 inch from my nose in a really akward position… but hey it works for me =P

6

Thommy H:

Unfortunately there's no Foundation yellow
Yes, there is: Iyanden Darksun. I use it all the time! Never do yellow without it.
7

JMR:

Unfortunately there's no Foundation yellow
Yes, there is: Iyanden Darksun. I use it all the time! Never do yellow without it.


Thommy H
Yeah, I have it too, but it's not really yellow-yellow. Like, sunburst yellow. It's a bit brownish or something I think? Still, it's the Foundation paint to use if you want to work up to a bright yellow colour like Sunburst. Tausept Ochre works too.
8

Thommy H:

I wouldn’t describe it as any other colour but yellow. It’s dark, sure, but there’s no way it’s brown. That said, it has more red in it than sunburst yellow, so it doesn’t work as a base without a bit of mixing going on at some stage.

9

Kera foehunter:

sweetie don’t give up

I’m not the best player , nor the best painter nor converter of figures

I do it for fun … I had my share of disappointment

but right after one of those i find that i learn something new to help me

I say keep those 3 figure and go back in 6 months and see how you change in your skills

Kera

10

vulcanologist:

Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice!

11

dncswlf:

The only thing I’ll add to all the awesome advice already offered is try try again… experiment. You have to play with color combinations and shading techniques before you find a method that really works. That is both easy for you and makes you happy with your product. I suggest buying a bunch of figures you don’t care about… or will never really use… like those cheap plastic green army guys you can find at any dollar store… they have ample detail for getting some painting experience… and having the right brush makes a world of difference, you want something tiny if you are going to do eyes, or designs on clothes and such… ok, I said more than I thought I would… good luck… and post your progress! you can do it!

12

Red Skullz:

For me it comes down to three things:

1. Having the right brushes

I like doing it simple therefore I mainly use 4 brushes;

- wash brush

- medium drybrush

- small drybrush

- detail brush

The latter two are my main weapons of choice for normal minis.

2. Having the right paints/etc

Now having many/most/or all of the paints available is nice but not needed. Even if youve yet to get the skills and experience youre more than able to figure out what paints you need. These are the colours I have everything in:

- browns

- blues

- greens

For all other colours I only have one or at the most two pots of different shades. What I do have is plenty of inks and even dip. I would highly recommend to start off with GWs washes, primarily devlan mud and use it on the entire mini. Dont start with dip before you learn to use your washes.<br><br>3. Patience <br>As most has pointed out, pick up some minis and just go for it. If youre like me and dont have a world of cash to spend on the hobby, do it the safe way. Start with a normal unit, rear ranks and work your way forward. That way the best ones are up front where they belong since youce progressed.

I find that my painting not only on a general basis but also for the armies I paint get markedly better at the end of the army not in the beginning.

Anyways, wall of text done :wink:

Best of luck and keep us updated cause the fourth thing that helps is making a plog on a helpfull, friendly forum where people help you progress :slight_smile:

Red

13

DAGabriel:

I am not the greatest painter before the Lord myself, but let me ask you some Questions.
1: Do you aim at Tabletop gaming or do you want to learn painting better than that?
2: Why do you prime them black?
3: Do you thin your paint?
4: Do you use a palette to mix colors? Some very good painters are able to mix most of their colors themselves from only the base colors, I prefer to have most colors in at least 3 shades.

Would be helpful if you show us, tell us what you do beginning from the beginning. Meaning
Step 1 I bought Mini xyz
Step 2 I prepared it for painting by washing it, removing excess resin, filled up any bubbles…
Step 3 I decide to paint it in the following colors (a step for which i sometimes need weeks)
Step 4 I want bright colors, so i decided to prime it white (or the other way around)
Step 5 I started painting with the (face, feet, …)

14

eudaimon:

Quick tips from me:

1. As mentioned, undercoat first in black, then dust in white. OR, undercoat in white, but put down a guide layer, such as a devlan mud wash over the whole model.

2. Thin your paint. I use a homemade “wet pallette”. This keeps my paint from drying and allows me to keep the paint nice and thin. There is a guide to my homemade wet pallette in my skaven army thread here:Account Suspended Its free, and really helps.

3. Use good brushes. GW are pretty average. I use Windsor and Newton Series 7, but they are pretty expensive. It isn’t too hard to find better than GW though (less good Windsor and Newton’s for example).

4. For good results, as has been suggested, start with a foundation paint (but thinned down to at least 50% water) and then use washes over the top. Then use a highlight colour on the high points (again thinned!). Most table top quality mini’s only need 3 layers of colour, a base, a lowlight (from the wash) and a highlight.

5. Reds. I use Vallejo paint, but there is nothing wrong with Citadel at all. I start with Blazing Orange, then wash over Baal Red, Ogre Flesh and Devlan mud in the recessess. Then Blazing orange again, with a fine highlight of Fiery Orange (or Elf flesh for a real “pop”). Et Voila! Bright red without actually using a pure red paint.

6. Yellows. Most natural yellows are actually light browns (with tinges of green, believe it or not), with only a true yellow on the highlighted area. Use that in your paints. Iyandan Darksun is a great base, but so are olive colours or yellow browns such as Vermin Brown. Use this base as your lowlight, go over the mid range with yellow, then highlight with Bleached Bone.

15

azhagmorglum:

As someone said before, and it’s something I did myself too, foundation paints are really great for a starter (or someone who doesn’t like painting too much). The GW’s washes are good too. Those are the two sets I bought 3 years ago when I decided to resume painting my models.

Some things to remember with those paints and washes. Foundation paints are thicker than normal paints, so don’t forget to watered them down on a palette before painting your minis. They have a better coverage than standard paints, so usually one layer or one layer “and a half” will be sufficient, even on a black undercoat. Just practice, you’ll see they are quite easy to handle.

The washes are a gift of god, espeially devlan mud. This one could be used to shadow any colour, but in the set you have 8 different washes. The one I use the most are : badab black (metal parts), devlan mud (metal parts, skin, leather parts, wood, hair etc…), Gryphonne sepia (wood), thraka green (O&Gs skin, metal parts). The rest I use them once in a while when using the odd colour.

Anyway, the washes are excellent, and you get good results with just one pass. You can use them straight from the pot, for a heavy wash and darkening, or more or less watered down, again it will depend on what you prefer. Just test and you’ll see, the good thing is that you can’t go wrong with them !!

As for your previous question about red and yellow, they are 2 colours that have little pigment hence a bad coverage, especially above a black undercoat. You have to paint a sub-layer first of a similar colour before using them : snakebite leather for the red could work I guess (or mechrite red from the foundation range), and an ochre colour for the yellow (tau sept ochre or iyanden darksun from the foundation range are good).

To finish, about hand steadiness and stuff, well no specific advice here. Be sure to choose the right size of brush when painting a particular area. Always start from “inside” to “outside” when painting, i.e skin, then hair, then clothes, then armour and weapons, except if you’re using drybrush techniques (start by those ones).

Again, it’s all a matter of experience and practice. There are simple ways of painting quick and efficient if you don’t like to paint or don’t have too much time (again foundation paint and washes are your friends here).

Good luck !

16

cornixt:

3. Use good brushes.  GW are pretty average.  I use Windsor and Newton Series 7, but they are pretty expensive.  It isn't too hard to find better than GW though (less good Windsor and Newton's for example).

eudaimon
Any particular range? I loved the old old GW brushes, which were allegedly rebranded Winsor&Newton, before they switched to the utterly useless that died after painting a single unit. Now I have no idea what they have. Only one store near me has W&N paintbrushes but it is a bit out of the way so I don't know which ranges they have.
17

Obsidian Muse:

Note to self: next time I’m depressed, post on the Chaos Dwarfs Online forum and wait to be cheered up.

Seriously though, thank you all for your kind words. I’m still of the opinion that I’m a horrible painter, but still it’s good to see so much comforting advice. As someone with autism it can sometimes be hard for me to understand the thoughts and behaviors of other people. I couldn’t guess at how you would react to my painting skills, so I choose self-depreciation to play it safe.

I’ve been busy with writing an entry for Artisan’s Contest XII, but I do have a few Chaos Dwarfs assembled. Pictures will have to wait, since I intend to use them for the Brush Slave League. For this army blog there will be a Mordheim Daemon Engine in a week or two.

Right now however I’m busy with work and a visit to a facility specialised in sleeping disorders. Again, thank you for your advice. As for DAGabriel’s questions:

1. I aim at an painted army which will not embarrass itself.

2. Right now I only have Chaos Black undercoat. It seemed like the logical choice, since Chaos Dwarfs are not renowned for their rainbow colors. Considering the advice given here, I will buy Skull White undercoat soon.

3. Nope.

4. Again nope. I’ll have to browbeat one of my little brothers (who are both far better with their hands than I am) into providing one.

18

Bolg:

don't be tempted to just apply a thick coat. Always, always paint with thin layers of paint. Let each layer dry before applying the next. Patience is a virtue.

JMR
So many great tip already, I cant really contribute anything else...
except maybe: If waiting for paint to dry takes to long (I tend to get side tracked quite quickly) use a hairdryer to dry the model and put down the next layer. probably sound very stupid but at my painting station there is always a dryer ready and it always feels like saving oodles of time.