brotsorrow:
Hey guys i need some advice. How do you guys go about painting a block of models?
I started a unit of dwarfs with GWs and im struggling to finish them. I left the weapons off of the models so as to not obstruct painting the faces and bodies.
So i start by painting the same feature on all the models i.e. hair, cloth, armour… and keep working from bigger to smaller (the one thing i know i am going to change is painting eyes first then faces).
Do you guys have a system that works for you with larger blocks? While at work i have glued 60 stormvermin torsos and am already dreading painting these models 
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
wallacer:
Personally I just block paint the various areas in whatever colour I want them, put an appropriate ink wash over them, then reapply the base as a highlight and then a lighter shade of the base for fine highlighting.
Bolg:
Work on 4-5 models at a time max, or else it gets boring, reward yourself with cool models (command group etc) when the unit is almost done.
Oh and listen to the TV on the background (i’ve listened to entire series while painting, most series are to crappy to give your full attention but are nice background noises.)
brotsorrow:
Hey guys i need some advice. How do you guys go about painting a block of models?
I started a unit of dwarfs with GWs and im struggling to finish them. I left the weapons off of the models so as to not obstruct painting the faces and bodies.
So i start by painting the same feature on all the models i.e. hair, cloth, armour… and keep working from bigger to smaller (the one thing i know i am going to change is painting eyes first then faces).
Do you guys have a system that works for you with larger blocks? While at work i have glued 60 stormvermin torsos and am already dreading painting these models
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Grimstonefire:
I work pretty much the same as Bolg.
Blocks of 5 or so, but with a command model every 5 etc to break it up.
Put a music CD on and don’t stop painting until it’s finished!
Painting my 60 or so clanrats was certainly a new experience for me, I’ve never painted hordes that size before.
Thommy H:
Yeah, a few at a time unless it’s a really, really easy process (like an all over drybrush or something). I can handle 30 Zombies in one go, but anything more complex needs to be broken down a bit.
Baggronor:
I do all the basecoats first, every section of the model - that way they start to look more complete early on and it’s not so depressing.
I usually paint in blocks of 15 to 20. Less for Elves, more for Undead, for obvious reasons 
I paint the bases first too, as it’s messy.
Also, some colours can share washes, so this is something to bear in mind (that probably provoked a gasp of disapproval from the real painters on the site ;)).
Bassman:
Big blocks of infantry are always intimidating.
I do normally model them, glue to bases and prime them all togehter.
Then I start to paint skin parts. Painting heavily armored troopers like Dwarfs I work at this stage with 20-25 at time. You just have to paint faces and, sometimes, hands.
Then go with armor and clothes, finally weapons.
To make this part less tedious I paint smaller blocks per time, like 10-15…
It’a a good idea to leave command troppers and front rank at last or when you are slowing runnin out of steam.
Washes help a lot to speed up and new GW washes are great and you cna get good results.
MLP:
I always have a series to watch in the background, I can paint for hours with something half decent on in the background.
I normally paint in blocks of about 5 in a large unit. I will paint a single model on it’s own to get the colours and feel right and then do the front rank working back, mainly because the more I do of one unit the worse my painting gets!
If I do find I’m not enjoying painting a unit I’ll stop and paint something else, or paint single models in that unit one a day or something.
I find for largeunits using an undercoat of the main colour is better than black/white. For Goblins use dark green undercoat for example. Or for a heavily armoured model Spray black then drybrush the whole model in a metallic basecoat.
theforgefather:
Try airbrushing them, then re-do the details with your brush.
I personally haven’t done this, but I have heard good things about it…
Bolg:
...Also, some colours can share washes, so this is something to bear in mind...
Baggronor
Jup I always work like this, now even more since i've discovered Devlin Mud (new name: Earth shade). This ink/shade is better than my own mix of black and brown.
Oh and once I had to finish a painting quickly and I listened to 8episodes of Carl Segan's Cosmos (more than an hour per episode) that sow is awesome. (and is freely available om youtube in one piece)
Grimstonefire:
How similar is the earth shade to devlan mud?
Bolg:
I wouldnt know… I want to know… but I dont S:
I just remembered the new name…
Admiral:
I do all the basecoats first, every section of the model - that way they start to look more complete early on and it's not so depressing.
I usually paint in blocks of 15 to 20. Less for Elves, more for Undead, for obvious reasons :)
I paint the bases first too, as it's messy.
Also, some colours can share washes, so this is something to bear in mind (that probably provoked a gasp of disapproval from the real painters on the site ;)).
Baggronor
This is true for me as well, except I usually paint in groups of 5. I'm not a horde painter, although I'm learning to be one. Those 30 Royal Guards will require some mass-painting skills. :D
I'll stress one point: Glue the sand to the bases
before painting. This makes the sand somewhat stronger attached to the base, and saves a lot of awkwardness compared to gluing the sand to the base after painting. Assembly of units is not complete before the sand and PVA glue has finished drying.
After the basecoats are done (and this usually includes a lot of highlighting before washes), it's all downhill and wonders ahead.
As a rule I complete all freehand designs, akin to tattoos or shield motifs, before washes, since the washes help bind these into the surrounding areas. Washes make painting easy, and when they're applied, all that's left are details like eyes or jewels. As for washes, do the black and coloured (green, blue, red, purple) washes first, since spills from these to the wrong areas will need repainting. More neutral, or at least universally useful browner washes rarely cause this kind of issue, so do the brown washes last.
I usually listen to musical play lists or historical/popular-scientiftic programs whilst painting. I don't need to treat myself with special characters or monsters, although some conversions or sculpted details amongst the rank-and-filers help to keep up interest in painting. That way, you want to find out how well it turned out and you also appreciate the variety.
brotsorrow:
Thanks a lot guys. I think i am going to paint in smaller blocks and see how this works with me. I won’t change my current process for the dwarfs that i am doing, but my painting wrath will be felt by 60 hobgoblins!!!
Ghrask Dragh:
Same as above for me too, I used to do blocks of 5 together with rewards to break them up.
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve gone all the way through the Futurama series (even with commentery too). These days it’s The Big Bang Theory thats on in the background
Hashut’s Blessing:
A good trick to combine with a handful at a time - remove any you’re not working on or have finished: then place finished ones in front of you. Then you can be inspired by the ones done and not have to think of the ones yet to be done.
brotsorrow:
A good trick to combine with a handful at a time - remove any you're not working on or have finished: then place finished ones in front of you. Then you can be inspired by the ones done and not have to think of the ones yet to be done.
Hashut's Blessing
That's exactly whats been working for me. I went into my "dwarf glass case" and pulled out my BSB that will be in the unit with these guys :)
As for shows that everyone has been mentioning - its been a lot of NHL playoffs, Blue Jays games, or the f&%$#@ Gunners (can they just win a match?). I used to be a fan of listening to music, but i lost my hard drive a while back and have never been motivated to put my CDs back on my computer :p
sirrah:
I paint in blocks of 5 or so, quickly becoming bored and rotating between the 5 or so armies it has taken me 5 or so years to get very nearly nowhere with. I feel this is a tried and tested method of painting, and recommend it wholeheartedly.