If you have followed all of the previous articles, you already know everything you need to paint your first miniature. Today's article is going to break down the various stages of the process, from purchasing the miniature to making it suitable for play or display.
Start Simple
If you're eager to get out there and buy some awesome, impressive model to try out your new-found skills, I applaud your enthusiasm. But I'd recommend you try something less complex first, until you have some experience and practice with the techniques. For our first Learn To Paint article (coming soon), I will be walking you through painting a basic Space Marine tactical trooper.
Trying to paint something with lots of fiddly little details the first time out can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction with the end result. If you've already bought some paints, good brushes and hobby tools, you've invested some money in this hobby. It would be unfortunate for your first efforts to lead to discouragement.
That said, don't feel too bad about what you do when you are just starting out! Nobody puts out studio-quality work on their first attempts (most of us can't do it after decades in the hobby). Even the greatest miniature painters have spent many years and thousands of hours perfecting their techniques.
No matter how far you come in this hobby, don't ever stop learning. Being open to new ideas, new methods and refinements of your technique will help you to continually improve. Even though I now write a painting blog, I still visit other blogs and forums and watch a lot of videos from people who get better results than me. I want to learn how they do it - and after I learn how to do it myself, I want to share it with others. It's an ongoing process of learning and growth, and it can yield immense satisfaction when you look at your latest work next to your previous work and see the difference.
A very important thing to remember: At some point in the painting of any given miniature, you may look at it in disgust and wonder why you want to bother to finish it. This is natural. Even after all these years, it happens to me on a regular basis. It's like remodelling a house - midway through the process, it looks like a mess. Remember that intermediate steps are not indicative of the finished result. Take a little time away from the piece if you must, and when you're ready to tackle it again, soldier on through it! If you do everything with care and patience, in the end you will have a miniature you can be proud of.
Cleaning and Assembly
So now, you have purchased your first miniature and you're ready to get started. We covered this process in "Preparing And Assembling Your Model" (01/28/15). Be sure to wash the mold release agents off of the miniature before you begin. Pay close attention to mold lines - areas like the sides of the head, shoulders, knees and hands are often easily missed. Scrape, sand and file these away as necessary.
If your mini is a multi-part model, glue it together and allow time for it to dry before you continue. You will want to make sure you can handle it during painting without spoiling your work, so glue it to a base or secure it in some other fashion. Some hobbyists pin the feet and then stick the mini into a cork or an alligator clip (XActo makes a "Helping Hands" workstation with clips and a magnifier). However you do it, make sure you don't need to touch the parts you're painting.
Undercoat the Miniature
Now that your model is cleaned, assembled and dry, apply a spray or brush on undercoat to prime the figure for painting. This process was covered in "Choosing and Using the Right Paints: Part Three - Primer" (01/29/15). Remember to apply thin coats of primer so as not to obscure detail, and if using a spray primer, be sure the weather outside is neither too hot nor too cold, neither too dry nor too humid, and not windy. Yes, optimal conditions for spraying primer (or topcoat) are very fussy - this is why a good brush-on product is the better choice.
For best results, remember to select an undercoat color that is appropriate to the colors you will be using on the model, and the desired effect. Black undercoats yield a more shaded, muted end result; white undercoats yield a brighter end product but may be harder to cover with colors like yellow or red. If a primer exists in the main color of your base coat, you will save some time in that step as well.
Wash Your Hands!
This is a recommendation that applies through every step of the process. The natural oils on your skin can leave fingerprints on the model, and if you paint over those areas, the finish will be affected. You also may have dust and flecks of plastic or metal on your fingers from cleaning a model, and you don't want that getting on or into your nice paint job.
It's quite likely you will get paint on your fingers when working on a miniature or from opening paint jars. Be careful - nothing spoils a great job like a paint smudge or fingerprint in another color, where it doesn't belong. Check and wash your hands often. Some painters wear rubber or nitrile examination gloves when working, to avoid fingerprints and for quick cleanup.
Stirring is Better Than Shaking
This is not James Bond's martini. You want to make sure your paint is evenly mixed in the bottle or pot before working with it. The pigment and binder have a tendency to naturally separate between uses, and so you'll have a thicker mix at the bottom and a watery liquid near the top.
The reason you want to mix your paints by stirring instead of shaking is simple: When you shake any liquid, air bubbles are introduced into the mix. You may notice with some washes or shades that there is a foam at the top of the pot after shaking. If you must shake a paint, wait for the bubbles to settle before you begin using the color.
If you are using dropper bottles, you usually won't be able to stir (unless you take off the nozzle, for instance when doing paint maintenance). Some people take off the nozzle and drop one or two BB's into each dropper bottle before using, to improve agitation and mixing when shaking. If you choose to do this, be sure to use something that won't interact with the paint or clog your nozzle.,
For flip-top or screw-off paint pots, stir with the handle of an old brush or anything of similar dimensions. You may feel a little resistance at first as your stirrer moves through the thicker part at the bottom. Continue to stir thoroughly until the paint is of an even consistency and color.
Remember to Thin
To achieve a uniform finish without brush marks and to preserve fine detail, remember that several thin coats are better than one thick one. This will also help you to build up color in desired areas without making the surface look like it's bee covered in paint. Be sure the consistency is even and remember that paints that are too thin will flow messily. You don't want your basecoat or layers to be as thin as a wash or glaze.
Apply Basecoat
Apply each of the principal, underlying colors to the appropriate areas of the model. For instance, when painting a Space Wolf, apply a thin coat of fleshtone to the face and any other exposed areas such as hands or arms; basecoat the weapons and flex joints in black; paint the armored areas in a blue grey; basecoat the areas that will be fur, bone or gold in a brown; and paint the shoulder pad, hair and other parts accordingly.
You will want to use a somewhat larger brush when basecoating the model. Many painters use a Size 1 or 2 brush for much of their basecoating. Citadel brushes are named according to their intended purpose, and if you are using a P3 brush, the Base Hobby Brush is probably the right size for most of your basecoating purposes.
The best way to go about basecoating is to use the "inside to outside" method. Paint the skin and hair, then the clothing, then the armor and finally the equipment. This will help to ensure that any mistakes you make by overpainting will be covered by the basecoat for the next area. However, sometimes you may wish to basecoat other areas first, if you know that your technique for shading or highlighting might spoil another area you have already painted. Some painters will apply basecoat, shading, layers and highlighting to an entire area before working on other parts. It depends on the miniature and your desired effect.
Apply Shading and Washes
Once the base coats are all dry, now you will want to shade the model to bring out the darker areas and recesses and to highlight detail. You will want to use a larger brush that's devoted specifically to this purpose, as washes can ruin the point of your good brushes much more rapidly. Citadel makes a Wash Brush, or you can use another Base Hobby Brush or a brush of a similar size. These don't need to be your expensive Kolinsky brushes, but you'll still want a brush with good natural bristles that don't come out when working.
The easiest way to do this is to apply a Citadel Shade or another brand of ink wash. The most versatile and effective products I've used for this purpose are Army Painter's Quick Tone line - particularly Soft Tone, Strong Tone and Dark Tone. Soft tone yields a sort of sepia effect and is good for skin and a slightly muted but richer effect on bright colors. Strong Tone is like Citadel's Devlan Mud or Agrax Earthshade (only better!) - it brings out details and relief when used on the entire model, and is ideal for hair, fur, leather, bone, and more weathered skin. Strong Tone or an equivalent will probably be your most-used shading product. Finally, Dark Tone is a black wash that yields the highest contrast and relief. It is ideal for armor panels, weapons, joints and other areas where you want a really dark effect.
Citadel makes a wide variety of shade washes, as do other brands like Vallejo and Army Painter. Depending on the model, you may find a wash that is ideal for your base colors. Take care to let the shade on each area dry completely before applying a different shade to another area, or else you may find that the washes run together and ruin the effect.
The most advanced painters will often use a thinned-down paint of a darker tone to shade each area, applying shading precisely with a brush rather than over an entire area with a wash. This is a more time-consuming process requiring greater patience, but the results are the best! Regardless of the method you use, take care to apply the shade carefully to the desired areas. You won't usually slather the entire model with a wash or "dip", because that just makes it harder to tidy up areas that don't need shading. When thinning colors for shades or washes, use a transparent medium (like Citadel's Lahmian Medium) whenever possible. An opaque thinner like AV Thinner can affect the color, while water may affect the flow and self-levelling characteristics you desire in a wash.
Applying Layers
Once your shades have had ample time to dry completely, tidy up the model by carefully reapplying basecoat colors to areas where shade may have gone unwanted. When you have done this, your model should have a neat appearance, with shading only in intended areas. The ideal brush for layering is a Size 0 brush, Citadel Standard (or Detail) brush, or a P3 Work Studio Brush.
Now you can begin to build up the desired colors and natural highlighting by applying one or more layers to each area. Your paint can be somewhat thinner than your base coats, as you'll be building on the existing colors with more translucent layers. Most paint lines have complementary tones for basecoats, shading and highlighting. Some advanced painters will mix bit by bit to build up the desried finish, but you can achieve great results simply by using the right choice of colors at this stage. Take care not to get your layer colors onto adjacent sections or into shaded areas. What you are doing at this stage is helping to build a natural progression from areas of shade toward highlights.
A good example of layering is when painting faces - you might start with a deeper or more ruddy base coat, shading it with Flesh Wash, and then layering the cheeks, nose, forehead, chin and ears with a slightly lighter tone before proceeding to highlight the very edges of those areas.
Highlighting and Drybrushing
Again, allow your final layers to dry before proceeding. Now you will apply highlighting to the most raised or well-lighted areas of your figure. The simplest way to do this is by drybrushing. You usually do not need to thin your paints when performing this technique, and you will certainly not want to use a good brush to do this. Many brush lines have a specific drybrush in various sizes, or you can use a brush that's lost its ability to hold a tip.
To drybrush, dip your brush partway into the desired highlight color and then wipe most of it off onto a paper towel. You want your brush to be very dry so that the paint does not flow from the bristles, but rather clings only to the most raised areas of the model's surface. Drag or flick the brush lightly along the area to be highlighted. You will notice the color is deposited only on the raised surfaces. You may want to do a second, lighter drybrush highlight with a lighter color - in this case, you don't usually need to rinse the brush between these steps - but be sure to wash it thoroughly when done, because paint really gets up into the bristles.
Drybrushing is an easy and effective method to bring out highlights, but it can cause your miniature to have a sort of "chalky" finish to it. After drybrushing, you may want to tidy up some spots with your previous layer color, or apply a wash or glaze to unify the finish. We will talk more about that in the next step.
As your skill increases, you may find yourself doing drybrushed highlights less often, and instead preferring to paint highlights carefully onto the model directly. Some areas like mail armor, fur, or weapons are always easier just to drybrush, but the edges of armor plates or the features of a face look much better with edge highlighting.
This requires a finer brush and much thinner consistency of paint, as well as a careful hand - but the results look much nicer than a drybrush highlight. An ideal brush would be a size 00 (sometimes called 2/0), Citadel Fine Detail Brush or P3 Fine Studio Brush. Just load a little of your thinned paint onto the brush and carefully draw the edge (not the tip) along the area to be highlighted. Done properly, the effect is fantastic! Citadel makes a small line of Edge paints for this purpose - I have found Blue Horror to be the perfect color for edge highlighting my Space Wolves.
Apply Glaze or Wash (optional)
Especially if you have used drybrushing to highlight an area, you may find that the result looks a bit "chalky" and unnatural. Or, you may just desire a richer, more vibrant color to unify a look or to bring out the best results on surfaces that are supposed to look like cloth. In these cases, use a glaze of the desired primary or secondary color appropriate to the colors beneath. This glaze is much thinner than the washes you may have used for shading, and should be an almost transparent application of color. Thin with Lahmian Medium or other transparent medium, or carefully with water. Be sure to allow each color to dry fully before glazing an adjacent area.
Apply a Protective Topcoat
Once you have finished painting your model, you will want to seal it with a clear varnish to ensure that your hard work is protected from chips, wear, and the inevitable handling it will encounter on the tabletop. Depending on how you base your model, you may do this step before or after finishing the model's base. If you are using ballast and rocks (or Citadel Texture for lower-quality line troops), you can topcoat the model after the base is done. If using flock, static grass, tufts or other similar product, seal it beforehand so as not to affect the look of the base.
If the weather is favorable, you may wish to apply a spray topcoat. Be sure that the product you are using is suitable for acrylic paints and be sure not to apply it too heavily. As with primer, you want a thin and uniform coating. Whether you use gloss, satin or matte varnish is a matter of personal preference - gloss varnish is more durable for models that will be handled extensively, but on most areas the finish does not look natural (and it photographs poorly). Matte varnish looks more natural, but may make some areas look dull. A satin varnish may be the best of both worlds, depending on the look you are aiming for. Most of the major hobby paint brands also manufacture a clear spray varnish in one or more types of luster.
When using a spray topcoat, it is extremely important that you are mindful of heat and humidity. If it's too hot or dry outside, the varnish will dry with a granular look. Too cold, and it will run. More importantly, humidity is the enemy of clearcoats. Spray when it's too muggy outside, and you'll find all of your hard work is now encased in a kind of cloudy layer of varnish. It's possible to rehabilitate these afflicted models in various ways, but the best advice is not to spray when the weather isn't right - or, better yet, to avoid spray varnish at all (until you have more experience).
If weather conditions are not favorable for spraying, or if you want different levels of shine on different areas of a model, you might want to consider a brush-on clearcoat. Citadel makes a 'Ardcoat varnish, and most other brands have a comparable product, but I am partial to Vallejo acrylic varnishes. I keep one of each type on hand to be sure I always have the desired result. As with shade washes or glazes, make sure each area is fully dry before applying varnish of a different luster to an adjacent area - and be extremely careful not to handle the figure until it's fully dry, or you will get fingerprints in the topcoat.
SUMMARY
If you've followed these steps carefully and patiently, you should have your first fully painted miniature, ready to play or display proudly. Even if you've done some painting before, you may find that your results are better than anything you've ever done before! Just remember - you can paint miniatures, and you can do it well. The secret ingredients are patience and careful application. The former comes from the proper state of mind, the latter is the inevitable result of experience and attention. If you take pride in your work and adopt a professional approach, you'll get results far better than you ever have before - and your armies will be the envy of your opponents when they face you across the table.
Do not underestimate the psychological benefit of a better-painted army. You may find that you play better than your opponent, whose models are hastily painted or not painted at all. They will feel less secure when facing your beautiful miniatures, and you will be more confident. It may sound crazy to say that a better-painted army is more likely to be victorious, but it can give you the edge you need to achieve victory!
Next week, we will do a step-by-step beginner's painting tutorial. I had planned on using the Space Marine Paint Set. This kit contains small pots of 10 colors, a brush, and three Space Marines for you to practice on. However, the kit at the local hobby store was unsuitable - the paint appeared dried up in some of the containers, and seemed to be leaking out of another. So... I'm not sure I'd recommend it as a "getting started" purchase. I'll see if I can't find something more suitable, but either way we'll do a step-by-step guide, and a list of what paints to use. The tutorial will be accompanied by a list of other things you might need for best results, and pictures of each step in the process. Stay Tuned!
Spetsnaz Command Headquarters
Spetsnaz Heroes and Command Squad for DUST 1947
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Friday, January 30, 2015
CHOOSING (AND USING) THE RIGHT PAINTS: PART FOUR - Consistency and Flow
Up to this point, we have discussed everything needed to get started in painting miniatures. We talked about the best brushes to use, the preferred types and brands of paints for best results, the tools you will need to assemble and prepare your models, and priming a figure that's been assembled and cleaned up.
Now, after a week of preliminary articles, we can get down to the main event - painting a miniature. But let's not be hasty - patience and knowledge are our allies in doing the best work possible. Before dunking your brush in a paint pot and spreading it over the figure, let's talk about the best ways to ensure that your paint has the proper consistency to flow correctly off your brush, and how to keep those expensive brushes lasting as long as possible.
Rule One: Do Not Paint Directly From The Pot!
This is advice you may have heard before, though you may not know the reasons why experienced painters repeat it so often. Actually, there are two important reasons, so let's talk a bit about each of them.
First of all, if you dunk your brush right into the pot, you run the risk of getting paint up into and under the ferrule. This can cause the bristles to splay, meaning you lose that nice tip and the ability to precisely apply paint to the miniature. You'll need to clean your brushes more often and probably more aggressively if you habitually do this, which can drastically reduce the lifespan of the brushes. This is inadvisable because a good brush is your most important tool and your most expensive investment. You don't want to be laying out that kind of money for new brushes every week or even every month if it can be avoided.
Get yourself a palette for your paint. If you have a brush tub like the kind featured in "Having the Right Materials", the inside of the lid is the perfect palette. You can use any flat, non-porous surface, but I prefer the kind that have dimples to keep colors from flowing into others, and a larger central area for those times you do want to blend.
If you're using paint in dropper bottles (like the AV Game Colors), just add a few drops to one of the dimples. You don't need a lot, and we'll see why in a moment. If you're using traditional paint pots, transfer the paint from the jar to the palette with a large brush or a pipette. I have an old eyedropper from a medicine bottle that works fine - but a glass one is easier to clean than a plastic one.
If you use a dropper, take care not to draw in so much paint that it enters the rubber bulb - otherwise you'll need to take it apart to clean it. Regardless of whether you use a dropper or a large brush to transfer paint, be sure to clean it thoroughly and immediately. Otherwise you run the risk of contaminating your paints with other colors.
The other reason you don't want to paint directly from the pot is that the paint in the pot is almost certainly too thick to ensure good flow from the brush and an even consistency to the coat. Experienced painters may thin the paint right in the pot to ensure it has the right consistency, but until you get the hang of the right mix, it's more advisable to thin it a little bit at a time on the palette. If you thin it too much, you've only wasted a few drops - but if you overthin it in the pot, you'll be buying a new jar. This leads us to the next rule...
Rule Two: Thin your Paints. Thin Your Paints, Thin Your Paints!
I said it three times because it bears repeating. I have never, in all my years in this hobby, found a paint that is of the right consistency straight out of the bottle. The main thing we want to achieve by thinning our paints, is to ensure that the paint is not drying on the brush before we have the opportunity to apply it properly to the model. If you don't thin your paints, they will not flow properly from the brush, which will make it difficult to apply it precisely to the model and can lead to an uneven application and brush marks.
You don't want the model to look like it's covered in paint, you want it to look like that's the color it was made of in the first place. The best way to ensure a convincing and appealing finish is to apply the paint in several thin coats, building up the color without obscuring the detail. That's a very important thing to remember:
Several thin coats of paint will give better results than one thick coat. Of the preferred brands we discussed in Part Two of this series, Formula P3 is the hands-down winner for thinning. The liquid pigment ensures that the color remains uniform, without separation or loss of brightness. This also makes them excellent as glazes or washes, which will be covered in a later intermediate article.
Let's take a moment to talk about the various things we might use to thin our paints. The first (and most commonly used) thinner is water. It's easy to get and is basically free. But it's not the best choice in many situations. Tap water can contain impurities and may be too "hard" for painting, but water from a softener still contains sodium. If you choose to use water for thinning, I would recommend distilled water or purified bottled water. A little bit goes a long way, so the expense is still almost negligible. Some paint brands thin better with water than others - Formula P3 being the most notable winner in this case.
The other commonly-available household thinner is isopropyl alcohol. I would advise against using this to thin your paints for a couple of reasons. Alcohol is a volatile solution, and thus you will find that paints thinned with it may dry more rapidly . This may be an effect sought by advanced painters in certain situations, but the whole point of this article is about keeping paint from drying too fast. You probably will not find that flow is improved in paints thinned with alcohol. Aside from thinning paints for use in an airbrush, the only time I have used it is when trying to rehabilitate a pot of paint that has started to thicken into a gel. Also, as mentioned in the article on brushes, cleaning a brush with alcohol is not recommended. It can strip the natural preservatives from the sable hairs and may dissolve the glue binding the bristles together in the ferrule.
There are many commercial products that are excellent for thinning. Vallejo makes a liquid thinner that is excellent for this purpose. It is available in a standard 17ml dropper bottle and in a larger size as well. It is what I used to use most commonly, before I developed my own formula for thinner (which I will cover in a later article). However, it is a white liquid - while it does not change the color of the paint when dry, it can make your paint look like a different shade on the palette. If you keep this in mind and trust that the results will be correct, it is an excellent choice. If you are thinning inks or glazes, however, you are better off using water or a transparent medium.
Another great choice is Citadel's Lahmian Medium (also sold as 'Eavy Metal Medium). This is a clear liquid that is designed for thinning paints, inks, glazes and washes. It can also be used to prepare a surface for transfers, but we won't be talking about that any time soon. It's a good choice if you want to use your opaque colors make washes or glazes. Using a medium will allow you to thin a wash to reduce the intensity of the color without affecting its flow characteristics the way that water would. We will talk more about that in an upcoming article about glazes, washes, and inks. If you can find this product, give it a try!
Other choices to investigate are those products known as "flow improvers", "extenders" or "retarders". You will find these manufactured by various companies such as Liquitex, Vallejo, Winsor & Newton, and others. Be sure you are selecting a product designed for use with acrylic paints. Flow improvers work pretty much as the name suggests - improving how the paint flows from the brush and on the surface. Extenders and retarders increase the working time available, allowing for blending and other special techniques . All of these products have one common characteristic - they mean the paint will take longer to dry. Keep this in mind when handling your model.
Are there any times I don't want to thin my paints?
Yes, in fact, there are several applications for which thinning the paint may not be recommended. First of all, you should not need to thin your primer - if you do, I'd say that you're using the wrong kind of primer! The AV Surface Primer does not need dilution to apply a thin, uniform coat.
Another application that works best with un-thinned paints is drybrushing, which we will discuss in further detail in an upcoming article. For now, it's important to note that when drybrushing, you don't want the paint to flow off the brush in the same way as you would when applying base coats, layers, or edge highlights.
Generally speaking, you will not usually want to dilute a commercially available wash or glaze. Citadel Shades already have the proper consistency to settle in the recesses of a model, and glazes lose some of their color saturation and brilliance when thinned. If you want the same effects, but less color, be sure to use a transparent medium to thin these paints, instead of something like the AV Thinner.
How much should I thin my paints?That's a question that does not have a "one size fits all" kind of answer. Generally speaking, you want to thin the paint until it has the consistency of milk. This will give it enough viscosity to stay where you apply it, without going on too thick.
Depending on the paint and the kind of thinner you are using, you should aim for a 1-to-1 ratio of paint to thinner. Until you have some experience working with thinned paints, I suggest trying this out on a miniature that you don't care too much about. Paints that are thinned too much will flow all over the model, ruining it and defeating the purpose of thinning the paint, which is to provide an even and controlled application. Sometimes, I'll touch the tip of the brush lightly to a paper towel after loading it - excess moisture will be wicked away while the paint remains in the bristles.
Rule Three: Don't overload your brush.
Once you have your paint thinned to the proper consistency, take care in loading the brush with paint. Don't mash it straight down into the mix - draw it gently into the paint until it flows about halfway up the bristles. You want enough paint in the belly of the brush, but you never want to get paint up into or under the ferrule.
Having properly loaded your brush, apply the paint to the desired surface by holding the brush at an angle and drawing the tip gently along the area to be painted. Again, you don't want to "scrub" or mash the brush down. Let capillary action do the work for you - this will result in a more precise and even coat of paint.
SUMMARY
So now you know the essentials of preparing your paint to the proper consistency so that it will flow onto and off of the brush properly, without going on too thick and without drying on the brush too rapidly. That concludes our introductory series on choosing and using the right paints.
If you've followed along with the daily articles, you should now be ready to begin painting! Upcoming articles will examine the step-by-step process of painting an individual miniature from start to finish. This process will be broken down into in-depth examinations of basecoating, shading, layers, highlighting and glazes, and sealing the finished miniature to protect all of your careful work. Thanks for reading!
Now, after a week of preliminary articles, we can get down to the main event - painting a miniature. But let's not be hasty - patience and knowledge are our allies in doing the best work possible. Before dunking your brush in a paint pot and spreading it over the figure, let's talk about the best ways to ensure that your paint has the proper consistency to flow correctly off your brush, and how to keep those expensive brushes lasting as long as possible.
Rule One: Do Not Paint Directly From The Pot!
This is advice you may have heard before, though you may not know the reasons why experienced painters repeat it so often. Actually, there are two important reasons, so let's talk a bit about each of them.
First of all, if you dunk your brush right into the pot, you run the risk of getting paint up into and under the ferrule. This can cause the bristles to splay, meaning you lose that nice tip and the ability to precisely apply paint to the miniature. You'll need to clean your brushes more often and probably more aggressively if you habitually do this, which can drastically reduce the lifespan of the brushes. This is inadvisable because a good brush is your most important tool and your most expensive investment. You don't want to be laying out that kind of money for new brushes every week or even every month if it can be avoided.
Get yourself a palette for your paint. If you have a brush tub like the kind featured in "Having the Right Materials", the inside of the lid is the perfect palette. You can use any flat, non-porous surface, but I prefer the kind that have dimples to keep colors from flowing into others, and a larger central area for those times you do want to blend.
If you're using paint in dropper bottles (like the AV Game Colors), just add a few drops to one of the dimples. You don't need a lot, and we'll see why in a moment. If you're using traditional paint pots, transfer the paint from the jar to the palette with a large brush or a pipette. I have an old eyedropper from a medicine bottle that works fine - but a glass one is easier to clean than a plastic one.
If you use a dropper, take care not to draw in so much paint that it enters the rubber bulb - otherwise you'll need to take it apart to clean it. Regardless of whether you use a dropper or a large brush to transfer paint, be sure to clean it thoroughly and immediately. Otherwise you run the risk of contaminating your paints with other colors.
The other reason you don't want to paint directly from the pot is that the paint in the pot is almost certainly too thick to ensure good flow from the brush and an even consistency to the coat. Experienced painters may thin the paint right in the pot to ensure it has the right consistency, but until you get the hang of the right mix, it's more advisable to thin it a little bit at a time on the palette. If you thin it too much, you've only wasted a few drops - but if you overthin it in the pot, you'll be buying a new jar. This leads us to the next rule...
Rule Two: Thin your Paints. Thin Your Paints, Thin Your Paints!
I said it three times because it bears repeating. I have never, in all my years in this hobby, found a paint that is of the right consistency straight out of the bottle. The main thing we want to achieve by thinning our paints, is to ensure that the paint is not drying on the brush before we have the opportunity to apply it properly to the model. If you don't thin your paints, they will not flow properly from the brush, which will make it difficult to apply it precisely to the model and can lead to an uneven application and brush marks.
You don't want the model to look like it's covered in paint, you want it to look like that's the color it was made of in the first place. The best way to ensure a convincing and appealing finish is to apply the paint in several thin coats, building up the color without obscuring the detail. That's a very important thing to remember:
Several thin coats of paint will give better results than one thick coat. Of the preferred brands we discussed in Part Two of this series, Formula P3 is the hands-down winner for thinning. The liquid pigment ensures that the color remains uniform, without separation or loss of brightness. This also makes them excellent as glazes or washes, which will be covered in a later intermediate article.
Let's take a moment to talk about the various things we might use to thin our paints. The first (and most commonly used) thinner is water. It's easy to get and is basically free. But it's not the best choice in many situations. Tap water can contain impurities and may be too "hard" for painting, but water from a softener still contains sodium. If you choose to use water for thinning, I would recommend distilled water or purified bottled water. A little bit goes a long way, so the expense is still almost negligible. Some paint brands thin better with water than others - Formula P3 being the most notable winner in this case.
The other commonly-available household thinner is isopropyl alcohol. I would advise against using this to thin your paints for a couple of reasons. Alcohol is a volatile solution, and thus you will find that paints thinned with it may dry more rapidly . This may be an effect sought by advanced painters in certain situations, but the whole point of this article is about keeping paint from drying too fast. You probably will not find that flow is improved in paints thinned with alcohol. Aside from thinning paints for use in an airbrush, the only time I have used it is when trying to rehabilitate a pot of paint that has started to thicken into a gel. Also, as mentioned in the article on brushes, cleaning a brush with alcohol is not recommended. It can strip the natural preservatives from the sable hairs and may dissolve the glue binding the bristles together in the ferrule.
There are many commercial products that are excellent for thinning. Vallejo makes a liquid thinner that is excellent for this purpose. It is available in a standard 17ml dropper bottle and in a larger size as well. It is what I used to use most commonly, before I developed my own formula for thinner (which I will cover in a later article). However, it is a white liquid - while it does not change the color of the paint when dry, it can make your paint look like a different shade on the palette. If you keep this in mind and trust that the results will be correct, it is an excellent choice. If you are thinning inks or glazes, however, you are better off using water or a transparent medium.
Another great choice is Citadel's Lahmian Medium (also sold as 'Eavy Metal Medium). This is a clear liquid that is designed for thinning paints, inks, glazes and washes. It can also be used to prepare a surface for transfers, but we won't be talking about that any time soon. It's a good choice if you want to use your opaque colors make washes or glazes. Using a medium will allow you to thin a wash to reduce the intensity of the color without affecting its flow characteristics the way that water would. We will talk more about that in an upcoming article about glazes, washes, and inks. If you can find this product, give it a try!
Other choices to investigate are those products known as "flow improvers", "extenders" or "retarders". You will find these manufactured by various companies such as Liquitex, Vallejo, Winsor & Newton, and others. Be sure you are selecting a product designed for use with acrylic paints. Flow improvers work pretty much as the name suggests - improving how the paint flows from the brush and on the surface. Extenders and retarders increase the working time available, allowing for blending and other special techniques . All of these products have one common characteristic - they mean the paint will take longer to dry. Keep this in mind when handling your model.
Are there any times I don't want to thin my paints?
Yes, in fact, there are several applications for which thinning the paint may not be recommended. First of all, you should not need to thin your primer - if you do, I'd say that you're using the wrong kind of primer! The AV Surface Primer does not need dilution to apply a thin, uniform coat.
Another application that works best with un-thinned paints is drybrushing, which we will discuss in further detail in an upcoming article. For now, it's important to note that when drybrushing, you don't want the paint to flow off the brush in the same way as you would when applying base coats, layers, or edge highlights.
Generally speaking, you will not usually want to dilute a commercially available wash or glaze. Citadel Shades already have the proper consistency to settle in the recesses of a model, and glazes lose some of their color saturation and brilliance when thinned. If you want the same effects, but less color, be sure to use a transparent medium to thin these paints, instead of something like the AV Thinner.
How much should I thin my paints?That's a question that does not have a "one size fits all" kind of answer. Generally speaking, you want to thin the paint until it has the consistency of milk. This will give it enough viscosity to stay where you apply it, without going on too thick.
Depending on the paint and the kind of thinner you are using, you should aim for a 1-to-1 ratio of paint to thinner. Until you have some experience working with thinned paints, I suggest trying this out on a miniature that you don't care too much about. Paints that are thinned too much will flow all over the model, ruining it and defeating the purpose of thinning the paint, which is to provide an even and controlled application. Sometimes, I'll touch the tip of the brush lightly to a paper towel after loading it - excess moisture will be wicked away while the paint remains in the bristles.
Rule Three: Don't overload your brush.
Once you have your paint thinned to the proper consistency, take care in loading the brush with paint. Don't mash it straight down into the mix - draw it gently into the paint until it flows about halfway up the bristles. You want enough paint in the belly of the brush, but you never want to get paint up into or under the ferrule.
Having properly loaded your brush, apply the paint to the desired surface by holding the brush at an angle and drawing the tip gently along the area to be painted. Again, you don't want to "scrub" or mash the brush down. Let capillary action do the work for you - this will result in a more precise and even coat of paint.
SUMMARY
So now you know the essentials of preparing your paint to the proper consistency so that it will flow onto and off of the brush properly, without going on too thick and without drying on the brush too rapidly. That concludes our introductory series on choosing and using the right paints.
If you've followed along with the daily articles, you should now be ready to begin painting! Upcoming articles will examine the step-by-step process of painting an individual miniature from start to finish. This process will be broken down into in-depth examinations of basecoating, shading, layers, highlighting and glazes, and sealing the finished miniature to protect all of your careful work. Thanks for reading!
Monday, January 26, 2015
CHOOSING (AND USING) THE RIGHT PAINTS: PART TWO
In Part One, we discussed why acrylic paint is the preferred choice for miniature painting, and what brands are best suited to the way we are doing it. Now that we know what kind of paint to get and which brands are ideal, you'll want to know what colors to get and what other products you will want to go along with it.
Step One: Start Simple
With all of the color choices out there, it's easy for a beginning painter to be intimidated by the wide array of paints available in the larger lines. If you include the auxiliary products, Citadel has 160 colors, AV Game Color has 128, and Formula P3 has a "mere" 72 to choose from!
If you have the means, it's tempting to buy the entire line of your chosen brand. It's what I did when AV Game Color came out, and if it makes you happy, I won't stop you. But let me share a couple of observations before you commit a few hundred dollars to buying paint:
First - You don't need all those colors!
If you buy an entire line, odds are there will be some colors you'll never even open, even after years of painting. That's money that could have been spent buying more miniatures to paint! That's something I've personally experienced, and the only reason I bought the set of AV paints is because I could not predict what colors I might need when doing commission work.
Also - don't commit to a single brand.
While you may find that a particular brand is more suitable for you, there's no law against buying colors from another brand for a particular purpose. Maybe you just love P3 paints for their ability to thin so well without losing color (and that's the best reason there is!), but since the other major lines have about twice as many colors, you may find that another range has just the perfect shade for what you are doing. That's perfectly fine, buy it too! The main thing is to have whatever colors you need to make your model look great - who cares which brand they are once they're on the finished product?
So, you know you don't need to buy them all, and you know you don't need to stick to just one brand - but which colors do you need to start out? The simple answer is: It depends on what you are painting. That's not a complete answer, but we'll go into further detail in a moment.
If you're painting a mini from Warhammer or 40K, or a mini from Warmachine or Hordes, this step becomes simpler as the manufacturers also have their own paint lines. You will usually find a key on the package letting you know what colors were used. If not, look at a picture of the finished product and see what colors seem to match. You may discover that Citadel and Privateer name many of their colors after the intended use - for instance, Caliban Green is the obvious perfect shade for painting a Dark Angels Space Marine! Most paint lines have a key showing which colors are used as a shade or highlight for the base colors - it's good to have those resources when making your selections. Here are a couple of examples for the P3 line:
Formula P3 Mixing Chart
Formula P3 Paint Reference Sheet
Citadel and Vallejo also have similar charts, which may be on display in the store where you're buying the paint. If not, ask someone! Most of the people in hobby and game stores know a lot about the products, because they are hobbyists themselves! If all else fails, politely ask another gamer which colors to use for your particular needs. Most will be happy to share their knowledge and welcome a new painter into the fold.
But you still haven't told me exactly which colors to buy!
Okay, fine - I apologize if we went off on a (necessary) tangent. Regardless of what you intend to paint (and especially if you haven't chosen what to paint yet), there are certain colors every painter should have in their paint box:
When you are just starting out, you don't want to be worrying about mixing colors, so if you know you will need other specific colors, do not hesitate to pick them up.
Best of all, each line has a beginner's paint set available. These sets contain a good array of colors to meet your basic painting needs. If you don't find them on your store shelves, ask your retailer to order them, or buy online:
AV Introduction paint set
Citadel Base Paint Set
Formula P3's paint sets are faction-specific, but I recommend the Iron Kingdoms Colors set to get most of your basics, and then the rest separately - or get the Khador, Cygnar and Skorne sets to round out what you need (you'll have an extra Thamar Black and Solid Gold if you get all 4 - don't worry, you'll surely use them eventually. they are the two colors I needed to replace most recently.)
SUMMARY
Now you know what colors to look for when getting started, and why it's not necessary to buy an entire line - or even to stick to a single line at all! You'll have selected your basic colors and probably spent around $50 total. You have all the colors you need to get started!
In the next article, we will discuss the auxiliary paint products you will want to have on hand to get the best results from your painting. Stay tuned!
Step One: Start Simple
With all of the color choices out there, it's easy for a beginning painter to be intimidated by the wide array of paints available in the larger lines. If you include the auxiliary products, Citadel has 160 colors, AV Game Color has 128, and Formula P3 has a "mere" 72 to choose from!
If you have the means, it's tempting to buy the entire line of your chosen brand. It's what I did when AV Game Color came out, and if it makes you happy, I won't stop you. But let me share a couple of observations before you commit a few hundred dollars to buying paint:
First - You don't need all those colors!
If you buy an entire line, odds are there will be some colors you'll never even open, even after years of painting. That's money that could have been spent buying more miniatures to paint! That's something I've personally experienced, and the only reason I bought the set of AV paints is because I could not predict what colors I might need when doing commission work.
Also - don't commit to a single brand.
While you may find that a particular brand is more suitable for you, there's no law against buying colors from another brand for a particular purpose. Maybe you just love P3 paints for their ability to thin so well without losing color (and that's the best reason there is!), but since the other major lines have about twice as many colors, you may find that another range has just the perfect shade for what you are doing. That's perfectly fine, buy it too! The main thing is to have whatever colors you need to make your model look great - who cares which brand they are once they're on the finished product?
So, you know you don't need to buy them all, and you know you don't need to stick to just one brand - but which colors do you need to start out? The simple answer is: It depends on what you are painting. That's not a complete answer, but we'll go into further detail in a moment.
If you're painting a mini from Warhammer or 40K, or a mini from Warmachine or Hordes, this step becomes simpler as the manufacturers also have their own paint lines. You will usually find a key on the package letting you know what colors were used. If not, look at a picture of the finished product and see what colors seem to match. You may discover that Citadel and Privateer name many of their colors after the intended use - for instance, Caliban Green is the obvious perfect shade for painting a Dark Angels Space Marine! Most paint lines have a key showing which colors are used as a shade or highlight for the base colors - it's good to have those resources when making your selections. Here are a couple of examples for the P3 line:
Formula P3 Mixing Chart
Formula P3 Paint Reference Sheet
Citadel and Vallejo also have similar charts, which may be on display in the store where you're buying the paint. If not, ask someone! Most of the people in hobby and game stores know a lot about the products, because they are hobbyists themselves! If all else fails, politely ask another gamer which colors to use for your particular needs. Most will be happy to share their knowledge and welcome a new painter into the fold.
But you still haven't told me exactly which colors to buy!
Okay, fine - I apologize if we went off on a (necessary) tangent. Regardless of what you intend to paint (and especially if you haven't chosen what to paint yet), there are certain colors every painter should have in their paint box:
- Black (P3 Thamar Black is my preference, but you could use AV #51 Black or Citadel's Abaddon Black)
- White (P3 Morrow White, AV #01 Dead White or Citadel White Scar)
- A basic Red (Citadel's Mephiston Red is my favorite, but P3 Khador Red Base or AV #10 Bloody Red will do, too)
- A basic Blue (P3 Cygnar Base Blue, AV #21 Magic Blue, or Citadel Altdorf Guard Blue)
- A basic Yellow (P3 Cygnus Yellow, AV #05 Moon Yellow or Citadel Yriel Yellow)
- A basic Green (P3 Gnarls Green, AV #29 Sick Green or Citadel Warpstone Glow)
- A mid-range Brown (Citadel Mournfang Brown, P3 Bootstrap Leather, or AV #40 Leather)
- A flesh tone (P3 Midland Flesh, AV #36 Bronze Fleshtone or Citadel Kislev Flesh)
- A bare metal color (P3 Cold Steel, Citadel Runefang Steel or AV #53 Chainmail Silver)
When you are just starting out, you don't want to be worrying about mixing colors, so if you know you will need other specific colors, do not hesitate to pick them up.
Best of all, each line has a beginner's paint set available. These sets contain a good array of colors to meet your basic painting needs. If you don't find them on your store shelves, ask your retailer to order them, or buy online:
AV Introduction paint set
Citadel Base Paint Set
Formula P3's paint sets are faction-specific, but I recommend the Iron Kingdoms Colors set to get most of your basics, and then the rest separately - or get the Khador, Cygnar and Skorne sets to round out what you need (you'll have an extra Thamar Black and Solid Gold if you get all 4 - don't worry, you'll surely use them eventually. they are the two colors I needed to replace most recently.)
SUMMARY
Now you know what colors to look for when getting started, and why it's not necessary to buy an entire line - or even to stick to a single line at all! You'll have selected your basic colors and probably spent around $50 total. You have all the colors you need to get started!
In the next article, we will discuss the auxiliary paint products you will want to have on hand to get the best results from your painting. Stay tuned!
Thursday, January 22, 2015
HAVING THE RIGHT MATERIALS: BRUSHES
(Updated 5/14/15)
Now that we have discussed what you can do to make sure you're in the best condition for painting, we will talk about having the right materials to attain the best results. As I mentioned before, I started out with lousy brushes and enamel paints, and I'm sure it showed in the results. Fortunately, no evidence remains of my early work. When I started using better paints and equipment, my work improved.
SIMPLY PUT: YOU'LL NEVER DO YOUR BEST BY USING SECOND-BEST.
As with everything in my blog, this is my own personal opinion, but it's backed up with more than 30 years of experience, including paid commission work and awards in the United States and Canada (including "Best of Show" at UB-Con '93).
So, what do we need to get the best results in our work?
Use the best brushes:
There are a lot of brushes out there to choose from. Some are ideal for what we are doing, and some simply aren't meant for this kind of work. Let's talk for a moment not only about the brushes themselves, but of how they work and some common misconceptions.
When people see some of my most detailed work, the most common thing I hear is "You must have used a really tiny brush to do that." False. You don't want a little brush with only a few small bristles, and I'll tell you why.
For paint to flow properly, the brush (and the paint) need to stay moist.
Those little tiny brushes dry out far too quickly to properly apply paint. The paint should flow off the tip or edge of the brush, rather than using the brush to "scrub" or "push" paint onto the model. With a tiny brush, odds are that the paint will dry between loading the brush on the palette and reaching the model.
It's more important to have a brush that keeps a good point, but has a "belly" that will hold paint and keep it moist. The "belly" is the section of the brush between the tip and the ferrule (the metal ring that holds the bristles onto the handle). We'll talk more about the ferrule and the proper way to load a brush later, but for know it's important to know that paint needs to stay moist in the brush so that it can properly flow from the tip onto the surface to be painted.
For most of what I do, I use a "standard" brush of Size 0. For fine work, I use a 00 and for really fine details, a 5/0 brush will do just fine. Anything smaller usually doesn't have a big enough belly. You might want a somewhat larger brush for painting basecoats - a Size 2 brush will suffice. You may want a couple more of the large brushes for priming and washes, as these can be harder on the brush and will affect their ability to give you a smooth, even coating of paint.
So, now that you know what sizes you'll generally need, what are the best types and brands to use? Personally, for general painting, I won't use anything that is not Kolinsky sable. Synthetic brushes are never as supple, the bristles are too stiff and lack the flexibility and elasticity of natural bristles. And for natural bristles, lower-quality brushes will not keep a point as well or as long as the finest sable brushes. There are some purposes for which you will want to spare your Kolinskys and instead use a quality synthetic brush: Priming, washes/glazes, metallics, and topcoating are the stand-out examples of tasks and products that will tear up a fine Kolinsky brush. Each contains substances that damage the natural bristles and affect the ability to keep a point. So get a few synthetics - a large one (##2 or #3) for priming; a couple of medium (#1) brushes, one for shading with ink washes or applying glazes and another for applying brush-on varnish or clearcoat; and a #0 or #00 for applying metallic paints. The Privateer Press "Hobby" brushes are generally decent for these purposes, but you may be able to find quality synthetic brushes at your local art supply store (like Michael's). Treat them with the same kind of care you give your other brushes and they will still be worth the investment.
And, of course, the number one culprit for ruining a brush: Drybrushing. You may have noticed that I don't talk much about this technique; that is because I don't use it too often. I prefer blended highlights and edge/spot highlighting, which give a more professional appearance. Most often, any drybrushing I do is on metallics or terrain - both are things which already ruin a good brush. You don't need to buy a special drybrush unless you use this technique often and prefer a given diameter and/or shape. Some people take brushes that are no longer good for fine work and downgrade them to a drybrush. If you do this, you may want to trim off the tip - you won't typically need it for this technique. But that's all I'll say on that topice. Moving along...
Later, I'll go into more detail about brush care and maintenance, but for now, let me dispel a common misconception:
"I go through brushes so fast, so I'd rather buy five $2 brushes than waste $10 on one brush"
When I hear people say this, my first response is "I guarantee that philosophy shows in your work". The next thing I think is "Why are you going through brushes that quickly?" If properly cared for, a $10 brush will last at least five times as long as a cheap brush, and more importantly, it will have better flow and ability to apply a smooth, even coat. Brush marks will detract from the most finely detailed figure, and so brushes are your best investment.
I do not recommend Taklon brushes for quality work (though, for synthetics, they are the best possible) and I would certainly strongly advise against nylon bristles (those white plastic Testors brushes are crap, plain and simple).
In my own experience, the best brands for brushes for our purposes are Raphael (8404) or Winsor & Newton (Series 7). There are two types of W&N Series 7s: The "Miniature" line features shorter bristles and newer painters might find that they have better control. The drawback to shorter bristles is that the paint dries quicker in the brush, so that added control may be offset by reduced flow characteristics - especially if you don't thin your paint properly. The regular Series 7 brushes have a longer bristle and a larger belly to keep the paint moist longer. They are very similar to the Raphael 8404s. Once you have more experience at painting and better brush handling skills, you may want to use these instead of the S7 Mini's. I am starting to make the switch, myself - but the Mini brushes still have their uses for very precise applications.
Some of my friends who are professional artists swear by Rosemary & Co. (the Series 33 are what you'd want to use). Feel free to give them a try. Once upon a time, I would not have recommended Citadel because years ago, their brushes were not made of the best materials and would lose their points (and their bristles!) far too rapidly. But now they are much better, and they're one of the easiest brands to obtain in hobby and gaming stores (thanks to the enormous market share their Warhammer lines enjoy). They're still far from the best - the gap between a good Kolinsky brush of any brand and a Citadel brush is about the same as between a Citadel brush and finger-painting, but if that's all you've got access to, you could do far worse.
Reaper makes a line of Master Series brushes that are allegedly made with Kolinsky sable - but in my experience, the brushes do not last or hold a point nearly as long as a good Kolinsky brush should. After buying several and relegating them to less precise purposes within months or weeks (sometimes even within days of buying one!) I will no longer recommend Reaper brushes. And for the price they ask, you can honestly get proven quality like Raphael or W&N anyhow, Likewise with Privateer Press' "Studio" line of brushes. They are adequate (perhaps a bit better than Citadel) but not good enough to warrant the cost.
Here are a few places to find good brushes online:
Dick Blick Art Materials (my personal favorite online source for good brushes!)
Rosemary & Co
Secret Weapon Miniatures (according to them, the Scharff 3000 is comparable to the Raphael 8404)
Games Workshop
One word of advice when purchasing brushes online: Since you are buying sight unseen, make sure the vendor has a very good return policy. If you receive a brush that's not in excellent condition, you should be able to return it unused and get one that is. For this reason, I prefer to purchase my brushes locally, so I can see exactly what I'm getting.
How to select the ideal brush
Once you have found an art or hobby store that sells Kolinsky sable brushes, you'll want to make sure the brush tip has not been damaged by previous handling or careless packing. Any decent brush will have a clear plastic protector for the bristles. Many times, you can examine the condition of the tip without even removing the protector (this is important when purchasing brushes that may be in a cardboard-backed blister pack).
If the brush does not visibly have a good tip, you needn't even bother with this next step. But if the tip looks good, carefully remove the protector and examine the tip. Sometimes, a brush that looked good through the plastic will not look so good once the bristles are free. If it still looks like it has a good tip, run the brush along the side of your finger. If the brush doesn't keep its tip, try another until you find a brush that does.
Then, regardless of whether or not you intend to purchase the brush, please replace the brush protector carefully. Make sure you're not catching any of the bristles or deforming the tip. Remember that many of the brushes that don't make the cut for you were once decent brushes, until some other careless individual (whether in the store or the factory) jammed the protector on and ruined the brush. You don't want to be that guy, do you?
Needless to say, you may find that the hardest part about getting new brushes is finding them in usable condition. Often times, I'll go on a shopping trip to buy new brushes and come home empty-handed (well, at least without new brushes) even after looking in a few stores. This is why it becomes even more important to properly maintain and care for your brushes. Given that they often cost more than the miniature you are painting, they are your most important (and likely expensive) investment.
Care and maintenance of your brushes
When I started out, I used to use an old coffee mug as a water pot. Many people still do, and Citadel even sells mugs for this purpose. Needless to say, I do not recommend this, and it should be pretty apparent as to why.
You cannot properly clean your brushes by rinsing them in dirty water.
I recommend an inexpensive two-chambered brush washer like the kind I use:
Leow Cornell Round Brush Tub (a square model is also available and works just as well, and may save space on your work surface). The inside of the lid also functions as a palette (and we'll talk more about why that's important in an upcoming post about applying paint and loading the brush).
After gently removing excess paint by running the brush over a paper towel, swish the brush vigorously in one chamber (I use the one with the ridges on the bottom, but do not scrub the brush along the bottom! You'll ruin your brushes quickly). After you've rinsed most of the paint off, swish the brushes in the other chamber and gently run the edge of the brush along the brush rest until it comes away clear. Needless to say, the water in the first rinse chamber will get cloudy and murky quite quickly. When you can't see the bottom any more, time to change the water. I recommend using lukewarm water. You do not want to use hot water, because even though it gets the bristles cleaner, it also softens the glue that holds them in place - causing your brush to lose its point (and its bristles) very rapidly.
Even if you take great care not to overload your brush and to keep paint out of the ferrule, there will be times when the brush still needs more than a rinse to get really clean. You do not want paint to accumulate on or beneath the ferrule, as the brush will lose its point very quickly. After applying a wash, or drybrushing, and at the end of every session (or more frequently as needed) I recommend cleaning your brushes with soap and water. Do not use dish detergent or bar soap, as these can easily strip the natural preservatives from the sable bristles. Fortunately, there's a brush soap designed especially for this purpose, and you will be surprised how much paint you can get out of a visibly "clean" brush with it.
The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver
(I use the 2.5 oz "Studio Cake" pictured above, and after two years of daily use, there's still plenty of soap left in the jar.)
Swish the brush in clean, warm water and rub it gently along the top of the cake. Within a few seconds, you will almost surely see color flow out of your "clean" brush. Rinse and reapply until the cake is not discolored, usually you will only need two or three applications. Then gently restore the tip and allow the brush to dry. If you won't be painting for a few days and want to really help keep the tips sharp, leave the soap on the bristles when pointing the brush and allow it to dry that way, then rinse before using it again.
If you have older brushes that you want to rehabilitate, or if you've inadvertently allowed paint to enter into or under the ferrule, I recommend what is called "natural turpenoid". It's like turpentine, only it's non-toxic, does not have the unpleasant smell or vapors, is non-flammable and safe for people like me who usually point brushes with our lips (rinse first, the stuff tastes awful if you forget!)
I use an 8 ounce plastic bottle of Weber Natural Turpenoid (but a 4 ounce bottle is more than sufficient for years of painting, more compact and less expensive). You won't need this often, but when you save a $20 brush with a $5 bottle of this, you'll be glad you had some on hand!
Last, but not least, you'll want an adequate stock of paper towels for cleaning brushes and wicking excess paint or moisture from the brush before applying it to a model. There's no "right" or "best" brand to use, but I prefer something with a gentle texture (to help clean a brush or remove excess paint when drybrushing) and a "choose-your-size" roll - a normal square paper towel is about twice the size you'll need and can be a bit wasteful. If you can obtain the blue paper "shop towels" at a hardware or home improvement store, they are fantastic! They stay together even when wet, and can serve as a sort of "wet palette" (which we will cover in an Advanced Class much later) or can be rinsed and reused. It's all up to personal preference, but a napkin or tissue just won't do - they break down too quickly and leave lint in the bristles).
Storing your brushes
If you use a brush tub like the one pictured above, you can store your brushes between uses in the holes along the rim. It is best to store them point down but do not ever let them rest on the tip, nor should you allow other objects to rest upon the brush tip. If you store your brushes in a mug, store them point up with the protectors on. If you store them flat, keep them in a box that's just wide and tall enough for them to lie flat side-by-side (again, with the plastic protectors applied). I don't recommend piling them up in a box, as it's all too likely that one brush could deform another.
SUMMARY
Your brushes are your single-most important investment to ensure the quality and precision of your work. The best brushes are expensive, but worth every penny, so proper use, care, and maintenance of your brushes will ensure the best results and preserve your investment so that they do not need to be replaced frequently or unnecessarily.
Now that we have discussed what you can do to make sure you're in the best condition for painting, we will talk about having the right materials to attain the best results. As I mentioned before, I started out with lousy brushes and enamel paints, and I'm sure it showed in the results. Fortunately, no evidence remains of my early work. When I started using better paints and equipment, my work improved.
SIMPLY PUT: YOU'LL NEVER DO YOUR BEST BY USING SECOND-BEST.
As with everything in my blog, this is my own personal opinion, but it's backed up with more than 30 years of experience, including paid commission work and awards in the United States and Canada (including "Best of Show" at UB-Con '93).
So, what do we need to get the best results in our work?
Use the best brushes:
There are a lot of brushes out there to choose from. Some are ideal for what we are doing, and some simply aren't meant for this kind of work. Let's talk for a moment not only about the brushes themselves, but of how they work and some common misconceptions.
When people see some of my most detailed work, the most common thing I hear is "You must have used a really tiny brush to do that." False. You don't want a little brush with only a few small bristles, and I'll tell you why.
For paint to flow properly, the brush (and the paint) need to stay moist.
Those little tiny brushes dry out far too quickly to properly apply paint. The paint should flow off the tip or edge of the brush, rather than using the brush to "scrub" or "push" paint onto the model. With a tiny brush, odds are that the paint will dry between loading the brush on the palette and reaching the model.
It's more important to have a brush that keeps a good point, but has a "belly" that will hold paint and keep it moist. The "belly" is the section of the brush between the tip and the ferrule (the metal ring that holds the bristles onto the handle). We'll talk more about the ferrule and the proper way to load a brush later, but for know it's important to know that paint needs to stay moist in the brush so that it can properly flow from the tip onto the surface to be painted.
For most of what I do, I use a "standard" brush of Size 0. For fine work, I use a 00 and for really fine details, a 5/0 brush will do just fine. Anything smaller usually doesn't have a big enough belly. You might want a somewhat larger brush for painting basecoats - a Size 2 brush will suffice. You may want a couple more of the large brushes for priming and washes, as these can be harder on the brush and will affect their ability to give you a smooth, even coating of paint.
So, now that you know what sizes you'll generally need, what are the best types and brands to use? Personally, for general painting, I won't use anything that is not Kolinsky sable. Synthetic brushes are never as supple, the bristles are too stiff and lack the flexibility and elasticity of natural bristles. And for natural bristles, lower-quality brushes will not keep a point as well or as long as the finest sable brushes. There are some purposes for which you will want to spare your Kolinskys and instead use a quality synthetic brush: Priming, washes/glazes, metallics, and topcoating are the stand-out examples of tasks and products that will tear up a fine Kolinsky brush. Each contains substances that damage the natural bristles and affect the ability to keep a point. So get a few synthetics - a large one (##2 or #3) for priming; a couple of medium (#1) brushes, one for shading with ink washes or applying glazes and another for applying brush-on varnish or clearcoat; and a #0 or #00 for applying metallic paints. The Privateer Press "Hobby" brushes are generally decent for these purposes, but you may be able to find quality synthetic brushes at your local art supply store (like Michael's). Treat them with the same kind of care you give your other brushes and they will still be worth the investment.
And, of course, the number one culprit for ruining a brush: Drybrushing. You may have noticed that I don't talk much about this technique; that is because I don't use it too often. I prefer blended highlights and edge/spot highlighting, which give a more professional appearance. Most often, any drybrushing I do is on metallics or terrain - both are things which already ruin a good brush. You don't need to buy a special drybrush unless you use this technique often and prefer a given diameter and/or shape. Some people take brushes that are no longer good for fine work and downgrade them to a drybrush. If you do this, you may want to trim off the tip - you won't typically need it for this technique. But that's all I'll say on that topice. Moving along...
Later, I'll go into more detail about brush care and maintenance, but for now, let me dispel a common misconception:
"I go through brushes so fast, so I'd rather buy five $2 brushes than waste $10 on one brush"
When I hear people say this, my first response is "I guarantee that philosophy shows in your work". The next thing I think is "Why are you going through brushes that quickly?" If properly cared for, a $10 brush will last at least five times as long as a cheap brush, and more importantly, it will have better flow and ability to apply a smooth, even coat. Brush marks will detract from the most finely detailed figure, and so brushes are your best investment.
I do not recommend Taklon brushes for quality work (though, for synthetics, they are the best possible) and I would certainly strongly advise against nylon bristles (those white plastic Testors brushes are crap, plain and simple).
In my own experience, the best brands for brushes for our purposes are Raphael (8404) or Winsor & Newton (Series 7). There are two types of W&N Series 7s: The "Miniature" line features shorter bristles and newer painters might find that they have better control. The drawback to shorter bristles is that the paint dries quicker in the brush, so that added control may be offset by reduced flow characteristics - especially if you don't thin your paint properly. The regular Series 7 brushes have a longer bristle and a larger belly to keep the paint moist longer. They are very similar to the Raphael 8404s. Once you have more experience at painting and better brush handling skills, you may want to use these instead of the S7 Mini's. I am starting to make the switch, myself - but the Mini brushes still have their uses for very precise applications.
Some of my friends who are professional artists swear by Rosemary & Co. (the Series 33 are what you'd want to use). Feel free to give them a try. Once upon a time, I would not have recommended Citadel because years ago, their brushes were not made of the best materials and would lose their points (and their bristles!) far too rapidly. But now they are much better, and they're one of the easiest brands to obtain in hobby and gaming stores (thanks to the enormous market share their Warhammer lines enjoy). They're still far from the best - the gap between a good Kolinsky brush of any brand and a Citadel brush is about the same as between a Citadel brush and finger-painting, but if that's all you've got access to, you could do far worse.
Reaper makes a line of Master Series brushes that are allegedly made with Kolinsky sable - but in my experience, the brushes do not last or hold a point nearly as long as a good Kolinsky brush should. After buying several and relegating them to less precise purposes within months or weeks (sometimes even within days of buying one!) I will no longer recommend Reaper brushes. And for the price they ask, you can honestly get proven quality like Raphael or W&N anyhow, Likewise with Privateer Press' "Studio" line of brushes. They are adequate (perhaps a bit better than Citadel) but not good enough to warrant the cost.
Here are a few places to find good brushes online:
Dick Blick Art Materials (my personal favorite online source for good brushes!)
Rosemary & Co
Secret Weapon Miniatures (according to them, the Scharff 3000 is comparable to the Raphael 8404)
Games Workshop
One word of advice when purchasing brushes online: Since you are buying sight unseen, make sure the vendor has a very good return policy. If you receive a brush that's not in excellent condition, you should be able to return it unused and get one that is. For this reason, I prefer to purchase my brushes locally, so I can see exactly what I'm getting.
How to select the ideal brush
Once you have found an art or hobby store that sells Kolinsky sable brushes, you'll want to make sure the brush tip has not been damaged by previous handling or careless packing. Any decent brush will have a clear plastic protector for the bristles. Many times, you can examine the condition of the tip without even removing the protector (this is important when purchasing brushes that may be in a cardboard-backed blister pack).
If the brush does not visibly have a good tip, you needn't even bother with this next step. But if the tip looks good, carefully remove the protector and examine the tip. Sometimes, a brush that looked good through the plastic will not look so good once the bristles are free. If it still looks like it has a good tip, run the brush along the side of your finger. If the brush doesn't keep its tip, try another until you find a brush that does.
Then, regardless of whether or not you intend to purchase the brush, please replace the brush protector carefully. Make sure you're not catching any of the bristles or deforming the tip. Remember that many of the brushes that don't make the cut for you were once decent brushes, until some other careless individual (whether in the store or the factory) jammed the protector on and ruined the brush. You don't want to be that guy, do you?
Needless to say, you may find that the hardest part about getting new brushes is finding them in usable condition. Often times, I'll go on a shopping trip to buy new brushes and come home empty-handed (well, at least without new brushes) even after looking in a few stores. This is why it becomes even more important to properly maintain and care for your brushes. Given that they often cost more than the miniature you are painting, they are your most important (and likely expensive) investment.
Care and maintenance of your brushes
When I started out, I used to use an old coffee mug as a water pot. Many people still do, and Citadel even sells mugs for this purpose. Needless to say, I do not recommend this, and it should be pretty apparent as to why.
You cannot properly clean your brushes by rinsing them in dirty water.
I recommend an inexpensive two-chambered brush washer like the kind I use:
After gently removing excess paint by running the brush over a paper towel, swish the brush vigorously in one chamber (I use the one with the ridges on the bottom, but do not scrub the brush along the bottom! You'll ruin your brushes quickly). After you've rinsed most of the paint off, swish the brushes in the other chamber and gently run the edge of the brush along the brush rest until it comes away clear. Needless to say, the water in the first rinse chamber will get cloudy and murky quite quickly. When you can't see the bottom any more, time to change the water. I recommend using lukewarm water. You do not want to use hot water, because even though it gets the bristles cleaner, it also softens the glue that holds them in place - causing your brush to lose its point (and its bristles) very rapidly.
Even if you take great care not to overload your brush and to keep paint out of the ferrule, there will be times when the brush still needs more than a rinse to get really clean. You do not want paint to accumulate on or beneath the ferrule, as the brush will lose its point very quickly. After applying a wash, or drybrushing, and at the end of every session (or more frequently as needed) I recommend cleaning your brushes with soap and water. Do not use dish detergent or bar soap, as these can easily strip the natural preservatives from the sable bristles. Fortunately, there's a brush soap designed especially for this purpose, and you will be surprised how much paint you can get out of a visibly "clean" brush with it.
(I use the 2.5 oz "Studio Cake" pictured above, and after two years of daily use, there's still plenty of soap left in the jar.)
Swish the brush in clean, warm water and rub it gently along the top of the cake. Within a few seconds, you will almost surely see color flow out of your "clean" brush. Rinse and reapply until the cake is not discolored, usually you will only need two or three applications. Then gently restore the tip and allow the brush to dry. If you won't be painting for a few days and want to really help keep the tips sharp, leave the soap on the bristles when pointing the brush and allow it to dry that way, then rinse before using it again.
If you have older brushes that you want to rehabilitate, or if you've inadvertently allowed paint to enter into or under the ferrule, I recommend what is called "natural turpenoid". It's like turpentine, only it's non-toxic, does not have the unpleasant smell or vapors, is non-flammable and safe for people like me who usually point brushes with our lips (rinse first, the stuff tastes awful if you forget!)
I use an 8 ounce plastic bottle of Weber Natural Turpenoid (but a 4 ounce bottle is more than sufficient for years of painting, more compact and less expensive). You won't need this often, but when you save a $20 brush with a $5 bottle of this, you'll be glad you had some on hand!
Last, but not least, you'll want an adequate stock of paper towels for cleaning brushes and wicking excess paint or moisture from the brush before applying it to a model. There's no "right" or "best" brand to use, but I prefer something with a gentle texture (to help clean a brush or remove excess paint when drybrushing) and a "choose-your-size" roll - a normal square paper towel is about twice the size you'll need and can be a bit wasteful. If you can obtain the blue paper "shop towels" at a hardware or home improvement store, they are fantastic! They stay together even when wet, and can serve as a sort of "wet palette" (which we will cover in an Advanced Class much later) or can be rinsed and reused. It's all up to personal preference, but a napkin or tissue just won't do - they break down too quickly and leave lint in the bristles).
Storing your brushes
If you use a brush tub like the one pictured above, you can store your brushes between uses in the holes along the rim. It is best to store them point down but do not ever let them rest on the tip, nor should you allow other objects to rest upon the brush tip. If you store your brushes in a mug, store them point up with the protectors on. If you store them flat, keep them in a box that's just wide and tall enough for them to lie flat side-by-side (again, with the plastic protectors applied). I don't recommend piling them up in a box, as it's all too likely that one brush could deform another.
SUMMARY
Your brushes are your single-most important investment to ensure the quality and precision of your work. The best brushes are expensive, but worth every penny, so proper use, care, and maintenance of your brushes will ensure the best results and preserve your investment so that they do not need to be replaced frequently or unnecessarily.
WELCOME TO THE SAGE BRUSH!
Hello, and Welcome to The Sage Brush!
This blog is intended to be a showcase of some of my best gaming miniatures, but more importantly, I hope to provide a guide for readers to improve their own painting abilities. I will be providing tips, how-to's, and examples of the techniques that I use.
A little about me, as pertains to this blog:
I am HeadHunter - a handle I earned in the early days of Unreal Tournament, for my uncanny knack for scoring headshots on the run with a sniper rifle. I have been a gamer since 1981, and like most people I cut my teeth on Dungeons & Dragons. Back then, Grenadier released boxed sets of gaming miniatures, which were pretty good for their time - but they don't hold up so well compared to the state of the art today.
When I started painting minis 33 years ago, I used Testors enamels and nylon brushes. Surprisingly, I got pretty decent results for an inexperienced teenager using low-quality materials. About a year later, an eye injury impaired most of the sight in my right eye. I was left with no depth perception and a limited field of vision for many years. Still, I continued to paint, concentrating on ways I could improve my results in spite of my physical limitation.
For those who've never tried, it's damned hard to paint something that's only an inch tall when you have no depth perception. After a couple of surgeries and specialized eyewear, much of my lost vision has returned, but it's not nearly 20/20 anymore. So let's start with the first tip, one which may not seem obvious when we're talking about how to be a better painter:
RULE ONE: YOUR EYESIGHT IS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TOOL.
I've had to learn to paint with one eye closed, essentially. You don't want to have to do that.
You can always buy better brushes and higher quality paints, you can always learn new ways to prepare a mini or techniques for better results, but it's a sure thing that your eyesight will never be better than it is right now.
If you have 20/20 uncorrected eyesight, you have a tool that money can't really buy. Preserve it!
If, like most people, your eyesight is less than perfect, make sure your eyeglasses or contact lenses are a good, current prescription. You may want to get a special pair of glasses for close-up work. I have a set that's designed for best focus within arm's length - so it's ideal for working on the computer or working with miniatures.
* Make sure your work area is well-lit:
The best place to work is near a window - preferably one which allows the most daylight to enter. Natural light is best for seeing what your final results will look like. Supplement this natural light with adequate overhead lighting, and also use a smaller lamp (desk or table style) that can be adjusted to illuminate your immediate work area. There are a number of hobby lamps that are ideal for this purpose - some are "gooseneck" style, others are adjustable in other ways. The best bulbs to use are the ones that simulate natural daylight. Some lamps have a magnifier built-in; I have a small one that I use for extreme details.
* Take frequent breaks to reduce eyestrain:
When you're focusing on something this small, this close, for this long, your eyes will get tired fast. You're also probably not blinking as often, so they will dry out quickly, too.
The "20/20" rule is a good rule of thumb - every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds to focus on something far away (20 feet is suggested, but likely not possible where you'll be painting). Basically, give your eyes time to adjust to a different focus than your work area. In fact, use this short break time to get up and walk around - even young, healthy individuals can get a DVT (deep vein thrombosis) from sitting for prolonged periods - and having a pulmonary embolism or heart attack would put a damper on your painting real fast.
Another very helpful suggestion is to keep your eyes moistened. I use "artificial tears" - just lubricant eye drops. Visine makes something like this, but you don't want the kind that reduces redness or allergy symptoms. Those can sting, and they won't provide the kind of relief you need. If you notice that your eyes are sore after a long painting session, a few drops of artificial tears in each eye every few hours should provide fast relief and help to preserve your sight in the long run.
If you find you're still getting headaches or eye pain in spite of the previous advice, see an optician or ophthalmologist immediately. You might just need better glasses, or there might be something that's aggravated by such close work. Treating it sooner rather than later will ensure you can continue to enjoy your hobby for many more years, and with better results.
Simply put, it's a lot harder to paint when you can't clearly see what you are doing!
This is the aspect of painting that no one can teach, and you can't buy or learn from someone else.
I'd extend that advice to other physical aspects that can be controlled. You'll find you paint better when you are well-rested, and well-nourished. Stay hydrated! Some people might do better after a cup of coffee in the morning, but for most people it will cause your hands to be a little shaky. Try painting a model's eyes with caffeine jitters, it's not easy! For those (like me) who are hypoglycemic, make sure you take breaks for meals or snacks. Low blood sugar can impair vision, fine motor control and concentration - and it will show in your work.
SUMMARY
When we think of the tools we use to prepare and paint gaming miniatures, we usually think of brushes, bottles of paint, and maybe a hobby knife, some files and an emery board. We don't often think of our bodies and our eyes as the most important elements of painting, but without them, the best equipment in the world won't matter. It's YOU who will be holding the brush and seeing where the paint will be applied, and taking these simple and important steps will help you to achieve the best results possible.
This blog is intended to be a showcase of some of my best gaming miniatures, but more importantly, I hope to provide a guide for readers to improve their own painting abilities. I will be providing tips, how-to's, and examples of the techniques that I use.
A little about me, as pertains to this blog:
I am HeadHunter - a handle I earned in the early days of Unreal Tournament, for my uncanny knack for scoring headshots on the run with a sniper rifle. I have been a gamer since 1981, and like most people I cut my teeth on Dungeons & Dragons. Back then, Grenadier released boxed sets of gaming miniatures, which were pretty good for their time - but they don't hold up so well compared to the state of the art today.
When I started painting minis 33 years ago, I used Testors enamels and nylon brushes. Surprisingly, I got pretty decent results for an inexperienced teenager using low-quality materials. About a year later, an eye injury impaired most of the sight in my right eye. I was left with no depth perception and a limited field of vision for many years. Still, I continued to paint, concentrating on ways I could improve my results in spite of my physical limitation.
For those who've never tried, it's damned hard to paint something that's only an inch tall when you have no depth perception. After a couple of surgeries and specialized eyewear, much of my lost vision has returned, but it's not nearly 20/20 anymore. So let's start with the first tip, one which may not seem obvious when we're talking about how to be a better painter:
RULE ONE: YOUR EYESIGHT IS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TOOL.
I've had to learn to paint with one eye closed, essentially. You don't want to have to do that.
You can always buy better brushes and higher quality paints, you can always learn new ways to prepare a mini or techniques for better results, but it's a sure thing that your eyesight will never be better than it is right now.
If you have 20/20 uncorrected eyesight, you have a tool that money can't really buy. Preserve it!
If, like most people, your eyesight is less than perfect, make sure your eyeglasses or contact lenses are a good, current prescription. You may want to get a special pair of glasses for close-up work. I have a set that's designed for best focus within arm's length - so it's ideal for working on the computer or working with miniatures.
* Make sure your work area is well-lit:
The best place to work is near a window - preferably one which allows the most daylight to enter. Natural light is best for seeing what your final results will look like. Supplement this natural light with adequate overhead lighting, and also use a smaller lamp (desk or table style) that can be adjusted to illuminate your immediate work area. There are a number of hobby lamps that are ideal for this purpose - some are "gooseneck" style, others are adjustable in other ways. The best bulbs to use are the ones that simulate natural daylight. Some lamps have a magnifier built-in; I have a small one that I use for extreme details.
* Take frequent breaks to reduce eyestrain:
When you're focusing on something this small, this close, for this long, your eyes will get tired fast. You're also probably not blinking as often, so they will dry out quickly, too.
The "20/20" rule is a good rule of thumb - every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds to focus on something far away (20 feet is suggested, but likely not possible where you'll be painting). Basically, give your eyes time to adjust to a different focus than your work area. In fact, use this short break time to get up and walk around - even young, healthy individuals can get a DVT (deep vein thrombosis) from sitting for prolonged periods - and having a pulmonary embolism or heart attack would put a damper on your painting real fast.
Another very helpful suggestion is to keep your eyes moistened. I use "artificial tears" - just lubricant eye drops. Visine makes something like this, but you don't want the kind that reduces redness or allergy symptoms. Those can sting, and they won't provide the kind of relief you need. If you notice that your eyes are sore after a long painting session, a few drops of artificial tears in each eye every few hours should provide fast relief and help to preserve your sight in the long run.
If you find you're still getting headaches or eye pain in spite of the previous advice, see an optician or ophthalmologist immediately. You might just need better glasses, or there might be something that's aggravated by such close work. Treating it sooner rather than later will ensure you can continue to enjoy your hobby for many more years, and with better results.
Simply put, it's a lot harder to paint when you can't clearly see what you are doing!
This is the aspect of painting that no one can teach, and you can't buy or learn from someone else.
I'd extend that advice to other physical aspects that can be controlled. You'll find you paint better when you are well-rested, and well-nourished. Stay hydrated! Some people might do better after a cup of coffee in the morning, but for most people it will cause your hands to be a little shaky. Try painting a model's eyes with caffeine jitters, it's not easy! For those (like me) who are hypoglycemic, make sure you take breaks for meals or snacks. Low blood sugar can impair vision, fine motor control and concentration - and it will show in your work.
SUMMARY
When we think of the tools we use to prepare and paint gaming miniatures, we usually think of brushes, bottles of paint, and maybe a hobby knife, some files and an emery board. We don't often think of our bodies and our eyes as the most important elements of painting, but without them, the best equipment in the world won't matter. It's YOU who will be holding the brush and seeing where the paint will be applied, and taking these simple and important steps will help you to achieve the best results possible.
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