Back when I initially started this hobby in the early 90's, this information would've been heaven-sent. I had NO idea about thinning paint- and subsequently, my miniatures looked like it, too. Brushstrokes everywhere, grainy textures, and never laying down anything that wasn't just a blocking in of colors, in retrospect. 100% contributed to me leaving the hobby. I couldn't even get a smooth coat of paint on a surface, much less wrap my head around concepts like layering and highlighting. Just didn't have a clue. Fast forward more years than I care to mention, and I run into this channel called "Dr Faust's Painting Clinic," and little did I know, I'd be unlocking the secrets to every headache I ever experienced as a budding miniature painter. Every single roadblock to my enjoyment of this hobby has been painstakingly detailed in such a manner as to not only re-kindle my desire to sit down and paint something I have to squint at to see, but also look forward to doing it. To say that your videos have been instrumental in my enjoyment of a hobby I had long ago abandoned wouldn't be giving you enough credit. I went from completely disgusted with a process i didn't even know enough about to realize I knew nothing about it, to suddenly having my eyes opened, and having access to information that would've kept me painting all these years, had I been privy to it. And I have you to thank for that- and I quite literally can't thank you enough. You have my deepest respect as an artist, and a subscriber for life. Thanks again.
It's really easy getting to a somewhat competent level of painting these days just by using youtube. I too wish I had such help instead of spending years bumbling my way around haha
I remember when I first read about dry brushing in a White Dwarf from sometime in the early 90's. I might be misremembering, but back then dry brushing was not used as extensively as it is today --- I should say ~10 years ago, as dry brushing doesn't seem as common of a practice again with the rise of many other techniques that don't damage brushes. Dry brushing was particularly useful for things like painting chainmail without filling in the black undercoat which looked a ton better. Now we have washes to fill that role
Man, I watched about 50 videos on how to do skin tones until I found the one where you paint the orc lady and I have that video saved and rewatch it regularly. This video helps bridge the gap on some things like the paint consistency.
HEY, Thank you for your videos. I have been watching for a while and trying things out. My painting has improved wonderfully, I love that when I am done with a mini, they don't look painted after using so many techniques from your channel. The BIGGEST is just thinning paints and layering, have not got the guts to do "fleshy" minis yet, but getting there. Thank you for sharing your talent! - yeah going through and commenting on some of my favorite and more helpful videos!!
Great video. I've been painting for years, but never quite had a grasp on layering until recently. Seeing someone else explain and do it helps tremendously.
Great video, it actually helped me understand layering in ways I hadn't before. Do the ratios change much if I'm using matte medium instead of water to thin?
This is without a doubt the BEST layering technique how to that I’ve ever seen. It’s so good if a beginner has a little bit of brush control they could easily execute this with a little bit of patience. Not over complicated, easy to understand easy to follow, straight to the point. This kind of stuff here is what makes this hobby so great. The amount of people that will kindly without hesitation go out of there way to help you grow your hobby. I love miniatures and I’m proud to say I’m a part of its community. Kudos to you brother !!
One of the most important things I think you show is that highlighting also should have color- including some saturated colors. So many people highlight by either dry brushing or pushing to white, which gives their minis a dusty look that I think is generally unappealing. Nice work!
I've spent countless hours watching how to videos on UA-cam to better understand layering techniques. This video helped me to produce the first model that I'm proud enough of to show others besides my Wife. Thank you!
I was doing this wrong the whole time 😅 I always wondered why I always just had drops of paint sloshing around the mini and it never worked. Thanks for the tips
Seriously the best layering and paint consistency video our there. I send this to friends I've gotten into the hobby very early in their starts this year.
I really appreciate you taking the time to explain these concepts, I've been painting for a year and was starting to get discouraged because I didn't know how to level my minis up. I follow you on instagram and love your work, when I found out last night that you make instructional videos it motivated me to start painting again with new tips and tricks. You are an incredibly talented painter, I'm looking forward to learning more from you. Thank you for putting up these resources for the community! -Lexy :)
Well. I've been painting for two years now. I watched many tutorials. With different miniatures, I slowly expanded my knowledge and techniques. However, "natural highlights" always were a problem for me. I can do edge highlighting. I can drybrush different color variations. But layering always seemed like something magical I can't perform. Showing the whole process including wiping the brush really made the difference. Feels like I made two steps forwards after trying it right after watching this video. Thanks for your guides and videos.
Been painting on and off for a few years, but still struggling with paint consistency. Was wondering why my recent Clanrat test looked so bad, realized I forgot to actually thin down for layer. Your showcase on what doing it wrong looked like is a godsend.
This is exactly the video I need. I'm trying to get a large number of miniatures painted up at a decent level and I always struggle with the layering and you broke it down very simply. I also did not realize you needed to dab off the water on the paper towel before applying the paint, that is going to help a lot. Thank you so much.
Thanks for sharing the paint to water ratios. I know that every paint can vary, but I have struggled with the idea of really thinning my paint down. I fear breaking down the pigments too much.
I am trying to learn how to paint miniatures in the art style of Darkest Dungeon and I feel this video and this miniature in particular really helps address the shading barrier I’ve been hitting, and how I can layer to get past it! Thanks so much!
I've finally learned a good technique for layering. I can finally start getting better at it! Thanks, this video was amazingly helpful at becoming a better painter!
Great video, thank you! I'm a bit confused, though. I thought glazing and layering are different techniques, but that sounds very much like the glazing tutorials I watched.
I watched so many videos about painting minis, because I want to start soon. And yours was the best for beginners. Clear instructions and helpfull tips. Thanks!
This is the best video on layering I have ever seen! :0 I never knew how much water to add or use. People always talking about layering and painting with watered down paints and I never got it cause there was always to much and ruined my models. Now I see how much you really need. Thank you!
What a great video explaining and showing this process. Thank you. One thing when I started this was how scared I was when applying thin highlight layers. They tend to look so bright when just applied but after drying you can get such great and smooth transitions.
So helpful! I've followed along with your Young Red Dragon video and your Zombie Beholder video, and both of them were incredibly helpful, but this one really clarifies the fundamentals I've been missing. For example, I haven't been thinning down my paints nearly enough. Thanks for this! Oh and that Deadpool bust is fantastic!
Definitely helpful as i paint in layers naturally, definitely need to work on thinning my paints more though (I do thin just never to the degree everyone says I should) . But yeah always made more sense to me to start with the shadow color and slowly mix in the base color working up to pure base then slowly added in highlight color to base color and working up to the pure highlight and then if needed adding a brighter color to highlight for the really popping highlights
VGC get a lot of bad word of mouth, but I think they're pretty great. Squid Pink, Hexed Lichen, Warlord Purple, and all of the browns I've tried have been decent so far. I think you have to drop an agitator into the bottles to really get a good mix going.
Interesting. I've been layering using about 1:1 mix of paint to water. My minis look oookkaaaaayyyy, but it's a lot of work getting them to look right, and I struggle with finer details. About to start painting up a new force so will try it out with much thinner mixes. Thanks!
I couldn't layer to save my life by thinning the paint, no matter what brand I tried (Vallejo, Kimera, GW, Army Painter etc.) But I did buy a 500 mL container of matte medium for acrylic painting, and I use that to turn everything into glazes. It has improved my painting tenfold, and I get the smoothest of transitions.
First of all I'm sorry for my English but as it is not my native language I find it difficult to write correctly. You explain the technique in a simple and correct way but I have a question, how long do you have to wait between coats, how long does it usually take to dry each coat, how long does it take to dry each coat, how long does it take to dry each coat? Greetings from a new subscriber.
You know, this does make me think that a great tutorial thing would be to point out techniques that are more for the fast, bulk painting compared to character painting and shifting between them and working them together.
A veeery nice tutorial about a painting technique I'm still struggling with. I am following Sorastros Lord of the Rings-Videos, but putitng on the highlights, it just does not want to work for me. Either my paint is to thick and the transitions are wy too harsh or it is too thin and you don't see anything of the highlight colors, its like they are just being absorbed by the underlying layers. :-( Stupid question: Is there an easy way to determine which colors to use for highlighting?
I was under the impression that a 1:9 level of dilution like this was more of a glaze. How does this layering differ? (Serious question, not being snarky haha, I actually want to know)
Hello, I just got into Miniatures painting and I don't really want to spend too much on expensive miniature paints. Can I use normal acrylic paints instead?
I'm confused isn't this glazing. And if this isn't what is difference. For reference I thought glazing was where you water down super far, towel off the excess and need many layers to get the final intensity.
There's a couple different definitions of both glazing and layering. Layering itself, I would say doesn't technically need this much thinning. You CAN layer with thicker paint if you're in a hurry. It just won't give as nice results. Glazing means using paint so thin that you can see the previous layer through it, i.e. it's translucent. You certainly can layer with glazes, but a glaze can be used for other things as well. Often it's used as an overall filter as a final step to tie together the previous layers.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Back when I initially started this hobby in the early 90's, this information would've been heaven-sent. I had NO idea about thinning paint- and subsequently, my miniatures looked like it, too. Brushstrokes everywhere, grainy textures, and never laying down anything that wasn't just a blocking in of colors, in retrospect. 100% contributed to me leaving the hobby. I couldn't even get a smooth coat of paint on a surface, much less wrap my head around concepts like layering and highlighting. Just didn't have a clue.
Fast forward more years than I care to mention, and I run into this channel called "Dr Faust's Painting Clinic," and little did I know, I'd be unlocking the secrets to every headache I ever experienced as a budding miniature painter. Every single roadblock to my enjoyment of this hobby has been painstakingly detailed in such a manner as to not only re-kindle my desire to sit down and paint something I have to squint at to see, but also look forward to doing it.
To say that your videos have been instrumental in my enjoyment of a hobby I had long ago abandoned wouldn't be giving you enough credit. I went from completely disgusted with a process i didn't even know enough about to realize I knew nothing about it, to suddenly having my eyes opened, and having access to information that would've kept me painting all these years, had I been privy to it. And I have you to thank for that- and I quite literally can't thank you enough. You have my deepest respect as an artist, and a subscriber for life. Thanks again.
It's really easy getting to a somewhat competent level of painting these days just by using youtube. I too wish I had such help instead of spending years bumbling my way around haha
I remember when I first read about dry brushing in a White Dwarf from sometime in the early 90's. I might be misremembering, but back then dry brushing was not used as extensively as it is today --- I should say ~10 years ago, as dry brushing doesn't seem as common of a practice again with the rise of many other techniques that don't damage brushes. Dry brushing was particularly useful for things like painting chainmail without filling in the black undercoat which looked a ton better. Now we have washes to fill that role
Thank you for showing what a mistake looks like! That really helped me understand the proper technique
Same!
Fully agree
Why why why I did not remove that moisture in towel… Thanks!
This is the most straightforward, easy to follow (and apply) video on layering I've ever seen. Thank you!
Ive been trying to find a good video for this. Found many explaining the process, noone showing it in full! Thanks for that! 🎉
Man, I watched about 50 videos on how to do skin tones until I found the one where you paint the orc lady and I have that video saved and rewatch it regularly. This video helps bridge the gap on some things like the paint consistency.
The best video ive seen on layering yet. So many points that other videos just skip over, like on how thin you want the paints to be. Thank you!
Great video, i think thats the first time the layer technique has been explained and demonstated. Thanks.
Bloody hell man you just made everything click for me. Pure genius!
HEY, Thank you for your videos. I have been watching for a while and trying things out. My painting has improved wonderfully, I love that when I am done with a mini, they don't look painted after using so many techniques from your channel. The BIGGEST is just thinning paints and layering, have not got the guts to do "fleshy" minis yet, but getting there. Thank you for sharing your talent! - yeah going through and commenting on some of my favorite and more helpful videos!!
Thank you for explaining that bit about dabbing off the excess.
Great video. I've been painting for years, but never quite had a grasp on layering until recently. Seeing someone else explain and do it helps tremendously.
Best video on layering!!
Think you have cracked the code for me, thanks. That wicking the water away first! Thanks
Great video, it actually helped me understand layering in ways I hadn't before.
Do the ratios change much if I'm using matte medium instead of water to thin?
This is without a doubt the BEST layering technique how to that I’ve ever seen. It’s so good if a beginner has a little bit of brush control they could easily execute this with a little bit of patience. Not over complicated, easy to understand easy to follow, straight to the point. This kind of stuff here is what makes this hobby so great. The amount of people that will kindly without hesitation go out of there way to help you grow your hobby. I love miniatures and I’m proud to say I’m a part of its community. Kudos to you brother !!
Agreed. This video definitely helped realize a couple of mistakes I was making.
Wow! What a difference in the video clarity.
Ok, I need to give this a go and break my over dependence on inks!
One of the most important things I think you show is that highlighting also should have color- including some saturated colors. So many people highlight by either dry brushing or pushing to white, which gives their minis a dusty look that I think is generally unappealing. Nice work!
I've spent countless hours watching how to videos on UA-cam to better understand layering techniques. This video helped me to produce the first model that I'm proud enough of to show others besides my Wife. Thank you!
Very very useful video. Thank you so much
I was doing this wrong the whole time 😅 I always wondered why I always just had drops of paint sloshing around the mini and it never worked. Thanks for the tips
Seriously the best layering and paint consistency video our there. I send this to friends I've gotten into the hobby very early in their starts this year.
I would love to see a from start to finish tutorial type video like this
i painted mini for 4 years and i kid you not this is the first time i learn about layering ...... thanks you so much imma try it out ")
I really appreciate you taking the time to explain these concepts, I've been painting for a year and was starting to get discouraged because I didn't know how to level my minis up. I follow you on instagram and love your work, when I found out last night that you make instructional videos it motivated me to start painting again with new tips and tricks. You are an incredibly talented painter, I'm looking forward to learning more from you. Thank you for putting up these resources for the community! -Lexy :)
This is what I needed, hopefully i'll be able to finish all my minis
Well. I've been painting for two years now. I watched many tutorials. With different miniatures, I slowly expanded my knowledge and techniques. However, "natural highlights" always were a problem for me. I can do edge highlighting. I can drybrush different color variations. But layering always seemed like something magical I can't perform. Showing the whole process including wiping the brush really made the difference. Feels like I made two steps forwards after trying it right after watching this video. Thanks for your guides and videos.
I love the new camera as well as the different examples and discussion. A great video about layering!
Been painting on and off for a few years, but still struggling with paint consistency. Was wondering why my recent Clanrat test looked so bad, realized I forgot to actually thin down for layer. Your showcase on what doing it wrong looked like is a godsend.
This is exactly the video I need. I'm trying to get a large number of miniatures painted up at a decent level and I always struggle with the layering and you broke it down very simply. I also did not realize you needed to dab off the water on the paper towel before applying the paint, that is going to help a lot. Thank you so much.
Thanks for sharing the paint to water ratios. I know that every paint can vary, but I have struggled with the idea of really thinning my paint down. I fear breaking down the pigments too much.
Thank you for this Awesome, well explained tutorial!! All the best!
Excellent demonstration tutorial thank you!
You're awesome man what a great tutorial. Much love
I am trying to learn how to paint miniatures in the art style of Darkest Dungeon and I feel this video and this miniature in particular really helps address the shading barrier I’ve been hitting, and how I can layer to get past it! Thanks so much!
I've finally learned a good technique for layering. I can finally start getting better at it! Thanks, this video was amazingly helpful at becoming a better painter!
Great video, thank you! I'm a bit confused, though. I thought glazing and layering are different techniques, but that sounds very much like the glazing tutorials I watched.
I watched so many videos about painting minis, because I want to start soon. And yours was the best for beginners. Clear instructions and helpfull tips. Thanks!
This is probably the best explanation on layering I have seen so far, thank you so much!!
Loved this video. It’s going straight in the “Technique” playlist
Another video nocked outta the park! Thanks.
Excellent video and extremely useful information explained in a very simple and effective way. Kudos!
Good tutorial on basic techniques is surprisingly hard to find. This is great tutorial, thank you, love the video.
Awesome tutorial - loved that you showed what not to do as well as the correct way
This is the best video on layering I have ever seen! :0 I never knew how much water to add or use. People always talking about layering and painting with watered down paints and I never got it cause there was always to much and ruined my models. Now I see how much you really need. Thank you!
Looks great as always. The thinning ratios you mentioned are really useful. Btw, new camera is awesome
Always good to hear about your approach to layering, very useful. BTW, excellent picture quality from your new rig.
Wow this video is so great. Thank you for sharing it
Thank you for posting this video! This was a great help for understanding, Layering and thinning.
Great stuff friend 👏 👍
i never painted miniatures or figures in general but now i'd love to get a garage kit and try my luck.
⭐️ very helpful, well explained and one of the best tutorials I have come across ⭐️ thanks for taking the time 👍
What a great video explaining and showing this process. Thank you.
One thing when I started this was how scared I was when applying thin highlight layers. They tend to look so bright when just applied but after drying you can get such great and smooth transitions.
Very informative, learned alot. You earned a sub.
Excellent video best tip I've seen going to try this more on the next miniature
So helpful! I've followed along with your Young Red Dragon video and your Zombie Beholder video, and both of them were incredibly helpful, but this one really clarifies the fundamentals I've been missing. For example, I haven't been thinning down my paints nearly enough. Thanks for this! Oh and that Deadpool bust is fantastic!
Definitely helpful as i paint in layers naturally, definitely need to work on thinning my paints more though (I do thin just never to the degree everyone says I should) . But yeah always made more sense to me to start with the shadow color and slowly mix in the base color working up to pure base then slowly added in highlight color to base color and working up to the pure highlight and then if needed adding a brighter color to highlight for the really popping highlights
Thank You for this video. It explained where clearly how to layer. I have always used to thick paint and its not ever looking good.
Awesome tutorial! What mini is this?
Thanks, Doc. 👍 Helpful as always!
VGC get a lot of bad word of mouth, but I think they're pretty great. Squid Pink, Hexed Lichen, Warlord Purple, and all of the browns I've tried have been decent so far. I think you have to drop an agitator into the bottles to really get a good mix going.
Awesmone, it helps a lot !
Interesting. I've been layering using about 1:1 mix of paint to water. My minis look oookkaaaaayyyy, but it's a lot of work getting them to look right, and I struggle with finer details. About to start painting up a new force so will try it out with much thinner mixes. Thanks!
Sorry to ask my first time on your site. What kind of palette are you using? This video really helped me.
I couldn't layer to save my life by thinning the paint, no matter what brand I tried (Vallejo, Kimera, GW, Army Painter etc.) But I did buy a 500 mL container of matte medium for acrylic painting, and I use that to turn everything into glazes. It has improved my painting tenfold, and I get the smoothest of transitions.
First of all I'm sorry for my English but as it is not my native language I find it difficult to write correctly. You explain the technique in a simple and correct way but I have a question, how long do you have to wait between coats, how long does it usually take to dry each coat, how long does it take to dry each coat, how long does it take to dry each coat?
Greetings from a new subscriber.
He states on the video that if done correctly about 5 minutes. Maybe I’m remembering incorrectly so i recommend to watch it again
Amazing work and amazing vids! Thank you
I've watched like five videos on layering...i think i finally got it. Thx for idiot proof education!
Awesome as usual. QUESTION: Where did that Deadpool bust come from? I totally need one. lol
Great video. I think I got it this time!!!!
You know, this does make me think that a great tutorial thing would be to point out techniques that are more for the fast, bulk painting compared to character painting and shifting between them and working them together.
Thanks for the video!
whats the difference between this and glazing?
Great instruction!
Thin! That! Paint!
Maybe I didn't understand the concept as a beginner but isn't the first color you applied (that you called a shade) the base coat technically?
Great Tutorial! What camera are u using? Video looks fantastic!
A veeery nice tutorial about a painting technique I'm still struggling with. I am following Sorastros Lord of the Rings-Videos, but putitng on the highlights, it just does not want to work for me. Either my paint is to thick and the transitions are wy too harsh or it is too thin and you don't see anything of the highlight colors, its like they are just being absorbed by the underlying layers. :-( Stupid question: Is there an easy way to determine which colors to use for highlighting?
I use citadel, can I use a base paint and apply some water?
Struggling a lot with this - hope I can get it down
Its so nice to go back to the basics :)
How do you pick your 4 shades of paint? Just literally look and go brighter? Or is there a method for it? I’m new and this is confusing me.
Hi¡¡ What brand is that monk miniature? your Job is fantastic¡¡ Thanks Master¡¡
Reaper Miniatures.
I was under the impression that a 1:9 level of dilution like this was more of a glaze. How does this layering differ? (Serious question, not being snarky haha, I actually want to know)
How long does it take to paint mini like this?
Will airbrush paint work for this?
Hello, I just got into Miniatures painting and I don't really want to spend too much on expensive miniature paints. Can I use normal acrylic paints instead?
Yes….many have used craft acrylic paints and still gotten nice results….
Pleasure to watch
Omg Thanks!:D
Thank you for this video! I am still in the "too much water on the brush" phase.
Thabks for this video! :D
I'm confused isn't this glazing. And if this isn't what is difference. For reference I thought glazing was where you water down super far, towel off the excess and need many layers to get the final intensity.
There's a couple different definitions of both glazing and layering.
Layering itself, I would say doesn't technically need this much thinning. You CAN layer with thicker paint if you're in a hurry. It just won't give as nice results.
Glazing means using paint so thin that you can see the previous layer through it, i.e. it's translucent. You certainly can layer with glazes, but a glaze can be used for other things as well. Often it's used as an overall filter as a final step to tie together the previous layers.
This is where the fish lives!
👍🏻
mst3k called they want their intro music back :D
😃👍
I really appreciate your video. Chimerawargaming has just sub here :-)
I thought this was glazing?
Just a comment for the algorithm
I thought that was glazing