Any time spent on the hobby is a good thing. Painting is just one way of personalizing an army. Those are excellent to do, and something I gravitate towards. If you don't paint them though, you may be missing an opportunity to get better at sculpting or cleaning mold lines. Sometimes my conversion work looks so great I get motivated to do a bunch more conversions. The only issue is that when I go to paint it months later and learn that the paint catches in circumstances that I missed an opportunity to incorporate that lesson sooner. That's just me and my issue though.
Your just get started video motivated me to do exactly that. I went from watching 10 + how to videos a day, to actually doing it myself. With the first strike game, and paint set. Plus 1 brush and some wash....for an investment of £45 of my finest English pounds over 1 month. I'm in!! I'm part of the hobby. I paint.....3 times a month for 4-5hrs. I've gone from shockingly bad. To a spray priming wet Pallette "good tabletop standard" painter. With some hand muscle practice I'm really coming on. The process is not overnight and should, in my opinion, have mistakes and pit falls and ups and downs like any worthwhile skill has before you master it. I thoroughly enjoy the process. I even mix my own colours now so investment in paints is minimal whilst learning what works. Having a 1k paint rack, all the best brushes etc of either a commission painter or big budget hobby type... Is simply not required. For £45 I've had 3 months of massively rewarding hobby time and I'm on the path. Uncle atom-legend
Three things: 1. I love your videos that are about the meta aspect of our hobby, like this one. 2. On a scale of one to ten, how wierd is it when i tell you that i love your voice? 3. For a long time now i yell "PACHOW!" when i roll a POW on an important block in Blood Bowl... i make you responsible for that.
I bit the bullet and bought an airbrush. What a game changer. Oddly enough I don't paint miniatures, but your channel in general and this video got me to stop researching painting, and just painting. I like to buy cheap actions figures (mostly transformers) and repaint them/add details so I can display them. Thanks a ton!
Opinion here, but I think you are 100% right that people don't realize the work and time/effort it takes to become an expert at something. I sincerely believe that with the advent of the internet, people have become increasingly impatient and out of touch with what it means to be an expert or a master of some craft, especially when so much information is at our fingertips and can be acquired so quickly. But information doesn't necessarily equate to skill level as you have pointed out in other videos about watching vs doing. Loving the channel which I just discovered. Keep em coming.
I really like trying to get duplicates of minis that I've painted a few years ago. That way I can have a really good example of how my painting has improved. Example is I have an Eldar Avatar that I painted quite a few years ago, I've just got my hands on another one so I can paint it and compare them.
At only $3 each I buy a few of the same Reaper Bones Figures to practice a new technique on after I have practiced on scrap to get an idea of how different applications of the technique work. Sometimes I will just make resin copies if I don't have anything similar to practice on before starting on the original one. Other times I am too lazy or broke to do either and just start on the original. Either way I look at them as learning experiences whereas before I would beat myself up for not getting the results I wanted or never get started because I was afraid of not getting the results I wanted. I don't like to strip my models either unless it is one of a kind and know I can do much better. I also like to keep my older models as a measuring stick of how much my skills have improved.
I keep a display case next to my paint area, it has two models inside it. 1st model: Most recent thing that I've painted and am proud of. 2nd model: The first one I ever painted, so I can visibly see just how far I have come.
First, I would like to say thank you. The main thing that draws me to your videos is that they are mostly generalized, as supposed to specific, which means they are always relevant. The diary advice was super helpful. That plus what you brought up in this video made me respond (which I do rarely.) I found that instead of just a document, on the cloud or phone, one of the things that has helped me a lot is lawn bark (the stuff used to fill spaces in a garden.) When I come up with anything lately my test mini is actually just a piece of this bark (anything with texture will work and the bark is super cheap especially if you break it into smaller pieces.) It gives me something tangible that I can look at to see how that recipe looks and compare with other similar ones. Thought I would share this with you and your subscribers as it has helped me a lot.
Love the advice in this video because its so true. Its not easy to realize that the first time you pick up a miniature and paint it, its not going to look all that amazing; we tend to want more immediate gratification, and its easy to feel discouraged but you need to try and keep everything in perspective. As much as you can, keep the old miniatures you paint to remind yourself of how far you've come (and yes, this advice is *so* much easier said than done, especially when stripping paint is so easy but erasing all of that "history" essentially erases perspective).
Thanks for this video, Uncle Atom! Every time I pick up my brush, I try to apply this simple principle of self-motivation! Heading into 2020 with a determined attitude!
There are alot of videos I really enjoy from you guys, however, since I've returned from my dark age of miniature painting, "Tips For Beginning Painters - Uncle Atom's Pro Tips" was probably THE most important. Thank you for the content and keep them coming! :)
I just found you basically last week and I love your videos. This one especially hits true because I want to get good, but I know it's going to take time, which I presumably have, Practice, which I will use the aforementioned time, and then patience, which is where I sometimes struggle. Your videos really drive home that point and are extremely helpful. Thank you!
Pushed myself to start painting again last night, it's hard to keep motivated when you've amassed so much crap. I boxed up everything but the army list I'm playing. Told myself nothing is allowed to be anything less than primed. Two hours later, the whole army is primed and I'm halfway finished my horde of Poxwalkers. Gotta push, pick up that brush and apply at least one colour. From there, it's going to be persistence - I'll only get better the more I paint. My goal for 2018 is to finish two armies, and I think I'll finish three.
I applaud you. I have that same mindset: “I cannot field any models that are not painted.” That means my new Dark Imperium models (got them last week) cannot be fielded. It also means that my primed Cultists cannot be fielded, as they have no real coats of paint on them.
I've really liked most of your videos for a while now. This one made me realize how good they are for listening to while painting. Please keep them coming, the community appreciates it!
After working my way through the Black Library for the past 6 months, I finally pulled the trigger and bought some IG models. It's been years since I worked on Gundam models as a kid, so the whole process has been pretty intimidating. I finished my first paint job the other day, and I was both disappointed and excited. My Cadian trooper's face is just an awful mess of flesh tone, and the wash I used didn't come out the way I was expecting. But I made it, and that funky-faced trooper is proof that I am in fact capable of painting. Maybe I'm not very good now, but I'm so excited to try again. I've made a wet palette (thanks for the video!), and I'm gonna do more research on washes, not to mention face-painting. Your videos have been a big help, so I just wanna say thanks for all your hard work!
Motivation has a lot of it being something you just are going to want to do, and not force yourself to do or complete. Maybe forcing yourself to start or pick up again can be a good spark, but if it continues as a grind for a period of time and not enjoyable it's best to maintain the level of happiness you have with it or do something else and go back to painting later. Love and commitment and chemical X, that's the basis of what great painters are made of.
Another great pep talk Uncle Atom! Been loving your videos as I've been getting into the hobby over the past year, so thank you. I find that keeping my finished models well within my line of sight (and the unfinished stuff hidden away) is huge for my own motivation. I'm much more likely to paint regularly if my elves are staring me in the face when I'm about to boot up steam and play video games instead. I really agree with your view on one's past work; I haven't been at this nearly as long but I don't see myself ever stripping an old model to repaint. In fact, I love having my first models sitting on display right next to my latest stuff. As you say, seeing that progression over time is hugely motivating.
I could never strip my old painted models. That would mean forgetting where i started and my journey to where i am. Keep everything, keep them on display and remember everything is worth the time you put into.
I think it's important also to have specific goals in your practice (and I think this is true of mini painting, drawing, piano playing, whatever) Like for minis, you might have projects where you specifically try to do better object source lighting effects, or better metallic effects, or better flesh effects. You can get better at these things just by doing projects that involve them, but I think this is also part of how we wind up hitting a plateau: we build certain skills and execute them a certain way, and through repetition we just get better at doing things *that way*. I realized this recently as I was trying to get back into drawing, as a way to help me in my efforts to visualize diorama projects before building them, and efforts to paint figure models, things like that. I used to draw a lot, but a lot of that time was spent doing things the same way I'd already taught myself, so everything was a bit artificial and a bit lacking in variety and texture. So in coming back to drawing, I've had to make a conscious effort to break out of that pattern and actually re-learn some of those skills with a bit more of a critical eye. To go back to the piano analogy, I think there's actually a lot of breadth there as well. I could sit down and re-learn the three or four songs I learned to play well in my first year of learning piano, or I could learn a new piece, or I could learn improvisational playing, or playing chords for accompaniment, or learn to transpose things I already can play into other keys - there's a whole range of skills and you don't necessarily get them just by "playing more" - sometimes you have to find specific things worth learning, and practice them.
"Life kinda is a journey" you might even call it a highway, you might even ride it all night long also gotta bring in Bob Ross into this, "Every day is a good day when you paint"
I've been painting over 30 years, and despite my eyesight getting much worse, my technique has improved year by year. The things I painted 5 or 6 years ago don't look as good as what I can do now, but I'm not the sort to strip them or throw them out. I take pride in seeing how much better I've become and how much better the minis look. I might do some touch ups on older models sometimes, because I know I can improve upon what I did before, but they're mileposts to show my progress.
Thanks for the videos, always a help to me as a noob to miniature gaming/painting. My main motivation at the moment is that I can use painting as a relaxation tool and break from university work. Headphones in, paints out and the world disappears, bliss.
I keep watch UA-cam videos learning more and more techniques. I really need to START, and be motivated to practice the stuff I've been learning. Thanks for the video, always something for me to ponder. All the best in the new year!
As stated below. If you love the sculpts but dislike the paint job sell them and buy and paint new. The other note that is if you find a sculpt/character/army/kit you love buy more than one copy, and don't be afraid to sell off the early versions.
Heed the sage advice of Uncle Atom! He not only talks about literally painting minis but, most importantly, metaphorically about life in general! Happy New Year and papa bless! :-)
I play the at a minimum game: At a minimum of 1 minute, what sort of hobby progress can I make. Often this is simply prepping my painting area for one minute or longer before leaving the room. At a minimum of 5 minutes, what sort of progress can I make? This often includes more paint area cleanup/prepping, but can also include getting the models that are ready to be painted on the paint area. Sometimes I use 5 to 10 minutes to update my Trello painting boards. If I'm planning to have time in the day to work on models that I bring with me, I can pack up the ones I want to work on in this time. At a minimum of 15-20 minutes, what progress can in make? Often the mold lines or pre-painting base cleanup can be completed for a small unit of 5 models or a single character. The paint scheme can be planned for a unit. At a minimum of 30 minutes, what sort of progress can I make: a small to medium unit or large model can prepped for priming or it can be primed if ready. If already primed, the first coat of paint on the largest parts (skin, weapons, armor) can be done in this time. At a minimum of one hour, what can be accomplished? A unit can be completed to table top standards. Details can be applied to a large model. Etc. Any larger timeframes are broken down into hour long blocks. After an hour, I have found that a break is a good idea. A short trip to the bathroom, get in a good stretch, grab a beverage refill (iced tea) from the kitchen, say hello to a family member, walk the dog, feed the cat, etc. Then I'm ready to jump back in and focus on the hobby again. This works for me instead of trying to set aside a single 3 to 4 hour block of time to work on my painting. Trying to sit and paint for over 2 hours is a recipe for sore muscles and an aching neck/back. I seem to get far more accomplished this way than if I try to wait for or schedule that large block of time anyway.
Great video Uncle Atom. I’ve had quite a long break from painting and this video is just what I needed to get me started again. Thank you for the informative channel. Cheers JV
Thank you so much for this. Very relevant to me right now. I have been in a serious rut lately for life reasons and really have now decided it's time to get back on the horse. I started airbrushing a few months back and have been rather disappointed with my results, and have decided to mostly use the airbrush to prime and base coat as I seem to enjoy painting with a brush much more. I also have been intimidated by the huge army of Yu Jing I have to paint and how intricate they are. So I've decided to go back to the beginning and just started painting some Primaris Reivers to get my skills back up. Happy New Year and to a healthy and happy 2018!
What typically motivates me to improve is showing up for a game with what I consider good-looking painted miniatures, and seeing that my opponent (or someone else at the shop) has much better-looking painted minis. Playing Orks, it's hard to focus on quality when I'm dealing with such a large quantity of models. I'm getting faster, but not necessarily better. I'm also stubborn and slow to change, so I'm probably clinging to a lot of "newb" techniques and habits that I shouldn't be.
I guess technically i have turned that corner, motivation to paint is no longer the issue, its finding the time to do it. I look forward to it when im not, lose all sense of time when i do, and just a bit sad when i have to stop.
I paint almost every day since april after a break of 17 years... i,m a drawer who lose his joy of making comics this year and avoid (i think) a depression by painting Orks, Tau and Deathgard and also making a LOT of terrain from scratch! I love your video and the part of reflexion you put in the hobby, good work and have a nice day, 2018 will be great for us.
i may touch up old models with new Techniques but primarily i dont re-paint them, as my models show a journey in my painting ability. My Dark Angels are my main example i started them in 2nd Edition and now have Several Companies worth, (maybe one day a whole Chapter) models in the 3rd Company look dramatically different from each other, same goes for my terminators.
While I very much agree with the point of the this nice little rant, I don't very much agree with the general freewheeling way 'practice' is described. As an illustrator I agree that 'gitting' gud requires time and that you're permanently studying and always trying to get better. However, in my experience, some sort of target is usually a good thing. Having a sense of 'I want to be able to do this' and focus on that. Not only does this allows you to work towards that goal but you get better at everything else without really realizing, because you are putting all that work in. It also feels less daunting, because there is a sense of relative short term achievement and you're not lost in this wide open space with endless possibilities of improvement but not a single road to lead you there.
The last sentence is great! I enjoy painting so much now that my wife and my friends complain that I paint too much. Like the Depeche Mode's song says: I just can't get enough :)
I just finished my first box of Empire State Troops and, while they aren’t the best, they look decent and I certainly learned a lot. I was hoping to paint my next box today, but for some reason my glue is acting up.
A few years ago, I decided I wanted to be able to do pull-ups. I got a pull-up bar and found out I couldn't even hold my weight up doing a negative. At all. I'd jump and just fall right back down like I wasn't even trying even though I was flexing as hard as possible. I stuck it in a high-traffic area of my apartment and would do at least one attempt most times I walked by. I kept working on it and two years later I finally did my first pull-up. The improvement was completely imperceptible from session to session, but the eventual results don't lie. Moral of the story: it might take an infuriatingly long time, it might seem like nothing is happening, but if you work at a skill frequently and often, improvement will come.
I must say that 1) I can only hope i'm playing the same game and models in 3 or 6 years.. lol.. I feel like I am into a new game every year.... ha... so I don't worry too much about "having to go back and paint that old stuff"... that said... I think you have also have the option to just go back and 'touch up' old models (vs starting from scratch). and 2) for me, I'm really no longer 'striving for army perfection"... I have motivated myself to try to get the models done and onto the table vs spending lots of hours trying to improve my painting techniques... but strangely, this has resulted in me painting faster and getting more done.. and also finding that overall, my paint jobs are getting 'cleaner'.. maybe not as deeply shaded or highlight... and I don't spend as much time worrying about minor details and doing the eyes perfectly... but it has actually made it so that my "basic level' of painting is actually higher than it used to be just due to some repetition and practice... so I'm actually happy at the place I am right now, which is a good place to be!! Thanks for all the videos and chats! It was great to meet you @ Gencon as well. Happy 2018!
One other thing I always forget to do... paint the date you finish a model on the underside of it's base... then when you look back in 6 months, 2 years, or 12 years.. you can see when you actually did that figure... I always forget to do this but want to try to work on it going forward!
8:00 That light bulb went off as you said this. I have been afraid to move forward with my 40k army because I am a newer painter. When I would look back at older miniatures, see improvements and disappointment. I am disappointed at myself because I want to paint better. I forget this isn't like painting on a canvas or drawing in a sketchbook. These models/miniatures can be stripped and painting anew. I should barrel forward in what I paint and continue to make improvements. If I am not happy with previous paintings, then I can strip them and utilize my improvements for better paintings.
Frontbutt88 if you keep painting models and compare them after a while with older modles you can see you improvement very well. I think this is very or can be satisfying for people like us, how are painting for a year or so.
Yeah, I have painted off and on since last year. I have already improved since I started. I had a basic understanding of the colour wheel, and I just obtained a wet palette. Btw, I highly suggest getting one of those.
Great Video.. I would like you to discuss the problem with WH40k. In this Painting issue, in my opinion, is the PAINTING! I am not a painter, I do not want to be a painter! I just want to play WH40k, I do not have time for BOTH.. that is unlike X Wing, you never ever need to worry about the painting, because it comes painted. So, I look at WH40k more of a model painting game than a real game. In the end, I got a spray gun, and just do all the models sprue, and then add one or two quick wash, some gold or whatever color splash.. done..
Every time I finish a miniature I feel like it's my best work, but when I look back... What was I thinking? It's exciting to look back at old pictures and see how far I've come in such a short time, and that excitement keeps me painting. A friend just told me to stop worrying about trying for "display" quality and to just paint for the fun,(and get better by actually doing it) so your video has impeccable timing, lol.
Start with minis from a game you don't care about (in my case it was WarQuest). Experiment with primers, base paints, layering, washes, glazes, highlighting and varnishes, airbrush etc. and after you get to a satisfactory level move onto the minis for games that are better e.g. Shadespire, Age of Sigmar, WH40K etc
yeah, I sculpt, model and animate as much as I am able to. I'm never really happy with what I've done because the next model is usually better than the last ;) Definitely a weird practice in that way. Caring too much is the problem for me some times. Just do it and keep learning, that is the journey and try to enjoy what you and others have done together.
Honestly I'm not sure how much "better" I am at painting da Ork Boyz. I find that I hold myself back on my giant mobs now because I want all 100+ Boyz to have the same look and feel.
Great video and insightful thoughts. I'm interested in whether there is a natural plateau of painting skills and how good you can get learning on your own or watching tips online. I'm definitely considering taking some painting classes in 2018 to see if that increases my skill level
Hey, just wanted to say great video as always. Just primed my first set of Warhammer models and can't wait to start painting them. I enjoy your videos, and your style of offering common sense solutions and ideas. However, it would be cool if you added some batreps to your line up, just a thought for more content. cheers!
Just bought some Crypt Flayers from AoS. Never played it just felt like painting something different. I quite like the Death faction so it could lead to a larger collection.
Good Sir, I only want to tell you. That your videos are added in the best time. When i was bullied by someone that my figures arent that good looking. You added a video about that isue i got over it just by watching this vid. Now? You add about motive :)! And from "should i paint My figures today?" im up to "I SHOULD PAINT MY FIGURES TODAY!"
This is actually the cause of my procrastination: I have an idea of what I want my army to look like, and at present I don't have the ability to make it look like this, at least consistently. And so, I put off painting, because I "can't do it well enough," whatever that means. And of course, rationally, I know I'll never get "good enough" if I don't paint. And I'll never get my army done if I never paint, or if I constantly strip every model and start again. Sometimes, we just need to be told the obvious!
I still think painting trash terrain is a great place to start. You can learn a lot before ever touching a miniature. Then buy inexpensive minis to paint up. Ceaser goblins are a good example! Thanks for the show!
I finished with all the priming, since I want every zombie to look a little diferent, it´s gonna take a while. OMG it´s my vampire counts army all over again.
Hang in there! I made my greatest progress as a miniature painter while batch painting zombies from my first Zombicide game. It taught me to relax more and not focus so much on perfection. After all, zombies are supposed to look nasty, right? Ultimately, through the process of painting, I became a better painter, and my zombies still look awesome!
I started painting about 2 months ago mainly because of your videos and I think you should reach check your progression timers. Forget about 6 months, try two weeks...
Hi Atom, Quick question. I've been thinking about picking up an airbrush. You've mentioned in previous video's that you often use your own to prime your models. Are there any types/brands of paint that you'd recommend as good primers that work well with an airbrush? Or perhaps more importantly any you'd recommend avoiding?
I don't play any of the games (yet) so I only buy miniatures after I finish one and I only buy those individual miniatures that get me excited. I never have to paint the same miniature over and over again as one would if they were painting a Skaven regiment for instance. So each time I paint a new miniature it is taken from a different genre, brand, and size; therefore I am remotivated and ecstatic about what I am painting. I hardly get tired of painting, but it will be nice to play Infinity or Maulifaux, whatever it may be in 2018.
Totally unrelated comment but I bought some Nuln Oil online, they delivered it like 3 days earlier than I was even supposed to receive the package, and it got frozen solid in the mailbox overnight. If it thaws should it be fine?
I think a lot of new hobby peoples fears about getting better is the cost of models and not wanting to screw them up because they cant afford to replace them or buy more. My solution... Simple Green. If I don't like how something turned out, it gets a bath in simple green and start over. Other than that my only other advice is learn one technique at a time and practice it. Then move on to the next one and combine it with the first...and so on. Then once you have chained several techniques together you will be very surprised at the results.
Who Is the Grandfather of Tabletop Wargaming? Is my choice, seeing as I shared the video to a bunch of my coworker wargaming buds, and then bought the book and read it on the flight on my last holiday.
My motivation is that "my dudes" can't really be mine if they're unpainted and looking like they are just test proxies. Like you said Uncle Atom, remember "Mr Drippy." :D
I have issues with finding time and, to be honest, motivation. But when I sit, open my project box and touch mini with my brush (it sounds nasty...) magic happens. I get captivated for hours and... just enjoy painting
Well that's good advice to those that want to get better but not everyone wants or cares. Personally I am in that camp as weird it might seem to some I still don't enjoy painting and I only paint to get my miniatures ready for tabletop so I do simple paint jobs that can be done as quickly as possible. In other words army painter method. Let's face it, not all of us want to spend hours and hours painting single miniature that's going to be part of army that's not going to be entry for some painting competition.
Does anyone have any tips for using vallejo primer in an airbrush? It's been very hit or miss for me so far. Can't figure out the psi for plastic or metal, or if I should thin or not. I'm at a roadblock right now because It's definitely not rattle can weather.
I use the black and grey Vallejo surface primers. Took me a bit to figure it out but I've ended up spraying it at 20-25 psi. I thin it with just a small amount (drop or 2) of flow improver. And then a drop of water if it needs it. Still dries on the tip eventually but the end results are good. Also using a patriot 105 with I believe a .5 nozzle set.
Shiny Dog: Thinner instead of Flow Improver. Primer takes a day to cure anyway; don’t slow it down. Don’t overfill mixing pot: thinner dries faster =more gummies and skin in there before you’ve primed your squad of 30; keep mixing and mixing. Higher PSI (30-35), lighter trigger work, more passes, always test spray to the side after a pause to avoid spurting (hard to come back from), back the needle out a touch to improve flow, no water (needs to be thinner, but in no way more translucent), sometimes two passes (second 30% thinner than the first after its touch dry) and at least 24 hours before starting to paint on it. Toothbrush for constant tip cleaning lives in shot glass of undiluted window cleaner. If you feth up, drop mini straight into that glass and fill with water so the strip is easier. Have the discipline to stop and break that brush down altogether if you need to; be prepared to have to do it least once in 30. Results are worth it.
I use a Paasche VL set at 25psi off a small (2 liter 1/4hp) compressor. If I get a clot at the tip, I point it off to the side in my blow-out / cleaning tub and give it a hard blast and that will often (temporarily) clear my tip (of course, I do run cleaner and tear the brush down as needed as well). Recently I had my first go at airbrush priming (I've always used rattlecans but it's too cold) and despite using airbrush primer I found that I had to dilute the primer a fair bit with flow extender / reducer. I've never used any harsh thinners so can't speak to how well they work, but I would say to definitely avoid anything with ammonia in it. The ammonia can damage the parts in your brush (so I have been told). Thinned down, I found the primer worked much better in my brush (I expected it to be diluted in the bottle since it was supposedly for use in an airbrush but it appears that was not the case). I also tend to go with a gentle misting and short bursts to get as even and thin a coat as I can get away with while still getting full coverage of the model. I'm not certain if the psi matters depending on plastic or metal (I have never heard of it, but I have also not worked on metal models in a very long time). You should most certainly use a thinner or reducer of some sort. My suggestion would be to practice on a metal model. They are far easier (at least, as memory serves) to strip paint from if you make a mistake. Experimentation is key, you'll learn your brush as you go. Hope that helps!
Atom, do you find people who just paint models over time in general will become better, or do they have to focus a bit more on it. I am stuck in a slump where I want to put these guys on the table and play with them ASAP (still will take a few months, cause Ork Boys) but I also don't want to have them look like too crappy. So I want decent looking stuff, but I also want to play soon. If I just keep going will skill develop in some matter at all, or is it something I have to solely focus on above getting make a table top ready army? P.S. : The Boys are not the only problem, I have to assemble War Trukks, War Bikes, and my HQs and paint them all. Also part of this is a little bit "Self Esteem". As just in my job we have a thing where "what we do reflects on who we are", there is almost no breaking that. lol
Redneck Rebellion No, no, bodies of text don't worry me at all, I am glad I got some response! I am doing batches of Boyz at a time about 4 to 5 and I am done with Batch 1 this weekend (3 weeks painting cause full time employment, holidays, etc), and then priming up the second ones, but they wont be painted till after vacation. I might assmble the Painboy before painting again, but yeah 20 or so Boyz and 5 fully done so far. I have noticed to go after the under garment and little things first. I started batch 1 with Ork Skin to get that down and it looks great, but it also lead to lots of clean up and relayring to where it ate up time. But after getting the theme going it takes me maybe 2 or 3 sessions to get them done. The other thing is half of the 20 or so boys I got where partially made when I started college, and the rest are numbered with no arms in a sub assembly, waiting to be to be to together after painting. So some are just going to take time with a Shoota taking up 80% of the models front, and trying to paint below it. But on the subject, is it even worth doing edge highlights and the full treatment on Boyz, or just save that stuff for HQs, Nobz, and the like? I keep hearing that they will be off the board in a turn or two compared to the other units.
What I found when painting Orks is that brush techniques can make your life much easier and things go much faster while giving a very nice result. What I'm talking about is going beyond just a drybrush technique and experimenting with varying the amount of paint on the brush to achieve different results. The more paint on the brush, the more coverage you'll get and the smoother the finish and there is an almost infinite variation in brush loading between a fully loaded brush for putting down a total coverage layer and a full-on dry brush where only the sharpest details are picked out. These in-between regions are perfect for highlights the organic shapes common on Orks like flesh and cloth/leather after a base and wash.
Does anyone have any tips for focusing in one one army? Currently I have 500 points of 4 different armies and I'm having trouble sticking to one long enough to get anywhere. I'm struggling to find an aesthetic that I will like 100 miniatures down the line.
I have the same problem but 20 years longer in the making. I'm talking thousands of points in at least a half dozen different armies as well as several different armies outside of 40k. The best way I've found to make progress is to clear your workspace of everything but the thing you want to focus your attention on and work on it until it's "done". Get the rest out of sight/mind and focus on getting one thing done. That one thing might be a single mini or a squad or the whole force but the key is to get the distractions trying divide your time out your immediate sphere of attention. If that means box everything else up and take it to a friend's house as an extreme, then that might be what it takes.
It's generally considered that it takes 10,000 hours of active engagement to become an expert at something. Active engagement isn't just putting your hands into the task though, it's also putting your mind into it. You have to spend as much time hands on as you do analyzing your own work and learning from others.
must admit, that my motivation for painting, is not really becoming a better painter. my main motivation comes from wanting to have more painted stuff to play with.
"Getting started is a start" - Atom Smasher, December 2017. The best kind of advice available :)
Every day you do not paint, takes you one day longer, to become better.
I regret that I have but one like to give to this comment.
What about the days I spend fiddling around with greenstuff, doing conversions and cleaning mould lines?
Any time spent on the hobby is a good thing. Painting is just one way of personalizing an army.
Those are excellent to do, and something I gravitate towards. If you don't paint them though, you may be missing an opportunity to get better at sculpting or cleaning mold lines. Sometimes my conversion work looks so great I get motivated to do a bunch more conversions. The only issue is that when I go to paint it months later and learn that the paint catches in circumstances that I missed an opportunity to incorporate that lesson sooner. That's just me and my issue though.
"Your worst enemies have painted models today. Have you?"
XP waste.
Your just get started video motivated me to do exactly that. I went from watching 10 + how to videos a day, to actually doing it myself. With the first strike game, and paint set. Plus 1 brush and some wash....for an investment of £45 of my finest English pounds over 1 month. I'm in!! I'm part of the hobby. I paint.....3 times a month for 4-5hrs. I've gone from shockingly bad. To a spray priming wet Pallette "good tabletop standard" painter. With some hand muscle practice I'm really coming on. The process is not overnight and should, in my opinion, have mistakes and pit falls and ups and downs like any worthwhile skill has before you master it. I thoroughly enjoy the process. I even mix my own colours now so investment in paints is minimal whilst learning what works.
Having a 1k paint rack, all the best brushes etc of either a commission painter or big budget hobby type...
Is simply not required.
For £45 I've had 3 months of massively rewarding hobby time and I'm on the path.
Uncle atom-legend
Three things:
1. I love your videos that are about the meta aspect of our hobby, like this one.
2. On a scale of one to ten, how wierd is it when i tell you that i love your voice?
3. For a long time now i yell "PACHOW!" when i roll a POW on an important block in Blood Bowl... i make you responsible for that.
Oddly i love his voice to idk if its weird or not
His voice is nice, but I also I like how chilled out he is.
I bit the bullet and bought an airbrush. What a game changer. Oddly enough I don't paint miniatures, but your channel in general and this video got me to stop researching painting, and just painting. I like to buy cheap actions figures (mostly transformers) and repaint them/add details so I can display them. Thanks a ton!
Opinion here, but I think you are 100% right that people don't realize the work and time/effort it takes to become an expert at something. I sincerely believe that with the advent of the internet, people have become increasingly impatient and out of touch with what it means to be an expert or a master of some craft, especially when so much information is at our fingertips and can be acquired so quickly. But information doesn't necessarily equate to skill level as you have pointed out in other videos about watching vs doing. Loving the channel which I just discovered. Keep em coming.
I really like trying to get duplicates of minis that I've painted a few years ago. That way I can have a really good example of how my painting has improved.
Example is I have an Eldar Avatar that I painted quite a few years ago, I've just got my hands on another one so I can paint it and compare them.
Danny Eccles Thanks for this amazing idea.
At only $3 each I buy a few of the same Reaper Bones Figures to practice a new technique on after I have practiced on scrap to get an idea of how different applications of the technique work. Sometimes I will just make resin copies if I don't have anything similar to practice on before starting on the original one. Other times I am too lazy or broke to do either and just start on the original. Either way I look at them as learning experiences whereas before I would beat myself up for not getting the results I wanted or never get started because I was afraid of not getting the results I wanted.
I don't like to strip my models either unless it is one of a kind and know I can do much better. I also like to keep my older models as a measuring stick of how much my skills have improved.
Exactly. I sell the earlier versions and buy new and paint them again.
I keep a display case next to my paint area, it has two models inside it.
1st model: Most recent thing that I've painted and am proud of.
2nd model: The first one I ever painted, so I can visibly see just how far I have come.
First, I would like to say thank you. The main thing that draws me to your videos is that they are mostly generalized, as supposed to specific, which means they are always relevant. The diary advice was super helpful. That plus what you brought up in this video made me respond (which I do rarely.) I found that instead of just a document, on the cloud or phone, one of the things that has helped me a lot is lawn bark (the stuff used to fill spaces in a garden.) When I come up with anything lately my test mini is actually just a piece of this bark (anything with texture will work and the bark is super cheap especially if you break it into smaller pieces.) It gives me something tangible that I can look at to see how that recipe looks and compare with other similar ones. Thought I would share this with you and your subscribers as it has helped me a lot.
Love the advice in this video because its so true. Its not easy to realize that the first time you pick up a miniature and paint it, its not going to look all that amazing; we tend to want more immediate gratification, and its easy to feel discouraged but you need to try and keep everything in perspective. As much as you can, keep the old miniatures you paint to remind yourself of how far you've come (and yes, this advice is *so* much easier said than done, especially when stripping paint is so easy but erasing all of that "history" essentially erases perspective).
Thanks for this video, Uncle Atom! Every time I pick up my brush, I try to apply this simple principle of self-motivation! Heading into 2020 with a determined attitude!
There are alot of videos I really enjoy from you guys, however, since I've returned from my dark age of miniature painting, "Tips For Beginning Painters - Uncle Atom's Pro Tips" was probably THE most important. Thank you for the content and keep them coming! :)
I just found you basically last week and I love your videos. This one especially hits true because I want to get good, but I know it's going to take time, which I presumably have, Practice, which I will use the aforementioned time, and then patience, which is where I sometimes struggle. Your videos really drive home that point and are extremely helpful. Thank you!
Thanks Adam! I appreciate you always being a strong point in the community, keep up the good work.
Pushed myself to start painting again last night, it's hard to keep motivated when you've amassed so much crap. I boxed up everything but the army list I'm playing. Told myself nothing is allowed to be anything less than primed. Two hours later, the whole army is primed and I'm halfway finished my horde of Poxwalkers. Gotta push, pick up that brush and apply at least one colour. From there, it's going to be persistence - I'll only get better the more I paint. My goal for 2018 is to finish two armies, and I think I'll finish three.
I applaud you. I have that same mindset: “I cannot field any models that are not painted.” That means my new Dark Imperium models (got them last week) cannot be fielded. It also means that my primed Cultists cannot be fielded, as they have no real coats of paint on them.
I've really liked most of your videos for a while now. This one made me realize how good they are for listening to while painting. Please keep them coming, the community appreciates it!
After working my way through the Black Library for the past 6 months, I finally pulled the trigger and bought some IG models. It's been years since I worked on Gundam models as a kid, so the whole process has been pretty intimidating. I finished my first paint job the other day, and I was both disappointed and excited. My Cadian trooper's face is just an awful mess of flesh tone, and the wash I used didn't come out the way I was expecting.
But I made it, and that funky-faced trooper is proof that I am in fact capable of painting. Maybe I'm not very good now, but I'm so excited to try again. I've made a wet palette (thanks for the video!), and I'm gonna do more research on washes, not to mention face-painting. Your videos have been a big help, so I just wanna say thanks for all your hard work!
Motivation has a lot of it being something you just are going to want to do, and not force yourself to do or complete. Maybe forcing yourself to start or pick up again can be a good spark, but if it continues as a grind for a period of time and not enjoyable it's best to maintain the level of happiness you have with it or do something else and go back to painting later. Love and commitment and chemical X, that's the basis of what great painters are made of.
Another great pep talk Uncle Atom! Been loving your videos as I've been getting into the hobby over the past year, so thank you.
I find that keeping my finished models well within my line of sight (and the unfinished stuff hidden away) is huge for my own motivation. I'm much more likely to paint regularly if my elves are staring me in the face when I'm about to boot up steam and play video games instead.
I really agree with your view on one's past work; I haven't been at this nearly as long but I don't see myself ever stripping an old model to repaint. In fact, I love having my first models sitting on display right next to my latest stuff. As you say, seeing that progression over time is hugely motivating.
I could never strip my old painted models. That would mean forgetting where i started and my journey to where i am.
Keep everything, keep them on display and remember everything is worth the time you put into.
I think it's important also to have specific goals in your practice (and I think this is true of mini painting, drawing, piano playing, whatever)
Like for minis, you might have projects where you specifically try to do better object source lighting effects, or better metallic effects, or better flesh effects. You can get better at these things just by doing projects that involve them, but I think this is also part of how we wind up hitting a plateau: we build certain skills and execute them a certain way, and through repetition we just get better at doing things *that way*.
I realized this recently as I was trying to get back into drawing, as a way to help me in my efforts to visualize diorama projects before building them, and efforts to paint figure models, things like that. I used to draw a lot, but a lot of that time was spent doing things the same way I'd already taught myself, so everything was a bit artificial and a bit lacking in variety and texture. So in coming back to drawing, I've had to make a conscious effort to break out of that pattern and actually re-learn some of those skills with a bit more of a critical eye.
To go back to the piano analogy, I think there's actually a lot of breadth there as well. I could sit down and re-learn the three or four songs I learned to play well in my first year of learning piano, or I could learn a new piece, or I could learn improvisational playing, or playing chords for accompaniment, or learn to transpose things I already can play into other keys - there's a whole range of skills and you don't necessarily get them just by "playing more" - sometimes you have to find specific things worth learning, and practice them.
"Life kinda is a journey" you might even call it a highway, you might even ride it all night long
also gotta bring in Bob Ross into this, "Every day is a good day when you paint"
I've been painting over 30 years, and despite my eyesight getting much worse, my technique has improved year by year. The things I painted 5 or 6 years ago don't look as good as what I can do now, but I'm not the sort to strip them or throw them out. I take pride in seeing how much better I've become and how much better the minis look. I might do some touch ups on older models sometimes, because I know I can improve upon what I did before, but they're mileposts to show my progress.
Thanks for the videos, always a help to me as a noob to miniature gaming/painting. My main motivation at the moment is that I can use painting as a relaxation tool and break from university work. Headphones in, paints out and the world disappears, bliss.
I keep watch UA-cam videos learning more and more techniques. I really need to START, and be motivated to practice the stuff I've been learning. Thanks for the video, always something for me to ponder. All the best in the new year!
As stated below. If you love the sculpts but dislike the paint job sell them and buy and paint new. The other note that is if you find a sculpt/character/army/kit you love buy more than one copy, and don't be afraid to sell off the early versions.
Much, much apreciated for all that you've said! Thanks!
Heed the sage advice of Uncle Atom! He not only talks about literally painting minis but, most importantly, metaphorically about life in general!
Happy New Year and papa bless! :-)
Painting for 6 years now. I am getting better but I keep my first botched minis as a fun reminder of how I started. I wont ever strip them :)
I play the at a minimum game:
At a minimum of 1 minute, what sort of hobby progress can I make. Often this is simply prepping my painting area for one minute or longer before leaving the room.
At a minimum of 5 minutes, what sort of progress can I make? This often includes more paint area cleanup/prepping, but can also include getting the models that are ready to be painted on the paint area. Sometimes I use 5 to 10 minutes to update my Trello painting boards. If I'm planning to have time in the day to work on models that I bring with me, I can pack up the ones I want to work on in this time.
At a minimum of 15-20 minutes, what progress can in make? Often the mold lines or pre-painting base cleanup can be completed for a small unit of 5 models or a single character. The paint scheme can be planned for a unit.
At a minimum of 30 minutes, what sort of progress can I make: a small to medium unit or large model can prepped for priming or it can be primed if ready. If already primed, the first coat of paint on the largest parts (skin, weapons, armor) can be done in this time.
At a minimum of one hour, what can be accomplished? A unit can be completed to table top standards. Details can be applied to a large model. Etc.
Any larger timeframes are broken down into hour long blocks. After an hour, I have found that a break is a good idea. A short trip to the bathroom, get in a good stretch, grab a beverage refill (iced tea) from the kitchen, say hello to a family member, walk the dog, feed the cat, etc. Then I'm ready to jump back in and focus on the hobby again.
This works for me instead of trying to set aside a single 3 to 4 hour block of time to work on my painting. Trying to sit and paint for over 2 hours is a recipe for sore muscles and an aching neck/back.
I seem to get far more accomplished this way than if I try to wait for or schedule that large block of time anyway.
Great video Uncle Atom. I’ve had quite a long break from painting and this video is just what I needed to get me started again. Thank you for the informative channel. Cheers JV
Thank you so much for this. Very relevant to me right now. I have been in a serious rut lately for life reasons and really have now decided it's time to get back on the horse. I started airbrushing a few months back and have been rather disappointed with my results, and have decided to mostly use the airbrush to prime and base coat as I seem to enjoy painting with a brush much more. I also have been intimidated by the huge army of Yu Jing I have to paint and how intricate they are. So I've decided to go back to the beginning and just started painting some Primaris Reivers to get my skills back up. Happy New Year and to a healthy and happy 2018!
What typically motivates me to improve is showing up for a game with what I consider good-looking painted miniatures, and seeing that my opponent (or someone else at the shop) has much better-looking painted minis. Playing Orks, it's hard to focus on quality when I'm dealing with such a large quantity of models. I'm getting faster, but not necessarily better. I'm also stubborn and slow to change, so I'm probably clinging to a lot of "newb" techniques and habits that I shouldn't be.
You don't even have to try and be better, just doing it will make you better.
I guess technically i have turned that corner, motivation to paint is no longer the issue, its finding the time to do it. I look forward to it when im not, lose all sense of time when i do, and just a bit sad when i have to stop.
I paint almost every day since april after a break of 17 years... i,m a drawer who lose his joy of making comics this year and avoid (i think) a depression by painting Orks, Tau and Deathgard and also making a LOT of terrain from scratch! I love your video and the part of reflexion you put in the hobby, good work and have a nice day, 2018 will be great for us.
i may touch up old models with new Techniques but primarily i dont re-paint them, as my models show a journey in my painting ability.
My Dark Angels are my main example i started them in 2nd Edition and now have Several Companies worth, (maybe one day a whole Chapter) models in the 3rd Company look dramatically different from each other, same goes for my terminators.
For me I've striped models after using a few for color tests for the army. Events are a good motivation
If people thought of their hobby or practice as often as thinking about what they are going to have for dinner. . . look out world!
While I very much agree with the point of the this nice little rant, I don't very much agree with the general freewheeling way 'practice' is described. As an illustrator I agree that 'gitting' gud requires time and that you're permanently studying and always trying to get better. However, in my experience, some sort of target is usually a good thing. Having a sense of 'I want to be able to do this' and focus on that. Not only does this allows you to work towards that goal but you get better at everything else without really realizing, because you are putting all that work in. It also feels less daunting, because there is a sense of relative short term achievement and you're not lost in this wide open space with endless possibilities of improvement but not a single road to lead you there.
I am currently considering repainting my Ork horde. They were painted very early on in my collecting, and I think it’s time for me to up my own game.
The last sentence is great! I enjoy painting so much now that my wife and my friends complain that I paint too much. Like the Depeche Mode's song says: I just can't get enough :)
Another great vid. I paint RPG minis instead of wargaming but your vids are some of the best either way. Thanks!
I just finished my first box of Empire State Troops and, while they aren’t the best, they look decent and I certainly learned a lot. I was hoping to paint my next box today, but for some reason my glue is acting up.
Good material advice in general, but yeah, within the hobby of miniatures too. Great video.
A few years ago, I decided I wanted to be able to do pull-ups. I got a pull-up bar and found out I couldn't even hold my weight up doing a negative. At all. I'd jump and just fall right back down like I wasn't even trying even though I was flexing as hard as possible. I stuck it in a high-traffic area of my apartment and would do at least one attempt most times I walked by. I kept working on it and two years later I finally did my first pull-up. The improvement was completely imperceptible from session to session, but the eventual results don't lie.
Moral of the story: it might take an infuriatingly long time, it might seem like nothing is happening, but if you work at a skill frequently and often, improvement will come.
A Great video my Projects for 2018 are Travel Battle from Perry Miniatures and Tanks Skirmish Game , Both Xmas Presents also ACW 6mm.Happy New Year.
I must say that 1) I can only hope i'm playing the same game and models in 3 or 6 years.. lol.. I feel like I am into a new game every year.... ha... so I don't worry too much about "having to go back and paint that old stuff"... that said... I think you have also have the option to just go back and 'touch up' old models (vs starting from scratch). and 2) for me, I'm really no longer 'striving for army perfection"... I have motivated myself to try to get the models done and onto the table vs spending lots of hours trying to improve my painting techniques... but strangely, this has resulted in me painting faster and getting more done.. and also finding that overall, my paint jobs are getting 'cleaner'.. maybe not as deeply shaded or highlight... and I don't spend as much time worrying about minor details and doing the eyes perfectly... but it has actually made it so that my "basic level' of painting is actually higher than it used to be just due to some repetition and practice... so I'm actually happy at the place I am right now, which is a good place to be!!
Thanks for all the videos and chats! It was great to meet you @ Gencon as well. Happy 2018!
One other thing I always forget to do... paint the date you finish a model on the underside of it's base... then when you look back in 6 months, 2 years, or 12 years.. you can see when you actually did that figure... I always forget to do this but want to try to work on it going forward!
8:00 That light bulb went off as you said this.
I have been afraid to move forward with my 40k army because I am a newer painter. When I would look back at older miniatures, see improvements and disappointment. I am disappointed at myself because I want to paint better. I forget this isn't like painting on a canvas or drawing in a sketchbook. These models/miniatures can be stripped and painting anew. I should barrel forward in what I paint and continue to make improvements. If I am not happy with previous paintings, then I can strip them and utilize my improvements for better paintings.
Frontbutt88 if you keep painting models and compare them after a while with older modles you can see you improvement very well. I think this is very or can be satisfying for people like us, how are painting for a year or so.
Yeah, I have painted off and on since last year. I have already improved since I started. I had a basic understanding of the colour wheel, and I just obtained a wet palette. Btw, I highly suggest getting one of those.
Uncle Atom. This 2018 I'm gonna get officio assassinorum forces ready, I'll stat form the basics to get to the top. Best regards and Happy new year.
Great Video.. I would like you to discuss the problem with WH40k. In this Painting issue, in my opinion, is the PAINTING! I am not a painter, I do not want to be a painter! I just want to play WH40k, I do not have time for BOTH.. that is unlike X Wing, you never ever need to worry about the painting, because it comes painted. So, I look at WH40k more of a model painting game than a real game. In the end, I got a spray gun, and just do all the models sprue, and then add one or two quick wash, some gold or whatever color splash.. done..
"Starting is how you start things." - Uncle Atom. And now you know.......
Thanks for this video. and Happy New Year!
Every time I finish a miniature I feel like it's my best work, but when I look back... What was I thinking?
It's exciting to look back at old pictures and see how far I've come in such a short time, and that excitement keeps me painting. A friend just told me to stop worrying about trying for "display" quality and to just paint for the fun,(and get better by actually doing it) so your video has impeccable timing, lol.
At the time, it probably was your best work. "Your" being the important descriptor.
Start with minis from a game you don't care about (in my case it was WarQuest). Experiment with primers, base paints, layering, washes, glazes, highlighting and varnishes, airbrush etc. and after you get to a satisfactory level move onto the minis for games that are better e.g. Shadespire, Age of Sigmar, WH40K etc
yeah, I sculpt, model and animate as much as I am able to. I'm never really happy with what I've done because the next model is usually better than the last ;) Definitely a weird practice in that way. Caring too much is the problem for me some times. Just do it and keep learning, that is the journey and try to enjoy what you and others have done together.
Honestly I'm not sure how much "better" I am at painting da Ork Boyz. I find that I hold myself back on my giant mobs now because I want all 100+ Boyz to have the same look and feel.
Great video and insightful thoughts. I'm interested in whether there is a natural plateau of painting skills and how good you can get learning on your own or watching tips online. I'm definitely considering taking some painting classes in 2018 to see if that increases my skill level
Hey, just wanted to say great video as always. Just primed my first set of Warhammer models and can't wait to start painting them. I enjoy your videos, and your style of offering common sense solutions and ideas. However, it would be cool if you added some batreps to your line up, just a thought for more content. cheers!
Just bought some Crypt Flayers from AoS. Never played it just felt like painting something different. I quite like the Death faction so it could lead to a larger collection.
Good Sir, I only want to tell you. That your videos are added in the best time. When i was bullied by someone that my figures arent that good looking. You added a video about that isue i got over it just by watching this vid. Now? You add about motive :)! And from "should i paint My figures today?" im up to "I SHOULD PAINT MY FIGURES TODAY!"
This is actually the cause of my procrastination: I have an idea of what I want my army to look like, and at present I don't have the ability to make it look like this, at least consistently.
And so, I put off painting, because I "can't do it well enough," whatever that means. And of course, rationally, I know I'll never get "good enough" if I don't paint. And I'll never get my army done if I never paint, or if I constantly strip every model and start again.
Sometimes, we just need to be told the obvious!
Smashed through a unit of Poxwalkers last night. Normally finish one or two an day - seem to have found my second wind. lol
I still think painting trash terrain is a great place to start. You can learn a lot before ever touching a miniature. Then buy inexpensive minis to paint up. Ceaser goblins are a good example! Thanks for the show!
This video dropped just in time, I´m painting all the zombies in zombicide.
papapitufo2000 that's a fun lot to paint. I batch painted all of the zombies at once. I started to see them in my sleep.
damn thanks for reminding me of what I have on my things to do list AND the Dark Plague ones AND also the Massive Darkness ones.
I feel your pain. I'm slogging through 60 Poxwalkers right now.
I finished with all the priming, since I want every zombie to look a little diferent, it´s gonna take a while. OMG it´s my vampire counts army all over again.
Hang in there! I made my greatest progress as a miniature painter while batch painting zombies from my first Zombicide game. It taught me to relax more and not focus so much on perfection. After all, zombies are supposed to look nasty, right? Ultimately, through the process of painting, I became a better painter, and my zombies still look awesome!
Starting is how we start things is my new motivational poster quote! Lol
I started painting about 2 months ago mainly because of your videos and I think you should reach check your progression timers. Forget about 6 months, try two weeks...
Funny, what i needed when I needed it. Thanks Atom!
Hi Atom,
Quick question. I've been thinking about picking up an airbrush. You've mentioned in previous video's that you often use your own to prime your models. Are there any types/brands of paint that you'd recommend as good primers that work well with an airbrush? Or perhaps more importantly any you'd recommend avoiding?
I don't play any of the games (yet) so I only buy miniatures after I finish one and I only buy those individual miniatures that get me excited. I never have to paint the same miniature over and over again as one would if they were painting a Skaven regiment for instance. So each time I paint a new miniature it is taken from a different genre, brand, and size; therefore I am remotivated and ecstatic about what I am painting. I hardly get tired of painting, but it will be nice to play Infinity or Maulifaux, whatever it may be in 2018.
Totally unrelated comment but I bought some Nuln Oil online, they delivered it like 3 days earlier than I was even supposed to receive the package, and it got frozen solid in the mailbox overnight. If it thaws should it be fine?
The phrase you were thinking of was "virtuous cycle".
I think a lot of new hobby peoples fears about getting better is the cost of models and not wanting to screw them up because they cant afford to replace them or buy more. My solution... Simple Green. If I don't like how something turned out, it gets a bath in simple green and start over. Other than that my only other advice is learn one technique at a time and practice it. Then move on to the next one and combine it with the first...and so on. Then once you have chained several techniques together you will be very surprised at the results.
Who Is the Grandfather of Tabletop Wargaming?
Is my choice, seeing as I shared the video to a bunch of my coworker wargaming buds, and then bought the book and read it on the flight on my last holiday.
My motivation is that "my dudes" can't really be mine if they're unpainted and looking like they are just test proxies.
Like you said Uncle Atom, remember "Mr Drippy." :D
Awesome advice! Thanks!
I have issues with finding time and, to be honest, motivation. But when I sit, open my project box and touch mini with my brush (it sounds nasty...) magic happens. I get captivated for hours and... just enjoy painting
Well that's good advice to those that want to get better but not everyone wants or cares. Personally I am in that camp as weird it might seem to some I still don't enjoy painting and I only paint to get my miniatures ready for tabletop so I do simple paint jobs that can be done as quickly as possible. In other words army painter method. Let's face it, not all of us want to spend hours and hours painting single miniature that's going to be part of army that's not going to be entry for some painting competition.
i started painting minis at 39. im not bad, but im no expert. im some where in the middle. i wish i would have started 20 years ago.
its very hard to sketch on painting, you need to practice but once painted hard to go back because strip the paint isnt easy
I need more experience to level up. Time to paint!
The term you were looking for is virtuous cycle. :)
Does anyone have any tips for using vallejo primer in an airbrush? It's been very hit or miss for me so far. Can't figure out the psi for plastic or metal, or if I should thin or not. I'm at a roadblock right now because It's definitely not rattle can weather.
What kind of airbrush are you using?
I use the black and grey Vallejo surface primers. Took me a bit to figure it out but I've ended up spraying it at 20-25 psi. I thin it with just a small amount (drop or 2) of flow improver. And then a drop of water if it needs it. Still dries on the tip eventually but the end results are good. Also using a patriot 105 with I believe a .5 nozzle set.
Shiny Dog: Thinner instead of Flow Improver. Primer takes a day to cure anyway; don’t slow it down. Don’t overfill mixing pot: thinner dries faster =more gummies and skin in there before you’ve primed your squad of 30; keep mixing and mixing. Higher PSI (30-35), lighter trigger work, more passes, always test spray to the side after a pause to avoid spurting (hard to come back from), back the needle out a touch to improve flow, no water (needs to be thinner, but in no way more translucent), sometimes two passes (second 30% thinner than the first after its touch dry) and at least 24 hours before starting to paint on it. Toothbrush for constant tip cleaning lives in shot glass of undiluted window cleaner. If you feth up, drop mini straight into that glass and fill with water so the strip is easier. Have the discipline to stop and break that brush down altogether if you need to; be prepared to have to do it least once in 30. Results are worth it.
I'm using a Master airbrush, hooked up to a hardware store compressor with a tank
I use a Paasche VL set at 25psi off a small (2 liter 1/4hp) compressor. If I get a clot at the tip, I point it off to the side in my blow-out / cleaning tub and give it a hard blast and that will often (temporarily) clear my tip (of course, I do run cleaner and tear the brush down as needed as well).
Recently I had my first go at airbrush priming (I've always used rattlecans but it's too cold) and despite using airbrush primer I found that I had to dilute the primer a fair bit with flow extender / reducer.
I've never used any harsh thinners so can't speak to how well they work, but I would say to definitely avoid anything with ammonia in it. The ammonia can damage the parts in your brush (so I have been told).
Thinned down, I found the primer worked much better in my brush (I expected it to be diluted in the bottle since it was supposedly for use in an airbrush but it appears that was not the case). I also tend to go with a gentle misting and short bursts to get as even and thin a coat as I can get away with while still getting full coverage of the model.
I'm not certain if the psi matters depending on plastic or metal (I have never heard of it, but I have also not worked on metal models in a very long time). You should most certainly use a thinner or reducer of some sort.
My suggestion would be to practice on a metal model. They are far easier (at least, as memory serves) to strip paint from if you make a mistake. Experimentation is key, you'll learn your brush as you go.
Hope that helps!
Iv ben playing 40k for about 9 months now and the problem I find is that I painted a moldel and now it looks bad with my new army
Painting helps me with my depression, but my depression sometimes has me not painting :/
I really, truly love your videos; truly. Much wow. :)
Can’t prime cause it’s raining but I don’t want to glue the models together.
Atom, do you find people who just paint models over time in general will become better, or do they have to focus a bit more on it. I am stuck in a slump where I want to put these guys on the table and play with them ASAP (still will take a few months, cause Ork Boys) but I also don't want to have them look like too crappy. So I want decent looking stuff, but I also want to play soon. If I just keep going will skill develop in some matter at all, or is it something I have to solely focus on above getting make a table top ready army?
P.S. : The Boys are not the only problem, I have to assemble War Trukks, War Bikes, and my HQs and paint them all. Also part of this is a little bit "Self Esteem". As just in my job we have a thing where "what we do reflects on who we are", there is almost no breaking that. lol
Redneck Rebellion No, no, bodies of text don't worry me at all, I am glad I got some response! I am doing batches of Boyz at a time about 4 to 5 and I am done with Batch 1 this weekend (3 weeks painting cause full time employment, holidays, etc), and then priming up the second ones, but they wont be painted till after vacation. I might assmble the Painboy before painting again, but yeah 20 or so Boyz and 5 fully done so far.
I have noticed to go after the under garment and little things first. I started batch 1 with Ork Skin to get that down and it looks great, but it also lead to lots of clean up and relayring to where it ate up time. But after getting the theme going it takes me maybe 2 or 3 sessions to get them done. The other thing is half of the 20 or so boys I got where partially made when I started college, and the rest are numbered with no arms in a sub assembly, waiting to be to be to together after painting. So some are just going to take time with a Shoota taking up 80% of the models front, and trying to paint below it.
But on the subject, is it even worth doing edge highlights and the full treatment on Boyz, or just save that stuff for HQs, Nobz, and the like? I keep hearing that they will be off the board in a turn or two compared to the other units.
What I found when painting Orks is that brush techniques can make your life much easier and things go much faster while giving a very nice result. What I'm talking about is going beyond just a drybrush technique and experimenting with varying the amount of paint on the brush to achieve different results. The more paint on the brush, the more coverage you'll get and the smoother the finish and there is an almost infinite variation in brush loading between a fully loaded brush for putting down a total coverage layer and a full-on dry brush where only the sharpest details are picked out. These in-between regions are perfect for highlights the organic shapes common on Orks like flesh and cloth/leather after a base and wash.
Great video, so true
Just always say to yourself, my minis are better than the crap that WizKids pre-paints and ships in a box !
Got a 49 model backlogue of unpainted forgeworld, space marines and custodes sitting by my dresser judging me so this video definitely helped lmao
What time zone are you in? This came out at 2ish where I am. (Texas, Earth) Are you simply a nocturnal person?
Does anyone have any tips for focusing in one one army? Currently I have 500 points of 4 different armies and I'm having trouble sticking to one long enough to get anywhere. I'm struggling to find an aesthetic that I will like 100 miniatures down the line.
Watch the Lore inspires paint schemes video by Miniac. It helped me figure out my color scheme and write lore for my home brew space marines
I have the same problem but 20 years longer in the making. I'm talking thousands of points in at least a half dozen different armies as well as several different armies outside of 40k. The best way I've found to make progress is to clear your workspace of everything but the thing you want to focus your attention on and work on it until it's "done". Get the rest out of sight/mind and focus on getting one thing done. That one thing might be a single mini or a squad or the whole force but the key is to get the distractions trying divide your time out your immediate sphere of attention. If that means box everything else up and take it to a friend's house as an extreme, then that might be what it takes.
It's generally considered that it takes 10,000 hours of active engagement to become an expert at something. Active engagement isn't just putting your hands into the task though, it's also putting your mind into it. You have to spend as much time hands on as you do analyzing your own work and learning from others.
Is it odd i prefer the building rather than the painting?
Goal for 2018: painting all the Tyranids I got in 2016. I've finally painted all the tyranids I got in 2005...
must admit, that my motivation for painting, is not really becoming a better painter. my main motivation comes from wanting to have more painted stuff to play with.
2018 goal: painting my Empire army. Got started this week. 200 models woooooo
Knightfall8 same here with deathguard, hurray!!!
for me you most keep your old minis so you know how much better you are getting rite of to pain more minis
I am kind of strange,I collect;
Warhammer , Bolt action , planes, figures, ships,tanks and LEGO expert buildings and vehicles