Wow the way you painted it looks really great! Miniature painters are so skilled, how make so detailed when so small?
One neat tool you have to work with are called "washes" they are thin watery paints that settle in cracks and crevices adding shadows and depth to the model, IMO it really does alot of the heavy lifting on good looking minis, though it's better to use it with a light touch or you'll drown out the highlights you want to pop.
It's been a while since I hobby painted, but Duncan Rhodes has really informative videos on mini painting.
Yeah, I just did base coats and a wash. I went really heavy on the wash which made some of the details fade out unfortunately, and also used too dark a tone on the flesh, I was going for an albino look. Washes are definitely alluding me more than painting with acrylics
Yeah, the two main strategies for giving good details without much work are washes, usually dark like you said, and 'dry brushings'. By putting only a little paint on the brush, and gently brushing the mini, you get the opposite effect of a wash; instead of settling into cracks, it only gets put on edges and bits that stick out, and is usually down with near-white paint. It's pretty impressive, just how great you can make a mini look with only using base coats, then washes, then some drybrushing.
Like, yeah, there is probably going to be some additional detail work needed, but those two techniques get you a big way there.
I did a little bit of mini painting once, and I thought my work was irredeemable crap. But after one wash, it looked, at the very least, presentable. Washes make SUCH a difference.
I'm working on a abhuman/psyker themed rebel guard list for 40k/One Page Rules, I was in a campaign but I got banned from the shop it takes place at for trying to unionize the staff (i was working there)
Also my wife and I got a 3d printer last year so like, getting into wargaming for the first time in earnest since it is now affordable. We play all kinds of rulesets so 40k is kind of my biggest pile of shame rn. rn we're playing Burrows and Badgers with our GF
That looks fantastic! I've tried painting minis a couple times for DnD, and my work looked like GARBAGE.
I don't think so? Both times were a kind of "painting party" where several people got together to paint minis for a new campaign. One time, none of us knew what we were doing, and the other time there was one person who knew what she was doing, but she was much more interested in doing her own thing than in teaching everyone else what to do, so basically nobody knew what they were doing again. In other words, if we were supposed to thin the paints, I doubt anyone did it.
One of the guys in my current campaign 3d printed a lovely little figure for me, but I'm scared to try to paint her. I think I'm just going to leave her grey as she is and make her her very own dice bag instead, since needle crafts are much more my lane. I found a shirt at a 2nd hand shop with fabric I like, and I found some beads to thread on the drawstring. The only thing that is holding me up is I think I want to embroider a vines and flowers design on the interior, and I just can't seem to find a pattern I like.
I only did mini painting once, but I was fortunate enough to have an experienced mini painter present. He himself admitted that his skill and imagination were limited, but that successful miniature painting involves a few core rules:
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Thin your paints with water. Thick paint looks terrible.
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Thinner paint sticks to thicker paint.
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Blackwash makes a world of difference.
It was the first time I'd done it and I ended up with a not-spectacular but impressive little figure. I'd suggest looking up some tutorials, because there's a sense of pride in doing it yourself, even if it's not a masterpiece.
I hope your bag turns out good. A friend of mine made me a nice leather dice bag, and I've been happily using it for more than ten years.
Thanks! If I muster up the gumption to try painting my figure, I'll take your advice and watch some tutorials first. Do you find that your leather bag gathers tight enough to keep dice from falling out? I found a lovely velvet remnant at a fabric shop, but I was afraid it would gather too thickly to make a tight enough closure.
Look inot making a cheap diy pallet as well. Pretty much just tupperware with a thin sponge and parchment or napkin paper on top for thinning paints and keeping them from drying (acrylics dry really fast).
Yes, my bag holds together just fine. It's relatively small, and the leather is thin, so that helps.
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Looking good! Seeing this makes me want to break out my own kit and paint some of the hundred or so unpainted Sister of Battle I've got.
Nice! I love the flowers, makes me want to pick up the stuff to do that; I just have a small pot of 'moss' to glue on.
I feel like my Skaven could use some nice little flowers.
https://www.amazon.com/Miniature-Colorful-Adhesive-Vegetation-Landscape/dp/B0969PG1MX/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3RVRWVLC3VMYY&keywords=miniature+flowers+for+diorama&qid=1670608769&sprefix=miniature+flowers+for+dioram%2Caps%2C697&sr=8-3 I used these, they're great, I have units from the same squad all have the same color flower for readability >:O
I love how you put the emoji the same way as the camera angle for consistency, I can truly picture you pogging out normally
Solid start to a great hobby. Here's my mini painting pro-tip: avoid any model where you want to paint a large portion of it yellow. Acrylic yellow pigment is demon spawn and should not be trusted.
What's the STL for this guy? I've been trying to find some for ogryn/bullgryn that look close to the real thing, but haven't had great luck.
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/squad-of-abhuman-giants-in-heavy-armor-imperial-force Generally I think Red Makers has the best Imperial Guard proxy sculpts and its worth the slight premium you pay for them considering they're infinitely reuseable.
