So anyways, here is what I have learned so far. I didn't make any of this up myself. Most of what I know is taken off the net and from a crazy Frenchman named Jeremie. (whom I will quote numerous times throught this text!) Take from it what you may. If there is anything I have learned, it is that nothing is ever set in stone. A week from now I may paint differently then how I paint today. The fundamentals however will still be the same. The Key is control. What can you control, what can you not control.
Lets start with the model itself.
It doesn't matter if its plastic, resin, metal or cow dung...your model needs to be prepped before you put on that gorgeous paintjob! I start by cleaning off all the mold lines (or at least trying to!). I use a knife and file to do the initial scraping and grinding. If there is a conversion or the model needs to be assembled, I also start preping for that as well. Before assembly, I go over the model with a 400 grit steel pad that I got at Home Depot as well as 600 grit sandpaper. Try to get the model sanded as best you can. We want as smooth a surface as possible without taking off detail. The next step is to give it a sanding with my dremel tool. I use a bit that looks like a bit of steel whool is attached to it. It doesn't take off detail but does sand out some of the smaller cracks and such. My last step is to use 0000 grade steel wool. I give the model a vigerous wooling and that shines up the model pretty well. The last step in this process is to clean the pieces. I use my sons current toothbrush (honestly, he really doesn't know the difference...just that every once in a while, his toothbrush is a little dirtier looking than normal!) No really, I use a spare toothbrush and a bit of soap and wash the model thoroughly. Ok, ready to paint? Not quite! Next step is to mix up a wee bit of Milliput ( <a href="http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?M...ct&ID=81004" target="_blank">http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?M...ct&ID=81004</a> ) Do not get the Fine grade, it turns to absolute mush with water which defeats the purpose. Mix up your blob of Milliput and then add a couple drops of water. Mush it up until it becomes a paste that you can paint onto your model. Paint the Milliput onto your model in areas where there are still scratches and or pot marks in the metal (pewter often times has little imperfections in the metal. This will muck up a perfetly good robe or piece of armor. You want to fix these imperfections because the way I will show you how to paint, it has a tendency to draw pigment to these areas and then your screwed!!! After this step, I usually give the milliput a day to dry real good so I can come back and do a light sanding to smooth everything out one last time. I wash the model again and I'm ready to prime! Once the model is free from any water residue, I prime it white. I prime using short burst of spray. Basically I am just giving the model a light even coat of primer. You will still be able to see metal or plastic showing through the primer coat but this is ok. You do not want a solid primer coat as this will actually create a barrier to which your subsiquent coats of paint will not adhere as well to.
Now before we start, let me just say that this is how I paint. This is how I get the results that I do. You are not obligated to paint like me. Nor do you have to believe anything that I say. I'm sure my painting style will go against much of what you already know. You may try my techinque and say ollie's on crack! I tried his technique and it didn't work. To that I say....TRY IT AGAIN...THEN AGAIN...THEN AGAIN. Try it until it does work for you! Add your own spin to it and make it your own technique! I guarantee you smoother blends and quicker paint times! You will find yourself happier and will probably live longer! (well, I'm not quite sure about that last statement but hey!)
Ok, lets get to business!
I start by preparing my wet pallet:
<a href="http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=31964" target="_blank">http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=31964</a>
As far as colors go, they really don't matter at this point. Pick whatever you want, what matters now is technique!
When I choose the color I want to paint with I take out my intermediary color (the color the object is going to be in real life), a light beige or white color to add for my highlight and then a darker color for my shadows. Often times it will be a nice shade of navy blue. In this case, I am using P3 colors (again the brand does not matter. Reaper, GW and P3 all make fine paints...use what you got!)
My Intermediary color is Trollblood Base
I highlight with Menoth White Base up to Underbelly blue and then just a smidgen of white.\
For shadows, I added Exile Blue, Sanguine Base (this is a deep wine color), Coal Black (a tealish black) and a very little bit of black.
The paintbrush I use is an 8404 Raphael size 0 paintbrush. It is a very nice brush and is comperable to the WN series 7 brushes. <a href="http://www.dickblick.com/zz050/48/" target="_blank">http://www.dickblick.com/zz050/48/</a>
I only add water to my paints. Nothing else. If done properly you will not need any of the other "paint aids". You can acheive perfect blends without the help of anything other than water!
I find that it is much harder to do highlights than it is to do shadows so I start my base coat at about 70% of what my final highlight color will be. In this case it is a 60/40 mix of Menoth White Base and Trollblood Base. To that I add probably a 5 to 1 ratio of paint to water. I want this stuff to be really watery.
I apply it as a first coat very quckly and very wet. Be sure to cover the entire area you want to paint. Then with either a clean brush or clean the brush your using, blot up all the excess paint. You dont want there to be any pools or excess paint in the cracks. You want to go for a perfectly smooth layer of paint. Be diligent about this as subsiquent layers of paint will be screwed up if you don't!
After the first coat is dry, I apply the second coat agian making sure it goes on even and does not pool in cracks or basically anywhere!
When the paint is dry is should have a very "dry" look to it. If it starts to look shiny, you have put too much pigment on the model. Acrylic paints tend to start sealing themselves off at a certain point. They get a plastic look to them and they actually start to repel subsiquent layers. Its not to say that paint wont still stick to itself, but it sticks much better when it is not "sealed". It has taken me a while to figure this one out, in fact, this ogre is the first model that I have not gone overboard with paint and ended up with the "plastic" look.
At this point, I started adding in some of my intermediary color to the "base" color. Again it is watered down about the same as the base coat. In this case though I am not slopping it all over the model. I am putting it where I want color to be. This is something that either you have a natural ability to judge or you have painted way to many models and just figured it out. Personally, I'm still figuring it out! I apply this paint by "pushing it to the area I want it to go. In this case it is from light to dark. Notice the area on the right leg and foot. there is just a hint of color.
When you "push" the paint, I usually take my brush, load a bit of paint on it and then unload most of it onto a paper towel. Then I apply the brush to the model with a bit of pressure and slowly ease off of that pressure when I near the end of my brush stroke. This tends to let far less pigment off the brush at the start of the stroke and more at the end of the stroke...ah the starting of a blend!
So for the ogre, I started my brush strokes on top of the leg at about the midpoint and stroked donwards towards his leggings. For the underside of the leg, I started midway down the side of the leg and stroked under the leg. For step two and sometimes three, you use the same exact color!!! Just re-apply the color to add to the richness of the color. I usually start a bit lower with the blend though to create more depth. Notice that the leg and foot are a bit darker than the first step and that the blend is staying smooth! This is just two hits of the same color and we are already getting results. With the speed at which your paints dry, you can literally just sit there with the same color and add and add and add until you heart is content! I hope your excited, because I am!!! Yes, I am a dork! At least my girlfriend already knows and accepts this!
Also, please note that when you are applying color, make sure it is as thin a layer as you possibly can. The more you paint looks like a drop of water on your model, the better your chances of a jacked up blend are! Here is an example of paint thickness. Notice that the horizontal navy blue and dark red streaks are at full strength (right out of the pot) and the light blue and red streaks above them are at "blending" strength. The amount of water you use will also vary. You just need to to tests to see what works best for you. I tend to use all different amounts of water during painting. It really just depends on what I need to do at that time. Do I need more pigement? Less? Its just a matter of adding more or less water to the mix. this is something you will just have to get the "feel" for as you gain more experience!
OK, this is a good start for now. I will add more tomorrow!
