6 replies to this topic

[scikick]

Hello folks...

I just recently got out my old miniatures in an attempt to get them all painted. I had so many that were unfinished that I just stripped them all clean to start over.

But, then I remembered how I used to go crazy painting a mini just trying to get if perfect, sometimes they would take me hours and hours. So, I just decided to primer them all, wash in black and then highlight in some light grey, then matte finish. They look pretty good, and I saved a ton of money on paint. I just don't have the time right now to do detailed painting, but at least my collection is painted somewhat until I do find the time.

Anyone else use this quick method just to get some figures painted for action?

[scikick]

Also, any tips for using this method would be great since I just got some more figures to paint this way for a new gaming group.

I mean it's pretty simple but maybe someone out there has some better ideas.

[Dr.Bedlam]

I've used "The Dip" method for quickly putting together large numbers of painted figures for armies and such.

Basically, you speed paint the basic tones on your figures, without bothering with any real technique -- just get the basic colors in the basic places. Then dip each figure in Minwax Polyshades (dark walnut or tudor always gave me the best results) then blot off excess Minwax and set aside to dry. You get colors, you get shading. You're not going to win any contests, but for a fast, painted army, the technique works.

[beno]

I use a similar grey highlighting technique quite a lot, even for detailed work. If you really want to stump up a little extra for primer get black and white and use a zenithal technique, it works really well with spray cans as well as airbrush but check out my 'centaur start to finish thing' in the work in progress forum for a more detailed description, its how I start all my minis.

Once you've done the primer you can paint each area thinly with the colour you want and it'll already be looking quite nice but run around with a highlight colour (say 1:1 pale grey and white, something like that) and paint it onto the raised edges that yo want catching some light. Then give them another thin coat of the basic colour. Once you get the hang of it you can layer this technique a few times over with a few different shades of the basic colour in between highlights to build up better transitions - and its really quick and easy!

[karazax]

Yes there is another zenithal highlighting tutorial using an airbrush here
The same artist, Thomas David also goes into details on how to do this technique with airbrush and with spray paint cans in the Speed Painting with Thomas David video on miniaturementor.com

[scikick]

Great, thanks for the tips. Some of the more detailed stuff is a bit advanced for me, but it's good to learn anyway. Right now i'm just keeping it simple and getting my minis at least highlighted and shadowed. I also tired that "dip method" with a brown stain for an Owl-Bear, it came out nice (though that method is kind of messy, sticky, and the stain smells is pretty strong).

Maybe some day when I get more time, more patience, and more paints I will strip down some of my favorites and try to really do some detailed work!

Thanks again, keep any tips coming if you have them!

[Fitzeolas]

You can experiment with colored washes that are already manufactured also. Using the same methods that beno and karazax are talking about.

You basically just prime your mini black, then dust it with white primer from the direction you want your light coming from and then use a pre-mixed wash to stain the areas of the mini that you would like to see some color in. I recommend the Games Workshop washes for premixed washes. They are really well made and should do the job in a fast and controlled fashion right out of the pot. Then to top it off, they mix with mostly any other hobby paints well. So for the step that you have been doing with the grey highlighting; you could easily just mix in some of the colored wash into the grey to create a colorized highlight and then use that instead.

Easy Breakdown:

1. Prime black.
2. Dust white from direction chosen light source.
3. Stain with washes. (stain more than once for darker colors)
4. Dry.
5. Highlight with grey, or grey mixed with a wash.
6. Cheers!

Good luck!

-Fitz