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Author Topic: Need help with painting & using washes  (Read 388 times)

Offline Dfault

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Need help with painting & using washes
« on: April 09, 2012, 07:27:03 PM »
Hi there fellow Empire enthusiasts!

I have recently started getting into Warhammer again and i really need to improve my painting. I have tried using washes again but i dont think it's working out all that well. What i'm looking to do is painting my miniatures primarily with washes, just to try something new...
I use citadel paint & brushes + a white undercoat.

I will be uploading a number of Handgunner pictures so you can see my petty painting skills, and please give me all the critique that you feel is right.

360 Handgunner with white undercoat & Badab Black wash.






360 Handgunner with white undercoat, Badab Black wash & normal Citadel colours.






360 Handgunner finished with another layer of Badab Black wash.






Thanks i n advance :engel:

Offline nuttunen

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Re: Need help with painting & using washes
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2012, 07:50:57 PM »
Washing colors with black wash will give it an dirty look.
 You might want to try blue wash on blue etc.
 Or you might want to try dipping in shade stuff like Armypainter's quick shade and there are several other dips available at hobby strores.
Hope this helps :)

ps: remove the mould lines with a knife
« Last Edit: April 09, 2012, 08:02:01 PM by nuttunen »
Check out my painting-log C&C is plenty appreciated!

Offline Dfault

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Re: Need help with painting & using washes
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2012, 08:01:33 PM »
Will definately try the blue on blue thing, i'm going to a hobby store soon since i need new glue too :)
Would it still be a good idea to wash the miniature with a dark colour like Badab Black or Devlan Mud before applying the paint / wash?

Dfault

Offline nuttunen

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Re: Need help with painting & using washes
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2012, 08:06:05 PM »
Well I don't think its particularly beneficial to preshade the base coat unless you're planning to airbrushing it or applying very diluted coats of paint on it ..say a glaze.
Check out my painting-log C&C is plenty appreciated!

Offline Dfault

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Re: Need help with painting & using washes
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2012, 08:20:37 PM »
I was kinda of thinking approaching like this guy (he preshades):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5mcpGhUJzM

But is that possible with Empire miniatures, since orcs and Empire soldiers are so vastly different. I don't mind my soldiers having a griddy look tho  :icon_biggrin:

Offline nuttunen

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Re: Need help with painting & using washes
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2012, 08:37:39 PM »
Right so what you might want to do is to dilute your paints with water and paint it on so you let the preshade show for underneath and you might not even want to paint over some of the most shadowy areas at all.
Check out my painting-log C&C is plenty appreciated!

Offline Dfault

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Re: Need help with painting & using washes
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2012, 08:51:16 PM »
Thanks, i'll try that and maybe post some results at some point, i'm definately also going to ask for advice in the hobby store i'm going to :)

Dfault

Offline Morgue

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Re: Need help with painting & using washes
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2012, 11:10:05 PM »
Hey Dfault,

Good job so far.

Heres some more tips for you to try.

Before you start your next handgunner, have a quick look for 'mold lines' on your mini. Remove them very carefully with a craft knife or file before undercoating. Watch your fingers and make sure you dont miss any areas ( check the inside thighs  :icon_rolleyes:)

Painting is pretty systematic. You need to think like this;

Midtone Colour
Shadow
Highlight

If you bare these 3 phrases in mind you wont go wrong.

Paint your midtone colour first. Go 50/50 water:paint. In your picture, lets look at the trousers. It looks like the midtone colour is Goblin Green. Make sure you get an even, uniform layer of the midtone colour. You do this by building up thin layers of paint, waiting for one layer to dry before doing the next. (dont forget he is wearing shoes btw).

Once you have a flat, uniform midtone, move onto shadows. Look at the mini and decide which areas will be darker than the midtone. So rather than 'wash' the whole are with say badab black, just look for crevasess and creases, inside thighs etc. I would use Thraka green as a shade here, with a drop of badab.

You dont need to water GW washes but you do need to shake them well. Take the wash on your brush, then before you use it, run it across a clean white piece of A4 (taking some wash off). The pooling and tide marks you see sometimes comes from 'flooding' the model.

Once youre happy your shadows are right ( keep adding a little more black each layer and reduce the area you darken each time), tidy up any mistakes with your midtone then go onto the highlight. A good highlight for Goblin Green would be 50:50 goblin and scorpion. So as you did with shadow, think which area would be lighter than the midtone ( where light would hit).

When your happy you picked out your highlights, you can 'glaze' the whole trouser area to bring the highlights, midtone and shadows together. A glaze would be a drop of colour and lots of water added. It should 'tint' the trouser without changing its colour. You could use thraka green, or you might experiment with baal red or assuman blue - remember to use your paper to take excess of your brush.

Anyway sorry to go on, but that is a quick basic painting guide and you'll see a quantum improvement in results if you try it  :icon_biggrin:

Best wishes!

Morgue
if it aint broke...break it

Offline Dfault

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Re: Need help with painting & using washes
« Reply #8 on: April 10, 2012, 09:43:26 PM »
Thanks for your very thorough guide Morgue, i'm sure it will be helpful.
I'm going to a hobby store tomorrow where i'm sure they will be more than happy to answer minor questions :)

If everything goes like planned i'll propably also post some results of my new (and hopefully better painted) miniatures.

Dfault