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Bit early for this but I'll be away from the computer from today so it's now or never. Merry Christmas all, try not eat too much (advice I'm SO going to take myself, honest) :laugh:

And in case I...

I do wish this thread on 3D printing hadn't again devolved into a debate on the relative merits of manual v. digital sculpting (on the first page too). I get that people have strong opinions on the...

Yeah but as a fan of Portland myself what I really want to know is what's bad there :) When I was there pretty much everything I had was good, from cheap to pricey.



Because embedding is image...

Oh yes indeedy it does *chomp*


Well like a lot of stories about the history of food that could be true or it could be just a fable. It does sort of sum up what mole seems like when you read the...

That's a good example of the problem with lots of published writing about colour theory. Many guides actually don't mention brown except in passing, or in such a way that it doesn't actually tie it...

I has da solution for you - take stuff with you.

:angel:

Forget the topic of your thread for a second and just think about the forum generally... unfortunately that's the way of things - with very low levels of actual participation being the norm. Not just...

Yeah I heard about this yesterday from my GF, gutted too! I'm a huge fan of his science fiction so just like when Robert B. Parker passed away and I realised I'd never get to read another of his...

Search is your friend Goose - many, many prior threads on matt varnishing and varnish choices. Even with this thread it's still worth hunting back through old threads on the subject and having a...

But come on, how hard is it to line up a set of greys/blue-greys, white and black? As I said above, the exactly colours aren't even critical to a successful result. If you;re after an exact look then...

So don't attempt to drop the paint directly into the mix pile. It's far better to have drops/puddles of each of the mix ingredients off to the sides that you dip into when doing a mix.


Teflon...

So. Many. Steps.

Einion

Well, if you enjoy paying for extra water.

:silly:

You set on getting commercial premade washes? Because you can make perfectly decent washes yourself.

Einion

Seems like you've ordered already so this might be a bit late for now, but in case it's of use for the future see if you can source some 35mm film canisters locally. They're far less common these...

Check the shipping. Pretty sure of the seller in question there and their low-low prices are offset by high shipping, high enough that the price is then pretty much the same as other vendors (listing...

It does help sometimes knowing that there is something to search for :) that way when you don't find the right thread/threads you know you need to try different search terms (instead of assuming...

This is exactly my reservation with a set like this (not just this set, any set like this).

Especially when the individual colours don't have to be exactly as in the set for successful results,...

Hey there, welcome. You can use exactly the same procedures for resin.

Most painters these days will recommend using a primer as the first step in painting a model, and this would generally be...

Yes, and yes.


:D

Obviously you'll want a few more details so:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?17572-Request-Differences-between-modeling-clays...

As usual, there are some previous threads on the topic (hint: search is your friend). This one's from only earlier this year:...

Han Solo asked me to give you a message, nobody is being encased on his watch!

Einion

That's far more paints than many people use, although it is less than others. Personally this is way beyond what I'd call "a few paints", at most I'd have recommended half this many as a starting...

Another quick-and-dirty way to judge your water hardness: look in kettles. Is the element furred in white after a relatively short time? Hard water.


Yes. A number of the previous threads on...

Maybe, maybe not. Depends on what he meant by thinners.

Most people do okay thinning just with water, or with mostly water in a custom thinning mix. I long ago switched to using water only 99% of...

Since you already have those, want to try using an additive to increase gloss, or overcoat with something glossy? If the colours are close enough to what you want this is the easiest fix.

Einion

Yes. No. Individual mileage varies.

A lot depends on how hard the tap water is where you are. I'm lucky to live somewhere where the water from the tap has no mineral content to speak of, others...

Yeah, don't have 300 paints :D

Seriously though, I think you'll have to build something or buy multiples of one of the existing paint racks if you want to accommodate that many and have them...

Agreed, I think the the grey ones are the best all-rounders.

Just a note for those new to sculpting, silicone-tipped tools - ClayShapers or Colour Shapers - are great but for the finest work you...

Freezing will extend the shelf-life of other epoxies and as they all have similar chemistries it should help with all or most others too. For Kneadatite though, now that it's sold in separate rolls...

Piotr, yes that looks like it might do and price is similar to what I usually pay here (also in Euros).

Grey is incidentally my recommended primer colour for most subjects, I think black and white...

If you can't find a suitable baking paper locally qood-quality tracing paper is worth trying instead.


If you're buying GS for filling and not actual sculpting then it's really not the best...

Great brushes, hope you get on well with them. If you don't have any already I would advise getting some cheap synthetics too, not just for gruntwork but for that especially.


I wish you'd asked...

Practice, practice, practice. That's 90% or more of how to do that kind of thing better.

Einion

No you can't do that with GS, it's not water-soluble. Using water that would be for something like Milliput or MagicSculp, where water dissolves them very well, or for GS you'd be using an organic...

Actually my no. 1 piece of advice here would be not to use GS for gap filling. Any of the more clay-like putties are far better suited to the task. Kneadatite is fab stuff, just not so much for this...

That's one of the reasons to use more than one pot. Double-bath rinsing not only keeps your brushes far cleaner during a session (and subsequently over time) it means you always have clean water...

Not as much as you'd think... some people still do just that*.

Welcome back to the hobby dude.

Einion

*Generally only for minis for play, but not always.

But then neither was James Doohan, eh.


As I get older I find that's often the case.

Einion

It's grrreat. I won't say anything about it that might be construed as a spoiler - if you've watched any of the ads you've already had the film spoiled for you anyway - but I think if you liked the...

Its quality & properties aside, if it's a GW product you're going to be paying through the nose for it whatever it is. You can look at past threads if you want more details, there are many that touch...

That's fair enough - if it doesn't work for you it doesn't work for you. But there are literally dozens of ways that you can make a simple groundwork mixture to get slightly different properties, it...

:good:


Where you need to build something in sequential steps yes, but filling like this may not be one of those. I'd aim to fill and texture as much of a single joint as you can in one go,...

So um yeah, don't do that. It's a very good idea to get into the habit of not touching the model's surface with your fingers after primer has gone on. There are two threads on holding options...

You can look it up online if you want to get a range of specific product names but just about any of the water-soluble type should work. Since you have an airbrush though, it's worth trying thinned...

I was going to say that too. This is likely an expensive option for the job. Any job actually. [Insert common gripe about hobby products being the most expensive alternative in most cases]

What...

Hehe, that's a good one. I was going to suggest popping the whole thing in the freezer, but I'm not certain how much common freezer temps affect epoxy. It is worth a try, since if it does work the...

These don't seem like that great a deal to me. We've seen some pretty incredible addons in some of the recent Kickstarters and while I don't expect the same level on everything the bar has been set...

Ray Harryhausen passed away yesterday, aged 92.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/may/07/ray-harryhausen-dies

He shouldn't need any introduction on this forum but for folks my age and older his...

Hey Chrispy :highfive:


Neither is really of any benefit here, and honestly CMYK has no more practical application for this type of thing than RGB (smaller gamut too). Doing colour matching from...

Okay using that as a basis might work all right. You've run into trouble already as you mention - the conflicts and plain mistakes - but that aside if each paint company did their due diligence then...

Hiya Miki, there have been plugs for similar online applications in the past and every one of them has the same underlying problem: they're not based on accurate info for the paints so I'm naturally...

My ability to focus closely began to diminish about the same age as yours Kelly so it kicked off my search for something to help with doing very fine details and the first thing I bought was a...

All good. One thing you might like to add to this is running the brush gently over the palette paper, which very slightly unloads the brushhead; useful for fine control of paint level in the brush...

Those look pretty nice but this smells of shill.

Einion

What does this mean? [/QUOTE]
It's about all the variables. The first ones are maybe the most obvious: individual preferences or requirements. But even different pots of 'the same' paint from...

Yes there is that. There are essentially two ways to work with this: thin as little as needed to achieve the desired brushing characteristics and lack of brushmarks in the dried paint (which as...

+1. Sounds reasonable to me.

Einion

There's a current thread here in this forum (right under yours at the moment) entitled What do you use to hold your minis? that would be worth taking a look at.

You might also like to have a peek...

Wouldn't round or octagonal be even more ergonomic?

Einion

Where are you based Minigiant?


Alclad's stuff is excellent quality and can give the best results (genuinely looks like metal) of just about any hobby paint system, as long as you have the right...

Pretty sure Painter's Touch primer range has a red oxide in the lineup and I think it would stand up to alcohol.

An alternative to the alcohol weathering would be to use the hairspray method,...

Yikes, well you're saving yourself 80+ Euros!

More options in the links in this post of mine on pF from a couple of years ago (both commercial and homemade). I keep on forgetting about the ring...

I'm a big fan of making your own stuff where appropriate and a holder for painting & sculpting is definitely one of those things where it makes sense as you can do a good job and for a very small...

Welcome and welcome.

Einion

Hey dude, welcome.

Here are some prior threads that have something to do with starting supplies, and a few others that might be of further help:...

You have been awarded: Threadomancy, Level 1

(This thead is from 2008 elmnash ;) )

Einion

Epoxies have been used widely for creating lenses in the past, but they have a tendency to discolour over time*. Difficult to mix without introducing some air bubbles too, although you can combat...

Very thin layers dry cloudy too? If not, build up in thinner layers.

On the ones you have already you might try drying them out somewhere warm. Could still take days or even weeks to become...

Dang I thought I posted this earlier, never mind.


Well there are really more than two but the main thing is there are oil pastels - the kind you don't use to generate weathering powders - and...

Use the Return key, not the Enter key.

Einion

My advice: avoid pigments packaged for the hobby, buy pastels instead and make your own powder from them. ...

Yes I'm afraid so.


This was your clue, not that you knew it at the time.

If they're in good nick they're a lovely shimmery liquid in the bottle. When they've 'gone off' they get sort of...

Not 5-7-5, not haiku :glasses-nerdy:

My painting haiku:


My paint dries too fast,
But wet palettes get stinky.
Refrigerator.

Einion

One thick coat is nearly never the right way to go. That rule of thumb about two thin coats being better than one thick coat, it really is based on something sound. If you want to try a thicker coat...

I'd recommend you not use it even if you're okay with Reaper-only suggestions. It is not remotely reliable.

This sort of system is basically set to fail from the outset since it can't take into...

That's a great sculpt, hope it casts up well for you.

Resin or metal (or both)?

Einion

Maths does provide: 1/16 = 0.0625, x7 = 0.4375 so that's 3.4375"
x25.4 for millimetres = 87.3125mm.

I'd guess that outside diameter is used though, so if you have to buy 3.5" could be it.
...

Don't be so quick to blame yourself, there's a good chance that there's more 'bulk' to the white type based purely on its colour - easier for them to have a higher proportion of filler in the mix,...

If you give the diameter someone who doesn't have one might still be able to suggest an alternative.

Shouldn't be too hard as jars are standardised, although there may be a metric/imperial issue...

That would be very likely - practically any darker steel/iron/gunmetal colour on the market will just be the base 'metallic' pigment with added black.

This is why except for lacquers (Alclad) I...

There are some past threads where its use is discussed, worth hunting down for the range of opinions.

Einion

BTW in case you don't know, it's okay to speed-dry 'gesso' with a hairdryer. With thin coats it works just as well as it does with paint.

Einion

More thin coats. No reason not to with 'gesso' any more than with paint.

Just an FYI, Galeria is far from the best 'gesso' you can find as Galeria are student- or studio-level products, not...

That thread that Bailey linked to above gives the key piece of advice in this area IMO; I would consistently recommend that you make sure you've exhausted all the free resources online before you...

Welcome.

If it's a help at all, if you could find a cheaper colour cup from an easier-to-use supplier in the US, where the connection is small enough that you're sure it'll fit your HP-101, you...

Japanese supplier in case it's of any help:
Type 1 - http://olympos-airbrush.ocnk.net/product/702
Type 2 - http://olympos-airbrush.ocnk.net/product/283

Man parts for metal ABs are pricey.
...

Yep, that sort of thing would nearly always provide much more value for money compared to a hobby product. Not all matt varnishes are created equal though so you do have to be careful on that front....

Maybe give Dettol a try? Even if it does seem the weaker option it has a different stripping action to Fairy Power Spray so it's worth a shot if you have some.

Einion

First tip on spraying varnish, regardless of whether through an AB or from a can: never shoot your model before testing the varnish off to one side (on your thumbnail, a scrap figure or whatever).
...

Yet another vote for the VMAs. The yellows aren't great, but you can easily glaze to get a better result (or, if you have the right kind of paint to mix in you can colour them directly).

Einion

That's nice all right Flow, but pricey for the size - you can get full-height glass-fronted cabinets for around the same money!

Einion

No, definitely not. This is one-size-fits-all advice but think about it, people painted just fine before this kind of convenience was available to buy; truly a more advanced guide would be...

First, clean off that mould line!

Second, make up a 'heavy' wash (not heavy on pigment, just not water + paint); apply liberally, wipe off excess with a large clean brush or bit of tissue.
...

Nice looking work area :good:

Skin that table with Formica and it'll make a great mixing palette.

Einion

Well there's far too much actual wisdom in this thread for my liking! The title had me expecting much more in the way of bollocks, but instead there's all this stuff that's actually good and...

That's understandable. Since you have a Michael's nearby you're in luck, their prices aren't bad and their receipt-back tokens make repeat custom well worthwhile.

Anyway in terms of brushes, look...

Okay had a look at prices now, here are two representative examples.

Needle files
P3 files x3 on MM - Regular Price: $8.99 Special Price: $6.75

The RRP for these is, I'm sad to say,...

Where do you see green?



I like that idea :good:

Einion

My comments are very similar to some above.

Brushes
Buying brushes in an arts & crafts environment is usually your best bet, when it comes to higher-end brushes in particular (not just for price...

Ideally none*. My main recommendation is to minimise the use of any washing agent (soap in particular because of its high pH) by adopting better rinsing procedures. A quote from the Handprint author,...

I think your best bet would be to experiment with what you have on a test figure or a small scrap of primed plastic card. Apart from your taste being all that's really important here, you might learn...

Re. its use or overuse: know that there are people who don't have any and have no problems with keeping their brushes clean; and many of those people will have brushes still in tip-top shape that are...

http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?44582-need-some-help-with-dents-cracks-and-battle-damage-on-armour...

Well one thing I can reassure you of, your brush is lovely and clean :) It's also pointing up just fine; I have many brushes that look like this. I've even seen new brushes taken directly from the...

Welcome dude.


Re. sets versus choosing colours yourself, with some related subjects:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?52569-Looking-to-start-painting-have-a-few-questions...

Just a note on this Einion, Badger makes their own paint. [/QUOTE]
I was referring to the bottles... hence the, um, reference to bottles in that sentence...

General recommendation first: search first to help prevent needless duplication of topics.

Specific recommendation since you're in the UK: Premi-Air G35. Last time I checked this was available in...

Suggested by whom? Not actually asking, just pointing out that the highlighted bit is certainly not something that would be universally recommended (for a brush of this type).

So to cut to the...

Although there's nothing new here this a nice collection of disparate hints :good:

For anyone who hasn't learned to draw from books, breaking things down into basic shapes and showing the angle...

Posted this before, if you want to go with complementary highlights and shadows here's a quick reference guide to correct hue oppositions:
...

Well whether to do the highlights on black in neutral greys (same deal with the shadows on white) is obviously a purely personal choice; they are inherently the most boring choice which is perhaps...

This is in vertain ways the hardest part of all, and for many it will be permanently beyond their reach. It's not just the difficulties inherent to creating a 3D master (not to be sniffed at) it's...

Good details there :good:


On this bit, you may not actually need anything better/more sophisticated depending on what you want to spray. You can do the basic airbrushed shading and highlighting...

That's motivation right there - and its reward :good:

Einion

Ah right, the firm type is the same basic stuff as Easy Mold or Hiflex if you've not heard of those.

Those prices seem decent for just having a punt, and the hand-moulded stuff is fun to play...

That's a very very low price for all that you're getting... this alone probably tells you what you need to know about the quality.

Assume the airbrushes are good quality for a second though,...

Never heard of it, sorry. Where did you read about it?


For simpler things with minimal or no undercuts - which includes shoulder pads, badges and other surface details - you can get a lot of...

I wonder what they mean by "takes the grey colour off"? Highlights on black are grey normally, although when painting something black you can take them in any hue direction you fancy.

Einion

Welcome back to the hobby Wayne.


What paint(s) to use or which paint(s) are best are perennial favourite topics as you'd probably guess, so there are loads of prior threads on the subject; well...

Totally.


I used to think that too :sidefrown:

It's perfectly normal for interest to wax and wane, even peter out entirely, due to various influences in a person's life - there's partner or...

Honestly painting black isn't that hard to paint well, the main thing to keep an eye on is that there's enough black left after you're done with the highlighting so whatever it is still reads as...

That's actually what I thought you meant, just wanted to confirm.


Yep, that's what a 'hot' solvent will do all right! You're lucky you didn't start lifting the primer, that can happen if you...

Some miniaturists do paint directly onto the primer layer with the oils yes.


Yes, exactly right. Thick over thin is a 'rule of thumb', not a hard-and-fast rule and another way of expressing it...

Doing a tall or projecting bit of hair, or whatever, drilling for a short length of paperclip wire is probably the best way to go to, but assuming you wanted to do this just using GS (or any epoxy...

Congrats on the milestone Andy.

You should actually be proud you have so few posts, on another forum I visit many of the regulars have passed their 50k milestones and higher!

Einion

Yes that's true; quite a few videos around now too, although even watching a well-shot vid you can miss things that are more evident when seen firsthand. Plus you can always ask the person to clarify...

Don't know that this is commonly done but that doesn't matter, if you like the results go for it. There are many ways to use oils to enhance the work already done in acrylics, pretty much limited...

Only if someone other than GW were selling it :D

Einion

Hi and welcome back to the hobby!


Collectively we would, here :glasses-cool: Firsthand instruction is better (assuming the person doing the teaching is halfway decent at it) but the advantages...

Great job on this :good: The colour matching is one of the major stumbling blocks going for seamless highlight and shadow touches using a different medium; I can assure you, many painters would...

In case you don't know, airbrush mediums are designed to be used in any amount. From this we know that they're not merely water + ingredients to improve flow and slow drying; they must include some...

Hi Tom, I think that's a perfectly acceptable tabletop standard so around a 5 sounds fine (neaten up the base edge though).

On scoring, one thing to bear in mind is that the paintjob isn't what...

So anyway, the Slayer Sword... GW have changed their most prestigious award to a shoddy piece of tat, to save a tiny fraction of the gate proceeds and without any thought to the PR consequences? Why...

Okay not to go straight for the GW jugular, buying a model to enter as though it were your own work, that's just sad on so many levels. I think that someone who does this in a conventional...

Yes, plenty nowadays. See this thread from just a week or so ago that touches on the same topic:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?52641-Light-sources

Just to emphasise something...

Good point, hadn't thought of that? If they were just lined up touching 40 LPI means links would be 0.64mm long, but with the overlap you're probably right they would be 1mm or so.

Einion

Good point - I'd assumed the second but that may not be what was meant.

If it is the second OP, there are a host of techniques for physically sharpening the details, many of which come down to us...

Nah, not on this.



Numerous caveats with the Series 7s, as you'll see if you browse some of the (many!) previous threads asking about brushes. The problems extend far enough that a lot of...

I've basically used nothing else for the last 30 years, so yeah, tube acrylics are okay for miniature painting :cute: Fineness isn't much of an issue these days: pigments for all kinds of paints come...

Liquitex's Glaze Medium is a perfectly good starting point for making your own wash/glaze mix, come to that so is matt medium.

Regardless of how good any existing formula is, because your tastes...

I'm generally in favour of keeping things as simple as possible, and particularly if you're painting armies rather than single figures there's a lot to be said for using the minimum number of steps...

If you're okay with making up your own wash I'd recommend starting with an artists' acrylic, used only for this one tube will probably last you the rest of your life.

Because sepias vary so much I...

Have to agree, from my experience this place is a rare haven of common sense, politeness and support, without being a circle-jerk of pats on the back and hollow praise.

I've commented to my SO a...

Yeah filtering is something to try if you don't already do this but I honestly doubt that clumps or aggregations in your paint are the major problem. It's very likely to be primarily the binder...

I'm glad you've had good luck but a word of warning to others, nail polish remover will certainly harm some plastics - many are based on acetone, others on ethyl acetate or butyl acetate, which are...

Different meanings to 'plastic cement' to bear in mind - liquid versus the gooey stuff in the tube. If it's the liquid kind then yeah, it doesn't work on some plastics.

You can get strong solvents...

There we go, knew the term was likely to have pre-dated the 50s.

Einion

That's what a 'rubber' is for (a ball of dried mask), but to be fair when you're spraying they don't work as well as they might.

Einion

I don't find this. I know what you mean about having to be careful around the airbrushed bits - not to overpaint a small area or otherwise marr it - but I'd typically be saving some hours compared to...

Simple Green = North America and Fairy Power Spray = UK/Europe no?

Anyway, the active stripping ingredient in Power Spray is the caustic soda (lye), which is what's used in most oven cleaners and...

My guess is there won't be much in it. Commercial tension breakers can be a specific type of chemical and not detergent, but in some a detergent is the main active ingredient*.

Einion

*With...

Yeah, better and faster sums up my thoughts on why an airbrush is worth using for miniatures. And like you say, for the things it's appropriate for.

Einion

That looks pretty decent but man could they have done with more proofreading (related discussion from December).

Einion

Yeah! Not just the initial setup but the constant upkeep.

Related: a number of attempts at pigment-based paint databases for artists; the initial work was nothing to be sneezed at, as with any...

A lot of the same points as above in this recent thread from another part of the site:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?52545-Which-Instructional-video-set-would-you-buy

Einion

Mica particles are actually pretty massive by pigment standards! The VMAs though aren't based on mica I think (hence why they look so much better than many similar paints) but on bismuth oxychloride....

Thought I'd posted on this just last week but I couldn't find it and just remembered it was in a PM, not in a thread. Anyway, yes exactly right.


It'll have a point or sorts, but not a proper...

Lots of yellow metallics do have so-so coverage, and like the same problem in any area one of the main workarounds is to undercoat in something of a similar colour that is more opaque.

Back when...

You're just making a set of assumptions here based on little more than your own prejudice.[/QUOTE]
About this specifically I'd argue differently but never mind. It is going to be broadly true, just...

Gosh, I didn't know a lady's parts were large enough to have grounds :dance:

Einion

There are a few prior threads with specific recommendations for the US, if you search for the keywords colour rendering index and color rendering index that should bring up a few of the better ones;...

Yes. If you're going by a formula you've gotten online you shouldn't go too far wrong but you do want to be careful not to add too much as this can interfere with proper drying. As Fairy is a little...

Ask here* or on another mini forum. People are usually only too happy to try to help.

*Usually in the General Discussion forum; there's one there from just last week or the week before.

...

Hey, you leave Clement alone. He was one of the most insightful and rational commentators :soldier: I'm in agreement on art critics in general, however for balance was just reading: "today's culture...

Well I'd always encourage trying things firsthand, individual mileage will always vary.

You will of course need the alcohol, to rinse your brushes and to thin any paint transferred to the palette...

This has turned into a great reference thread, nice job everyone, especially Bloodhowl for the opening post. Would have given you rep dude but apparently I have to spread it around a bit before I can...

I'm all for the cheap-and-effective solution so thoroughly support this idea. Inherently less likely to pit the surface than media blasting too.

...

BTW all this stripping, is it for painted...

What brand(s) have you been using? Many Kolinskys aren't what would usually be described as soft, they're noted for their spring and resilience; all the ones I favour are springy enough for what...

For anyone who doesn't have firsthand knowledge of the art scene and might doubt that level of meaningless drivel is realistic, there truly are artist statements exactly like this! Just about any...

I wouldn't recommend these that much. Being shinier than a lot of the competition the effect they achieve can be very nice, but the incredibly fast drying takes getting used to; it's challenging at...

Well I think it's a great idea - anything that helps people produce more, even if it's just for practice, is a good thing. Kudos for the incentive :highfive:

I do agree that theme rather than...

It's not anti-intellectualism. I can understand why some people might want to characterise it as such - particularly artists, critics and dealers who have a vested interest - but that's just their...

Case-by-case basis to some extent, depending on context. I do broadly classify conceptual art along with many installations as bollocks with no real artistic merit.

It's the art critics that are...

There's a big difference between a unique coined name for something and a co-opted or adopted term. You can't copyright an idea, that's one of the fundamental limits set in copyright law around the...

This is just beyond sad. It's actually a very serious issue and GW are not in the right here, they're just using their size to intimidate; I'm certain they'd lose on the merits (if the case were even...

Hard to say, preference for brush sizes can be very personal. Depending on how cheaply you can get them I'd say get a fair selection. The same sizes will almost certainly be worth having, but some 2s...

If you already own an ultrasonic cleaner then by all means try it, it certainly shouldn't hurt. But don't think they're worth purchasing specially.

If you're after faster stripping you can do...

As Bailey says above, there are some recent/current threads that cover a few of the issues you're asking about pretty well. A quick search would have netted you some or all of those, showing the...

Oh yes absolutely! But conversely paying for something is no guarantee or assurance of quality; there are more than a couple of downloadable vids and instructional DVDs that honestly aren't worth...

Talking about 'art' when it's obvious you take it seriously = pretentious IMB.

Case it's not clear, making the distinction between art and 'art' (pseudo-art).

Einion

Yes you can strip paint off easily. Early on it can be a great idea to get a couple/few minis with the intent to paint and repaint them for practice.

Lots of stripping options but the best choices...

The end curling over shouldn't happen with sable or Kolinsky brushes, tip-curl is in fact the common thing with synthetics and it's hardly a slow thing either - can happen within minutes of first...

I'd avoid buying anything before you're sure you've exhausted all the free resources online. A large amount of the "unique content" on commercial vids is nothing of the sort, that's just marketing...

Good point on the filler Bailey, although my recommendation would be MagicSculp over GS or Milliput as it's better for the job than the former and much cheaper than either.

In terms of other bits...

He might not know, what's the advantage of the tank?

Einion

For high-end results (which very small, detailed stuff honestly does require) it's normal to rely on vacuum, or use a pressure vessel. Sometimes even both.

Good news is you can afford to vacuum...

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

Sorry, that's my BS detector going off again. Happens any time 'art' is being discussed by those who take it seriously :suspicious:

Einion

I'd agree with that, as would many others here. You might not use some of the paints ever and others so infrequently that there's really no point in having them, so it can be very much a waste of...

I have one myself... and all the weights are still in the lovely metal box they came in. I don't even have the plastic caddy inserted :laugh:

Einion

Try it, best way to find out!

This could work fine, it's certainly something worth exploring, but a lot depends on the variables - if you did two minis at the same time with different colour...

These? If so those should be a good pick.

If you're ordering from Blick anyway their own line of brushes are worth trying.

Assuming you don't have any already I'd also strongly recommend you...

Yeah, airbrushing can have a very high effort-to-results ratio.

Einion

Gah, they're far easier to clean than a trad airbrush. With the added benefit of it being nearly impossible to bend a needle or damage the cone of course.


While they're not capable of the...

If you've never airbrushed before my recommendation as always is to go with an Aztek.

But I'd strongly recommend you search through the many prior threads here as a start, there are loads of...

I wouldn't bother buying a colour wheel - plenty of them available online and you really only need one as a guide to colour relationships. Despite many commercial wheels claiming to provide mixing...

Raphaël are a good maker but you have to be specific to range or series unfortunately, since some brands make multiple lines with some variation in quality/qualities.


It's been a while since...

I think this would broadly depend on the type of painting - for gaming or display. Doing multiple figs as quickly as possible it would probably work best to go with a lighter start, but painting to a...

Sounds like a plan. Despie how good the Reaper paints are eventually I'd recommend trying a colour here and there from other lines because you never know what you'll like. Most people do eventually...

Glazes, not washes.

Glazing/layering is the way to do a smooth colour transition, unless you want to try wet-blending.

Einion