A few questions about freehand painting

GunjiNoKanrei

GunjiNoKanrei

New member
Freehand painting is a technique I seem unable to do right so I am looking for a few pointers.
My biggest problem concerns the consitency of the paint. When I water down my paint I only get \"blobs\" of paint when trying to do highlights or something similar on complex subjects. If use paint out of the bottle it is to thick, of course.
Here are a few more questions:
Do you paint the outlines of the proposed painting on the mini first by using a brush or a pen?
What brushes do you use sizewise?
Are there any good tutorials about freehand painting?

Thanks in advance for your help! It is greatly appreciated. :)
 
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vincegamer

Active member
painting

Well, I do mainly simple things, but what I do is paint the image with a VERY thin white. Hold the figure 4 feet away and you probably can\'t see it, but right up next to your face you can. Then I add layers, carefully getting what I want in white then finally go over it with whatever color I\'m finishing with. Fine detail lines I also add by brush though I\'ve just learned about micron pens and look forward to trying it out.
 
T

Thri-Keen Priest

Guest
Freehand Detailing

You\'ve got the right idea, but you may be thinning out the paint *too* much. Add a bit of water to plain white paint, making it the consistency of cream. It also sounds like you\'re approaching the area to be detailed with too much thinned paint on the brush. Wipe most of it off on a paper towel, (or the back of your thumb, my favorite test-pad!) Then carefully paint the shape you want. If you\'re doing several details, then do each one in turn, letting one dry as you do the others. Go around several times, at least four or five, until they have a nice, bright white look to them. Now is the time to add your final color, that is if white isn\'t the intended color for the detail. Yellow, for example, will only look true if it sits on top of a base of white.

For outlining the details, I like to use Micron Pigma Pens, (Thanks, Jen Haley!)

IMPORTANT: Let the paint dry for at least one hour before approaching it with a pen. Otherwise, you will foul the tip of your pen with wet paint, ruining it.

You will be amazed at the fantastic detail you can achieve in this way!

Good luck!

TKP
:)
 
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Badaab

New member
Micron pens are a decent enough idea, however, they aren\'t 100% archival. This means that the ink will bleach and turn a purplish blue color over time, especially if the mini is left in a place where sun and/or bright light will affect it. If you like using the pens try Rapidograph instead. They are re-fillable, and can accomodate most airbrush pigments with little or no water added.
Now, I\'ve been known for doing sick little details on my miniatures, mainly hand-painted squad and chapter markings on my Space Marines. Pens could come in handy, but personally, I don\'t like the pens, and with a little practice brush lines can be just as straight. Not to mention that Micron/Zig/Staedler pens mostly come in dark colors (not much help if you want a white or grey design), and dry with a glossier finish. So give the brushes a try instead.
Joe
 
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Impernouncable

New member
It probably wouldn\'t be a bad idea to try doing some very small drawings on paper to build up your skills. I suggest ruling one inch squares and drawing inside them. When you can do a coherent composition within a single square a miniature shouldn\'t be much more difficult.

I like the micron pens as well. I haven\'t had any problem with the ink changing color either. They have a tremendous cost advantage over Rapidograph too.
 
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