Corwin the Confused
Member
Do You and How Do You and How Much Do You Magnify Your Mini\'s for Painting?
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Do You and How Do You and How Much Do You Magnify Your Mini\'s for Painting?
- Thread starter Corwin the Confused
- Start date
SteppinRazer
New member
I had a hard time getting a feel for how far the brush was away from the surface when using a glass.
C
Con EL Pueblo
Guest
Would never use such a thing, my impression of size, detail, etc, gets screwed up...
Anyway, I often sit in such an akward position when I paint, that using a lense would be practically impossible
Anyway, I often sit in such an akward position when I paint, that using a lense would be practically impossible
Flashman14
Member
ya - For me to hold the figure close enough to where it\'s magnified significantly, I\'d have to break all my brushes in half so the back end of the brush doesn\'t bump against the glass.
vincegamer
Active member
I used to use as much magnification as I could get. My favorite was a zoom lense out of an old 220 camera (anyone remember those?). It\'s about 1cm diameter with no handle, and you have to hold it really close to your eye, but it gives something like 8x magnification. Now I use an optivisor or a jeweler\'s loupe but only for fine facial details.
I like magnification, but it screws up your depth perception and you end up either making mistakes or letting the paint dry in the brush as you slowly creep toward the figure.
I like magnification, but it screws up your depth perception and you end up either making mistakes or letting the paint dry in the brush as you slowly creep toward the figure.
T
The Artisans Edge
Guest
Using a magnifier isn\'t a great idea. It\'s bad for the eyes. Ever put on a friends/ family members prescription glasses? If you wore them too long you got a headache. Same thing applies using a magnifier. You\'re putting your eyes under unecessary strain. Just a little advise to keep in mind.
Chrispy
Active member
I never use any maginfication, despite my parent\'s nagging that my eyes will go bad.. Given my grandmother has macular degeneration and it\'s genetic, I try to eat thing with leutine in them to keep my eyes okay in the long run.
Sometimes I paint things I can\'t even see because of the angle so I don\'t know what good something in between me and it will do.
Sometimes I paint things I can\'t even see because of the angle so I don\'t know what good something in between me and it will do.
Sand Rat
New member
Tapping my white stick with the red Tip
I\'ve worn extremely thick glasses for years (20/800 vision in one eye and 20/750 in the other) and have found as the years have gone by that I need a magnifyer especially when working with 15mm or smaller figures. I paint most of the gross detail with out it, then move under it for the small stuff - facial features, etc.
I\'ve worn extremely thick glasses for years (20/800 vision in one eye and 20/750 in the other) and have found as the years have gone by that I need a magnifyer especially when working with 15mm or smaller figures. I paint most of the gross detail with out it, then move under it for the small stuff - facial features, etc.
I\'m farsighted. For those who don\'t wear corrective lenses, it means I see better when a thing is far away than when it\'s close. I *can* use my eye muscles to adjust, but it\'s very tiring and gives me a headache if I do it too long. Using a magnifying glass helps because I can adjust the focal length to suit my eyes better. For a while I used a quilter\'s glass, which is a big glass with feet that rest on your chest, while the string goes around your neck. It\'s handy, but sometimes my neck would get sore from looking down all the time.
After a while, I decided to ask the eye doctor to make me up a prescription for glasses that would focus properly at a distance of 12-18 inches. Because I am farsighted, they are magnifying glasses. They don\'t seem to enlarge the mini a whole lot, but they do give my eyes a rest because they\'re made specifically for me.
Artisan\'s Edge says using a magnifying glass is bad--but I think it has more to do with your particular vision, your age, and how long at a stretch you do it. Magnifying glasses are obviously just what I need, but folks who are nearsighted might need the opposite to reduce eye-strain.
After a while, I decided to ask the eye doctor to make me up a prescription for glasses that would focus properly at a distance of 12-18 inches. Because I am farsighted, they are magnifying glasses. They don\'t seem to enlarge the mini a whole lot, but they do give my eyes a rest because they\'re made specifically for me.
Artisan\'s Edge says using a magnifying glass is bad--but I think it has more to do with your particular vision, your age, and how long at a stretch you do it. Magnifying glasses are obviously just what I need, but folks who are nearsighted might need the opposite to reduce eye-strain.
K
kannan_fodder
Guest
I used to be farsighted, but that changed years ago when I took up detailed drawing. Now I\'m nearsighted, and wear glasses. Mind you I can get by fairly well without them, but they do make life a little easier. I prefer to use a magnifying visor when I\'m painting details on miniatures, and have had no problems adapting to using it - other than the outbursts of laughter when someone walks into the room unannounced. The key thing to saving your eyes and avoiding eyestrain headaches is to use good light and take frequent breaks!
Infidel Castro
New member
Got one, never use it
Artisan made me laugh out loud just now with the prescription specs and headaches! That\'s a crazy experiment but one I can see someone doing just to see...
I agree with Artisan\'s Edge in that respect though - it isn\'t the best for your eyes and all that. I have a daylight lamp with built in magnifier, but I rarely if ever use the bloody thing, except to freak out our cat!
That\'s all.
Phil
Artisan made me laugh out loud just now with the prescription specs and headaches! That\'s a crazy experiment but one I can see someone doing just to see...
I agree with Artisan\'s Edge in that respect though - it isn\'t the best for your eyes and all that. I have a daylight lamp with built in magnifier, but I rarely if ever use the bloody thing, except to freak out our cat!
That\'s all.
Phil
I use reading glasses for normal painting, block colours etc. and Clip On 3x magnifiers for fine detail. As per advice I try not to keep the magnifiers on for more than 20 mins at a time. (Yeah right)
I have found that single lens magnifiers are no good for me as I lose the depth perception and cannot judge the position of the brush to the figure.
My reading glasses are specifically tailored to a focal point of about 8 -10 inches in front of my face.
I have found that single lens magnifiers are no good for me as I lose the depth perception and cannot judge the position of the brush to the figure.
My reading glasses are specifically tailored to a focal point of about 8 -10 inches in front of my face.
No Such Agency
New member
I\'m lucky enough to have a binocular dissecting microscope (2x-10x) to do detail work under. \"I just do eyes, just eyes\" with it, but it\'s very useful, no more accidentally giving a mini a beauty spot on the cheek instead of a pupil in the eye - or Angelina Jolie lips on a warrior either! The _binocular_ part is essential however, you need to have depth perception as many others have already said. A light on the magnifier helps too, otherwise you\'re always dealing with nasty shadows.
with it, but it\'s very useful, no more accidentally giving a mini a beauty spot on the cheek instead of a pupil in the eye - or Angelina Jolie lips on a warrior either! The _binocular_ part is essential however, you need to have depth perception as many others have already said. A light on the magnifier helps too, otherwise you\'re always dealing with nasty shadows.vincegamer
Active member
NSA you are a lucky man.
I\'ve been keeping my eyes open for one of those to come on the used market, but haven\'t seen any yet. I remember them from biology class and always thought then that one would be excellent for painting.
I\'ve been keeping my eyes open for one of those to come on the used market, but haven\'t seen any yet. I remember them from biology class and always thought then that one would be excellent for painting.
TheSiegeTower
New member
Nope, never...more of a hassle than a help. I primarily paint Warmaster and Pendraken 10mm and GHQ 1/285 miniatures.
No Such Agency
New member
vincegamer, the dissecting scope\'s not really ideal for this (2-4x is good but who needs 10x for painting?), it\'s just what I have. I think they pop up occasionally on eBay, but they\'re pricey. I\'d go with a head-mounted visor-type magnifier if you want to keep depth perception and your money
K
kannan_fodder
Guest
The visor I use just says \"Binocular Magnifier\". I have no idea what power it is, but it sure makes it easier to paint eyes without making my miniatures look like some Goth wannabe! I\'ve also noticed a drastic improvement in my painting since I began using it.
I usually paint base colors and drybrush with either naked eyes or my glasses, then use the visor for detail work and touch ups. I also keep some distraction going in the background, like a movie, which will usually keep me looking up frequently.
But what works for me may not for someone else.
I\'ve also noticed a drastic improvement in my painting since I began using it. I usually paint base colors and drybrush with either naked eyes or my glasses, then use the visor for detail work and touch ups. I also keep some distraction going in the background, like a movie, which will usually keep me looking up frequently.
But what works for me may not for someone else.
Flashman14
Member
heh! I too have to have something goin on in the background . . On Sundays it\'s all the political talk shows, then NFL and anytime else it\'s Flying Circus on DVD or some other movie I\'ve seen and loved.
NPR is good in the AM\'s and I wish I could reliably get the BBC though I spose I could crank up my PC sound and have it streaming in via the web . . . News junkie see . . . ?
NPR is good in the AM\'s and I wish I could reliably get the BBC though I spose I could crank up my PC sound and have it streaming in via the web . . . News junkie see . . . ?
