Getting over the 5-6 hump

[hakoMike]

Hi all,

I have been painting for a little over a year now, and I\'m a little stuck. I\'ve striven for continual improvement, and I think my gallery shows at least a hint of that, but right now I\'m stuck getting over that \"a little better than tabletop\" feel.

I submit the following three minis:
Skaven Sorcerer
Space Marine Librarian
Reaper Elf

Please let me know if there\'s anything you can identify that would push them out of the 5.5-6 range into the 7\'s. I\'m not thin-skinned about it, so please give it to me straight what I\'m doing wrong (or right.)

Thanks to all of you.

 

[Stuntylover]

You have most of the basics under control; I like especially the face painting on the elf. My suggestions at this stage are confined to general points:
Your choice of colours is not good, for example the green sword (why?!) for the elf is \"ugh\", so you should try limiting your pallette and using complementary colours (see a colour wheel) and become proficient in a few colours.
Secondly, do I detect attempts at NMM? If so I suggest returning to metallics as NMM, even when done well, is not that convincing.
Thirdly your base work need a lot of attention. For now use a consistent base style and decorate it simply.
Finally you need to put much more effort into layering shades and making the transitions smooth. Too often there is a stark line between one shade and the next. More layers, more subtle transitions are needed.
That\'s enough to be going on with.

 

[Ogrebane]

You need to go further with your highlight and shading. The free hand on the space marine was quite good. I would give that a 7 but the rest of the mini is a 6.5 Id say.

 

[supervike]

I\'ll first say that I agree with Stuntylover\'s assessment. The color choices are a bit off, especially on the elf.

I think the space marine should be at least a 7 already.

Not to sound too philosophical, but don\'t concern yourself too much with the scores. I kind of fell into that trap a while ago, and began painting stuff I thought would get good scores, instead of what I really wanted to paint. You can get so caught up into the scoring that it robs you of your own style.

 

[Mosch]

Here\'s one advice from a painter who sucks: Become emotionally dead I am sure that I will never get more than 5 to 6 points. I just don\'t care. Neither should you.

HOWEVER, if you want to paint for score, here are some tipps that didn\'t help me at all but I am giving them anyway. Remember the three score-increasing Bs:
1. Boobies.
2. Base.
3. Barely metallic metal.
*cough*
So to get the highest score possible, make an elaborate base with nothing on it but two boobs and a giant sword painted in NMM.

Well, I give you that: That one might not work as intended. But basically, that is what will give you big score. I suck at all three and everythng else so I don\'t get any, but the principle is sound (first one to make a \"boobies\" and \"suck\" joke will... probably make a stupid joke, there\'s no threat I an think of at the moment).

 

[johnboyjjb]

Generalization: Most of the higher ranking minis have multiple pictures pointing out points the artist is particularly proud of. Of course, a good number of the crappy ones do too.

 

[funnymouth]

all of the above....
(im thinking of a sword with boobies....)
and
dont paint skaven, no matter how cleverly converted rats dont do well (unless you\'re in the top 100)
here is mine
reduce your color palate (master a few colors, before using many, unless thats your \"style\" - ive been called out for that many times)
keep up the creativity! that will take you a long ways
try fancy techniques for easy points - osl, gems, sheer, freehand, etc.

 

[generulpoleaxe]

@funnymouth

\"fancy\" techniques are only going to get you higher votes if done correctly.

skaven don\'t get worse votes if painted to a high enough standard.

yours may have been converted but, it was painted to a table top standard with what seemed like an unfinished base.
i don\'t want to seem mean but that\'s the blatant truth.

@hako mike

if you are unsure about what colours to use, look at a colour wheel. this will help you to balance your main colour choice with complimentary colours.

practice, practice and more practice. don\'t be afraid to ask questions and raid the article section for ideas.
gaining smooth highlighting and shading will stand you in better stead than rushing your miniatures.
some of the miniatures that are painted by the top 10 have 100+ hours on them.

patience is a virtue and practice is better than excuses!

and use old miniatures for practicing freehand.

 

[paintwidow]

I would suggest sealing your models with some Testor\'s Dull Cote sealer. Your marine, especially, would benefit greatly from a little less shine.

 

[funnymouth]

thats fine gene, your entitled to your opinion -and, in fact, your comment PROVED my point. that mini is panted better than my \"best\", (that just so happens to be a gk termi) and which is currently at a 7. i dont think the paintjob is any different. in fact, my very first stuff, with fuzzy pics and all has scored much higher than my skaven, or old ork has - because they are dumb guys wearing power armor. as i have mentioned in previous threads - i have a nearly 1 to 1 inverse correspondence between my score, and how much i like the mini - go figure.

oh that reminds me. if you want points for a base, make sure thats its a giant eyesore, that is just like everyone elses base, context doesnt matter either (sarcastic, but kinda true).
of course the techniques need to be executed properly, but many of them arent exactly tough to learn (i bought a wraithlord and spent a few hours working on it to get decent at gems)
still, that doesnt change the fact that it will earn you points -depite the fact that its probably one of the least important parts of a paintjob.

but you know what, its not like ive busted the hump - so **** it DONT listen to what i say - im probably just full of it, and i should stop giving advice because frankly, im not a very well respected painter in my own right.

paint what you want, screw the voting system, its evil.

 

[generulpoleaxe]

Originally posted by funnymouth


paint what you want, screw the voting system, its evil.

that\'s the best advice from funnymouth yet.

some people will score a mini an eight whilst others will give it a five. it is the comments/critisism that (most) people give that will help you on your way to becomoing a better painter.

@funnymouth, newbies get an easier ride to start with. once you are known people will judge you more harshly. this in most cases thickens your skin and forces you to practice more. (i don\'t have anything against you, but you seem to think every one is against you. just relax and don\'t take the scores seriously)

 

[funnymouth]

Originally posted by generulpoleaxe
@funnymouth, newbies get an easier ride to start with. once you are known people will judge you more harshly. this in most cases thickens your skin and forces you to practice more. (i don\'t have anything against you, but you seem to think every one is against you. just relax and don\'t take the scores seriously)

oh i certainly dont intend to give that impression! i can see why you might think that though - cynicism is a hobby of mine too. i think people have been quite generous with their scoring of my minis - i am certainly no great painter, nor do i claim to be. as with any system some things bother me, and i like to speak up. i consider this online community to be a group of peers that i respect greatly - and one in which i can express myself candidly without having to mask my opinion. i must admit, sometimes i get worked up - and i think to myself (or outloud....) that my particular brand of painting style goes unappreciated. then i remember that im a member of a very peculiar group of individuals who are actually interested in looking at pictures of other peoples tiny painted sculptures - and that i have friends here.
watch for my comments when you vote, you\'ll see im not so negative after all (mostly).


one final piece of advice - whatever you do to improve your score, dont lose your own personal style - its what will set your minis apart from everyone elses.

 

[hakoMike]

Thanks to everyone for responding. It has been quite enlightening and I look forward to applying some of your advice.

Summarizing what you all have said, I will strive for :

1. smoother transitions between more extreme highlight/shading
2. better color composition by means of a color wheel, and a more limited palette
3. stick to metallics
4. paint for fun and develop your own style
5. boobies on epic bases
(if I missed something, please remind me!)

Many of you said \"don\'t worry about the score\" but I see definite quality differences in a 7.5 mini vs. a 6.0 mini. Sure there are (naked) exceptions, but for the most part it\'s true. When I\'m finished with a mini I can often see that mine are not quite as good as I had envisioned they would be when I started. This thread has helped me see what about my technique is keeping that from happening. It really is tremendously fun to paint, and I\'d like to keep getting better at it as I go.

Thanks!

 

[Dragonsreach]

I\'m going to give you what I think is the best piece of advice I was given:

\"Don\'t aim for a 6 or 7 go for a 10. Work to achieve that level of paintwork. It\'ll push your abilities and increase your capabilities. \"

Master a colour group such as reds then move on to master another colour grouping.
Remember there are more than three levels of highlights.
But whatever you do, enjoy the progression. For most people it\'s a hobby, not life or death.

 

[Patrick]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
Remember there are more than three levels of highlights.

What!?!?! Dammit, that\'s too much work! I\'m going back to sculpting.

4. paint for fun and develop your own style
5. boobies on epic bases

These should really be #1 & #2

 

[stefanhws]

Yes it\'s hard to get a 7 or higher. The best mini is the Librarian. Here some hints to push this to a 7.
- repaint the red (seems it shaded with black. This should be done with brown) Try to do it more smoothly becuase it looks a bit rought.
- Do more outline the details. Seems the you forgot this on some parts.
- The weapon looks not very good compared with the raven banner which is very good. You have to do some shading and highliting as well.
- The blue needs some highligts as well. Somme parts look very flat.
- Seems the shading on th eblue is done with black. For shading black parts use a dark blue or violett.
- A important thing is a good photo. I can see several reflextions on the mini which always isn\'t good for a higher voting. Maybe you should read some article here on CMON how to do photos and using a photobox. That helps a lot in my case.

But the most important thing is that you\'ve fun when you paint your minis. Nothing else is more important.

HTH

 

[EricJ]

Originally posted by stefanhws
- repaint the red (seems it shaded with black. This should be done with brown) Try to do it more smoothly becuase it looks a bit rought.
- Seems the shading on th eblue is done with black. For shading black parts use a dark blue or violett.

There isn\'t anything wrong with shading both red and blue with black, it\'s what I do and it works ok for me. However it is harder since the transition is more severe so takes more care to get it smooth. Using a more complimentary color which is just a darker tone will help improve the look of your minis until your blending is ready for black

I agree that you should focus on a set of colors and get really comfortable with them. I started painting witchhunters, so I learned reds real well at first and barely even touched other colors. Then slowly branched out to include colors in my comfort zone.

 

[stefanhws]

Orginal gepostet von EricJ
There isn\'t anything wrong with shading both red and blue with black, it\'s what I do and it works ok for me.

Well if i look at your ranking i think you can shade blue or red with any color
;-)

But for us newbies black always look bad.

 

[r2j1]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
I\'m going to give you what I think is the best piece of advice I was given:

\"Don\'t aim for a 6 or 7 go for a 10. Work to achieve that level of paintwork. It\'ll push your abilities and increase your capabilities. \"

That is good advice, and somrthing I will try and put into practice more myself. I have been getting a bit frustarted not being able to break out of the mid 7s. I think taking that approach will help.

 

[vincegamer]

Originally posted by Mosch
So to get the highest score possible, make an elaborate base with nothing on it but two boobs and a giant sword painted in NMM.

I\'m pretty sure Axebone already made that model.