Madog Barfog
New member
Let me point out that that W&N Series 7 brushes being discussed are the mini series, which you are not likely to find at an art store. While I have not ordered from Neal myself, I hear very good things about http://www.thewarstore.com/ as an online store. dickblick.com is another good source. Whatever you do, stay away from New Wave Games.
I would recommend their 0 brush, PN 5012000. Another less expensive brush are the Vallejos. While I used to love smaller brushes, the superior quality of the better brushes allow me to use larger brushes which give me better control and coverage. If I had to do it again, I\'d probably get a 0 and a 1 and be done.
You are going to want some other brushes for washes, drybrushing, etc. These can be cheap throw aways, which the GWs probably are. If you ever drybrush, use a flat brush.
I don\'t know that you will have to relearn techniques when you switch brands. I think you are worrying too much over little details. Buy some good brushes, either W&N or Vallejos, and have some cheapos on hand for utility.
Regarding paint: there is some conjecture that one of the problems with GW paint is not just the caps, but the porosity of the plastic bottle itself. That means no matter what you do, it will dry up eventually. I would shy away from adding water to my paints as a preventive measure, because you are now messing around with the density of the paint. When my GW paint (I only use 1 color) gets dry, I add extender to it. If you had to buy paint all over again, I\'d go with Vallejo. I buy Model Color, because that\'s available locally. The dropper bottle is so convenient, I can\'t imagine painting without it.
My advice: use the GWs until they dry up, then replace them with Vallejo GC or MC. There are some differences between paints, so you may have to alter your thinning techniques.
Wet palettes: I think to much fuss is made over wet palettes. I suppose some pros use them, but the ones I have seen do not. All a wet palette does is extend the drying time of your paint, which is important when you are wet blending. Unless you live in the desert, you could use a ceramic tile, a CD, or a styrofoam plate. I use teflon palettes from the craft store. They are just a piece of plastic with a half dozen wells in them to mix the paint in. Squeeze out a drop or 2 of desired color(s), add a drop of mixer, and I\'m done. No wet palette fuss.
For extender, consider a mix of distilled water/flow improver/acrylic extender. You can buy all this at a good art store.
If you game with your minis, consider sealing them with Minwax Clear Satin Polyurethane, then take the gloss off with Testor\'s spray dullcote. Shiny things like gems and eyes can be retouced with some brush on gloss varnish.
Don\'t forget to clean your minis first, after you have taken off the mold lines with small files or Xacto blades. I have seen some very nicely painted minis that won\'t stand up or that have mold lines because the prep work was skipped.
One last thing-drop a piece of aquarium gravel or 2 in your paint to help stir them. Rinse the gravel off first, of course.
I would recommend their 0 brush, PN 5012000. Another less expensive brush are the Vallejos. While I used to love smaller brushes, the superior quality of the better brushes allow me to use larger brushes which give me better control and coverage. If I had to do it again, I\'d probably get a 0 and a 1 and be done.
You are going to want some other brushes for washes, drybrushing, etc. These can be cheap throw aways, which the GWs probably are. If you ever drybrush, use a flat brush.
I don\'t know that you will have to relearn techniques when you switch brands. I think you are worrying too much over little details. Buy some good brushes, either W&N or Vallejos, and have some cheapos on hand for utility.
Regarding paint: there is some conjecture that one of the problems with GW paint is not just the caps, but the porosity of the plastic bottle itself. That means no matter what you do, it will dry up eventually. I would shy away from adding water to my paints as a preventive measure, because you are now messing around with the density of the paint. When my GW paint (I only use 1 color) gets dry, I add extender to it. If you had to buy paint all over again, I\'d go with Vallejo. I buy Model Color, because that\'s available locally. The dropper bottle is so convenient, I can\'t imagine painting without it.
My advice: use the GWs until they dry up, then replace them with Vallejo GC or MC. There are some differences between paints, so you may have to alter your thinning techniques.
Wet palettes: I think to much fuss is made over wet palettes. I suppose some pros use them, but the ones I have seen do not. All a wet palette does is extend the drying time of your paint, which is important when you are wet blending. Unless you live in the desert, you could use a ceramic tile, a CD, or a styrofoam plate. I use teflon palettes from the craft store. They are just a piece of plastic with a half dozen wells in them to mix the paint in. Squeeze out a drop or 2 of desired color(s), add a drop of mixer, and I\'m done. No wet palette fuss.
For extender, consider a mix of distilled water/flow improver/acrylic extender. You can buy all this at a good art store.
If you game with your minis, consider sealing them with Minwax Clear Satin Polyurethane, then take the gloss off with Testor\'s spray dullcote. Shiny things like gems and eyes can be retouced with some brush on gloss varnish.
Don\'t forget to clean your minis first, after you have taken off the mold lines with small files or Xacto blades. I have seen some very nicely painted minis that won\'t stand up or that have mold lines because the prep work was skipped.
One last thing-drop a piece of aquarium gravel or 2 in your paint to help stir them. Rinse the gravel off first, of course.
