Miniature Mentor

[mabnkat]

Please forgive me that this post is not a painting question.... but I would like to say just how helpful this guide was.....

I have been look for something like is for years... Just to step my painting up to the next level & this is exactly what i\'ve been looking for......

Anyone else looking for this type of help should defiantly give this a look.

http://www.miniaturementor.com/painting_tutorials.html

Thanks Miniature Mentor !!!!

:beer::beer:

 

[arogers907]

I was actually a little disappointed in the sculpting one they did last. But the painting vids have been really interesting to watch. They don\'t seem to be able to crank them out nearly as quickly as they initially stated, but even still... great resource.

I\'m really anxious to see some stuff from some of the other painters.

-Andy

 

[mabnkat]

I\'ve only got the $30 one where they paint the wolfen... But i\'ll bee get the others very soon

What was disapointing about it ?

 

[arogers907]

Mmm... let me try and put specifics to my general feeling on the sculpting one.

I guess the big thing is the subject matter chosen. They sculpt a sword (pretty wicked looking sword, actually) and a shield. That\'s cool, as I imagine a lot of people just want to modify an existing miniature to make it more distinct or give a character model some oomph on the tabletop. Weapons are a great way to do that.

If the world worked entirely for the benefit of Andy, then I would have liked to see them sculpt various doodads using a wider variety of materials. I also would have preferred the focus to be on more organic subjects and anatomy. That\'s just where my interest in sculpting lies these days.

Lastly, I would have loved to see the finished pieces put into context. I don\'t think full video of the process would have been necessary, but it would have been a nice finishing touch to see the sword in a hand and the shield on an arm. Preferably painted.

/shrug

Just my two cents. It was still really fun to watch and I learned a couple \'well duh?!?\' kind of tricks. Worth the watch.

-Andy

 

[atacam]

Try searching this site for threads about these people. Should put you off getting more stuff from them.

Im not going to go into things again, but please have a read.

 

[Thunderhawker]

Don\'t let atacam dissuade you. He has had a bad experience and doesn not wish to do business with them anymore (and given the situation, who can blame him?) But you may wish to decide for yourself. I like the MM products myself.

 

[atacam]

Originally posted by Thunderhawker
Don\'t let atacam dissuade you. He has had a bad experience and doesn not wish to do business with them anymore (and given the situation, who can blame him?) But you may wish to decide for yourself. I like the MM products myself.

I sorta agree with you T/H, but you should let custmoer opinion dissuade you, this is how comapnies buck up their ideas. As i said in another post, people are to quick to just settle, so companies, big or small continue to get away with things. I have since written to the Canadian Trading council, and am just awaiting a response. This is a shame, as it something that could have been settled with simple amicable agreement.

But I will take it as far as it needs to go, some may think its stupid, but its principle not cost.

 

[DaRat]

I like the Miniature Mentor videos as well. The folks running Miniature Mentor have made some mistakes, but I attribute the mistakes to inexperience rather than anything deliberate, so I am willing to continue to support them.

 

[RobberBaron]

I agree that the videos are of very good quality for the most part (thought the sculpting one was kind of basic). With all the videos and artists they have planned in the future, the only way those videos will ever get made is if they have the customers to continue making these great tutorials. Trying to dissuade people from supporting this company (over a misunderstanding) will only lead to lots of great videos never seeing the light of day.

 

[atacam]

Originally posted by RobberBaron
I agree that the videos are of very good quality for the most part (thought the sculpting one was kind of basic). With all the videos and artists they have planned in the future, the only way those videos will ever get made is if they have the customers to continue making these great tutorials. Trying to dissuade people from supporting this company (over a misunderstanding) will only lead to lots of great videos never seeing the light of day.

Believe me it was not a misunderstanding.
I gave them ample opportunity to sort it out, in fact about 6 emails. They chose to not get it sorted, so if the videos dont get made because they cant sort customer complaints so be it.

 

[Aliengod3]

I am still looking for atacam\'s post about his problem with them but I hope it gets resolved.

MM is good but at the same time is is not. I think that their Prowler video is amazing but the sculpting video is lacking. But I know they intend to make more advanced ones in the future. Their lineup of master painters grows all the time, which is nice, but it does not really matter seeing as their not making much effort to deliver DVD\'s based on their painting styles to their consumers. The metallics painting DVD was supposed to be due in April and that is long gone.

Also as much as I love that they show how interesting a model can become with color I think they need to make a video based more around the fundamentals of paint application. Vicarious learning is important when it comes to the painting of the minis they use but trying to emulate Laurents painting is not as easy as simply diluting the paint 3 to 1: water to paint, or by buying a Raphael 8404 brush.

 

[Jinnpo]

I have to agree. I\'m signed up for the subscription service, but will definitely be reconsidering if they don\'t start to actually release material regularly instead of just telling us who they have signed up for the future.

Can\'t fault the quality of the videos, I\'ve learned a lot, but I think they maybe should have gotten a few videos completed before they launched so that they could keep up a release schedule.

 

[Gussy]

Subscription service is just like Microsoft\'s Software Assurance. You pay every year hoping that they\'ll come out with a new version of Windows often enough that you get your money\'s worth. From the moment MM came out with the subscription thing, I was very skeptical about it as it\'s not easy to come up with a decently produced video once a month. However, $50 is too much to pay for painting on one figure.

 

[arogers907]

Originally posted by Gussy
However, $50 is too much to pay for painting on one figure.

Naw... not for me. I\'m in Alaska and have never been to a Games Day. The nearest hope for seeing a clinic given by a professional painter of Laurent\'s caliber maybe Seattle.

I paid the $50 bucks (I got the DVD as there were some concerns early on about the download working on a Mac) without thinking twice. It didn\'t revolutionize my painting or anything, but it was really quite cool to see a painter of that caliber work.

-Andy

 

[Dr. Tachyon]

If you want the absolute best sculpting videos (well, the ones I think are the absolute best), you should get the ones by John Brown and Wendy Froud. Who the hell are they, I hear you ask?

/smacks audience with haddock

John Brown is an ex-effects sculptor who not only worked as a sculptor on films such as Tremors 2, Jumanji, Mars Attacks!, Alien Resurrection and Planet of the Apes he also has produced a 6 title series on maquette sculpting (including how to cast your piece in resin) available here where he teaches you how to sculpt a wierd demon:

A demonic lady with platform boots:

And there\'s another one coming out covering comic book style sculpting:

Wendy Froud\'s dvd (awesome as well) covers making a fairy figure. Why get that one? She worked on The Muppet Show, Dark Crystal and The Empire Strikes Back, so she knows a thing or two.

You will have to adjust your scales as their work is larger than a mini sculpt, but it\'s all the same techniques, near as dammit.

No, I don\'t work for these guys, I actually have the dvds.

 

[arogers907]

Wow... very cool tip. I\'ll check those out! =)

-Andy

 

[guslandt]

Any word on when the next video will come out? Looks like they haven\'t updated their site in 6+ weeks, and they are obviously very late with the promised April Metallics video.

I was super disappointed with the Advanced Tutorials: One 4-pack because:
1) All of the techniques in it were already displayed in the Wolfen video.

2) I assumed (incorrectly) that the Black Cloth video would have something to do with Black Cloth (since Black can be a difficult color to highlight). All they show is how to paint a blue cloak without a drop of black in sight... Take a look at the picture for that video and you can see it is clearly a blue cape.

3) I assumed (incorrectly) that the White Cloth video would have something to do with White Cloth (since White can be a difficult color to highlight). All they show is how to paint a yellow cloak without a drop of white in sight... Take a look at the picture for that video and you can see it is clearly a yellow skirt. It looks nothing whatsoever like white cloth.

4) I assumed (incorrectly) that the NMM video would have something to do with how to place highlights to achieve a metallic look. There was never a single mention of how to determine highlight placement. This video was the worst waste of the 4. All it showed was how to paint with really thin layers - something we already saw in every other one of their videos. After watching it, I know absolutely nothing about NMM that I didn\'t already know going into it.

All that said, the promised upcoming videos could make the whole thing worthwhile - IF they ever come out. The production quality is fantastic, and should be the gold standard for every future painting video any other company does. Plus, there is the side benefit of turning them into a drinking game. Every time the american-accented guy behind the camera says the word \'exactly\', you take a drink. You will be plastered very quickly. lol


EDIT: I should add that I think the first wolfen video is a fantastic purchase, and I would encourage everyone who is interested to buy it. Being able to see how super-thin paint should look when being applied is worth the price. You can read all the articles you want, but seeing it is a whole new experience.

 

[mabnkat]

Originally posted by guslandt
Any word on when the next video will come out? Looks like they haven\'t updated their site in 6+ weeks, and they are obviously very late with the promised April Metallics video.

I was super disappointed with the Advanced Tutorials: One 4-pack because:
1) All of the techniques in it were already displayed in the Wolfen video.

2) I assumed (incorrectly) that the Black Cloth video would have something to do with Black Cloth (since Black can be a difficult color to highlight). All they show is how to paint a blue cloak without a drop of black in sight... Take a look at the picture for that video and you can see it is clearly a blue cape.

3) I assumed (incorrectly) that the White Cloth video would have something to do with White Cloth (since White can be a difficult color to highlight). All they show is how to paint a yellow cloak without a drop of white in sight... Take a look at the picture for that video and you can see it is clearly a yellow skirt. It looks nothing whatsoever like white cloth.

4) I assumed (incorrectly) that the NMM video would have something to do with how to place highlights to achieve a metallic look. There was never a single mention of how to determine highlight placement. This video was the worst waste of the 4. All it showed was how to paint with really thin layers - something we already saw in every other one of their videos. After watching it, I know absolutely nothing about NMM that I didn\'t already know going into it.

All that said, the promised upcoming videos could make the whole thing worthwhile - IF they ever come out. The production quality is fantastic, and should be the gold standard for every future painting video any other company does. Plus, there is the side benefit of turning them into a drinking game. Every time the american-accented guy behind the camera says the word \'exactly\', you take a drink. You will be plastered very quickly. lol


EDIT: I should add that I think the first wolfen video is a fantastic purchase, and I would encourage everyone who is interested to buy it. Being able to see how super-thin paint should look when being applied is worth the price. You can read all the articles you want, but seeing it is a whole new experience.

I\'ve been planning on get this one but i don\'t think i will... I assumed the same the same things you did... Dare i say a little false advertising ???


Oh and the drinking game...HELL YEAH you\'d be wasted pretty dam quick.. coz not only doe\'s he say it after almost everything the other guy say\'s....He say it two or three time\'s...Exactly..Exactly !lol

 

[Dr. Tachyon]

Mabnkat, I notice you haven\'t givrn your opinion on the realistic flesh tutorial. Any comments?

Having spent a lot of time in the 3d world, I kind of have the feeling that these videos should have been included with the first dvd. That said, I may still buy them, to show support.

 

[guslandt]

The skintone one was actually quite good, and if they were available separately, I would recommend it to everyone. I didn\'t mention it in my post because I was only pointing out the disappointments. I had no disappointments with the flesh tone video.


I wish MM would add a forum section to their site. I also wish they would commit to some news updates, even if it is just to say they don\'t know when the next video will be out. Disappointing news is better than no news...