My first mini

[sagh]

While reading this topic, please keep in mind the word “NOOB”… and be gentle.
This is not a real work in progress... is more a finished work...but here it goes.
Well, this is my first and only mini.
I painted it some years ago.
I’m far far far away from the level of most people in here…
but I believe that it’s not that bad.
I like the "dégradé" in the hair.
I painted how I felt like and didn’t use the colors I should have used (sorry for the unrealistic look).
Besides that and after what I have been reading in here, I can see 2 things wrong with it.
The colors I used are glossy and the unions from the limbs and torso are not that great.
And the base… don’t even want to talk about it.
I would like your opinions about the work done and info about the mini itself (what it is).

View attachment 10452
View attachment 10453
View attachment 10454
(the images were taken with a mobile phone - but to be honest the quality of the pictures match the quality of the mini...not fantastic...sorry)

Thanks
sagh

 

[10 ball]

Not bad at all, the gloss look always detracts away from the paint job imo.

The base needs work, try putting gravel or rock etc down first then the grass flock on top to get a more realistic look. Keep the grass off the edges.

 

[Bloodhowl]

It is a Kroot warrior from Games Workshop's Tau Empire. Personally, I like the color scheme. Reminds me of a scarlet macaw, and since the kroot are an avian like race, it works. You have not identified to what level you wish to paint your minis. Tabletop, competition, or somewhere in between the two (tablecomp? comptop?) For immediate results, I would work on taking the shades a little bit darker, and the highlights a little bit higher. Several techniques can accomplish this. The technique you use will be dependent on to what level you want to acheive, and how much time you want to invest.

You already mentioned the gloss and the base. :smile:

 

[sagh]

10 ball , the finished work is now a work in progress... I'm working on the base.


Bloodhowl, thank you for the info on the mini.
I ask for your patience, I'm not a player and I'm not familiarized with the terms...
but for what I have understand, tabletop is for playing and competition, like the name says, if for painting competition. Right?
Well, competition would be my objective but I don't have the skills for it.
So I can say that I want the best level of painting I can accomplish.
I definitely need to work on the shadings and highlights… the mini has none.

Regarding the base, I wanted to test what I saw in a tutorial in the forum about how to make stone blocks for the road. So I decided to use it in the base for this mini. I also made a small stone wall. The tree still needs work.

View attachment 10464

 

[Milosh]

Nice start on that base. You can honestly be a lot better at painting than you think. It just takes getting a few techniques down and applying them to every figure you paint. Don't rush the process either enjoy it, after all it's not a race.

 

[Bloodhowl]

The base is off to a good start!

For competition level, you will want to learn layering, Washes, and maybe Non-Metallic Metal(NMM). Probably more, but I would start with layering. Check out the articles in the sticky thread of the painting and conversion forum : http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums...Sticky-Thread-Links-to-Tips-Threads-Tutorials

There is a ton of stuff in there that explains many different techniques. Once you decide a skill to work on, practice, practice, practice. Start a Work In Progress in the Work In Progress thread and post pictures. Then practice some more, concentrating on the feedback and corrections you get from the other members.

Did I mention you will need to practice? :smile:

 

[GreenOne]

With enough patience, you can accomplish anything; patience and thinned paints.
If you don't paint for tabletop (gaming) and are not entering any competitions, painting for pleasure is what I'd call it, or display.
There is an article on feathering (Layering) on this site which is fairly well explained, it's a good starting point and the basic technique to achieve nice gradients (Shading and lighting.)
Have fun

 

[Willdorling]

Hey Sagh

May I firstly say that your 1st miniature is much better than mine! Your learning curve will be very quick to start with and will provide you with loads of inspiration and motivation. There are some things I would really strongly recommend to start with. As you are painting for your own enjoyement and to as high a standard as you are able I would invest in the following items if you don't have them.

Decent brush. You only need one to start with as if its got a good tip you should be able to do large areas and fine detail with it. I use Windsor & Newton Miniature series annd have size 1, 0 and 000

I would also invest in a good basic set of acrylic paints covering main colour groups. If you have a particular scheme in mind then you can just start by aquiring the ones you need.

To make a really quick start with shading I would also get some Games Workshop washes. They are great and really help wioth shading until you might want to paint in your shadows.

Finally I'd get in the habit of really preparing your model before you paint it. Take a long time to clean off any mould lines or injection mould spurs. This will help you spot detail on the miniature, get a grip of its dimensions and ultimately ensure your paintjob will not be marred by any imperfections.

Thinning paint is really important to ensure you have a nice smooth and completely even coverage. Some painters thin loads and apply 5+ coats on the basecoat layer alone. This paint is very watery and needs appling carefully as if you load the brush too much the paint will flood the miniature when you touch it with the brush and all the paint will run into the recesses. If you have a go at this style, make sure you touch your brush to a paper towel to allow most of the excess paint to blot out the tip. Paint an area, wait a few seconds for the paint to dry and then apply another layer.

Final tip - if you are super keen and have a few spare £'s or a birthday coming I would recomend buying/watching Miniature Mentors complete miniature painting dvd. This showcases a lot of pro style techniques and gives you a very good idea of how professional painters build up their colours and blend.

Well thats all for now - lets see some more piccies! Thats the main thing....paint, practice, try new things and stay happy

Cheers
Will