Need some advice...
- Thread starter Graaj
- Start date
airhead
Coffin Dodger / Keymaster
I don\'t know where you are at, but do you have a better painter that you can paint with? Maybe at a convention?
My best improvements came from spending a day painting with better painters than me.
Other than that, read the articles sections here and other places. Then go apply what you read. Don\'t try to do it all at once, but try to grow with each piece.
I\'ve looked at your pic.
do you prime?
Don\'t leave bare metal. I see areas on the back of the cape that have rubbed off (during the painting?) see the \"holding a mini\" thread.
What paints & brushes are you using?
Black is a pain color to use. Very hard to get shadows (darker black) or highlights (lighter black). White has similar problems.
My best improvements came from spending a day painting with better painters than me.
Other than that, read the articles sections here and other places. Then go apply what you read. Don\'t try to do it all at once, but try to grow with each piece.
I\'ve looked at your pic.
do you prime?
Don\'t leave bare metal. I see areas on the back of the cape that have rubbed off (during the painting?) see the \"holding a mini\" thread.
What paints & brushes are you using?
Black is a pain color to use. Very hard to get shadows (darker black) or highlights (lighter black). White has similar problems.
grrrr....third try
Alright, here\'s my third try at a reply to you since my computer ate numbers one and two.
Some suggestions from what I see:
1. Keep you paint thin. Base coats should be thinned at least 1:1 and sometimes 2:1 and applied in multiple smooth coats. Shades and highlights need to go to 5-6:1 or to get results like seb\'s (automaton) they may need to go as dilute as 10-11:1. On shades and highlights you may not even be able to tell you\'ve laid them on the first few passes but they\'ll build opacity over successive layers.
2. Study up on color theory and get a little color wheel for reference.
3. Read a TON from cmon and other artists\' sites whom you admire.
4. be patient. a lot of the better models on the site have been painted over time periods north of 40 hours. Some contest models may number in the 100\'s of hours. That\'s not to say you need to spend that kind of time to get a better result, it\'s just to say slow down and don\'t rush things. Work on one area until you are happy with it and move on to another.
5. PRACTICE. It\'s really the only foolproof way to get better. And if at all possible practice with those that are better than you. If you can\'t do that post WIP\'s in the appropriate section of this site\'s forums and ask for suggestions as you go.
You\'re actually not off to too bad a start. Just be patient and realize that none of the great work you see on this site was accomplished without a ton of practice and dedication to learning.
Hope that helps. :idea:
Alright, here\'s my third try at a reply to you since my computer ate numbers one and two.
Some suggestions from what I see:
1. Keep you paint thin. Base coats should be thinned at least 1:1 and sometimes 2:1 and applied in multiple smooth coats. Shades and highlights need to go to 5-6:1 or to get results like seb\'s (automaton) they may need to go as dilute as 10-11:1. On shades and highlights you may not even be able to tell you\'ve laid them on the first few passes but they\'ll build opacity over successive layers.
2. Study up on color theory and get a little color wheel for reference.
3. Read a TON from cmon and other artists\' sites whom you admire.
4. be patient. a lot of the better models on the site have been painted over time periods north of 40 hours. Some contest models may number in the 100\'s of hours. That\'s not to say you need to spend that kind of time to get a better result, it\'s just to say slow down and don\'t rush things. Work on one area until you are happy with it and move on to another.
5. PRACTICE. It\'s really the only foolproof way to get better. And if at all possible practice with those that are better than you. If you can\'t do that post WIP\'s in the appropriate section of this site\'s forums and ask for suggestions as you go.
You\'re actually not off to too bad a start. Just be patient and realize that none of the great work you see on this site was accomplished without a ton of practice and dedication to learning.
Hope that helps. :idea:
Inking and drybrushing are great ways to do metallics quickly and easily, especially if you\'re just starting out. Having them totally solid like that doesn\'t look very good, especially if they are pretty much the only accent color on the model.
Try these out a bit on the next one, and remember you can go back and touch up the black armor around the metal afterwards. Mixing a little black ink in with regular Chaos Black is a good way to do touchups around trim, the paint tends to stay in the cracks easier than regular thinned Chaos Black.
Don\'t be too discouraged if your models progress slowly, especially if you don\'t have anyone around locally to paint with. You\'ll occasionally have a few big jumps in quality if you follow the usual trend of gamers.
Try these out a bit on the next one, and remember you can go back and touch up the black armor around the metal afterwards. Mixing a little black ink in with regular Chaos Black is a good way to do touchups around trim, the paint tends to stay in the cracks easier than regular thinned Chaos Black.
Don\'t be too discouraged if your models progress slowly, especially if you don\'t have anyone around locally to paint with. You\'ll occasionally have a few big jumps in quality if you follow the usual trend of gamers.
