New member looking to step it up

[CadeK]

Hey everyone, i recently decided to get more serious about my painting so I figured I'd start by signing up here.

I'm a decent painter, I'll get around to posting some of my models one of these days, but I think I can do better. I'd really like to step my work up to studio quality but I don't know where to start. I'm trying to learn any little tips or tricks that are essential to making your minis better than average, not just simple get it done techniques. Its hard to explain myself without any reference work or specific questions, but if anyone knows what I'm talking about I'd greatly appreciate any tips, tricks, or any direction you guys could point me in.

Thanks,

 

[Bailey03]

Welcome! Well, you're definitely in the right place. This is a great place to get feedback and help to improve your skills.

Without any reference to where your work currently is I can only offer general advice. Early on it seems most people don't use enough contrast between their shadows and highlights and they put the paint on too thick. So when you paint your figures make the highlights a little brighter than you think you should and the shadows a little darker. This should help you keep pushing that contrast. It's also a good idea to read some tutorials on Zenithal lighting.

For blending a lot of people paint with semi-transparent layers. That way the previous layers show through and help create smooth transitions. Another alternative is wet blending. You can use a drying retarder to allow you to blend directly on the figure. This is done by several top painters but is not as common as the semi-transparent layer approach. You can read a lot about both techniques but actually seeing them done can be much more helpful. A site like MiniatureMentor has some really well done tutorials but you have to pay for them. Still, it's worth checking out the site and deciding whether or not it's worth it. Another great site for tutorials is MassiveVoodoo. And of course there are plenty of tutorials here at cool mini.

Two other general tips are:
1) Start a work in progress thread in the 'work in progress and project logs' section of the forum. That's a really quick and easy way to get feedback and more specific help.
2) If possible get to a miniature show or painting competition. There's just something about seeing the work in person. Plus it's a great opportunity to talk to the other artists and pick their brains. If you want to share your general location there's a good chance either I or some of the other members may be able to tip you off to shows near you.

 

[Trevor]

I agree, after you hasve mastered the basics of being neat and tidy and colour choice (i.e. a colour scheme that works well), it is all about contrast. Most advanced technicques come from that.

 

[MiniatureMistress]

I like to tell people that practice, practice, practice really helps. I know some people don't have a lot of time to devote to a hobby, but even half and hour to an hour helps. As a professional painter, I notice the difference in my work in 6 months time since I spend a lot of time painting

View attachment 28889View attachment 28890
The first photo is from the summer of 2012 and here is some of my more recent work from February 2014

 

[CadeK]

I've been wanting to go to a painting convention or competition or the like but I've never ha the opportunity. I'm the Vancouver area in BC Canada. I know there's a few happenings around here from time to time but I wouldn't know where to start.

@Miniaturemistress: What kind of major changes have you made to your painting approach in those 2 years. Like different thinners and mediums, more colors, special brushes... I know practice is most of it but is there anything you use now you cant paint without anymore?

Thanks for all the great feedback everyone!

 

[MiniatureMistress]

A wet palette and working with my paints to figure out how they react. Also, Kolinsky sable brushes are a must for me. I sometimes use a synthetic, but it doesn't take long for the tip to curl and lose form. But the one thing would have to be a wet palette. There are lots of DYI tutorials out there to make one or I have the small masterson's brand.

 

[BloodFather of Kharnath]

Welcome friend! You absolutely came to the right place. I look forward to seeing your work and offering advice. My first piece of advice-listen to Bailey. He is definitely a painter who has "figured it out"
and he has personally made some of the best tutorials out there. Piece of advice #2 is that, though you may be looking for a critical piece of advice that immediately improves your skills, if you are already doing what Bailey says then there really isn't a big shortcut out there. Sure, use the best equipment money can buy, but Bailey's comments are spot on. Your progression should look like this:

1-Neatness
2-Paint Consistency
3-Contrast
4-Color Theory

If you have those things mastered you will be a great painter. You also really need to tell us more about yourself. Can you blend? How do you blend? Do you already understand the basics of zenithal highlighting? You see, we don't know your level of understanding and so how do we know what advice to offer. You can also be familiar with the concepts, but have difficulty applying them.

But my biggest piece if advice is this. Second to actually improving by painting, research as much as you can on every painting topic out there. I would say look stuff up on the internet for at least an hour a day. I constantly do this. Waiting in line somewhere or just killing time, I'm on the internet. This helped me to get an 8.0 on my first mini. You can actually sound like an expert without ever having painted a thing if you do enough research. Your passion for the hobby should make this fun too.