Newbie Questions Part 1.

[Dakwan]

I\'m sure there will be more of these

1. It\'s my understanding you thin down a paint to a point where it doesn\'t leave any brush strokes.. true?

2. How thick/consistant should a basecoat be? i have 2-3 coats and it appears blotchy still and you can see the white primer underneath (Dark green basecoat)... is this just poor technique or because my paint is so thin? (i will love you long time if someone has a picture of a properly applied basecoat)

3. How long does it take greenstuff to set?

4. (this one is painfully ignorant :\'( ) At what point do you mould greenstuff.. if i was going to create for example... a dog out of greenstuff at what stage do you start to carve fur/features and so forth... I know this is silly for my level of competence but I simply have no idea.

5. I\'m using a white primer for dark minatures... i\'ve read some people like this because they have more control and it brightens everything up.. opinions?

6. Am i missing some resource everyone knows about where if i had just read i wouldn\'t look like a big idiot?
:drunk:


Thanks again, you guys rock.

 

[green stuff]

1. Yes : skim milk consistancy does it for me. Also how you apply it is important (long even strokes instead of smal touch applications will get you a more even coat).

2. See 1. If you\'re using Dark Angel green, then it\'s normal, it has little covering power (at least my old batch does, I just got a new one and am looking forward to seeing if they corected that).

3. About 2 to 3 hours to semi cure, 24 for full cure, less if you use a lamp or a hai blower.

4. Not sure about the meaning of your question. Could you please rephrase it? Moulding is the act of making the mould for casting. Are you thinking about that or sculpting?

5. It\'s pretty subjective. I usually use white because it\'s easier to read the details, but it\'s true that for a dark mini you\'ll end up covering it again in black. Do as you feel .

6. Have you checked out the article section? : http://www.coolminiornot.com/article

Post some WIP pics in the WIP thread and you should get better feedback.

 

[cdukino]

1.
True. But also keep meddling with it while it dries, can leave brushstrokes... even when thined

2.
See anwer above. There is no magic thickness and all goes well automatically. It what suits you best, practive and all that, But a basecoat should end up even and covering. I use between 2 and 5 layers depending on colour, surface and the thinness of paint i happen to have created. No formulas for me.... just a feel for it gotten in practice

3.
Under a lamp it can be as short as 30 minutes...just in a room with no extra heatn is is several hours. Gettting firmer and firmer while it sets up to a point it isn\'t hardened yet but unworkable.

4.
You sculpt with greenstuff. it\'s not a cutting and filing medium. you can carefully make little adjustments after it cures. But it\'s pretty much always more tricky and less good then doing it right while sculpting. last resort, not the way to shape your fig. You just build up and sculpt the figure layer after layer, part after part. A hard putty like miliput can be carved and cut, and brownstuff is somewhere in between that and greenstuff putting it roughtly.
As for how I would sculpt the dog in rough steps... Build up the rough shape, let it cure... refine the musscles and bare body with fresh putty... let cure, full in de details, let cure, make a rough skeleton shape for the head, let cure, make the eyes in the eyesockets, let cure, form the rest of the face on the skull, let cure... leaving you with a naked dog, then put on thin layers of greenstuff and sculpt the fur in parts. Ofcourse adjustments and inprovements can be done during this proces.... But you see I never start cutting or anything.. Just build the dog layer after layer.

5.
I use both. I usual;ly prefer white as it forces me to paint neater, I can also see easier what i do AND my colours stay brighter. but in the end it is nothing more then personal preference.

6.
Well most of these have been talked about before. Or more then once. I\'m sure you might be able to find threads about it. Just need to do some more searching.


Thanks again, you guys rock.

Girls oke too

Phew what a lot of questions

 

[Dakwan]

slip of words i did infact mean sculpt

thank you both for the excellent answer and excellent job cdukino at figuring out my terrible english

and yes girls rock too but i don\'t know why they would hang around here... the shoe shopping is terrible!

 

[airhead]

Originally posted by Dakwan
2. How thick/consistant should a basecoat be? i have 2-3 coats and it appears blotchy still and you can see the white primer underneath (Dark green basecoat)... is this just poor technique or because my paint is so thin? (i will love you long time if someone has a picture of a properly applied basecoat)

I once took a class and the instructor said that if you could cover your basecoat in one coat, your paint was too thick. It generally takes me 2 or even 3 coats (depending on the paint and the color). Yellows and most of the lighter colors are notoious for not covering.
GW paints? I generally thin 1:1 or 1:2 paint:water.
Reaper Master Series 1:1
(I\'ve only played with Vellajo) 1:2 or thinner - lots of pigment in those bottles.

For the basecoat, you are not trying to get the super gaze translucent look. you are trying to cover the mini, but not have the paint look like stucco. Subsequent layers should be thinned more for glazing.

And check out the articles section.