painting tattoos

ogreninja

New member
hi i was wondering if anyone out there who knows how to paint tattoos on minis and if you do pleeease give me a clue :D
 

jahminis

New member
what exactly do ya wanna know, and what scale???

the simplest start is just to do tats as normal freehand to get the idea...
draw your ideas on paper, and then use a sharp(soft) pencil to draw \'em on your mini first...

when ya get comfortable with small additions like tattoos, then start mixin\' in a little bit of fleshtones to you colours for more realism...

cheers
jah
 

ScottRadom

Shogun of Saskatchewan
If you want cool pattern ideas just google it up. And then wince and look away as you may get some NASTY ASS hits. I used to have some real cool Maori ones bookmarked for a Warhammer Ogre army project that I abandoned once I realized I wasn\'t able to paint freehand Maori style tattoos at all. Wish I could fire you the links but I tossed them too.

Good luck!
 

freakinacage

Well-known member
a thin wash of your flesh tone often helps pull it into the model and make it look like it\'s beneath the skin
 

freakinacage

Well-known member
you\'d think they would have the same effect but having tried a couple, i find that a thing tat, built up to the right level, followed by a skin wash works slightly better, not sure why. having said that, i have seen newish tats irl that look totally fake as they are too black!
 

jahminis

New member
@freak: yeah, my tats always look like they\'ve been drawn on with a sharpie when they\'re new...

@ogreninja:54mm is a blessin\' and a curse if your just doin\' your first freehand tats...there is more room to experiment, but it\'s easier to make it look like crap...

don\'t be afraid to draw a little first, and work out your design before ya try to lay it out on a minis curved surfaces...

first time \'round, just paint it with the colours ya want...after ya get a design that ya think looks good, then play with addin\' a little fleshtone to the colours...

good luck, and post pics while you\'re workin\' to get some good advice from the other cats here...

cheers
jah
 

generulpoleaxe

New member
use small dots to get the rough shape, then join them up and finaly block in.

based around advice given by razza for some of his freehand patterns on cloaks.
works a treat on tats.
 

Bigdennis52

New member
this might sound kind of lame, but I have seen people use some of the decals for tat\'s also,

When I first started I wanted to give some character to an imperial guard army, I did them with a fine point sharpie and layered over it with paint.
 

jahminis

New member
@ mourner: while i would agree with your advice for 28mm scale, 54mm is where a painter can pull out all the stops with tats and freehand...
i\'ve seen some great japanese tats on larger scale guys...

@the generul: good advice bro...

cheers
jah
 

ogreninja

New member
thanks for all the advice ill post the pics of the head when i get the tats on it and hopefully get some more advice when everyone can see it lol
 

Bigdennis52

New member
Another option, Draw your design on trace paper. Cut along the lines with a exacto blade. Place the paper on the mini and cover the area with color of the tattoo... then after it is dry peal off the paper... should only leave what you wanted...

Actually I did this with wax paper I am sorry.
 
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