Paints and Paintbrushes

[Molineux]

Hey guys, first time on forums.

I have been painting for around 4 years now, and for a long time i have been following points and tips from a friend of mine, but when i look at his minis, i think they look terrible, and i see that after following his instructions mine look just as bad.

He only paints Warhammer figures, but i want to start painting LOTR minis, in particular the men of rohan and hobbits.

I was wondering if anyone could give me any tips on what are the best paints to buy to begin these(UK, looking for cheaper than GW) and which paint brushes would be sufficient.

I have a reasonable selection of paints already but after long term use they\'ve begun to run out.

Thanks a lot!

 

[RobberBaron]

\"It\'s not the sword, it\'s the samurai\"

Paints shouldn\'t really be the issue, it\'s more technique that are getting bad results. You need to learn to thin your paints to the paint goes on smooth and thin, then highlighting and shading to start. Check the beginner articles on CMON and practice some.

 

[freakinacage]

Originally posted by RobberBaron
\"It\'s not the sword, it\'s the samurai\"

Paints shouldn\'t really be the issue, it\'s more technique that are getting bad results. You need to learn to thin your paints to the paint goes on smooth and thin, then highlighting and shading to start. Check the beginner articles on CMON and practice some.

what he said, start at the beginner painting articles and concentrate on what you suck at. practice, practice, practice. thin your paints. post w.i.p\'s and get advice from the people here!

welcome and good luck

 

[generulpoleaxe]

telling people where abouts you are, not just country will help you more than you think, as someone near you may be willing to take an afternoon off to show you various techniques.

 

[Molineux]

Thanks for your comments so far, and i live in Yorkshire, nr Hull.

I was actually hoping for some help to find paints that are cheaper than the ones from GW as i\'m on a very tight budget with £30 a week from college so i need to find cheaper than the prices there.

Thanks!

 

[Dragonsreach]

Most of the paints that you\'ll be able to find within local distance, and online, will be about the same price range as GW\'s.

Typically Vallejo range from around £1.35 -£1.70 per bottle, but you get more paint than in a GW pot.
On a limited budget, such as you define, you\'ll need to shop around online for the best prices and (I hate to say it ) save for a large purchase to make it worthwhile.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Molineux
I was actually hoping for some help to find paints that are cheaper than the ones from GW as i\'m on a very tight budget with £30 a week from college so i need to find cheaper than the prices there.

What are you painting for - gaming or show?

If you were in the US it would be easy to point you to one of the decorative acrylic brands like Americana or Folk Art but I don\'t think they\'re available in the UK or if there\'s an equivalent. They tend not to cover as well as mini/modelling paints and they\'re a touch less smooth, but they\'ll do the job.

You\'ll need a primer too in case you didn\'t know, so I would highly recommend car primer in grey or white. Halfords & Hycote are both fine for minis and don\'t cost the earth (Hycote will probably cost less).

Einion

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by Einion
If you were in the US it would be easy to point you to one of the decorative acrylic brands like Americana or Folk Art but I don\'t think they\'re available in the UK or if there\'s an equivalent. They tend not to cover as well as mini/modelling paints and they\'re a touch less smooth, but they\'ll do the job.
They are available at Hobbycraft, but the problem (as I\'ve found out) is that we have no way of knowing
a: how long they\'ve stood on the shelf
or
b: how many people have opened the tops to check the actual color. (*)

As Einion has said coverage can be a bit hitty/missy depending on the paint.
Some of the metals (ie. Pewter) takes lots of coats but the metal flakes are perhaps a little larger than GW\'s

(* And if you think that\'s bad you should have seen the mess one assistant was left clearing up in the watercolour tubes last week).

 

[Molineux]

I\'m just painting to relax to be honest, i\'m not interested in competing i show or games, which is why i\'d prefer to find the cheapest paint possible.

It\'s my birthday soon so i\'m considering asking for the Citadel mega paint set, as i have enough minis to be going on with for now, but i\'d prefer to buy my own paints and buy some LOTR minis.

 

[generulpoleaxe]

the vallejo model and colour colour sets are cheaper and have larger quantities of paint in them.

http://www.modelsforsale.com/catalog/index2.php?cPath=8_89999157

 

[Molineux]

Originally posted by generulpoleaxe
the vallejo model and colour colour sets are cheaper and have larger quantities of paint in them.

http://www.modelsforsale.com/catalog/index2.php?cPath=8_89999157

Thanks, and these are the same quality as GW? It seems like a lot of money to spend if i won\'t be pleased with the results if you know what i mean

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Molineux
Thanks, and these are the same quality as GW?

There\'s a wide range of opinions on that (do a search, you\'ll find lots of paint threads) because sometimes it\'s not about good/better/best it\'s about what suits individual taste and painting technique.

FWIW I wouldn\'t buy a large set. It\'s often better to buy individual colours that you like the look of and/or you\'ve read recommendations of and mix with those; mixing colour yourself is good experience (good fun too). But others prefer having a large palette with a lot of pre-mixed shades of things.

Einion

 

[DaRat]

One reason to avoid buying large sets at once is that it is quite likely that there will be some colors that you simply will not use. Why spend the money on those colors when you won\'t use them (or at least not in th short term), particularly when the paints are available individually.

You might want to go visit a few of the local game stores to see if there is a paint club of some sort. If there is, there might be a few folks there who are willing to let you try different brands (but bring your own mini and brushes).

 

[freakinacage]

Originally posted by Einion

FWIW I wouldn\'t buy a large set. It\'s often better to buy individual colours that you like the look of and/or you\'ve read recommendations of and mix with those; mixing colour yourself is good experience (good fun too)
Einion

very true. i have teh big vallejo set and, as lovely as it is, i only use a small selection of paints from it, don\'t get me wrong, money wasn\'t a problem at the time and i like having the choice now!

 

[Molineux]

Thanks guys, i\'m sorted out with paints now, i didn\'t get Vallejo or GW i got a brand called MP (miniature paints) i\'d never heard of them before, so i just bought a few to start, but they are brilliant so i went back today to buy the rest of the colours i thought i might need as well a few vallejo.

Like you recommended i\'ll start posting WIP\'s and hopefully get tips from there.

Thanks a lot

 

[Rastl]

Why does everyone seem to forget Reaper produces two paint lines? And they\'re both available worldwide.

Their ProPaint series is geared more towards the \'get it done\' painter by giving smooth coverage and solid color.

Their Master Series paint line is geared towards the folks who like the blending/layering process. And they come in hand triads of colors that go together nicely.

I\'m not a Reaper employee but from the various brands of paints I\'ve tried I like these best.

Just a reminder from the Republic of Rastl that there are other paint lines besides GW and Vallejo out there.

 

[Molineux]

Originally posted by Rastl
Why does everyone seem to forget Reaper produces two paint lines? And they\'re both available worldwide.

Their ProPaint series is geared more towards the \'get it done\' painter by giving smooth coverage and solid color.

Their Master Series paint line is geared towards the folks who like the blending/layering process. And they come in hand triads of colors that go together nicely.

I\'m not a Reaper employee but from the various brands of paints I\'ve tried I like these best.

Just a reminder from the Republic of Rastl that there are other paint lines besides GW and Vallejo out there.

I wanted to try these but i couldn\'t find a UK seller, i may have been searching for the wrong thing so i\'ll look again.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by Rastl
Why does everyone seem to forget Reaper produces two paint lines? And they\'re both available worldwide.

Not that readily in the UK and if you buy them from Reaper and ship to the UK you get hammered for Import Duty. (BTGTTShirt!)
Besides If I read Reapers news page correctly there are a number of colours being dropped and replaced.

 

[Molineux]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach

Originally posted by Rastl
Why does everyone seem to forget Reaper produces two paint lines? And they\'re both available worldwide.

Not that readily in the UK and if you buy them from Reaper and ship to the UK you get hammered for Import Duty. (BTGTTShirt!)
Besides If I read Reapers news page correctly there are a number of colours being dropped and replaced.

Yep the only UK sellers i can find are on eBay, and they seem a little overpriced.

 

[DaRat]

By the way, since no one seems to have addressed the brushes part of your question, spending some money on good paint brushes and some brush soap will help your painting considerably.

Synthetic brushes are good for fast painting and for poking into recesses, but the tips will curl, and the painting experience feels different.

I\'d recommend spending the money on a good kolinsky sable brush. Winsor & Newton Series 7 (normal or miniature), Raphael 8404, Da Vinci Maestro, and Escoda Tajmir are some examples of good brands and lines. All of them are slightly different in size and shape, but all are quite good and a step up from the best GW brush.

You will need to go to an artist supply shop to find them.

You should also spend money on some brush soap and use it religiously (followed by a dollop of hair conditioner).