Ten Commandments of painting....
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ScottRadom
Shogun of Saskatchewan
Originally posted by laurence
Always have good music playing when you paint
Agreed! Though given the opportunity I like to have audio commentaries from movies I like on. Some pretty interesting ones out there!
Teflon Billy
New member
In addition to those mentioned:
- Always paint a prototype model to completion before beginning an assembly line for a multi-model squad. You\'ll learn small lessons from that initial model that will multiply into a large time savings when applies across the squad.
- Two thinned downed coats of paint not only look better than a single thick coat, it usually takes the same amount of time because you end up covering twice the area on the model per \"dip in the paint pot.\"
- Be wary of spray on varnish over purple paints. I\'ve had several occasions where beautiful purple blends were \"melted into a single dark purple shade\" after being hit with a spray of gloss coat. Now, I always cover purples with paint-on-varnish (i.e. GW\'s \'Ard Coat) before spraying entire model.
- Don\'t rush your blending. Painting new coats of paint over wet layers can lead to very ugly results.
- Yellows and colors that include yellow (e.g. snakebite leather, scorpion green) are very poor at coating. Consider this carefully when basing an entire army on them.
- Get a color wheel and learn how to use it. Green and orange may sound like a good idea in your head but will not create the look that impresses.
- Always paint a prototype model to completion before beginning an assembly line for a multi-model squad. You\'ll learn small lessons from that initial model that will multiply into a large time savings when applies across the squad.
- Two thinned downed coats of paint not only look better than a single thick coat, it usually takes the same amount of time because you end up covering twice the area on the model per \"dip in the paint pot.\"
- Be wary of spray on varnish over purple paints. I\'ve had several occasions where beautiful purple blends were \"melted into a single dark purple shade\" after being hit with a spray of gloss coat. Now, I always cover purples with paint-on-varnish (i.e. GW\'s \'Ard Coat) before spraying entire model.
- Don\'t rush your blending. Painting new coats of paint over wet layers can lead to very ugly results.
- Yellows and colors that include yellow (e.g. snakebite leather, scorpion green) are very poor at coating. Consider this carefully when basing an entire army on them.
- Get a color wheel and learn how to use it. Green and orange may sound like a good idea in your head but will not create the look that impresses.
ScottRadom
Shogun of Saskatchewan
I think this is the most painful lesson many of us have had to learn. ALways do a spray test beside the model!
cfwheeler58
Member
Hope some of these are useful
- make a record of color recipes that you particularly like or need.
- Premix and save batches as appropriate for volume painting.
- Probably not a universal, but.....especially for beginners...paint from the inside out. Deepest areas first.
- Don\'t assemble bits ( pre-painting) that prevent reasonable access to areas that will be seen.
- The left thumb is a reasonable paint offloading site for a right handed painter
- Don\'t highlight red with white unless you WANT pink. Use oranges and/or a neutral bone.
- Pay attention to interplay of cool and warm colors.
- Don\'t embrace NMM as a religion unless you WANT to. There is nothing wrong with metallic paints.
- If you own a cat who likes to see the world from places other than the floor, paint in a room that has a door. Trust me.
- If you are looking for a change of pace, try painting something that is materially different in scale. It keeps things fresh.
- Embrace the thousand and one uses of cork.
- Find a good hiding place for the extra figs that your significant other doesn\'t want you to get until you paint at least 10 figs you already have. I CAN\'T be the only guy with this issue....
- Read ALL the tutorials on Brushthralls.com. You will learn something useful you don\'t know.
- 1st Most Important. Respect your health. That means your eyes, your lungs, your hands and your painting posture. REALLY....
- 2nd Most important. Unless you are doing a commission or painting to an important deadline, walk away for a bit if you aren\'t enjoying yourself.
- 3rd Most Important. Share what you\'ve learned, good and bad. It\'s one of the best things in life. Corny, but true.
- make a record of color recipes that you particularly like or need.
- Premix and save batches as appropriate for volume painting.
- Probably not a universal, but.....especially for beginners...paint from the inside out. Deepest areas first.
- Don\'t assemble bits ( pre-painting) that prevent reasonable access to areas that will be seen.
- The left thumb is a reasonable paint offloading site for a right handed painter
- Don\'t highlight red with white unless you WANT pink. Use oranges and/or a neutral bone.
- Pay attention to interplay of cool and warm colors.
- Don\'t embrace NMM as a religion unless you WANT to. There is nothing wrong with metallic paints.
- If you own a cat who likes to see the world from places other than the floor, paint in a room that has a door. Trust me.
- If you are looking for a change of pace, try painting something that is materially different in scale. It keeps things fresh.
- Embrace the thousand and one uses of cork.
- Find a good hiding place for the extra figs that your significant other doesn\'t want you to get until you paint at least 10 figs you already have. I CAN\'T be the only guy with this issue....
- Read ALL the tutorials on Brushthralls.com. You will learn something useful you don\'t know.
- 1st Most Important. Respect your health. That means your eyes, your lungs, your hands and your painting posture. REALLY....
- 2nd Most important. Unless you are doing a commission or painting to an important deadline, walk away for a bit if you aren\'t enjoying yourself.
- 3rd Most Important. Share what you\'ve learned, good and bad. It\'s one of the best things in life. Corny, but true.
ScottRadom
Shogun of Saskatchewan
I like those!
I\'ve got one that should be in the list:
lighting, always make sure you have the right kind of light (color and intensity)
the wrong color can make the endproduct look much worse than while you were still working on it.
The wrong intensity (especially too dim) can wreak havoc on your eyes.
I use a simple IKEA desklight, its halogen, but i\'ve found that my painting looks better in actual sunlight than under that lamp, somehow that lamp brings out all the little faults....
lighting, always make sure you have the right kind of light (color and intensity)
the wrong color can make the endproduct look much worse than while you were still working on it.
The wrong intensity (especially too dim) can wreak havoc on your eyes.
I use a simple IKEA desklight, its halogen, but i\'ve found that my painting looks better in actual sunlight than under that lamp, somehow that lamp brings out all the little faults....
Einion
New member
I\'ll take a stab at this, although I\'m not sure I\'ll be able to stick to 10.
1. Good lighting first and foremost - if you can\'t see properly you can\'t paint well. And eyestrain will only get worse the older you get if you\'re painting under light that\'s not bright enough.
2. Get into the right mindset before you start to paint. In general, slow down - if you\'re feeling impatient it might not be the best time to work on something you want finished to a high standard.
3. Adopt a comfortable posture to paint - if you get up after a painting session and your shoulder or back is sore you\'re probably doing something wrong. But even with this get up and walk around regularly, do some stretches, anything like that; nothing like regularly sitting for four hours in one position to screw up yer back!
4. Buy, make or find some tool to comfortably hold figures for a long time. A larger-diameter handle is a good idea.
5. Don\'t lick your brushes! Individual colours or the paint generally could be toxic to you. This is especially important if you have any existing allergies or sensitivities.
6. Use a double-bath system for rinsing; a big jar for the first one, the second can be smaller. You rinse out the paint in the first and then rinse out the dirty water with the second, which helps keep brushes a lot cleaner. The second jar will also stay very clean for a long time so you stand much less chance of polluting a light colour if you use tap water for thinning. 6b. A small amount of dishwashing liquid in your rinsing water also helps keep them clean but remember not to add any if you\'re painting in a way that needs the paint to have surface tension.
7. Wash your brushes periodically if they need it, but remember that prevention is better than cure. Quite frankly a few brush-cleaning soaps aren\'t great shakes; common hand soap can do the job as well or better than some.
8. Good brushes are worth it. While synthetics have their place there are things you can achieve with a needle-sharp Kolinsky you can\'t do with another brush as easily, or at all.
9. If you\'re using natural-hair brushes why not try conditioning them every now and then, especially after washing. It won\'t hurt the bristles and it could help maintain them in good shape for longer. You can leave conditioner in a brush when not in use and just rinse it out in your jar before you paint if you like.
10. Use the largest brush you can for any job. Generally speaking painting all the time with brushes that are too small is both slower and less efficient and has a tendency to make the paintjob look fussy.
11. Read everything you can about painting, including books for artists. Even books about a different medium might have something you\'ll find useful.
12. Don\'t be afraid to try new things. Trying something for yourself is often the only way to know for sure what it\'s really like - this applies to different paints, brushes and techniques.
Remember if you always do what you\'ve always done you stand a good chance of always getting what you\'ve always gotten; which is fine, if you think your standard can\'t go up.
13. If you go looking for other people\'s colour recipes as the first port of call it can hold your development back; we often learn more from screwing up than from the things that go right first time! Experimentation can lead to insights you\'ll miss completely using mixes some other guy used.
14. Paint the way you want. The only requirement to paint like the current vogue or using the technique of the moment is if you\'re painting commercially and that\'s what the customer wants or the market is buying.
15. Be wary of rules when it comes to colour and mixing; most of them are just generalities (some are just wrong!) and might not apply to the specific colours you\'re using because paints mix the way they do because of their pigments, not just because of \'their colour\'. For example some reds do highlight just fine using only white, similarly nearly any dark colour will shade with black perfectly well and some lighter ones work well with it too. The only way to know for yourself is to try mixes and see.
16. Practice! This may be THE important rule. You\'ll tend to get a lot better, and faster, actually painting than you will reading about painting.
Einion
1. Good lighting first and foremost - if you can\'t see properly you can\'t paint well. And eyestrain will only get worse the older you get if you\'re painting under light that\'s not bright enough.
2. Get into the right mindset before you start to paint. In general, slow down - if you\'re feeling impatient it might not be the best time to work on something you want finished to a high standard.
3. Adopt a comfortable posture to paint - if you get up after a painting session and your shoulder or back is sore you\'re probably doing something wrong. But even with this get up and walk around regularly, do some stretches, anything like that; nothing like regularly sitting for four hours in one position to screw up yer back!
4. Buy, make or find some tool to comfortably hold figures for a long time. A larger-diameter handle is a good idea.
5. Don\'t lick your brushes! Individual colours or the paint generally could be toxic to you. This is especially important if you have any existing allergies or sensitivities.
6. Use a double-bath system for rinsing; a big jar for the first one, the second can be smaller. You rinse out the paint in the first and then rinse out the dirty water with the second, which helps keep brushes a lot cleaner. The second jar will also stay very clean for a long time so you stand much less chance of polluting a light colour if you use tap water for thinning. 6b. A small amount of dishwashing liquid in your rinsing water also helps keep them clean but remember not to add any if you\'re painting in a way that needs the paint to have surface tension.
7. Wash your brushes periodically if they need it, but remember that prevention is better than cure. Quite frankly a few brush-cleaning soaps aren\'t great shakes; common hand soap can do the job as well or better than some.
8. Good brushes are worth it. While synthetics have their place there are things you can achieve with a needle-sharp Kolinsky you can\'t do with another brush as easily, or at all.
9. If you\'re using natural-hair brushes why not try conditioning them every now and then, especially after washing. It won\'t hurt the bristles and it could help maintain them in good shape for longer. You can leave conditioner in a brush when not in use and just rinse it out in your jar before you paint if you like.
10. Use the largest brush you can for any job. Generally speaking painting all the time with brushes that are too small is both slower and less efficient and has a tendency to make the paintjob look fussy.
11. Read everything you can about painting, including books for artists. Even books about a different medium might have something you\'ll find useful.
12. Don\'t be afraid to try new things. Trying something for yourself is often the only way to know for sure what it\'s really like - this applies to different paints, brushes and techniques.
Remember if you always do what you\'ve always done you stand a good chance of always getting what you\'ve always gotten; which is fine, if you think your standard can\'t go up.
13. If you go looking for other people\'s colour recipes as the first port of call it can hold your development back; we often learn more from screwing up than from the things that go right first time! Experimentation can lead to insights you\'ll miss completely using mixes some other guy used.
14. Paint the way you want. The only requirement to paint like the current vogue or using the technique of the moment is if you\'re painting commercially and that\'s what the customer wants or the market is buying.
15. Be wary of rules when it comes to colour and mixing; most of them are just generalities (some are just wrong!) and might not apply to the specific colours you\'re using because paints mix the way they do because of their pigments, not just because of \'their colour\'. For example some reds do highlight just fine using only white, similarly nearly any dark colour will shade with black perfectly well and some lighter ones work well with it too. The only way to know for yourself is to try mixes and see.
16. Practice! This may be THE important rule. You\'ll tend to get a lot better, and faster, actually painting than you will reading about painting.
Einion
Avelorn
Sven Jonsson
I can agree to almost all of those Einion! Except the brushlicking part but that\'s a given haha. This is of course written to an aspiring painter that really want to improve, but some are more general and could suit people that just paint to get minis for armies or the next DnD game as well.
I need to implement number 6. better though!
While I tend to follow the \"rule\" 10 is not a given for certain techniques. Larger brushes can press out more paint then you want even if you use very little paint on the brush. smaller brushes can give more control for those last highlights.
Maybe clarify 13 even more that it in the beginning can help you alot to try other people\'s recipes. I generally say to people I help painting (that want to improve from tabletop to another level) that they should pick a guide from a White Dwarf or similar and we can follow it together.
Maybe put 12 and 14 together \"don\'t be afraid...\" but in the end \"paint the way you want...\" Something like that.
15 is so true. I am tired of seeing restricting tips like \"never use white or black\" \"don\'t ever use blacklining\" \"never use drybrushing\" or \"always use a little yellow in highlights and a little blue in shadows\" I am sure the original painters never intended them to become RULES more as tips to try out. Everything is about the effect you want in the end.
I need to implement number 6. better though!
While I tend to follow the \"rule\" 10 is not a given for certain techniques. Larger brushes can press out more paint then you want even if you use very little paint on the brush. smaller brushes can give more control for those last highlights.
Maybe clarify 13 even more that it in the beginning can help you alot to try other people\'s recipes. I generally say to people I help painting (that want to improve from tabletop to another level) that they should pick a guide from a White Dwarf or similar and we can follow it together.
Maybe put 12 and 14 together \"don\'t be afraid...\" but in the end \"paint the way you want...\" Something like that.
15 is so true. I am tired of seeing restricting tips like \"never use white or black\" \"don\'t ever use blacklining\" \"never use drybrushing\" or \"always use a little yellow in highlights and a little blue in shadows\" I am sure the original painters never intended them to become RULES more as tips to try out. Everything is about the effect you want in the end.
ScottRadom
Shogun of Saskatchewan
In the meat business we have a saying... \"Never look directly at your knife!\". It\'s the dumbest goddamn saying ever but it\'s just one of those things we tell people AFTER they\'re bleeding to kind of make fun of them. Probably have to be a Butcher to laugh though...
Brush licking? When I saw a few of the \"Brush Lickers unite\" sig banners on this site I just kind of thought they were jokes. Really? Whether it\'s posionous or just plain bad for you, paint tastes like shit. Why do people wanna lick their brushes? Does it save time?
Thanks for the compilation there Einion. Lot\'s more then ten ideas, but I do think I can puit a sample list together that I am gonna take down to the LGS next paint day. I had originally planned on cutting out some sheet insulation foam to look like the ten commandments but apathy got to me before I made it to the garage to start working.
GothyBeans
New member
A few I\'ve learned as I\'m just starting out:
Make sure if you are using a knife, it has a lock to keep it open. (Or is a static blade, scalpel, etc.)
Fumbling with a clip-shut knife to remove mess, I ended up putting a blade through the side of my thumb, through the nail and stuck into the desk.
If you are tired, stop.
Probably the hardest to stick to! Never think, \"I\'m tired, I\'ll just do this bit before I stop..\"
Make sure if you are using a knife, it has a lock to keep it open. (Or is a static blade, scalpel, etc.)
Fumbling with a clip-shut knife to remove mess, I ended up putting a blade through the side of my thumb, through the nail and stuck into the desk.
If you are tired, stop.
Probably the hardest to stick to! Never think, \"I\'m tired, I\'ll just do this bit before I stop..\"
Aliengod3
Active member
1. Thou shall never leave your bushes placed bistle side down in your water cup!
2. Thou shall never dip the entire head of the brush in paint!
3. Thou shall always dilute the paint!
4. Thou shall practice painting as much as physically possible!
5. Thou shall paint on your death bed!
6. Thou shall make sure to inform everyone around you that you participate in the glorious hobby known as miniature painting!
7. Thou shall happily, promply, and jump at any opportunity to help others improve their painting skill be it through questioning or teaching classes somewhere!
8. Thou shall never buy more minis than one is able to paint at one time!
9. Thou shall remove all paint from lower lip after too much brush licking before stepping out into public!
10. Thou shall remove all flash and mould lines from their miniatures before priming or painting!
2. Thou shall never dip the entire head of the brush in paint!
3. Thou shall always dilute the paint!
4. Thou shall practice painting as much as physically possible!
5. Thou shall paint on your death bed!
6. Thou shall make sure to inform everyone around you that you participate in the glorious hobby known as miniature painting!
7. Thou shall happily, promply, and jump at any opportunity to help others improve their painting skill be it through questioning or teaching classes somewhere!
8. Thou shall never buy more minis than one is able to paint at one time!
9. Thou shall remove all paint from lower lip after too much brush licking before stepping out into public!
10. Thou shall remove all flash and mould lines from their miniatures before priming or painting!
