the handy little hints thread

[rosac]

only mix up half the amount of gs you think you will need.

rosac

 

[Undave]

The lids from Pringles tubes make good palettes. If they start getting too much paint on them just bend it and the dried paint flakes off. Or just buy some more pringles.....



Baby wipes make good brush cleaning cloths as they tend to be more absorbant and stronger than tissue or paper towels.

 

[Verm1s]

Um...

It\'s easier to remove bits of too much GS than adding uncured to too little uncured and trying to blend them. Or than waiting until the first lot\'s cured.

Leftover putty can also be rolled into spikes (GS/PC spikes stand up better if some milliput\'s added to the mix), or formed into little pieces that can be used to bulk future sculpts. Not ideal but if you\'re worried about wasting it...

To help wet your sculpting tools without gathering beads of water that run over your sculpt, put the foam from a blister in a shallow dish and dampen it.

 

[skeeve]

Originally posted by Einion
B
In a pinch superglue can be used to seal cuts. It\'s not totally sterile - they make medical-grade superglue for this -

Believe it or not but this one of the original use of superglue; it was used quite extensively on battlefields.

Very fine sanding paper (600 and above) could be used over the paint layer to remove minor irregularities, hair and dust particles. I also use it sometimes to correct \"freehand\" elements if I don\'t want to build up too many layers.

 

[gremlare]

Okay you\'re getting those nasty build ups of pigment from the washes and inks you use on your models.. add a little soap guys, it breaks the water tension and hey look!... it works!

 

[Sauce Devil]

Use two water jars: A \"dirty\" water jar for when you\'re mixing paint or after you\'ve used a brush to take paint from a pot and a \"clean\" one for normal use.

 

[Thunderhawker]

When mixing paints, try and keep it to only two colors (shading with black or tinting with white not withstanding). This will keep the color easier to match in the future. Also if you are doing an army in this self-realized color, invest in an empty paint pot or dropper bottle and make enough to go around. Also write it down!

 

[mattsterbenz]

Originally posted by Einion
In a pinch superglue can be used to seal cuts. It\'s not totally sterile - they make medical-grade superglue for this - but if you\'re in a hurry it holds the edges together quite well and stops bleeding. Covered with a normal plaster I\'ve had wounds heal in record time using it for this, with minimal scarring.

I sliced my thumb open one time when carving a mold line off. It was bleeding pretty bad. I used super glue to seal it, then sprayed some Insta-Set accelerate to cure it. It worked really well, actually!

-Matt

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Cheap brushes work fine.

Good music is a plus.

 

[DaN]

If you have hay fever, try waiting later in the day (As the flowers and things start to close and the pollen lessens) to paint details, as sneezing tends to intefere with painting the pupils lol

 

[Tonka]

Originally posted by No Such Agency

Originally posted by Tonka
If you use GW paints, drop a small 3/32\" ball bearing (or, believe-it-or-not small nut) into the pot.

Ooh, not such a good idea! As was attested to in a recent thread, they can rust!

I will be honest and say I cannot speak for every nut, but I retrieved one from an old \'archived\' bottle of bestial brown from many years ago -gave it a wash, no rust.

I still do the same today, and have not noticed any oxidation on them. But I do agree, w/ all experiments it is best to find what works for you.

 

[demonherald]

change water pots between each colour.. makes a remarkable difference.
only use sparkling clean water for making washes.

wet pallettes really are the bees knees and really easy to use...

mix a little milliput (cheapest) or magi sculp or pro create with greenstuff.. lot easier to shape and smooth s it kills the elastic properties of GS.

spend time looking at a sculpt under a bright light before painting it will help you see where to place highlights.

If you find a time when painting just isn\'t working have a rest..it happens to everyone.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by demonherald
change water pots between each colour.. makes a remarkable difference.
only use sparkling clean water for making washes.

Double-bath system works for this - always clean water available for thinning, and it helps keep brushes cleaner too.

Einion

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by DaN
If you have hay fever, try waiting later in the day (As the flowers and things start to close and the pollen lessens) to paint details, as sneezing tends to intefere with painting the pupils lol

After 10 am is the time I find that my sneezing fits and sore eyes have eased. (*)Possibly due to the \"rise\" in temperature lifting the pollen spores.
However investing in something like \"Piryton\" won\'t go amiss either.


Don\'t drink large amounts of Coffee when painting...... Shakes lol

As for Cheap Brushes have to disagree with Shawn there, what I want from a brush is Good Quality, so I don\'t mind paying as I see it as an investment. Looking after my Winsor & Newton 7\'s has got me something like 10-12 years out of most of them. Only starting to replace some of them now for detail work.

[size=-2](* 30 when I developed Hayfever. Go figure.)[/size]

 

[Wren]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
Keep a notebook handy when your are painting, helps with being able to remember \"How did I do XXXXX?\" moments.

Very handy tip. I\'ve switched over to index cards with a small box to store them in. If I have custom mixes I paint swatches of the colour on the back of the card, so if I need to mix more I can test to see if I matched the colour. On the front of the card note the paints used to paint base, shadow and mid tones. Every now and then I\'ve been in too big a rush or careless at the end of a figure and forgotten to note down what I did, and invariably that\'ll be the recipe that someone asks me for or that I want to duplicate on another fig.

You can also use a book/note card to test colour schemes. Do a rough sketch of the figure and paint on the colours you\'re proposing to use. We perceive colours differently based on what\'s around them and in what quantity they\'re used, so this can make it easier to see if your colours work together rather than considering them in a vacuum.

 

[Sand Rat]

Spackle works wonders on terrain.

Just make sure you get the waterbased kind, cause its easier to thin and work with.

 

[DarkStar]

If you\'re dead set on using your mustache and beard to drybrush a mini, use some conditioner first at it goes a long way to help prevent that chalky look.

 

[Sand Rat]

Testors Model Cement in the glass bottle with the applicator brush can be used to remove superglue - or clean paintbrushes.

 

[Logan]

@Einion
Those superglue tips are genius. I\'ve been having no amount of trouble with the damned stuff lately.

Can\'t add much but using the old 35mm film canisters to hold your models in place whilst painting works wonders (most photo places throw the things away). Affix \'em with blu tack (on the canister base).
Seems to be a better \'fix\' than cork bottle tops

 

[cfwheeler58]

Small brass brushes designed for suede do an excellent job ( better than steel wool )
of smoothing and polishing miniatures...and they don\'t mar or damage fine detail.

I\'ve found them to be especially useful for Rackham.

One warning: clean all your flash and moldlines first.
If you scrub down with the suede brush first the imperfections are harder to see.

Get rid of moldlines first while they are easy to see and \"follow\" around the figure\'s perimeter.
Then the suede brush.
Then drilling and pinning.
Then any GS/sculpting work.
Then final clean with soapy water and soft toothbrush.
Then air dry or the like.