Wolphebayte's WIP

WolpheBayte

WolpheBayte

New member
Hi everyone. I have been a long time lurker on the forums. I started painting about three years ago and feel that I need to start pushing myself to the next step. I feel that the work that I do is mediocre at best and would really like take it up a couple of notches, but I feel like I am stuck. I have been reading through a lot if the WIP forums and have seen the great progress made by individuals through the insight and help of others. So, I figured it was time to start one of my own. Any advise or critique that can be provided would be greatly appreciated.

II am posting my current project. I actually painted this mini about a year ago and decided to strip it and redo it to see how much I have progressed. So far I have gotten done his duster and skin. I didn't out to much work into the face because there is not a lot of detail and most of it is hidden by his hat. I have also base coated his shirt. Which I intend to eventually try to make it a deep blue.

And advice, critique and comments are appreciated. Thanks for looking.
 
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ten ball

ten ball

Active member
Welcome :)
A few tips to start with-
Focus on clean up and prep of the mini before priming eg file off seam line (top of boot/ back of hand )smooth edges off.

Try and keep mini clean from hair / dust (hair on his chin)

Get a smooth even undercoat by building up several thin layers.

Practice your brush control (purple on the jacket and brown vice versa )

Make sure the paint layers are dry before applying the next layer / wash etc.

Hope this helps
 
WolpheBayte

WolpheBayte

New member
Ten, thanks for the tips. I tried to airbrush the jacket as much as I could. I am not sure if I am happy with the results. I may end up dropping him in the simple green vat and starting again. I didn't even see the dust on his chin the whole time I was painting. Thank you for pointing that out. It is amazing how much of those things the camera pics up.
 
Boguz

Boguz

New member
Hi -- I am not sure what type of primer you're using but it looks like you're using a can spray, maybe GW or something like that. Since you mention airbrushing , consider going to an airbrush primer vs. the canned stuff. My mini's where always very fuzzy like this one until I started using Vallejo acrylic primer via airbrush. You really should use an 0.5 mm for it, but I use my 0.2mm and just 'never stop spraying' , IOW - the minute you let the primer 'stand' in the gun for a few seconds it will likely clog the 0.2.

Also echoing Ten's comments about brush control and 'painting clean' -- try to focus on this as I find that trying to correct those sections, like where the holster/pants are now red, usually causes me to over-paint and ruin the smoothness of the area I'm trying to correct.

The camera really opened my eyes too! I am trying to take a lot more photos so I can 'see' my work better. That and the WIP have been great tools so far in trying to take next steps. Thanks for posting.
 
WolpheBayte

WolpheBayte

New member
Bogoz - I use the Badger Stynylrez Primer through my Iwata Neo (I was lucky and found it on sale for $30). I got a Sotar 20/20 for a birthday present, and that is what I used on the jacket. I tend to use the Neo just for priming and varnish. Every once in a while I will use it to base coat a large area. I usually thin it the primer down just a hair with water to help it spray better, maybe that is what is causing the issue. I am starting to think maybe I should hold off on using the airbrush to paint, and focus more on the brush.
 
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Boguz

Boguz

New member
The learning curve on the AB has been huge for me, it's pretty challenging. You want as smooth as a surface to paint on no matter if brush or AB. So get yourself some soft fine and extra fine sandpaper pads and some jeweler's files and really work on the mini before you paint. All the little pock marks that you see in the duster are eventually going to prohibit a super smooth look. Those holes can be filled with some miliput or some liquid or regular greenstuff. Try to sand all surfaces (but don't kill any sculpt detail!) and really look it over good to make sure everything is super smooth before you prime. Also I was told never to thin primer as it defeats the purpose. Hope this all helps!
 
WolpheBayte

WolpheBayte

New member
Thanks for the advice Boguz. I just bought some sanding pads on Amazon. I stripped the mini and started working on it with some 800, 1200, and 2000 grit sandpaper I had sitting around, but some of the pock marks are really deep. I may have to see if I have something I can use to fill them.
 
WolpheBayte

WolpheBayte

New member
I stripped and re-primed the gunslinger last night. I wasn't able to get rid of all of the pock marks (need to get more green stuff apparently). I decided to try to use black primer (I usually do not use this). I have gotten his skin almost done. I am stepping away from it before I go back and touch it up. I also got the base coat of the jacket done.

View attachment 42052

View attachment 42053
 
Boguz

Boguz

New member
Hey looks a lot better, great start. I just wanted to clarify you can use Liquid Green Stuff, or watered down milliput. I've never tried to water down normal green stuff and use that but I suppose that might work -- a question for the experts i suppose.

Nice work!
 
WolpheBayte

WolpheBayte

New member
Thanks Boguz. I don't have liquid green stuff or milliput either. I asked in the past if you can water down the regular green stuff, and the answer I got was no. Oh well, new green stuff (the regular stuff) and some model filler have been ordered.
 
ArchArad

ArchArad

New member
Hi WolpheBayte - nice to see you on the forums. WIP threads (yours and others') are a great way too get some specific feedback from painters with a range of experience and expertise.

Your gunslinger is looking much better since you've done the sanding and prep work on him. Great job. :good:
 
WolpheBayte

WolpheBayte

New member
Thanks ArchArad. I got some more work done on it yesterday, but didn't take any pics. I will get some before I start working on him again. I am afraid that his jacket is too dark. I was going for a worn leather look. I am trying to figure how to lighten up the jacket without starting over or making the jump significantly noticeable.
 
ArchArad

ArchArad

New member
There're some really good elements in all of these paintjobs.

I'll give you some feedback on the sorceress, but please bear in mind that I'm also quite new to mini painting and that these are just my opinions. If you would like my opinion on the others just let me know.

Blue sorceress: The highlights on her "skirt" are well placed and the basing is interesting and sets a scene for her. Although I'm not sure about the lightest green near her feet and on the flat areas - it seems out of place. The painting on her legs has bled/overlapped a bit - likely just a need to practice brushwork for more precision. Based on the other minis I see that you didn't thin your paint much with her, but have started doing that more since. Its amazing what a difference that makes! Her staff could do with some highlights to bring out the woodgrain and I'd paint the cloth/binding in a different colour to bring it out.

I hope that helps.
 
WolpheBayte

WolpheBayte

New member
Thanks for the advice. I have been thinking about stripping her and repainting. I may do that at some point in the future. She was a lot of fun to paint. I have started to thin my paints out a lot more since I painted her. I think I was still just using pallet paper when I painted her. When I started using a wet pallet, it helped thin the paint more than I intended, and I started to see the difference it made. Thanks for the help, and advice is always welcome. It is the only way I will get better.
 
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ArchArad

ArchArad

New member
I wouldn't necessarily strip her. I quite like the idea of keeping minis so you can see how you've progressed. But that might just be me...
 
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