Federation Commander

So what is everyones secret to making a wicked looking mini? If each person puts up one thing they like to do, I was thinking maybe eventually any new people to painting minis (like myself) would have some nice advice without have to paint for years to be able to figure some of these things outs. i.e. paing they love to use, the perfect future to water ratio they believe makes their minis look the best etc. Mine would be, thin coats. With the all the detail on the minis you dont want to just paste over them all with gobs of paint, just go gradually and eventually you will reach the colour you desire.

There are lots of earlier threads here, with tons of tips.

My tip would be: Buy good artist's brushes with ultra fine tips. Don't use the cheap, crappy Testors brushes, etc. You spent 10 bucks on a mini, spend at least 5 on the brush you'll be using on lots of them.

Will beat me to it. a good brush is the best aid to good painting, but the second would have to concern the paint itself...

My biggest tip would be, "Don't trust the paint companies to get it right!".

Citadel, Humbrol, Tamiaya, Vallejo, etc. all make excellent paints - but they make them for a wide-ranging audience with lots of differnt types of projects. The paint that you but from Citasel will not match the Vallejo paint in consistency, so fix it.

I keep a bottle of distilled water (since I use water based acrylics 99% of the time) on the bookshelf beside my work table. Almost every new bottle of paint I open needs to have a bit of thinning done to reach my preferred condition.

What is m preferred condition? I like my paint to approximate milk in thickness. YMMV! I never get the coverage I need in a single coat, but then again I don't want to either. I'd rather apply two or three thin coats. Work with different consistencies until you find one that you like.

Or go the airbrush route for the base colors, using a good brush for deail work.

TJolley wrote:...using a good brush for deail work.

Somehow, I don;t think my minis would turn out very well if I painted while using 'de ale

But, I probably wouldn't care too much about the quality of the paint job at that point.

I think that being patient is one of the most critical parts of painting minis. The preperation of the mini can either make or break the overall feel of the mini, so I try to take extra time on this part. Also, a comfortable work environment and good brushes are key. I usually buy a set of inexpensive brushes (variety pack) for some work and some nice 18/0 brushes for detail. I usually buy 2-3 18/0 and try them all out until I find the one that fits (depending on the tip of each brush). Finally, I use a hair dryer to help speed the drying process of certain detail work that I paint.

I have some ships that I have redone at least 3 times because I was not satisfied with the detail job. I usually have problems with getting the right water consistency with certain pigments such as white, yellow, orange and red.

Prep work is VERY important. If you can see a mold line or any other flaw it will show up on the finished miniature.

Investing in a set of jewelers files is a good idea. Used dental picks (found cheap at flea markets) are good to clean some harder to reach areas plus put glue exactly where you want it.

Cleanliness: After you've taken the time to get the extra metal off wash the miniature. I use dish soap and an old toothbrush to give them a quick scrub; this removes any of the mold release that may be on the figure.

Lighting: Have a well lit area to work in. My primary painting are is at my workbench, I've got two 100w fixtures there to paint by. I also have a small fan to keep me from roasting...

No one does a good job the first time with out spending lots of time developing their skills in other areas. I have been building and painting models for 35+ years. It take some dedication to improve your skills. I build more than just SFB minis. Aircraft, ships, armor, cars and figures have all passed across my workbench over the years. All require differant techniques to achieve the results I get. Most of those skills translate onto my minis. Spending some coin to get good tools and paint helps, but nothing ever replaces the time you spend actually doing it.