Lessons Learnt

Whilst I haven’t been very productive in painting terms over the last year, I have learnt a few things that are worth passing on. If they helped me out then, I’m sure somebody else out there could benefit too.

Early last year I came in to possession of a rather large tub of Lifecolor paints, all of which had been used and some in better condition than others – I was most grateful.

A lot of these paints had started to dry and thicken up, and many had ‘split’ and needed to be recombined. Basically, I needed a paint mixer.

I originally bought a paint shaker. It was cheap but I really only thought I’d use it to sort these paints out then it would be filed away with the rest of my junk in the garage. I was wrong!

Whilst the shaker wasn’t up to breathing new life into the Lifecolor paints, it certainly made a difference to my usual Vallejo paint, and then it broke!

So, I looked around for something better, something that really would get the job done and found the Four E’s Scientific vortex mixer. Now, this is more like it. With a fixed speed of 5000rpm it can mix a full 50ml container in 5-seconds. It certainly sorted out the majority of the Lifecolor paints I’d been given and made a massive difference to my paint in general.

I’ve always used ball bearings in my paint and given them a shaking before use, but after a few seconds on the vortex, I now realise that I wasn’t getting the best from my them. Now they’re always that lush texture and a nice solid colour. It’s made a big difference to how the paint is applied. I never realised I had a problem. Okay, there was always the odd paint that never seemed to be right, either a little too thin or never went on the palette as a single colour, needing a quick stir with the brush to fully combine the pigment, but I didn’t know any different and thought that this was the norm – more fool me!

Now, this thing isn’t cheap, currently retailing at £90+ on Amazon and to be honest, I wouldn’t pay that (I paid nearly half that!), but it’s the kind of thing you need to be looking at, don’t go for the shakers, as they just don’t cut the mustard. The Vortex is well built, does exactly as it states, and is real easy to use – you just hold the pot on top and it vibrates, unlike some where you have to strap the pot on and hope it doesn’t fly off somewhere.

Next up, something I came across by accident.

I like using glazes. I find it a great way to blend colours together on a mini, add more depth in the shadows, or give a tint to highlights. I find it an enjoyable way to paint, especially when I have my headphones on and lose myself in some loud music!

I’ve been mixing my glazes all wrong. I’ve often found that for some reason the pigment in the paint doesn’t always mix in properly and I often get a ‘grainy’ looking finish when I’m pushing the colour around.

When I mixed glazes I always added a bit of paint to my palette, then some glaze medium, and finally, a few drops of water if required.

One day, I did this differently. No reason, just wasn’t thinking about what I was doing, and started by putting the glaze medium down first and then I added the paint. It was a bit of a eureka moment!

First off, I realised that I didn’t need as much paint as I’d been using. A small drop, a quick swish of a brush, and I had a lovely glaze mix, no water required. It’s advanced my technique in leaps and bounds. The glaze is a lovely, even coat. I can still move the colour around by pulling the brush in a constant direction but I don’t get the grainy finish I was sometimes getting before. The glaze is a lot more controllable and, being thinner, I’ve achieved better results when tinting.

Sometimes, it’s the simple things like this, which you accidentally stumble across, that can make the world of difference to your painting.

Bases Matter!

Yes, they do, despite me burying my head in the sand all this time, trying to turn a blind eye to an area of the hobby that I both dislike doing, have no imagination for, and I’m not very good at. But I’m starting to realise that a good base can really make a mini, even one you’re not particularly proud of or knocked off in a hurry. Get the base right and it will work. It doesn’t always have to be a complex build, it just needs to be complementary, drawing the eye around the model and giving it a place in the world, if you know what I mean.

I do find it hard to be creative with basing. I really struggle to visualise how it will look and therefor usually stick to something plain and simple, or choose bases that are already textured or pre-designed, like the Marvel: Crisis Protocol minis.

So, I’m still keeping it simple, but I’m putting more time and effort in to it, and I’ve noticed the difference. Okay, I’ve only really done some Bolt Action miniatures, but rather than a plain(ish) green grass base, I started by texturing the base. Then I threw some rubble on and after waiting for this to dry I added smaller bits, and finished with some fine gravel. I then washed and drybrushed it all. As I said, I kept it simple but I was pleased with how they came out, giving a ‘place’ for the figures.

I now need to develop on this and push myself further, but I have learnt that I can’t just ignore this aspect of the hobby if I want to produce better looking minis.

My last lesson is one that I’m still getting to grips with, and that’s one of confidence.

Take She-Hulk for instance, a Marvel: Crisis Protocol mini I painted recently. At the time, I was really pleased with how she looked, particularly her skin.

This I’d basecoated with the old Citadel color of Snot Green. I then coated with Vallejo Xpress Troll Green (could probably have used a darker green), and then highlighted up with Goblin Green, Snot Green + Goblin Green, and finished with just the Snot Green again.

Basically, I’d basecoated with a light colour and darkened it down and created the shade with Xpress, and highlighted it back up again. I then finished it off by glazing over with Goblin Green to bring the colours together.

I was happy. I stopped, and called it a day. That was my mistake.

When I looked at her later, much later, after she’d been varnished and used in-game, I thought, I should have pushed the highlights further, as I’d originally planned. I was going to use Escorpena green to finish with, a lovely vibrant green and one of my favourites, but at the time she looked quite good and my confidence demon started to whisper in my ear.

“You’ll ruin her if you go any further. She’s as good as she’s going to get. You haven’t got what it takes to make her any better!”

That’s the kind of thing that goes on in my head – anyone else have these little demons?

This is something I’ve come across time and again, stopping too soon and not pushing things as far as I should just in case I end up ruining things, especially when it’s been going well.

Confidence to go ahead with something that may not work, especially when a lot of work has gone into, is difficult to garner, though in other areas I seem to have no problems with experimenting.

I’m always playing with Contrast/Xpress paints. I use them as washes, as glazes, over different colours, all sorts of different ways, but it always tends to be on minor figures, such as zombies, animals, and such like, minis that are of a lower quality or I have a mass of them. I suppose, when it comes to painting the likes of She-Hulk, who is a leader and more prominent figure on the table, I want to do my best but become scared of cocking it up.

It’s an issue I’m working on, so I will hopefully report back at some point on how things are going. In the meantime, I’d like to hear of any lessons you’ve learnt in painting, especially those that some take for granted, or ones that happen by happy accident. Every day is a school day, as they say (Who’s they?).