I am new to the world of painting pewter mini's having so far only painted 2. i am looking for criticism, suggestions, and any advice you are willing to give to a newbie :) Thanks! This mini IS based off of the picture of the gnome academy wizard from one of the pathfinder books, don't remember which one (husband has the subscription and is the DM). Please check out the images and let me know.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b368/Anorontarien/DSCN0030.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b368/Anorontarien/DSCN0027.jpg
Thanks!
Welcome to the boards! I'm sure Lilith will be around with cookies eventually.
There are a number of well-written mini painting primers and guides out there. I personally like This One. It also has some pictures of award-winning minis.
I'd avoid CoolMiniOrNot.com. It's one of the bigger mini sites (snicker), but those users are very harsh to even incredibly well-painted pieces.
For a newbie, that's a lot of detail you've managed to pack onto a very small mini. I'm quite impressed!
;)
I'd avoid CoolMiniOrNot.com. It's one of the bigger mini sites (snicker), but those users are very harsh to even incredibly well-painted pieces.
I disagree. While you'll have to work to get a 5/10 on Cool mini or Not, the forums there are full of great people who will help you out on technique. There are also lots of good tutorials on the site.
Yes, they are harsh, but when you see a mini that's getting 9.5/10 and compare it to your work, the pros are that much better!
EDIT: Now that I've looked at your mini, it would probably get in the 4/10 range. They are big on having pretty, finished bases there, and of course, as you paint more, you'll learn techniques to blend better. As long as you go there with a thick skin (i.e. you can handle poor ratings) you'll learn a ton of stuff about making your minis look better. I know I have.
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I'd avoid CMON, but not because their criticism is harsh. The problem I have is that their ratings are random, depending too much on the miniature chosen and the reputation of the painter and not enough on the quality of the painting.
Regarding the figures:
1. It looks as though you didn't prime the figure before painting. (Note that paint isn't primer; you need to use a real primer.) Primer color is a style issue; black, white, and grey are all commonly used. Tamiya Fine-surface primer is probably the most common among the better painters, but it's expensive. I normally use Krylon Sandable primers, which are both cheaper and easier to find.
2. You need to thin your paint down before painting with it. The result will be smoother, more even coverage with fewer brushmarks.
3. You need higher highlights and deeper shadows. (Get used to this comment; you'll probably hear it forever. Nearly everybody does. 8-)
4. You should darkline your color transitions. This can be done before or after painting the adjacent colors. I find that darklining works better when I do it before painting the adjoining colors because this allows me to get narrower lines, but both can work.
5. If you haven't done it, I recommend that you get a good brush. Specifically, I'd recommend a Kolinsky sable brush from Winsor & Newton, Da Vinci, or Raphaël. (FWIW, I've had good prices and excellent service from Dick Blick.) There's not much reason to go smaller than a #000 (3/0) brush; I use a #2 brush for nearly everything. This is advice that is commonly rejected (I rejected it for years), but once you've tried painting with a really good brush, you'll never go back. You do need to know how to clean brushes, though, because good brushes are more expensive. With care, though, they'll last for many, many miniatures.
HTH
I'd avoid CMON, but not because their criticism is harsh. The problem I have is that their ratings are random, depending too much on the miniature chosen and the reputation of the painter and not enough on the quality of the painting.
So it's exactly like any other messageboard in the world... again, the forums and tutorials outweigh anything else. It's not like you *have* to submit anything. 99% of people who ask for constructive criticism upon submitting a picture don't get it. They have a WIP (work in progress) sub-forum where you'll get great advice without 'randomness' or 'favoritism'.
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I am new to the world of painting pewter mini's having so far only painted 2. i am looking for criticism, suggestions, and any advice you are willing to give to a newbie :) Thanks! This mini IS based off of the picture of the gnome academy wizard from one of the pathfinder books, don't remember which one (husband has the subscription and is the DM).
For one of your first two minis I think it's great. My advice to at this point is not to worry about things like shading and highlighting, just focus on getting some nice base coats down. I'd recommend you use black primer (I use the primers from Games Workshop), along with the Citadel Foundations and Colour paints (from the same company). If you're feeling brave and want to try the shading now, too, Citadel Washes might be the greatest thing ever invented for that. As far as brushes go, I like to keep a 1, 0, 2/0, 5/0, and 10/0 around, along with some of the GW dry brushes for highlights.
Thanks for all your advice, iI really appreciate it. (Though Vigil is a bit biased on his critiquing :P ) I haven't heard of darklining, but it sounds interesting. As far as what I Did use on this mini, I have a Citadel black wash, and a white primer (I think it's Valspar? from a local craft store)and a #2 Winsor & Newton brush. I do prefer the #2 for most work on the mini, though occasionally i'll use smaller ones. not as much control i've noticed with the smaller ones. As well as a matte spray for finishing. (I have access to Vigil's collection :-P ) I think I will probably check out CMON for the tutorial info and wait til i have a bit more practice before posting on there though. :)
Congrats on your figmentia! (The delusion that the rest of the world is less important than painting miniatures.)
I highly recommend Pogre's thread about minis on ENWorld in the Miniatures forum. Lots of good advice there. I hope to get back here and look at your actual pictures soon. (Can't do it from work.)
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#2 Winsor & Newton brush. I do prefer the #2 for most work on the mini, though occasionally i'll use smaller ones. not as much control i've noticed with the smaller ones.
I know people who use a magnifing lamp when using smaller brushes
The key word is practice - it really does pay off.
for great painting advice and support visit the Reaper Miniatures forums, believe me when i say you won't be disappointed.
here's the link to Reaper Miniatures forum
Few things I have learned about starting a mini, from experience screwing up and by trolling the Web:
Buy a pack of latex or nitrile/vinyl gloves. When I get my mini, after using needle files to remove flash and flak, I put the gloves on as I wash it thoroughly with soap and water to remove any dirt or oil. Since I am wearing gloves, oil from my hands shouldn't get onto the mini. After I dry the mini, I put it outside on a paper towel to spray prime it. I keep the gloves on for this also, so I don't get oil or dirt from my hands onto the mini, so paint doesn't come off onto my hands, and so I can move the mini a bit as I spray it (I also wear the gloves while I paint, for the same reasons). I put one thin coat usually, spraying evenly from a distance (so it doesn't bubble-if you spray too close your prime coat will be cracked and bubbly). Some time later (after that is dry), I spray another thin one. I prefer black spray because the shadows are already there for you; you just have to build over/around them. If your spray isn't 100% covering, it is OK. You can touch it a bit with a brush. That is better than laying it on too thick.