Sorry for the late response.

Here is something to read, but even if you dont, this is something I teach everyone at our painting clinics at my FLGS:



I use Reaper and Vallejo paints equally, because I cant stand paint pots. Dropper bottles allow easy measuring, and since I use gunk in almost everything I do, I want to measure it all. I also use GW's primer but have recently been experimenting with Army Painter's colored primers as well. Reaper makes all the additives mentioned above.

Keep your paints thinned (gunk excels here!) and that is the single most important thing I can pass on!

I don't really have anything new or different to add to previous comments but on this question,

I use Woodland Scenics pigments as washes for my minis. I have Black, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Stone Grey and Green Undercoat.
They are a little thicker than GW washes but are easily diluted with a drop of water and I just brush it on as a normal wash.

I also use it for terrain (as it is originally intended).

Cheers,
Steve.

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Ok, I have to ask - why thin the paints? That seems to just mean having to do more than 1 coat which just takes longer. Is it just to limit the amount of paint that goes on, avoiding obscuring detail and the like?

yes, basically a few coat without thining will obscure details much, much more.

2, 3 or even many more coat wont obscure any detail as much as a single "straight from the pot" coat if they're thinned enough. It also is useful when you want to blend in colours, since you may achieve very subtle colour graduations.

Maybe this was the one thing the GW screw top pots were good for. It was a subtle plan to improve painting by forcing people to add water to semi-dried-up paints to keep them going. I still have a few screw tops, which must have been on the go for 3+ years now, needles to say watering them down is essential if you even want to get them on the brush

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@ TRC:

It also affects how the paint dries. Once they are touch-dry, the paints that were applied thickly take longer to fully cure than the paints that were applied in thin coats because once the surface is dry on the thicker paint layer, it makes it much harder for the remaining solvent trapped under and within the paint to escape. (This is the same as when you do decorating in your house; mist coat/primer, then undercoat and then two top coats).

In addition, you are more likely to be able to put the paint where you want it before it starts to dry (and reduces the chances of 'tearing' the paint surface), it reduces the chance of the brush stroke marks being left in the painted surface and it makes it possible to achieve shading and highlighting via layering. Thickly applied paint doesn't permit the lower previous layers to show through, and therefore makes highlighting look very 'stepped'.

Finally, thinning the paint on a palette allows you to quickly fish out any little crumbs or bits that might have dropped into the paint from the rim/lid before it goes onto the model.

Good stuff!

I have found a set of artist paints that have really impressive reviews among acrylic artists and I am going to start with these, they are pigment based and can be thinned all the way to airbrush consistency without losing their color. I will most likely do the mixing myself, plus pull out some of my old Citadel paints from past years. For washes, airbrush medium, flow improver, and retarder should do the trick. I will also avail myself of Reaper paints for difficult to mix colors!

http://www.dickblick.com/items/00638-1009/

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MadMagician
Epic Tyranids

I have just a few points to add:

- Most Epic models benefit from a lighter color undercoat. A white or grey primer (I use Krylon Primer) lets you use thinner paint and better catch the tiny details. You can then use washes to easily shade the models.

- Don't get stuck on any one type/brand of paint. Some enamel metallics floor their acrylic counterparts and oils can be invaluable for detail work because they don't dry quickly and are highly pigmented. The Golden paints you chose are a standard, but there are definite advantages to having some colors from traditional mini ranges.

- Almost all Tamiya paints work best out of a gun. The clears are definitely the exception and you can make some outstanding blood with Tamiya Clear Red+black ink+purple paint.

- Check out the vast multitude of painting tutorials now on Youtube etc. There has never been a better time to see techniques explained and get a deeper understanding of mini painting without going to art school.

I look forward to seeing more of your work!

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