This is a site for discussing roleplaying games. Have fun doing so, but there is one major rule: do not discuss political issues that aren't directly and uniquely related to the subject of the thread and about gaming. While this site is dedicated to free speech, the following will not be tolerated: devolving a thread into unrelated political discussion, sockpuppeting (using multiple and/or bogus accounts), disrupting topics without contributing to them, and posting images that could get someone fired in the workplace (an external link is OK, but clearly mark it as Not Safe For Work, or NSFW). If you receive a warning, please take it seriously and either move on to another topic or steer the discussion back to its original RPG-related theme.

Author Topic: First shot at painting minis  (Read 5333 times)

Ras Algethi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
First shot at painting minis
« on: February 26, 2018, 10:16:13 AM »
First attempt at painting miniatures for board games. First up are the minis for the Mice & Mystics board game.

First up the rats. There are six in total and are deployed in groups of three in the game. So I went with a set of brown rats and then a set of grey.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2251[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2252[/ATTACH]

These are shots of the three brown rats. The left most is painted only. The middle has Quickshade applied (see the gloss). The right most has been painted, Quickshaded and then a matte varnish applied. I am still trying to figure out how to base properly.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2253[/ATTACH]

This is a comparison of a painted grey rat (right) versus a painted, Quickshaded and varnished grey rat.

RunningLaser

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1240
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2018, 10:44:15 AM »
They look great!

JongWK

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3010
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2018, 04:11:19 PM »
I'm planning to paint some Blood Bowl minis this month. Never tried painting before, so any tips are appreciated. :)
"I give the gift of endless imagination."
~~Gary Gygax (1938 - 2008)


Ras Algethi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2018, 11:41:46 AM »
Quote from: JongWK;1027800
I'm planning to paint some Blood Bowl minis this month. Never tried painting before, so any tips are appreciated. :)

Watch some YouTube vids on the basics and be fine with getting "good enough" models and not some of the "pro" stuff out there.

I think I struggled trying to be "perfect" and once I let that aspiration go, I got through many more minis. And remember, minis on the table are a foot or more away, things you can see with your magnifier won't be seen during the game!!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2266[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2267[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2268[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2269[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2270[/ATTACH]

Ras Algethi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2018, 11:43:08 AM »
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2271[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2272[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2273[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2274[/ATTACH]

Ratman_tf

  • Alt-Reich Shitlord
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8330
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2018, 07:50:03 PM »
First off, those are very good for a first attempt.

Quote
I am still trying to figure out how to base properly.


I have three "levels" of basing I do nowadays.

1. Paint the untextured base and call it good. I'm using this for my Reaper bones that I plan to use for Starfinder.

2. Flock the base and call it good. I used this for my Tau. Paint the base green, and then smear white glue on the top of the base, and dunk it in some flock. this is plain, but a step up from 1.

3. Textured base. Before priming, I put down some watered white glue on the base, and then dunk it in Gale Force 9's basing grit. I then go over it again with watered down white glue to seal the grit down. I use a kind of drizzling technique, because the grit will shift around. If I don't seal it down, the grit tends to come off during painting. I tend to use this technique if the mini comes with a rocky "broccoli" (the clump of rocks and ground at the base of the mini on the feet that's not quite a proper base)
« Last Edit: March 04, 2018, 07:52:45 PM by Ratman_tf »
The notion of an exclusionary and hostile RPG community is a fever dream of zealots who view all social dynamics through a narrow keyhole of structural oppression.
-Haffrung

Ras Algethi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2018, 08:09:57 PM »
Quote from: Ratman_tf;1027905
First off, those are very good for a first attempt.



I have three "levels" of basing I do nowadays.

1. Paint the untextured base and call it good. I'm using this for my Reaper bones that I plan to use for Starfinder.

2. Flock the base and call it good. I used this for my Tau. Paint the base green, and then smear white glue on the top of the base, and dunk it in some flock. this is plain, but a step up from 1.

3. Textured base. Before priming, I put down some watered white glue on the base, and then dunk it in Gale Force 9's basing grit. I then go over it again with watered down white glue to seal the grit down. I use a kind of drizzling technique, because the grit will shift around. If I don't seal it down, the grit tends to come off during painting. I tend to use this technique if the mini comes with a rocky "broccoli" (the clump of rocks and ground at the base of the mini on the feet that's not quite a proper base)

Cool ideas. For the bad guy rats I went with a flocked base (I think that's the right term). For the spider and centipede I am still debating. For the hero mice it will be a painted base (I think, could change of course!).

And note, I didn't show the roaches because they look like crap (IMO) and were technically the first ones painter. :D

Ratman_tf

  • Alt-Reich Shitlord
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8330
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2018, 02:00:51 AM »
Quote from: Ras Algethi;1027906
And note, I didn't show the roaches because they look like crap (IMO) and were technically the first ones painter. :D

I have my first miniatures I ever painted. Some 40k Space Marines done in testors enamels. They're atrocious. :D
The notion of an exclusionary and hostile RPG community is a fever dream of zealots who view all social dynamics through a narrow keyhole of structural oppression.
-Haffrung

crkrueger

  • Hulk in the Vineyard
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12559
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2018, 08:21:46 AM »
One decision you need to make:

To base or not to base, that is the question.

Obviously, the mini's look cool when based (and by basing I mean putting grass, rocks, etc on the base like Ras did above.)
However there are two advantages to non-based miniatures.
1. Minor Point. They can be used in any terrain with minimum distraction.  You put grass-based minis on a snow-field or stone tilemap, they look worse than just black bases.
2. Major Point.  If used for gaming, eventually, the basing does come off and it also prevents you from putting any of those sticky notation thingies on the base.  The gum the sticky stuff uses will usually strip the basing right off.

One thing I've noticed, YMMV, fur comes out awesome if you use two lighter colors for a drybrush highlight after quickshading to make the fur really look good, no matter what color it is.  Orks are probably the best for slap 4 colors, dunk and whip and "Job's a gud'un!", furry guys like Skaven and Beastmen need a touch more to get there, even at wargame levels of detail.
« Last Edit: March 05, 2018, 08:27:06 AM by CRKrueger »
Even the the "cutting edge" storygamers for all their talk of narrative, plot, and drama are fucking obsessed with the god damned rules they use. - Estar

Yes, Sean Connery's thumb does indeed do megadamage. - Spinachcat

Isuldur is a badass because he stopped Sauron with a broken sword, but Iluvatar is the badass because he stopped Sauron with a hobbit. -Malleus Arianorum

"Tangency Edition" D&D would have no classes or races, but 17 genders to choose from. -TristramEvans

Ras Algethi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2018, 09:50:06 AM »
I wrapped on the Mice & Mystics figures:
All the villains/minions
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2326[/ATTACH]

Some close-ups:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2327[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2328[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2329[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2330[/ATTACH]

Really not liking the cockroaches, but they were the first minis ever painted.

Ras Algethi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2018, 09:52:46 AM »
The brown rats:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2331[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2332[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2333[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2334[/ATTACH]

Ras Algethi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2018, 09:54:19 AM »
The grey rats:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2335[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2336[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2337[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2338[/ATTACH]

Ras Algethi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2018, 09:57:22 AM »
And now our heroes:

Maginos the mystic:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2339[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2340[/ATTACH]

Tilda the healer:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2341[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2342[/ATTACH]

White was a pain in the ass to paint.

Ras Algethi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2018, 09:59:34 AM »
Collin the Prince:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2343[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2344[/ATTACH]

Filtch the scamp (aka Thief):
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2345[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2346[/ATTACH]

Ras Algethi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
First shot at painting minis
« Reply #14 on: March 22, 2018, 10:01:49 AM »
Nez the tinkerer:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2347[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2348[/ATTACH]

Lilly the archer:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2349[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2350[/ATTACH]