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40K
Jun 6, 2005 15:16:57 GMT -5
Post by Zxqueb on Jun 6, 2005 15:16:57 GMT -5
So.... Anyone play? Up until I began to play MW competitively, I played about once per week. Now, I am down to once every couple of months. I still have my armies, though.... Eldar, Orcs, White Scars and Necrons to run the tactical gamut.
Z
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40K
Jun 7, 2005 6:57:39 GMT -5
Post by baw on Jun 7, 2005 6:57:39 GMT -5
I can't paint.. That has saved my from Warhammer! I have assisted with some tactical advice.. I haven't ever really played!
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40K
Jun 7, 2005 7:28:08 GMT -5
Post by Zxqueb on Jun 7, 2005 7:28:08 GMT -5
The best way to learn to paint is to practice!
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40K
Sept 18, 2005 13:14:35 GMT -5
Post by Republic's Fury on Sept 18, 2005 13:14:35 GMT -5
I've found that the best way to learn is study art. I have an art minor and found painting a challenge. How do you best paint something so that it looks realistic and has depth but doesn't come out looking like everyone elses figures.
If you guys would be interested I'd be willing to post my article on Painting: How to do what the pros do.
LMK
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40K
Sept 18, 2005 19:53:01 GMT -5
Post by Zxqueb on Sept 18, 2005 19:53:01 GMT -5
That would be great SL!
Z
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40K
Sept 20, 2005 3:49:04 GMT -5
Post by Republic's Fury on Sept 20, 2005 3:49:04 GMT -5
How to do what the pros do A painting guide By: Karl A.M. Pajak
So, you’ve decided to paint a miniature. You want it to look great, and you’ve got all the time in the world to complete the figure, or maybe you don’t have heaps of time but you still want the figure to come out looking like the pros do. Here, from a degreed artist and expert painter, is the way to make your figures stand out.
Prepping the Fig. When deciding to paint a miniature the first thing that is essential, be it a very poorly cast figure or world’s class masterpiece casting, is to prep the fig.
You race home with your new acquisition, throwing your gear on the couch you race into your workroom. Ripping open the bag you grab your new miniature blister pack and tear it open. There it is, your new figure, cradled gently in your hand. Now what?
First you examine the figure, looking carefully at it. You look for the lines of the sculpt, and capture every detail so you know what it will be. This will afford you the benefit of knowing what the figure should look like later on. After you have captured every nuance of the figure you notice it has a solid line running all the way around it, almost as if it were two pieces melted together. Why is it like that? You also notice that there are little bits of metal connected to the figure. What are those? To understand a miniature it is best to understand how a figure is made.
Making a figure There are several different ways to make a figure. A single metallic figure can be made by carving a piece of wax into the shape you desire. Once completed you weigh the figure and record that weight. Next, a piece of round thin wax is attached to the bottom of the figure, which is then melted onto a rubber base. The base is a circle with a rubber mound in the center, it looks like a hill. This is where the figure is attached. The edge of the base has a lip. The base, with the figure attached, is then placed over a metal pipe that is tall enough for the figure to be one inch below the top of the cylinder. Then a water dissolving plaster like substance is poured into the cylinder, covering the figure. The assembly is then placed in a vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber is turn on. Once a vacuum is created any air in the plaster like substance is drawn out, removing any air pockets. It is then pulled out of the vacuum and allowed to dry. After it dries the rubber base is removed. From the bottom of the cylinder it looks like a single piece of wax inside an indented plaster. The assembly is then placed inside an oven at 500 degrees for four hours. This burns out all the wax and leaves the carvings impression inside the plaster. After the cylinder cools (over night) you then take the metal you are going to use and calculate how much metal you will need to create the figure (there’s a formula). The cylinder is placed inside a spin caster which holds it in place. At the end where the indention in the plaster is, a crucible is placed. This crucible is where you place your metal shot. Shot are, small metal BB like pieces of metal, which are created by melting metal over a container of water. When the metal strikes the water a perfect sphere is created. These spheres are sorted and weighed. These are shot. You place the pre-measured weight of shot into the crucible. Then you take a blowtorch and heat the metal up, melting it. Once you melt the metal you use casting flash to remove any impurities. Casting flash is a substance that you place into the melted metal and when the blow torch’s flame contacts it, it evaporates into the air, taking with it impurities. Once the impurities are removed you close the lid of the centrifugal casting machine. The machine spins at a high rate, forcing the melted metal into the mold. Once the machine stops you remove the cylinder and place it in a bucket of water. This will dissolve the plaster like substance (plaster is not water soluble, this version of it is). You are now left with a metal version of the wax carving. The metal version looks awful, it is usually very discolored and has flash and casting marks. These marks and pieces must be removed. Then the figure is finished by polishing it. This is how a single piece is made, it is unique and will never be reproduced. This form of casting is called the Lost Wax technique.
Miniature companies would go broke if they attempted to use the Lost Wax technique. Though the concept in casting is the same, the way in which they create the figure is very different. They use rubber molds. To create a rubber mold you must first create the figure, it can not be made of wax. Many miniature companies use the yellow and blue two part epoxy to create figures. A figure can be created using anything that can withstand high pressures and temperatures. After the figure is created it is placed on top of thin sheets of a rubber compound that will melt at a known temperature. Then mold separation compound is applied to both the figure and the rubber. More sheets are laid on top of the figure. All this takes place inside a holding square, think of it like a box with a lid which matches up together exactly/precisely, but it doesn’t have a top. The top will be the press plate. The container is then placed into the press. The press plate pushes down onto the mold at about 100 psi. The whole assembly is then heated to the melting point of the rubber. As the rubber heats up it forms to the figure, filling all the nooks and crannies. Once the rubber is melted more pressure is applied, thus ensuring all the nooks and crannies are filled. Depending upon the casting, pressures of up to 5,000psi are applied, usually done in very complex castings by artists or precise machine parts. The unit remains at the melting point for an hour. It is the allowed to cool, slowly. Once it is cooled the container is separated from the rubber mold. The rubber mold is then broken into two halves. You place the original figure into storage for later recasting, as molds degraded over time. These two parts have an impression of the figure. Casting takes place. The mold is separated, the newly cast figure is removed, the process is repeated. This is how mass produced figures are created.
So…what is that line going around your figure? That is the casting line where the two pieces of the mold meet. Any small pieces of metal sticking to the figure are called casting flash. They are left over particles of metal from the casting process. Casting flash as well as the mold line must be removed, also known as prepping the fig.
Gently carve, cut, snip, file, or what ever you have to do to remove the casting remnants, you do. Now the figure is prepped.
Cleaning the Figure After you have removed all the casting remnants you must thoroughly wash the figure. You want to make sure to use a type of soap that leaves no residue. If residue is left behind it may prevent the primer from adhering to the figure. Using a toothbrush you wash the figure in hot water. Make the water as hot as you can stand it. This will open the pores of the metal and allow any metal dust trapped in there to be removed by the soap. Once you wash the figure it is important not to touch the figure again. You should use gloves, barring that just touch the areas that you will not be painting.
Priming the Figure After you have washed the figure and it dries you need to prime the figure. Figure primer is made of a substance that sticks to metal, where acrylic paint does not. The way in which you spray primer on is important. Done incorrectly you will get too much primer on the figure and obscure detail, get too little on it and the paint wont stick to the figure as well as it could have.
Place the figure flat on a piece of cardboard, now it is ready to be primed. Taking the aerosol can of primer you depress the spray nozzle away from the figure. Then you move the spray over the figure, not stopping on the figure, and away. Keeping the spray nozzle depressed you move the spray over the figure and away, only releasing the nozzle once you are not over the figure. A nice, light coating of primer should be on the figure now. Wait a few minutes for that to dry. Turn the figure over and apply a coat of primer to the reverse side. It is important to note that you must allow each coat to completely dry or the figure will stick to the cardboard and damage the priming job you have done. After it is dry you apply a second coat. Continue in this fashion until the metallic figure obtains the same color as the primer. Do not over do the application of the primer or you will obscure details on the figure.
Attaching the figure to the base Some figures come with bases as part of the figure some figures you have to attach a base to. If you don’t want your base primed then you attach it after it is primed. If you don’t mind painting the base then you attach it before you prime the figure. There are drawbacks to both styles. Attaching it before affords you not having the glue fumes adhering to the primer but it then you have to paint the base. Attaching it after causes glue fumes to stick to the primer. I haven’t noticed primer being affected by the fumes, though one way to avoid this is place your figure in front of an air source while the glue is drying.
What type of glue should I use? I have tried just about every type of glue on the market. I am convinced that Duro Quick Gel is the best. It does not yellow with age, can withstand impacts, and doesn’t crack if the figure is dropped, and is very strong. There are other glues on the market, I don’t recommend them. For working with a lead or tin based metal Duro Quick Gel is the one to go with.
Painting the figure. The Base Coat After the figure has been prepared for painting it is time to paint the figure. The first step is to choose what color you want your main color to be and, let’s say that you are planning on painting a Shadowrun Combat Mage. His main color will be green. You take the lightest green and paint all of his green areas with this color. Then you choose the next color, flesh for instance, and paint the lightest color of flesh in that area. You continue painting the lightest color of each area until a Base Coat is applied. The Secondary Coat After the base coat is applied you will go back over those areas and paint the darker areas next, using the darkest color of the appropriate color type. For example, dark green in the green area. The darker areas are where there is less light, usually in places like under the arms, under the crotch of the figure, etc. Now you have a two tone paint job. The Light source At this point you need to determine where the light source is. A light source is where the light is coming from, in a room it is overhead where the light bulb is. Outside, at noon, it is directly overhead. Depending upon how you want the shadows to affect your figure determines where the light source is. If you want your figure to be standing on a hill at sunset with his face away from the sun, his back will be light and his front will be dark. So now is the time to determine where the light source is coming from. Most painters make their figures look like the light source is directly overhead, standing outside, at noon, on a cloudless day. What a boring paint job. Choose a light source that gives your figure a unique character, a sense of what that figure is about. No matter where you make your light source keep it in mind when you are painting the rest of the figure. Step up colors Taking, from darkest to lightest, the appropriate color you will fill in the areas in between the two colors. The way in which you do this is by using a pallet and mixing the colors together. For instance, in the green area you take the darkest green and mix three drops with one of a step up green. This becomes the paint you apply at the edge of the darkest green. You allow it to lightly dry. Then you add in one more drop of the step up green. You paint this forty-sixty mixture at the edge of the first stepped up paint. Let it lightly dry. Add one more drop of the step up green to the mixture. Now you have a fifty-fifty mixture. Paint this at the edge of the forty-sixty mixture. Add another drop, now you have a sixty-forty mixture. Paint it at the edge of the fifty-fifty mixture. Add another drop, paint it on at the edge. Now you are at the pure first stepped up color. You paint that on at the edge of the mixed colors. Then you choose your next step up color and repeat the process. After stepping After you have painted all the areas with the step up painting technique the figure should look pretty darn good, almost lifelike. But you’re not done yet. Now you have to go back and accentuate the figure. This is done by adding small amounts of color to the figure where light sources would contact the highest part of the: clothing, face, hair, etc. If your light source is blue, because a the figure is standing in front of a wizard casting a lightning bolt, then you’d use a very light blue for this. If the light source is orange, a sunset, then you’d use a very watered down version of orange (watering down a color is simple. You just add five parts of water (or drops) to one part paint (or a drop) and paint it on. Let it completely dry then paint another coat on. Repeat the painting until you reach the desired color level). A note During the painting process it is inevitable that you will paint over something that you didn’t want to get painted. It happens to all of us. Just patiently go back and repaint the figure. Let it dry After you have painted the figure you must allow it to completely dry. After it has dried you will either spray on or paint on a clear coating to protect and seal your paint job. Seal Coat The sealant is a polymer resin that is applied to the figure. It is usually called the clear coat. This sealant locks in the paint job you have labored on for so long and protects the figure from dirt, oil and acid on your hands, and other grime.
Though this will not instantly make you a world class figure painter it will, if done correctly, make your figures turn out like the pros.
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puma
Combat Engineer
Posts: 15
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40K
Apr 23, 2006 14:02:17 GMT -5
Post by puma on Apr 23, 2006 14:02:17 GMT -5
I used to play 40K, but I just found that I didn't have enough time to paint. I bought a huge Sisters of Battle/Witch Hunters army, and I was so excited about the new edition rules... but then I found that I couldn't get the pieces painted. Now, the new figures (while very nice... especially the Forge World pieces) are for too expensive. I can buy a competitive MW army for $50, but that same $50 only buys one tank or Dreadnought from GW. At least if I get sick of MW cheese (Twins, Merc FP, etc), I can drop out without having spent $500. Actually, I could probably find pre-painted pieces on Ebay for a decent price (there are always whoile armies there for a few hundred dollars), but I really have no place to play. So.... Anyone play? Up until I began to play MW competitively, I played about once per week. Now, I am down to once every couple of months. I still have my armies, though.... Eldar, Orcs, White Scars and Necrons to run the tactical gamut. Z
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40K
Jul 6, 2006 22:49:38 GMT -5
Post by mikeguth on Jul 6, 2006 22:49:38 GMT -5
My son dragged me into 40k because he likes the painting/modeling aspect of the game. Personally, I think it is a horrible game. The rules, which at first glance appear simple, are actually impossibly long when you consider all the individual codexes for each race, all of which contain numerous exceptions or expansions to the basic rules. The game is then very experience based. If you haven't played against a particular race in a particular configuration before, even if you have read their codex, you still may not be aware of how their units and special rules interact. Rule mistakes occur even at some high level games (see 'The Runestone incident' at DakkaDakka from a recent 'Grant Tournament'.). The game is long, 3 hours or more.
That being said, you can now put together a very competitive army that plays very easily and is relatively easy to paint-The Godzilla Tyranid army. You need one box of gene stealers, 5 Carnifaxes (3 elite, 2 heavy) all armed with a variety of long range weapons, and a pair of 'Hive Tyrants'. Advance the Monsters ahead of the gene stealers, or go into terrain and fire out with the Monsters (so you get a cover saving throw). The trick here is that usual 40k tank only takes one hit and dies; but Tyranid monsters, which are armed like tanks, take 5 hits to die (charging space marine Librarian excepted). So, the GW people basically created an army of super tanks!
Of course this is about $600, excluding paint and modeling time and effort.
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