New player, nervous about painting

[Thaumaturge]

Hi everyone. I played Games Workshop games many years ago, mostly with my friend's armies because I couldn't afford the hobby. Even after I stopped playing I followed the literature and storyline. After discovering a shop around the corner I thought it would be fun to get back into things, this time actually buying and playing my own army for the first time. I'm still comprehending all the rules, but I want to run a mostly Freeguild army. I have to admit having never touched a paintbrush I'm incredibly nervous, especially trying to do the particolored clothing of proper renaissance soldiers. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to it all, and the people at the store seem nice and said come on in any day and they'll set up a demo game for me to try.

[Praecautus]

Welcome back. The new models are great to paint, just take it one step at a time. Start with the basics I.e. Base and wash. You can add other techniques as your skills paints and tools increase. You can always comeback to models to add more details at a later date.

Your local shop will do a painting lesson(s) and can demonstrate different techniques.

Also check out warhammer tv for painting tutorials, even if you can't find the model you want the ideas will be applicable.

[Thaumaturge]

Thank you. I've been trying to watch online tutorials, I hadn't heard about Warhammer TV before.

[Praecautus]

Many of the big models have links to the videos on the GW webstore, they are also on Youtube. Duncan, who presents, has very simple techniques but they are effective. You wont be able to find every model there, but techniques can be applied to similar model, for example, I have just applied the Bloodthirster techniques to a deamon prince of Khorne and I am really pleased with the end result.

[Durant]

Few tips

Paint brush keep it clean, and you can buy great brushes at the art atore (and cheap)

paints delude them with water

take your time with every miniature, once you paint a miniature look at it for 1 minute to see if there are parts you missed or made wrong

drybrush your metals and furs, it is easy to do and provides great effects

mix your paints, washes twice the time you mix normal paints

And most important, do it step by step, you will not paint GD level from the start, you will paint some miniatures badly that is the nature of the proces of learning. After a year look at your last miniature and your first, you will see progres

And post your work, people will give you advices, treat them as advices not criticism, we all wish to be better and we all need help from more expirienced painters.

[Crowsfoot]

Some great advice already and not much to add, starting a blog will help you keep track of your own progress even if you only post something once a month it will get you feedback and that is crucial in your improvement as a painter, start simple and try not to over complicate things.

I try to stick to using 5 colours on my models, a big mistake most new painters make is applying loads of different colours and that just makes your model look too busy.

Start the blog and ask questions, watch youtube alot, Warhammer TV, Buypainted, TheApatheticFish, The war gamer, Vince Venturella are a few of the ones I watch.

Good luck and enjoy your journey because it is the best part of this hobby (for me anyway)

[nuttyknatty]

Be afraid, very afraid!?

As someone who's been in the hobby for a long time, I found painting a real chore. Like most things, over time your results will improve, but for me, I really struggled to get over that initial stage of getting anything to even a reasonable tabletop standard, so inevitably I found the whole process unsatisfying.

But, keep going, and eventually you'll find that you'll get proficient enough to be, if not proud of your miniatures, like me, not embarrassed to stick them on the table in public!

Good luck!?

[SuperKick]

I'd just like to add don't let any kind of fear of painting stop you from starting or continuing if they're not as you hoped. Everyone in the hobby can appreciate someone who has taken the time to paint they're army no matter what level they are. Any paint looks better than grey plastic! And as others have said you'll quickly get better. 

2nd tip that has been a massive help for me since coming back to the hobby is motivation. I enjoy painting but I've learned I will only do it under the right circumstance. I have a hobby box on a desk so when I'm ready to paint it's right there ready to go! If you need to pull stuff out or organise before painting it makes it more difficult to start. I always have AOS podcasts or audio books on while I paint, the time flys. I know other people also use netflix or Youtube etc but dosent work for me. 

Best of luck 

[Thaumaturge]

Thank you for all the advice and encouragement, it's much appreciated. I guess painting is just kind of scary because it's not like anything I've ever done. But the videos are encouraging, they produce some nice effects that seem simple enough to give a try.

[Praecautus]

You will be fine. I started a few months back and painted blood reavers using the scheme in the aos mag and the starter paintset. The results were pleasing and certainly passable at table top level. Since then I have added more colours and ideas. The reavers I am painting now are noticeably better and that was i a few months.

i suggest to start with simple troop models - seraphon zombies skeletons and stormcast are all good models to start with - and build up to the big heroes/models.

the colour schemes on the box art are a good pace to start, pick something you like and get the base and wash colours. Get them on and the get a smaller brush and the layer.