Smokeyprogg Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 What would be the one product you recommend to people starting the hobby or experienced hobbyists exploring new things? Would be good to see what everybody here uses and find some new products.For me I'd say the wet palette, home made or not this has improved my basic painting 10 fold. Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FractalRain Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 I also like my home-made wet palette! The other items which I have found helped me improve many hobby skills are really good paint brushes (Windsor Newton 7 sable is my preference), a good pin vise or dremel for easy conversions, and good lamp with a full-spectrum (daylight) bulb. Files, razors, and paints are important too, but those first three have been great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dez Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 Invest in good brushes, like the Windsor Newton series 7 mentioned above. I spent so much money buying cheap to mid range brushes...and I've had my WN7 brushes for years. They can take a beating, and if you are careful they'll last forever. Amazing difference in quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Traitor Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 There are a couple of things that have improved my sculpting considerably, and which I recommend to everyone who likes working with greenstuff: - Ball Burnishers: this are awesome, so many things you can do with them that can't be achieved with an sculpting knife, specially if you have a lot of sizes. - "sculpting pin": it basically consist of adding a pin at the end of a pencil, which allows you to draw very thin lines. I use it for magical carvings and such, but it is so easy to make that I don't see too many reasons not to have one. - "Tentacle maker": mine is from Greenstuff World but I'm sure many sites are making these. It may be more useful for making cables at 40k, but some daemonic armies with lots of Tentacles could be fun! - Insta mold: being able to copy cool bits by press moulding is very valuable, you can also achieve a lot of detail in easy pieces to cast, while being much more simple than resin casting. Of course my most valuable tool is still my sculpting knife, but it is good to have a varied reservoir for any task that might arise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galas Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killax Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Wet pallete for sure. Another essential thing is to explore other artist stores, not just GW's for brushes, mediums and more. As you can get better quality brushes for much lower prices GW is asking. Same applies for practically any hobby tool. In addition I also think that this is my biggest glue friend: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nord Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I would say look into alternative paints, let go the comfort blanket of the GW painting system. Using glazes changed my life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vaux Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Well... I guess a good collection of colors is one of the most essential parts (I prefer non GW colors mostly). Next thing are good brushes, there I use a mix of GW (the cheaper ones) and WN Series 7 brushes (for finer details). A wet palette is a must have and an airbrush helps out a lot too. Well that are my essentials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Tomlin Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Lahmian Medium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killax Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 3 hours ago, Nord said: I would say look into alternative paints, let go the comfort blanket of the GW painting system. Using glazes changed my life! 11 minutes ago, Chris Tomlin said: Lahmian Medium. This too! In general don't be afraid to use any medium! Once my Khorne force is where I want it to be I'll also experiment with some Chrome paints on Stormcast models. There is a lot on the market GW doesn't offer and sometimes you'll need to branch out if your looking for some kind of special effect. Though I also have to say, those texture paints are wonderful. I was aware of crackle paint medium but wouldn't be inclined to use it on my miniatures. Currently I still don't but it's nice to have that effect available for future things Personally I can also highly recommend Vallejo paints next to GW's. Their dropper bottles will provide you with a long (easily 3+ year) shelflife and in general they are just wonderful to use and come in the same colours as GW's. Another thing I can highly recommend is switching up paint styles from time to time, as it really opens up your vision on how to emulate certain effects for certain parts. For example I REALLY like Zenithal Highlighting to create smooth blended skintones through glazes. The other way around I love layered highlighting for Armour and many Magical/Natural effects become fantastic the moment you start to wetblend. Somehow it never really clicked to me how these painting techniques can be applied to specific model parts better as others. Despite painting for quite a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul cr Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 A GW paint station or one of the many mdf ones available. It just helps to keep bits together and tidy and stops accidental spills... I have a small portable one that I can carry around the house (a4 size). Also a cutting mat. they are just useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underdog6750 Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Good ing for while you paint. Nothing worse than painting a model and it looks awesome untill you see it in another light Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperKick Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 BluTac is something i never used. Now i use it all the time! Attaching models on something to hold it, spraying models, covering stuff i dont want paint on etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonofHoeth Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 +1 for Windsor Newtons but I'd add a good quality brush cleaner. I use 'The Masters' and it makes a big difference when it comes to maintaining the quality of the point over the brushes life time, something I never realised until I'd be painting for quite a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountryMou3e Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 What size Windsor newtons brushes would you get ? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dez Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I have 0-00-000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibdab Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 A good chair that has back and arm rest supports that are adjustable Also an eye test to see if you need glasses for that fine details Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nord Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 8 hours ago, Dez said: I have 0-00-000. Really? For general mini painting you need larger brushes - size 1, 2, 3 even. It must take you hours to paint a single mini! A good brush will come to a fine point for the smallest of details - eyes, fine lines, etc - so there is no need to go to such extremes. Personally I use synthetic blend brushes, tougher than pure sable but with a good fine tip, so good enough for minis. I have tried W&N and found them far too soft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dez Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Yup, that's the way I do it. I still paint pretty fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonofHoeth Posted May 14, 2017 Share Posted May 14, 2017 I've got 00, 1 and 2 with the last two doing the majority of the work. The 00 only really comes out for eyes and some of the more fiddly gems on elves. Generally the trick is to keep them in good condition so that you keep a good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dez Posted May 14, 2017 Share Posted May 14, 2017 Yeah my brushes are on good shape (I use masters and have an art background). I've just found I'm more comfortable with smaller brushes, the 00 is my work horse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountryMou3e Posted May 14, 2017 Share Posted May 14, 2017 I've picked up that masters brush cleaner so I'm ready to get some nice brushes. I've seen the Windsor gift set that has four brushes. 0-1-2-3 sizes included. I think that's what I'll pick up first Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Tomlin Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 On 12/05/2017 at 7:37 PM, SimonofHoeth said: +1 for Windsor Newtons but I'd add a good quality brush cleaner. I use 'The Masters' and it makes a big difference when it comes to maintaining the quality of the point over the brushes life time, something I never realised until I'd be painting for quite a long time. +1 for The Masters brush cleaner. Great stuff. @Dez - That's crazy you use such small brushes! Funnily enough I had the same convo with @Andy Talbot last night, who also ordered a 000. I honestly don't think a brush that small is necessary and is actually more of an annoyance as it doesn't hold any paint so you'd constantly be putting the tip to your palette. I have the popular W&N Series 7 gift set (0, 1, 2, 3) and find that the 1 is the best brush for detail work. It has a super fine point suitable for eyes, freehand etc but still has some body to it so holds more that a dot of paint at a time. Each to their own though I guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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