4th Step in Startin a New Army: Painting Your Army

4^th Step in Starting a New Army: Painting Your Army

So you got your models, figured out your color scheme, and assembled them so now it’s time to paint them.  There are several things you will need for painting your models.  The first and most obvious is paint I personally prefer citadel paints but there are many other companies that make good paints for models.  You want to make sure you have lots of different colors because nothing is worse than finding out you don’t have the color you need when it comes time to paint.  The next thing you need is Spray Paint for your models undercoat.  You can use your regular paint to undercoat however it will take a lot longer.  The third thing you will need is paint brushes I personally use Model Master Brushes I find that they work the best for me.  I use the #2 and #0 Golden Synthetic Round Brushes I like the synthetic more than Hair brushes which I think they are called.  I like Synthetic brushes better because it holds the tip better and for longer.  You will also need a palette so you can mix and thin your paints.  The last thing you will need is 2 clean cups of water.  These are so you can was your brushes and to thin your paints.

 

 The first Step to painting your models is the undercoat and to do that you will need Spray Paint.  Not just any Spray Paint you need ones for models like Citadel and Army Painter.  These Spray Paints are more expensive but they work a lot better then something you buy at Wal-Mart.  I got spray paint for Wal-Mart before and it was terrible it didn’t cover the model and it all ran into the crevasses of the model.   So you might be asking why do I need to undercoat my models because after all I am about to put paint on them anyway.  You need to do it because it will look a lot better if you undercoat your models first trust me.  Let’s just say I use to know this guy and he didn’t undercoat his models and they were the worst I have ever seen.  So let me give you the basics on Spray Painting. 1. Use a black or darker color Spray Paints to undercoat if you want a darker looking model and if you want a brighter model use white or another lighter Spray paint. 2. When you use your Spray Paint make sure to shake it for a good minute before every use and then do test spray into the air to clean out the tube. 3. When You Spray Paint your model you want to go in straight line across the model fast just fast enough so that it covers the model do this about a foot from your models.  Spray a foot away because if are to close you will lose all the models detail and if you go to far it will become grainy.

 

So next I will talk about Paint Brushes. You can get away with having only one brush.  However it is better to have one that is bigger to cover large area and one that is smaller for finer detail work.  Make sure you wash your brushes in clean water after each time you switch paint because you do not want to mix your paints by accident. Earlier I mentioned that I prefer Model Master Brushes this is because I have found they work the best.  I have used GW brushes and I my opinion they are the worst they never used because they never hold their tip. I have also tried P3 or most of the army painter and don’t really like them either except the Army Painter  Insane Detail Brush which I do use on occasion.  I have also found that Synthetic brushes hold their tip better than Hair brushes I think they are called.  When storing your brushes keep the brush side up don’t store them facing down it is the worst thing you can do.  Also make sure your brushes keep their tip after you clean them I usually use my lips but use can use a paper towl or something else.  One other Important thing is don’t let your paint get to where the bristles meet the metal because that will ruin your brushes.  If you treat your brushes good they will treat you good treat them bad and will go through them like hot cakes.

 

So now onto the Paint and the Palette there is not a lot to say here.  I will say is it is a good Idea to shake your paint bottles before you paint because the pigment and the water can start to separate when they sit.  You also might want  to thin the citadel base paints out a little to do this use a drop or two of water to add to the paint on your palettes.  The reason that you want to thin them out is because if you paint a base paint straight out of the bottle onto your model then you can get an uneven coat of paint. Your palette is important because you don’t want to dip your brush in the paint and then put it straight onto the model because there will be too much paint on your brush.  I usually take a nice brush full of paint and then put the paint on the palette and then keep going back to the palette to get more paint.  You will also use you palette to mix your paint and thin them out.  Another thing I wanted to say is if you can’t find the right color mix your paints to make one.  I have painted whole armies in original colors that I have mixed together remember you are only limited by your imagination.  Always remember to make sure your paints are properly closed when you are done because they will dry out if left open for a while.

 

So now let’s talk about actual painting.  When you paint your new army you need to ask yourself how much time do I want to spend on it.  It is possible to paint a model in 10 to 20 minutes but let’s be honest it isn’t going to be that good or you can spend 20 hours painting a master piece.  On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the 10 min paint job and 10 being the 20 hour paint job I like to do a 6 to 7 so I am going to spend a good 2 to 3 hours per model I paint.  Now this might seem like a long time but when you think about how you just spent all that hard earned money on these models they should look like they are worth the money you spent on them.  Nothing is better than the looking at an army you painted and slaved over on the battlefield.  It will fill you with pride especially when everyone else is jealous and asks you to paint their models for them.  If you really don’t want to paint your models you can always pay someone to do it but it will not be cheap.  I personally have been paid to paint armies and units for people and if you are interested I am always happy to help just leave a comment if you want my info and I can send pictures off some of my other works then just the Necrons I have on the site.

 

 

This Picture Shows a Space Marine for an army I quickly painted around 5 years ago on the left an on the right is one of my new Necrons I have recently painted.  I have posted this is to show the difference between a quickly painted army and an army you take time on.  The Space marine took me around 30 minutes back then and I could paint better but I chose to rush that army now I won’t even use that army because I think it looks like shit.  Now compare that to the Necron a model that took me a good 2 to 3 hours to paint and it looks so much better.  I personally think it’s worth the time but it’s up to you in the end.

 

So if you are a beginner and are painting your first army you are not going to spend 2 to 3 hours on a model because you will be using different techniques to paint.  For any beginner there are 2 basic techniques that you need to know the first is Dry Brushing.  Dry Brushing is where you wipe pretty much all the paint off of your brush and then lightly brush over the area of the model that you want to highlight. Before you dry brush you need to put down a solid layer of paint first that is the color you want that area of the model to be then use a lighter shade of that color to dry bush on top of that layer of paint to give a highlighted effect on the raised parts of that area.  The best way to tell if you took enough paint of the brush it to run it over your finger if only your finger print gets paint on it your good to dry brush.  When you do this the raised areas will pick up the paint and the other deeper ones won’t.  You can dry brush with any of your paints except washes and GW’s Citadel paints now have special paints made just for dry brushing I haven’t tried them out but I would think they should work really well.  The other technique is Shading.  This is very simple just take a wash like Arjax Earthshade or Nuln Oil and paint it over an area that you have already put a layer of paint on.  And like Magic it will be shaded when it dries.  Use these 2 techniques together first paint a solid layer of paint on then Dry Brush a lighter shade of the same color and to finish it off use a wash over top and you will have a half decent looking model.  Once you have been painting for a while you will learn new techniques like Highlighting and Layering.  Don’t be discouraged by how your first army looks you will get better a lot better it just takes time and practice.  Another way for a beginner to paint an army is to use the Army Painter Method I have never done this put first you paint your model in the different colors that you want then you dip it in this stuff it’s kind of like a wash and you will end up with decent looking models.  However I honestly recommend actually painting because you will never learn and get better if you don’t practice.  When I started I was terrible I mean terrible but as I got older and more experienced I have gotten so much better you would never have thought my old models were painted by me.  One thing I would recommend is getting a book that teaches you how to paint the GW one “How to Paint Citadel Miniatures” is actually really good and I would recommend it and it even comes with a DVD where they show you how to do the different techniques.  I have been painting for 13 years and still found a book that teaches you how  to paint useful.  Another good way to learn how to paint is to ask an experienced gamer who knows how to paint if he could give you a lesson.  If you are new you will be surprised at the number of people willing to help you out especially because you are a new at this.

 

 

 

 

The reason I posted this picture is to show how your Painting will get better over time.  The Carnifex is missing an army thanks to my dog a few years ago.  I painted that model probably when I was 14 or 15 so like 7 or 8 years ago.  This was my first 40k army that I painted and I used dry brushing and inks to do it because their wasn’t washes back then.  I would like to thank who ever came up with them they make painting so much easier.  I use to think that Carnifex I painted was amazing looking but now I can’t believe that I painted that.  The next was a space marine I painted when I was 18 so 15 years ago I defiantly got better but I still had some improving to do.  The last on is my latest work as you can see I have come a long way so don’t be discouraged if you aren’t that good of a painter you will get better.  I am even getting better every day that I paint I learn something new the only thing I still need to learn is blending.

Painting an army may seem like it sucks and I use to hate painting models, but as I got older and better at it I really started to like paint models more and more.  Now painting models is how I relax and I really enjoy doing it.  One of my favorite things is to see an army I have painted on the battle field facing another greatly painted army.

Grizwald