How to get good at painting - efficiently. Inspiration at last!

 Right now, I am removing mold lines of all my new sprues.

I am currently working my way through -

2 Raiders
1 Ravager
1 Venom
3 Reavers
1 Razorwing
1 Squad of Kabalite Warriors


AND - most of all

ALL THE BITS. Yes I have cut off every bit of model off the sprues and will be removing the mold lines off all of the them. Why?

There are many ways to get good at painting but only one efficient way. To study all the theories, watch all the youtube clips, research all the brands of paints, air brushes and their techniques. To scour the internet for the best colour schemes and basing, shading, highlighting, NMM techniques and learn them all. Then make long lists of plans about how you will paint your own models and then paint one ultimate figure one after another? No.

It is to paint as many models as possible. Think of success in terms of quantity of models painted NOT quality. I am going to all all my spare bits (heads, torsos, arms, legs, weapons, skulls, flags, prows, racks and more) sort them and paint them. Assembly line style. Imagine doing 20 heads, 20 bodies, 20 splinter rifles and flags/doodads quickly without agonizing over the detail. Then I will soak them in Magic Amah kitchen cleaner and go through the whole process again. I have done my research, I know I need to prime, base, preshade, wash, layer, highlight, weather and base. I have the tools and the basic knowledge, now all that there is left to do is paint.

Up to this point, I have been on the path of painting slowly, painting perfectly and only painting a model once each. I have since learned that this is SILLY. You will get good at painting by practicing. You will get good by lining up a whole bunch of arms or shoulder plates or heads and painting them all PREFERABLY with a good sitcom or audiobook in the back ground. If you are not confident with faces and skin like I am, get all your spare heads and skin models, line them up and paint all of them. When you see the results (mine are utter crap), you can dunk them in your cleaning solution and have a go again tomorrow. Don't worry about making each stroke perfect, don't worry if the paint is too thin or too thick, don't worry if you just want every tiny little bit to be perfect and neat but it isn't. Just clean em and keep painting them over and over again.

I've been sitting here for the past eight hours removing mold lines and have acid reflux from being hunched over too long and my food not being able to digest properly. Hope that inspires you : D

- oh as an epilogue to this post, i would like to say i was inspired by the book by Kaufmann - The First 20 Hours or something like that. it is talking about becoming proficient at something or not sucking in 20 hours. I didn't buy it, i just flicked through it at the book stall and learned all the important parts of the book in 30 minutes. Ha - take that kaufmann, i used a speed learning technique to learn about your speed learning technique. here's what i took from the book.

1. Practice makes perfect - science shows the first 90 minutes is the most productive when learning. There is a graph that shows diminishing returns on a graph and 90 minutes of continuous practice seems to be the sweet spot. Of course it depends on the task you are doing but after 90 minutes or earlier, you should take a break. Professionals generally clock 3-4 hours of practice a day (i'm talking about musicians here). Again it depends on the task but 3-4 hours a day seems to be the most you should force yourself to do a day. More if you love it of course.

2. Kaufmann suggests doing 20 minute sessions with an alarm, whereby you do a task for 20 minutes and don't stop for any reason until the alarm goes off. Practicing painting warhammer with an alarm? sounds like it's worth trying. It doesn't have to be 20 minutes, for things like learning a language or learning the guitar perhaps, but i'd be looking at doing 30-40 minute sessions for painting at least. 20 minutes won't get much for me because i'm a slow painter by nature.

3. Quantity over Quality - he cited some experiment where a clay potter was teaching a bunch of people beginner pottery (like in Community). For group A he told them they would be judged solely by the amount of pots in weight they made that day. So the more pounds of clay they used, the higher the score they would recieve. For group B he told them they just had to make one pot and the quality of the pot would be judged. At the end of the day the best pots came from group A and all group B had was a bunch of pottery making theories and pile of rubbish clay. Learning is in the doing, it doesn't have to be good, you just have to be doing it.

See, I think that when it comes to crunch time, people will reveal what they have been practicing the most. In case of music, when performers get up on stage, it doesn't matter how much they've psyched themselves up and read about stage performances. They will play what they have been practicing. You can't escape that muscle memory. Painting is similar, your painting can be better by a small margin when you concentrate ultra hard on that Warlord model, but it won't be much better than your average rank and file. Your muscles and your skill takes over all that neurotic thinking and self aggrandizing.

4. Prepare - this one comes from me a little as well. Having the right tools to do what you want is very important. Have enough brushes, colours and shades will make all the difference when it comes to practice. You can't live on 8 paints (gold, silver, black, white, primary colour dark, primary colour light, primary colour shade, black shade) and expect to be inspired and motivated to practice painting. You can't have a bunch of cheap ass hair splitting brushes and expect to get better at edge high lighting/painting faces and eyes. Your lack of sharp brushes and a decent range of paints will make you hate painting. It will wear your will to paint down thin and you will spend most of your time trying to get started on your figurines and motivating yourself rather than just painting.

The book can probably be absorbed in 2x20 minute sessions. Just have a phone on you to take note of the important stuff, because the book has a lot of what i think is filler stuff. it's interesting to hear him learn the 6 things he learns, yoga, go, windsurfing etc. but i don't really think it's worth buying the book just for anecdotes unless that's what you want. the 'crunch' of the book can be sucked up in 40 minutes, just have a quick browse through it. take what you think is useful and buy the book if it's something you really want.

Get some paints and brushes, look up a few basic guides to painting, set and alarm and just go for it. Even if you get acid reflux...

Here's a picture of Hello Kitty sitting on all my empty sprues.

Bases -

After doing some quick research online about bases and stuff. I've taken all the bases from my battle force, ravager and venom and started doing rocky bases on them. I've posted the link below. I'm tempted to do a dark stormy rock crag paint scheme, a norweign island crag inspired colour scheme. Going Black primer, dark blue mixed with black to get a shale stone colour for the base colour then highlighting with paler greys and blues. I'm thinking of buying some pigment too, so I can colour the bases easier. Dark stormy seas, maybe with some patches of moss or grass poking through the rock cracks. and maybe the occasional norweign coastal flower.

The Norway flag also provides some possible colour scheme inspiration. That dark blue with that deep red. I think I can incorporate that into my paint schemes for my units.

Sigh, there's just something about steam punk that is hard to do for Dark Eldar I feel. The race is too sleek, too sharp and too twisted to be set in a rigid, anachronistic, heavy british gothic, sexually repressed victorian era, clunky mechanical steam punk setting. Dark Eldar just oozes sleekness, sadism, arrogance, disdain and malice.

Whilst Steam punk is like a Cog or a Smithing Hammer, Dark Eldar is more akin to a Needle or a Poisoned Dagger. I tried too hard to be different and ended up jamming two things that don't really fit stylistically or fluff wise. Now I'm just going to give up my need to be different, individual and just do a paint scheme that is more normal. Going DE was alternative enough (CSM and IG were the other considerations), the paint scheme can be highly derivative. I suppose it's just a part of my personality, always wanting to be different, unique, alternative or what not. I always take the second option, do things the harder way and apply creativity to things. I guess it stems from a want to be noticed, praised and in the centre of attention. well i'm gonna take it easy this time~


When these babies dry, I'm going to air brush them.

Venom/ Trouble Already!

Here's where I am at with my Venom. The rune words were done freehand and looking back, I think masking tape cut out stencil would be better istead. The rune at the front came out all weird...
The Rune at the back came out pretty well.

Here is a clear red coat i put on the venom earlier before respraying the whole thing. I think i'll apply it again. Seems like it would work well with the red runes.

Here' i have my new boxes which i bought today. Dark Eldar Battleforce, Ravager and Haemonculi. I'm changing colour scheme. Back to the usual one. As in the one you see on the cover of the box/codex. I'm not going to repaint my warriors and wyches. But yeah... I'm going to do some tester models rather than jump in this time, and learning lots from my previous warriors and wyches, these ones are sure to come out better!

Wracks (with pics)

Wracks -

Primed with Dark Grey on the bottom half then J.N Grey on the top half. I went a bit over board with the light grey top half and it kind of went over onto the bottom.

Base -
Black for Robes / Mask / Hex Rifle Mid Top
Rakarth Flesh for Torso
Zandri Dust for Backpack/Arm Chitin..?? I'm not sure what to call those jagged growths from their forearms
Leadbelcher for Blades, Rings, Mask Outlines, Amour Outlines Hexrifle Grip,
Rhinox Hide - Weapon Hilts/ Branches on the back
Tau Ochre Light - Weapon Grips
Caledor Sky for Hexrifle

Wash -
Nuln Oil
Agrax
Reikland Flesh Shade

I think i'll go reikland and agrax on the torso areas. Druichii Violet is tempting but it is a bit too purple. Or maybe i can go Agrax with diluted Druichii Violet

On a Side Note -

Bought Modelling Masterclass from FW and just looking through the painting techniques and what not inside. I'm starting to look for ways to paint my vehicles. I have an airbrush and i plan to make the most of it. Inside, There is a Chaos Scorpion model which the tutorial say they primed with Chaos Black and are giving light shades of Tamiya Hull Red, which is a paint i bought and have used to primed my warriors/wyches to. Yey! Nothing special... just excited to see that they would use a paint not from GW and even more, a paint i use!

Update:
I've went a fair ways with the wracks and here are some photos. All that's left is the edge highlighting for the helm, armour which i will do in silver, and grey for all the cloak and leather bits. i have no good brushes and haven't found a place that stocks good brushes yet, so right now, I can only use dry brushing for the armour plating high lights. Normal highlighting should be fine on the cloak as the area is large. The Helms have been a pain to highlight as the Finecast edge is very fractured sometimes. ARG especially on my favourite helm (the one where there is a big head and mini head)

Wyches - Done

I'm a bit at a loss as to what to do with my Wyches. The leather I managed to achieve on the Warriors was vastly disappointing. The paint was always too thin, too thick, not covering enough, hard to deal with and just looked poor overall. I want to find a better way for the Leather on my Wyches. With a Hull Red base, I'm thinking I can achieve some sort of mid-darkness leather colour. A very pale beige white leather cream colour I want is too hard with this base. I'm thinking something along the lines of a more reddish brown leather. Like the colour of a horse perhaps? That brownish red coat gleaming in the sun. Which reminds me, the White Dwarf magazine earlier this year featuring the High Elves has all these how to paint different coloured horses at the back. Perhaps I can find some inspiration there.

At the end of the day though, I should settle for a more reddish brown leather rather than a pure beige leather. Which would require a Zandri Dust or Karak Stone base. The colour of cocoa ha.

Done -

Based Hull Red
Black for Weapons











To Do - 

- Wash on Leather (Brown)
- Base flesh with Rakarth Flesh - Druichii Wash - Wych Flesh with White Dry Brush
- Base leather parts with Ubshati Bone then layer with Ungor Flesh
- Dark Brass on plated armour Wash with Drakenhoff
- Copper on Shoulders and Greaves Wash with Drakenhoff
- Weapons edge High lighted with Grey, Bronze Barrels, Wash and Highlight

Weather with Turquoise colour, then cover Turquoise with Black leaving a little bit of Turquoise showing on the bottom of the mark
Turquoise wash recessed areas of Dark Brass and Copper

Update -

So i've completed my squad of 10 wyches. They look quite flat and not livid or lively as i would like them to be. I did 5 with Beige leather and 5 just leaving it dark brown as the base colour. I also chose a healthier skin colour for the dark leather people and a more pallid one for the white leather wyches. Looking at them, they are very monotone, they don't really pop and my painting skills are very sloppy. I think i should put some brighter gold and some high lights on them. If I can be bothered.... Next up is Wracks.

Kabalite Warriors - Done

So I've done the leather, the armour and part of the weapons. Now it's time to get into the details.

- Helms and Heads and Hair
Black Helms with Grey Highlights or Brown Highlights
Hair will be Black or Dark Brown
Skin will be Pallid White (Victorian Style)


- Weapon Details
Black Base
Charger Ball thingy... - Copper
Rifle Tube - Bronze
Blades&Bayonets - Black with Silver Chipping

- Utility Belt Details
Leather Pouch - Highlight Mournfang Brown over the Hull Red
Combat Drugs - Highlight Silver and Colour the Caps Bronze
Round Cookie - Shade Over Hull Red
Knife - Light Leather Grip, Copper Sheath with Bronze Lettering Embossing
Grappling Hooks - Silver Metallic

- Loin Cloth - Light Khaki
Ulthuan Grey, Athonian Camoshade Wash, Pallyd Wych Flesh Highlights

Update -

So I've done the next step on my warriors. They look pretty bad... but i suppose it is my first unit. I ended up going green on the loin clothes. And damn edge high lighting for helms/weapons is hard... I didn't do it for most of them.

Last things I gotta do is put some Weathering/Battle Damage and Base them in Karak Stone Mud/Sand.

For Weathering I'll put some silver on the armour edges.
Battle damage I'll apply black paint with a small eye makeup sponge thing.

Progress on Warriors

So my heads are in.

Since the last photos, I've added Copper onto the armour, washed the armour with Drakenhoff Nightshade, the leather part with Agrax Earthshade and stuck the heads on.

 Now i'm going to do some armour highlighting, drybrushing and damage effects.

Update - So, I've dry brushed some Copper on, reshaded, then put some more highlights on with a bronze colour. I think i went over the top with the bronze. Here is a pic. The process after I based it, is dry brush with the Copper, then reshade it with Drakenhoff where I think it was over coppered. Then I dry brushed the Runelord Brass on top. Although the Runelord Brass seems a bit bright at the moment, I think it'll be good for the figures in the long run. Next time though, I'm going to go easy. I find the Tamiya paints a bit thinner and hard to dry brush with. The GW Runelord Brass was very easy to dry brush with.

Here you can see how the figures are a little too bronze.
My next step should be to finish up the leather parts and then move on to the weapon and helms. This will involve using a edge highlight for the black parts of the helm and weapons. It will also include using a metallic silver, either ironbreaker or leadbelcher for some bits of the model.

Sigh, I kind of feel like emphasizing a Chocolate theme with my army. Yes steam punk is cool, but the hull red undercoat made the figures look like Artisan chocolates. I think in future, I'm going to go easier on the coppers and brasses, and try for a more Chocolate look rather than an overly metallic look (as I have at the moment). Anyway that's it for now.