I am stuck in a learning loop😭! Outside ok the joke, learning outside of the citadel course open to new horizon (not spiting on citadel ways of learning, it helps beginners a lot)
This is not just one of Rogue’s best videos but one of the most honest and helpful videos about painting on TH-cam. Demystifying the process and the differences between styles and their limits is perfect. Thank you!
100%. We created the ‘System’ for beginners and intermediates to get results they were happy with. It’s only really a set of tools that anyone can adapt to their needs and there are a lot of really great tools and techniques from other companies and creators to play with and have fun with.
I never played Warhammer growing up - but I played a lot of classic Battle Tech and even in that the process was PRIME - BASE - WASH - DRYBRUSH (Highlight) - I'm not sure where we got it from, but that same paint system carried over across the entire landscape of mini painting in the mid-90's. Honestly, that's still what I'm doing except after all that there may be a series of blending, highlighting and washing to get the desired effect. Hasn't done me wrong in about 30 years and I'm a little better now than I was at 12...
If you are using the Citadel system to paint intermediate level miniatures, you are getting scammed. If you only want tabletop level, buy primers and use slapchop. Why? It's faster, cheaper, and overall... Just better.
@@zackredgarz3690slapchop came along much later than the citadel system. Largely as a result of contrast which was launched years after the current main citadel range. Contrast was intended to get painting done faster and we knew that it was a just a tool that people would take and adapt to other uses 😊 seems to have worked.
@@zackredgarz3690 That's some flawed logic. You sound like the guy who talks crap on people at the game store for what their minis look like, then wonder why no one wants to play with you,
@@mimas120 Don't be mad, everyone knows Citadel only wants to sell 3 paints minimum for each colour to beginners... And is not worth or even fair to new people. Slapchop is faster and friendly to people without experience so better than base, shade, layering, dry and all plehora of paint ranges. The rest of your comment is just a very sad ad hominem.
I came to the conclusion many years ago I do not have the artistic talent to paint award winning or display miniatures, and that's fine. The citadel method gets me great looking warhammer armies and battletech lances for me to play with and I'm really happy with that.
Which is exactly what most people need to be doing most of the time. Unless you are painting a special mini for a specific reason (competition, display, hero mini, etc...), just get it painted and move on to the next one.
I am also not of high artistic talent, but the citadel method gets me a consistent, good looking models to play games with. Will they win awards? No, but they look good at wargaming distances, cohesive, and and don't take forever to paint. I think the citadel method is one thing that allows technician personalities to paint to a good standard, where not following it is what artist personalities do. Or, to put it a different way, the difference between a chef and a baker. The baker follows a process, and gets consistent, good results. The Chef cooks with feeling, and can have wildly different results.
But here's the thing, and its not really fully articulated in this vid: even for "tabletop-standard", the citadel method is far from the most efficient. Having to highlight *everything* + having redundant extra steps (i.e. rebasing to highlight up a shade) makes you take more time than you need. Getting smart with undercoats + having less steps helps me paint faster and have a more productive time
As someone who only in the last hour has finished my first miniature, this video is so inspiring and useful for how I can further develop my painting, as while I'm reasonably happy with how it is, I feel like the shading and lack of gradual shading, by not having blending is what is holding it back.
Richard Gray was the first one to push me out of my citadel approved bubble with his wet glazing/stabbing style. Few months ago I heard you mention that it feels so weird to go back over parts after applying a wash. That is basically when I stopped using washes for the "all over" method, and only applying them on details, or combining them into effects or mixing with contrasts/speed paints. This almost by itself pushed me suddenly to think about volumes and lighting, and after these few months I see a definite improvement (in my humble minipainter opinion). Keep cracking those molds and kicking open the doors Louise!
Personally, I'm a very slow learner when it comes to painting miniatures, partly because it has always seemed very intimidating but also because I'm self-taught from the 90s. The appeal to me of the Citadel method is it allows for almost a paint-by-numbers method whilst allowing me artistic freedom to explore the model while still getting results I could be proud of. I am in awed admiration of what painters like Louise and Peachy can do, but I know that's still a ways off for someone like myself. But! Videos like this allow me to start experimenting and step up my game ever so slightly each time. So thanks for this!
The citadel system worked great for a one size fits all but also in an age where people didn't have access to the vast amount of resources we do today. I've come back to the hobby after 25ish years away and honestly don't remember how I did way back when, but I've kind of learned from all over since coming back and its been interesting. Loved the video as always, only downside was I didn't care for the few references in the beginning of looking at golden demon and then looking at your own work; there is no reason for that to be something people do unless you are also entering contests, and I was surprised to see it mentioned a few times.
I'm a big fan of the old Kevin Adams space orks and the more colourful ork feels more reminiscent of those, so I definitely like that look. One trick I've been using is to drybrush over a contrasting colour to give the effect of rust of weathering. For instance you can drybrush metal colours over a brown or orange base to get a good rusty metal effect.
I took this video to heart when starting painting my new Dwarfs for The Old World and it’s such a freeing and refreshing way to paint. I’m not stressing and the dwarfs are being done fast and look great. Thank you!
Thank you for this video. I’ve been spending 2024 unlearning the citadel method. From not using washes, to mixing my own colors, to even using oil paint instead of acrylics for some projects. It’s been liberating.
I like both, neither look like the way I paint, but they do look like you painted them, you have a very definite style of painting. I love the way everyone paints a little different from each other.
So many amazing things I learned to maybe get out the comfort zone with and all I can think to comment on is how much that manic music cut in for each step title made me grin. I love this channel's "frantic, silly gremlin" energy on its editing. I found that it was Juan Hidalgo I got my first shove outside the comfort zone with, when he showed all the weird and wonderful things contrast paint can do that isn't just a single coat. People see my Tanith's camo cloaks and go "woah! How do I do that?" exactly like how I look at other painters I think are great. But it was him teaching TWO coats of a contrast, then glaze, then use a mixing pot fo contrast and medium and layer to get a gorgeous mud, and then stippling using semi translucent contrast to make it have a see-through to the base camo colour... he's SO good. I really want to try recess shading and that vivid nature now through after seeing this.
This is a great video. When I started miniature painting in the 80’s there wasn’t really a GW method. Painters all wanted to stand out and be creative. My earliest GW pieces were for display in model shops and I used to lean into more flamboyant colour palettes. The GW method really created loads of similar boring looks and seems more about selling paints now.
Your videos never fail to get me excited to paint again, which is especially impressive considering I'm 3k into a tyranid army! Motivation to paint more of the same scheme can be hard to come by, but I find your whole outlook towards the hobby (seeking challenges, improvement, or just a new experience) so refreshing.
I like the facial detail on the second Ork. One of the coolest things when looking at an army is the individuality of each model. Highlighting standout areas contributes massively to this.
Well said Louise, having all kinds of unusual colour in the shaded areas is a game changer. I like to do a pre paint with an air brush of either a cool colour from above and a warm colour from below, or the other way around. A bit of colour theory knowledge with complementary colors and split complementary colours actually makes this easier. And not as differculty as one might think. Loved the video.
THIS is precisely what I've been doing these past couple of years, unlearning the Citadel system and branching out into different ways of painting. Wish more people could see this too, especially those stuck in their hobby plateaus. Kudos, Louise. Also, very honored you signed our Pilipintados tshirt during Worlds a couple of weeks ago! The Filipino painting community loves your stuff!
I've heard you talk about how you need to progress your painting to the next level. From my perspective, you are the next level. I have been doing a lot of painting lately, and im starting to understand what you mean. I have always painted in the warhammer style: base, shade, highlight. It wasn't until I watched your vids that I started to up my game. I started to use a wet pallette and thats when I started to mix and create glazes and understand paint consistency. I've got a long way to go, but its creators like you that help us on our journey. Thanks Louise 😊.
This ranks up there as one of the best mini painting videos I've watched ever. The brighter colors on the 2nd guy look so much better to my colorblind eyes, which need lots of contrast to really appreciate detail. I love seeing stuff painted with brighter colors because of it. When I see stuff painted all dark and washed down and "grimdark" they just look undefined and ugly to me...and I can't differentiate much of the color differences.
I was already painting some orruks and was so stoked to see this video and I got to try this method out on my army. This is the first time in a long time where I felt that I actually improved. I think my mind just got blown away. Thanks louise
Truly inspiring. I got the made to order marauder giant in the mail today, built it and I had until I watched this video no idea how I would take on the painting. But this video really got me thinking about more creative ways of painting this center piece model in a more fun way. Thanks for being great!
Really glad that I started with model kits (mostly in 1/32nd & 1/35th scale), and modeling railroading a decade before I got into R.P.G's and miniature war gaming. I was also the generation that had to do buy figures from prior war games (Napoleonics, Roman, and others) to have figures for D&D. Granted I liked painting and modifying of these figures to have a character mini (for those combat moments were you all need to know where everyone is). I'm glad that I was building WW2 models & building dioramas, and model railroading, before wargaming because I was learning from the Master model makers for those hobbies. It was a domino effect. Each one I learned at lot from, and that knowledge & those skills carried over.
I like how easily digestible your suggestions are and how noticeably different the results are without either mini looking "lesser". Ghazghkull would be proud to go krumpin with either of those boyz, even if one looks a bit posh by comparison. I think a big contributor is also what you mention at the end, time and practice. Its like going to work, its taken me years to learn how to do 8 hours of work in 4 hours.
Man I wish this video was around when I first got back into the hobby! I spent a LOT of time trying to find anyone that was demonstrating the difference between like Showcase/Grimdark vs "I can clearly see that unit from where I'm standing and so can my opponent". In the last year and a half, this is the closest thing to that video; Alex @52Miniatures did a really nice job also. What I've found experimentally is that the quality of the paint job *can* make an impact, but primarily the saturation and contrast (both in color and value) are what will draw your eye the most.
I started learning to paint with the citadel system but quickly craved a faster method. Thanks for this, there are a lot of great tips that can help me improve both speed and quality in my painting.
Thank you for tackling this subject! As a long time Imperial Fist player I have worked for a long time to find a good and fast and effective way to paint yellow on Space Marines. I've gotten it down to four steps and i think it really adheres to how you described your "less is more" approach. It as nice to see that kind of thinking on miniatures painting being accepted and advocated for.
I will always respect Duncan, but once I learned about Grimm dark, that was some awesome awesome mind blowing experience, because it brought back a lot of the old stuff from train painting and miniatures for that
Great advice. I've been painting for 30+ years, before we had TH-cam tutorials. My painting style has changed a lot, and improved significantly. About the only things I have not tried are air brushes and oil paints as washes.
I find that Contrast-style paints are a great way to do a controlled recess shade. They're very forgiving if you have trouble controlling the brush, as they tend to naturally shrink back into the target recess.
You know to be totally honest, this video has been super validating towards the way that I've been painting, I haven't been using a lot of the citadel painting method, I just never got into it, though I have been using a number of citadel paints, I just never exactly got it so I've been kind of feeling my way through painting and watching a lot of videos on TH-cam and have roughly stumbled into a painting style that's fairly similar to your second ork you painted, I have a very bright and saturated painting style and have been painting a similar way with the difference being that I start with my shade color paint on most of the model with the shade color then paint a highlight over that which is my midtone and then highlight from there. I've been recently experimenting with blending and undertones so this video has kind of felt very relieving that I'm not going the exact wrong way. So thank you very much for making it!
I really liked this video. So many painters (me included) learned with the GW method and it's great for beginners but there are other ways to paint. The most important things is that by tying something new, we learn and improve much faster
This was really helpful for me. I’ve stopped watching many painting videos as I felt I’d found “my style”, but it’s heavily based on the citadel system (some modifications) and I can get frustrated “redoing” work I did in a previous step. The side by side and step by step was really helpful. Also, I’m partially here because of juggz podcast, and shout outs to Rob!
This method does kind of require a good command of both colour theory, great brush control and command of your paint mixing thinning, it's definitely not beginner or intermediate friendly, it's definitely for someone looking to be a advanced painter. I've painted hundreds of miniatures, with a mix of the citadel method and also grim dark techniques and have gone on to dabble with this approach to skin with some blending and thin layers rather than washes, and it is really really hard to get good results. Like REALLY hard. The presenter sort of sugar coats the difficulty you'll have learning this.
Louise. That is one of the best-looking Orks I've ever seen and I've been around for a while. If I owned an army of Orks painted like that I think I'd sit there staring at them all day. 😂
i started painting a year ago, and never learned to paint ever, just kinda started. with the tips form this channel and just trying stuff, i now commission work at the local game shop
I was a self taught mini painter. There weren't YT tutorials or any friends and peers who painted back when I was learning. A couple of years ago I switched to the Citadel method, and have noticed my models have actually been looking worse, albeit painted faster than I used to. My self learned painting went like this: 1)Black primer. Always black primer 2)Lay down a base coat, taking my time to purposely avoid recesses to leave them with the black showing (this took quite a lot of time) 3)drybrush my highlight color 4)repeat step 2, but with the details. This method did take a lot of time. The only army I got close to finished with this method was my DropZone Commander army. Honestly this video has inspired me to revisit my own self taught method. Maybe I can speed it up with newer knowledge?
What a cracking video, very inspirational! Always thought wet blending was diffucult from what others have said but doesn't look anywhere near as difficult as they make out from your video. The second ork looks brilliant too 🤘
Thanks. I actually stumbled into that wet blending base coat method trying to paint a demon prince with some "fiery" skin tones. Going from bright yellow in the recesses to darker reds on the round of the muscles. I then discovered I can wet blend different colours into each other by looking at the infinity painting style. And models look much better with more daring shading and blending.
What an excellent video! I very recently returned to the hobby after more than a decade away, and am trying to settle on a painting approach that I am happy with. This is very reassuring! Also, that rack behind you with the 90s Citadel paint pots is giving me serious flashbacks!
A really great concise video on the topic! I learned to use most of these techniques and styles from the absolutely superb videos of Vince Venturella, especially avoiding using the shades too much or really almost at all and adding interesting contrasting colours to shadows to really bring the model alive. Vincent's videos are super detailed and these lessons are in many videos, so having some of the most important lessons in one video is very useful.
I long ago switched out the citadel painting method and using interesting colours is my favourite thing, but this video is still super inspirational! I def feel the bit about keeping some bits simple and not overcomplicating everything. I'm coming back to painting after a semi-break while recovering from a back injury, and i'm having to re-evaluate my painting style, so your pep talk was extremely helpful thanks :)
@16:28..."In fact often something as simple as a base coat and a small edge highlight looks much better than a base coat, a wash, four layers and three edge highlights..." Solid Gold Advice...Right Here
Great video Louise! Very interesting to see the ideas on the non-Citadel side of things and I will certainly be testing them out at some point in the future. If I had a critique though, it would be that since the two Orks weren't painted in the same general colours, we didn't really get a fair comparison between the two techniques. I know that you wanted to highlight the ability to do a more brightly coloured miniature, but I feel that this isn't impossible from the Citadel system (side eyes Imperial Fists and other brightly painted armies) so kinda a moot point? And since a lot of folks in our community prefer the grimdark style, they're naturally going to be drawn to that Ork and more inclined to dismiss the other one purely on the grounds of it being bright and colourful, which is a shame since I feel it is the better painted of the two minis.
Great video, and perfect timing! Just the other week I was looking to explore new styles of painting and this is giving me some great tips and starting points.
The second ork is my favourite. Ive been trying to unlearn the old ways too. Going for a more abstract and painterly method. Just picked up a Mordor battlehost to try some stuff out on.
Also, once Contrast Paints hit the scene, it became all contrast all the time, and that bothered me. I've been bucking the way I used to paint for a long time, now, which was more or less a variant of the Citadel Painting System (from Privateer Press), by not relying on washes near as much as I used to. I've been getting into glazing my layers and sometimes I use paints on my palette and sometimes I use inks or even my Citadel washes thinned down drastically. Recess shading seems like something I could use more often to this end, and wet blending, too. I'm also trying my level best to try and paint with brighter colors, and this video was a big help in reminding me of this goal. Wonderful and fun video as always, Miss Louise!
Love the topic, unlearning isn't covered enough, and not just for painting. Most of us learn things that are actually limiting in the pursuit of obtaining acceptable or even good results relatively quickly and easily. Training wheels can be subtle to the point of not even noticing them. You've far outgrown the workshop system and your best 🖌work is definitely ahead of you.
If you look at my Orks from a few years back and my orks now there's a huge difference and it's ditching the wash. It's recess shades with burnt sienna, not green, and some pink in the deep recesses around the face, makes for a much more interesting model and they're more fun to paint
I'm sure you mean well but you should take a look at some of her other videos to see what she can do when she has the time to spend! :) She's created some amazing looking pieces!
This is a great video. While I broke out of the CPS by going down a more Blanchitsu/Grimdark route with enamels, oil washes and white-spirit, I recognise that’s become a comfort zone all of itself for me. I love the second Ork precisely because going for bright, super-saturated and colourful results is where I need to go next, in order to keep developing as a miniature painter. Thanks Louise!
I am so glad that the hobby has so many different painting styles and methods, when I started in the 'obby you did your three paints and a base. I don't think either is "better" cos they're both really cool, they're just different!
All these years into painting and having started doing commissions, I don't have a set style or system. I adjust constantly, and learn styles and techniques with every mini I've painted. I keep it fun by having endless variety even within uniform armies like Ultramarines.
I've painted in dozens of ways over the years, from following my dads teaching (basically painting within the lines) with Humbrols, to the neat colourful 90's Citadel, through various clean paint efforts of various drybrush, shade, tone, wash, basecoat, black borders, edge highlight, slapchop and zenithal two decades before it was called slapchop and zenithal and so on, wet palette and so on. I've never done airbrush (though I own one). All, bar airbrushing, were included at some point or other in a White Dwarf painting guide because that's really all we had. Can still remember meeting someone painting a blue dragon in a store in 95'ish who was adding layers of highlights to the top of the model that looked like they had added paint, then wiped it off. He revealed, no, he was in fact just watering the paint down and applying extra thin coats to created layered highlights. That pretty much just blew my mind as watering down paints was an alien concept from my Humbrol background. In short: new techniques come along all the time, and trends and habits (and even technology) moves on - so the Citadel guides are great, but they should be taken with the pinch of salt. The same way a young footballer would read a "guide to shooting".
Your alternate miniature here reminds me strongly of what Games Workshop advised for painting in the 90s, apart from the undercoat colour. I've been out of the hobby for a long time so I've never heard of the Citadel Painting System, but it sounds like it's mostly meant to sell a range of branded paints. I like the more saturated look and more defined highlighting and shading of your alternate version, but I guess I would, having grown up on the old paint range and style!
You can paint grimdark with some very bright details, like bright pink plasma and ice-blue lenses on space marine armor. Having those OSL details drown out almost all the other color can work really well.
The newer ork paint job is so good. And it should be a creative medium in which to paint miniatures, I have seen Aeldari with neon paint jobs and they look awesome.
Fantastic video, thank you! I have just recently started exploring more expressive ways to combine colours and it was great to get a bit of extra encouragement! Also I think hobby painters need to be constantly reminded that painting miniatures should be fun and that the only way to keep it fun is to be looking for more new fun things to try (which I think the video does very well). 😊
Loved this video! I just started a Genestealer Cult army, and decided to only use 6 heavy body acrylic paints, and mix what i need. Only one model painted, but i think it is the most interesting paint job i have ever done.
I think this is great. I learned how to paint from a couple of masters who happened to be people who were regulars at the little independent hobby shop where I worked. They spoke out against the GW method regularly but pointed out that it is easy to explain in writing and intuitive to a beginner. They said it was good that I didn’t want to learn that method to start though because I’d have to unlearn a few things if I wanted to advance further.
I tend to paint my armies with bright and poppy colors. I like my minis to be visible from a distance and bring people in to check them out. I wholly agree with painting with a different color palette helps you up your game as you have to learn to balance the colors that pop with others to bring balance to the figure and help focus the attention to where you intend it when you paint. Great advice overall!
I kicked the citadel system a while back. Actually it was a guide from the eavy metal painters that started with a mid range paint colour and went to painting in shades and then highlights that pushed my painting further. That with Darren Latham's videos I learned a very different style.
@@roguehobbies Lol! I can imagine trolling your past self while editing could be a nice bit of entertainment while doing the less-fun part of making videos.
They both are fantastic paint jobs, though I'm more partial to the second. I love both grimdark/gritty and bright and colorful minis, all depending on the mini/game in question.
hey, great video! I watch them all anyway, but I really like the ones where you paint 28mm fantasy or sci fi stuff as that's what I paint. it's also really nice to see your older stuff where you painted more in the GW style becuase you've obviously changed it up a lot over time, and I've had a similar experience (although, you paint very differently to me. also better.) years ago I asked a friend of mine who worked as a GW manager for years if other ways of painting were a real thing.... and ofcourse they are, but it really felt like they werent say... 10 years ago, to me anyway. just wanted to comment to say I appreciate your channel, and how much consideration you give to how people experience the hobby in an almost sociological way for your videos. it's clear how much thought goes into everything you make, and I'll watch it all..... but I do personally enjoy the ones like this the best because of how different your style of painting is, and how you structure/present the subject as a discussion about - rather than a solution to - painting models. thanks again!
I can't wait to learn how to unlearn and also relearn all the things!
@@firstylastington6127 I can't wait to unread and then reread this lovely comment, thank u :3
I think I am particularly good at unlearning, learning is hard though!
Now you're learning!
😂😂😂
I am stuck in a learning loop😭!
Outside ok the joke, learning outside of the citadel course open to new horizon (not spiting on citadel ways of learning, it helps beginners a lot)
This is not just one of Rogue’s best videos but one of the most honest and helpful videos about painting on TH-cam. Demystifying the process and the differences between styles and their limits is perfect. Thank you!
🥹♥️
100%. We created the
‘System’ for beginners and intermediates to get results they were happy with. It’s only really a set of tools that anyone can adapt to their needs and there are a lot of really great tools and techniques from other companies and creators to play with and have fun with.
I never played Warhammer growing up - but I played a lot of classic Battle Tech and even in that the process was PRIME - BASE - WASH - DRYBRUSH (Highlight) - I'm not sure where we got it from, but that same paint system carried over across the entire landscape of mini painting in the mid-90's. Honestly, that's still what I'm doing except after all that there may be a series of blending, highlighting and washing to get the desired effect. Hasn't done me wrong in about 30 years and I'm a little better now than I was at 12...
If you are using the Citadel system to paint intermediate level miniatures, you are getting scammed. If you only want tabletop level, buy primers and use slapchop. Why? It's faster, cheaper, and overall... Just better.
@@zackredgarz3690slapchop came along much later than the citadel system. Largely as a result of contrast which was launched years after the current main citadel range. Contrast was intended to get painting done faster and we knew that it was a just a tool that people would take and adapt to other uses 😊 seems to have worked.
@@zackredgarz3690 That's some flawed logic. You sound like the guy who talks crap on people at the game store for what their minis look like, then wonder why no one wants to play with you,
@@mimas120 Don't be mad, everyone knows Citadel only wants to sell 3 paints minimum for each colour to beginners... And is not worth or even fair to new people. Slapchop is faster and friendly to people without experience so better than base, shade, layering, dry and all plehora of paint ranges. The rest of your comment is just a very sad ad hominem.
I came to the conclusion many years ago I do not have the artistic talent to paint award winning or display miniatures, and that's fine. The citadel method gets me great looking warhammer armies and battletech lances for me to play with and I'm really happy with that.
Which is exactly what most people need to be doing most of the time. Unless you are painting a special mini for a specific reason (competition, display, hero mini, etc...), just get it painted and move on to the next one.
Yeah that’s me. I spend all my effort into recreating boxart minis.
I am also not of high artistic talent, but the citadel method gets me a consistent, good looking models to play games with. Will they win awards? No, but they look good at wargaming distances, cohesive, and and don't take forever to paint.
I think the citadel method is one thing that allows technician personalities to paint to a good standard, where not following it is what artist personalities do.
Or, to put it a different way, the difference between a chef and a baker. The baker follows a process, and gets consistent, good results. The Chef cooks with feeling, and can have wildly different results.
@@JMcMillen and CONSUME MORE, paint them fast and buy new ones
But here's the thing, and its not really fully articulated in this vid: even for "tabletop-standard", the citadel method is far from the most efficient. Having to highlight *everything* + having redundant extra steps (i.e. rebasing to highlight up a shade) makes you take more time than you need. Getting smart with undercoats + having less steps helps me paint faster and have a more productive time
There are 2 tutorials I need.
This video and Peachy's how to move your hand faster and then I am set.
I'm telling him to make this now!
Just set to x4 speed
I been painting since 1987 and I am trying to capture that skill again at 58 years old!
I'm doing the exact same thing, started back in in 1988, and jumping back in at 47.
As someone who only in the last hour has finished my first miniature, this video is so inspiring and useful for how I can further develop my painting, as while I'm reasonably happy with how it is, I feel like the shading and lack of gradual shading, by not having blending is what is holding it back.
Richard Gray was the first one to push me out of my citadel approved bubble with his wet glazing/stabbing style. Few months ago I heard you mention that it feels so weird to go back over parts after applying a wash. That is basically when I stopped using washes for the "all over" method, and only applying them on details, or combining them into effects or mixing with contrasts/speed paints. This almost by itself pushed me suddenly to think about volumes and lighting, and after these few months I see a definite improvement (in my humble minipainter opinion).
Keep cracking those molds and kicking open the doors Louise!
Richard Gray and Sergio Calvo.
Personally, I'm a very slow learner when it comes to painting miniatures, partly because it has always seemed very intimidating but also because I'm self-taught from the 90s. The appeal to me of the Citadel method is it allows for almost a paint-by-numbers method whilst allowing me artistic freedom to explore the model while still getting results I could be proud of. I am in awed admiration of what painters like Louise and Peachy can do, but I know that's still a ways off for someone like myself. But! Videos like this allow me to start experimenting and step up my game ever so slightly each time. So thanks for this!
The citadel system worked great for a one size fits all but also in an age where people didn't have access to the vast amount of resources we do today. I've come back to the hobby after 25ish years away and honestly don't remember how I did way back when, but I've kind of learned from all over since coming back and its been interesting. Loved the video as always, only downside was I didn't care for the few references in the beginning of looking at golden demon and then looking at your own work; there is no reason for that to be something people do unless you are also entering contests, and I was surprised to see it mentioned a few times.
100% agree, no one watching this video will ever win a slayer sword so those are unrealistic standards
I'm a big fan of the old Kevin Adams space orks and the more colourful ork feels more reminiscent of those, so I definitely like that look.
One trick I've been using is to drybrush over a contrasting colour to give the effect of rust of weathering. For instance you can drybrush metal colours over a brown or orange base to get a good rusty metal effect.
I took this video to heart when starting painting my new Dwarfs for The Old World and it’s such a freeing and refreshing way to paint. I’m not stressing and the dwarfs are being done fast and look great. Thank you!
This video has completely changed the way I look at painting and I ordered your paints because of it 😁 thank you
I subscribe to the five thin coats method of painting. Keeps my miniatures nice and cozy warm 😊
The citadel one looks more modern 40k Grim-dark. Yours looks like it's sits between the Retro colours and the modern scheme, which is rather cool.
Thank you for this video. I’ve been spending 2024 unlearning the citadel method. From not using washes, to mixing my own colors, to even using oil paint instead of acrylics for some projects. It’s been liberating.
So now you are ready for Golden Demon, right?
I like both, neither look like the way I paint, but they do look like you painted them, you have a very definite style of painting. I love the way everyone paints a little different from each other.
So many amazing things I learned to maybe get out the comfort zone with and all I can think to comment on is how much that manic music cut in for each step title made me grin. I love this channel's "frantic, silly gremlin" energy on its editing. I found that it was Juan Hidalgo I got my first shove outside the comfort zone with, when he showed all the weird and wonderful things contrast paint can do that isn't just a single coat. People see my Tanith's camo cloaks and go "woah! How do I do that?" exactly like how I look at other painters I think are great. But it was him teaching TWO coats of a contrast, then glaze, then use a mixing pot fo contrast and medium and layer to get a gorgeous mud, and then stippling using semi translucent contrast to make it have a see-through to the base camo colour... he's SO good. I really want to try recess shading and that vivid nature now through after seeing this.
I really like the "other" orc it just pops more for me and it showed some new ideas to try out.
This was a solid video. I’ve gotten stuck in a rut with my painting and this has really inspired me to branch out with my colours and painting styles
This is a great video. When I started miniature painting in the 80’s there wasn’t really a GW method. Painters all wanted to stand out and be creative. My earliest GW pieces were for display in model shops and I used to lean into more flamboyant colour palettes. The GW method really created loads of similar boring looks and seems more about selling paints now.
Your videos never fail to get me excited to paint again, which is especially impressive considering I'm 3k into a tyranid army! Motivation to paint more of the same scheme can be hard to come by, but I find your whole outlook towards the hobby (seeking challenges, improvement, or just a new experience) so refreshing.
I like the facial detail on the second Ork. One of the coolest things when looking at an army is the individuality of each model. Highlighting standout areas contributes massively to this.
Well said Louise, having all kinds of unusual colour in the shaded areas is a game changer. I like to do a pre paint with an air brush of either a cool colour from above and a warm colour from below, or the other way around. A bit of colour theory knowledge with complementary colors and split complementary colours actually makes this easier. And not as differculty as one might think. Loved the video.
THIS is precisely what I've been doing these past couple of years, unlearning the Citadel system and branching out into different ways of painting. Wish more people could see this too, especially those stuck in their hobby plateaus.
Kudos, Louise. Also, very honored you signed our Pilipintados tshirt during Worlds a couple of weeks ago! The Filipino painting community loves your stuff!
I've heard you talk about how you need to progress your painting to the next level. From my perspective, you are the next level. I have been doing a lot of painting lately, and im starting to understand what you mean. I have always painted in the warhammer style: base, shade, highlight. It wasn't until I watched your vids that I started to up my game. I started to use a wet pallette and thats when I started to mix and create glazes and understand paint consistency. I've got a long way to go, but its creators like you that help us on our journey. Thanks Louise 😊.
This ranks up there as one of the best mini painting videos I've watched ever. The brighter colors on the 2nd guy look so much better to my colorblind eyes, which need lots of contrast to really appreciate detail. I love seeing stuff painted with brighter colors because of it. When I see stuff painted all dark and washed down and "grimdark" they just look undefined and ugly to me...and I can't differentiate much of the color differences.
The second is definitely the best, it brings back the craziness of the Orks that GW is trying to stamp out
I was already painting some orruks and was so stoked to see this video and I got to try this method out on my army. This is the first time in a long time where I felt that I actually improved. I think my mind just got blown away. Thanks louise
Aw this is so great to hear I'm glad it helped ☺️
Truly inspiring. I got the made to order marauder giant in the mail today, built it and I had until I watched this video no idea how I would take on the painting. But this video really got me thinking about more creative ways of painting this center piece model in a more fun way. Thanks for being great!
Thats awesome! I love that mini so much!
Both finished miniatures look great! Whatever people enjoy more is what they should do and worrying about labels etc should be a thing of the past.
Really glad that I started with model kits (mostly in 1/32nd & 1/35th scale), and modeling railroading a decade before I got into R.P.G's and miniature war gaming. I was also the generation that had to do buy figures from prior war games (Napoleonics, Roman, and others) to have figures for D&D. Granted I liked painting and modifying of these figures to have a character mini (for those combat moments were you all need to know where everyone is). I'm glad that I was building WW2 models & building dioramas, and model railroading, before wargaming because I was learning from the Master model makers for those hobbies. It was a domino effect. Each one I learned at lot from, and that knowledge & those skills carried over.
I like how easily digestible your suggestions are and how noticeably different the results are without either mini looking "lesser". Ghazghkull would be proud to go krumpin with either of those boyz, even if one looks a bit posh by comparison. I think a big contributor is also what you mention at the end, time and practice. Its like going to work, its taken me years to learn how to do 8 hours of work in 4 hours.
Man I wish this video was around when I first got back into the hobby! I spent a LOT of time trying to find anyone that was demonstrating the difference between like Showcase/Grimdark vs "I can clearly see that unit from where I'm standing and so can my opponent". In the last year and a half, this is the closest thing to that video; Alex @52Miniatures did a really nice job also. What I've found experimentally is that the quality of the paint job *can* make an impact, but primarily the saturation and contrast (both in color and value) are what will draw your eye the most.
2nd one hands down, much more fun to have fun painting and not being restricted to the painting system
I started learning to paint with the citadel system but quickly craved a faster method. Thanks for this, there are a lot of great tips that can help me improve both speed and quality in my painting.
I really love 'em both! Lots of cool tips on display!
Both look amazing!
To me the 1st one has a more realistic look and the 2nd one more vivid and cartoony. Really enjoyed that vid!
Glad you enjoyed it! ☺️
Thank you for tackling this subject! As a long time Imperial Fist player I have worked for a long time to find a good and fast and effective way to paint yellow on Space Marines. I've gotten it down to four steps and i think it really adheres to how you described your "less is more" approach. It as nice to see that kind of thinking on miniatures painting being accepted and advocated for.
the purple glaze for the shadows is a certified goblin gamechanger.
I will always respect Duncan, but once I learned about Grimm dark, that was some awesome awesome mind blowing experience, because it brought back a lot of the old stuff from train painting and miniatures for that
This is a great idea!
I like the reference to the old codex and where you took that thought.
Great Work!
Nice to meet you today, Louise! I'm assembling Abaddon in my hotel room as we speak!
Yay!! 😁🖐️ Hiiii
Great advice. I've been painting for 30+ years, before we had TH-cam tutorials. My painting style has changed a lot, and improved significantly. About the only things I have not tried are air brushes and oil paints as washes.
I find that Contrast-style paints are a great way to do a controlled recess shade.
They're very forgiving if you have trouble controlling the brush, as they tend to naturally shrink back into the target recess.
Great tip!
I love the bright ork. Also is just appeals to my love for savage orks. The extra pop of color really adds to the overall effect.
You know to be totally honest, this video has been super validating towards the way that I've been painting, I haven't been using a lot of the citadel painting method, I just never got into it, though I have been using a number of citadel paints, I just never exactly got it so I've been kind of feeling my way through painting and watching a lot of videos on TH-cam and have roughly stumbled into a painting style that's fairly similar to your second ork you painted, I have a very bright and saturated painting style and have been painting a similar way with the difference being that I start with my shade color paint on most of the model with the shade color then paint a highlight over that which is my midtone and then highlight from there. I've been recently experimenting with blending and undertones so this video has kind of felt very relieving that I'm not going the exact wrong way.
So thank you very much for making it!
I can not decide if I like the traditional or the "new" style best, they both look so good. Thank you for making videos like this.
Glad you like them! 😁
I really liked this video. So many painters (me included) learned with the GW method and it's great for beginners but there are other ways to paint. The most important things is that by tying something new, we learn and improve much faster
Love the music from your transitions, we need a full 10hour video ❤️
Such a great painter. Wise with colour, and brave with saturation
I missed this one when it first released. I think this is my favorite painting video of yours :)
This was really helpful for me. I’ve stopped watching many painting videos as I felt I’d found “my style”, but it’s heavily based on the citadel system (some modifications) and I can get frustrated “redoing” work I did in a previous step. The side by side and step by step was really helpful.
Also, I’m partially here because of juggz podcast, and shout outs to Rob!
This method does kind of require a good command of both colour theory, great brush control and command of your paint mixing thinning, it's definitely not beginner or intermediate friendly, it's definitely for someone looking to be a advanced painter. I've painted hundreds of miniatures, with a mix of the citadel method and also grim dark techniques and have gone on to dabble with this approach to skin with some blending and thin layers rather than washes, and it is really really hard to get good results. Like REALLY hard. The presenter sort of sugar coats the difficulty you'll have learning this.
real shit
Fantastic video definitely love how dynamic your version is. Very encouraging to try new things and mix in tones GW doesn’t preach.
Louise. That is one of the best-looking Orks I've ever seen and I've been around for a while. If I owned an army of Orks painted like that I think I'd sit there staring at them all day. 😂
So cool especially the second one, I also use a highly saturated violet instead of pink for the redness
Thanks for all the tips! Just starting out doing 40k but am a avid painter so this gave me confidence to dare try it my way❤
Been in a bit of a hobby slump but got back to it recently with the intention of going outside my comfort zone. This gave me a lot to think about!
i started painting a year ago, and never learned to paint ever, just kinda started. with the tips form this channel and just trying stuff, i now commission work at the local game shop
i also Base > highlight > wash for that grimdark look
I was a self taught mini painter. There weren't YT tutorials or any friends and peers who painted back when I was learning.
A couple of years ago I switched to the Citadel method, and have noticed my models have actually been looking worse, albeit painted faster than I used to.
My self learned painting went like this:
1)Black primer. Always black primer
2)Lay down a base coat, taking my time to purposely avoid recesses to leave them with the black showing (this took quite a lot of time)
3)drybrush my highlight color
4)repeat step 2, but with the details.
This method did take a lot of time. The only army I got close to finished with this method was my DropZone Commander army.
Honestly this video has inspired me to revisit my own self taught method. Maybe I can speed it up with newer knowledge?
I like both but like you said the second one is is stunning. One of your best video yet btw. Really enjoyed it.
Aww thanks so much 😊
What a cracking video, very inspirational! Always thought wet blending was diffucult from what others have said but doesn't look anywhere near as difficult as they make out from your video.
The second ork looks brilliant too 🤘
Thanks. I actually stumbled into that wet blending base coat method trying to paint a demon prince with some "fiery" skin tones. Going from bright yellow in the recesses to darker reds on the round of the muscles.
I then discovered I can wet blend different colours into each other by looking at the infinity painting style. And models look much better with more daring shading and blending.
What an excellent video! I very recently returned to the hobby after more than a decade away, and am trying to settle on a painting approach that I am happy with. This is very reassuring! Also, that rack behind you with the 90s Citadel paint pots is giving me serious flashbacks!
A really great concise video on the topic! I learned to use most of these techniques and styles from the absolutely superb videos of Vince Venturella, especially avoiding using the shades too much or really almost at all and adding interesting contrasting colours to shadows to really bring the model alive. Vincent's videos are super detailed and these lessons are in many videos, so having some of the most important lessons in one video is very useful.
I long ago switched out the citadel painting method and using interesting colours is my favourite thing, but this video is still super inspirational! I def feel the bit about keeping some bits simple and not overcomplicating everything. I'm coming back to painting after a semi-break while recovering from a back injury, and i'm having to re-evaluate my painting style, so your pep talk was extremely helpful thanks :)
@16:28..."In fact often something as simple as a base coat and a small edge highlight looks much better than a base coat, a wash, four layers and three edge highlights..."
Solid Gold Advice...Right Here
Great video Louise! Very interesting to see the ideas on the non-Citadel side of things and I will certainly be testing them out at some point in the future.
If I had a critique though, it would be that since the two Orks weren't painted in the same general colours, we didn't really get a fair comparison between the two techniques. I know that you wanted to highlight the ability to do a more brightly coloured miniature, but I feel that this isn't impossible from the Citadel system (side eyes Imperial Fists and other brightly painted armies) so kinda a moot point?
And since a lot of folks in our community prefer the grimdark style, they're naturally going to be drawn to that Ork and more inclined to dismiss the other one purely on the grounds of it being bright and colourful, which is a shame since I feel it is the better painted of the two minis.
Great video, and perfect timing! Just the other week I was looking to explore new styles of painting and this is giving me some great tips and starting points.
Both look great to be honest. Thank you for your in depth content, waiting for your next video.
The second ork is my favourite. Ive been trying to unlearn the old ways too. Going for a more abstract and painterly method. Just picked up a Mordor battlehost to try some stuff out on.
Also, once Contrast Paints hit the scene, it became all contrast all the time, and that bothered me. I've been bucking the way I used to paint for a long time, now, which was more or less a variant of the Citadel Painting System (from Privateer Press), by not relying on washes near as much as I used to. I've been getting into glazing my layers and sometimes I use paints on my palette and sometimes I use inks or even my Citadel washes thinned down drastically. Recess shading seems like something I could use more often to this end, and wet blending, too. I'm also trying my level best to try and paint with brighter colors, and this video was a big help in reminding me of this goal. Wonderful and fun video as always, Miss Louise!
Love the topic, unlearning isn't covered enough, and not just for painting. Most of us learn things that are actually limiting in the pursuit of obtaining acceptable or even good results relatively quickly and easily. Training wheels can be subtle to the point of not even noticing them. You've far outgrown the workshop system and your best 🖌work is definitely ahead of you.
If you look at my Orks from a few years back and my orks now there's a huge difference and it's ditching the wash.
It's recess shades with burnt sienna, not green, and some pink in the deep recesses around the face, makes for a much more interesting model and they're more fun to paint
I’ve been using a dark purple as the shadow in my reds and I think it’s been working well for me!
I like the second ork better. It is lighter and better looking. You painting has improved a lot. Nicely done.❤
I'm sure you mean well but you should take a look at some of her other videos to see what she can do when she has the time to spend! :)
She's created some amazing looking pieces!
@@fredrik241 What do you mean? I have seen what she can do.
This is a great video. While I broke out of the CPS by going down a more Blanchitsu/Grimdark route with enamels, oil washes and white-spirit, I recognise that’s become a comfort zone all of itself for me. I love the second Ork precisely because going for bright, super-saturated and colourful results is where I need to go next, in order to keep developing as a miniature painter. Thanks Louise!
The 2nd one looks 80's early 90's very nice.
Bang on. It totally reminded me of stuff I'd see in the Fantasy Miniatures hardback books
Biggest Tip, learn to wet blend and then enjoy 😅 Awesome Video....again 😁
Favorite thumbnail yet. 😁
There's no arrow though, I miss my emotional support arrow 🥺
I am so glad that the hobby has so many different painting styles and methods, when I started in the 'obby you did your three paints and a base. I don't think either is "better" cos they're both really cool, they're just different!
All these years into painting and having started doing commissions, I don't have a set style or system. I adjust constantly, and learn styles and techniques with every mini I've painted. I keep it fun by having endless variety even within uniform armies like Ultramarines.
I just moved and haven't set up my hobby area yet. This video is torture LOL but I am gonna power through. Thanks lady.
Great video! Remembering the citadel system is a guide and not law is really important too!
I've painted in dozens of ways over the years, from following my dads teaching (basically painting within the lines) with Humbrols, to the neat colourful 90's Citadel, through various clean paint efforts of various drybrush, shade, tone, wash, basecoat, black borders, edge highlight, slapchop and zenithal two decades before it was called slapchop and zenithal and so on, wet palette and so on. I've never done airbrush (though I own one). All, bar airbrushing, were included at some point or other in a White Dwarf painting guide because that's really all we had.
Can still remember meeting someone painting a blue dragon in a store in 95'ish who was adding layers of highlights to the top of the model that looked like they had added paint, then wiped it off. He revealed, no, he was in fact just watering the paint down and applying extra thin coats to created layered highlights. That pretty much just blew my mind as watering down paints was an alien concept from my Humbrol background.
In short: new techniques come along all the time, and trends and habits (and even technology) moves on - so the Citadel guides are great, but they should be taken with the pinch of salt. The same way a young footballer would read a "guide to shooting".
Your alternate miniature here reminds me strongly of what Games Workshop advised for painting in the 90s, apart from the undercoat colour. I've been out of the hobby for a long time so I've never heard of the Citadel Painting System, but it sounds like it's mostly meant to sell a range of branded paints. I like the more saturated look and more defined highlighting and shading of your alternate version, but I guess I would, having grown up on the old paint range and style!
Argh, there are two wolves inside me. One loves grimdark paintjobs but also love bright and colourful paintjobs. What a conundrum.
Grim bright?
Why not both!
You can paint grimdark with some very bright details, like bright pink plasma and ice-blue lenses on space marine armor. Having those OSL details drown out almost all the other color can work really well.
Grimdark is just pastel goth, I guess.
What a cool pair of wolves
The newer ork paint job is so good. And it should be a creative medium in which to paint miniatures, I have seen Aeldari with neon paint jobs and they look awesome.
Very nice video. This is more for competition. Keep up the good work.
Fantastic video, thank you!
I have just recently started exploring more expressive ways to combine colours and it was great to get a bit of extra encouragement!
Also I think hobby painters need to be constantly reminded that painting miniatures should be fun and that the only way to keep it fun is to be looking for more new fun things to try (which I think the video does very well). 😊
Loved this video! I just started a Genestealer Cult army, and decided to only use 6 heavy body acrylic paints, and mix what i need. Only one model painted, but i think it is the most interesting paint job i have ever done.
I think this is great. I learned how to paint from a couple of masters who happened to be people who were regulars at the little independent hobby shop where I worked. They spoke out against the GW method regularly but pointed out that it is easy to explain in writing and intuitive to a beginner. They said it was good that I didn’t want to learn that method to start though because I’d have to unlearn a few things if I wanted to advance further.
Second miniature is by far my favorite of the two.
I tend to paint my armies with bright and poppy colors. I like my minis to be visible from a distance and bring people in to check them out. I wholly agree with painting with a different color palette helps you up your game as you have to learn to balance the colors that pop with others to bring balance to the figure and help focus the attention to where you intend it when you paint. Great advice overall!
I kicked the citadel system a while back. Actually it was a guide from the eavy metal painters that started with a mid range paint colour and went to painting in shades and then highlights that pushed my painting further. That with Darren Latham's videos I learned a very different style.
Louise: whoosh! No, that way.
Editor (maybe also Louise?): lol, no!
I had a good laugh at that one!
Editor Louise is also Louise but we have very different energies
@@roguehobbies Lol! I can imagine trolling your past self while editing could be a nice bit of entertainment while doing the less-fun part of making videos.
They both are fantastic paint jobs, though I'm more partial to the second.
I love both grimdark/gritty and bright and colorful minis, all depending on the mini/game in question.
Wow, imagine a whole sqaud of those boyz runnin towards ya
hey, great video! I watch them all anyway, but I really like the ones where you paint 28mm fantasy or sci fi stuff as that's what I paint. it's also really nice to see your older stuff where you painted more in the GW style becuase you've obviously changed it up a lot over time, and I've had a similar experience (although, you paint very differently to me. also better.) years ago I asked a friend of mine who worked as a GW manager for years if other ways of painting were a real thing.... and ofcourse they are, but it really felt like they werent say... 10 years ago, to me anyway.
just wanted to comment to say I appreciate your channel, and how much consideration you give to how people experience the hobby in an almost sociological way for your videos. it's clear how much thought goes into everything you make, and I'll watch it all..... but I do personally enjoy the ones like this the best because of how different your style of painting is, and how you structure/present the subject as a discussion about - rather than a solution to - painting models.
thanks again!