For easy cleaning of those plastic palettes, just take some elmers school glue and smear it over the gunked up surface. Then let it dry overnight. This will create a film which will adhere to the dried paint which you then can just peel off, removing the paint and giving you a nice clean palette again.
Great tips for starting out for sure. Just like any hobby I always recommend getting the cheapest option first, and using it til it breaks. Once it breaks you'll know yourself if it's worth getting the more expensive option as the replacement. Doesn't apply directly to some things, but the main message is the same: start cheap and work your way up. Experience is the best teacher you can ask for.
When it comes to brushes I tell new painters go cheap but for paint ,it may suck but the purpose intended paints work far better than craft general purpose cheap alternatives . So a newbie will get far better results ( and in my experience then be more likely to take to it as they have had some measure of success to spur them to possibly do more.
@@soulfirez4270Worth getting a more limited palette, (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, white is all you need to mix just about any color). And learning color mixing early on pays off. And learning how to make your own quality thinner, a quart or liter of distilled water with ~ten drops of rinse aid (flow improver) and ~ 5 drops vegetable glycerin (drying retarder).
I'm a comic book artist and RPG illustrator who has been working since 1996. In my experience, the best high end brushes for painting miniatures are the Raphael Kolinsky Red Sable 8404 brushes and Winsor & Newton Series 7. Pretty similar to each other in quality, both are sable brushes. These are brushes for high end work. They last longer, fray far less, and if you clean them out and reform their points after cleaning, they'll last for years. I feel like the Raphaels are slightly better than the W&N 7s, because they seem to last a little longer for me, but your mileage may vary there. Brush Care & Maintenance: I clean my Raphael brushes out with shampoo and then conditioner, rinsing in warm water. Why? Brush bristles are hair, and shampoo and conditioner cleans hair better than just soap and warm water. I've been using one Raphael brush which is very much like a Winsor & Newton Series 7 brush, since 1997! I still ink with it. It's lasted forever because I've cleaned it with shampoo and conditioner regularly. Raphaels, like W&N 7s, are comic book inking standard brushes meant to last. They do a wonderful job painting wet mediums like water colors or acrylic, and are very suitable for model and miniature painting. Brush Advice: Keep paint away from the metal clasp that holds the bristles. If paint gets up and under that cylindrical clasp, they bristles will fray outward, and you'll never be able to reform a good point. The point is what you need to do fine, detail work, so avoid getting paint under there. If you do, wash out your brush immediately, and then you should be okay. Once dried paint gets under there though, your brush is ruined for detail work! Brush Point Repair Trick: After a while, even the best brush will start to fray, and it will be harder to maintain a good point. One thing that you can do is to wash your brush with shampoo. Clean it as well as you can, rinsing out the shampoo. Then, apply conditioner, but DON'T rinse it out. Insteady, reform the point with the conditioner still in the bristles. Once you do this, then place your brush on a window sill or some place out of the way. Leave it there for a few days with the conditioner caked in. After about 3 or 4 days, you will notice that the bristles will feel stiff to the touch. That's a good thing. Wash out the conditioner with warm, soapy water. The conditioner treatment should have retrained your point, and you should be able to get more life out of your brush! I hope my comments prove helpful. As a miniature painter myself, I love a good brush that lasts a while. Cheap brushes are usually disposable affairs. With a cheap $5 brush, you get what you pay for, and you can't ask much more of it than painting a miniature or two before you need a replacement. The high end brushes will last far longer, but you'll need to be willing to pay a bit more for 'em. Life's tough. Wear a helmet! ;) Good luck! www.lostonwallace.com/OldWitchCommission1100.jpg
@@jeffreykershner440 Any shampoo will do, as long as it cleans hair well. It's important to also clean with conditioner too, as that helps the bristles reform the point easier. The shampoo cleans and removes paint and/or ink, while the conditioner helps retrain the point.
@@samprastherabbit I have some of that stuff, but I have only used it once or twice, so I don't really have a strong opinion on it. Some people say that it works well, but unless it's been used long-term, it's difficult to say whether it will be make a brush last longer or not.
I'm a tattoo artist, and a lot of my time I spend it painting in watercolor and acrylics (when I'm not tattooing, of course). I love roleplaying and minis, but it's been a while since I painted my last mini, and finding inspiration again to paint some in videos like yours. So, as far as my experience goes, W&N Series 7 are top quality brushes... For watercolors, they last for years (in fact, in 8 years since I bought some, I've never needed to buy new ones), acrylic paint can destroy brushes quickly, so I don't recommend using kolinsky sable hair brushes with acrylics, for that, i suggest to stick with synthetic hair brushes, they end up having almost the same lifespan. If you want to, it's ok, but take good care of your brushes and, once you clean them really good, put some hair conditioner on them (it can help to prevent damage from the harsh quemicals in paints, solvents and brush cleaners) and may extend it's lifespan for a while.
if you are new to miniature painting then I recommend investing into 1 or 2 bottles of shades. These are diluted acrylic paints that are applied on the coat of base paints and when they dry their darker pigment settles into the crevices of the mini, creating cool and easy shadows if applied carefully. This will ramp up the quality of your mini by so much with minimal effort and lets you understand a bit better where light should be in a miniature. I recommend citadel shades because there is a wide variety and they are one of their better products.
I use cheap synthetic brushes for base coating and have a few sable brushes for layer and fine detail work. The synthetics will lose their point fairly quickly. Also, makeup brushes are great for drybrushing. Definitely use a wet palette. It's a game changer.
Right up my alley! Experimentation with paints, additives, washes, and brushes is part of the fun of mini painting. Great overview. The big thing if someone is getting into the hobby: just keep painting. You learn something with every mini you paint. Remember that "done is beautiful!" Your insulation noodle paint dryer is a great tip - thanks, Nate!!
When I saw a video for auto-hobbyists (aka cars and such) the host recommended something along the lines of cheap tools for the rough stuff; more expensive tools for finer, more difficult stuff. I'd say this video lines up fairly well with that. You recommended getting cheap brushes for dry-brushing, but something a bit higher in price for details. The nail polish stand and pillbottle are brilliant examples of rough stuff. And with paint you seem to lean more towards actual miniature paints, though you also say the cheap stuff can be used for terrain and less detailed stuff like that.
I've got a roll of cheap, plastic trash bags that I keep with my paints. If I'm not painting at my desk such as when I'm doing a couple minis that require a lot of drying time or if I'm painting elsewhere, it lets me spread it out without risking getting paint on things that it shouldn't be on (Same with glue) and it also means that when you're assembling things, you don't have as many issues with finding any parts that slip. Another relatively cheap option that I've started using is to use a lot of the acryllic artists inks (I prefer FW branded ones with my experience) for doing a lot of shading and other work. They aren't as good for giving a full coat on something, but they work great as a wash or to tint other colors for use, but can be used instead of a lot of paints if you use an airbrush. Empty Bottles...I keep a few of the empty paint bottles of both the dropper ones and a few of the craft paint sized ones around. They are often sold empty, don't bother trying to clean old ones out because it doesn't work very well in my experience. You can put your own blends in them and I tend to always keep at least one with rubbing alcohol, because you can get some very interesting effects such as a patina look by using a few drops added to the paint. For larger drybushing (Such as with terrain pieces), go to the dollar store and look at their larger makeup brushes, they are wondrous things for dealing with large paint jobs. While not a "paint" you really should get one of the larger bottles of the high gloss polyeurethane from the craft paint section of most craft stores. You can use it for mouths and eyes and anything you want to look wet, it also works well if you mix it with little bits of paint as a cheap option for water and other liquid effects. I've done slime, blood, and other things with it. The bottles are extremely cheap and last forever.
Hard to go wrong with a nice Vallejo starter set. Their whole line is really top notch. A couple of their washes (brown and dark grey will get the most use) will also serve well. For brushes, the DaVinci Nova is cheap but keeps a good point as long as you keep it clean. Get a #0 and a #2. The smaller size doesn't have a sharper point, but it won't hold as much paint so it's easier to control how much you're putting down on the model. The smaller size is also a little easier to do edge highlights with. If you're more interested in drybrushing follow Teri Litorco's advice and get a round eye shadow brush from the makeup aisle. A cheap one is fine. For a palette I use an aluminium one-it's tough and I can scrub the daylights out of it, and if I use enamels (more of a military model thing) the solvent won't damage the palette. For cheap weathering effects on terrain or models consider watercolor pencils. The ones made by AK Industries are quite good, and the price is comparable to lines like Derwent or Tombow. Watercolor is subtle, and very easy to work with. Just make sure to seal your work with something like Dullcote as the finish is not very rugged.
An idea for the painy pallette is after some acrylics have built up on it, giving it texture, spray it with white or Grey primer to give yourself a clear space to test out your brush for dry brushing.
Reaper paints are my favorite. I've tried Vallejo and Army Painter and definitely prefer Reaper. Also, since Reaper is an American company located in Texas, there's the added benefit of supporting a company within my home state. They mix all the paint in-house and are just amazing to order from.
I love this one. Great job 1. I use just about every kind of paint you displayed. I use Apple Barrel for my terrain as well. 2. I am a fan of Vallejo Paints for miniatures and detailing I get a good amount of terrain done with the amount of paint in a single bottle 3. The brushes I use are all pretty cheap, but I do admit I am a bit rough on them, so they do not last as long as they could. 4. I used to use a pill bottle but I saw a Citadel mini holder on sale and purchased it. The way it fits in my hand with the curved bottom, it does not cramp my hand as much s the bottle. I would recommend trying it to paint multiple miniatures in "one go". I am pretty sure you will notice the difference.
These tips are great. I was looking into getting back into mini painting (and it's been so long I'm going to have to start from scratch) and I wish there had good getting started tutorial 20 years ago. I learned through trial and error that what a specific paint was meant for does matter and made the mistake of buying Testors model paints to start with not realizing that model paint was not the same as mini paint (and it was, unfortunately, what the closest hobby store to me carried). You _can_ get a result that looks decent, but you're going to end up fighting with it to get it there. I mean, it's a good model paint, but for minis, it's a paint of last resort. When I got a chance to use Citidel the first time I was struck with how much easier it was to use to get the same result and decided to switch over. I ended up getting a collection of cheap craft paints for the base colors I used the most and then started acquiring proper mini paints as I went. I will say that using cheap craft paint, to begin with, is better than buying the wrong dedicated paints. They are good enough for learning the techniques that you'll use with the more pricy mini paints and give you a chance to find out if you even want to stick with mini painting because, like all hobbies, it's not enjoyable for everyone. For the DIY wet pallet, I'd recommend using something like a cellulose sponge cloth cut to fit inside your container instead of the paper towels. It gives you a flat surface to work with and isn't going to disintegrate into mush on you. I'm going to have to remember the foam noodle for drying brushes. That's fairly ingenious.
Since I don't have a dedicated spot, keeping the table I'm using clean is important. I use a dollar store big rectangle party table cloth (basically the thin plastic sheets in various colors) and cut it big enough to use like a drop cloth. When it gets too sloppy, I toss it and cut another chunk. I don't skimp on brushes and like natural hair ones best. I found that out when I did ceramics a lot. The cheap plastics ones are just too stiff and the paint doesn't stick in the brush right. I also use an uber fancy coated paper plate for my palate. It's pretty cheap and I don't need to wash it.
Have been involved in the hobby since the early/mid 1970's: Ceramcoat by Delta is excellent acrylic paint - every bit as durable as any of the resin- based miniatures paints. Have used it to paint thousands of miniatures in 15 & 25/28mm for the over four decades I have used it and never been disappointed - except with their metallic paints - avoid these and use Vallejo, Army Painter, et cetera, instead. Inverting the brushes to drymiscan online urban myth that was not thought through. In 50 years I have never had - nor have I ever known of - brushes suffering ill effects from being left to dry tuft-up. In fact, Winsor & Newton, Raphael, Da Vinci, Escoda, Andrea - the manufacturers of some of the finest brushes in the world for decades and, in WN case, centuries - all recommend drying and storing them tuft-up! Doing so allows proper air circulation during evaporation (liquid to gas that rises) and keeps the hair in the ferrule dry by not trapping water and gases in the base of the tuft (by inversion). Additionally, I and literally millions of other painters over the centuries have stored then tuft-up without issue. So, myth busted/disproven by the manufacturers themselves.
I think when starting out get the cheapest most basic (branded) starter paint set your budget allows anywhere from £12.00 upwards. Then add to it one paint, ink e.t.c at a time. No point spending hundreds on loads of colours half of which you might not use. Start slow get to know what your models are missing the most. Enjoy the painting above all! ,you can have a whole army looking half decent with few colours. Just keep adding colours and features as experience grows and time allows. Great video b.t.w 👌👍
I only bought 8 colours and used them to make all the colours I needed. I also used slime putty to hold my mini to my handle. That way I avoided spending $50 on the multi-pack and focus on my minis.
Beginning painters need encouragement, from simple, easy-to-achieve, successes. For this reason, I recommend simple block painting techniques, followed by the classic, Dip Technique, using Minwax Polyshades Urethane Stain (Royal Walnut: dirty, in the trenches look, when done) -- brush it on, though, rather than dunking, as it is much easier to control the results. Virtually *anyone* can produce block-painted, Dip'ed mini's, which look decent, on the table, at 3+ feet! They can always work on higher quality techniques, if they enjoy it. Cheap, craft paints, work just fine, until they try to climb the 'quality' ladder. Cheers!
Heya Nate, I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a pack of fine detail brushes. They look like pointy Q-tips, but smaller. You get 50 in a pack. The makers name is Tamiya, item no. 87105-280. They cost $4.99. They look great for details, I have not used them yet.
Some great tips in there. Would love to see a craft paint vs mini paint off on identical models video. Loved the noodle idea. Going to use that for sure! I’ve been using the $6 pack of yellow handled brushes from hobby lobby for years. I probably spend the same amount though, I buy a new pack every 6 months or so. Main difference is that I have other people over to paint, so having a big jar of brushes for them to use is helpful. Wouldn’t let those hooligans touch my good brushes ;)
I found that putting a sheet of aluminum foil on the table (taped down ofc) worked well to protect the desk from paint spillage and I didn't need to worry about pallets, ect... you can just mix the paint anywhere!
I don’t think the holders you can buy at the stores are worth it. Your trick is the best I’ve come across, been doing it that way for more than a year. I used the citadel holder once and never used it again.
Solid advice, I personally only use cheap brushes (golden taklon) from walmart/hobby lobby. I have some sables, but never use them. Unless you are going for competition level quality, craft brushes will be just fine.
I started off with the craft paints because of budget. But they do tend to have a dull, almost chalky finish. I use them for scenery now due to that taking a lot more paint and reserve my good Vallejo paints for my minis. As for brushes, I've never seen much difference between pricey ones and cheap ones at Michael's or Hobby Lobby ($5 for a pack of 4), particularly if you keep them clean with things like Master's Brush Cleaner or even just some good old fashioned soap and water. And the comment on storing it bristles down after cleaning is great - I learned that one the hardway. Pro-painter Sam Lens (Lenz?) simply has a rubberband around his water cup. I have a wire holder that came with a brush cleaning cup from a craft store, and your foam holder is pretty brilliant too. Wet pallette for the win! I got so much better at properly thinning my paints when I switched to one of those. And I actually have gotten where I prefer the paper for the Sta-wet over parchment (the parchment, I find, is too wet and the paint separates from its medium if you leave it overnight); you just have to prep the special paper by soaking it in almost boilng water first. Overall though, you use what works for you and fits your budget. Hobbies should be fun, not stressful. ;-)
@@WASD20 I also find that trimming off about 1/2 inch from the edges so some of the sponge is exposed helps. This is true of both the baking parchment and the palette paper. It keeps the edges moist and prevents curling.
As a miniature painter for 13 years, yes its worth it. Use cheap craft paint for terrain, high quality paint for minis Also, army painter brushes are my go to
I have a couple of good brushes and I have never seen them loosing a single hair over years!! And if you care for them, they look as well as they did on the first day.
I use M&M mini containers and blue tack to hold the minis while i paint. Then I use a poker chip holder to keep them upright when they are drying as they are obviously top heavy. I should probably weigh them down but they stay upright with the poker chip holder.
Hey, just wanted to say, you have the right idea over here. I've been using regular craft paint lately just because the cost is so much less. Certainly you might want some special colors for certain models, but I've found the craft paint to work out alright. Some colors are definitely better than others. Good show my man. Glad I subscribed.👌
I go pretty cheep on brushes; buying most of them in large bundles on Aliexpress or hitting up the makeup isle at the dollar store for cheep dry brushes. I do spend $4-5 on one particular brand of fine detail brush though. As for paints, my first GW minis were painted with Liquitex craft paint about 25 years ago. They came out pretty good and still look as good as they did back then... I would NOT however use those again; I use a few Citadel paints, but mostly Vallejo. The paint really is something you shouldn't scrimp on.
This was perfect timing for me on this video. I have been painting minis with the cheap acrylic paints and was wondering what my next step should be. I will be looking into a paint set made for minis. Hopefully I can get a good selection for around $30. Thanks Nate for yet another great and informative video.
I know this is an old video BUT three things that are way overpriced for how “important” some people pretend they are: miniature painting branded rattle cans/ spray cans, branded super glues, and brush soap. For rattle cans, in Sweden branded cans from Army Painter, Vallejo, AK, Citadel are between $10-$15 (100-150 SEK) and they aren’t even that good. Go for matte graffiti cans. Here you can get Montana Gold spray cans for only $5.5 (55 SEK) and they are amazing. Great for priming, amazing finish, and with the various spray hats, or whatever that are called, it means that you cans even paint with them if you’re skilled enough. Just the quality alone means I’ll never buy mini branded cans. As for glue, it’s just glue, my dudes… again, super glue sold as specifically for mini painting is way more expensive that regular hardware store glue. I got a bundle 50 ml bottle of glue and spray activator (if you need that for some reason) for just $5 (50 SEK) compared for i.e. Army Painter super glue which is 20 ml for $5. Though I’ve never used the glue activator. And soap, brush soap is just regular Marseille Soap but more expensive. You can get a little cube of it for $2-$5 and it will last you a long time. And it’s good and easy to use for your hands as well ;). So just be aware of that. Many items can be bought way cheaper for the same or better quality. Mini branded does not mean better quality.
My main issue with craft paint, is how grainy it is. On the other hand, it's extremely easy to remove, just a couple of strokes with wet cotton stick, no need for buying paint removers, extremely easy mistake correction, you can change your entire colour scheme on the fly, and it's kinda good for blending gradients
Thank you so much for your advices! We are newbies so it's easy to be really lost in all new information, but you structured it in a very convenient way.
I say do if your going for detailing on miniatures yes it’s worth the extra coin. I’m a cheap and usually use only cheap Walmart paint and brushes. I just bought the $21 D&D paint set box and a GOOD brush not the Walmart ones. But if your doing landscape or backgrounds go cheap. The different is amazing!
Alcohol (isopropanol 99.9%) and detergent are also important and cheap. This not only allows you to create good washes from normal colors. And normal soap can be used to clean brushes. In general, some cheap brushes are better than branded brushes.
Hack... not a cheap one but makes the hobby waaaaaaay more enjoyable and productive.. get an airbrush. Cheap compressors and brushes are available these days, just find a reputable one (I use Bartsharp which is very affordable and decent). Even if you only use them for priming they just speed it up massively and you get a beautiful, uniform coat that dries quickly and goes on 10x faster than hand painting for the same effect. The results that I get from airbrushing models is incredible. It was the biggest leap of any change to my painting in how professional they looked. It's more difficult to use them for fine detail (not impossible) but larger models can be almost entirely painted, very quickly and to a higher standard when done right with an airbrush. This is especially true for warmachine models. Even if you don't intend on painting Warmachine check out a video from LesterBursleyMiniatures where he paints a Khador jack. I followed this guide and was blown away by the quality, being able to paint 15+ jacks so quickly and so beautifully really staggered me after spending hours handpainting and producing really less than satisfactory results.
Just to add a note that airbrush painting is very, very different in technique. If you watched the video I recommended it shows one of the main differences early on, using black and white primers/undercoats to preempt shading/highlights works so, so well.
Great video man, I still support buying cheap first to make sure your into this & not end up like me buying a metric ton of minis, tons of paints & then sending you all my minis lol. Best advice for any beginner stick with folkart tell you know your in this for the long haul. Plus a lot of the better stuff you won't know if it's better unless you try the cheap stuff first, again can't recommend enough starting with the cheap-O stuff.
Truth. I've seen people do this with all kinds of hobbies. Someone who thinks they're going to start mountain biking goes out and buys a 2,000 bike that just sits in the garage, etc. Make sure it's something you love first.
@@WASD20 Oh I'm king that guy, remember the time I bought like $1,000 in Star Wars models & never built but one or two of them? Therapist : "What do you say when your depressed?" Me: "Add to cart?"
I buy brushes in bulk off of Wish. They may not last as long as others, but I have so many of them, it totally makes it worth it. I went through a variety of "handles" before I settled on Jenga blocks and poster putty. Also, is that a Rider's Hobbies price tag I see? Making me all nostalgic over here...
Great call on the Rosemary & Co brushes- first Kolinsky's. Well done on keeping yours in good shape! I best the hell out of my size 0 lol I put metallics, washes, everything through that thing lol I'd highly recommend a look at Jackson Arts for their Raphael 8404 Kolinsky sable brushes. They hold a larger amount of paint than the Rosemary ones. I love your solution to drying your brushes safely!
Thanks Nate! I need to do some proper mini painting again. I currently have one sad lonely half-painted one-armed space marine looking at me forlornly from the corner of my desk, gathering dust...
I love painting miniatures and gamming. But I found that the two don't mix. Just recently I was doing a combat scene. I had everything laid out when one of the players decided to flip one of the playing pieces across the room. When the blood fog left my eyes. I decided to switch over to wooden dowels that I found in a craft store. They look like the top half of a clothes pin with the pegs cut off. Some stylized painting and hey presto they're done. I still paint but my figures stay safe in a display case.
Not all craft paints are created equal. Not all "miniature" paints are created equal. Paint quality is based on pigment, binder, and vehicle and different pigments behave differently in every single line of paint. In the end "craft" paints are better than canvas paints for miniature painting and when people are learning brush control the quality of the paint is not as important especially if they are on a budget or don't want to drop a hundred bucks or more to try out a new hobby. Once they invest time to get their brush control down it's definitely good to look for better materials. In my experience Delta paints are far better than Folk Art and Apple Barrel. Vallejo are my favorite "miniature" paints but I prefer the historic lines to the fantasy/sci-fi line. I don't believe any company that tells me their brushes are designed for miniature painting although most of the miniature company brushes are better than craft brushes but not any better than good art brushes. in truth most miniature companies have almost all their accessory hobby supplies made out of house then they slap their label on it. Games Workshop is notorious for gouging people for their hobby supplies. That branding cost their unwitting customers a fortune.
If you are using cheep paint coat your model in some baking soda and then knock it all off, it will make sure your model is really dry for priming and gives a really small (not visible) texture to the model that can help paint stick
These are great tips for peeps starting out! And I’ve certainly learned a lot from Dr Faust’s Painting Clinic over the years!! Love the idea of using foam for holding drying brushes! That’s a new idea for me. Thx for Vid
Great video! Very timely just got my first minis and paint set for Christmas. Have used your suggestions and some from others like Black Magic Craft. Key ones: small flower pot + mactac holder, homemade wet pallet (definitely considering buying one though just like you showed), something you didn't mention a makeup brush for dry brushing (tip from Metal King).
Hi Nate, I love your videos and I am getting into miniatures. I live in South Africa and we don't have Amazon so can u recommend another site. Thanks g 👍👍
Don’t even bother using a plate for a pallete. Your mini came in one! Just use the cardboard box. I still do that to this day. I absolutely, very highly recommend spending a lot on 1(one) expensive brush, as small as you can find. It will be so worth it for details like eyes. Then just have 2 or 3 cheap brushes for everything else. I personally don’t have any problem at all with just holding my mini. Maybe that’s just me though. You can probably assemble a spruce mini with whatever you already have at home. For my first Frameworks mini, I used regular scissors instead of sprue cutters, skipped the mold line removal/general cleaning(or just use a kitchen knife), and some weird glue I had laying around. I don’t even know what kind of glue it was supposed to be. The one huge reason NOT to start with sprue minis is because they’re not pre primed, and primer is stupid expensive. I’d rather spend my $20 on four $5 Nolzur’s boxes to get 8 minis instead of buying a can of primer. The act of priming can be super easy though, and free aside from the primer itself. Do you have an empty pizza box? If not, go get pizza. Ok, now just put your minis on it. The raised edges of the box will stop the primer from blowing your minis off into the sunset.
I had some disastrous results last night with that folk art paint. What ratio would you thin it ? My minis I painted with reaper paint were leaps and bounds better than when I tried to go with the folk art paints.
Very strange. I can't hear it at all! I even tried with headphones. Is it the whole intro where I'm talking to the camera or is there a specific moment?
I started as a broke middle school kid in the 2000s. Now I'm teaching my son and we're using all the old "broke kid" techniques again. Dollar tree FTW.
@@WASD20 I have bought a set of Stormcast Eternals Sequitors. My friend said that they where pre-primed. But now I know that that probally isn’t. Thank you 😄
Never buy a $5 brush. They don't last long, they have have a good point, and they're not much fun to paint with. Get a good brush or a really cheap brush. I've used cheap brushes, and they're ... cheap. For good brushes, I use any of: * Winsor & Newton Series 7 round (some people like the Series 7 Miniature, but I like the longer bristles of the regular Series 7) * Rafael Series 8404 (The 8408s are decent too, but not my preference) * da Vinci Series 10, Series 11, or Series 33 Not a huge fan of Rosemary and Co, but some people like them enough, in part because they're a bit cheaper.
Great tips. Very thankful for this video. These clearly take a lot of time to create and your dedication to the material shows through. What are your thoughts about "Jeweler's Glasses"? Magnifying glasses to enlarge details for easier access?
I think they can really help, but personally I fear them because I find that I am already picky enough with my own work. I’d rather not see every little messed up and continue with the illusion that my work is great. :)
Unless you are a master of paint moisture and can craft ANY sort of color scheme you want, you want to buy these specific colors... it saves a lot of time and headache
Happens to me too! You need to let the sponge dry out completely from time to time. The paint will often stay wet for days, but if you have it in a warm environment the sponge will get moldy. I'd recommend letting it dry out about once a week and keeping it in a coolish place.
Ok, so I'm going to chime in a bit, and just ask you to bear with me for the whole thing, prior to any responses. Firstly, the #1 most important thing that people forget to consider is PRIMER. Vallejo make wonderful paints, but their primer is mediocre at best. TAP is superior, and Citadel is hot garbage (not as bad as, say, the armory, or w/e it's called - if that even exists any longer). Vallejo's primer on those pre-primed minis, btw, is just outright atrocious and should be removed asap, then soon replaced with something of quality. What do I - and countless others - recommend? BADGER STYNYLREZ. Once you use it - and properly - it will quickly be apparent as to WHY so many LOVE it. It's designed for airbrush use, but goes on very well via bristle method as well. Seriously, though, just do it, and you'll "get it". That being said, here are my recommendations for the beginning painter (and heck, even non-rookies as well!), without further adieu... Primer: Stynylrez (now comes in a fairly broad range of colors, too!) Paint: Delta Ceramcoat, Plaid Apple Barrel, Plaid Folk Art, and don't forget a bottle of fluid matte medium from Golden Acrylics - which you'll want to use with ANY brand of paints you use. Varnish: Minwax Polycrylic water-based, which comes in gloss, satin and matte. Just get the semi-gloss and matte, do 1 coat of each for protection & a nice matte overall finish. Paint shakers/mixing balls: glass spherical beads (look like small marbles) for small bottles, larger bottles I suggest glass marbles Dry Brushes: the cheapest deal you can find on make-up brushes (I get mine at Walmart, when they do Christmas clearance at 50% or higher discounts) Other brushes: TAP (The Army Painter) brush set - 100% worth the value, especially if you find it on sale. Pallet: TAP Wet Pallet (there are plenty of options, but this little guy really does have a fantastic bang-for-buck ROI) Paint Storage: (note that everyone's preferences may vary, and I'm very anal-retentive where storage and protection is concerned, especially when paints - which can be prone to drying out - are involved) Recollections (or equivalent) brand organizers, with thin foam weather stripping added to the seal areas as a gasket, to prevent the paints from drying out.
In terms of brushes I prefer the ones I can get from Hobby Lobby for $5 a pack of 4. I have not invested in expensive brushes as replacing them for more than that a piece would drive me crazy (even if they last as long as they are priced). Do not use the model brushes produced by Testors. They are not worth two cents let alone two dollars for the pack. They are as useless garbage as you can get.
I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but there's a really high-pitched ring constantly going through this entire video. It started giving me a headache only a minute and a half into watching. This is my first video I've seen of yours though, so I can't speak to your more recent releases. I just really hope this is addressed in some fashion.
Yes. Sorry about this. I had a microphone I used for parts of this video that has this effect. I can't personally hear it, but thanks to commenters like you I HAVE indeed ditched that microphone.
@@WASD20 no problem! May be worth running most video audio through a de-essing filter, can really make a difference in making it sound crisp while eliminating stuff like that!
You've got a high pitched whistle through the video, I'm not sure if you'd be able to hear it, but it's from your mic. It's... made the video unfortunately unwatchable.
Paint brands is irrelevant. If you learn to paint with brand x and progress to where you are satisfied with your paint job. Then what brand paint you buy makes no difference. No one cares what Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Michaelangelo, Ploock, Etc.. used. They created art. No one bothered them about paint, brush or canvas brands. So in painting.. what you use is not really valid as it is presented here. Where the advantage is.. Ease of use. Some techniques are easier to perform with the more expesive paints. Thats it.. If that has value to you and your painting you may want to invest more. The difference between craft acrylic paints and the "Designer" Acrylic paints in general is two fold the amount of pigment and the granularity of those pigments. There you have it... paint with what you practice. and be the best painter you can be. As far as brushes go same story different chapter. Some brushes will hold their point betterthan others. You can go with what you want. Don't discount cheap makeup brushes for dry brushing. If you go with the more expensive brushes. Learn to take care of them and condition the hairs. The point is practice practice practice. Far more important than the materials used
Agreed on this point - It's ALL about ease of use for me. And practice makes a far bigger difference than materials in getting good results. But none of this was focused on getting the best results for me. Just tools that make for a better experience, as you mention. Fewer coats, less frustration in getting the paint to do what you want. It all makes for a better experience and greater enjoyment. "The difference between craft acrylic paints and the "Designer" Acrylic paints in general is two fold the amount of pigment and the granularity of those pigments." That doesn't sound irrelevant, but okay. :)
For easy cleaning of those plastic palettes, just take some elmers school glue and smear it over the gunked up surface. Then let it dry overnight. This will create a film which will adhere to the dried paint which you then can just peel off, removing the paint and giving you a nice clean palette again.
Great tips for starting out for sure. Just like any hobby I always recommend getting the cheapest option first, and using it til it breaks. Once it breaks you'll know yourself if it's worth getting the more expensive option as the replacement. Doesn't apply directly to some things, but the main message is the same: start cheap and work your way up. Experience is the best teacher you can ask for.
For sure!
When it comes to brushes I tell new painters go cheap but for paint ,it may suck but the purpose intended paints work far better than craft general purpose cheap alternatives . So a newbie will get far better results ( and in my experience then be more likely to take to it as they have had some measure of success to spur them to possibly do more.
@@soulfirez4270Worth getting a more limited palette, (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, white is all you need to mix just about any color). And learning color mixing early on pays off. And learning how to make your own quality thinner, a quart or liter of distilled water with ~ten drops of rinse aid (flow improver) and ~ 5 drops vegetable glycerin (drying retarder).
Look for a make up brush cleaner, it’s like a silicone pad with various types of ridges you can use to clean out brushes!
I will! Thanks for the tip.
I'm a comic book artist and RPG illustrator who has been working since 1996. In my experience, the best high end brushes for painting miniatures are the Raphael Kolinsky Red Sable 8404 brushes and Winsor & Newton Series 7. Pretty similar to each other in quality, both are sable brushes. These are brushes for high end work. They last longer, fray far less, and if you clean them out and reform their points after cleaning, they'll last for years. I feel like the Raphaels are slightly better than the W&N 7s, because they seem to last a little longer for me, but your mileage may vary there.
Brush Care & Maintenance: I clean my Raphael brushes out with shampoo and then conditioner, rinsing in warm water. Why? Brush bristles are hair, and shampoo and conditioner cleans hair better than just soap and warm water. I've been using one Raphael brush which is very much like a Winsor & Newton Series 7 brush, since 1997! I still ink with it. It's lasted forever because I've cleaned it with shampoo and conditioner regularly. Raphaels, like W&N 7s, are comic book inking standard brushes meant to last. They do a wonderful job painting wet mediums like water colors or acrylic, and are very suitable for model and miniature painting.
Brush Advice: Keep paint away from the metal clasp that holds the bristles. If paint gets up and under that cylindrical clasp, they bristles will fray outward, and you'll never be able to reform a good point. The point is what you need to do fine, detail work, so avoid getting paint under there. If you do, wash out your brush immediately, and then you should be okay. Once dried paint gets under there though, your brush is ruined for detail work!
Brush Point Repair Trick: After a while, even the best brush will start to fray, and it will be harder to maintain a good point. One thing that you can do is to wash your brush with shampoo. Clean it as well as you can, rinsing out the shampoo. Then, apply conditioner, but DON'T rinse it out. Insteady, reform the point with the conditioner still in the bristles. Once you do this, then place your brush on a window sill or some place out of the way. Leave it there for a few days with the conditioner caked in. After about 3 or 4 days, you will notice that the bristles will feel stiff to the touch. That's a good thing. Wash out the conditioner with warm, soapy water. The conditioner treatment should have retrained your point, and you should be able to get more life out of your brush!
I hope my comments prove helpful. As a miniature painter myself, I love a good brush that lasts a while. Cheap brushes are usually disposable affairs. With a cheap $5 brush, you get what you pay for, and you can't ask much more of it than painting a miniature or two before you need a replacement. The high end brushes will last far longer, but you'll need to be willing to pay a bit more for 'em. Life's tough. Wear a helmet! ;)
Good luck! www.lostonwallace.com/OldWitchCommission1100.jpg
Any old shampoo?
@@jeffreykershner440 Any shampoo will do, as long as it cleans hair well. It's important to also clean with conditioner too, as that helps the bristles reform the point easier. The shampoo cleans and removes paint and/or ink, while the conditioner helps retrain the point.
Huh, I might just try your mad conditioner trick out for my points! Thanks for sharing that. What do you think of Master's Brush Soap?
@@samprastherabbit I have some of that stuff, but I have only used it once or twice, so I don't really have a strong opinion on it. Some people say that it works well, but unless it's been used long-term, it's difficult to say whether it will be make a brush last longer or not.
@@lostonwallace1396 can explain what you are meaning by conditioner?
I recommend using distilled water for your wet palette. Hard tap water could get the sponge gross very quickly.
I'm a tattoo artist, and a lot of my time I spend it painting in watercolor and acrylics (when I'm not tattooing, of course). I love roleplaying and minis, but it's been a while since I painted my last mini, and finding inspiration again to paint some in videos like yours. So, as far as my experience goes, W&N Series 7 are top quality brushes... For watercolors, they last for years (in fact, in 8 years since I bought some, I've never needed to buy new ones), acrylic paint can destroy brushes quickly, so I don't recommend using kolinsky sable hair brushes with acrylics, for that, i suggest to stick with synthetic hair brushes, they end up having almost the same lifespan. If you want to, it's ok, but take good care of your brushes and, once you clean them really good, put some hair conditioner on them (it can help to prevent damage from the harsh quemicals in paints, solvents and brush cleaners) and may extend it's lifespan for a while.
The best brushes I ever got were a pack of 10 for $9.99 they have lasted over a year now and are phenomenal at their job.
if you are new to miniature painting then I recommend investing into 1 or 2 bottles of shades. These are diluted acrylic paints that are applied on the coat of base paints and when they dry their darker pigment settles into the crevices of the mini, creating cool and easy shadows if applied carefully. This will ramp up the quality of your mini by so much with minimal effort and lets you understand a bit better where light should be in a miniature. I recommend citadel shades because there is a wide variety and they are one of their better products.
cheap makeup brushes are my go-to for dry brushes. ELF makes a few that are only a dollar or two in different sizes and hold up well
Great tip!
Christmas clearance at Walmart = major score for these.
I use cheap synthetic brushes for base coating and have a few sable brushes for layer and fine detail work. The synthetics will lose their point fairly quickly. Also, makeup brushes are great for drybrushing. Definitely use a wet palette. It's a game changer.
Right up my alley! Experimentation with paints, additives, washes, and brushes is part of the fun of mini painting. Great overview. The big thing if someone is getting into the hobby: just keep painting. You learn something with every mini you paint. Remember that "done is beautiful!"
Your insulation noodle paint dryer is a great tip - thanks, Nate!!
When I saw a video for auto-hobbyists (aka cars and such) the host recommended something along the lines of cheap tools for the rough stuff; more expensive tools for finer, more difficult stuff.
I'd say this video lines up fairly well with that. You recommended getting cheap brushes for dry-brushing, but something a bit higher in price for details. The nail polish stand and pillbottle are brilliant examples of rough stuff. And with paint you seem to lean more towards actual miniature paints, though you also say the cheap stuff can be used for terrain and less detailed stuff like that.
I've got a roll of cheap, plastic trash bags that I keep with my paints. If I'm not painting at my desk such as when I'm doing a couple minis that require a lot of drying time or if I'm painting elsewhere, it lets me spread it out without risking getting paint on things that it shouldn't be on (Same with glue) and it also means that when you're assembling things, you don't have as many issues with finding any parts that slip.
Another relatively cheap option that I've started using is to use a lot of the acryllic artists inks (I prefer FW branded ones with my experience) for doing a lot of shading and other work. They aren't as good for giving a full coat on something, but they work great as a wash or to tint other colors for use, but can be used instead of a lot of paints if you use an airbrush.
Empty Bottles...I keep a few of the empty paint bottles of both the dropper ones and a few of the craft paint sized ones around. They are often sold empty, don't bother trying to clean old ones out because it doesn't work very well in my experience. You can put your own blends in them and I tend to always keep at least one with rubbing alcohol, because you can get some very interesting effects such as a patina look by using a few drops added to the paint.
For larger drybushing (Such as with terrain pieces), go to the dollar store and look at their larger makeup brushes, they are wondrous things for dealing with large paint jobs.
While not a "paint" you really should get one of the larger bottles of the high gloss polyeurethane from the craft paint section of most craft stores. You can use it for mouths and eyes and anything you want to look wet, it also works well if you mix it with little bits of paint as a cheap option for water and other liquid effects. I've done slime, blood, and other things with it. The bottles are extremely cheap and last forever.
Hard to go wrong with a nice Vallejo starter set. Their whole line is really top notch. A couple of their washes (brown and dark grey will get the most use) will also serve well. For brushes, the DaVinci Nova is cheap but keeps a good point as long as you keep it clean. Get a #0 and a #2. The smaller size doesn't have a sharper point, but it won't hold as much paint so it's easier to control how much you're putting down on the model. The smaller size is also a little easier to do edge highlights with. If you're more interested in drybrushing follow Teri Litorco's advice and get a round eye shadow brush from the makeup aisle. A cheap one is fine. For a palette I use an aluminium one-it's tough and I can scrub the daylights out of it, and if I use enamels (more of a military model thing) the solvent won't damage the palette.
For cheap weathering effects on terrain or models consider watercolor pencils. The ones made by AK Industries are quite good, and the price is comparable to lines like Derwent or Tombow. Watercolor is subtle, and very easy to work with. Just make sure to seal your work with something like Dullcote as the finish is not very rugged.
Nail polish rack. Brillant. Thanks for the tipp! Haven't thought of that! 👍
An idea for the painy pallette is after some acrylics have built up on it, giving it texture, spray it with white or Grey primer to give yourself a clear space to test out your brush for dry brushing.
Best tip i've got is THIN paints. that'll save headache later. better to thin too much and have to build the color than have too thick of paint
I’m looking to get into painting minis and this is a great intro! Great video man! Also the comments are so helpful. Thanks!
Reaper paints are my favorite. I've tried Vallejo and Army Painter and definitely prefer Reaper. Also, since Reaper is an American company located in Texas, there's the added benefit of supporting a company within my home state. They mix all the paint in-house and are just amazing to order from.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check them out to support Texas.
@@fosty.They are excellent paints indeed!
@@PhD777 Damn, I forgot all about them when I actually ended up buying some. Maybe next time.
I love this one. Great job
1. I use just about every kind of paint you displayed. I use Apple Barrel for my terrain as well.
2. I am a fan of Vallejo Paints for miniatures and detailing I get a good amount of terrain done with the amount of paint in a single bottle
3. The brushes I use are all pretty cheap, but I do admit I am a bit rough on them, so they do not last as long as they could.
4. I used to use a pill bottle but I saw a Citadel mini holder on sale and purchased it. The way it fits in my hand with the curved bottom, it does not cramp my hand as much s the bottle. I would recommend trying it to paint multiple miniatures in "one go". I am pretty sure you will notice the difference.
These tips are great. I was looking into getting back into mini painting (and it's been so long I'm going to have to start from scratch) and I wish there had good getting started tutorial 20 years ago. I learned through trial and error that what a specific paint was meant for does matter and made the mistake of buying Testors model paints to start with not realizing that model paint was not the same as mini paint (and it was, unfortunately, what the closest hobby store to me carried). You _can_ get a result that looks decent, but you're going to end up fighting with it to get it there. I mean, it's a good model paint, but for minis, it's a paint of last resort. When I got a chance to use Citidel the first time I was struck with how much easier it was to use to get the same result and decided to switch over. I ended up getting a collection of cheap craft paints for the base colors I used the most and then started acquiring proper mini paints as I went. I will say that using cheap craft paint, to begin with, is better than buying the wrong dedicated paints. They are good enough for learning the techniques that you'll use with the more pricy mini paints and give you a chance to find out if you even want to stick with mini painting because, like all hobbies, it's not enjoyable for everyone.
For the DIY wet pallet, I'd recommend using something like a cellulose sponge cloth cut to fit inside your container instead of the paper towels. It gives you a flat surface to work with and isn't going to disintegrate into mush on you.
I'm going to have to remember the foam noodle for drying brushes. That's fairly ingenious.
Since I don't have a dedicated spot, keeping the table I'm using clean is important. I use a dollar store big rectangle party table cloth (basically the thin plastic sheets in various colors) and cut it big enough to use like a drop cloth. When it gets too sloppy, I toss it and cut another chunk.
I don't skimp on brushes and like natural hair ones best. I found that out when I did ceramics a lot. The cheap plastics ones are just too stiff and the paint doesn't stick in the brush right.
I also use an uber fancy coated paper plate for my palate. It's pretty cheap and I don't need to wash it.
Have been involved in the hobby since the early/mid 1970's: Ceramcoat by Delta is excellent acrylic paint - every bit as durable as any of the resin- based miniatures paints. Have used it to paint thousands of miniatures in 15 & 25/28mm for the over four decades I have used it and never been disappointed - except with their metallic paints - avoid these and use Vallejo, Army Painter, et cetera, instead.
Inverting the brushes to drymiscan online urban myth that was not thought through. In 50 years I have never had - nor have I ever known of - brushes suffering ill effects from being left to dry tuft-up. In fact, Winsor & Newton, Raphael, Da Vinci, Escoda, Andrea - the manufacturers of some of the finest brushes in the world for decades and, in WN case, centuries - all recommend drying and storing them tuft-up! Doing so allows proper air circulation during evaporation (liquid to gas that rises) and keeps the hair in the ferrule dry by not trapping water and gases in the base of the tuft (by inversion). Additionally, I and literally millions of other painters over the centuries have stored then tuft-up without issue. So, myth busted/disproven by the manufacturers themselves.
I think when starting out get the cheapest most basic (branded) starter paint set your budget allows anywhere from £12.00 upwards. Then add to it one paint, ink e.t.c at a time. No point spending hundreds on loads of colours half of which you might not use. Start slow get to know what your models are missing the most. Enjoy the painting above all! ,you can have a whole army looking half decent with few colours. Just keep adding colours and features as experience grows and time allows. Great video b.t.w 👌👍
I only bought 8 colours and used them to make all the colours I needed. I also used slime putty to hold my mini to my handle. That way I avoided spending $50 on the multi-pack and focus on my minis.
Beginning painters need encouragement, from simple, easy-to-achieve, successes. For this reason, I recommend simple block painting techniques, followed by the classic, Dip Technique, using Minwax Polyshades Urethane Stain (Royal Walnut: dirty, in the trenches look, when done) -- brush it on, though, rather than dunking, as it is much easier to control the results. Virtually *anyone* can produce block-painted, Dip'ed mini's, which look decent, on the table, at 3+ feet! They can always work on higher quality techniques, if they enjoy it. Cheap, craft paints, work just fine, until they try to climb the 'quality' ladder. Cheers!
Heya Nate, I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a pack of fine detail brushes. They look like pointy Q-tips, but smaller. You get 50 in a pack. The makers name is Tamiya, item no. 87105-280. They cost $4.99. They look great for details, I have not used them yet.
I am selling painted minis these day and I am definitely getting the bail polish rack this week.
Some great tips in there. Would love to see a craft paint vs mini paint off on identical models video. Loved the noodle idea. Going to use that for sure!
I’ve been using the $6 pack of yellow handled brushes from hobby lobby for years. I probably spend the same amount though, I buy a new pack every 6 months or so. Main difference is that I have other people over to paint, so having a big jar of brushes for them to use is helpful. Wouldn’t let those hooligans touch my good brushes ;)
That pipe insulation model is a very smart solution!
I found that putting a sheet of aluminum foil on the table (taped down ofc) worked well to protect the desk from paint spillage and I didn't need to worry about pallets, ect... you can just mix the paint anywhere!
I don’t think the holders you can buy at the stores are worth it. Your trick is the best I’ve come across, been doing it that way for more than a year. I used the citadel holder once and never used it again.
Solid advice, I personally only use cheap brushes (golden taklon) from walmart/hobby lobby. I have some sables, but never use them. Unless you are going for competition level quality, craft brushes will be just fine.
I started off with the craft paints because of budget. But they do tend to have a dull, almost chalky finish. I use them for scenery now due to that taking a lot more paint and reserve my good Vallejo paints for my minis.
As for brushes, I've never seen much difference between pricey ones and cheap ones at Michael's or Hobby Lobby ($5 for a pack of 4), particularly if you keep them clean with things like Master's Brush Cleaner or even just some good old fashioned soap and water. And the comment on storing it bristles down after cleaning is great - I learned that one the hardway. Pro-painter Sam Lens (Lenz?) simply has a rubberband around his water cup. I have a wire holder that came with a brush cleaning cup from a craft store, and your foam holder is pretty brilliant too.
Wet pallette for the win! I got so much better at properly thinning my paints when I switched to one of those. And I actually have gotten where I prefer the paper for the Sta-wet over parchment (the parchment, I find, is too wet and the paint separates from its medium if you leave it overnight); you just have to prep the special paper by soaking it in almost boilng water first.
Overall though, you use what works for you and fits your budget. Hobbies should be fun, not stressful. ;-)
Agreed! I really should buy some more of the pallet paper. It was better than parchment paper, but I haven’t gotten around to buying more.
@@WASD20 I also find that trimming off about 1/2 inch from the edges so some of the sponge is exposed helps. This is true of both the baking parchment and the palette paper. It keeps the edges moist and prevents curling.
As a miniature painter for 13 years, yes its worth it. Use cheap craft paint for terrain, high quality paint for minis
Also, army painter brushes are my go to
I love the wet pallet hack because my paint always dries soo fast
I have a couple of good brushes and I have never seen them loosing a single hair over years!! And if you care for them, they look as well as they did on the first day.
I use M&M mini containers and blue tack to hold the minis while i paint. Then I use a poker chip holder to keep them upright when they are drying as they are obviously top heavy. I should probably weigh them down but they stay upright with the poker chip holder.
Hey, just wanted to say, you have the right idea over here. I've been using regular craft paint lately just because the cost is so much less. Certainly you might want some special colors for certain models, but I've found the craft paint to work out alright. Some colors are definitely better than others. Good show my man. Glad I subscribed.👌
I go pretty cheep on brushes; buying most of them in large bundles on Aliexpress or hitting up the makeup isle at the dollar store for cheep dry brushes. I do spend $4-5 on one particular brand of fine detail brush though.
As for paints, my first GW minis were painted with Liquitex craft paint about 25 years ago. They came out pretty good and still look as good as they did back then... I would NOT however use those again; I use a few Citadel paints, but mostly Vallejo. The paint really is something you shouldn't scrimp on.
I'm looking for a baby chicken.
I have painted a very small 3 color eye with iris using a series 7 and craft paint.
This is our favorite way to relax and plan our next adventures! Thanks NateDog,
This was perfect timing for me on this video. I have been painting minis with the cheap acrylic paints and was wondering what my next step should be. I will be looking into a paint set made for minis. Hopefully I can get a good selection for around $30. Thanks Nate for yet another great and informative video.
That Vallejo set he has linked in the description is great, $10 over your budget but definitely worth the investment.
Never would have thought to use a pill bottle and some sticky tac. Def getting a like and sub for that hack
I know this is an old video BUT three things that are way overpriced for how “important” some people pretend they are: miniature painting branded rattle cans/ spray cans, branded super glues, and brush soap.
For rattle cans, in Sweden branded cans from Army Painter, Vallejo, AK, Citadel are between $10-$15 (100-150 SEK) and they aren’t even that good. Go for matte graffiti cans. Here you can get Montana Gold spray cans for only $5.5 (55 SEK) and they are amazing. Great for priming, amazing finish, and with the various spray hats, or whatever that are called, it means that you cans even paint with them if you’re skilled enough. Just the quality alone means I’ll never buy mini branded cans.
As for glue, it’s just glue, my dudes… again, super glue sold as specifically for mini painting is way more expensive that regular hardware store glue. I got a bundle 50 ml bottle of glue and spray activator (if you need that for some reason) for just $5 (50 SEK) compared for i.e. Army Painter super glue which is 20 ml for $5. Though I’ve never used the glue activator.
And soap, brush soap is just regular Marseille Soap but more expensive. You can get a little cube of it for $2-$5 and it will last you a long time. And it’s good and easy to use for your hands as well ;).
So just be aware of that. Many items can be bought way cheaper for the same or better quality. Mini branded does not mean better quality.
Always go with cheap brushes from Walmart. They are good for a few minis and I don’t feel bad throwing them out when they only cost 25 cents a pop
My main issue with craft paint, is how grainy it is.
On the other hand, it's extremely easy to remove, just a couple of strokes with wet cotton stick, no need for buying paint removers, extremely easy mistake correction, you can change your entire colour scheme on the fly, and it's kinda good for blending gradients
Thank you so much for your advices! We are newbies so it's easy to be really lost in all new information, but you structured it in a very convenient way.
I have a bunch of paint from walmart i use 4 art. I could probably use those 4 minitures.
I say do if your going for detailing on miniatures yes it’s worth the extra coin. I’m a cheap and usually use only cheap Walmart paint and brushes.
I just bought the $21 D&D paint set box and a GOOD brush not the Walmart ones.
But if your doing landscape or backgrounds go cheap.
The different is amazing!
I like the brush drying area idea Nate! Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching, Mike.
Alcohol (isopropanol 99.9%) and detergent are also important and cheap. This not only allows you to create good washes from normal colors. And normal soap can be used to clean brushes. In general, some cheap brushes are better than branded brushes.
Doesn't alcohol destroy acrylic or do you mean for enamels?
Hack... not a cheap one but makes the hobby waaaaaaay more enjoyable and productive.. get an airbrush. Cheap compressors and brushes are available these days, just find a reputable one (I use Bartsharp which is very affordable and decent). Even if you only use them for priming they just speed it up massively and you get a beautiful, uniform coat that dries quickly and goes on 10x faster than hand painting for the same effect.
The results that I get from airbrushing models is incredible. It was the biggest leap of any change to my painting in how professional they looked. It's more difficult to use them for fine detail (not impossible) but larger models can be almost entirely painted, very quickly and to a higher standard when done right with an airbrush. This is especially true for warmachine models. Even if you don't intend on painting Warmachine check out a video from LesterBursleyMiniatures where he paints a Khador jack. I followed this guide and was blown away by the quality, being able to paint 15+ jacks so quickly and so beautifully really staggered me after spending hours handpainting and producing really less than satisfactory results.
Just to add a note that airbrush painting is very, very different in technique. If you watched the video I recommended it shows one of the main differences early on, using black and white primers/undercoats to preempt shading/highlights works so, so well.
For some reason their is a super high pitch buzz in the background of this vid. My gf can't hear it tho 😅
Craftsmart brand has been tested and the consensus is that it is the best brand for miniature painting if you don't want to spend money on mini paint.
Great video man, I still support buying cheap first to make sure your into this & not end up like me buying a metric ton of minis, tons of paints & then sending you all my minis lol. Best advice for any beginner stick with folkart tell you know your in this for the long haul. Plus a lot of the better stuff you won't know if it's better unless you try the cheap stuff first, again can't recommend enough starting with the cheap-O stuff.
Truth. I've seen people do this with all kinds of hobbies. Someone who thinks they're going to start mountain biking goes out and buys a 2,000 bike that just sits in the garage, etc. Make sure it's something you love first.
@@WASD20 Oh I'm king that guy, remember the time I bought like $1,000 in Star Wars models & never built but one or two of them?
Therapist : "What do you say when your depressed?"
Me: "Add to cart?"
@@WillWildsOutdoorAdventures lol!
I buy brushes in bulk off of Wish. They may not last as long as others, but I have so many of them, it totally makes it worth it. I went through a variety of "handles" before I settled on Jenga blocks and poster putty.
Also, is that a Rider's Hobbies price tag I see? Making me all nostalgic over here...
Yep!
Great call on the Rosemary & Co brushes- first Kolinsky's. Well done on keeping yours in good shape! I best the hell out of my size 0 lol I put metallics, washes, everything through that thing lol
I'd highly recommend a look at Jackson Arts for their Raphael 8404 Kolinsky sable brushes. They hold a larger amount of paint than the Rosemary ones.
I love your solution to drying your brushes safely!
Thanks Nate! I need to do some proper mini painting again. I currently have one sad lonely half-painted one-armed space marine looking at me forlornly from the corner of my desk, gathering dust...
I love painting miniatures and gamming. But I found that the two don't mix. Just recently I was doing a combat scene. I had everything laid out when one of the players decided to flip one of the playing pieces across the room. When the blood fog left my eyes. I decided to switch over to wooden dowels that I found in a craft store. They look like the top half of a clothes pin with the pegs cut off. Some stylized painting and hey presto they're done. I still paint but my figures stay safe in a display case.
Perfect timing! I was just wondering how bad of an idea it was to try to paint my new miniatures with my old craft paint. I'm going to try it. Thanks.
Yep. It will be totally fine!
Not all craft paints are created equal. Not all "miniature" paints are created equal. Paint quality is based on pigment, binder, and vehicle and different pigments behave differently in every single line of paint. In the end "craft" paints are better than canvas paints for miniature painting and when people are learning brush control the quality of the paint is not as important especially if they are on a budget or don't want to drop a hundred bucks or more to try out a new hobby. Once they invest time to get their brush control down it's definitely good to look for better materials. In my experience Delta paints are far better than Folk Art and Apple Barrel. Vallejo are my favorite "miniature" paints but I prefer the historic lines to the fantasy/sci-fi line. I don't believe any company that tells me their brushes are designed for miniature painting although most of the miniature company brushes are better than craft brushes but not any better than good art brushes. in truth most miniature companies have almost all their accessory hobby supplies made out of house then they slap their label on it. Games Workshop is notorious for gouging people for their hobby supplies. That branding cost their unwitting customers a fortune.
Excellent advices. I like your hobby and art guidance .
Glad you enjoy it!
If you are using cheep paint coat your model in some baking soda and then knock it all off, it will make sure your model is really dry for priming and gives a really small (not visible) texture to the model that can help paint stick
From the thumbnail I thought this was Miniac.
So this video is thus considered clickbait, but I'll watch it.
Ooh. I may need a new font. 😳
These are great tips for peeps starting out! And I’ve certainly learned a lot from Dr Faust’s Painting Clinic over the years!! Love the idea of using foam for holding drying brushes! That’s a new idea for me. Thx for Vid
Great video! Very timely just got my first minis and paint set for Christmas. Have used your suggestions and some from others like Black Magic Craft. Key ones: small flower pot + mactac holder, homemade wet pallet (definitely considering buying one though just like you showed), something you didn't mention a makeup brush for dry brushing (tip from Metal King).
Good video but there's a mosquito tone that was really really annoying.
Edit: Only on your A-Cam (your face at intro)
Hi Nate, I love your videos and I am getting into miniatures. I live in South Africa and we don't have Amazon so can u recommend another site. Thanks g 👍👍
Don’t even bother using a plate for a pallete. Your mini came in one! Just use the cardboard box. I still do that to this day.
I absolutely, very highly recommend spending a lot on 1(one) expensive brush, as small as you can find. It will be so worth it for details like eyes. Then just have 2 or 3 cheap brushes for everything else.
I personally don’t have any problem at all with just holding my mini. Maybe that’s just me though.
You can probably assemble a spruce mini with whatever you already have at home. For my first Frameworks mini, I used regular scissors instead of sprue cutters, skipped the mold line removal/general cleaning(or just use a kitchen knife), and some weird glue I had laying around. I don’t even know what kind of glue it was supposed to be.
The one huge reason NOT to start with sprue minis is because they’re not pre primed, and primer is stupid expensive. I’d rather spend my $20 on four $5 Nolzur’s boxes to get 8 minis instead of buying a can of primer.
The act of priming can be super easy though, and free aside from the primer itself. Do you have an empty pizza box? If not, go get pizza. Ok, now just put your minis on it. The raised edges of the box will stop the primer from blowing your minis off into the sunset.
Pro acryl is one of my favorites.
I had some disastrous results last night with that folk art paint. What ratio would you thin it ? My minis I painted with reaper paint were leaps and bounds better than when I tried to go with the folk art paints.
there is a horrible high pitched noise when you are talking to the camera directly
Really hard to listen to, a high pass filter on the audio would have been a huge help.
Very strange. I can't hear it at all! I even tried with headphones. Is it the whole intro where I'm talking to the camera or is there a specific moment?
@@WASD20 it becomes strongly pronounced for me after the 0:33 mark. My teeth hurt!
@@croydd Thanks. Yeah, I just don't hear anything. Even with my headphone volume cranked up! Sorry, though!
@@WASD20 It's no big deal, the noise disappears entirely after you switch to your "paint" section. Great video regardless!
Idea what you can do with paint stand, put led light underneath to light up.
whats with the high pitched ringing ?
thought i was the only one noticing it
I started as a broke middle school kid in the 2000s. Now I'm teaching my son and we're using all the old "broke kid" techniques again. Dollar tree FTW.
So Windsor Newton actually says on their page that brushes should be stored tip up.
That’s fine, but you should make sure they are COMPLETELY dry first.
Hey, how can you see if your mini’s are preprimed? Or do you ALWAYS need to prime your mini’s?
Unless you see a miniature clearly labeled as pre-primed, assume it is not. The vast majority are not.
@@WASD20 I have bought a set of Stormcast Eternals Sequitors. My friend said that they where pre-primed. But now I know that that probally isn’t. Thank you 😄
Never buy a $5 brush. They don't last long, they have have a good point, and they're not much fun to paint with. Get a good brush or a really cheap brush. I've used cheap brushes, and they're ... cheap.
For good brushes, I use any of:
* Winsor & Newton Series 7 round (some people like the Series 7 Miniature, but I like the longer bristles of the regular Series 7)
* Rafael Series 8404 (The 8408s are decent too, but not my preference)
* da Vinci Series 10, Series 11, or Series 33
Not a huge fan of Rosemary and Co, but some people like them enough, in part because they're a bit cheaper.
Good video
I like the brush dryer hack
Great tips. Very thankful for this video. These clearly take a lot of time to create and your dedication to the material shows through.
What are your thoughts about "Jeweler's Glasses"? Magnifying glasses to enlarge details for easier access?
I think they can really help, but personally I fear them because I find that I am already picky enough with my own work. I’d rather not see every little messed up and continue with the illusion that my work is great. :)
Any tip for mold in a wet pallet? I haven't bought a "real" one since I have to toss my paper towel weekly.
Keep it in a cool place and let everything dry out once every week or two. I’ve also heard that using distilled water could result in less mold.
I make figures out of paper and they work fine
Aww man, I bought a couple of Vallejo pain racks for around $20 each... I should have gotten those clear ones for cheaper. Oh well, c'est la vie.
Could you do a video on roads and trails? That would be nice. =)
cool thanks for the info - mahalo !
Unless you are a master of paint moisture and can craft ANY sort of color scheme you want, you want to buy these specific colors... it saves a lot of time and headache
$21 dollar D&D 10 paint box is worth it!
I've been having trouble with the wet pallette getting moldy, not sure how to avoid that...
Happens to me too! You need to let the sponge dry out completely from time to time. The paint will often stay wet for days, but if you have it in a warm environment the sponge will get moldy. I'd recommend letting it dry out about once a week and keeping it in a coolish place.
Also you can rinse the sponge and container in bleach solution once a month or so.
Add white vinegar to your water. Just a little should work.
Where you have that ettin from?
Got it from my friend Who sent me a load of minis from his DND board games. I’m guessing this one was legend of Drizzt.
@@WASD20 trank you! :-*
Sadly, I only get about 10 dollars a month right now
Ok, so I'm going to chime in a bit, and just ask you to bear with me for the whole thing, prior to any responses. Firstly, the #1 most important thing that people forget to consider is PRIMER. Vallejo make wonderful paints, but their primer is mediocre at best. TAP is superior, and Citadel is hot garbage (not as bad as, say, the armory, or w/e it's called - if that even exists any longer). Vallejo's primer on those pre-primed minis, btw, is just outright atrocious and should be removed asap, then soon replaced with something of quality. What do I - and countless others - recommend? BADGER STYNYLREZ. Once you use it - and properly - it will quickly be apparent as to WHY so many LOVE it. It's designed for airbrush use, but goes on very well via bristle method as well. Seriously, though, just do it, and you'll "get it". That being said, here are my recommendations for the beginning painter (and heck, even non-rookies as well!), without further adieu...
Primer: Stynylrez (now comes in a fairly broad range of colors, too!)
Paint: Delta Ceramcoat, Plaid Apple Barrel, Plaid Folk Art, and don't forget a bottle of fluid matte medium from Golden Acrylics - which you'll want to use with ANY brand of paints you use.
Varnish: Minwax Polycrylic water-based, which comes in gloss, satin and matte. Just get the semi-gloss and matte, do 1 coat of each for protection & a nice matte overall finish.
Paint shakers/mixing balls: glass spherical beads (look like small marbles) for small bottles, larger bottles I suggest glass marbles
Dry Brushes: the cheapest deal you can find on make-up brushes (I get mine at Walmart, when they do Christmas clearance at 50% or higher discounts)
Other brushes: TAP (The Army Painter) brush set - 100% worth the value, especially if you find it on sale.
Pallet: TAP Wet Pallet (there are plenty of options, but this little guy really does have a fantastic bang-for-buck ROI)
Paint Storage: (note that everyone's preferences may vary, and I'm very anal-retentive where storage and protection is concerned, especially when paints - which can be prone to drying out - are involved) Recollections (or equivalent) brand organizers, with thin foam weather stripping added to the seal areas as a gasket, to prevent the paints from drying out.
In terms of brushes I prefer the ones I can get from Hobby Lobby for $5 a pack of 4. I have not invested in expensive brushes as replacing them for more than that a piece would drive me crazy (even if they last as long as they are priced).
Do not use the model brushes produced by Testors. They are not worth two cents let alone two dollars for the pack. They are as useless garbage as you can get.
Great advice. Thanks!
there is a very high pitch sound in this video that is really painful
mostly at the beginning
I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but there's a really high-pitched ring constantly going through this entire video. It started giving me a headache only a minute and a half into watching. This is my first video I've seen of yours though, so I can't speak to your more recent releases. I just really hope this is addressed in some fashion.
Yes. Sorry about this. I had a microphone I used for parts of this video that has this effect. I can't personally hear it, but thanks to commenters like you I HAVE indeed ditched that microphone.
@@WASD20 That's a relief, because other than that the video was very informative and enjoyable. Thanks for the response!
This video has a a horrible hiss/ring that's constantly playing throughout the entire video I can only hear it through headphones
I tried to watch the video but I couldn't make it more than a minute in before that background hiss drove me crazy.
Sorry! Old mic that made I noise I couldn't hear myself. I've since tossed it.
@@WASD20 no problem! May be worth running most video audio through a de-essing filter, can really make a difference in making it sound crisp while eliminating stuff like that!
Anyone else hear a ~17khz hiss in the background when he talks to camera?
You've got a high pitched whistle through the video, I'm not sure if you'd be able to hear it, but it's from your mic. It's... made the video unfortunately unwatchable.
Paint brands is irrelevant. If you learn to paint with brand x and progress to where you are satisfied with your paint job. Then what brand paint you buy makes no difference. No one cares what Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Michaelangelo, Ploock, Etc.. used. They created art. No one bothered them about paint, brush or canvas brands. So in painting.. what you use is not really valid as it is presented here. Where the advantage is.. Ease of use. Some techniques are easier to perform with the more expesive paints. Thats it.. If that has value to you and your painting you may want to invest more. The difference between craft acrylic paints and the "Designer" Acrylic paints in general is two fold the amount of pigment and the granularity of those pigments. There you have it... paint with what you practice. and be the best painter you can be. As far as brushes go same story different chapter. Some brushes will hold their point betterthan others. You can go with what you want. Don't discount cheap makeup brushes for dry brushing. If you go with the more expensive brushes. Learn to take care of them and condition the hairs. The point is practice practice practice. Far more important than the materials used
Agreed on this point - It's ALL about ease of use for me. And practice makes a far bigger difference than materials in getting good results. But none of this was focused on getting the best results for me. Just tools that make for a better experience, as you mention. Fewer coats, less frustration in getting the paint to do what you want. It all makes for a better experience and greater enjoyment.
"The difference between craft acrylic paints and the "Designer" Acrylic paints in general is two fold the amount of pigment and the granularity of those pigments."
That doesn't sound irrelevant, but okay. :)