As a relatively experienced painter (compared to the target audience for this vid): I appreciate the link to the synthetic brush pack. I've been looking for a good pack rather than just buying them from Walmart since those ones all come with a huge number of useless tiny brushes (like size double 0s). I recently bought some of the fancy schmancy Windsor Newtons but I like having my cheapo brushes that I can just abuse without any kind of anxiety about ruining them, because that's what they're for
If you've got a Hobby Lobby nearby, I've been massively impressed with the 36 pc Classroom Pack Brush Set (round) that I picked up last month. It's $19 MSRP, but it's Hobby Lobby, so they regularly put all their in house brand brushes 50% off. Ignoring the 18 size 12s that were too big for anything hobby related outside of terrain, I picked up 54 seemingly pretty decent brushes for less than $20. Why yes, I'm keeping an eye on their website to buy another 2 packs as soon as they're on sale again.
Agree with everything except the glue. I find CA glue a frustrating mess, even 3 years into the hobby. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement is life changing, with the ability to brush it on precisely where you need it.
I never use CA glue out of the container, capilary action causes the messes. I usually put a few drops on a plastic cap and use an applicator to control where it goes. There are also these cheap super thin plastic nozzles that can attach to the bottle. Thats for when CA glue is called for of course. Tamiya Extra thin is all you need for most models, but CA is still necessary for certain heavier parts or resin based parts.
So I certainly prefer plastic glue, but of course, new players might be working with resin or metal. They might be making bases or need to attach things that aren't plastic and the goal was to keep it simple. :) - BUt of course, you're right, plastic glue is a great investment.
@@VinceVenturella true, that's why you make the videos and I don't, if you recommend plastic cement you have to explain what type of mini you can use it on... good call on the CA glue.
And as important as light is, recognizing that the reason I couldn't see the minis as well as I could in a different workspace that I used previously had nothing to do with the light and everything to do with my near vision starting to deteriorate as I've hit that magical 45+ age had proven even more important. I invested in an inexpensive set of magnifiers and that has made an immeasurable difference in both what I've been able to do and how long I've been able to do it.
@@helotaxi I had the same problem with my eyesight getting worse. A pair of cheap reading glasses worked for me. They're lighter weight and you can choose which magnification suits you best.
I bought a 3x magnifying visor used by jewelers and it's great. Also lighting is extremely important. Colors don't always look the same in less than ideal lighting. I have an ott desk lamp and a halogen 35 watt equivalent to balance it out.
Vince really knows his shit. I'll add my own tips: 1. Nippers/clippers Vince is not wrong, you don't "need" an expensive set of nippers, but they're not useless. It's the same difference of cutting with a cheap "block of knives set" knife and a chef's knife. If you have the money to spare, then absolutely get a Godhand or DSPIA pair of nippers, especially if you assemble snapkits and don't paint them, like Gunpla, because they stress and damage the plastic a lot less when nipping down gates. They are overpriced, but they are good. 2. Files. Get a "nano glass file". It's a retangular glass "file" which has tiny, almost microscopic holes on one side that have a sharp inner rim. They will file anything down that sticks out, while leaving the rest of the surface undamaged. I use this for 'gunpla' (gundam model kits) and they're a bit large for small warhammer models, but for tanks and the like this is like frickin' magic. You can scrape with a hobby knife, but odds are that you'll damage the models and be frustrated with it. You'll still need to learn how to do it, but a nano glass file is a god send for removing gate nubs. There are brand hobby versions and nail ones, and there are differences in "grit", so be aware of that. 3. Sable/kolinsky brushes. Pretty much what Vince said, although I've personally been very happy with Leonhardy's Kappel series ("0 - Big Stuff"), which are cheaper than the Raphael's, DaVinci's and Windsor Newton's. If you have the money to spare, get the more expensive ones. 4. A painting handle. You can make one yourself with dowels and magnets or any other choice of hundreds of painting handles, but the fat bottom handle that GW used to make has been pretty handy for me. As a beginner you might be tempted to hold the model where the paint has dried, not understanding that you're rubbing it off, so get a handle! 5. Get a big, stable piece of styrofoam, a bunch of wooden skewers and alligator clips. You put the clips on the skewers and stick the skewers in the styrofoam. These make EXCELLENT "holding tools" for parts you want to paint that you can't just put on a painting handle. Inexpensive and about as practical as it gets, especially for airbrushing. 6. It really can't be overstated just how valuable an airbrush setup is. It's a good bit of money, you *NEED* to learn how to use and clean it, but boy does it come in handy. This thing saved the whole hobby for me, just for the fact that I can prime anything whenever I want. For me personally, the fact that I don't have to layer up orange basecoats, but that I can instead just get an even flat and opaque layer by using an airbrush, is invaluable. I have saved hundreds, if not over a thousand hours of tedious layering with this thing and it's worth the money, the hassle and the learning curve all put together hundreds of times over. 7. Paints. People don't really agree on paints and everyone has their own take on them. I think Vince would happily agree that there are "best" colors from most ranges that you ought to have and he has examples of which kinds are great in his color series of videos where he gives good examples. Vallejo's "air metallics" are amazing for brush painting and probably the first set of metal paints you should try. When it comes to gold, GW's retributor armor thinned with the vallejo air metallic gold, gives you a very good result, giving you a nice gold color with the properties of the smooth and nicely flowing air metallic range (courtesy of Zumikito, another youtuber). Even if you're a beginner, you don't want ugly looking shades of paint and you'd rather avoid the frustrating experience of hard-to-work-with metallics, which a lot of the GW and some of the regular Vallejo ones are. 8. Dropper bottles Even if the GW pots are trash, the paints are genuinely good, if expensive. You simply fix GW's trash pots by transferring the paints to dropper bottles. The point being that as a beginner you can easily just get GW paints and "save" them with other containers. Personally I just use the pots, you just clean them every so often and they won't dry out, but you need to know that to deal with them. 9. Ball Bearings One or two in each dropper bottle and they'll all be a lot easier to mix if you let them sit for a while. You can get a bunch (make sure they're steel) on the cheap and it's not hard to do.
This was a fantastic video Vince, invaluable to those just starting out in the hobby. So great to see someone with your experience also guide the beginners to not blindly purchase everything from the hobby store just because they have big name brands on them. More money saved in tools means more miniatures, and that money will go to the hobby store anyway!
I've been painting for two decades, and I bought tons of stuff, mostly paints and brushes. And eventually I ended using only the few items you mention in your video, so the essential starter tools are actually the only ones you need even after years of experience ;)
Vince you have no idea how good your videos are. Even a fairly intermediate and experienced painter like me always learns new things. So thank you Vince, you truly are a credit to the hobby.
Your videos have been very helpful when picking up a paintbrush after over 20 years of not painting! Understanding colours has really helped to skip some trial and error, same goes for many of your other videos.
One thing i will add to the reason why you should buy synthetic brushes is (and i believe you have mentioned this previously on other videos) is that you will really want to use them with your metal paints. Because if you use those expensive Winsor & Newton brushes they will quickly get worn down and they are much to expensive for that. Oh and i would also recommend that you buy a magnifying glass of some sort that you can either use on your forehead or clamp or put on your table or maybe its part of your lamp. It really helps with those small details.
Thanks for the video! Super refreshing to see down-to-earth advice, instead of, "It's LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE to paint minis without my Citadel-brand paint, brushes, water, and wallpaper for the room I'm working in." I especially liked how you made a point of differentiating between essentials to start and things to buy later if you're sure you enjoy the hobby.
While you're at the hardware store like home depot or lowes (in US) go grab a 6x6 white glossy ceramic tile for like a dollar, use that as a nice easy paint palette.
A lot of great recommendations here. Thanks for the community, Vince. Which leads me to one, single piece of advice I'd add: As much as possible, don't start alone. If you can find a friend wanting to start as well, that would be great emulation - even if some time down the road you'll probably have different objectives, pace, aspirations. Otherwise if you have a painting community and it's reasonable for you to attend, go check it out. Might or might not work, but it's often worth a try. If all else fails, online has some communities that can be very welcoming. The miniaturespainting discord has been a welcoming place for me and I'd recommend joining it. Also, hint: Vince is one of the nice persons out there, so there's his facebook group too. Happy painting!
Excellent video as always, Vince, and a great one to forward to friends who are curious about the hobby. I would also recommend a wearable headband with a magnifying lens. It has helped me paint for longer and doesn't strain the eyes at all.
Great video for beginning painter. Love to see a video for journeymen and another for advanced painters when you have time Vince! As always Vince is great!
This video is full of great advice! I was using a regular light bulb for my desk lamp and it was way too bright to the point i couldn't even properly see the mini after painting. I swapped to the lightbulb shown in the video and it's a million times better!
Great tips. Trial and error is expensive. Not sure i'd recommend rattle cans to a beginner though. They could wreck the mini with the first spray. How to video on rattle can priming should probably be linked here.
Well, in general, it's still easier than brush painting, and I think it can be something people should learn, in the end, it's not too bad. I am actually considering a complete primer focused video.
@@VinceVenturella I struggle with getting even coats sprayed. Even with a airbrush I have to be so methodical that it robs some of the joy. However i'm usually so wowed by the results that its worth it. I'm actually apprehensive about priming a mini with Montana Aluminum. Nevertheless i need to work it out.
I've started in the hobby 1 year ago and my experience closely mimics the advice Vince is giving. I had to do a lot more trial and error, though. 😅 Solid vid, do as he says.
Great video. I have painted off and on for about 40 years now, and I still found some of this information useful, at least as a reminder. I use a wet palette, but I don't find the copper wire or pennies help. I put a Lysol wipe in the bottom of my palette, beneath the sponge. It has completely gotten rid of mold and mildew problems. I change it out about once a year.
Looking outside the hobby suppliers for hobby supplies is always a good tip. Doesn't matter the hobby, people will slap "for hobby use" on the side of something cheap and mark it up. Cooking is a great example of this. You can buy an expensive pyrex measuring jug for £10, or you can go on a laboratory supply store and buy a full set of borosilicate glass, food safe labware for the same price.
Kill Team Octarius, Dominion, 2x Chalnath, Plaguefester warband box, Shadow Throne, Blackstone Fortress & all its expansions. and about 6-7 other kill teams. and built a hive city for kill team over 8 necromunda tiles. Was a hard 16 month entry into the hobby. Airbrushing now as well. No regrets. Nearly all built and painted to high standard. Experimenting w/ LED's into hive city. 3d printing in both FDM and Resin.
I bought those scalpels after your recommendation and I just wanted to say THANK YOU. These are what I've always wanted my hobby knives to be and more and more cheaper. I usually build one unit with a blade and then throw them away. My first blade handle came with 50 blades, I use them like other people use toilet paper, and I still have half of them left at least. They are sharp, they have a sharp tip, they are thin and I have only almost killed myself by over forcing the blade and breaking it once! Also the skin on my thumb is getting really thick and leathery so I don't bleed on the plastic that much any more. All round winner for me! 👍🔪🩸🩹
There is wisdom in your words, high master of the mighty brush! Seriously, it's a great video for the beginning hobbyist... I know as I am one of those. :)
Great video! I would like to share some advice on this topic as well; To add to the topic of purchases that could be curtailed easily in this hobby... "painting handles"... I have one and love it, but I would be dishonest in saying that a plastic bottle and a collection of screw on bottle caps fills this role just fine. I use a Rathcore handle just because of the regal, serious feeling of it but I have a 3d printed bottle cap screw top stuck into it instead of the cork. Another one would be the "multi-handle" type ones... easiest replacement? a board-like object, several screw top bottle ends cut off and attached to and a collection of caps. Just poster tack/ Blu-tac (or similar) your minis to your caps, screw them onto said board and spray them all at once, one angle at a time. Once sprayed, swap em over, cap by cap, to your "handle" and get er done. Don't cheat in your games and DO cheat in your hobby. Be a hobby chad like Vince and you will have more money and time for more minis.
The cheap 15-25 dollar airbrushes are great for varnishes, priming, etc. I got one with my new compressor, and after polishing the needle, it primed very well (I use the Stynylrez primer). I only use it on stuff I don't want to use my good airbrushes on. Another option is, get a used Paasche H with all 3 tips **for priming and varnishing**, they are not detail airbrushes. You can get them for $28 to $35 in good shape on eBay if you are PATIENT. Being a single action external mix, it's MUCH easier to clean lacquers, enamels, and other solvent based paints with. If you mix correctly and use the right pressure, you don't get the orange peel so many people that try them w/o getting used to them complain about. And with a self leveling primer like the Stynylrez, I haven't had any issues using the primer right out of the bottle. If you wind up doing a lot of painting, you'll make the price up quickly over the rattle cans. And the needle and tips last for decades. Some people are using 50-60 year old tips and still have good spray patterns and atomization. Having the 3 tips allows you to lay down a lot of paint for doing table top tiles and terrain. For details, you'll want a double action, and even the cheap ones on amazon are getting decent comments from experienced airbrush artists. They still can't match a Paasche Vision, Iwata Eclipse, or Grex Genesis for fine details though.
Great vide Vince! I loved it and in particular all your suggestions about how not to waste money in useless stuffs. It's already a pretty expensive hobby in itself (miniatures, colors, tools, and so on). Trying to address money where there is a real added value is a great help. I am a (re)beginner and I am still struggling with understanding what's worth to be bought and what's not. Talking with some pros in a fair helped me to avoid this money waste. For example using window cleaner for airbrush, DIY wet palette and so on. For sure some things can make the difference for pro painters but in some case they are and they remains useless stuffs!!! Thanks!
I have painted for years using basic acrylic paint and light gray plastic primer out the hardware section. It is your ability to work with the medium you pick or afford. 89 cent acrylic paints and some water, save your money for shade and wash, medium and make your own. I spend 40 bucks and still get pop and depth, also if you don't know how to paint I suggest you buy some cheaper miniatures to practice your paints on, don't spend 200 dollars and then learn by the last model how it works best. Get a 25 dollar box and use those to learn. Sponge Tupperware and parchment for dollar store wet pallet when done wash with dish soap and let sponge dry in open air
I’m already 2 years in the hobby and a lot of advices you put here made my life so much easier during journey so far. The only thing I miss is airbrush due to lack of space. Watched the video till the very end cause its Vincey Vee!
Vince, I needed this video 4 years ago when I started painting. I fell into the Citadel trap of paints because they were ubiquitous in my area. I even transferred mine into dropper bottles. I have been using Vallejo model and game colors more recently and I like them so much better! Thank you for all of your info and all of the videos that you make!
If you're just an occasional painter of board game and RPG miniatures, you can skip both the clippers and the glue, and if you're just occasionally painting like me, you probably don't need the airbrush either, but otherwise I like the suggestions. One additional thing that you might consider maybe around the three month mark is green stuff to help fill in some of the gaps and crevices in some miniatures. Also, for your lamp, as someone who is getting older and is needing reading glasses, getting one of the swinging arm lamps with a big magnifying glass built into it helps a ton when dealing with little details on your model. Before getting one of those I was always getting annoyed with having to find just the right distance to hold the model that I can both see the details and effectively hit them with my brush.
You buy all you want for 6 month, then you buy more in next 6 month, then you dont have space for boxes so actually start too think about assamble and painting of minis, in one more year you start the hobby!
Vince, the copper in the wetpallet, Thank you. I can't tell you how often I've opened that thing after it sat for a week. Side note, you can put it in the fridge if it still has useable paint on it, extends the life a bit longer.
I just commented on another video. I bought the airbrush early to do mass priming. I planned on buying the conpressor anyway to dust out computers. The extra $20 for a brush was an easy deal to save 100's of hours at least.
In terms of wargaming, the Star Wars Legion base sets are great if you're starting with a friend. There are 16-18 models at most per half, and at 60-ish USD, that's a nice deal for wargames! You get experience on rank-and-file models, vehicle models, and characters models, plus they dont have the GW-level amount of detail piled onto every model.
What you buy is a 3D resin printer and support artist, that is solely my opinion because the shear cost buying directly from GW is prohibitive. Save that money for paints, inks, a wet pallet, learn to use primary’s to mix your colors, lots of cheap brushes, 3 good brushes 005, 1, 2 Windsor Newton’s sables, makeup brushes, a good airbrush, a cheap airbrush for priming, a good compressor with a water trap, people think I’m crazy but I use a 5 gallon 160psi compressor and a good regulator, good lighting, magnifying googles, umber and black oil paints/ thinner…..Vallejo is my choice of paints and there primers are awesome
@@VinceVenturella sounds a lot like your list eh? kind of unecessary to reguritate basically everything you stated here I know, but I'm adamant about 2 things, Vallejo paint and a full size compressor
Also second the nippers. I bought mine for cheap in some hole in the wall hardware store and it has helped me build everything from tank models, gunpla, and miniatures. Tamiya thin cement though is still worth looking into though. Also surgical blades, I mean it should be sharp enough to cut skin so it should be sharp enough for soft plastics that most minis are made off, never would have thought of that. Also as for cup, an empty Skippy plastic jar, this old boi has helped my paint most of my army. Saving for an airbrush myself as I feel it is a great investment especially it can help quicken the time with painting large amounts of models.
Yes, I very much went back and forth on including plastic glue. I like it a lot better, but if people are doing resin, metal or other models, it wouldn't work and that might be more to explain. :)
Watching this I'm very happy that I already bought the paint you recommended, I wasn't sure that it was going to be good but I'm more confident now. Wish me luck I'm doing my first mini painting with my friends on Tuesday and I'm really excited!
Something I do is use an LED head torch, that way no matter where I'm looking, the light comes with me - any angle. Of course I also have the room and desk light switched on to increase the overall light levels too.
Great call on the 6 month mark for purchasing an airbrush! 6 months of painting minis is enough time if a painter is willing to invest more. Another great point on the lamp! Crazy how more detailed things will be under the lamp when painting minis. Not sold on the multi colored spray cans. It limits you to only 1 faction or group. I still believe black or grey spray can is good for beginners. Thanks for the vid!
Another great video! I listened to a lot of your older "getting started" videos when I was getting started and it helped immensely. Glad to see an updated video for those just getting into the hobby.
A cheap wooden dowel cut into 2-3” pieces makes a great hobby holder. 1.5 magnifying reading glasses from the dollar store can be a game changer for older dudes returning to the hobby. Would definitely recommend both to anyone new to the hobby.
You made some very good points. A couple of things I’d like to add. Car primer paint will work well. Make sure you shake it well. Buy brush soap. Sounds strange but you want to look after them decent brushes you’ve brought. Nice vid👍
You, sir, are a godsend. I love the longforg no or few cut videos. Exactly what I need. There used to be a website that taught me how to cook, it was called Cooking For Engineers. You're about as close as it gets to that. Rock on, Vince, keep it coming!
Finding good cheap brushes are a bit of a challenge so the link is really good. I am increasingly becoming a fan of the Vallejo Game Color paints so that is a great recommendation but if someone has the cash, starting out with Pro Acryl is the way to go. I am using Liquitex brand paints as well, the "Soft Body Essential" 12 pc set is a really good starter (look up their ultra-matte medium!). I like paints where I can read what pigment is used, it is like a cheaper Kimera paint with an almost as high pigment, the "Gouache" acrylics are a good base coat (very matte) if not doing Zenithal. The AK ultra matte is amazing. Thanks! One more video to send new hobbyists to!
The wet palette maybe a day 1 needed item depending on location and time of year. I only say this as someone who lives in San Diego and my part can reach triple digits with less than 10% humidity almost any time of the years (I've havd a Christmas day during a freak heatwave in the low 90's)... meaning if you're not living and painting near the coast you're seeing drying times as fast as 10 to 30 seconds. Note: That there is a reason why wet palettes became so popular in Spain (very similar to my area and the South Western US. in many ways) so fast. It really is a much needed tool due to their weather conditions. Otherwise I'm totally onboard with the video...maybe some thoughts about the glue, but it's for people maybe on a budget standpoint you're going with so I can agree.
I am in painting now for almost a year, and had to check out if I missed something (nope - well no airbrush here (yet)). But what stands out: you have precise statements. General advice on color (brands), stating even brands but not sticking to one are bashing the other. Also funny to see, that you also know Montana (a brand from Germany where I am located and therefore so "cheap" (even under 5 EUR): you won't believe how hard I struggled at the beginning to _not_ buy Rustoleum (used everywhere - but not purchasable (to a reasonable price) in the EU :D - Keep up the good video and painting work.
Another item I'd recommend is a bag of green Army Men. Wash them in warm water & detergent and let them dry. Perfect for practicing techniques and color schemes.
Honestly, I have to strongly disagree and here is why. The detail is soft and horrible and the design was never meant to be painted. I think a better thing would be a pack of bones minis, some good figures from a baord game or even some 3-D printed minis. Worst case, just get a single pack of high quality plastic minis and then paint, and paint again. A high quality figure really does make a big difference in helping people learn.
Fantastic video with great tips for the beginner and experienced alike. Really appreciate the info on brushes. I've been painting for years but have never invested in a sable...thinking that's my reason for the visit to the hobby store this week! Thank you again!
Really useful for beginners. I’ll be sure to share with my noobie friends. I’ve started painting about 4ish years now and definitely want to get into airbrushing. I know you have an older video, but I’d be curious what airbrush you’d recommend now. I’m definitely sticking with the hobby so I’d rather invest a bit more on a brush then get a starter and then upgrade soon after. Thanks for the great video!
What do you do when using an airbrush and your paint, varnish, primer starts to run out in the cup? Do you do a 'running top off' or do you stop, clean and reload? I've fallen down the rabbit hole of painting Airfix 1/72 army men, I guess it's a third childhood. They are not the miniatures you talk about but they are plenty small! I've watched a bunch of wargaming paint videos to get an idea of what the uniforms look like and most youtubers prime and base coat with an airbrush. But I disregarded the idea of getting one cause the maintenance sounded too daunting and I have no room for a spray booth. So far I've painted up the 8th Army and Afrika Korps using brushes. But after watching a bunch of your beginner videos, I now have my Amazon cart loaded with about $175 worth of airbrush gear I didn't know that I needed. Lucky I already loaded up on Vallejo paints. I haven't waited 6 months like you suggest, but at my age time is not on my side. The 6th Airbourne and Wehrmacht await! And then if I don't run out of gas, on to the Pacific! Thanks for all the tips!
Generally, just refill and keep going unless you've been working a while. Check out my cleaning airbrush fast video, that might be what I will do if I've been going a while.
Thank you so much Sir, i have been following you for a while but your video’s are really helpfull and there is something for everyone, no matter there pahase in the hobby or skill in the hobby. I hope you will make video’s for many many years to come. All the best, your a great asset to my moddeling and painting!
For the clippers: At least here (Finland), small enough and flush sided tend to be sold in the electrician section. If you just go to a store for construction workers, the pliers are going to be gigantic. But from the electrical supply section you can find cheap chinese clippers like these for a buck or two. For priming: I'd steer clear of the cheapest stuff at first, unless you know the brand or have seen it in action. The first coats you'll do will be too thick, and if you've bought something with a strong solvent, that caked paint will eat its way into the plastic models and never come off completely. Liquitex makes artist acrylic sprays that are in the local craft stores (again, your mileage may vary). Those can be sprayed too thick as well, but at the very least they're delicate enough that you won't melt the plastic figures. Even the expensive mini-branded primers will do for starters, you can make a rattle can last for 40-70 minis depending on how much you prime at a time. So unless you've done your research and know what you're doing with the spray primers, I'd actually recommend against saving money here.
i had absolutely no need for any info in this vid is what i thought when i clicked on this, but i learned today and it was super informative and enjoyable. a lot of solutions here i hadnt thought about yet like still buying blades from a hobby store, and buying hobby brand primer.
Great video vince. Wish I was around saw hen I first started. I went thru brushes pretty quick and now I think I got a handle on brush care and my fancy brush is used for base and detail, but never for dry brushing and primer. Recently bought an airbrush and still figuring out what I like and how to do it better. Baby smooth finish from the airbrush is great to paint on with a brush.
Even before I got an airbrush, I started zenithal highlighting with dark grey and light grey (off white) primer. This makes life a lot easier than starting with a dark gray for everything (I don't do black, don't see a reason why that's good if I want to pinwash my recesses anyway and it's a pain to work up from).
Great vid as usual! I also agree with most stuff, but regarding the brushes: DON'T throw away cheap synthetic brushes!!! They're great for effects/terrain/glue stuff that you don't want a nice brush for! If you have an older brush that's way past its usefulnes it can still serve you in getting the glue and basing down for an entire army (or 2, if you base this entire box in 1 go) before you throw it away!
Just to add to it: Guys newest video (from MWM, hope referencing it is ok) also did something I've never thought of before: if a brush is too old and frayed he cut the tip off to make a flat stippling-brush! Great little advice I believe most people would overlook/not think about!
OK you have convinced me to get an airbrush, I just bought a cheap £20 one to give it a try. I'm borrowing a compressor from a friend so it's just the gun I needed lol. If anything I figure it will be a good way to base coat my figures much more effectively.
Great video as usual! Two suggestions I have on these items - 1. For rattle can primer, buy a name brand from the hardware store, don't try to use the generic/dollar store brand- that stuff is really terrible. 2. For your water cup, if you are a clutz like me, don't use the red solo cup, use something heavier like the Sam Lenz mug that you can bump into without spilling so easily.
Funny thing about the cup, the Citadel water cup, along with their original painting handles, is the rare hobby tool from GW that I think is worth what I paid for it. You're not going to knock it over, it has some design features that are actually useful and it wasn't overpriced. I'll never try to dissuade someone from supporting a fellow hobbyist though, so any Sam Lenz merch is always a good choice. Make sure what you're drinking at your desk is in a totally different style of cup, though. I've never drunk the paint water, but I've rinsed my brush in my coffee more than once when I was using a mug as my water cup.
All the graffiti lines of spray paint make paint markers if you like the shades, and refill bottles to use. Ironlak has amazing blues and a great gold metallic.
@@VinceVenturella if you ever need a really good silver or gold that has a good metal shine to it, I recommend molotow silver and gold ultra fine markers for doing gunpla style panel lining or fiddly custom writing on machinery. Ironlak is cheap at hobby lobby. Stuart Semple makes some very niche but amazing pigments and paints too. artprimo and bombingsci sells all this kind of stuff. when you see the sheer color ranges that come in these cans, you will be shocked. gunpla markers are good for doing little customizations, and are cheap. needle oilers for dropping washes in tigh little areas to fill in recesses. you can use them as spot applicators for washes and paints too.
Love the video and everything you do Vince! However I would strongly disagree on the primer rattle can advice. As a mural artist that has been using spray pain't for over 10 years not all paint is made equally and out of everything I have tried I think GW primer is the best and I would recommend the extra cost even for beginners! I feel like there is a big stigma on how to prime your mini and can be an intimidating thing for a beginner and something you can mess up quite easily if you use the wrong paint. A Citadel can or the equivalent may cost that much extra but unless you are priming terrain it will last a while and will give you the best results to start learning how to paint. There is nothing more demoralising when starting the hobby than ruining a freshly built model at the first hurdle, well worth the cost in my opinion! And if you are cutting costs hardware store primer is the next best thing, because it has the 'primer' quality and is able to attach to your acrylic paints. A lot of artist paint you mentioned has a different chemical make up and will reject thinner paint like contrast or wash as it is intended to dry fast and create a barrier to protect the pigment, even the most matte paint will leave some level of gloss because of this quality. If anything Artist paint is the worse by far as you are still paying that premium with non of the strengths as something like the Citadel or Vallejo range. All the best dude and I look forward to Wednesday!
I have never found super thin very good for models. Honestly, I go the opposite direction, if I was going away from standard CA, I would use something like Ultra Gel. Glad you liked the rest of the video. :)
What I'm missing is the mention of brush on primer. The rattle can is more difficult to use for some. You need the space to use it and are more limited by weather.
Honestly, I just think brush on primer isn't good. It's difficult to apply evenly, can often disrupt details and is quite slow. I just would never recommend it to anyone.
Vince, awesome job on this video. I am just getting into painting. I found this video highly informative and straight to the point. Very happy to sub to the channel and watch a lot more of your videos!
+1 to not buying the huge ass box of paint. Bought that big army painter set nearly right out of the gate. Was definitely a mistake, ended up using only a quarter of it and giving almost all of it away without using it.
vince hitting us with the improved production value 👌 👌 👌 👌 👌
I'm trying. I am always experiementing now with new stuff.
As a relatively experienced painter (compared to the target audience for this vid): I appreciate the link to the synthetic brush pack. I've been looking for a good pack rather than just buying them from Walmart since those ones all come with a huge number of useless tiny brushes (like size double 0s). I recently bought some of the fancy schmancy Windsor Newtons but I like having my cheapo brushes that I can just abuse without any kind of anxiety about ruining them, because that's what they're for
Always happy to help. :)
If you've got a Hobby Lobby nearby, I've been massively impressed with the 36 pc Classroom Pack Brush Set (round) that I picked up last month. It's $19 MSRP, but it's Hobby Lobby, so they regularly put all their in house brand brushes 50% off. Ignoring the 18 size 12s that were too big for anything hobby related outside of terrain, I picked up 54 seemingly pretty decent brushes for less than $20.
Why yes, I'm keeping an eye on their website to buy another 2 packs as soon as they're on sale again.
@@MrSJPowell Old, but this is what I do as well. The packs last a relatively long time and the large brushes can still be used for base coating.
Agree with everything except the glue.
I find CA glue a frustrating mess, even 3 years into the hobby.
Tamiya Extra Thin Cement is life changing, with the ability to brush it on precisely where you need it.
I never use CA glue out of the container, capilary action causes the messes. I usually put a few drops on a plastic cap and use an applicator to control where it goes. There are also these cheap super thin plastic nozzles that can attach to the bottle.
Thats for when CA glue is called for of course. Tamiya Extra thin is all you need for most models, but CA is still necessary for certain heavier parts or resin based parts.
Yeah I always hate using CA, for newbies that have plastic models I'd 100% suggest just using plastic cement.
Loctite Gel really turned around my opinion on CA glue, give it a shot.
So I certainly prefer plastic glue, but of course, new players might be working with resin or metal. They might be making bases or need to attach things that aren't plastic and the goal was to keep it simple. :) - BUt of course, you're right, plastic glue is a great investment.
@@VinceVenturella true, that's why you make the videos and I don't, if you recommend plastic cement you have to explain what type of mini you can use it on... good call on the CA glue.
The light is so crucial. My painting improved dramatically the day I just went to the hardware store and got a good, powerful white light bulb.
And as important as light is, recognizing that the reason I couldn't see the minis as well as I could in a different workspace that I used previously had nothing to do with the light and everything to do with my near vision starting to deteriorate as I've hit that magical 45+ age had proven even more important. I invested in an inexpensive set of magnifiers and that has made an immeasurable difference in both what I've been able to do and how long I've been able to do it.
@@helotaxi I had the same problem with my eyesight getting worse. A pair of cheap reading glasses worked for me. They're lighter weight and you can choose which magnification suits you best.
I bought a 3x magnifying visor used by jewelers and it's great. Also lighting is extremely important. Colors don't always look the same in less than ideal lighting. I have an ott desk lamp and a halogen 35 watt equivalent to balance it out.
Yep, light really matters so much.
Man, you described my first 6 months of painting to perfection. I mean, with all the mistakes you mention, I did them all. 😂
Nailed it. :)
Vince really knows his shit. I'll add my own tips:
1. Nippers/clippers
Vince is not wrong, you don't "need" an expensive set of nippers, but they're not useless. It's the same difference of cutting with a cheap "block of knives set" knife and a chef's knife. If you have the money to spare, then absolutely get a Godhand or DSPIA pair of nippers, especially if you assemble snapkits and don't paint them, like Gunpla, because they stress and damage the plastic a lot less when nipping down gates. They are overpriced, but they are good.
2. Files. Get a "nano glass file". It's a retangular glass "file" which has tiny, almost microscopic holes on one side that have a sharp inner rim. They will file anything down that sticks out, while leaving the rest of the surface undamaged. I use this for 'gunpla' (gundam model kits) and they're a bit large for small warhammer models, but for tanks and the like this is like frickin' magic.
You can scrape with a hobby knife, but odds are that you'll damage the models and be frustrated with it. You'll still need to learn how to do it, but a nano glass file is a god send for removing gate nubs. There are brand hobby versions and nail ones, and there are differences in "grit", so be aware of that.
3. Sable/kolinsky brushes. Pretty much what Vince said, although I've personally been very happy with Leonhardy's Kappel series ("0 - Big Stuff"), which are cheaper than the Raphael's, DaVinci's and Windsor Newton's. If you have the money to spare, get the more expensive ones.
4. A painting handle. You can make one yourself with dowels and magnets or any other choice of hundreds of painting handles, but the fat bottom handle that GW used to make has been pretty handy for me. As a beginner you might be tempted to hold the model where the paint has dried, not understanding that you're rubbing it off, so get a handle!
5. Get a big, stable piece of styrofoam, a bunch of wooden skewers and alligator clips. You put the clips on the skewers and stick the skewers in the styrofoam. These make EXCELLENT "holding tools" for parts you want to paint that you can't just put on a painting handle. Inexpensive and about as practical as it gets, especially for airbrushing.
6. It really can't be overstated just how valuable an airbrush setup is. It's a good bit of money, you *NEED* to learn how to use and clean it, but boy does it come in handy. This thing saved the whole hobby for me, just for the fact that I can prime anything whenever I want.
For me personally, the fact that I don't have to layer up orange basecoats, but that I can instead just get an even flat and opaque layer by using an airbrush, is invaluable. I have saved hundreds, if not over a thousand hours of tedious layering with this thing and it's worth the money, the hassle and the learning curve all put together hundreds of times over.
7. Paints.
People don't really agree on paints and everyone has their own take on them. I think Vince would happily agree that there are "best" colors from most ranges that you ought to have and he has examples of which kinds are great in his color series of videos where he gives good examples.
Vallejo's "air metallics" are amazing for brush painting and probably the first set of metal paints you should try. When it comes to gold, GW's retributor armor thinned with the vallejo air metallic gold, gives you a very good result, giving you a nice gold color with the properties of the smooth and nicely flowing air metallic range (courtesy of Zumikito, another youtuber).
Even if you're a beginner, you don't want ugly looking shades of paint and you'd rather avoid the frustrating experience of hard-to-work-with metallics, which a lot of the GW and some of the regular Vallejo ones are.
8. Dropper bottles
Even if the GW pots are trash, the paints are genuinely good, if expensive. You simply fix GW's trash pots by transferring the paints to dropper bottles. The point being that as a beginner you can easily just get GW paints and "save" them with other containers. Personally I just use the pots, you just clean them every so often and they won't dry out, but you need to know that to deal with them.
9. Ball Bearings
One or two in each dropper bottle and they'll all be a lot easier to mix if you let them sit for a while. You can get a bunch (make sure they're steel) on the cheap and it's not hard to do.
This was a fantastic video Vince, invaluable to those just starting out in the hobby.
So great to see someone with your experience also guide the beginners to not blindly purchase everything from the hobby store just because they have big name brands on them. More money saved in tools means more miniatures, and that money will go to the hobby store anyway!
Exactly!
I've been painting for two decades, and I bought tons of stuff, mostly paints and brushes. And eventually I ended using only the few items you mention in your video, so the essential starter tools are actually the only ones you need even after years of experience ;)
It's a full circle. :)
Vince you have no idea how good your videos are. Even a fairly intermediate and experienced painter like me always learns new things. So thank you Vince, you truly are a credit to the hobby.
Glad you like them! :)
Your videos have been very helpful when picking up a paintbrush after over 20 years of not painting! Understanding colours has really helped to skip some trial and error, same goes for many of your other videos.
Awesome, happy to help as always. :)
The model color set is how I started. Great video man
Thank you, always happy to help. :)
This is exactly what I needed, been trying to help my friends get into the hobby
Awesome!
One thing i will add to the reason why you should buy synthetic brushes is (and i believe you have mentioned this previously on other videos) is that you will really want to use them with your metal paints.
Because if you use those expensive Winsor & Newton brushes they will quickly get worn down and they are much to expensive for that.
Oh and i would also recommend that you buy a magnifying glass of some sort that you can either use on your forehead or clamp or put on your table or maybe its part of your lamp.
It really helps with those small details.
I've seen a lot of people mention the magnifiers, never really used them, but I know some people love them. You are dead on the metallics. :)
Thanks for the video! Super refreshing to see down-to-earth advice, instead of, "It's LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE to paint minis without my Citadel-brand paint, brushes, water, and wallpaper for the room I'm working in."
I especially liked how you made a point of differentiating between essentials to start and things to buy later if you're sure you enjoy the hobby.
Master Vincy V teaching us new tricks every day. That tip about the penny in my wet pallete blew my mind.
Always happy to help. :)
While you're at the hardware store like home depot or lowes (in US) go grab a 6x6 white glossy ceramic tile for like a dollar, use that as a nice easy paint palette.
A lot of great recommendations here. Thanks for the community, Vince. Which leads me to one, single piece of advice I'd add:
As much as possible, don't start alone. If you can find a friend wanting to start as well, that would be great emulation - even if some time down the road you'll probably have different objectives, pace, aspirations. Otherwise if you have a painting community and it's reasonable for you to attend, go check it out. Might or might not work, but it's often worth a try. If all else fails, online has some communities that can be very welcoming. The miniaturespainting discord has been a welcoming place for me and I'd recommend joining it. Also, hint: Vince is one of the nice persons out there, so there's his facebook group too.
Happy painting!
The devil is in the detail, and this man has nailed the detail to a lteral artform. Well done, that man!
Excellent video as always, Vince, and a great one to forward to friends who are curious about the hobby. I would also recommend a wearable headband with a magnifying lens. It has helped me paint for longer and doesn't strain the eyes at all.
Great tip!
Great video for beginning painter. Love to see a video for journeymen and another for advanced painters when you have time Vince! As always Vince is great!
Great idea!
This video is full of great advice! I was using a regular light bulb for my desk lamp and it was way too bright to the point i couldn't even properly see the mini after painting. I swapped to the lightbulb shown in the video and it's a million times better!
Great tips. Trial and error is expensive. Not sure i'd recommend rattle cans to a beginner though. They could wreck the mini with the first spray. How to video on rattle can priming should probably be linked here.
Miniac has a good one on zenithaling with rattle cans.
Well, in general, it's still easier than brush painting, and I think it can be something people should learn, in the end, it's not too bad. I am actually considering a complete primer focused video.
@@hobbithubby5076 Thanks, i'll check it out.
@@VinceVenturella I struggle with getting even coats sprayed. Even with a airbrush I have to be so methodical that it robs some of the joy. However i'm usually so wowed by the results that its worth it. I'm actually apprehensive about priming a mini with Montana Aluminum. Nevertheless i need to work it out.
As an aspiring mini painter and player, I really appreciate videos like these plus this week’s Warhammer Weekly. Thanks!
Always happy to help. :)
I really like your workstation/room ,absolutely comfortable.
Makes me wanna go and work the hell out of my stuff.
Excellent. :)
I've started in the hobby 1 year ago and my experience closely mimics the advice Vince is giving. I had to do a lot more trial and error, though. 😅 Solid vid, do as he says.
Great video. I have painted off and on for about 40 years now, and I still found some of this information useful, at least as a reminder.
I use a wet palette, but I don't find the copper wire or pennies help. I put a Lysol wipe in the bottom of my palette, beneath the sponge. It has completely gotten rid of mold and mildew problems. I change it out about once a year.
That's a very cool idea!
Looking outside the hobby suppliers for hobby supplies is always a good tip. Doesn't matter the hobby, people will slap "for hobby use" on the side of something cheap and mark it up. Cooking is a great example of this. You can buy an expensive pyrex measuring jug for £10, or you can go on a laboratory supply store and buy a full set of borosilicate glass, food safe labware for the same price.
100%
I wish I had seen this two months ago! The makeup brush tip is going to be a game changer!
Don't start using them while listening to the song, ''good bye horses''. May turn into the killer from silences of the lambs. lol
Always happy to help. :)
Kill Team Octarius, Dominion, 2x Chalnath, Plaguefester warband box, Shadow Throne, Blackstone Fortress & all its expansions. and about 6-7 other kill teams. and built a hive city for kill team over 8 necromunda tiles. Was a hard 16 month entry into the hobby. Airbrushing now as well. No regrets. Nearly all built and painted to high standard. Experimenting w/ LED's into hive city. 3d printing in both FDM and Resin.
Now that's jumping in! :)
I bought those scalpels after your recommendation and I just wanted to say THANK YOU. These are what I've always wanted my hobby knives to be and more and more cheaper. I usually build one unit with a blade and then throw them away. My first blade handle came with 50 blades, I use them like other people use toilet paper, and I still have half of them left at least.
They are sharp, they have a sharp tip, they are thin and I have only almost killed myself by over forcing the blade and breaking it once! Also the skin on my thumb is getting really thick and leathery so I don't bleed on the plastic that much any more.
All round winner for me!
👍🔪🩸🩹
There is wisdom in your words, high master of the mighty brush! Seriously, it's a great video for the beginning hobbyist... I know as I am one of those. :)
Awesome, always happy to help. :)
Great video! I would like to share some advice on this topic as well; To add to the topic of purchases that could be curtailed easily in this hobby... "painting handles"... I have one and love it, but I would be dishonest in saying that a plastic bottle and a collection of screw on bottle caps fills this role just fine. I use a Rathcore handle just because of the regal, serious feeling of it but I have a 3d printed bottle cap screw top stuck into it instead of the cork. Another one would be the "multi-handle" type ones... easiest replacement? a board-like object, several screw top bottle ends cut off and attached to and a collection of caps. Just poster tack/ Blu-tac (or similar) your minis to your caps, screw them onto said board and spray them all at once, one angle at a time. Once sprayed, swap em over, cap by cap, to your "handle" and get er done. Don't cheat in your games and DO cheat in your hobby. Be a hobby chad like Vince and you will have more money and time for more minis.
It's a good point, a holder crossed my mind to include, but I wanted to keep it simple, but you're absolutely right.
The cheap 15-25 dollar airbrushes are great for varnishes, priming, etc. I got one with my new compressor, and after polishing the needle, it primed very well (I use the Stynylrez primer). I only use it on stuff I don't want to use my good airbrushes on. Another option is, get a used Paasche H with all 3 tips **for priming and varnishing**, they are not detail airbrushes. You can get them for $28 to $35 in good shape on eBay if you are PATIENT. Being a single action external mix, it's MUCH easier to clean lacquers, enamels, and other solvent based paints with. If you mix correctly and use the right pressure, you don't get the orange peel so many people that try them w/o getting used to them complain about. And with a self leveling primer like the Stynylrez, I haven't had any issues using the primer right out of the bottle. If you wind up doing a lot of painting, you'll make the price up quickly over the rattle cans. And the needle and tips last for decades. Some people are using 50-60 year old tips and still have good spray patterns and atomization. Having the 3 tips allows you to lay down a lot of paint for doing table top tiles and terrain.
For details, you'll want a double action, and even the cheap ones on amazon are getting decent comments from experienced airbrush artists. They still can't match a Paasche Vision, Iwata Eclipse, or Grex Genesis for fine details though.
Great vide Vince! I loved it and in particular all your suggestions about how not to waste money in useless stuffs. It's already a pretty expensive hobby in itself (miniatures, colors, tools, and so on). Trying to address money where there is a real added value is a great help. I am a (re)beginner and I am still struggling with understanding what's worth to be bought and what's not. Talking with some pros in a fair helped me to avoid this money waste. For example using window cleaner for airbrush, DIY wet palette and so on. For sure some things can make the difference for pro painters but in some case they are and they remains useless stuffs!!! Thanks!
Happy to help!
I just like to think that Vince sat down and wrote the word "cup" in a serious manner for this list lol.
Honestly, yes, yes I did. ;)
I have painted for years using basic acrylic paint and light gray plastic primer out the hardware section. It is your ability to work with the medium you pick or afford. 89 cent acrylic paints and some water, save your money for shade and wash, medium and make your own. I spend 40 bucks and still get pop and depth, also if you don't know how to paint I suggest you buy some cheaper miniatures to practice your paints on, don't spend 200 dollars and then learn by the last model how it works best. Get a 25 dollar box and use those to learn. Sponge Tupperware and parchment for dollar store wet pallet when done wash with dish soap and let sponge dry in open air
I’m already 2 years in the hobby and a lot of advices you put here made my life so much easier during journey so far. The only thing I miss is airbrush due to lack of space. Watched the video till the very end cause its Vincey Vee!
Thank you and always happy to help. :)
I'm about a year in and have watched a few "how to get started vids" this was by far the most thorough and would have saved me a ton early on.
Excellent, happy to help as always. :)
Vince, I needed this video 4 years ago when I started painting. I fell into the Citadel trap of paints because they were ubiquitous in my area. I even transferred mine into dropper bottles. I have been using Vallejo model and game colors more recently and I like them so much better! Thank you for all of your info and all of the videos that you make!
Always happy to help. :)
Putting a penny in the wet palette might be the most valuable hobby cheat for me in quite some time. Thx 4 that, Vince.
Always happy to help. :)
Shout out to the restoration angel in the background. Target that snapcaster mage for max value
All of my wall papers are Magic TG angel art. I had my first Angel theme deck in '95 and there weren't that many options. ;)
@@VinceVenturella Serra angel was all you needed back then
If you're just an occasional painter of board game and RPG miniatures, you can skip both the clippers and the glue, and if you're just occasionally painting like me, you probably don't need the airbrush either, but otherwise I like the suggestions. One additional thing that you might consider maybe around the three month mark is green stuff to help fill in some of the gaps and crevices in some miniatures. Also, for your lamp, as someone who is getting older and is needing reading glasses, getting one of the swinging arm lamps with a big magnifying glass built into it helps a ton when dealing with little details on your model. Before getting one of those I was always getting annoyed with having to find just the right distance to hold the model that I can both see the details and effectively hit them with my brush.
Yep, a good pair of magnifiers is valuable.
You buy all you want for 6 month, then you buy more in next 6 month, then you dont have space for boxes so actually start too think about assamble and painting of minis, in one more year you start the hobby!
Checks out.
Vince, the copper in the wetpallet, Thank you. I can't tell you how often I've opened that thing after it sat for a week.
Side note, you can put it in the fridge if it still has useable paint on it, extends the life a bit longer.
Yep, I should have mentioned that as well. :)
I just commented on another video. I bought the airbrush early to do mass priming. I planned on buying the conpressor anyway to dust out computers. The extra $20 for a brush was an easy deal to save 100's of hours at least.
Absolutely.
Vince. Thank you so much for making Saturday morning great again. You give some of the greatest advice out there. Love what you do. Stay amazing ^_^.
When I was young, it was all about Saturday morning cartoons, so I have to try to recreate that. :)
In terms of wargaming, the Star Wars Legion base sets are great if you're starting with a friend. There are 16-18 models at most per half, and at 60-ish USD, that's a nice deal for wargames! You get experience on rank-and-file models, vehicle models, and characters models, plus they dont have the GW-level amount of detail piled onto every model.
Vince fabulous video! And the new set and lighting, so good!
Glad you liked it!
What you buy is a 3D resin printer and support artist, that is solely my opinion because the shear cost buying directly from GW is prohibitive. Save that money for paints, inks, a wet pallet, learn to use primary’s to mix your colors, lots of cheap brushes, 3 good brushes 005, 1, 2 Windsor Newton’s sables, makeup brushes, a good airbrush, a cheap airbrush for priming, a good compressor with a water trap, people think I’m crazy but I use a 5 gallon 160psi compressor and a good regulator, good lighting, magnifying googles, umber and black oil paints/ thinner…..Vallejo is my choice of paints and there primers are awesome
That is a very specific list. :)
@@VinceVenturella sounds a lot like your list eh? kind of unecessary to reguritate basically everything you stated here I know, but I'm adamant about 2 things, Vallejo paint and a full size compressor
Also second the nippers. I bought mine for cheap in some hole in the wall hardware store and it has helped me build everything from tank models, gunpla, and miniatures. Tamiya thin cement though is still worth looking into though.
Also surgical blades, I mean it should be sharp enough to cut skin so it should be sharp enough for soft plastics that most minis are made off, never would have thought of that.
Also as for cup, an empty Skippy plastic jar, this old boi has helped my paint most of my army.
Saving for an airbrush myself as I feel it is a great investment especially it can help quicken the time with painting large amounts of models.
Yes, I very much went back and forth on including plastic glue. I like it a lot better, but if people are doing resin, metal or other models, it wouldn't work and that might be more to explain. :)
Watching this I'm very happy that I already bought the paint you recommended, I wasn't sure that it was going to be good but I'm more confident now. Wish me luck I'm doing my first mini painting with my friends on Tuesday and I'm really excited!
Glad I could help! Have fun.
For synthetics, I bought variety packs until I found one I liked and then I buy that specific brush in 10 packs.
Exactly, that's the way to go.
Something I do is use an LED head torch, that way no matter where I'm looking, the light comes with me - any angle. Of course I also have the room and desk light switched on to increase the overall light levels too.
Good idea!
Great call on the 6 month mark for purchasing an airbrush! 6 months of painting minis is enough time if a painter is willing to invest more. Another great point on the lamp! Crazy how more detailed things will be under the lamp when painting minis. Not sold on the multi colored spray cans. It limits you to only 1 faction or group. I still believe black or grey spray can is good for beginners. Thanks for the vid!
Thank you, always happy to help. :)
Another great video! I listened to a lot of your older "getting started" videos when I was getting started and it helped immensely. Glad to see an updated video for those just getting into the hobby.
Glad to help! I wanted something a little more structured to really guide people along. :)
A cheap wooden dowel cut into 2-3” pieces makes a great hobby holder. 1.5 magnifying reading glasses from the dollar store can be a game changer for older dudes returning to the hobby. Would definitely recommend both to anyone new to the hobby.
Nice recommendations both.
You made some very good points. A couple of things I’d like to add. Car primer paint will work well. Make sure you shake it well. Buy brush soap. Sounds strange but you want to look after them decent brushes you’ve brought. Nice vid👍
Brush soap is good for sure.
I can see you are a man of taste! Blood rage is the best! Everything isn't just pink and turquoise in the world of Vincey V afterall.
Not everything. :)
I’m at six months in and I just brought my first airbrush at Adepticon this week. 😅
You, sir, are a godsend. I love the longforg no or few cut videos. Exactly what I need. There used to be a website that taught me how to cook, it was called Cooking For Engineers. You're about as close as it gets to that. Rock on, Vince, keep it coming!
Glad I could help! :)
Finding good cheap brushes are a bit of a challenge so the link is really good. I am increasingly becoming a fan of the Vallejo Game Color paints so that is a great recommendation but if someone has the cash, starting out with Pro Acryl is the way to go. I am using Liquitex brand paints as well, the "Soft Body Essential" 12 pc set is a really good starter (look up their ultra-matte medium!). I like paints where I can read what pigment is used, it is like a cheaper Kimera paint with an almost as high pigment, the "Gouache" acrylics are a good base coat (very matte) if not doing Zenithal. The AK ultra matte is amazing. Thanks! One more video to send new hobbyists to!
Thank you, glad it was helpful. :)
The wet palette maybe a day 1 needed item depending on location and time of year.
I only say this as someone who lives in San Diego and my part can reach triple digits with less than 10% humidity almost any time of the years (I've havd a Christmas day during a freak heatwave in the low 90's)... meaning if you're not living and painting near the coast you're seeing drying times as fast as 10 to 30 seconds.
Note: That there is a reason why wet palettes became so popular in Spain (very similar to my area and the South Western US. in many ways) so fast. It really is a much needed tool due to their weather conditions.
Otherwise I'm totally onboard with the video...maybe some thoughts about the glue, but it's for people maybe on a budget standpoint you're going with so I can agree.
That's a great point, I am always biased to the temperate climate being in middle-america.
I am in painting now for almost a year, and had to check out if I missed something (nope - well no airbrush here (yet)). But what stands out: you have precise statements. General advice on color (brands), stating even brands but not sticking to one are bashing the other. Also funny to see, that you also know Montana (a brand from Germany where I am located and therefore so "cheap" (even under 5 EUR): you won't believe how hard I struggled at the beginning to _not_ buy Rustoleum (used everywhere - but not purchasable (to a reasonable price) in the EU :D - Keep up the good video and painting work.
Thank you, always happy to help. :)
Another item I'd recommend is a bag of green Army Men. Wash them in warm water & detergent and let them dry. Perfect for practicing techniques and color schemes.
Honestly, I have to strongly disagree and here is why. The detail is soft and horrible and the design was never meant to be painted. I think a better thing would be a pack of bones minis, some good figures from a baord game or even some 3-D printed minis. Worst case, just get a single pack of high quality plastic minis and then paint, and paint again. A high quality figure really does make a big difference in helping people learn.
Vince you convinced me I just bought myself a airbrush. I got the Master Airbrush G233. Can't wait for it arrive.
Awesome, it really changes things. :)
Fantastic video with great tips for the beginner and experienced alike. Really appreciate the info on brushes. I've been painting for years but have never invested in a sable...thinking that's my reason for the visit to the hobby store this week! Thank you again!
Glad it was helpful!
Really useful for beginners. I’ll be sure to share with my noobie friends. I’ve started painting about 4ish years now and definitely want to get into airbrushing. I know you have an older video, but I’d be curious what airbrush you’d recommend now. I’m definitely sticking with the hobby so I’d rather invest a bit more on a brush then get a starter and then upgrade soon after. Thanks for the great video!
Sounds like a good video for sure. :)
What do you do when using an airbrush and your paint, varnish, primer starts to run out in the cup? Do you do a 'running top off' or do you stop, clean and reload? I've fallen down the rabbit hole of painting Airfix 1/72 army men, I guess it's a third childhood. They are not the miniatures you talk about but they are plenty small! I've watched a bunch of wargaming paint videos to get an idea of what the uniforms look like and most youtubers prime and base coat with an airbrush. But I disregarded the idea of getting one cause the maintenance sounded too daunting and I have no room for a spray booth. So far I've painted up the 8th Army and Afrika Korps using brushes. But after watching a bunch of your beginner videos, I now have my Amazon cart loaded with about $175 worth of airbrush gear I didn't know that I needed. Lucky I already loaded up on Vallejo paints. I haven't waited 6 months like you suggest, but at my age time is not on my side. The 6th Airbourne and Wehrmacht await! And then if I don't run out of gas, on to the Pacific! Thanks for all the tips!
Generally, just refill and keep going unless you've been working a while. Check out my cleaning airbrush fast video, that might be what I will do if I've been going a while.
Thank you so much Sir, i have been following you for a while but your video’s are really helpfull and there is something for everyone, no matter there pahase in the hobby or skill in the hobby. I hope you will make video’s for many many years to come. All the best, your a great asset to my moddeling and painting!
You are most welcome and that is deeply apprecaited. :)
For the clippers: At least here (Finland), small enough and flush sided tend to be sold in the electrician section. If you just go to a store for construction workers, the pliers are going to be gigantic. But from the electrical supply section you can find cheap chinese clippers like these for a buck or two.
For priming: I'd steer clear of the cheapest stuff at first, unless you know the brand or have seen it in action. The first coats you'll do will be too thick, and if you've bought something with a strong solvent, that caked paint will eat its way into the plastic models and never come off completely. Liquitex makes artist acrylic sprays that are in the local craft stores (again, your mileage may vary). Those can be sprayed too thick as well, but at the very least they're delicate enough that you won't melt the plastic figures. Even the expensive mini-branded primers will do for starters, you can make a rattle can last for 40-70 minis depending on how much you prime at a time. So unless you've done your research and know what you're doing with the spray primers, I'd actually recommend against saving money here.
Good tips!
Great “starter” video….always good to hear your recommendations, and your time and effort are very welcome and appreciated. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful! :)
I would add Silly Putty or some sort of sticky tac, helpful in masking, attaching to painting handles, and stops your brush from rolling off your cup.
It's a good tip. :)
I like when you paint the dragon. It made me happy.
Makes me happy too.
I have all this stuff already and just starting this hobby
You're ahead of the game!
i had absolutely no need for any info in this vid is what i thought when i clicked on this, but i learned today and it was super informative and enjoyable. a lot of solutions here i hadnt thought about yet like still buying blades from a hobby store, and buying hobby brand primer.
Awesome, happy to help. :)
Your theories are splendid and your beard is well trimmed sir!
Thank you kindly!
Love the Cobra Kai. Video was really helpful, but still the moment I saw that... yep!
Glad you liked it! and Cobra Kai forever.
Great video vince. Wish I was around saw hen I first started. I went thru brushes pretty quick and now I think I got a handle on brush care and my fancy brush is used for base and detail, but never for dry brushing and primer. Recently bought an airbrush and still figuring out what I like and how to do it better. Baby smooth finish from the airbrush is great to paint on with a brush.
Right on :)
Greetings from Utah! Thanks for this very helpful video! Much appreciated.
Thanks again for the good advice vince, always a lifesaver (in this case a money saver)
Happy to help!
Even before I got an airbrush, I started zenithal highlighting with dark grey and light grey (off white) primer. This makes life a lot easier than starting with a dark gray for everything (I don't do black, don't see a reason why that's good if I want to pinwash my recesses anyway and it's a pain to work up from).
Agreed.
Great vid! Also good/A LOT of light can't be over emphasized imo
Yep, you need that light.
Nice restoration angel on your desktop, very classic
Great vid as usual! I also agree with most stuff, but regarding the brushes: DON'T throw away cheap synthetic brushes!!! They're great for effects/terrain/glue stuff that you don't want a nice brush for! If you have an older brush that's way past its usefulnes it can still serve you in getting the glue and basing down for an entire army (or 2, if you base this entire box in 1 go) before you throw it away!
You know what, that's a great point, I should do a whole video on the lifecycle of a brush.
@@VinceVenturella That's a great idea! :D
Just to add to it: Guys newest video (from MWM, hope referencing it is ok) also did something I've never thought of before: if a brush is too old and frayed he cut the tip off to make a flat stippling-brush! Great little advice I believe most people would overlook/not think about!
OK you have convinced me to get an airbrush, I just bought a cheap £20 one to give it a try. I'm borrowing a compressor from a friend so it's just the gun I needed lol. If anything I figure it will be a good way to base coat my figures much more effectively.
Yep, at bare minimum, it makes priming a dream and that alone is worth it.
@@VinceVenturella I'm looking forward to trying it out :)
Great video as usual! Two suggestions I have on these items - 1. For rattle can primer, buy a name brand from the hardware store, don't try to use the generic/dollar store brand- that stuff is really terrible. 2. For your water cup, if you are a clutz like me, don't use the red solo cup, use something heavier like the Sam Lenz mug that you can bump into without spilling so easily.
Funny thing about the cup, the Citadel water cup, along with their original painting handles, is the rare hobby tool from GW that I think is worth what I paid for it. You're not going to knock it over, it has some design features that are actually useful and it wasn't overpriced. I'll never try to dissuade someone from supporting a fellow hobbyist though, so any Sam Lenz merch is always a good choice. Make sure what you're drinking at your desk is in a totally different style of cup, though. I've never drunk the paint water, but I've rinsed my brush in my coffee more than once when I was using a mug as my water cup.
Good calls on both. :)
All the graffiti lines of spray paint make paint markers if you like the shades, and refill bottles to use. Ironlak has amazing blues and a great gold metallic.
Great idea!
@@VinceVenturella if you ever need a really good silver or gold that has a good metal shine to it, I recommend molotow silver and gold ultra fine markers for doing gunpla style panel lining or fiddly custom writing on machinery.
Ironlak is cheap at hobby lobby.
Stuart Semple makes some very niche but amazing pigments and paints too.
artprimo and bombingsci sells all this kind of stuff. when you see the sheer color ranges that come in these cans, you will be shocked.
gunpla markers are good for doing little customizations, and are cheap.
needle oilers for dropping washes in tigh little areas to fill in recesses. you can use them as spot applicators for washes and paints too.
I deffo jumped head first into the paint ocean, in 18 months I've easily got 200 paints from various manufacturers. Pro acryl is fantastic tho!
It is a great line of paints for sure. :)
Love the video and everything you do Vince! However I would strongly disagree on the primer rattle can advice. As a mural artist that has been using spray pain't for over 10 years not all paint is made equally and out of everything I have tried I think GW primer is the best and I would recommend the extra cost even for beginners! I feel like there is a big stigma on how to prime your mini and can be an intimidating thing for a beginner and something you can mess up quite easily if you use the wrong paint. A Citadel can or the equivalent may cost that much extra but unless you are priming terrain it will last a while and will give you the best results to start learning how to paint. There is nothing more demoralising when starting the hobby than ruining a freshly built model at the first hurdle, well worth the cost in my opinion! And if you are cutting costs hardware store primer is the next best thing, because it has the 'primer' quality and is able to attach to your acrylic paints. A lot of artist paint you mentioned has a different chemical make up and will reject thinner paint like contrast or wash as it is intended to dry fast and create a barrier to protect the pigment, even the most matte paint will leave some level of gloss because of this quality. If anything Artist paint is the worse by far as you are still paying that premium with non of the strengths as something like the Citadel or Vallejo range. All the best dude and I look forward to Wednesday!
Good feedback and good to know. :)
Great vid Vince. Only thing I’d disagree with is the glue. I think any super thin like Tamiya , Gunz etc is better
I have never found super thin very good for models. Honestly, I go the opposite direction, if I was going away from standard CA, I would use something like Ultra Gel. Glad you liked the rest of the video. :)
thanks a lot! such a useful info for a noob GW retail worker
Glad it was helpful!
What I'm missing is the mention of brush on primer. The rattle can is more difficult to use for some. You need the space to use it and are more limited by weather.
Honestly, I just think brush on primer isn't good. It's difficult to apply evenly, can often disrupt details and is quite slow. I just would never recommend it to anyone.
Just shared this vid to friends and family as a Christmas/birthday gift list for me.
Nice!
Grateful for the pearls of wisdom.
Vince, awesome job on this video. I am just getting into painting. I found this video highly informative and straight to the point. Very happy to sub to the channel and watch a lot more of your videos!
Wonderful, that is great to hear and I am always happy to help. :)
I am by no means a new hobbyust, and I still walked away with some solid tips!
Fantastic. :)
All of your videos are super helpful
Always happy to help. :)
What to buy 8 to 12 months in (as of 2023 cost of living and GW price increase) :
3d printer (make a titan for 20 dollars....)
Airbrush (if you want)
Thanks for the guide!
Glad to help!
+1 to not buying the huge ass box of paint. Bought that big army painter set nearly right out of the gate. Was definitely a mistake, ended up using only a quarter of it and giving almost all of it away without using it.
Yep, it's just overwhelming.