I know not everyone is a fan of the recent miniature series. I know most of you come to me for terrain. But I want to stress WHY I am hammering out this series. I'm not doing this mini series because I want to, but because there was a demand. A constant demand for over a year. I gave in. I know there are countless channels covering mini painting, but more and more my viewers come to me as their first introduction to the hobby. Every aspect of the hobby. They don't know a single thing about mini painting, nothing. I get people asking me what my minis are stuck to when I post pics of them on cork. For these people the other channels covering the subject are daunting and intimidating. Where do they even start? Its for this reason I wanted to do this series. I wanted to cover the subject in a super approachable and simple way. No complicated techniques, no elitism that you often find on miniature channels. Just me using my simple teaching method to get people going. I don't plan on continuing this series long term. I will probably do one more episode covering painting in the most basic way "block out colours, apply a wash, highlight." That's it. I won't get into more complicated techniques. I just want a simple playlist of a handful of very approachable videos to direct new people to. Once it's up there I can walk away from it. So for those of you only here for the terrain, please stick it out and understand the whole purpose of my channel is to serve the community. At the moment I felt this was needed to serve the community I am helping to grow.
You might get grief but I think that this was a really thoughtful (& pragmatic...now all you have to do is point to your playlist) set of videos to make, especially since you do come across as an approachable, reliable source that welcomes anyone excited about the hobby. I don't even need this series but I'm enjoying it anyway. 👍 It's always a breath of fresh air when you run across someone who isn't steeped in elitism...in any field. Keep it up! :D
is there ANY possibility to get the smartcraft oe tje applebarn paint in germany/europe?? Haven't found any compareable paint with this great variaty of colors here for such cheap price... if anyone knows an alternative bitte auf deutsch Antworten:)
Good info, I'm not sure who's giving you a hard time about this series, but I think that you're doing an excellent job. I've painted minis for a long time and I'm learning a lot.
I know you might not have wanted to do a mini series, but seriously, thanks man. Your stuff is always top quality and out of all the guides online I find I trust your opinion and guides highly. The work you put into these videos are highly appreciated.
I used to prime everything in black, but recently have used a different technique that has worked really well. I prime in medium grey and then wash the mini with black. It fills all the little tiny gaps and dark areas, but then still allows the bulk of it to stay grey for easier coverage with colors (while leaving the little recesses black so it will appear shadow like if missed, etc).
That might be a good alternative to a zenithal highlight on Bones which I'd probably want to do with rattle cans. Zenithal highlighting is gonna prove to be important for me when I start painting because without it, I won't be able to see the details (vision impairment + low contrast + small? Nope!) But I also don't want to invest in an airbrush until I've gotten good enough to know that I can use it well enough to make it worth using. But … I don't strictly need a proper dark-from-below, light-from-above zenithal highlight. I need contrast to highlight details. Washes do that. Normally after you paint, but why not before?
I have to thank you... I played D&D pretty rabidly back in the 80's - 00's (2nd ED represent!), but fell off due to life. Not only have your videos reignited my love of D&D, but they have also inspired me to begin using miniatures & terrain. But best of all, my nephew has taken an immediate and strong interest in the game, and has given us something to bond over. Thanks man! I love your videos. You are a true artist.
I started painting miniatures when I was about 12 years old. That was back in the 1970's. I always find something new when viewing "basic" videos on painting. I appreciate all the effort that you put into all of your videos. Keep up the good content. Anyone that has negative feedback or holds a strong opinion on some topic or point of contention should simply create their own channel and avoid videos that state clearly that they are for beginners.
I want to thank you for this series. I am in awe of folks who paint minis (I build terrain) and have been thinking about giving it a go. You have given me the push I need and am looking forward to doing a couple.
I've been using gesso as a primer, and it's fantastic for cheap plastic minis. Slightly more expensive than paint but it adds just enough grit to grab your paint without changing your finish.
Just starting painting Reaper Bones minis. First one - army black primer. It took a zillion coats cause the paint didn't really 'stick' to the primer. I watched this video. Used cheap gray craft paints like you suggested. The results are totally and absolutely different and better. This video literally helped transform my paint work for this entire series of minis. Thank you!
I was just to try my first mini and ... wow... when you said "they are pre-primed but it's half true, you NEED to prime it because of the prep work" and you actually made me so angry :P "Damn I don't have prime. Lets put it back on package..." was my reaction, and I actually 've put it back onto it's package. But... BAm, then you say "prime it with cheap acrylic" and you totally have put a smile back on my face. So, I think I will try painting before you release the painting tutorial. thanks a lot, every video on your channel is really helpful for beginners.
I specifically came looking for a video about prepping / painting Reaper Bones, because I gummed up my 1st one with Krylon Black. You basically presented exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!!
Thanks for this, confirmed my practice with Bones, as I get into doing some of the Cav mechs. Also appreciated this being a PG video, will be able to share these painting guides with my young nephews.
I'm not quite a beginner anymore, but because I've learned in bits and scraps and personal experience, I've got small but important gaps in my basic knowledge. These videos have helped a lot, and this one in particular explained a lot of past errors to me. Thanks!
For anyone using aerosol primers for things, one other MAJOR thing to remember is to never do it when there is a higher humidity level. It can create problems in the long run if you do.
Thank you you've answered all my questions on why my paint just rubs off, why my primers don't seem to work etc. I've had trouble googling this but you covered it all nicely.
I've been hesitant to start my painting because of all the discrepancy about priming and not priming, what to use with type of models...…..This video is EXACTLY what I needed to see. Yes You're terrain vids are great, but this is a perfect expansion to your channel.
To make things even simpler for you, since doing this video I have actually started priming bones with the vallejo surface primer as well. Now I pretty much have one brush on primer for every type of mini. It's been working great.
Thank you for this information. I just bought my first minatures (reapers). I've never done this before. Your beginner class/ experience is most helpful.🙏👍
Awesome tips. Really helped me out. Just painted my first reaper bone mini yesterday(dracolisk). I noticed it was tacky, just figured it wasnt all the way dry. I finished it tacky. Came out good for my first min, no longer tacky with all the paint and finish. Just started a new onw today as I was watching this video. I sprayed the primer too close and got air bubbles then followed you link. Turns out my primer can cause some tackiness. It did even more then yesterday. So Im stripping the paint and gonna use your craft paint tip. Thanks!
I got a greater knowledge of the purpose of priming, and it's always good to get more info on something I plan on doing regularly. these videos are super appreciated.
I had a small army of reaper bones orcs and botched the whole batch by spray painting them. I was livid. I wish I would've seen your video way back then. keep up the great work.
I have been watching your videos now for 6 months or more. I haven/t painted a figure in years, but I have in the past. This was very well done, so thank you.
I have a few of the Bones CAV miniatures and I always hesitated in painting them because of not being able to thin my initial coat. You answered a lot of questions and I never thought of using the craft paints I already have to prime them. Thanks for taking the time to post this tutorial as you cleared up a lot of concerns I had.
Thank you for this series , heck this video alone!!!!!! I hated painting bones because my first experience I spray primed them & it was terrible! after this video I painted a bones for one of my players & have since changed my stance on bones Thanks again bro!!!!
This is actually a video I was looking for, and I’m glad I found it with you :3 (your videos are basically my watch fodder at 2am x3 and I have a lot of content to go through
I don't know why you'd be getting any hate for mini-work, since the whole point of the terrain is to use them with minis. So far the videos that I've seen you make though for minis (custom or otherwise) look great and even can help with techniques for terrain as well. Great work and can't wait to continue watching the playlist.
Excellent video! I always go for a lighter or darker shade of gray depending what you need. A darker shade of gray is great for most monsters. So I have a super light gray Vallejo primer bottle and a dark grey bottle.
I've been priming my reaper minis with aerosol primers and have gotten that sticky surface more than once, I thought it's my own fault for doing too thick layers since some of the primer colors worked okay, never realizing that stickiness was a thing with aerosol based primers. I have lots of reaper minis waiting me in the post atm and you just saved them from the same fate, lol, I'm so I happy I watched this.
What a help this series is. I just picked up mini painting with no background in painting and am on my 6th one. Really liking the wizkids detail. Thanks so much for all the info
For reaper bones, I prime with model master paint. Usually one of their greys, particularly gunship grey. It’s EXTREMELY thin, obscures less detail than most purpose made primers. I’ve washed bones before and haven’t washed them. I haven’t noticed much a difference and generally find washing bones to be a myth. If you have ever painted onto a bones mini directly out of the blister and noticed that your paint isn’t sticking, it’s because you’re using watered down paint. Bones material is hydrophobic, so your base coat/prime needs to be paint directly from the container. Get the thinnest paint you have and “prime” it with that, and then you can use your watered down paints to your heart’s content. Trust me on this guys, I’ve tried prepping bones in just about every way possible and just brushing on model master gunship grey is by far the most effective way I’ve ever found. Get a bigger brush and go to town, once you get good at it, you can do it pretty damn fast. I can prime a dozen bones in like 10 minutes with this method. You will find that this often obscures less detail than spray primers EDIT: wow I wrote this while the video was playing and realized you said the exact same thing I did lol
Funny, I haven't really tried my craft paint to base coat my bones, I had such flaking issues with trying to prime WotC board game minis, I hadn't tried it on Bones. I usually use a lightly thinned (with matte medium) highly opaque acrylic, like Citadel Base, Vallejo Extra Opaque, or Reaper's own HD series. I will give my craft acrylic a try!
Your vids really helped me get started. Painted my first two minis in the last week and I'm hooked. Maybe anecdotal, but I used spray primer (Rust-Oleum 327912 Spray Paint, 12 oz, Gray Primer) on my first mini (Reaper Bones) and it seemed to work just fine.
When I made that primer mistake with Reaper Bones, I found that I could get rid of the tackiness by covering the whole mini with PVA white glue over the paint job as an emergency salvage. Instead of gray, I like to prime white, and then stain in raw or burnt umber or Payne's gray or a mix of the brown and the gray, to get a similar overall brightness to the gray, but with darker crevices and lighter highlights, and then paint over that.
Honestly, I really just don't get why people get mad about using an airbrush. I've been painting for years, and I think of myself as a pretty good one too, and I have never used an airbrush. Thanks so much for this series! It is a great refresher for me and I can easily see how helpful it would be for new people!
Thanks for this very informative video. I plan to watch the entire series. I've been out of miniature painting for about twenty years and have, I'm afraid, lost much of the skill I once had. However, I recently started running Call of Cthulhu again and the new minis from Reaper are all Bones. I bought some to get the collection started and have never painted bones before. I knew from conversations I've had and heard at my FLGS that Bones can be difficult to paint but, lucky me, from what you've said in your video, my chosen medium is perfect for them. Huzzah. Keep up the good work. Peace.
I just saw a portion of your video on bases for miniatures and I immediately subscribed. I am new to painting miniatures and I am looking forward to the whole series. Nice to know you are there to help me along!
That was the most interesting, well put across and useful painting tips video I have watched. It answered ALL my priming questions and confirmed some of my fears. Thanks very much for that post !! Very helpful indeed.
First time painting miniatures. .... I didn't prime the Reaper Bones and yes the material repelled the water thinned color. Four coats of paint did the job finally. They won't win a price but are good enough for the table. Thanks for the advice.
Thanks for this. I am still very new to painting for my Star Wars DnD game with my friends and so far have only 1 or 2 that I think came out well while the rest look blotchy. It has been very frustrating trying to figure out what I am doing wrong, how much do I dilute, why do some paints stick and not others, I didn't even know there were primers that were not aerosol until this video. I have wanted to give up a few times even though I have fun during the painting process, the end results just bring me down. I am going to try this on a reaper strumpet I just bought and try to make it look good before I start work on the Heroforge customs I ordered. Sorry for the rant and thanks again.
For Bones minis, I strongly commend Reaper Brown Liner (09064) or Reaper Blue Liner (09066) if you like a dark primer. They stick better than any other paint and provide a very thin base layer that works really well. (Which is what Rhonda Bender (@Wren) recommends in the linked post.) The other primer that I've found works very well for Bones is Badger Stynylrez, which is available in a variety of colors including white and gray. It's also designed for airbrush application, but I just apply it with a brush and it works great. The other thing I'll recommend (which I might have mentioned on the previous post) is that you drop Bones figures into high concentration Isopropyl Alcohol overnight if it's not too inconvenient. This can leech out some of the plasticizer in the PVC and make floppy figures more rigid. (It works best on thinner parts of figures like wings and weapons.) This is not a must-do step, just a nice-to-do thing.
Thanks for the info on bones. Had problems when painting them a few months ago. They went sticky as you say. Will order some grey acrylic when i get any more bones minis.
On side note... If you prime it black and there's a material that calls for a lighter color, you -CAN- actually paint the area gray or white first, as those two pigments tend to be just as dense as black. Which you can then paint your desired color over.
As for acrylic craft paint, I've been having some very good luck with Ceramcoat brand on my 3d printed minis and terrain. I know it's not recommended for surface coats and I plan on getting a selection of Vallejo paints when/if finances stabilize, but Ceramcoat works ok for now, especially on gray PLA filament.
The propellant issue is why airbrushing primer onto your minis is so great. This is the reason I originally bought my airbrush, so I could prime minis inside during the winter. You can't get a proper primer coat (or paint coat, or sealant coat) down if the humidity is off or the temperature is too low, and both of these conditions are easier to control indoors. I live on the west coast and the humidity is a near constant problem. If you're painting more than a couple dozen minis, it's also likely to be cheaper than using rattle cans. Rattle cans are pretty wasteful and not particularly cheap where I'm from - I've seen people talk about using 0.99$ rattle cans of primer from Walmart, and if you can get your rattle cans that cheap then it would take a long time to justify an airbrush on price alone... but I can't find primer for anywhere near that cheap here in western Canuckistan. Rattle cans around here average about $10-$15 per. The bottle of Stynylrez I bought ~5 years ago is still half-full despite painting hundreds of minis and a few terrain pieces. I've saved the cost of the airbrush by priming alone but I also use it to paint and seal my minis. This saves even more money on rattle can sealers, and speeds up painting itself. Not everyone needs an airbrush, but... for some of us it's almost mandatory.
Also, as mentioned on one of your previous videos, my experience with painting directly on Bones with acrylic paint has been largely unsatisfactory. I mostly use water to thin my paints, and bones is slightly hydrophobic - it's really hard to get paint to stick unless applied right out of the bottle. (Yes, I'm confident that my minis have been properly cleaned beforehand.) And even then, it rubs off REALLY easily compared to when applied over primer. All in all, a good video. You covered most of the important points. Thanks!
Good stuff, dude! Keep up the work! I learned the hard way that just yelling at the paint doesn't work, and throwing handfuls of paint isn't the best method. Thanks for the tips!
I've been priming and painting minis for decades, and somehow never had the epifany to prime in pink for flesh dominated minis. I always use grey or white when I'm not doing an army with Army Painter primers. I'll certainly give that a try next time I do flesh.
At last, I have a solid answer for the Reaper mini conundrum. I just picked up the Kraken from Reaper and have been afraid to do anything with it because of the priming issues. But just to be sure for myself I will still test your method on a lesser Reaper mini.
Good video I'm glad I found it. Seriously it's so hard to find a straight answer about priming or not priming plastic minis. However, the state of your wet palette at 11:00 made me want to run for the hills.
Thanks for saying that about washing minis. It's dogma for me and yet I have so few converts. Worse, I don't hear it much from accomplished or well known painters. Also, the tips on Bones minis: vital! Many more thanks for that. I'd love to hear from you (or anyone who knows) about the different *-based paints (oil based, water based, alcohol based) and suggestions on best practices. Keep up the great work!!
Oh yeah, thanks for the basics series of vids. I love that you are talking directly to the new guy. I don't see any problem with what you're doing or saying, damn the complainers!
Fantastic! Can't wait for the next one where we get into painting! I'm trying to figure out the right sequence of washes and highlighting and dry brushing, etc. so I'm really interested in your recommended, practical approach!
Missed this before spray priming my Bones minotaurs, ogres, and yeti… used Army painter spray primer which initially seemed fine but after a few days became sticky. My solution, which so far has worked… toss the sticky-primed mini in a plastic bag with corn starch, shake like mad, remove then dry brush off as much of the corn starch as possible. Stickiness gone. So far my yetis and ogres have accepted the final paint, has seemed to adhere, and stickiness hasn’t returned. Fingers-crossed. Your mileage may vary
This is a great series and it will help me a lot and since my birthday wil be comming up i'l have some money to buy my first d&d mini's and go to town. good stuf man!
About the "alays thin your paint" thing. Yeah man it took me a long time to learn that there are very very few hard rules when it comes to mini painting. There are lots of situations where thinning your paint isn't the right call.
7:00 Use rustoleum 2x flat grey it works perfectly fine just do it from a bit of a farther back distance than other minis it goes on well sometimes it is sticky at first but let it dry or hit it with a hair dryer for a few seconds on low to avoid warping and its good
Yeah army painter black spray screw up some of my bones 3 kickstarter but thankfully gw chaos black spray fixed the issue and cured the paint and stopped them being sticky. Was typical it was the first time i ever bough army painter black, but lesson learnt. I'd base coated the first half with chaos black so had no idea there was an issue.
I got into airbrushing a while ago. I tried a $200 ish airbrush and it broke immediately and I returned it. I bought a $100 ish airbrush that was very highly reviewed on youtube and it was extremely difficult to use and unreliable. I tried a $20 one, and it was 100% garbage and broke before completing one small project. I tried a $4 from Harbor Freight and it was perfect and I've gone through a few of them across dozens of projects because the paint cups are destroyed by the type of paint I use. It's the one that comes with 4-6 little cups that quick change. I didn't buy them in that order. I actually started with the $20 one.
Man I wish I'd seen this old video of yours before I lightly primed my first batch of Bones and was absolutely confused by the sticky mess they became. At least it was a small handful
Eventually the stickiness does go away. But it takes a looong time. I sprayed a Mimic model from bones in July 2018. I picked it up just today after having had it sit in my closet, and it is no longer sticky. So some time between then and now it become ok to paint. But, yeah that is waaay to long.
I would have never thought about the mold release causing issues with painting. I haven't painted in years and just go my paints in from Amazon. I'll be washing all the Reaper bones. (I think there's a country song somewhere in there....)
I have found that with the Reaper Bones that even if you wash them and rinse them and leave them to dry sometimes you have problems with the paint taking to these miniatures. so I repeat the process I wash them and rinse leave em for a day to dry out then I will wash them again and leave them to dry. I have actually have the entire face that I worked hard on drop off a figure because the molding release wasn't removed even with washing once.
Good rule of thumb for decided what color to “prime” with is (that I use) is black for models predominantly dark or metallic, grey for all, especially reds, and white for fair colors. If possible 9/10 shoot for gray, it’s the easiest to build up or down for certain colors. Any painter will tell you red can be a bastard to paint for new painters.
I know not everyone is a fan of the recent miniature series. I know most of you come to me for terrain. But I want to stress WHY I am hammering out this series.
I'm not doing this mini series because I want to, but because there was a demand. A constant demand for over a year. I gave in.
I know there are countless channels covering mini painting, but more and more my viewers come to me as their first introduction to the hobby. Every aspect of the hobby. They don't know a single thing about mini painting, nothing. I get people asking me what my minis are stuck to when I post pics of them on cork. For these people the other channels covering the subject are daunting and intimidating. Where do they even start?
Its for this reason I wanted to do this series. I wanted to cover the subject in a super approachable and simple way. No complicated techniques, no elitism that you often find on miniature channels. Just me using my simple teaching method to get people going.
I don't plan on continuing this series long term. I will probably do one more episode covering painting in the most basic way "block out colours, apply a wash, highlight." That's it. I won't get into more complicated techniques. I just want a simple playlist of a handful of very approachable videos to direct new people to. Once it's up there I can walk away from it.
So for those of you only here for the terrain, please stick it out and understand the whole purpose of my channel is to serve the community. At the moment I felt this was needed to serve the community I am helping to grow.
Black Magic Craft I think having an intro point like you doing is a good thing. I have painted a few minis and I find your series useful still
You might get grief but I think that this was a really thoughtful (& pragmatic...now all you have to do is point to your playlist) set of videos to make, especially since you do come across as an approachable, reliable source that welcomes anyone excited about the hobby. I don't even need this series but I'm enjoying it anyway. 👍 It's always a breath of fresh air when you run across someone who isn't steeped in elitism...in any field. Keep it up! :D
No. Keep this up. I am a veteran painter and still get pointers from your series
is there ANY possibility to get the smartcraft oe tje applebarn paint in germany/europe??
Haven't found any compareable paint with this great variaty of colors here for such cheap price...
if anyone knows an alternative bitte auf deutsch Antworten:)
I've learned several new techniques! Thank you!
I literally just spent 5 hours watching your videos with my kids now they want there own minis
Good info, I'm not sure who's giving you a hard time about this series, but I think that you're doing an excellent job. I've painted minis for a long time and I'm learning a lot.
I have been painting for years as well. I constantly watch videos like this for both tips / tricks and refresher lessons .
How high are we talking about? I live in a humid climate, and I've never seen anyone give a number.
As someone new to painting minis I really appreciate this beginner series!! Thank you so much
I know you might not have wanted to do a mini series, but seriously, thanks man. Your stuff is always top quality and out of all the guides online I find I trust your opinion and guides highly. The work you put into these videos are highly appreciated.
I used to prime everything in black, but recently have used a different technique that has worked really well. I prime in medium grey and then wash the mini with black. It fills all the little tiny gaps and dark areas, but then still allows the bulk of it to stay grey for easier coverage with colors (while leaving the little recesses black so it will appear shadow like if missed, etc).
That’s a great method, I’ll try it. To be honest I havn’t primed anything black in a long time either. Grey has become my standard go to.
Great idea! Starting a new mini tonight and am going to try that out.
That might be a good alternative to a zenithal highlight on Bones which I'd probably want to do with rattle cans. Zenithal highlighting is gonna prove to be important for me when I start painting because without it, I won't be able to see the details (vision impairment + low contrast + small? Nope!) But I also don't want to invest in an airbrush until I've gotten good enough to know that I can use it well enough to make it worth using.
But … I don't strictly need a proper dark-from-below, light-from-above zenithal highlight. I need contrast to highlight details. Washes do that. Normally after you paint, but why not before?
I have to thank you... I played D&D pretty rabidly back in the 80's - 00's (2nd ED represent!), but fell off due to life. Not only have your videos reignited my love of D&D, but they have also inspired me to begin using miniatures & terrain. But best of all, my nephew has taken an immediate and strong interest in the game, and has given us something to bond over. Thanks man! I love your videos. You are a true artist.
That is amazing dude! Hope it all continues well!
U didn't get possessed like they said the game did back then? Lol
I started painting miniatures when I was about 12 years old. That was back in the 1970's. I always find something new when viewing "basic" videos on painting. I appreciate all the effort that you put into all of your videos. Keep up the good content.
Anyone that has negative feedback or holds a strong opinion on some topic or point of contention should simply create their own channel and avoid videos that state clearly that they are for beginners.
Terrain or minis, you always have nice thorough instructions and info to give to us. Merci!
I want to thank you for this series. I am in awe of folks who paint minis (I build terrain) and have been thinking about giving it a go. You have given me the push I need and am looking forward to doing a couple.
I haven't painted a mini in nearly 20 years but I watch this channel often. EXCELLENT work!
I've been using gesso as a primer, and it's fantastic for cheap plastic minis. Slightly more expensive than paint but it adds just enough grit to grab your paint without changing your finish.
Thank you for your comment! I was wondering if I could use gesso. Mine is pretty cheap, it's a gigantic bottle for 9 bucks. Less afraid to try it now!
I have been painting minis for 40 years. Thank you for talking about reaper minis Now I know how I was screwing up!!! THANK YOU
Just starting painting Reaper Bones minis. First one - army black primer. It took a zillion coats cause the paint didn't really 'stick' to the primer. I watched this video. Used cheap gray craft paints like you suggested. The results are totally and absolutely different and better. This video literally helped transform my paint work for this entire series of minis. Thank you!
I was just to try my first mini and ... wow... when you said "they are pre-primed but it's half true, you NEED to prime it because of the prep work" and you actually made me so angry :P
"Damn I don't have prime. Lets put it back on package..." was my reaction, and I actually 've put it back onto it's package.
But... BAm, then you say "prime it with cheap acrylic" and you totally have put a smile back on my face.
So, I think I will try painting before you release the painting tutorial.
thanks a lot, every video on your channel is really helpful for beginners.
I specifically came looking for a video about prepping / painting Reaper Bones, because I gummed up my 1st one with Krylon Black. You basically presented exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!!
Thanks for this, confirmed my practice with Bones, as I get into doing some of the Cav mechs. Also appreciated this being a PG video, will be able to share these painting guides with my young nephews.
Been painting minis for 3 years with success and didn't know any of this. I guess I'm just frigging lucky! Thanks for the vid very informative!
I'm not quite a beginner anymore, but because I've learned in bits and scraps and personal experience, I've got small but important gaps in my basic knowledge. These videos have helped a lot, and this one in particular explained a lot of past errors to me. Thanks!
For anyone using aerosol primers for things, one other MAJOR thing to remember is to never do it when there is a higher humidity level. It can create problems in the long run if you do.
And even more important when using an aerosol clear coat!
Thanks! Did not know this.
Thank you :D
Like what?
@@Turd_Rocket Yes, I am also interested to know this?
Thank you you've answered all my questions on why my paint just rubs off, why my primers don't seem to work etc. I've had trouble googling this but you covered it all nicely.
I've been hesitant to start my painting because of all the discrepancy about priming and not priming, what to use with type of models...…..This video is EXACTLY what I needed to see. Yes You're terrain vids are great, but this is a perfect expansion to your channel.
To make things even simpler for you, since doing this video I have actually started priming bones with the vallejo surface primer as well. Now I pretty much have one brush on primer for every type of mini. It's been working great.
@@BlackMagicCraftOfficial this here is great info that i needed
Thank you for this information. I just bought my first minatures (reapers). I've never done this before. Your beginner class/ experience is most helpful.🙏👍
I used to prime my minis with acrilic too. Now I'm using white vallejo primer. But acrilic paint works very well. Nice video,man
Awesome tips. Really helped me out. Just painted my first reaper bone mini yesterday(dracolisk). I noticed it was tacky, just figured it wasnt all the way dry. I finished it tacky. Came out good for my first min, no longer tacky with all the paint and finish. Just started a new onw today as I was watching this video. I sprayed the primer too close and got air bubbles then followed you link. Turns out my primer can cause some tackiness. It did even more then yesterday. So Im stripping the paint and gonna use your craft paint tip. Thanks!
I'm just now seeing this. I learned the "hard way" on Reaper Bones, but after this video I know I won't make that mistake again. THANK YOU!!!
Such a great series man, came at the PERFECT time for me, have just started getting into minis!
I got a greater knowledge of the purpose of priming, and it's always good to get more info on something I plan on doing regularly. these videos are super appreciated.
I had a small army of reaper bones orcs and botched the whole batch by spray painting them. I was livid. I wish I would've seen your video way back then. keep up the great work.
I have been watching your videos now for 6 months or more. I haven/t painted a figure in years, but I have in the past. This was very well done, so thank you.
I have a few of the Bones CAV miniatures and I always hesitated in painting them because of not being able to thin my initial coat. You answered a lot of questions and I never thought of using the craft paints I already have to prime them. Thanks for taking the time to post this tutorial as you cleared up a lot of concerns I had.
Thank you for this series , heck this video alone!!!!!! I hated painting bones because my first experience I spray primed them & it was terrible! after this video I painted a bones for one of my players & have since changed my stance on bones Thanks again bro!!!!
Getting started with Minis... Love your tips and tricks. It really helps us noob mini painters! Keep up the good work!
My family and I are new to tabletop rpg and this series has been great! Thanks for doing it!
Love the channel. Thanks for remembering that there are newcomers to this hobby.
This is actually a video I was looking for, and I’m glad I found it with you :3 (your videos are basically my watch fodder at 2am x3 and I have a lot of content to go through
I don't know why you'd be getting any hate for mini-work, since the whole point of the terrain is to use them with minis. So far the videos that I've seen you make though for minis (custom or otherwise) look great and even can help with techniques for terrain as well. Great work and can't wait to continue watching the playlist.
Excellent video! I always go for a lighter or darker shade of gray depending what you need. A darker shade of gray is great for most monsters. So I have a super light gray Vallejo primer bottle and a dark grey bottle.
Light grey and dark grey is probably far better to have as an option than black or white. To be honest I havn’t primed anything black in ages.
Second post, I now watched the whole video. DAMN, man!! You even covered primers!!!! THANK YOU 😊
I've been priming my reaper minis with aerosol primers and have gotten that sticky surface more than once, I thought it's my own fault for doing too thick layers since some of the primer colors worked okay, never realizing that stickiness was a thing with aerosol based primers. I have lots of reaper minis waiting me in the post atm and you just saved them from the same fate, lol, I'm so I happy I watched this.
What a help this series is. I just picked up mini painting with no background in painting and am on my 6th one. Really liking the wizkids detail. Thanks so much for all the info
For reaper bones, I prime with model master paint. Usually one of their greys, particularly gunship grey. It’s EXTREMELY thin, obscures less detail than most purpose made primers. I’ve washed bones before and haven’t washed them. I haven’t noticed much a difference and generally find washing bones to be a myth. If you have ever painted onto a bones mini directly out of the blister and noticed that your paint isn’t sticking, it’s because you’re using watered down paint. Bones material is hydrophobic, so your base coat/prime needs to be paint directly from the container. Get the thinnest paint you have and “prime” it with that, and then you can use your watered down paints to your heart’s content. Trust me on this guys, I’ve tried prepping bones in just about every way possible and just brushing on model master gunship grey is by far the most effective way I’ve ever found. Get a bigger brush and go to town, once you get good at it, you can do it pretty damn fast. I can prime a dozen bones in like 10 minutes with this method. You will find that this often obscures less detail than spray primers
EDIT: wow I wrote this while the video was playing and realized you said the exact same thing I did lol
Funny, I haven't really tried my craft paint to base coat my bones, I had such flaking issues with trying to prime WotC board game minis, I hadn't tried it on Bones. I usually use a lightly thinned (with matte medium) highly opaque acrylic, like Citadel Base, Vallejo Extra Opaque, or Reaper's own HD series. I will give my craft acrylic a try!
I cannot emphasis enough, prime in whatever color your mini is going to mostly be. It will help so much in the long run.
Your vids really helped me get started. Painted my first two minis in the last week and I'm hooked.
Maybe anecdotal, but I used spray primer (Rust-Oleum 327912 Spray Paint, 12 oz, Gray Primer) on my first mini (Reaper Bones) and it seemed to work just fine.
When I made that primer mistake with Reaper Bones, I found that I could get rid of the tackiness by covering the whole mini with PVA white glue over the paint job as an emergency salvage.
Instead of gray, I like to prime white, and then stain in raw or burnt umber or Payne's gray or a mix of the brown and the gray, to get a similar overall brightness to the gray, but with darker crevices and lighter highlights, and then paint over that.
Nice one for the Bones miniature, been painting them for a while and never thought about it. Will try it with my next one. Again great series!
This video is actually fantastic. Everything you need to know in this subject.
Honestly, I really just don't get why people get mad about using an airbrush. I've been painting for years, and I think of myself as a pretty good one too, and I have never used an airbrush. Thanks so much for this series! It is a great refresher for me and I can easily see how helpful it would be for new people!
Thanks for this very informative video. I plan to watch the entire series. I've been out of miniature painting for about twenty years and have, I'm afraid, lost much of the skill I once had. However, I recently started running Call of Cthulhu again and the new minis from Reaper are all Bones. I bought some to get the collection started and have never painted bones before. I knew from conversations I've had and heard at my FLGS that Bones can be difficult to paint but, lucky me, from what you've said in your video, my chosen medium is perfect for them. Huzzah. Keep up the good work. Peace.
I base / prime using a medium to dark brown, I like how it adds to the 'dirty' feel. and it goes well with most colors. Great video!
I just saw a portion of your video on bases for miniatures and I immediately subscribed. I am new to painting miniatures and I am looking forward to the whole series. Nice to know you are there to help me along!
As I get ready to approach my first time painting, I appreciate this.
I think you just solved the issue I was having with my first layer on my Bones, thanks :)
Glad to help :)
Beginner mini painter here. Very helpful vid. Thanks!
That was the most interesting, well put across and useful painting tips video I have watched. It answered ALL my priming questions and confirmed some of my fears. Thanks very much for that post !! Very helpful indeed.
I have found this a super helpful series to get back into mini painting after 30 years :)
First time painting miniatures. .... I didn't prime the Reaper Bones and yes the material repelled the water thinned color. Four coats of paint did the job finally. They won't win a price but are good enough for the table. Thanks for the advice.
Thanks for this. I am still very new to painting for my Star Wars DnD game with my friends and so far have only 1 or 2 that I think came out well while the rest look blotchy. It has been very frustrating trying to figure out what I am doing wrong, how much do I dilute, why do some paints stick and not others, I didn't even know there were primers that were not aerosol until this video.
I have wanted to give up a few times even though I have fun during the painting process, the end results just bring me down. I am going to try this on a reaper strumpet I just bought and try to make it look good before I start work on the Heroforge customs I ordered. Sorry for the rant and thanks again.
I primed my bones Griffin miniature and an apoxy sculpt figure and it turned out pretty good.
Great tip to use the basic craft paint, thanks.
For Bones minis, I strongly commend Reaper Brown Liner (09064) or Reaper Blue Liner (09066) if you like a dark primer. They stick better than any other paint and provide a very thin base layer that works really well. (Which is what Rhonda Bender (@Wren) recommends in the linked post.)
The other primer that I've found works very well for Bones is Badger Stynylrez, which is available in a variety of colors including white and gray. It's also designed for airbrush application, but I just apply it with a brush and it works great.
The other thing I'll recommend (which I might have mentioned on the previous post) is that you drop Bones figures into high concentration Isopropyl Alcohol overnight if it's not too inconvenient. This can leech out some of the plasticizer in the PVC and make floppy figures more rigid. (It works best on thinner parts of figures like wings and weapons.) This is not a must-do step, just a nice-to-do thing.
Strongly recommend everything Doug said. There are also other liners like sepia and grey, that work really well
I want to get started painting minis and I appreciate this series
another excellent video, ignore those that bash you doing this series..i for one just enjoy your videos., keep up the good work and paint/craft on
Thanks for the info on bones. Had problems when painting them a few months ago. They went sticky as you say. Will order some grey acrylic when i get any more bones minis.
I like your crafting ideas I think I can use them with my large scale model railroad projects. I have bought some of the tools you recommend.
Thanks for sharing your personal experiences in this series. Has been very helpful and informative.
On side note... If you prime it black and there's a material that calls for a lighter color, you -CAN- actually paint the area gray or white first, as those two pigments tend to be just as dense as black. Which you can then paint your desired color over.
As for acrylic craft paint, I've been having some very good luck with Ceramcoat brand on my 3d printed minis and terrain. I know it's not recommended for surface coats and I plan on getting a selection of Vallejo paints when/if finances stabilize, but Ceramcoat works ok for now, especially on gray PLA filament.
The propellant issue is why airbrushing primer onto your minis is so great. This is the reason I originally bought my airbrush, so I could prime minis inside during the winter. You can't get a proper primer coat (or paint coat, or sealant coat) down if the humidity is off or the temperature is too low, and both of these conditions are easier to control indoors. I live on the west coast and the humidity is a near constant problem.
If you're painting more than a couple dozen minis, it's also likely to be cheaper than using rattle cans. Rattle cans are pretty wasteful and not particularly cheap where I'm from - I've seen people talk about using 0.99$ rattle cans of primer from Walmart, and if you can get your rattle cans that cheap then it would take a long time to justify an airbrush on price alone... but I can't find primer for anywhere near that cheap here in western Canuckistan.
Rattle cans around here average about $10-$15 per. The bottle of Stynylrez I bought ~5 years ago is still half-full despite painting hundreds of minis and a few terrain pieces. I've saved the cost of the airbrush by priming alone but I also use it to paint and seal my minis. This saves even more money on rattle can sealers, and speeds up painting itself.
Not everyone needs an airbrush, but... for some of us it's almost mandatory.
Also, as mentioned on one of your previous videos, my experience with painting directly on Bones with acrylic paint has been largely unsatisfactory. I mostly use water to thin my paints, and bones is slightly hydrophobic - it's really hard to get paint to stick unless applied right out of the bottle. (Yes, I'm confident that my minis have been properly cleaned beforehand.) And even then, it rubs off REALLY easily compared to when applied over primer.
All in all, a good video. You covered most of the important points. Thanks!
Good stuff, dude! Keep up the work! I learned the hard way that just yelling at the paint doesn't work, and throwing handfuls of paint isn't the best method. Thanks for the tips!
Have you tried yelling louder? Maybe insulting the minis and paint? Might motivate them to get painted.
I would like to thank your videos, great work, I just painted my first mini using your guide, and it went very well
I've been priming and painting minis for decades, and somehow never had the epifany to prime in pink for flesh dominated minis. I always use grey or white when I'm not doing an army with Army Painter primers. I'll certainly give that a try next time I do flesh.
Don’t forget you can always use a wash afterward too for the missed spots and it will add shadow as well. Nice door tease too:p
Hello, I'm getting into the miniature hobby this year. Thank you for these videos. They are really helping me get started
At last, I have a solid answer for the Reaper mini conundrum. I just picked up the Kraken from Reaper and have been afraid to do anything with it because of the priming issues. But just to be sure for myself I will still test your method on a lesser Reaper mini.
I did not know that about Bones! I'll have to try priming with acrylic. Thanks!
Good video I'm glad I found it. Seriously it's so hard to find a straight answer about priming or not priming plastic minis. However, the state of your wet palette at 11:00 made me want to run for the hills.
Haven't been here for a while. 31k subscribers - guess you have made the Prime Time as a TH-camr!
Something like that :D
Thanks for saying that about washing minis. It's dogma for me and yet I have so few converts. Worse, I don't hear it much from accomplished or well known painters. Also, the tips on Bones minis: vital! Many more thanks for that.
I'd love to hear from you (or anyone who knows) about the different *-based paints (oil based, water based, alcohol based) and suggestions on best practices. Keep up the great work!!
Oh yeah, thanks for the basics series of vids. I love that you are talking directly to the new guy. I don't see any problem with what you're doing or saying, damn the complainers!
Fantastic! Can't wait for the next one where we get into painting! I'm trying to figure out the right sequence of washes and highlighting and dry brushing, etc. so I'm really interested in your recommended, practical approach!
Soon!
Missed this before spray priming my Bones minotaurs, ogres, and yeti… used Army painter spray primer which initially seemed fine but after a few days became sticky. My solution, which so far has worked… toss the sticky-primed mini in a plastic bag with corn starch, shake like mad, remove then dry brush off as much of the corn starch as possible. Stickiness gone. So far my yetis and ogres have accepted the final paint, has seemed to adhere, and stickiness hasn’t returned. Fingers-crossed. Your mileage may vary
you're videos gave me the confidence to try out minis painting. heading to the store to get some supplies and try it out later today :D
Nice work! I learned a lot and will be watching the rest of the series.
This is a great series and it will help me a lot and since my birthday wil be comming up i'l have some money to buy my first d&d mini's and go to town. good stuf man!
Happy birthday. Buy a lot of minis!
i just use a wash to prime my figures. heavy pigment flow is nice and pops the details to make it easier on my eyes to see detail.
About the "alays thin your paint" thing.
Yeah man it took me a long time to learn that there are very very few hard rules when it comes to mini painting. There are lots of situations where thinning your paint isn't the right call.
Damn this is super helpful! Answered all my questions and some I didn't even know I had!
7:00 Use rustoleum 2x flat grey it works perfectly fine just do it from a bit of a farther back distance than other minis it goes on well sometimes it is sticky at first but let it dry or hit it with a hair dryer for a few seconds on low to avoid warping and its good
Yeah army painter black spray screw up some of my bones 3 kickstarter but thankfully gw chaos black spray fixed the issue and cured the paint and stopped them being sticky. Was typical it was the first time i ever bough army painter black, but lesson learnt. I'd base coated the first half with chaos black so had no idea there was an issue.
I got into airbrushing a while ago. I tried a $200 ish airbrush and it broke immediately and I returned it. I bought a $100 ish airbrush that was very highly reviewed on youtube and it was extremely difficult to use and unreliable. I tried a $20 one, and it was 100% garbage and broke before completing one small project. I tried a $4 from Harbor Freight and it was perfect and I've gone through a few of them across dozens of projects because the paint cups are destroyed by the type of paint I use. It's the one that comes with 4-6 little cups that quick change.
I didn't buy them in that order. I actually started with the $20 one.
Thanks for the info. You keep going with the mini series.
I'm just starting and with reaper bones, it is awesome to know I can use craft paint to prime them as I did not have any but black GW....
Man I wish I'd seen this old video of yours before I lightly primed my first batch of Bones and was absolutely confused by the sticky mess they became. At least it was a small handful
Eventually the stickiness does go away. But it takes a looong time. I sprayed a Mimic model from bones in July 2018. I picked it up just today after having had it sit in my closet, and it is no longer sticky. So some time between then and now it become ok to paint. But, yeah that is waaay to long.
I've used the tamiya spray primer on bones, wiz kids and metal minis and it has not failed me yet, comes in a few colours as well. YMMV
I would have never thought about the mold release causing issues with painting. I haven't painted in years and just go my paints in from Amazon. I'll be washing all the Reaper bones. (I think there's a country song somewhere in there....)
I have found that with the Reaper Bones that even if you wash them and rinse them and leave them to dry sometimes you have problems with the paint taking to these miniatures. so I repeat the process I wash them and rinse leave em for a day to dry out then I will wash them again and leave them to dry. I have actually have the entire face that I worked hard on drop off a figure because the molding release wasn't removed even with washing once.
Good rule of thumb for decided what color to “prime” with is (that I use) is black for models predominantly dark or metallic, grey for all, especially reds, and white for fair colors.
If possible 9/10 shoot for gray, it’s the easiest to build up or down for certain colors. Any painter will tell you red can be a bastard to paint for new painters.
Yea, I’m finding it to be very rare to actually need black primer on a mini. I don’t think I’ve primed one black in a long long time.
The exact answers to my questions. Outstanding video and series!