Advice for the soon to be new painter

[KB9JMQ]

I am getting ready to purchase some Hirst Molds to make my own floor, walls, rooms etc.
I have never painted and do not own any tools, supplies, paints, etc.
I am not planning on doing any minis at this time.
I am a do it yourself type person so I may have some things and not know it.

So fellow EN Worlder's what do I need and how much of it do I need?

 

[Kris]

Hello I'm not the most experienced of H.A.builders but I'll help if I can.

The nice thing about the H.A. stuff is that they are pretty easy to paint (well at least the moulds I have purchased have proved to be - though sci-fi stuff looks like it might be a little trickier). If you are familiar with the dry-brushing technique (it's explained on this page http://www.hirstarts.com/painting/painting1.html if you are not) then it's hard to go wrong really. However if it's your first time I'd recommend just gluing a few spare blocks together for a test run (or simply to test out your colour scheme if you are not going for a standard grey colour).

If you are going for a standard grey colour then a cheap tube of black and white acrylic craft paint will go a long way - though I'd recommend a nice soft half-inch brush for your dry-brushing.

Cheap PVA glue works OK too (though it can take a while to dry), or if you have some wood glue lying around that will probably do the trick (wood glue is mentioned on the Hirst Arts site I believe).

Also, if you want to add some rubble and stuff to the models, a bit of balsa wood and a small packet of dirt-coloured flock (cheap model railway stuff) works wonders for adding a bit of character. For example here's a corner piece from my modular dungeon:
http://www.voidgamers.com/images/data/photo/HirstArts/imagegallery/CSP_KRIS-hadungeon03.jpg

Oh... and what moulds are you considering purchasing BTW?

 

[KB9JMQ]

Cool, I will look at those links.
I am going to start with #45 Gothic Dungeon and #201 Floortiles.
There both basic sets but I figure I can get a lot of use from them and they will be easiest to learn with.

 

[-SIN-]

What you need....

1. Patience. A hell of a lot of it. It only takes a few minutes to mix plaster for a couple of molds - you can churn out a mold in about 30 minutes, including drying time. It's just VERY boring after a while...

2. Molds. Some will say to start by getting a couple of them. I say buy a load. The more molds you've got, the less time messing around making your tiles/blocks, the quicker you can actually get building your rooms etc, etc... I suggest getting mainly floor & wall tiles (maybe 2/3 of each) - you will use these the most. The other molds for stuff to adorn your rooms is used a lot less frequent.

2. Good plaster. You can buy cheap plaster of paris - don't. Get dental plaster, crystacast, excalibur, etc. It's more expensive, but much better - it's also heavier, so be careful if you plan on building large buildings.

3. The hirst arts vibrating table. Read their site and make one. Makes life easier.

4. Paint. realistically, you can use any. The 'latex' stuff is good for protecting the cast, and is available in a spray can. I basecoat with this, then use acyrlic paints.

5. More patience. Making the rooms seems easy enough to begin with, but you'll come to realise it's not. It's trial and error really...

That's about it. Grab a cutting mat, some 'aleens tacky glue', craft knife set, pinvice, fine sand/glass-paper and needle files ad you're on your way. For building walls, you'll need some lego as a frame to keep your walls straight...

Hope it helps...

 

[KB9JMQ]

Kris and SIN thanks. I will take your advice on all things.