My attempt at the dipping technique
- Thread starter Kris
- Start date
Kris-Kris said:
Thanks for the thread. Your pics of the half-fiend results were enough to inspire me to give this technique a shot!
I am curious about this last bit, though; I realize that you just did a bit of 'cleanup' painting on the last fig, but I wonder about the surface texture after applying the dip. Does the paint adhere properly to the waxed surface? Do you then have to re-seal the mini to cover the new paint? I wonder, because I am thinking about combining the dip layer with traditional drybrushing effects. Specifically, I think I could dip the mini mid-painted to get the skin layer slightly shiny, then paint the rest of the mini (armor, weapons, etc.) with regular drybrushing, and maybe then dullcoat the lot. (I spend the most time with wet-layers on skin, so dipping would save me the most time there.) What do you think?
Kris
Adventurer
Thanks again for the comments
Anyway, I figured that these guys needed some kind of spellcaster to back them up... so here's a small goblin mounted on a 1p coin (a figure that I had to repair and modify just a little bit):
And for anyone who's interested - this is the stuff I have been dipping my miniatures into:
I will admit that it's been enjoyable just painting up a bunch of mini's as quick as possible and not really fussing over all the details and layering etc., and I would say that I could have painted, dipped and based all of the above miniatures in one day if I had put my mind to it (instead of just doing one here and one there like I have been). That is in no way a boast on my part... just an idea of how many miniatures I reckon could be done in a day with this technique.
That in itself is a nice change (As I'm usually a painfully slow painter) ...and although I would have liked to spend more time making the bases look a little better (rather than just sprinkling a bit of static grass on them) - it would have kinda been counterproductive, as the aim was to try and get a tabletop-quality miniature done in as short a time as possible.
Anyway... here's a quick look at the whole bunch (sorry not a very good photo):
Maybe if I get some spare time in the next few days I'll attempt to dip a metal miniature that I actually like (rather than old plastic figures I'm not all that fond of)... and maybe even get a lighter woodstain to try out on paler colours & skin tones.
And if it's of interest I will continue to post pictures of my little dipping experiments
Anyway, I figured that these guys needed some kind of spellcaster to back them up... so here's a small goblin mounted on a 1p coin (a figure that I had to repair and modify just a little bit):
And for anyone who's interested - this is the stuff I have been dipping my miniatures into:
I will admit that it's been enjoyable just painting up a bunch of mini's as quick as possible and not really fussing over all the details and layering etc., and I would say that I could have painted, dipped and based all of the above miniatures in one day if I had put my mind to it (instead of just doing one here and one there like I have been). That is in no way a boast on my part... just an idea of how many miniatures I reckon could be done in a day with this technique.
That in itself is a nice change (As I'm usually a painfully slow painter) ...and although I would have liked to spend more time making the bases look a little better (rather than just sprinkling a bit of static grass on them) - it would have kinda been counterproductive, as the aim was to try and get a tabletop-quality miniature done in as short a time as possible.
Anyway... here's a quick look at the whole bunch (sorry not a very good photo):
Maybe if I get some spare time in the next few days I'll attempt to dip a metal miniature that I actually like (rather than old plastic figures I'm not all that fond of)... and maybe even get a lighter woodstain to try out on paler colours & skin tones.
And if it's of interest I will continue to post pictures of my little dipping experiments
Kris
Adventurer
rowport...
I don't know if it makes a difference or not but the woodstain I am using is water-based (just thought I'd mention that) but the claws and horns covered OK (straight over the top). However the stain can gather quite heavily in some of the recessed areas... and drybrushing things like hair, fur or chainmail, may be problematic (as the raised areas might not be sitting much above the stain-filled recess - if that makes sense).
However, if you look at the orc with the two swords... the stain has just gathered in random areas on the flat surfaces of the weapons (it really doesn't handle these kinds of area's well) ...but they are smooth to the touch and I think I could probably tidy them by simply painting over them easily enough (though I have no idea if a drybrushing technique on them would pick up any inconsistencies that I can't see/feel).
It's probably also worth noting that I have also been slapping on a quick coat of brush-on matt varnish when they are dried... because after the dip they can be a little shiny.
I hope that helps
I don't know if it makes a difference or not but the woodstain I am using is water-based (just thought I'd mention that) but the claws and horns covered OK (straight over the top). However the stain can gather quite heavily in some of the recessed areas... and drybrushing things like hair, fur or chainmail, may be problematic (as the raised areas might not be sitting much above the stain-filled recess - if that makes sense).
However, if you look at the orc with the two swords... the stain has just gathered in random areas on the flat surfaces of the weapons (it really doesn't handle these kinds of area's well) ...but they are smooth to the touch and I think I could probably tidy them by simply painting over them easily enough (though I have no idea if a drybrushing technique on them would pick up any inconsistencies that I can't see/feel).
It's probably also worth noting that I have also been slapping on a quick coat of brush-on matt varnish when they are dried... because after the dip they can be a little shiny.
I hope that helps
Kris
Adventurer
Tonight I thought I'd try a couple of metal miniatures - and see how they handled the dip.
So sticking with a similar colour scheme I've quickly painted a couple of LotR orcs (yep more orcs ). Also seeing as how the woodstain is basically shading the miniatures dark brown, I'm trying to stick with colours that work best with that (i.e. no bright blues etc.).
Anyway, these guys are a lot smaller than your average GW or Reaper miniature - and are more like true 28mm scale. The paint jobs are very basic (and remind me of the first ever miniatures I painted when I was like 12 years old or something ) - with the second one taking a mere 35 min's to complete (yep... I was sad enough to time myself for this little speed painting experiment 
).
I much prefer the look of these orcs (even though these two particular mini's are not the best ones in the range) as they are far less comical looking than the regular GW orcs and goblins.
And here they are after the dip:
I am really happy with the difference the dip has made to these figures - whether it's just because they are smaller, or because they are metal and have deeper recesses than the plastic figures, I'm not sure... but they are without doubt my favourite of the ones I have dipped so far (of course it probably helps that I prefer the style of the sculpts themselves too )
So sticking with a similar colour scheme I've quickly painted a couple of LotR orcs (yep more orcs
). Also seeing as how the woodstain is basically shading the miniatures dark brown, I'm trying to stick with colours that work best with that (i.e. no bright blues etc.).Anyway, these guys are a lot smaller than your average GW or Reaper miniature - and are more like true 28mm scale. The paint jobs are very basic (and remind me of the first ever miniatures I painted when I was like 12 years old or something
) - with the second one taking a mere 35 min's to complete (yep... I was sad enough to time myself for this little speed painting experiment ).
I much prefer the look of these orcs (even though these two particular mini's are not the best ones in the range) as they are far less comical looking than the regular GW orcs and goblins.
And here they are after the dip:
I am really happy with the difference the dip has made to these figures - whether it's just because they are smaller, or because they are metal and have deeper recesses than the plastic figures, I'm not sure... but they are without doubt my favourite of the ones I have dipped so far (of course it probably helps that I prefer the style of the sculpts themselves too
)
Pbartender
First Post
Are you painting the "metallic" parts of the minis (swords and armor, for example), or leaving those bits unpainted as suggested in some dipping guides? From here, it looks like you're painting most them... even the silver-colored bits.
Kris
Adventurer
I've been giving everything a coat of white primer (brush on) and then painting all the basic colours - metallics included.
In truth I had not thought of leaving the metallic parts bare on the metal figures... but in all honesty I think I prefer to know that all of the miniature has had a coat of paint ...just so that I know I'm not cheating too much
In truth I had not thought of leaving the metallic parts bare on the metal figures... but in all honesty I think I prefer to know that all of the miniature has had a coat of paint
...just so that I know I'm not cheating too much
Pbartender
First Post
That's what I thought... In the link Pogre posted above about dipping, the minis werem't primed, and "metal" parts weren't painted. There was also a link to some pirate figures that has been dipped "in the nude"... without any paint at all. It made them look rather antique-ish.
I was just curious to see a first-hand sample of how dipping worked on bare metal.
I was just curious to see a first-hand sample of how dipping worked on bare metal.
Cthulhu's Librarian
First Post
I gave "dipping" a try last night, and I'm very happy with the results. I used MinWax Polyshades Satin Tudor (#360), as recommended in the link Pogre provided. Instead of dipping and flicking (since I was painting at the dining room table and my wife wouldn't really appreciate the flicking part 
), I just lightly coated the minis with the stain by brush. I did a variety of minis-a GW plastic skeleton, an old Grenadier mummy, and a few Reapers (dwarf, female rogue, and wood golem). Very basic paint jobs, hit them with the stain, and let dry overnight. They look much better than my usual paint jobs (ie. not much shading or dry brushing). Once I get them based up (it'll be a few days before I can do so), I'll post some pics of the results.
Some things I noticed-
On white, it shows up VERY dark (duh... why did I not expect this?), so white clothing is probably not the best on minis that will be dipped unless you don't mind the look. It does, however, make skeletons and mummys VERY easy to paint-slap on a coat of white then stain and forget. Those came out quite good, IMHO.
The stain does make for quite glossy minis. I'm going to hit them with some dull coat tonight after they have dried a full 24 hours. I have read, however, that normal dull coat spray doesn't adhere very well to the poly stain (http://www-personal.umich.edu/~beattie/minwax/dip2.gif) and the minis should be coated with an adhesive/fixative spray before applying the dull coat to keep the dull coat from wrinkling as it dries. Anyone have any advice on that? I have been unable to find the recommended Kamar Varnish near me.
), I just lightly coated the minis with the stain by brush. I did a variety of minis-a GW plastic skeleton, an old Grenadier mummy, and a few Reapers (dwarf, female rogue, and wood golem). Very basic paint jobs, hit them with the stain, and let dry overnight. They look much better than my usual paint jobs (ie. not much shading or dry brushing). Once I get them based up (it'll be a few days before I can do so), I'll post some pics of the results. Some things I noticed-
On white, it shows up VERY dark (duh... why did I not expect this?), so white clothing is probably not the best on minis that will be dipped unless you don't mind the look. It does, however, make skeletons and mummys VERY easy to paint-slap on a coat of white then stain and forget. Those came out quite good, IMHO.
The stain does make for quite glossy minis. I'm going to hit them with some dull coat tonight after they have dried a full 24 hours. I have read, however, that normal dull coat spray doesn't adhere very well to the poly stain (http://www-personal.umich.edu/~beattie/minwax/dip2.gif) and the minis should be coated with an adhesive/fixative spray before applying the dull coat to keep the dull coat from wrinkling as it dries. Anyone have any advice on that? I have been unable to find the recommended Kamar Varnish near me.
Kris
Adventurer
I am looking forward to seeing them - especially the skeleton, as I have a few of these lying around myself and am interested to see the results.Yeah, I have actually got myself a 'medium oak' coloured stain today (as I was passing by the store that I got my other tin from) and I'm gonna give that a try on some lighter colours later on in the week. I'll post the results when they are done.
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