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Message: <blockquote data-quote="bento" data-source="post: 3682364" data-attributes="member: 36597">Painting is one of the things I do while I'm waiting for the next game!  Nothing like whipping out a cool looking mini on my players to ooh and ahh over!   <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f60e.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":cool:" title="Cool    :cool:"  data-smilie="6"data-shortname=":cool:" /> Remember the True20 game I ran?  Check out these minis that just came out on the Old Glory web site: <a href="http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BMM%2D204" target="_blank">Four Musketeers </a> and <a href="http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BMM%2D205" target="_blank">Cardinal's Guards</a>.  I wish I had those a couple of months ago for the game!When I went to Reapercon this year and learned a bunch of new techniques, I felt like I wanted to go home and strip all the minis I've painted so far.  The instructors there said not to - it helps you learn how far you've come along.  If you're thinking about stripping them anyway, I'd suggest holding off and getting some practice in on those you haven't yet painted.  Once you get some techniques down, then maybe consider doing it.Definately prime.  I'm using Tayama(?) Super Fine Primer for metal and plastic.  It's about $6 a can and has a red and blue squares on the can with a white star in each.  I took a 1 1/2 inch round wooden rod that I removed during a remodelling project and cut it into 3 inch sections.  I superglue each mini I'm going to paint to the wood and then prime it.  Leaving it on the wood lets me manipulate the mini while I paint it and keeps me from touching the paint until its done.  Oh and be sure to prep the mini before this point by sanding down seam lines and cutting of any dangling metal bits.  Give them a good bath in soapy water, scrubbing gently to get the metal as clean as possible.  Priming will coat the metal and give something for the paint to hold on to.  An non-primed mini will start flaking paint.I'm using Reaper's Master Series.  They are $3 a bottle.  But I can make this project even cheaper for you.  You live about 20 minutes away from the Reaper factory.  On Saturdays from 12 to 4 they have a open painting session where you can use any of their paints for free.  Even better - some of the pros that work for Reaper come up there and give tips.  It's the cheapest and funnest way to learn to paint. The Reaper web site recently had an article on what to pick up when starting.  <a href="http://www.reapermini.com/TheCraft/32" target="_blank">Here's the link.</a>Best advice - learn how to cheat.  You want to cheat the eyes and its not hard to do once you learn how colors work together.  When I'm painting something that I want to shade, I first paint the part with the primary color.  I then look at it and think "where do shadows fall, and where is the light bouncing from?"  I mix four parts of my primary color with one part dark paint (brown, blue, red, gray or black, depending on primary color's base), and paint in the shadows.  Then I mix four parts of my primary color with one part linen white and paint the highlights.  I was told these shadows/highlights shouldn't cover more than 1/4 of the primary color.  This way my cloth looks like it has texture and muscles are articulated.  If you want to go to the Reaper factory, I'm available this Saturday.  You can also look over their supplies of brushes.  I started with their red nylon brushes, but I find these start to curl after using them for a couple of weeks.  I bit the bullet and bought the sables and so far they've been magic.  But it's good to have the nylons for things like dry brushing and mixing paints.  Anything that's hard on a brush I use the nylons.</blockquote>

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