After a FP ring victory the gang was coxed together for a group shot before the next game. Painting took app. 35hrs using Liquitex acrylic black for primer, dry brush to highlight sculpture, Plasti Dip clear spray for sealant.
I like the way you did these. I'm giving mine the full detail treatment, but this is the best single color paintjob I've seen used on the WotR minis so far.
Stinger (#65172), Thanks for your positive comments. I’m looking forward to seeing pictures of your finished minis. My goal in painting the minis was to accentuate the fine sculptures, and also increase the minis’ playability. The spray-painted minis that I have seen posted accomplish the latter, but not the former.
Great job on the figs that are totally detailed. I hope you finish the detailing on ALL of them. I primed and washed the entire set and am now detailing them, is this also your plan? I hope so, you have a different style and vision than I do and I like it.
Looks great! It's nice to see them all getting along so soon after the FP victory. Do yours all line up and shake hands, like after a hockey Cup final? Mine haven't quite gotten there yet (too much bitterness, and no Lady Byng trophy -- natch).
Any chance you could post details on how you painted the minis? I've never painted a mini in my life, metal or otherwise, so I don't really have a clue how you did what you did.....
Joe Casadonte (#65717), They all get along pretty well, except for the Mouth of Sauron who whines about coming in so late. But, if the Shadow player wins, it's all about him.
Before slapping on some paint I would urge you to spend a few moments of preparation. Use a hobby knife to remove the extraneous plastic residue, wash the minis in soapy water and boil in water those minis that don’t conform to their intended shape. The boiling process should be followed with dunking the reformed minis into ice water, something I did not do, much to my consternation. I mounted my minis with duck tape to long thin pieces of cardboard. Although, gluing the minis to the head of nails, which have been pounded into easily hand able pieces of wood seems to be the preferred method. I would urge you to tap the nails only slightly, not completely, into the wood and before gluing on the minis.
I spent about 3-4 minutes per figure painting on with a brush Mars Black Liquitex Acrylic Artist Color Medium Viscosity that I found along with my other supplies at a local Michaels, a craft store. For all my painting I used low cost nylon bristle brushes. I was quite happy with the results of this application of primer technique, but it was time consuming. Seeing the results of the “Fusion” spray paint I would certainly consider it a viable alternative to brushing on the primer. Either way you should take great care in ensuring that the figure’s entire surface is covered with black primer of one type or another.
I had at my disposal a variety of Ral Partha paint colors, but the use of craft store bought acrylic paint should work fine. Before painting I decided on the philosophy that my painting wasn’t an effort at artwork, but merely the use of color to visually accentuate the sculptures’ fine details and of course make the figures more playable. For a palette I used a plate wrapped in plastic wrap. I used two techniques. One was to paint the figure all in one color, then dry brush that coat with a lighter color than the original. The second was to simply dry brush the color on the black primer followed by lighter colored dry brushing on areas that would seem logically to be lighter due to an imaginary source of light. Dry brushing is a method of painting that requires the least amount of artistic talent in that you are using the mini’s sculptured details to draw off the paint from the side of the brush’s bristles. The primary concern the painter has to worry about is not allowing too much paint to be on the paintbrush when brushing. To lighten a color I usually just mixed in some white paint with the original paint on my palette, although to lighten red I added orange. The black primer is your friend; it creates shadowing effects and can be allowed to create borders between different colors.
I used Plasti Dip clear spray for the sealant. The application resulted in a rubber-like matte clear coating that should keep the minis’ paint job pristine long after my body has assumed room temperature. Before applying the Plasti Dip, be sure to read the instructions, especially when it reads ‘apply heavy enough coat to produce an even, wet appearance.’ My first coat on one side of most of the shadow forces was too light of a spray. On some areas of the minis the Plasti Dip did not form a clear layer but instead a slightly whitish tint. I had to order the Plasti Dip online because I couldn’t find it anywhere; the mailing cost was more than the cost of the product. I used less than a single can of spray. I would be extremely interested in the results anyone might have after dipping the minis with Plasti Dip as opposed to spraying it on.
I hope the information I have provided is of help to you. Now go forth and Paint On!
Exellent work I must say. I'm hoping to get a balance between nice looking miniatures and not too much time or too many colours. Yours look great with only two or three colours (for the majority). Any chance you can send me some info elaborating on your caption? I've never painted miniatures before but am keen to give it a go.
If your orange juice doesn't burn on the way down, then you need more vodka!
when you say rubber like, it isn't tacky is it? I would assume not, but I want to make sure before I buy some. I have had a terrible time getting my Memoir '44 miniatures sealed where they are not tacky!
These look absolutely amazing! I'm thinking of giving minethe same treatment. It really makes them pop a little more than the spray painting look, but not as much work as full on painting. Beautiful!
