Basic painting tips

Uh, that depends... I usually paint the basecoat and a first highlight, apply the wash and then add two more extra highlights.

You can also just paint one layer of paint and add the wash, the results of which you can see here

Or you can add the wash after the stages shown by Tom.

I'd say that the time depends on the look you want to achieve. If you apply the wash last, everything gets a nice shade and the wash ties the different colours together and also give them a "dirty" streets-of-Mordheim look. If you add extra highlights after the wash, you have the nice effects of shading, but the colours will be brighter.

(now, correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not a master painter unfortunately )

I have a quesiotn...:

Exarch Thomo wrote:

3) Use larger brushers. Don't fall into the trap of thinking the smaller the brush the better the detail. The paint dries out too quickly giving a lumpy look to the finished product. Most decent painters use one or 2 different sized brushes. Personally I use a 3/0 and 0 for most of my work.

Now, when you want to paint eyes etc., don't you want to have very fine brushes? Or when you want to paint an eye pupil? Or when you have a piece of rope you want to paint and you want to paint the "twisted section" seperately, not the shaded grooves?
Could you get into more detail on this matter? Or is there really nothing more to say on brush sizes...?

EDIT: actually I also have the problem of the very fine brushes drying out before my brush has traveled from the pot/paper to the miniature... Is using a bigger brush the only solution?

Jadex wrote:

Now, when you want to paint eyes etc., don't you want to have very fine brushes? Or when you want to paint an eye pupil? Or when you have a piece of rope you want to paint and you want to paint the "twisted section" seperately, not the shaded grooves?
Could you get into more detail on this matter? Or is there really nothing more to say on brush sizes...?

EDIT: actually I also have the problem of the very fine brushes drying out before my brush has traveled from the pot/paper to the miniature... Is using a bigger brush the only solution?

A fine brish is your friend for this tasks!

But I too tend to use larger brushes for most of my work.

I use droppers (as Vallejo paints already come in) even for my GW paints (or any other brand for that matter, they're very cheap at your drugstore) and usually add a few drops of "acrilic retardant" when filling the dropper.

The acrilic retardant can be obtained at your art supplies store and keep your paint from drying too fast. (some people use liquid dishwasher soap for this, I just go for the "professional" option).

Be careful though, as too much retardant and your paint will take forever to dry! (but then this is very useful if you're trying some techniques as "blending" or "feathering").

Hope that helps.

Yes, this was helpfull! Thanks!
I'll check for this stuff at a hobby shop today ; )