New to painting

[Bluenotebooks]

Hi all. I'm brand new to painting miniatures.  I bought a Warhammer 40k first strike box, a Vallejo paint kit and wash kit and decided to just wing it.  Attached is a photo of my first one.  Overall I'm pretty happy with it, even though my paint was probably too thick and it's not a very 'realistic' look.  It was a hell of a lot of fun and really relaxing to work on.

Any advice people can offer would be great.  Are there particular styles of painting you'd recommend looking into?

Thanks!

[aliensurfer]

I'm just re-learning to paint now my eyes are worse, and that is better than i can manage at the moment. Thats a nice tidy job for a first go!

[Bluenotebooks]

Thanks.  I feel you on your eyes not being as good.  I got reading glasses for the first time when when I went to the eye doctor last week.  I need A LOT of light to see the details on these things.

[Keith]

Damn good start!
I use one of those 'craft lights' with a magnifier these days. I can probably cope without but it makes things so much brighter and easier to see details that I swear by the things now. The good ones also have daylight bulbs in them so colours are pretty spot on while working.

Main advice I can offer is to use good quality brushes but don't get too obsessed with them being small. A sharp point and good paint-holding ability is more valuable than a micro-brush for 99% of work.

[Brandlin]

Great start!

If I have one piece of advice for you it is "Thin your paint". better 2-3 thin coats than one thick one, and those highlights you have applied will be much smoother.

I agree with keith about brush size. I paint a lot of things with a number 2 or even 3 brush that has an excellent tip.

[CookAndrewB]

My advice? Learn and practice, but ultimately be happy with the results you get. It's just a game, afterall. A messy paint job with a happy owner is far better than an excellent paint job with an owner who only sees the faults and imperfections.

[tin shed gamer]

It's a perfectly respectable toe in the water.
I can't see you not enjoying the process.As your all ready experimenting with storytelling with in a figure.(a muddy leg and knee suggesting the Marine has recently knelt down .)
The nice thing about being on this forum is the freedom to ask about someone's process when you find a thread that peaks your interest.
The one thing that most people do is .Get misled by their own miniatures when looking at other people's work.
You can have exactly the same figure as the one your admiring.But yours will feel klunky and gigantic in comparison to the one painted by someone else.(there's always seem small and perfect.)
It's simply because you've invested time and effort in your version and are overtly aware of its detail so it feels bigger.
If it's a photo. Then there's a simple trick to help you understand the technique and medthod applied to the figure.
Just enlarge the image until it's larger than your feel figure feels. It'll suddenly look as klunky as yours feels. But you'll be able to figure out why and how highlights and shading were applied by the painter.

[Bluenotebooks]

Here's miniature number 2. 

[tuco74]

That's a really good start.

The best advice I can give is to keep your paints thin. Best way to do that is to make yourself a wet palette, which you can easily do yourself. I use parchment paper (about £5 a pack) paperclipped to kitchen roll which I keep in a plastic takeaway container. If you keep the lid on between painting sessions it stays damp for days at a time.

[Swordisdrawn]

Very good start. Should be real proud of them. Painting too is a great stress reliever i find

[Bluenotebooks]

Thanks for all of the advice and kind words.  I plan to keep posting pics as I paint more.  I think I'm going to do a plague marine next for a change of pace.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Nice work.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Great work! Obvious attention to detail and discipline in what you have done. The earlier advice on lighting, magnification and a wet palette are all worth considering. My painting improved drastically when I started using those. Also, I find washes a great tool to save me time yet give a good looking result. Not all washes are the same though, you have to experiment to find what works best for you. I like Army Painter washes the best but other folks will have their own favorites.

[Dr Mathias]

I'd say you are doing great for just starting!

The best advice I can give is to keep your paints thin. Best way to do that is to make yourself a wet palette, which you can easily do yourself. I use parchment paper (about £5 a pack) paperclipped to kitchen roll which I keep in a plastic takeaway container. If you keep the lid on between painting sessions it stays damp for days at a time.

I second the wet palette suggestion. Made a world of difference when I finally got one.

[Dentatus]

I think those look great.

I'm a 'block paint-wash-highlight/detail' table top standard painter, so I try to use thin coats of a lighter shade knowing the wash will darken them and I can drybrush it up/highlight after without losing too many details.

Good lighting is a must.