Painting straight from the pot to using a palette, thinning, etc

[bc99]

Basically, I've been a "straight from the pot" type painter for a long time. I've dabbled in thinning my paints, blending on the palette, etc, but I'm really not good at it at all!

I'm wondering who else has been doing the pot to mini painting, and who does it by thinning, palette etc.

Any techniques I need to learn?

How do you transfer the paint and how much water do you use to thin it out with?

How much paint do you transfer? A drop? More?

As you can see I'm very new to this technique, but desire to better my painting skills.

Thanks for the feedback

[Froggy the Great]

I was a from-the-lid painter for a while, then saw the light.

The amount of thinning you do and what you thin it with really depends on what you want to accomplish and what paints you're using.

This might help:
http://www.reapermini.com/TheCraft/15

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

Yeah, like in the summer your paint will dry really fast so wetting it is good. Also, what do you do with your paint when it starts getting a bit thick or dryed?

[Bugsda]

I use Tamiya acrylic thinner, just put a drop in the pallet whenever the paint's getting too thick.

[Hammers]

I was a from-the-lid painter for a while, then saw the light.

The amount of thinning you do and what you thin it with really depends on what you want to accomplish and what paints you're using.

This might help:
http://www.reapermini.com/TheCraft/15

That's a good article! I like this quote:

The primary disadvantage of paint straight from the bottle is its viscosity -- it's too thick to be applied skilfully to most miniatures. Being quite viscid, it builds up quickly on the surface of the mini, which obscures details and creates undesirable textures, such as brush strokes and uneven layers. Miniatures end up looking like the woman behind the perfume counter at Macy's,

It is pretty much how I do it, that is I don't paint from the jar. I always transfer the paint to a white ceramic tile. I add clean water or solvent, matt medium, flow release et.c. as needed. I have never tried a wet pallet but I am mildly sceptical to that it would improve efficiency or quality.

[Mad Doc Morris]

Straight from the pot for me. Even though most of my miniatures suffer from thickened layers I'm simply too lazy for mixing colours and, as such, things like wet pallets. However, to dip the brush into a glass of water before loading paint on it works actually like thinning the paint itself.

[JollyBob]

However, to dip the brush into a glass of water before loading paint on it works actually like thinning the paint itself.

That's exactly what I do. 

I am a very lazy painter and very rarely mix colours if I can get away with something straight from the pot (and when I do mix them, I often use my brush - sorry Hammers!). Never used a wet palette, or flow improver, and frankly wouldn't know how to.

Although I must admit, I've been doing a bit more fantasy/sf stuff recently, so I've needed to mix stuff up more often to get the right effect. I find if I'm doing anything vaguely historical I can just go straight from the pot as people with better judgement that I have spent time making shades of paint that fit the subject perfectly.