When it comes to painting an entire unit, what techniques do you use to save time? I am happy with small characters models that I spent around 4-6 hours on completing. However I can never afford 40-60 hours when painting a unit of 10 Skink!! What are the best time saving techniques out there? I usually prime>base>wash>detail>highlight Some say washing AFTER highlight would subtly blend the highlights. However I am struggling a bit to find a good routine to follow. Or do you just base + drybrush everything and be done with it lol? I don't really like the roughness of dry brushing. It creates a really foggy feeling, almost like the model has mold grown on it.
I set up an assembly line for painting. I get every color that I will need and put it on a pallette. I use a wet pallette now which makes this work much better. I have everything painted with the closest color to the end color (with primer if possible). For example, all my skinks are based on a white paint scheme. I sit down and paint every javelin/blowpipe in the unit, then I paint all the eyes, then the tounges.... You get the idea. finally, I paint on Army painter mid tone dip. This acts as both a wash and a sealant. Also, i like the shine that the end result has on the skinks. It makes them look wet. Once that is done, I go about the same process with the bases (excluding the dip).
Yeah I use a wet palette and that has made a massive difference. Especially when creating a smooth blend. For characters I have at least 5 levels of shades. Shadow, Mid tone, lighter mid tone, highlight and ultra highlight When painting a unit however, I cannot paint 5 layers on all models so I chose....3? but the results are not very satisfying. It should have been Shadow > Mid > Highlight However I always find it either (1) not well-blended or (2) too little overall contrast
Sorry to sound like an idiot but may I ask what a wet pallette is? I'm assuming it's something to do with paints laid out on a palette with water :L
ok... this guy is using a paper towel instead of a sponge, but I think you get the idea.... http://www.fullborerminiatures.com/articles/wetpalette.html <-- link
Here is the wet palette that I use: http://www.amazon.com/Masterson-Sta...F8&qid=1378342517&sr=8-1&keywords=wet+palette What you are basically doing is prolonging the life of the paint that you use. I have left my palette for almost a month to find the paints still wet. However, you couldn't really use them. For projects that last several days or a week, this is the way to go.
My favoured way of doing a unit is base coat every part (including tongues/eyes/etc.), then highlight, then wash. The wash will blend the highlight and base coat a little, enough for my preference. You may want to base coat ever so slightly brighter/lighter than you normally would. As a final step, I touch up each model, doing some quick additional highlights if they're necessary. I guess the trick is trying different methods, and seeing what suits your preferences for quality and time.