Hello, I have got some lizardmen stuff, and want to paint the Saurus. While i am a goodish gamer and builder, i must say, i am the worst painter/scheme creator i know. Can someone give me some tips/ideas on what techniques can be used on Lizardmen that look great, and what colours sit well with them (besides blue,) and in what combo? Thanks in advance. This is a big favour.
I suggest you scan through the painting forum and on google and cmon for inspiration for paint schemes, it really is up to you what colours you choose and you should definitely choose colours that you like. As I have told a few people, painting really is about not being afraid to try new techniques and colours to see what looks good and push your painting skills. It is basically impossible to 'ruin' a model with paint since you can always strip it off again if it doesn't work out, so you should grab a unit of saurus or skinks and just paint them all different colours, paint whatever comes to mind, try different combinations and new techniques. I went through this trial when I started a tyranid army and my painting was still fairly basic, I still have about 20 multicoloured termigants using all kinds of colours and techniques from simple drybrushing or inking, to dipping to highlighting and colours from subtle to bright and garish. Nids and lizardmen are IMO the best two armies to do this with. I will say as an initial tip for some odd reason simple drybrushing on LM skins doesn't usually work very well, it makes them look a bit chalky and dry. You will need to apply selected highlighting instead, I think it is because most of the curves on a LM body are fairly subtle but I'm not completely sure. Also remember to water down your paints so they don't go on too thick.
Ok, now, how would i go about stripping the models? And will do, thanks. Just a quick question on undercoating; do you actually need it from the can? My friend is obsessive compulsive on correcting things, and one thing he started raving about is how brush undercoating 'ruins' the model/scheme... im not entierly sure how. But is a brush under coat fine? Becasue i'd paint soon, but i don't have any spray paint.
If you brush the undercoat on, you have to make sure it is not too thick. If you don't water it down at least a little, in my experience, it completely kills the detail on the models. It also takes longer, so I would still recommend the spray paint. But if you're careful, there's no reason you can't (at least) start an maybe even do all your models with a brush-on undercoat.
Stripping is very easy. The best product, imo, is Simple Green. It removes the paint and doesnt damage plastic or metal models. This is important, because most paint thinners and many chemicals will ruin your plastic models. The plastic will become really brittle, pitted or even melt. Always use a tester before you strip your actual minis (sprue is great for this test). Oh yes, Simple Green: http://www.simplegreen.com/ You can usually find it in hardware stores and sometimes in general stores. For Simple Green, you just fill a small container with the fluid and plop your mini in. Wait 15-30 min and take an old toothbrush and the paint should scrub right off. You can also leave the minis in overnight, which means less scrubbing. Of course, it takes more time per mini. Whatever is convenient for you. Once the paint is off, wash it in warm soapy water and then rinse it in some clean water. Once dry you are ready to start over again. It's actually very easy to do. I purchased 6 Kroxigors from ebay that someone had already painted and they needed to be stripped. What self-respecting dork would play with minis painted by some random stranger?
They'd have to be a barbarian And don't get me started on dorks, i make my friend laugh because (and i quote) "you're so dorky" I was only saying that i loved my Avatar model (for all the tight situations its pulled me out of... This is the 40K Avatar of Khaine btw) so much that i wou;dn't put a drop of paint on him (baring undercoat) until i had the skills needed to properly paint him... all cool-like and stuff... Thanks for all the advice... i'll get some simple green and strip a failed Gaunt colour scheme... Also thanks for the clarifacation Krox-Power. I love it here
I also use dettol to strip paint. It has the advantage of not being toxic (hell.... people bath in it and I use it to strip paint?!?) and doesn't mess with superglue. It does take a little bit of effort though, you need to use a course brush or a toothbrush and scrub the models a bit. Brake fluid is also a common one. Whatever you try, make sure you test it out first. A lot of solvents will eat superglue as well, so you will be faced with assembling the models again too, or at least weaken the bond so they will be more fragile. Also if you get something powerful enough it can warp or melt the plastic models. In fact I suspect brake fluid is a metal only one. Just throw a spare empty piece of sprue in the mixture first to make sure. About the spray paint, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It has a chemical in it that improves sticking, and a thinning agent, you can completely undercoat a model with a very thin coat of spray in a matter of seconds compared to carefully watering down paint and spending ages applying it. The other problem with normal paint watered down is the plastic (and especially metal) surfaces are somewhat hydrophobic, they repel water. You use thick paint, it obscures detail. Use thin paint, and it will slide off and give an uneven coverage. The undercoat is designed to give the normal paints something to stick to. Sure you can start with a few trial models by hand to get painting quicker, but you will quickly get sick of trying to get the undercoat on the whole model when a whole unit can be done better and in less time.
Dettol ?!? Random, how'd you come across that? I've heard about brake fluid but im 14... and i don't even know if we have any. Ah... well, when i get home, i'll definatly get some spray paint, and spray my models. Is there a non-GW spraypaint that i can use (seeing as it'll be cheaper)?
Well I found out it had an aromatic chlorine compound and isopropanol in it, which I figured would be good solvents and it is very cheap. I never realised doing so many chemistry topics in undergrad would actually prove useful. I have since heard of a few other people on the net using it too, so I can't claim full responsibility. Spray paint is a bit iffy, there are lots of people that use cheap brands and swear by them as being just as good. GW spray is designed for models, and they claim that the chemicals in it makes it stick better and come out as a finer mist so it doesn't obscure details. Whether you believe that or not is up to you, all I can say is GW spray is expensive but I personally don't want to try others, if you do try a cheaper brand make sure you test it on a model you don't care too much about or a bit of sprue first. You want to make sure it doesn't go on too thick, it isn't lumpy at all, and that GW paints stick to it well. I would probably try a model or hobby store for something before just getting a random can from a hardware store. Also, be aware that in Aus you need to be 18 to buy spray paint (which is hilarious, these signs sit next to the 'you need to be 16 to by knives' signs ) I'm not sure about where you live though. Last time I checked GW didn't have an age limit for their spray because they say it is water based and comes off really easily anyway plus it is so expensive people won't use it for silly things.
The feb. issue of White Dwarf has a nice method which gives exactly the results I want anyway, although it does require some mixing of paint.
Yeah, i was going to use that, but i thought that it abit too common, and i either want to make my iown special blue mix or make then not blue (this is what i've decided, but i can't make schemes for crap,) so i got i think every blue that GW sells nowdays. Im just going to sit down with a brush, some water and spare time and hope i find something. You mean, science classes are actually usful for something? O_O I am in Aistralia, but unfortunatly, i almost never go to GW, i get my parents to go after work or something. I did actually get some cheap-o brand, but that cracks on models... my orks know that ^_^
Non-reflective Camo-Black is great, you can find it at your home improvement stores... It's the sort of paint that you would use to camoflauge your outdoor equipment.. boats, hunting structures, etc. They make a nice non-reflective base coat, so it goes on flat black without being "shiny". Since it is intended to be used on large outdoor surfaces, it is a fairly sturdy coat. I haven't tried stripping it off a model, but the can advertises the tenacity of the paint. I guess this could be good or bad depending on your mindset. I took two of my rank and file dwarves and sprayed one down with GW Chaos Black and one with the Camo paint. I fully expected to encounter difficulty, but I eventually lost track of which was which! This didn't turn out to be problematic because I couldn't tell the difference at the end. Now I'm a pure novice painter, but my friend couldn't tell either. Someone more skilled using more advanced techniques might be able to tell a difference. The fact that each can is 1/4 of the price of GW's is a pretty good reason to check it out.