I m looking to paint a large number of skeletons (old style) to table top standard. I was looking to undercoat white (done for one batch), put on a wash/ink (brown or chestnut), and then drybrush bleached bone. Any thoughts/comments/tips?
speedy painting a large number of skeletons
- Thread starter Skaramak von Carstein
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Meier Lenk
Black Knight
i got showed a technique for deathwing (40k) that works perfectly fine for skeletons, i use one of the new base paints, called dheneb stone i think (ill check in the morning) and a sepia/chestnut wash. dont need an undercoat as it doesnt seem to effect the dheneb colour as far as i can see. after that its simply paint the shields and weapons 
Meier Lenk
Black Knight
...and i use this brush http://uk.games-workshop.com/storefront/store.uk?do=Individual&code=99199999021&orignav=300810
and i also just realised that gw central manchester overcharged me for it grr......
and i also just realised that gw central manchester overcharged me for it grr......
I think this would be a speedy way to paint those skeletons:
Dheneb Stone foundation paint
Paint metals
Devlan Mud wash
Drybrush/highlight
Depending on your taste you may even leave off the drybrush step.
Dheneb Stone foundation paint
Paint metals
Devlan Mud wash
Drybrush/highlight
Depending on your taste you may even leave off the drybrush step.
I have to say to get the "wash" part to speed up even more. Try going to a local hardware store and look for a water based wood stain. Pick a color you want, open the can, add water to the correct liquidity and then dip. By saying dip, I mean the whole model. Which will instantly give the entire model a weathered look. Check out my Painting log to see what I mean.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Why get GW's brushes? They're expensive and last 2 months. Get brushes from art shops. They're a bit cheaper and above all better quality (=last longer).
I've tried painting skeletons the easy way. You know, Chaos Black undercoat spraycan, then drybrush Skull White.... I don't know what's the problem, but so far I get grey skeletons (maybe need to drybrush a bit more).
Meier Lenk
Black Knight
art stores are suprisingly hard to find in my neck of the woods, and in terms of the paint scheme, tis a matter of preference
Use Dipping.
1) Go to your local DIY store and get an ivory colored spray paint. You can spray base them much faster.
2) After base coated, go over all the metal with Boltgun and all the wood and leather with a shade of brown.
3) After all the base stuff ( probably 3 or 4 colors ) is done, dip it in a wood stain, preferably with a polyurethane added to protect the mini.
4) Allow to dry and then spray with dullcoat
Check out this thread of some Tyranids I painted on another board using the dip technique. Some of my Vamps are at the beginning but just follow the thread for pics of the nids.
http://z2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/index.php?showtopic=11978
For these minis I did a single basecoat and one color paint for the carapace, then dipped.
It is incredibly fast and works wonders for tabletop quality minis. Wont win you any GD awards but will get a solid army on the table fast. I get constant compliments on my nids.
For those who don't like to click through, heres an example of dipping results. I used 1 color for basecoat and Dheneb stone for the carapce ( plus one dab of Goblin Green on the tongue ) then dipped in MinWax Polyshades Antique Walnut. The link has a couple more shots of other minis before and after.
Before
And After
I haven't tried with skellies yet, but I bet you could get some awesome and incredibly fast results.
1) Go to your local DIY store and get an ivory colored spray paint. You can spray base them much faster.
2) After base coated, go over all the metal with Boltgun and all the wood and leather with a shade of brown.
3) After all the base stuff ( probably 3 or 4 colors ) is done, dip it in a wood stain, preferably with a polyurethane added to protect the mini.
4) Allow to dry and then spray with dullcoat
Check out this thread of some Tyranids I painted on another board using the dip technique. Some of my Vamps are at the beginning but just follow the thread for pics of the nids.
http://z2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/index.php?showtopic=11978
For these minis I did a single basecoat and one color paint for the carapace, then dipped.
It is incredibly fast and works wonders for tabletop quality minis. Wont win you any GD awards but will get a solid army on the table fast. I get constant compliments on my nids.
For those who don't like to click through, heres an example of dipping results. I used 1 color for basecoat and Dheneb stone for the carapce ( plus one dab of Goblin Green on the tongue ) then dipped in MinWax Polyshades Antique Walnut. The link has a couple more shots of other minis before and after.
Before
And After
I haven't tried with skellies yet, but I bet you could get some awesome and incredibly fast results.
Meier Lenk
Black Knight
that looks really good (i likes those nids anyway, made a deamon prince outta one, and would upload a piccie if he hadnt suffered badly at the hands of a terrible ritual called "cleaning the room")
Meier Lenk said:
Yeah we all hate that don't we :grin:?
Anyway that tyranid thing is pretty awsome. Maybe I should give dipping a try?
That is great guys. I think I will try the woodstain dip on a couple and see how it goes (I am starting from the 120 already undercoated white, so a couple of the suggestions would not work here).
Spray white, paint equipment (minimal) and dip is looking like the quickest way.
I will post pics as soon as I get my camera back from repair shop.
Spray white, paint equipment (minimal) and dip is looking like the quickest way.
I will post pics as soon as I get my camera back from repair shop.
I based my skellies white, painted the metal bits Boltgun Metal and the wood Snakebite Leather, then washed with a roughly 4:1 mix of Future brand floor polish (aka "Apple-y Goodness) and Bestial Brown.
The floor polish helps break the surface tension so that instead of staying on the 'surface' of the area washed, the pigment retreats into the cracks and crannies as the wash dries.
I also understand that diluted detergent will work.
Like anything else, I guess you just have to try a couple of things (which takes some of the speed out of the process, I recognise).
Of course, there is always a worst case scenario: http://tsoalr.com/?p=24
The floor polish helps break the surface tension so that instead of staying on the 'surface' of the area washed, the pigment retreats into the cracks and crannies as the wash dries.
I also understand that diluted detergent will work.
Like anything else, I guess you just have to try a couple of things (which takes some of the speed out of the process, I recognise).
Of course, there is always a worst case scenario: http://tsoalr.com/?p=24
Good deal Scar, I think you'll be happy. Let me give you some tips based on what I learned.
First, there are basically two types of stain you can use for dipping. One is just the stain and the second is stain with polyurethane added. Basic stain is very much like dipping in a wash, it flows a bit more and doesn't pool as much on the flat areas. The poly stain is thicker, almost like a thin syrup and when the model dries it will have its 'ardcoat already on it.
With both, especially the poly stain, you need to give the model a good shake after you get it out of the dip. Do this outside over something you don't mind dirtying up ( dirt works great ). I found that three or four good shakes got all the excess dip off and left me with what I wanted. Also, the obvious, make sure and wear gloves
I would recommend you get a couple shades unless you know for sure what you want and give it a test just to find what you like and to get the technique down.
Let the models dry overnight before hitting them to dullcoat to take the shine off.
Here are a couple of links from dipping articles I looked at in the past before starting my adventures.
http://www.dysartes.com/model/painting/Dipping1.php
Though the above site suggests connecting the model to a flying base and shaking, I just wear gloves and hold it by the sides of the base. Works just fine.
http://s2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/ar/t4130.htm
http://s2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/ar/t4143.htm
http://s2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/ar/t4146.htm
http://s2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/ar/t4152.htm
http://s2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/ar/t4157.htm
Good luck and post any questions. I'll to answer based on what I've done
First, there are basically two types of stain you can use for dipping. One is just the stain and the second is stain with polyurethane added. Basic stain is very much like dipping in a wash, it flows a bit more and doesn't pool as much on the flat areas. The poly stain is thicker, almost like a thin syrup and when the model dries it will have its 'ardcoat already on it.
With both, especially the poly stain, you need to give the model a good shake after you get it out of the dip. Do this outside over something you don't mind dirtying up ( dirt works great ). I found that three or four good shakes got all the excess dip off and left me with what I wanted. Also, the obvious, make sure and wear gloves
I would recommend you get a couple shades unless you know for sure what you want and give it a test just to find what you like and to get the technique down.
Let the models dry overnight before hitting them to dullcoat to take the shine off.
Here are a couple of links from dipping articles I looked at in the past before starting my adventures.
http://www.dysartes.com/model/painting/Dipping1.php
Though the above site suggests connecting the model to a flying base and shaking, I just wear gloves and hold it by the sides of the base. Works just fine.
http://s2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/ar/t4130.htm
http://s2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/ar/t4143.htm
http://s2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/ar/t4146.htm
http://s2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/ar/t4152.htm
http://s2.invisionfree.com/herdstone/ar/t4157.htm
Good luck and post any questions. I'll to answer based on what I've done
Thankg, Bigpig - great tips & notes.
Bug - is Army Painter dip gloss finish? Have you tried it, and is it grey shading (just darkening)? I have used Tamiya smoke in the past (and on my zombies) and it worked well, but am looking for a browning as well here is I can.
Bug - is Army Painter dip gloss finish? Have you tried it, and is it grey shading (just darkening)? I have used Tamiya smoke in the past (and on my zombies) and it worked well, but am looking for a browning as well here is I can.
Another question (predominantly for those in the UK). Is there any particular brand that you cfind works well? I will be looking for chestnut or similar if possible.
Skaramak von Carstein said:
I've not used it. When I bought my Warlord Games Imperial Romans it came with a bit of advertising for army painter that showed it being used on GW skeletons and it looked pretty good. I'm assuming it's a form of gloss dip, but you can buy it in 3 shades (dark, medium, light).
Edited to add:
Here's a link to some skeletons painted with ArmyPainter complete with a step by step guide:
http://www.thearmypainter.com/gallery_presentation.php?GalleryId=17