hello duders.

after playing total warhammer and playing dwarfs alot it has made me interested in getting back into painting them as they look super dope.

any duders here that that have some tricks/tips as i have not painted for 15+ years. maybe some big nonos to not do and so on.

and maybe talk about what people think about age of sigmar as some people reaaaaaaaaaly dont like it if youtube comments are something to go by. i have not really played normal fantasy battle back in the day as i was just paiting for fun.

This dude's series is pretty good, the first few really lay down all the basics and what you need. EDIT: Never posted the link, lol: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB0292071C3B38CAC

Have to be careful with the Age of Sigmar stuff, a lot of negativity towards it due to the fact they nuked regular Warhammer for it, those old fans can be spiteful and it may not be indicative of the game for a new player. I would say though that GW stuff is crazy expensive compared to some other similar games, especially their single box games.

I think the first thing you need to do is set some sort of realistic goal.

Are you willing to put in a lot of time into a single model? Or would you rather get a lot of models done?

So a few big no no's.

Don't get too invested in GW's paint line. Some of the stuff is pretty good (Like the technical paints.) but a lot of the stuff is expensive. Their spray stuff used to be just spraypaint and their hardcoat ruined more models than anything else. I use Krylon primer. White and black. And Testor's Gloss and Dull coats when I'm done to seal the paint.

I usually paint a single model at a time, but for board games, I wanted to crank stuff out fast, at a good level of detail, and with little time commitment, since I'd be letting others handle the gaming pieces. I use a process much like this guy's tutorials on youtube to crank stuff out fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMOTmOchKyQ

Using that process and a dip, I was able to crank out 10-15 zombies in an evening and the hero characters in two.

THIN YOUR PAINTS!!! This is the most important rule when it comes to painting just a drop or two of water should do it. Otherwise GW does have some good tutorials on how to paint their models but the techniques used by Duncan are universal.

This Playlist will give you a good idea of what you should be doing to a model you're gonna spend time on (special characters mostly)

Get some varnish.

I used to paint up miniatures through the mid 90s through to the mid 00s before stopping. When I picked up the brush again a couple of years back (4th edition Space Hulk), I was surprised to find the paints on the market now (at least Games Workshop and Vallejo stuff) really has a tough time staying on the model, rubbing and flaking off in places just through infrequent handling during the painting process.

I even dug out some of my older minis to make sure it wasn't something I just hadn't noticed before, but found I had to put real effort into scratching the paint off with a fingernail - and couldn't at all with some colours. So varnish that shit son.

More generally, I'll echo LtTibbles in telling you to thin your paints. Also, take care of your brushes; don't get the paint too far up the bristles and give them a wash with some brush soap when you're done. Most people use this stuff.

Umm.. I have nothing to add as I know nothing about warhammer and painting models, but I like to listen to this guy's compilation of RPG music while doing my own digital paintings :D

paging @big_jon (I know nothing about this stuff.)

Regarding Age of Sigmar I'm one of the grognards who will never go along with Games Workshop's new stuff for that, but you can totally still play Warhammer Fantasy. Obviously you can still buy the old rule books and play by those (what my friends and I do) but there is the option of "The 9th Age" if you want an updated rule set that doesn't throw out the old game and setting. The only issue is collecting. A lot of models are being reboxed with circular bases so you'll just need to remember to buy square ones (numerous on ebay: search 28mm square base) and use those so you can rank up your troops.

As for painting the only advice I can give is don't look too much at peoples work online. They are insanely good. And also remember the scale of the game. You may think you've made mince meat of your models but when you play the game and you're seeing them from up on high they'll look great.

Buy an airbrush.

Another thought...

Pick up some of the Reaper Bones minis from a local game shop. They have quite a catalogue of figures in the bones lines and they're all under $5 a model. (Your standard character is going to be like $3 and I've seen some that are a buck) Find models you think you'll enjoy having - nothing sucks more than trying to slog through a model you dislike, or worrying that you're going to ruin a $100 limited edition resin model.

Start off cheap. There's no need for Windsor Newton 0000 brushes when you start. Sure, cheap brushes don't last as long, but expensive brushes don't last long if you don't know how to maintain them. Army Painter has a brush set that's relatively cheap that gets you a detail brush, a dry brush, and a standard sized (Like a size 2) brush. That should work perfectly to start off and you'll get those three brushes for the cost of one brush from Games Workshop.

Don't start with an airbrush. You need a compressor. You have to thin paints. You need gloves and a place that has ventilation. The airbrush has its place, but it's not at the novice level.

Give your models a wash. Some warm soapy water and an old toothbrush. The molds the models come out of have release agents and these can cause primer to not stick. Doesn't seem like a big issue with plastic minis, but on metals and resins, I soak in vinegar, then soak in simple green, scrub, warm soapy water, scrub, dry, then prime.

If you're just wanting models to paint, check out Ebay. You might find someone ditching their dwarf collection there. Even if it's painted, you can soak the models in simple green. A day or two and the paint will come right off with a tooth brush.

Space marines, knights, and monsters are good starting points. They are wearing helmets or have monstrous faces. The bulk of the work will be one color with details that you can then go pick out. If you start with some fancy lad or lady model, you'll spend all your time picking out different belts, buckles, ruffles, rings, coats, hair, faces, and hours later, you'll look at it and think, "That looks like butt." Whereas on a space marine, you plop down the main color of the armor, pick out the belt, eyes, gun or sword, and it'll look all right.

When you're spraying on primer or varnish, watch the humidity levels. If it's humid outside, your primer will go on chalky and if you varnish, there's a chance the varnish will fog up and turn that model you worked on milky white.

I haven't stepped foot in a GW store since they closed the battle bunker near me. However, they used to let people take a model and paint it in the shop.

GW has a line of "Start collecting" ranges. That's usually the only place you'll find GW models discounted outside of their board games. Due to Age of Sigmar and GW's need to copyright everything, they may be called Doo'warves or Du'woorvs or something now.