Greetings…
Painting at Morrison Towers is at a minimum at the moment…
I have the lovely builders back in at the moment doing work on my Bedroom and Hall…
Lovely plastering….
I’m sleeping on the couch 😕.
So… As well as sticking some plastic figures together, I have decided to go back to ‘Skool’ and watch a load of painting tutorials on YouTube.
This all came about because I was curious about what others do to refine and speed up their painting process and if there is anything I can learn.
I was a bit wary that this might not be everyone’s Cup of Tea (or indeed Peanut Butter and Jelly), So if this is not your sort of thing feel free to move on and await the next post…I won’t be upset….. Honest😁
So where to start?
Let’s start with someone I know…
Peachy Tips (AKA Chris Peach).
https://youtube.com/@peachytips?si=e_kDbDiFkqgWdRBE
Peachy focuses on getting your forces and on the table. He may not be painting ‘Traditional’ large armies but when he starts a new project or games system… He does it all… If it is something like Oathmark he does the lot… Every faction… Every variation and he is not afraid to do anything ‘ Off the wall’.
In most of his painting posts Peachy will go through the process of painting your figures to a ‘ Tabletop’ standard and then moves on to show you a few ‘Extra Moves’ to give you a more detailed/ interesting finish.
Next up …
Someone else I know 😁…
Rogue Hobbies (AKA Louise Sugden).
https://youtube.com/@roguehobbies?si=gH21LDTxbkK4btzr
Fun, Entertaining and colourful would be a perfect description of this channel .
Again…. This channel isn’t about painting lots of armies, It’s more about painting Cool Miniatures, ‘The Hobby’, Interesting stuff on the internet, Other painting channels and The joy of painting toy soldiers.
Louise has a bright and colourful style of painting which I have always found very appealing.
Her video on discovering an Ancient Roman (200AD) ‘Warhammer ‘ miniature is very entertaining.
Next…
Sonic Sledgehammer.
https://youtube.com/@sonicsledgehammerstudio?si=Oa3j8qKMf8FROErq
This is a very useful channel…
Sonic covers a wide range of painting styles and techniques.
His guides on the use of Dry-brushing, Glazes and ‘Contrast’ type washes are indispensable.
30k in 30 days is an excellent example of putting an army together in a short space of time.
He covers the whole gamut of subjects and periods… Armour, 40k, 30k, Warhammer, Cold Wars, Napoleonics, WW2 , Etc, Etc.
Like Peachy Sonic also gives you quick army painting style guides and more in depth detailed finishes.
There are some very useful camouflage guides.
Sonic experiments a lot with different washes… Including Aly’s Brown Liquid (Not that I would show any favouritism here…. Honest🤔).
I definitely picked up a few good tips here.
And now we have…
Painting Panzers (AKA Christian).
https://youtube.com/@paintingpanzers?si=01pcdAbFmOSKOBPL
The channel name says a lot really 😁.
His focus is definitely on WW2/20th Century with lots of very useful camouflage uniform and AFV painting guides… His preferences are also for 1/72 Scale/20 mm.
Christian also paints a lot of the old soft plastic packs of miniatures that I remember from my more youthful days…. It’s quite inspiring to see them so well painted.
Once again I found a few good tips here…
Now we have…
Juan Hidalgo.
https://youtube.com/@juanhidalgominiatures?si=1Nhp-9qf0yQRm5bn
Juan is a very entertaining fellow and has a superb technique for painting armoured sci-fi figures.
He uses glazes and washes of Contrast/Speed style paints, Dry-brushing and layering that can be used to get you very decent looking ‘Tabletop’ figures…Which you can then take further to give you a more detailed look if you wish.
I really like the way he under paints the Contrast/Speed paint with different colours to desaturated some of the stronger tones.
I shall definitely try and use some of his techniques to speed up some of the basic details on my figures.
And now…
Duncan Rhodes.
https://youtube.com/@duncanrhodesdrpa?si=DNcUttXBApSiT9Nz
Duncan’s videos are something of a masterclass in painting Toy Soldiers…
Lovely clean lines, Excellent technique, A good choice of colours, Dry-brushing, Glazing, And contrast paint washes all feature quite a lot.
One thing I really appreciated was/is his clear and precise presentation of his process.
Duncan also covers a lot of periods and subjects.
And… Just when you start to think “Yeah he is only painting one of these” You realise “ Nope!” He has box loads of the stuff…. How many giant robots do you think one man needs ?🙀.
So has my Skooling been a help?
Will I be a faster/ better painter?
Have I been a good pupil?
Faster… possibly… I’ve not used Dry-brushing and the like very much… so always worth a try.
Better… Well if that means being prepared to try something new… Edge highlights anyone?
My short list certainly doesn’t cover all the excellent YouTube Channels, Blogs and Podcasts out there that are dedicated to Figuring Painting Techniques… Have a look around you never know what you might find.
And just to have a pretty picture…
Here is a shot of a new ‘Greener’ basing technique I’m experimenting with… It looks rather good I think.
All the best. Aly
P.S.
Another couple of chaps came into view while I was writing this up…
Flameon Miniatures.
https://youtube.com/@flameonminiatures?si=ZOcgZ_F40ECmuFm1
Elminiaturista.
https://youtube.com/@elminiaturista?si=EXzMMdrUZJZah6wZ
They definitely won’t help you paint anything any faster but what they will hopefully do is leave you going “ How on earth does he get that effect ?” ( And possibly Why!)
Look at the Free Tutorials and ‘Shorts’ if you have time.
