4 - Dwarven Miners Q&A

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To wrap up this part of the project, I thought it would be a good idea to collect questions from everyone and then get Rusty's answers. I also took more photos of the final figures here in my workshop.

How much practice did it take before you felt you became a good painter? Does it take years and years?

Not really. When I first started, I was painting up figures for my D&D games. I figured that I would never be a good painter, so i made them look as awful as possible. Some people said they looked pretty good, so then I decided to actually try to paint well.

It just takes a lot of practice, practice, practice. And patience. If you can't sit there and paint figures for a few hours straight, it might not be your thing. But I can sit and paint figures for 10 hours on end, so it's really a dedication thing.

Is it harder to paint 15mm's, compared to other scales you've worked with?

I'm not sure about that one. I am used to the 28mm scale, so it wasn't hard to work with 15mm, it just took a little getting used to. I've been painting 28mm for so long, that when someone wanted me to paint some LOTR figures, it was really strange to paint 25mm all of a sudden. There really is a big difference there.

For primer, you said you use black craft-paints. Do you use it full strength, or dilute it somehow?

Oh, I totally add water to it, so it flows on much better and doesn't obscure the detail. I can't really say what the ratio of paint to water is...it's more of a feel kinda thing. It's like if someone asked me how to do blending. I'd be at a loss for words, it's more of a feel. Your best figures will happen when you get so into it, that you become oblivious to everything going on around you and your mind just becomes focused on what you are doing. Of course, that's when you start catching ghosts out of the corner of your eye.

How do you prime the figures without painting your hands at the same time?

I cannot answer that one. I always seem to have paint on my hands, and there isn't one stich of clothing I own that doesn't have paint spots on it. (I tend to use my shirt to wipe off paint, rather than pick up a paper towel.) But hey, I've been married for four years now, so I don't have to impress anyone, so I wear my paint proudly, right next to the bloodstains since I have never mastered the craft of cutting away from myself.

What brand and size of brushes do you prefer?

Actually, I like to use the whole range of Games Workshop brushes. I don't know why, those are just the ones I have always been comfortable with. Stuff like Winsor-Newton and craft store brushes just don't do it for me, and I even tried those cute litte I-Kore brushes which were like...bleah! If anyone has any brush recommendations for me, please let me know! Wean me off of those GW brushes if you can!

When you mix your own paints, how do you do it? Do you mix a lot, or just what you need?

If it's just for a small item, then just a spot is fine. But for squads and stuff, I like to be consistent, so I take an old, cleaned paint bottle and mix the paint into it, adding more until I get what I want. Then I take a label and make my own title. I've come up with colors like Whiteboy, Roughneck Green and Alternate Cammo.

Is it hard to blackline? Seems like it would be hard not to paint over the black parts.

With lots of practice, you get used to it. If you paint over the black line, you can just paint the line back on later. When I used to play 40K 2nd ed., I painted up all the metal Imperial Guard boxed sets, but I wanted them done quick. So I primed them all white, then went and blacklined all the detail and dark areas, then added the base colors. Tricky for beginners, but I was busting out a 10-man squad every other day.

What did you use for the metal color? (I can't find a good metal paint.)

Actually, I used Mithril Silver by GW - that one works well. I have also had good results with silver paint in those bottles from the craft store. For something I use a lot, like Boltgun Metal, I use a craft store silver mixed with some black.

You said you didn't want to drybrush these figures. Why?

Because I felt that blending in the paint would look better for this project. Plus, because 15mm is smaller, I didn't want to accidentally drybrush a color onto other parts.

See, I used to watch this old guy paint at a local store years ago, and he once said that the secret to painting was in the drybrushing. But my philosophy is that the secret to painting is water. Water down those colors and make them blend in together.

You forgot to tell us how you did the eyes and lips.

I just used a small brush to put a line on the lip, and then dot the eyes with a spot of black.

When you did the Guild colors, did the bright colors cover in one pass? Also, how did you do the outlining of the colors?

Well, first i painted a black square over the metal part of the weapon. Then I used one coat of the bright colors over it. Really? Yeah. For that, I used Red and Yellow of a brand called Cartoon Colors. The bright colors of that brand cover over black very nicely.

What's the secret to being able to paint so many figures? I can do a half dozen or so, but doing a large unit like this takes me forever.

I think it's just dedication and putting the time in. I painted 118 Void figures and vehicles for a game store in one week. I'm not talking basic paint job, I'm talking highlights and detail and everything! But when you take on a project like that, your eyes will fall out on the seventh day.

How long did it take you for this project, total?

Well, I cleaned up the figures while watching the Simpsons one day, a few minutes to spray them, then pretty much did them all on a Sunday evening, putting in maybe 8-10 hours on them.

How much would you charge me if I asked you to paint some Miners for me?

Check out my site. I have price listings there, and I am fully willing to work out pricing to fit your budget.

Thanks again to Rusty of 4 Demons Painting for doing a great project for us.