this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2023
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So I've decided after playing for a year or two that I'm finally going to try painting my minis. I've held off because frankly I have terrible artistic and fine motor skills and I don't want to ruin my mechs.

Ive bought everything I think I need (set of Vallejo paints, primer, brushes, dry brushes, wet pallet, matte varnish, hobby knife, cutting mat, citadel painting handle...probably more) and I'm about ready to dive in.

I was thinking about trying desert camo but I'm wondering if y'all have any suggestions on what might be an easy beginner scheme for me to get my feet wet, or any other tips on painting in general for the artistically challenged like myself :)

Thanks!

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[–] Animortis 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Agree with the above advice mostly. I've only been painting a few months myself, so maybe some newbie advise for another newbie...

I like handles, and I don't think you should be using the toothpick method until you feel really familiar with handling your mechs, including the act of cutting them off the base and then re-attaching them later. Handles let you securely hold your model and move it without really much thought.

Also, basing is a great addition, but not super important at first. Eventually it will bug you. I like the superglue-baking soda method. Easy, high-quality texture for your soil.

As for scheme, I like the base-color-and-then-highlight-panels-in-a-pattern method. I found painting Mechs is really hard because of the creativity involved. There's no hair or pants or cloth wrinkles to take up all your time... So you gotta think outside the box a bit. I saw someone who did object-source-lighting for an Awesome on the BT Reddit that blew my mind the other day.

Additionally, YouTube is your friend. There's a video for everything.