AndYpsilon wrote:Would be great to get some hints by a pro
Best,
Andy
Certainly not a pro, by any means. My technique is very simple, but very time consuming. I generally start with whichever color is deepest on the model, which often happens to be the darkest shade of whichever area I am painting. This way, I don't have to "reach past" areas I have already painted. I use thin paint with multiple coats, preferably Vallejo when I have the right color. I then mix in some of the next brightest color and begin layering, adding more and more of the bright color until I get to the highlight stage. Then finish off with a point highlight of a slightly brighter color than I would have expected to go in the first place. It seems I am always underestimating how much contrast I want until the last step.
The big thing is that I take my time and go over each area multiple times until I get smooth transitions and good coverage. Unlike many painters, I generally do not do washes or dry brushing, as I don't like the results of my attempts with those. But for areas like the ribs on the skeletons, I painted the entire area khaki, and then just picked out each rib with the bonewhite. As simple as that sounds, it took me several tries to get nice, even lines for the ribs, rebasing a spot in khaki and then refining the rib in bone white until I was satisfied with the results.
I hope that helps, but from personal experience, I think practice is much more important than "tips" from others. Tips always make things sound easier than they are, and they are more about personal preferences I think than reproducible techniques. Good luck, and I'd love to see some of your results.
If you have not already done so, I highly recommend watching Sorastro's Imperial Assault painting guides. I don't follow his techniques (see explanation above), but he is highly admired by other beginners and I find his videos very entertaining and soothing, almost like Bob Ross's old videos.