TMU's miniatures!

[TMU]

SO... I decided to share my minis here too and I started painting with my base games figures.

Not done yet though, I need more paints.

Orcs

Fimirs

Skeletons

Zombies

Mummies

Always open to criticism

[Goblin-King]

If they are just playing pieces they will suffice. But if you wan't to get more into miniature painting you should really start adding shadows and highlights. Even the laziest of efforts will make a huge difference.
Also may I suggest you look into spraying your models white before painting? You will be surprised how much more pleasant it will be to paint. The paint sticks better, and the colors will be much more clean and crisp.
It's especially evident on your fimirs that they weren't sprayed first.

[TMU]

If they are just playing pieces they will suffice. But if you wan't to get more into miniature painting you should really start adding shadows and highlights. Even the laziest of efforts will make a huge difference.

I have the Army Painter Quickshade, I just haven't used it yet. Does that apply?

Also may I suggest you look into spraying your models white before painting? You will be surprised how much more pleasant it will be to paint. The paint sticks better, and the colors will be much more clean and crisp.
It's especially evident on your fimirs that they weren't sprayed first

First one in front on the fimirs was painted black first. I see no difference between the others BUT, my paints aren't meant for painting minis, wich could explain that.

[Sjeng]

You should really use acrylic paints, and prime your minis with grey, black or white primer (grey is easiest).
Then after you've painted them in nice base colours, you can try dipping in quickshade.

[TMU]

The paints are acrylic, but I must buy primer.

[Jewels!]

You should really use acrylic paints, and prime your minis with grey, black or white primer (grey is easiest).
Then after you've painted them in nice base colours, you can try dipping in quickshade.

Does quickshade really work like magic, like I've heard? They make big claims but I'm skeptical.

[Goblin-King]

QS looks pretty good if you are not really that much into painting - but nothing beats traditional hand painted shadows/highlights in my opinion. A good blending technique beats everything.

I've seen a lot of QS'ed minis that get a kinda 'wet" look. Maybe it eases up a bit when the varnish goes on... I dunno

[Sjeng]

Does quickshade really work like magic, like I've heard? They make big claims but I'm skeptical.

Give this a read. I think it's fantastic for larger armies that don't need extreme detail (undead, skaven, etc.)

Matte spray varnish takes away the shine.

[Sjeng]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TMU!!!!

[chaoticprime]

You can use quickshade, but know that its really freakin' hard to remove. And, if you don't babysit it as it dries, you can't fix it later. I would recommend making a less aggressive wash out of Pledge Floor-Wax and India Ink. If you put half, to three-quarters, of the ink in a standard size container of floor wax, you get a solution that will add shade, but not greatly reduce highlights. You can brush it on, or dip it and shake it off.

If you want to persist with quick-shade, do so wearing nitrile or vinyl gloves. Dip your mini, and then just shake the freakin' *lemony goodness* out it until its uniformly distributed within the routs on the mini. After you stand it up to dry, keep a cotton swab handy to dab away globules of accumulated *lemony goodness*.

You can get a good look out of either option, but as Goblin King pointed out, the best way is to stroke the entire model (no brush techniques) by hand. Since I am not my wife, and cannot paint with her Asian sorcery, I use a combination of natural talent, the right tools, brush techniques, and I work out color-schemes in advance (not as I go).

Soaking a painted mini in Isopropyl alcohol and then scrubbing it with an old toothbrush or stripping brush (old or new) will remove acrylic, lead, oil and vinyl paint. It won't remove your skin (in any timely fashion) and its dirt-cheap.