Well, it's not fully painted yet, but I wanted to work out the tones and learn how to paint. I got my hands on the Citadel painting guide, and watched numerous tutorials and read numerous guides but it's not really that helpful to a complete amateur on reading words to learn how to do something artistically practical.

Before I begin I just wanted to say PROPS to all of you as I learned today that painting miniatures is hard as heck! Dear lord the intricacy involved to get pro is ridiculous.

So I finally primed one of these bad boys and got it on paint table. Time to paint my first miniature ever! I just did the face and messed around with the platebody to see how ink washing and drybrushing works. I'm really happy with the face; the guys at GW taught me how to do the face on some Warhammer figures when I went in this morning and I applied what I learned at home. What do you guys think? I wanted him to have big eyes to give him the very "RAAAAAHHHH CHARGE!!!" sort of Captain attitude.

*Be very critical. I'd like to apply my artistic side on these figures to the max! Will update when the entire miniature is painted. I'm using Citadel's ridiculously overpriced paints, btw.



Next I'll correct any of the overbrushing of silver on the black cloths and layer/feather grays to the skirt and ink wash the leg plates and such. The leg plates are painted but aren't washed yet.

Face: Mournfang brown undercoat [White dwarf recommends bugman's glow but it's a really reddish brown and looks horrible in the darker areas you dont hilight. i don't recommend it]
Reikland Fleshshade wash
Cadian Fleshtone hilight
Kislev Flesh hilight
Elf Flesh drybrush on highest facial points
Eyes: Skull white/abaddon black
Teeth: Skull White

Armor: leadbelcher, nuln oil, Ironbreaker, Runefang Steel

That looks like a very promising start, good work! The detail on his face is amazing and the shading of the armour looks very realistic!

Something tells me you're gonna be very good at this!

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Manners maketh man

The face is amazing for your first effort. He's got real personality! I literally don't think you'll be able to improve it any further; the WoMT closed helmets make it very hard to shade/highlight much. Myself, I would do another targeted dark wash in the eye sockets, just to bring down the 'eyes wide open" look; this will leave the pupils visible but give some extra shading. But that's more personal taste than definite advice.

The ink wash on the breastplate is nice and subtle. You can play around with coloured washes too for the metal: diluted washes of purple or red can look great, for example.
(Here is an example of some Olympic-level metallic painting that uses colour washes.)

Good photo too. That will really help if you want people to give honest artistic criticism.

All in all, outstanding so far.

A gentle wash of black or darkened gunmetal will enhance the delineation of the segments on the armour. Great face painting - a little adjustment as has already been suggested but if you are unsure, I would leave it on this one and try it on the next. Very well done, especially for a first mini!

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Very, very nice for a first- totally puts my first to shame. One thing I sometimes make use of for armor is a wash of a dark, metallic color (really water it down though), as it brings out the details in the armor.

Also, a trick for getting dark cloth to have a little more detail without overwhelming it is to take bleached bone (providing that is still the name- basically a nice cream-color/off white thing), brush it to the point where it is almost dry, then lightly apply it to a dark grey, dark brown, or just strait black- it gives you a lighter version of the original color that looks like the natural wear of the given item of cloth (in my opinion). It'll take a little experimentation, but you might like it.

All in all, very well done!

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"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”

That's an excellent start to the hobby. Bravo!

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Well well, you're a natural! You will fit in quite nicely around here. Kudos!

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You don't have to be great to start. But you do have to start to be great.

The face is outstanding!!!

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Not much to be critical about really. Really really superb painting, especially for your first model!
i agree with the others in saying that it could do with a wash on the armour.

very good

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'Though my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior'
-John Newton

Thanks for the input guys - most encouraging!

I forgot to add I decided not to wash the armor with nuln oil quite yet as I wasn't happy with the pleated thigh armor's globby surface, so I scrubbed just the leg-pleated armor down and decided to file and sand each metal placket so they're nice and smooth. I'll update once im done with that and repaint and wash his armor.

I will agree with the others that this is fantastic for a first attempt. The face tutorial at GW appears to have done you a lot of good. There are many fantastic, friendly painters on this site, so you will have no problem getting further advice. I have contented myself to a decent tabletop standard on my miniatures, barring the odd competition piece, but it is good to see someone really trying to improve themselves.

Paint on, my friend!

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Respectfully,
Jonathan

Do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly

Battle Companies

Pretty damn good so far. Keep it up

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You would of had me crawling on all fours like a BEAST!

That is an excellent first job, better than most

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"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

This is your first ever minature? He's as good as mine are after 6 years of practice!

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"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings