Warhammer 40K Tabletop Thread XLI: Secondary Opinions

[Cheesegear]

How would I do the first scheme? If anyone knows how.

A combination of drybushing/feathering and wetblending.

...But actually I think at least the green is airbrushed and might not possible with a hairbrush.

What are some cheap paints that still get good results? I'm not really inclined to buy GW paints right now, due to price.

Tamiya is usually found in every hobby shop. Havne't used them it years, though. Can't speak for their quality. I still buy their sprays, though.

Brushes too-should I just grab craft store brushes, and will they get okay results? Or should I pony up for better ones? Keep in mind, not a good painter.

The right brushes make you a better painter. Painting is not that hard. At its core, painting is about putting the right colour in the right place. It's as hard as colouring-inside-the-lines.
The hardest part is loading the brush.
If you put too much paint onto a small brush, terrible. If you put too little paint on a large brush, terrible. If you put a blob of your paint on your model and colour outside the lines, it's gonna look like what it's gonna look like.
One of the first steps towards becoming a better painter, is getting the right brushes.

I can't stress that the most important way to be become a better painter is to have better brushes. Hell, the shape of your brush changes how you paint. Not all paint brushes are equal, or are for the same job.

That said, I refuse to buy GW brushes at this stage. They're too expensive and not even that good.

These days I have a bunch of size <2 Neef Brushes. I generally don't thin my paints. What I do is just put less paint on my brush in the first place (and also I lick my brushes). Smaller brushes help a lot with that.

4) Any other general tips or advice?

Colour theory is your friend. You generally have two choices:

1. Contrasting Scheme. This is great for a more unrealistic feel, and the idea behind it to get certain colours to 'pop' when you want certain things to stand out, and certain other things to be less important (like Space Marines and T'au). This is what I prefer, because I'm painting heroic miniatures.

2. Warm/Cool Tones. This is way more difficult, and a lot harder to pull off. Usually involves drybrushing and/or wet-blending. But it does give you a more natural look. This is where you divide your colour palette into ROYGBIV, and you only use colours on one side of the G - or one side of the wheel, if you're at one; Green is neutral. This will make the whole model 'pop' (probably why it's so hard to do). But this is what your first example is. Warm/Cool palettes look great on models that are designed to feel more natural and/or curved, and you'll see it a lot on Aeldari and Tyranid models.

Right brush.
Right paints.
Right scheme.
The rest is motor skills. That can only come with practice.

I've told a story before about a guy who used to be in my meta who developed tremors in his right hand. He had to learn to paint with his left hand. Of course he was terrible. But he got much, much better over time because it's a motor skill and your brain is pretty good with things like that.

EDIT.
3. There's also Seasonal Colour Palettes. But I have no idea how it works and it confuses me and so I refuse to address it.

Spoiler: Uhhhh...I'm sure there's a logic

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