Golden Demon Painting according to our readers!

I posted a little tirade about my adventure in painting land and received some really thoughtful and helpful comments. Not wanting to have all these tips be invisible in the comment section, I have put all these wonderful tips in a short list. I edited some of the words to make it work and took out duplicates. If you want to visit these bloggers yourself, go to the comment section of this post.

What to do if your primered model is grainy anyway?

an old mini that might have oxidised slightly will have a powdery surface to begin with. a bit of a rub with gentle wire wool should sort that

and

If the metal's not smooth enough, use a file carefully.

How do you keep your paint from drying up too quickly after you have mixed it to the color you want?

If you cant complete a colur in a single sitting a wet palette might help. a quick google should show you some you can buy or build. they can keep paint wet for days

and

If you have problems revisiting shades, maybe paint a section at a time? aka, do the arm from dark to light, then a leg, etc. (I don't actually recommend this, as I prefer to do a single colour/shade at a time.) Maybe try thin washes between each layer to help blend. I also _always_ paint with a wet brush so that I'm never painting solid colour on. Takes longer, but blending gets more gradual.

and

Pre-mix your colours, and store them in an empty paint pot (one which is clean). Or else, keep practicing your blending.
A colour wheel may be a helpful reference guide. Or just mix your blend on top of the previous day's until it's the same.

And here are some links to check out:

There are lots of good sites for inspiration, Mike. My favourite is the Finnish painter Vesa Makela's:

http://nomadpainter.blogspot.com/

Here's a brief tutorial specifically on blending:

http://www.jenova.dk/Blending.htm

And the Citadel books on how to paint miniatures are helpful as well. I refer to Mike McVey's old one all the time.

Other than that, there's no substitute for practice and study.

My primer is sandy and grainy. What's going on?

">Sometimes that Just happens. It can be down to the weather, the paint, the distance you hold the can from the mini, a lot of things. most commonly though, a powdery finish is caused my particles of paint drying on the way to the mini, was it hot when you primed? wait till it's cooler, or hold the can closer.

and:

When it comes to spray primers - they are too touchy (same with spray sealers). If the model has got to be really nice and you don't want to run the risk of ruining it before you begin - or when you end - paint prime with non-diluted gray/white/black Gesso and paint seal with non-diluted well shaken Matte Varnish. I love the convenience of sprays myself, but for army commanders and characters I take a spray-less approach.

and

I use gesso to undercoat miniatures. It's the undercoat you use for proper acrylic paintings. (Using Google Images for 'Gesso warhammer' brings up some good examples). You can buy Gesso in black or white; and thin it with water as with regular acrylics. Or you could just use regular white acrylic paint and thin it with water. I based my miniatures that way for years.

Hope this inspires!

Mike