Crafty Litsters show your work!

midwestyankee said:
Etoile, I promise to go look at your knit work as soon as this post is up. ETA: This was an amazingly life-like knit cat. How did you do it?
Why thank you! Every time we brush the cat I save the bits, card them, spin them, and knit with the produced yarn. ;)
 
I do scrapbooking. I have some pics of some of the pages I've done, but I'm not sure about posting them. They are pics of my kids..and this is a porn board. Maybe tomorrow I'll post them for just a short while.

You could blur the pics themselves out, leaving the scrapbooking stuff clear.
 
Does miniature/tabletop painting (Warhammer 40k) count in this thread?
 
Does miniature/tabletop painting (Warhammer 40k) count in this thread?

I'd say so. Course I'm sitting in a room that has a coupla thousand dollars worth of miniatures, paint, brushes, etc in it.

Link to a unit I did for a friend's WHFB Chaos Mortals army.

For the sake of those who've not seen this sort of thing, these guys are about 1.5" tall.

Here is one that I did for another friend's Hawk Lords marine force.

capitan1.jpg


Again, about 1.25-1.5" tall.

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Hell yes.

*has tried painting tiny geek crap, omg hard*

Up to a certain point, it is much easier than it looks. Past that point, yeah, OMG hard. The techniques that today's contest winners are doing are so very far beyond me as to be incomprehensible. Basic tabletop stuff like the first link I posted is not that hard so long as you have a modicum of patience, a steady enough hand, and some eye for colour, depth, shading, etc.
 
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Question: do you guys ever find smaller than 20/0 brushes and where?

Or do I have to cut mine down? I've been working small in tangible painting.
 
Hell yes.

*has tried painting tiny geek crap, omg hard*

It's as hard as you make it. With my Marines, the colour scheme is more or less "Black with metal", so when I do the spray basecoat that's half the job done.
 
Question: do you guys ever find smaller than 20/0 brushes and where?

Or do I have to cut mine down? I've been working small in tangible painting.

Erm, I usually go that small. The smallest I have on hand is probably a 18/0 and I almost never use it. I'm more interested in larger brushes with fine quality points (well, a 1/0 isn't "large", but you get my point. Heh, point.) The reeeeally little brushes don't seem to hold paint all that well.

Still, I can get 18/0 and 20/ on the shelf at my local Michaels. I believe that smaller can be ordered from the companies.

And I do NOT like cutting down brushes. The point is shaped during construction, and fiber removal, at least when I do it, destroys the point utterly.

Have you tried microfine art pens? I wouldn't know where to go to get them, but a friend years ago had some stupendously fine art pens that were hand-loaded, so could be any colour. I get some truly beautiful rich colour from inks, and use them quite a bit.

Honestly, I'm not all about super-fine precise detail. I'd rather suggest detail through technique. Course I'm doing it for the money. Super-fine detail takes time, and time is gold if I want to do a reasonable rate per hour spent.

Pimping my paintbrush is not a matter of love, even if I limit my customer base to my friends.
 

I LOVED painting miniatures when I was younger. Going to the hobby store and picking out the baddest looking ones to paint was so much fun.

Sadly, I don't think I still have any of the ones I painted when I was younger.
 
And here I wasn't going to post any of my 40k work in fear of confusing or boring people! Hooray for camaraderie! :D

Nice work on your friends' stuff, Homburg. The banner's wording is a nice touch. Always just for "friends" or have your own?
 
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And here I wasn't going to post any of my 40k work in fear of confusing or boring people! Hooray for camaraderie! :D

Post some of your stuff, bro. Geek solidarity.

Nice work on your friends' stuff, Homburg. The banner's wording is a nice touch. Always just for "friends" or have your own?

Thanks. I'm 99% commission these days, but I do occasionally mess around with stuff for myself.

dwarfcannoncrew.jpg


These are some dwarfs (yes, I know, I hate that spelling too) that I did on a lark. All of them are speed painted. (These guys are right about an inch tall.)

This is a Mordheim priest that I did as a study on source-object lighting. I wanted to get the colouration from the yellow-orange light of the torch on his face and clothes, and lightened up the armour where the light would touch it. Not speed-painted.

An Empire wizard I did a year or so ago

A marine commander I did for one of my kids.

Here's a serious kit-bash I did somewhat recently, speed-painted. I decided that I liked the Penitent Engine from the Witch Hunters line, but that I wanted a more impressive model. I really wanted the pilot to look truly wretched. I had a lot of dark fun with this model, and there are a lot of little details on it that make me happy.

And for those who wonder at all this fantasy and sci-fi stuff, here's a small squad of WWII British Royal Marines that I did just because I liked the minis.
 
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Post some of your stuff, bro. Geek solidarity.

Thanks. I'm 99% commission these days, but I do occasionally mess around with stuff for myself.

dwarfcannoncrew.jpg


These are some dwarfs (yes, I know, I hate that spelling too) that I did on a lark. All of them are speed painted. (These guys are right about an inch tall.)

This is a Mordheim priest that I did as a study on source-object lighting. I wanted to get the colouration from the yellow-orange light of the torch on his face and clothes, and lightened up the armour where the light would touch it. Not speed-painted.

An Empire wizard I did a year or so ago

A marine commander I did for one of my kids.

Here's a serious kit-bash I did somewhat recently, speed-painted. I decided that I liked the Penitent Engine from the Witch Hunters line, but that I wanted a more impressive model. I really wanted the pilot to look truly wretched. I had a lot of dark fun with this model, and there are a lot of little details on it that make me happy.

And for those who wonder at all this fantasy and sci-fi stuff, here's a small squad of WWII British Royal Marines that I did just because I liked the minis.
Fuck, dood! Is there anything you *can't* do?
 
Post some of your stuff, bro. Geek solidarity.



Thanks. I'm 99% commission these days, but I do occasionally mess around with stuff for myself.

dwarfcannoncrew.jpg


These are some dwarfs (yes, I know, I hate that spelling too) that I did on a lark. All of them are speed painted. (These guys are right about an inch tall.)

This is a Mordheim priest that I did as a study on source-object lighting. I wanted to get the colouration from the yellow-orange light of the torch on his face and clothes, and lightened up the armour where the light would touch it. Not speed-painted.

An Empire wizard I did a year or so ago

A marine commander I did for one of my kids.

Here's a serious kit-bash I did somewhat recently, speed-painted. I decided that I liked the Penitent Engine from the Witch Hunters line, but that I wanted a more impressive model. I really wanted the pilot to look truly wretched. I had a lot of dark fun with this model, and there are a lot of little details on it that make me happy.

And for those who wonder at all this fantasy and sci-fi stuff, here's a small squad of WWII British Royal Marines that I did just because I liked the minis.

Wow! Those are really awesome!

Sir_Winston54 said:
Fuck, dood! Is there anything you *can't* do?

DITTO!!!!!!
 
Fuck, dood! Is there anything you *can't* do?

I pretty much suck at woodworking. Wood and I just do not get along. I'm a crappy welder too. Wow, awful. Can't lay a bead without slagging all over whatever I'm working on. And, wow, I can't even begin to knit or crochet. Total. Abject. Fail.

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Wow! Those are really awesome!

Thank you :)

Many years ago, before the hobby was taken over by people with insane levels of talent and techniques I can't grasp, I took 4th place in a major national painting comp (US Golden Demon, Large Monster category). I haven't gotten any worse, but the hobby has shot way past me since then.
 
I pretty much suck at woodworking. Wood and I just do not get along. I'm a crappy welder too. Wow, awful. Can't lay a bead without slagging all over whatever I'm working on. And, wow, I can't even begin to knit or crochet. Total. Abject. Fail....
Wow. He *is* human, after all! :rolleyes:
 
I pretty much suck at woodworking. Wood and I just do not get along. I'm a crappy welder too. Wow, awful. Can't lay a bead without slagging all over whatever I'm working on. And, wow, I can't even begin to knit or crochet. Total. Abject. Fail.
I'm ok at woodworking. Whittling is one of my favorite past times. Getting the rank of Eagle Scout (besides the honor itself) definitely made sure I clocked a lot of whittling hours over the countless camping trips I went on.

And I actually taught my mom to knit. I know... backwards right? But I learned at college, and she had been wanting to pick it up, so I taught her. I actually do it kind of a messed up way thought, but it comes out pretty damn spiffy.

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Many years ago, before the hobby was taken over by people with insane levels of talent and techniques I can't grasp, I took 4th place in a major national painting comp (US Golden Demon, Large Monster category). I haven't gotten any worse, but the hobby has shot way past me since then.
You should try the contest again. They have a lot of cool stuff lately. Great new miniatures too. I bet you could hold your own in a competition even now, because if those dwarfs were speed painting, and the priest was slow... then I can't even imagine how awesome a competition level piece would look. Not to mention your damn slick and conversions too.

The painting is what is really stopping me from growing any forces. :rolleyes: But I do have one model I'm proud of. Was the second model I ever painted... then it just all went down hill from there. And now I suck. Hehe. Oh well. Still fun though.

Photo137.jpg
 
Holy crap, Homburg. That is literally all that comes to mind when looking at your miniatures. Holy crap.
 
They pale into comparison against Homburg's dwarves, naturally, but the more the merrier, these are some of my favourite models I've painted recently.

Here's Captain Adama, clearly of the mind that one gigantic glove capable of crushing a human's skull as easily as we'd break an egg just isn't excessive enough; an attitude shared by Commander Seelix, who couldn't find a bit of rock to pose heroically on and so had to settle for walking. Sergeant Zarek, being of inferior rank to both, has merely a sword, a shield, and a skull that's half metal, while Trooper Tyrol don't need nothing but some robes to look like a modernised Angel of Death.

Providing armoured support are the sixteen-foot-tall walking mechanical nightmares lovingly known as the Dreadnoughts Atlantia, Triton and Solaria, the latter of whom would have a base if I hadn't ripped it off and used it for a miniature diorama. They, too, are backed up by my absolute pride and joy, the thing that's responsible for more death than anything else I have, the Land Raider Redeemer that the driver appears to have christened Kara when I wasn't looking. Amenities include customised license plate, cannons that are like giving King Kong a flamethrower, and the equivalent of two human-sized chain guns. This, to quote A.A. Milne, is some serious shit.

Being complete attention whores, here is the entire team striking a pose.

And now, the grunts officially known as the Imperial Guard. These guys have been made out of the new box set, which I really really like - I think this guy is my favourite of the lot, but I hold a soft spot for this guy as well.
 
Wow. He *is* human, after all! :rolleyes:

Quite so. Given time, I can list off even more thing that I suck at, assuming it will make my humanity more apparent.

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I'm ok at woodworking. Whittling is one of my favorite past times. Getting the rank of Eagle Scout (besides the honor itself) definitely made sure I clocked a lot of whittling hours over the countless camping trips I went on.

Former scout here as well, though I did not make Eagle. Good on ya, man.

You should try the contest again. They have a lot of cool stuff lately. Great new miniatures too. I bet you could hold your own in a competition even now, because if those dwarfs were speed painting, and the priest was slow... then I can't even imagine how awesome a competition level piece would look. Not to mention your damn slick and conversions too.

Thanks for the compliments, but trust me when I say that my work would not rate these days. I know people that go and place, and their stuff really is leaps and bounds better than mine.

Honestly, I do well on conversions, but where I shine is speed-painting. I can paint tabletop grade really well, and that is what my clients like. I make their tabletop stuff look better than the other guy's stuff, and do it for a reasonable rate.

The painting is what is really stopping me from growing any forces. :rolleyes: But I do have one model I'm proud of. Was the second model I ever painted... then it just all went down hill from there. And now I suck. Hehe. Oh well. Still fun though.

Well, you've got a good start there. If you'd like, I can give some tips and tricks to make tabletop stuff easier to produce. Marines are especially easy to punch up a bit.

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Holy crap, Homburg. That is literally all that comes to mind when looking at your miniatures. Holy crap.

Thanks, Syd!

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MisterSir, much like Dave, you've got a good thing going there. I'm especially happy with how clean the lines are, and definitely liking that guardsman. The clean lines means you have a steady enough hand. If you want a simple tip to give your metal some more depth, head to a hobby store and pick up a pot of GW's Badab Black. Then just slap some of it on the metal. The new washes are absolutely fantastic, and honestly are the single best thing GW has done in probably ten years easy.

Those dwarfs, for example, were largely done with washes. They were basecoated white* and the flesh was just Ogre Flesh wash straight over white. I laid thick in some spots and thin in others, but mostly let the wash do the work. Then a little Badab Black to deepen the shadows, as they're cannon crew and thus a bit dirty. Yeah, two colours, applied straight, and the skin looks that good. The marauders were the same way, though I hit the skin with some more badab black. I wanted them darker, grimier. The blue on the dwarfs was a coat of the Asurmen Blue wash, then Badab Black when it dried. The metal was just boltgun metal applied over white, and hit with Badab Black. Are you catching the pattern here? :D

If I had more than ten minutes each per dwarf, I'd be amazed. It was likely more like seven minutes per. Did them as a squad, applied one colour to each in rotation, and by the time the last one was hit with that colour, the first was dry and ready to hit with the next colour. Each colour was applied with an eye to how the whole thing would work vis a vis lines. The dwarfs have a lot of brown between colours, so I could be sloppy with the skin and the blue, and neat with the brown.

Stuff lie this is how you make tabletop grade painting easier and faster.
 
A marine commander I did for one of my kids.
100_9483.jpg

Funny, I'm working on the same marine commander right now. Didn't get very far yet :)
But I thought I post it, for those who are not familiar how it looks like without paint :)

(Okay, it's primed already, so not 100% pure..)


IMG_01821.jpg


And I know that I will totally fail in writing "FAITH" on the weapon. :mad: I guess I start with "LEX" .
 
Funny, I'm working on the same marine commander right now. Didn't get very far yet :)
But I thought I post it, for those who are not familiar how it looks like without paint :)

(Okay, it's primed already, so not 100% pure..)


And I know that I will totally fail in writing "FAITH" on the weapon. :mad: I guess I start with "LEX" .

Cheat. I use art pens for lettering. If you saw the banner on the marauders, it was done in art pen. I use Pigma Micron 005 pens. They're cheap and you toss them when they run out of ink.

For tabletop marines in schemes lighter than black or dark blue, I tend to basecoat them, do the weapons, then blackline them at the joints with an art pen. It looks a bit odd the first time you do it, but really is a super cheap and easy way to pick up the simplicity of a marine. If you look at the commander above, he was blacklined like that. This model took me maybe 20-5 minutes, not including drying time for washes.

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I looooove minis but my hands shake too much!

My buddy N has really shakey hands too, but he paints beautifully. His stuff is incredibly precise and clinically clean. He holds the mini in his left hand in the fingertips and braces the heel of the right hand in the palm of his left. (someone that shoots pistols will likely recognise this as a modified Weaver grip, which is actually where he got it) The two hands braced together really seems to cancel out the shake by introducing dynamic tension (which is why it is used in Weaver stance)
 
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