When I started painting my miniatures (three weeks ago) I was told ( by YouTube tutorials) to always thin my paints. However, I have been getting better results consistently with paint straight outta the bottle, especially when executing finer details. Has anyone else found this true for them or is there something I'm missing here? Thanks ahead of time!

Thinning your paint is more for when you are using multiple layers - it gives you a smoother, crisper finish. It also flows off the brush better. If you are just adding a splash of colour, then out the bottle will give you more pigment, with less coats, so gives you a stronger colour. Using thinned paint takes multiple coats, but generally a better looking finish overall.

When you thin your paints, you apply the paint in several thin layers which creates a smoother paint job and allows for blending etc. If you apply straight from the bottle, you increase the likelihood of having visible brush strokes on the model.

If you want a simple and easy method to thin your paints without stuffing around, use a wet pallet which you can create simply using a shallow container, a sponge and some baking paper. Alternatively P3 sells a nice wet pallet with refills. The other benefit is that your paint doesn't dry out and you can come back and reuse left over paint on the pallet days after you put it on there and it will still be perfectly fine.

Ok that makes a lot of sense since most of what I have been doing is adding small touches to the existing paint jobs. As for the wet pallet, I'm intrigued. I'll have to try it.

Take it from someone who is not a painting novice, thinning your paints is always a good thing to do. Not doing so usually means that you are not painting with the paint flowing smoothly from the brush, but rather you are heaping on blobs of paint on the model. This is especially pronounced when painting smaller details because, when dry, the paint makes a raised area, and the model can look 'textured' for a lack of a better word.

Also, I remembered this little gem that really gets to the core of why you should thin your paints.

Also, I remembered this little gem that really gets to the core of why you should thin your paints.

That's not so much an argument to thinning your paints as it is to simply not applying it so thickly with a brush. But valid nonetheless :L

it also depends on your paint. Games Workshop paints tend to not need to be thinned. Some others need it though.

Also use water based paints. it makes afterwards just so much easier.

What's funny to me is even though those paint jobs are horrible, a wash could make them passable. Washes are the greatest cheat in mini painting, and a personal crutch of mine.

GW paints do not need to be thinned? That must be some good stuff you are smoking, could you please share?

On a more serious note, I personally rate GW's paints as some of the worst in existence. Individual colours can be good but as a whole, the range is mediocre at best. The foremost complaint is of course price, seeing as just about every other paint producer sells their bottles at a lower price (per oz/ml). GW paints also has a tendency to dry out in their own pots and is usually very hard to airbrush properly. Their best feature is that they are quite resilient (at least the older paints were) and will not chip as easily as many other brands.

Alright got it. Thinning my paints from now on. Thanks!

What paints would you all recommend? I just sold some other hobby stuff to make room for a new set of paints to start off with. I was planning to just pick up GW stuff in primary & secondary colors with a couple white/grey/blacks thrown in, but would love to hear any advice before I go spending.

I like GW paints except their watery yellow-orange colors.

Côte d'arms has an extensive range, in decent pots, for a low price. What's not to love!

I can be wrong but I've heard that Côte d'arms paints has bad resilience, so do take care to varnish any models properly. As for what paints I recommend, well the best range in my opinion has to be Vallejo's. Though that is only a half-truth as they have several ranges, tailored to specific needs. Their Game Colour range is basically GWs old range and should suit old sticks in the mud (like myself ). The cheapest range has to be Army Painters Warpaints and while it is fairly small, it is supposedly quite good. Their washes (called inks though they are not) is very close to GWs old washes and is rumored to actually BE GWs old washes. Anyone missing Devlan Mud should give their Strong Tone Ink a try. Privateer Press' P3 range is a bit of an odd duck. I haven't used it much but I know that it has a unique feature in that the paints barely, if at all, separate. It is also supposed to dry a bit slower than most acrylics, to facilitate easier on-model blending of colours.

BTW if you have a specific colour you like/need/want to use then by all means, use it! An interesting colour can lead to an interesting end result and that is far more important than being loyal to any brand.

What paints would you all recommend? I just sold some other hobby stuff to make room for a new set of paints to start off with. I was planning to just pick up GW stuff in primary & secondary colors with a couple white/grey/blacks thrown in, but would love to hear any advice before I go spending.

GW paints are perfectly fine if somewhat over priced for what you get. i generally prefer vallejo paints, both the model and gaming lines. On the other hand, if you are only getting a handful of paints and GW are readily available, just go with them.

Quite frankly, unless you are an advanced professional painter, the quality of your miniature is not really going to be based on the brand of paint you used. Better to focus on techniques and skill rather than worrying about the brand of paint. the arguments about GW versus Vallejo versus Cote, etc. are, imho, nothing more than opinion and preference. Some of my friends swear by GW, others prefer Privateer Press. In the end, though the qualify of the miniature's paint usually comes down to the skill of the painter, not what brand they used.

EDIT - As a final note, as already mentioned, one of the best kept "secrets," is the use of washes and inks on miniatures. I have found the line provided by Secret Weapon Miniatures to be best best for washes and such.

Do any of you know what the difference between miniatures paint and the acrylic paint used in visual arts, such as Golden or Liquitex? I ask because I have loads of these paints (for painting on canvas, "fine arts" stuff) but no miniatures paint. I've used what I have on some minis and they seem ok.

Also, is there a good way to mix you own wash/shade paint from these?

Do any of you know what the difference between miniatures paint and the acrylic paint used in visual arts, such as Golden or Liquitex? I ask because I have loads of these paints (for painting on canvas, "fine arts" stuff) but no miniatures paint. I've used what I have on some minis and they seem ok.

Also, is there a good way to mix you own wash/shade paint from these?

miniature paint is acrylic paint just with variances in terms of pigments and viscosity. You couldp probably use the liquitex or golden ones, but would probably have to thin them out quite a bit from what I understand.

The pigment in miniature paints have smaller particulates and tend to spread better when thinned out.

Radarman5: In theory any acrylic paint can be made into a wash but pre-formulated washes are usually much better as they are designed to dry with a smoother colour transition and pool in the proper areas. Much of this has to do with differences in surface tension, that is, washes has less of it.

Just as a heads up macross, cote's paint has no issues with resilience. I've been using them in some form for over 20 years without issue. They are actually gw's old, old range. They are even still in the same pots as the old citadel pots. (Which are their greatest feature). I have some pots that are 20 years old, that haven't dried out.

That's coat d'arms? Huh must have mixed them up with another company then.

Im no master painter but have been painting for 30 years anyway. I like valejo, coat d' arms, and most recently P3. I still have a few GW pots remaining but when they are gone I will never replace them.

Also, I remembered this little gem that really gets to the core of why you should thin your paints.

That's not so much an argument to thinning your paints as it is to simply not applying it so thickly with a brush. But valid nonetheless :L

I'm not sure a brush was used there. It seems to be the work of a spatula.

Alright got it. Thinning my paints from now on. Thanks!

Plenty of practice, young padawan. Go to the local hobby store and get some small cheap kitsets of aircraft. Paint them up in X-Wing or TIE colours and use them to practice drybrushing and washing techniques. The aircraft models generally have good panel lines and you can get rather adept at using a wash with them.

If you're going to use youtube as a tutorial, hunt around and check out LOTS of videos. Most of the guys here that have repainted their ships will have differing views on what works for them, and it's all a matter of personal taste. I don't use washes too much, as I tend to drybrush more using progressively lighter colours, but that's me. Others will swear by washes.

Like I said, personal preference. But the key is practice.

Good luck