Beautiful result with Chewie and Gaarkhan. Probably looks better than the movie Chewie suit!

Will be using these steps for the expansion wookie warriors. Shame they will (hopefully) look better than my heroes. May inspire me to repaint them..

Saw IG-88 getting primed... I thought he was going to continue on the heroes? Excellent vid by the way, can't help looking foward to what's next and trying to find any clues you might leave...

Thanks for this guide, it helped me paint my minis. It was a first time deal for me, so they're no where near as awesome as these, but I learned a lot as I went along. I'm looking to post them as soon as I'm allowed to.

Thanks a lot folks!

Saw IG-88 getting primed... I thought he was going to continue on the heroes? Excellent vid by the way, can't help looking foward to what's next and trying to find any clues you might leave...

Hi tomkat! The IG-88 was just in that shot as I was batch-spraying the minis (you might also spot the Royal Guard Champion being sprayed in Episode 10 along with all the other white minis!).

Happy Painting!

Those Wookiees look super great.

Btw, congratz for reaching 100 Patrons.

Those Wookiees look super great.

Btw, congratz for reaching 100 Patrons.

Thank you Hipsu!

Excellent, now I have three minis to catch up on when I get a weekend off work.

Hi painters!

I've always been wary about painting the miniatures of the various board games I've played because it seemed like such a daunting task. After watching Sorastro's videos (thanks, they are very inspirational) I will be following your techniques as I learn how to paint for the first time as an adult. I also want to thank all the encouraging comments from novices and experts alike in this thread, as without them I probably would not have believed it was a task I was up to.

Anyway, I dove straight in and made a local shop very happy with my gigantic order of everything, including a literal cart load of paints ;-)

I have some questions that I hope Sorastro or any one else frequenting this thread can help me clear up.

1) How do I clean the brushes after each painting session? I assume washing the brushes in luke warm water straight off the tap will do?

2) How long does it typically take for a coat of paint to dry up? Do I need to wash out my brushes after each coat or can I just be lazy and keep the brushes in my water cup between coats? Assuming I'm not done for the day, of course.

Thanks for any tips!

Hi tth! Quick answers from me would be:

1) I just clean my brushes in a cup of cold water regularly whilst painting; dragging them downwards on some blank paper afterwards to check there's no paint left. I will even do this whilst using one color for a long time just to prevent any paint from drying in the brush (particularly near the ferule).

2) That depends on a range of factors, but most base and layer paints dry pretty quickly - like a few minutes. Washes and glazes will take longer of course but it's usually easy to tell just by looking when it's dry or not. Never EVER leave your brush standing in the cup - even just for a minute!

Beyond that I don't use any special cleaning products or anything.

Hope this helps!

Sorastro.

Thanks for the quick response and the tips. Thinking about it, it makes sense to not leave the brush standing, but I probably would have figured it out only after ruining a brush, so thanks for that =)

I feel like such a newbie, hehe.

Thanks for the quick response and the tips. Thinking about it, it makes sense to not leave the brush standing, but I probably would have figured it out only after ruining a brush, so thanks for that =)

I feel like such a newbie, hehe.

No problem! I still feel like a newbie each time I sit down to paint, always questioning whether I'm taking the best approach, using the right colors/techniques etc

I feel like such a newbie, hehe.

No problem! I still feel like a newbie each time I sit down to paint , always questioning whether I'm taking the best approach, using the right colors/techniques etc

Ah the mark of a true humble Maestro of the Art. Beautiful just like your work.

We should all take heart in this friends.

That being said, Imperial Intelligence is watching you traitor.

Hi painters!

I've always been wary about painting the miniatures of the various board games I've played because it seemed like such a daunting task. After watching Sorastro's videos (thanks, they are very inspirational) I will be following your techniques as I learn how to paint for the first time as an adult. I also want to thank all the encouraging comments from novices and experts alike in this thread, as without them I probably would not have believed it was a task I was up to.

Anyway, I dove straight in and made a local shop very happy with my gigantic order of everything, including a literal cart load of paints ;-)

I have some questions that I hope Sorastro or any one else frequenting this thread can help me clear up.

1) How do I clean the brushes after each painting session? I assume washing the brushes in luke warm water straight off the tap will do?

2) How long does it typically take for a coat of paint to dry up? Do I need to wash out my brushes after each coat or can I just be lazy and keep the brushes in my water cup between coats? Assuming I'm not done for the day, of course.

Thanks for any tips!

The only thing I've used over the years for cleaning my brushes besides tap water is Masters Brush Cleaner. It's extremely simple to use and very effective with acrylics. You can even keep the soap in the bristles if you want to condition them between painting sessions. It's done wonders for keeping my oldest brushes functional, even my drybrushes. It's pretty cheap, and I think the last time I bought a new container of it was nearly 2 years ago. If you don't have DickBlick stores, you can also try Michael's or Amazon.com.

Hope it helps.

For cleaning brushes I do a few things. First is to try and never let paint dry on them in the first place*. Make sure you thin your paints with water to make this easier, also don't be afraid to rinse them regularly in a water cup during painting, even when working on the same color. When rinsing, never mash your brush down in the bottom of the cup. It's hard to describe in text, but act like you're painting inside the water? Maybe search YouTube for video examples (that's what I did).

Since I tend to use different size brushes regularly I picked up a thing to let me hold the brushes in water while I use another.

I don't know if using this thing is a bad idea, but I like it. I had to cut some of the height off the coil part as it was originally too tall for the smaller brushes used for mini painting. Just be sure when using it that the brush is suspended in water and not resting on the bottom...

I also use the masters brush soap to clean up when I'm done. It's cheap and lasts forever.

*obviously paint dries on brushes when you drybrush, I just use dirt cheap or old worn out brushes for that task. Never use your good brushes for that if you can avoid it, or they won't stay your good brushes for long.

I don't know if using this thing is a bad idea

It's a bad idea actually, and in no way necessary. Speaking from experience. I used to do something like that. What happens, is that the wood in the shaft starts soaking water and expanding. And when it dries it contracts again, and the metal thingy starts getting loose and also the paint on the shaft starts flaking off.

I stopped soaking my brushes and never had any problem with dry paint. Just swirl it around and maybe rattle it against the inside of the cup (no smashing like you said) and it's quite enough. Then after the session clean with a brush soap. No problemos.

I don't know if using this thing is a bad idea

It's a bad idea actually, and in no way necessary. Speaking from experience. I used to do something like that. What happens, is that the wood in the shaft starts soaking water and expanding. And when it dries it contracts again, and the metal thingy starts getting lose and also the paint on the shaft starts flaking off.

I stopped soaking my brushes and never had any problem with dry paint. Just swirl it around and maybe rattle it against the inside of the cup (no smashing like you said) and it's quite enough. Then after the session clean with a brush soap. No problemos.

Thanks, good to know. I do like the functionality though... Ill probably continue to use it on the crappy brushes I use to mix paint or drybrush with. I'll keep my W&N's out of it though

I really like the Mona Lisa Brush Shaper gel and apply it every time I finish with a brush - even if it is just for a few minutes. Dries quick and helps maintain the shape of my cheaper brushes very nicely

http://www.dickblick.com/products/mona-lisa-brush-shaper/

the wookies look so awesome - I started out yesterday with chewbacca and totally failed

will prolly paint over from scratch coz it looks really horrible

Sorastro - Have u planned what`s next? I mean after SW:IA (and the upcomming expansions) or is that so far out in time, it havent been decided yet

Im considering your Patreon and was just wondering.

And keep up the amazing and inspiring work!

the wookies look so awesome - I started out yesterday with chewbacca and totally failed

will prolly paint over from scratch coz it looks really horrible

Oh no! What happened? Did you get as far as applying the dark wash (as it might look pretty bad up until that point)?

Sorastro - Have u planned what`s next? I mean after SW:IA (and the upcomming expansions) or is that so far out in time, it havent been decided yet

Im considering your Patreon and was just wondering.

And keep up the amazing and inspiring work!

Hi Jensen,

Good question! I've got some ideas of my own but am waiting to receive more replies to my questionnaire so I can let my viewers drive the decision-making process as much as anything. I'll share the results of the survey in a week or two

What is clear is that the core of my viewership is built on the work I've done with IA and I am happily committed to the IA range for as long as FFG keep producing lovely minis for me to paint My plan is to speed up my production times so I can ensure that I can continue to cover at least one IA mini per month, but when possible I'll produce an additional video from another figure range/game. That way I can keep my core IA fans - to whom I owe so much - happy, but I can also broaden the appeal of the channel by including figures from other ranges

Just saw your update from the other day on what the Patreon support does for your work, and what it`s used for, and decided to back you myself - very nice explaination on how the camera have improved OUR view in watching the videos.

the wookies look so awesome - I started out yesterday with chewbacca and totally failed

will prolly paint over from scratch coz it looks really horrible

Oh no! What happened? Did you get as far as applying the dark wash (as it might look pretty bad up until that point)?

I messed up with the dry-brush and suddenly Chewbacca looked like a bag of flour exploded in his face - the wash didnt really fix it.

So I started from scratch (redid base color etc) and now I am really satisfied with the outcome.

Today I will continue with the accessories and final touches.

Keep up the good work!

From your "behind the scenes" video I take Mr. Havoc Shot (forgot the name) will be next?

It actually looks like the sniper Mak Eshka'Rey to me in the video.

It seems like Sorastro tends to drop hints like this and I was thinking the same thing myself.

BTW, this is my first post on this thread and I want to say thank you so much Sorastro. I've never painted a thing before in my life and everyone I know is blown away by the quality I've been able to achieve whilst painting these figures.

There are three different teasers in the behind the scenes video: Mak being photographed, Gideon's hero card on the table, and Fenn's scarf color being painted on the Zombicide figure. I am excited for all three!

http://i.imgur.com/fr5P1VI.jpg

My first mini in over 15 years thanks to inspiration from this tread.

Taken up close so it`s flaws are showing, but im pleased with it, and it looks tematic and amazing on the board

Took me awhile to get started - while afraid to ruin the figure, but came to the conclusion I wouldn´t learn unless doing

Second pic taken further away and maybe been polished a little to get the last highlight done (away with larger grey spots)

http://i.imgur.com/cNecLQb.jpg

Sry for my cell fone Q pic`s