EDIT: Can a moderator please move my thread to the Painting and Conversions section of the forum? My apologies.
Personally, I don't like that squadrons in this game are unpainted.
I know it was probably and ultimately a cost-saving logistical decision by FFG, and that's fine, but I want to do something about it with my stuff. I was a novice-to-intermediate painter in Warhammer 40k and WFB a few years ago, so I'm thinking of buying a fine detail brush and painting my squadrons. However, I've seen some people in my local gaming groups use sharpies instead too, which leads me to my big question:
What are the pros and cons of using basic hobby painting techniques (prime, base, wash, detail) versus using sharpies?
Do people using sharpies have any regrets about going that route as an alternative?
What are some of the popular techniques that everyone is using?
Are there any great success stories or cautionary tales with coloring your squadrons?
What do you know now about coloring your squadrons that you wish you knew before you got started?
etc.
I know it sounds like a set of silly questions, but I haven't painted anything since X-Wing came out, so it's been a while. Please and thank you to the helpful discussion in advance.
Pictures are welcome too.
Fire away gentlemen!
Pros and Cons of Sharpies vs Painting Squadrons
I painted mine, and I like the way they turned out. I've seen other people go the sharpy route, and I have to say that they look like they were done with a sharpy. But, then, the other night I saw someone do pretty interesting things with some oil-based painting pens.
I think that if you know your way around a paint brush, then you should stick with that. Ultimately, I think it's the better tool for the job.
you have way more control with a brush then you do with a marker. Marker also may wear off easier and faster then paint.
but if you want quick, inexpensive, to paint your mini's then markers are fine.
I am a novice painter and it took me about 4 hours of painting to get the TIE fighters from the core set done. it looks like a novice painted them, but they are painted. There is also an initial investment in paint and brushes, I guess i spent about $20-$30 on supplies.
So Sharpies are faster and you can get a lot of detail. Some colors do NOT show up well if they are on small parts. I cannot use sharpies to color the Ties laser ports. I'll have to go back with paint. If you make a mistake I've read that you can draw over it with a dry erase marker and then wipe it off with a warm wet towel and it will remove the sharpie but I have not tried that yet. Not sure if that will work well on the really small and tight spots though.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0VSNzmthd1vfjI3aGh1bU5ld2NQeUotZXA3Tmt0UE1CVHhwQUxKVUtYQzU1TEhyVkhKZ1E&authuser=1
My question regarding this would be how well do sharpies hold up? I play other games with painted minis and with a proper priming, paint, followed by a dull coat my minis paint jobs are good for years. Does this same thing apply with Sharpies? How about if they were dull coated?
So Sharpies are faster and you can get a lot of detail. Some colors do NOT show up well if they are on small parts. I cannot use sharpies to color the Ties laser ports. I'll have to go back with paint. If you make a mistake I've read that you can draw over it with a dry erase marker and then wipe it off with a warm wet towel and it will remove the sharpie but I have not tried that yet. Not sure if that will work well on the really small and tight spots though.
Looks good! I wasn't going to bother, but I may actually go the marker route. I have zero artistic talent or interest, but this seems pretty doable and relatively easy.
thanks for the pics
Sharpies are quick, easy. They'll give you a decent look that, IMO, still looks better than an unpainted squadron. But, frankly, it still looks like it was done with a sharpie.
Paint is the far better way to go. Far more control equals far finer detail. Obviously it takes longer and requires more patience, but the end result is much more visually appealing. Here are. My TIE and X-wings squadrons painted using standard mini painting techniques:
http://boardgamegeek.com/image/2498815
http://boardgamegeek.com/image/2497692
I used both. On the X-Wings I went with paint for the engines, guns, and other details, then shifted to Sharpies to hit the lines, squad markings, R2 units and cockpit.
On my TIEs I went with strait paints.
I'd do sharpie. But I don't think I could pull of my color scheme with sharpies.
most importently you cant wash nor drybrush with sharpies.
apart from that for base coloring they should ofc. be permanent markers.
i can imagine well that a fine marker can be used more efficiently if you want to draw a straigth and equally thick line . With a brush you do not only have the problem of the line getting shaky but also that its thickness depends on the cone shaped hairs of the brush and thus the brushes distance to the surface. If you lower the brush that much so that the full diameter of the brush hits you still have the problem of decreased resolution in the direction of the axis of the brush (the tip will hang over to the front).
I was considering using sharpies for outlines and such but didnt do it so far.
What about going the plastic model decal route?
http://www.testors.com/product-catalog/testors-brands/testors/tools/decals/
If someone has some Gimp/Photoshop skills to shrink to the correct size (scale) the fighters. You could get away with doing the wings and fusalage on the X-Wings.
Then seal the decal down and then dullcote it.
Has anyone tried to apply spray on clear over sharpie? Does it make it run? I'm not sure I care enough to break out the brushes even tough its the right way to do it.
does the sharpie work well for just applying a "base coat"?
I have no intention of adding detail to every little ship, but a coat of red and a black wash for detail would make them pop out a bit (and look a little like blips on a radar)
I had been asking myself the same thing Soltis. I haven't picked up my brushes in 2 years and I'm an intermediate minis painter at best. The squadron ships are so tiny that I've been wondering about using a marker instead. As Gerrylum said above though, it still is going to look like it's been done with a sharpie. I'm going to give painting those little guys a go and see how it turns out.
does the sharpie work well for just applying a "base coat"?
I have no intention of adding detail to every little ship, but a coat of red and a black wash for detail would make them pop out a bit (and look a little like blips on a radar)
you could wash the model by thinned down red color a few times until saturation is sufficient. then do the same once with black as a wash. no need for any brush, 2 levels of shade, easier then even using a sharpie.
For the amount of time I had to spend on them I am THRILLED with the results of a Sharpie on my Ties. I've gotten some collored Sharpies for the X-Wings but haven't had time to try them yet.
For the amount of time I had to spend on them I am THRILLED with the results of a Sharpie on my Ties. I've gotten some collored Sharpies for the X-Wings but haven't had time to try them yet.
Looks good. I've been debating whether to paint my squadrons, but frankly it was unlikely to happen. The thought of using sharpies or other paint pens had not crossed my mind. But those do look pretty good, and they will generally be viewed at a couple foot distance. What was the rough time it took to do those TIEs?
For the amount of time I had to spend on them I am THRILLED with the results of a Sharpie on my Ties. I've gotten some collored Sharpies for the X-Wings but haven't had time to try them yet.
Looks good. I've been debating whether to paint my squadrons, but frankly it was unlikely to happen. The thought of using sharpies or other paint pens had not crossed my mind. But those do look pretty good, and they will generally be viewed at a couple foot distance. What was the rough time it took to do those TIEs?
It would guess I had about an hour in them. There were lots of starts and stops. The outsides go REALLY fast, the insides take most of the time.
I have not painted since my battle tech days, those sharpie painted ties look outstanding! Are you using some kind of fine point sharpie?
Here is a comparison of an X-wing, one done with an ultra-fine point red sharpie (left one), and one with standard paints (right one), both on the bare plastic. I was going for speed and not detail. Note that I did the cockpit panels of both fighters with a black sharpie, though I went over the dividers on the right one with thin light grey, for a cleaner look.
The main benefit of paints is that you get a greater range of colors - such as the dark grey I used on the engines. If only using sharpies then your colors will be pretty basic. On the other hand it's a lot less expense and hassle.
Now for TIE fighters, the black ultra fine tip sharpie does just fine. Like Aardon, I was very happy with the results - and it was only taking me 1 minute per TIE! Just color in the panels and leave the raised grey dividers. I didn't do the interior panels....that's much harder.
Bit of a Necro I know but I think it's relevant.
Wanted to try out some colouring of a miniature but I didn't have any paints and didn't want to be investing in something I'm likely terrible at.
So here's a little D&D miniature I tried using Sharpies for.
Took Khael for a ride
