Warhammer figure by my son.

[Peter Gillson]

Lots of fine detail - great job.
Peter

[Guest]

Thanks guys.

Thomas has read all of your comments and would like to say thank you, they have made him proud as punch. Zoe read them too and shed a tear of pride. We have tried to encourage him to throw one into the ring of competition and after reading your unbiased comments I think he's now tempted, but whatever the outcome of that he believes in his ability a bit more now, which is exactly what I was hoping for :smiling3:

[Allen Dewire]

I can only tip my hat and stand in awe of your talent…..Top job Thomas!!!

Watch out Scratchy, you definitely have some very good competition there buddy…...……...

Prost
Allen

[Guest]

Thanks Allen, at least I won't have to worry about painting my own figures in the future!

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Thomas
Nice job on a busy figure bud. Detail and brush control are excellent. One to be proud of.

He is great as it stands, but your dad says you are always looking to improve, so here are some hints from a thirteen year old with about forty six years of practice.....not that you’ll need that long, you have talent and you’ll leave me behind very shortly....
There are some relatively simple tricks that you could learn to make him “pop” just a little more. Ralph’s advice is very good, and if it was me, I would look to bringing out the texture of the piece a little more by using washes. These are thin paint or ink, darker than the main colour coat, which emphasise the shadows around the raised areas. This is similar to a pin wash on model tanks etc. and there is loads on YouTube about them.
There are many ready made acrylic paint ranges that will help with this technique. Personally I like the Vallejo colour wash range, but most paint ranges designed for miniature painting have them.

I would also recommend that you have a look at a couple of web sites to get inspiration.......and to steal techniques :tongue-out3:

Coolminiornotnot (all one word) has some good tutorials and “lead adventure forum” has a lot of really interesting ideas and some excellent painters and builders.

Best advice though, have fun.......and sometimes do something out of your comfort zone to stretch your techniques....looking forward to seeing more of your work.....
Cheers
Tim

[Guest]

Thomas.
Well done, how you manage to paint something that small cleanly and so precisely is to be commended.

[Guest]

Thanks chaps, I'll let him read your replies when I see him next. Probably tomorrow (Saturday) evening.

He uses mostly citadel & army painter Tim. I'm sure he does have some washes too but can't be certain.

[Mini Me]

If I could paint like that when I was 13 I'd be a very highly paid commercial artist today. I think the lad needs an attitude adjustment in the self esteem department. Cheers, Rick H.

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Andy
In citadel terms, they are called “shaders”. Nuln oil comes to mind.....
I’ve also heard (and seen) good things about their “Contrast” paint range, which might be worth him looking into.....in fact, there is an almost bewildering range of paint types in the citadel armoury, but the colour range is obviously complimentary to their associated figure ranges.
In my opinion, the Army painter stuff is better suited to historical figures, but again they have a diverse range that can be explored. The washes are very versatile, though similar to the Vallejo I already use. I occasionally use strong tone myself, though as it’s slightly less intense than Vallejo black. I would avoid the “dip” technique though, he’s already beyond that, and as long as it doesn’t become counterproductive and sap his self confidence, the “I could do better” attitude is a good thing as it is what will drive him on to continually improve.
Cheers
Tim

[Guest]

Just want to re-iterate that I can see nothing wrong with that figure. Thomas has managed to achieve effects of shading that I can only dream of - very nuanced and finely blended. At just 13, to achieve that quality, and at that tiny scale means the lad's got a bright future's modelling before him. Still in awe.

[Tim Marlow]

Fully agree with Peter. My comments are just pointers to things he might like to try, not criticisms of things that are wrong....

[Jim R]

Hi Thomas
Well done. That is a really great result. Hope you will continue with the hobby as younger people are the future. My son started painting these kind of Games Workshop figures when he was around your age. He actually worked part time in the Games Workshop shop in Sheffield when he was at university. He is now 40 and still enjoys painting his "armies"
Jim

[Guest]

Thanks once again for the great comments everyone. Thomas is blown away, as am I. Today he started to paint a few figures for one of his friends for the first time. I've no doubt your kind words have given him the confidence to do that. I'll keep encouraging him and maybe I can retire early off his commission earnings! :smiling5:

Tim I think he only uses the (cheaper) Army Painter colours when he can find a very close match to a Citadel one, although he's getting more and more comfortable at mixing his own.

[Tim Marlow]

No probs with that Andy, both are good paint ranges. Mixing your own is a great way forward though, I’m well impressed.....

[Guest]

I spend my working life mixing and tinting paint so it comes fairly natural to me. Trying to pass it on to someone else is another matter entirely, but he's a quick learner.