Questions..

[djsupes]

Hi guys, other than having a background in painting "warhammer" in grade 7 (4 years ago - man was that a bad hobby), I have no experience whatsoever. I'm a graphic designer so I have somewhat of an idea of what looks good and not, so I'd assume that would help me A LITTLE..lol. Anyways, I was thinking of getting started on painting some busts, but it's quite expensive..Is there a nice small set of paints I could buy for an affordable price, and some affordable busts that won't really matter if I SCREW up on (probably will)? I have the brushes..although I'm not too good with anything but solid colors. How would I go about mixing and creating the shades and what not I see around here? Also,

where do I purchase Gabe Perna's sculptures?

All I've found is KillingTime and I was thinking of buying the clear Ice man for $55 US, but how would I paint it since it's clear? I would like to add a frosty effect like the Bowen one but NOTHING else..just frost :buttrock:

Anyways, not sure if this is the hobby for me - I want something to do and I liked doing Warhammer, it's just expensive u kno..

Thanks



kyle

[djsupes]

Also, links to cheap busts ($25 and under) to start my beginning stuff on would be appreciated. Superhero only of course. Thank you :)

[Twoguns-Crowley]

A site called Endless Enterprises also exists that has a few Perna items. I would highly suggest that you don't buy anything from them, you'll get plenty of excuses but no kits. I only mention them to help you avoid them.

[RickDTM]

Killing Time is probably your best bet for getting Gabe's sculpts. Randy runs a good business and will take care of you. That being said, if you thought Warhammer was expensive ( it is, I STILL paint those things!) painting kits and such will likely be as expensive if not more so.

"Most" of the effects you see here are done using transparent paints and an airbrush over a solid basecoat. There are many ways of getting a particular look (oil paints, pastels, etc...) but the airbrush is the weapon of choice for me. As for paints, you can likely use the GW pots you may have on hand (I use them all the time for painting kits :D)

As for which paints, acrylics like the GW brand are the ones used most often. Apple Barrel, Delta Ceramcoat and Anita's brand craft paints can be found at Michael's or Hobby Lobby and are pretty cheap. Golden and Liquitex would be the next step up, but are quite a bit more expensive.

Hope this helps a little!

Rick

PS - Second Two-Guns....stay away from Endless Enterprises.

[djsupes]

Hey Rick! Thanks so much, and others too. I really appreciate your responses in trying to help a hopeful newbie out ><

Anyways, I'm planning on buying the Ice-clear version of Ice-Man for $61 US after shipping..I just love the sculpt. I'd also like to buy Collossus but unfortunately I don't think I have the skills to paint that!

I'm really looking forward to progressing on this hobby, and I'd really appreciate your forumites help. Rick, where would I find an airbrush kit? How much are they, generally? What do I need to get into painting busts? Where can I get these things? My GW paints are crusted over by the way :P!

Lastly, where else can I purchase Gabe Perna's busts, I'd really like a Bizarro and Batman but I cannot find them anywhere. I really hope you guys can help me out and I'd be sure to post progress pics of my work along the way :)

Oh, last question of this post. How would I go about painting the clear Ice-Man with a frost effect, step by step?

THANK YOU :)!!!

Kyle

EDIT: Also wondering how easy an airbrush is to use..how much DOES it help? I know shading with normal paint is hard, at least for me ><. I can basically have one solid color in the lines, I don't know how to do anything more. How does an airbrush work?? :)

[Danno]

With regards to an airbrush, I recommend that you take some time to practice with whatever airbrush you pick up. I recommend that you get a good quality brush....something like the Badger Sotar 20/20 or the Iwata HP-A (I use the Badger and Rick uses the Iwata). You can pick up a nice airbrush for a good price at Dixie Art http://www.dixieart.com/

These are both primarily detail brushes and great for getting nice tight lines and they atomize the paint very well for nice smooth shading.

Since you have not used an airbrush yet, I also recommend that you pick up some airbrush ready paints like ComArt and Golden. Once you get used to the consistency of these paints and how they spray, you can move onto mixing your own.

The Bizarro is also available from Killing Time Kits, just e-mail them and let them know your are looking for one. The Batman piece is available from Mad Dog Resin.

When working with clear resin, you have to take a much different approach to painting. There is no room for error due to it being transparent paint and you cannot hide any errors....you see everything. When I painted the Iceman, I primed the bust with Testors Dullcote (I also use this product to seal my work with most projects). Then I took ComArt Opaque White and thinned it very heavy with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (about 15 parts alcohol to 1 part paint) and set the pressure on the aircompressor to about 10 psi. Slowly spray and build up the frosted effect along the points and blend them down as well as add subtle frosting to highligh features and muscles. The I took several shades of transparent blue and added shading to the deeper parts of the muscles and crevasses.

Hope this helps alittle.

[djsupes]

Hi Danno, I'm at school right now so I'll make another response once I get home in a few hours. Anyways, thanks, you helped a lot. The Dixie Art site though, I noticed it was in New Orleans, so they must not be active. Also, could I see pictures of your painted clear Ice Man?

Thanks,
Kyle

[djsupes]

Hi,
Someone was saying I need a compressor and what not. What I need is like a complete starter kit for airbrushing, compressor and airbrush, etc. I don't have ANYTHING for airbrushing and don't know anything pretty much. I don't want to spend over 250 US for compressor and airbrush, but I still don't want to skimp out on quality. So, where should I purchase these kits at affordable prices? Also, I really want Gabe Perna busts but they are so hard to find. I contacted KillingTimeKits on the Bizarro (waiting for response), and MadDogResin is sold out of the Batman. I'll start off with the IceMan for now :)

Anyways, is airbrushing hard? I'm 15 and I'm decent at drawing and am very fluent with Photoshop/Illustrator..hope this helps :S

How long does it take to learn, and what should I practice on? I want to practice before I paint a $60 IceMan bust, but where :S Is there online tutorials on airbrushing and what not? I've been researching but can't find much - probably because I don't know what I'm looking for :S

Thanks you guys,
Kyle

EDIT: I found your IceMan Danno, very nice..

EDIT 2: What would you guys reccomend for my beginning busts. What are easy to paint and don't take much skill?

[Danno]

Hey Kyle,

to begin airbrushing...you should have an aircompressor with a water trap and pressure regulator. For fine detail work you will need to adjust your pressure to meet your needs as you are working along.

For testing, you can take a piece of heavy artist paper and spray primer down on it and let that dry. After that, you can begin doodleing and playing with the brush to get a feel for things.

Unfortunately....the garage kit hobby is an expensive hobby. In the grand scheme of things, a $50.00 piece is a mighty inexpensive piece and prices can escalate quite quickly depending on what you buy.

To help you get a better uderstanding, I highly recommend that you subscribe to the major figure kit mags like Kitbuilders Magazine or AFM. These provide step by step walk throughs on building/painting kits.

[djsupes]

Hi,
I'll consider picking up certain issues from those magazines but first I'd like to get the kit thing settled. Is there anyone here that knows links or places to buy good kits with aircompressors included and what not? I don't know what I need (besides what danno said) so hopefully you guys can help me out and link me to some kits :)

Anyways, how long would it take to produce moderate outcomes? Just simple things, maybe some shading here and there.

http://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=15999

The head for example, does anyone know approximately how much experience it would take to do some shading like that? Not the eyes, or veins, or eyebrows or hair, just the shading of the white head.

Is the frost effect on IceMan hard?

I'd just like to know more about airbrushing, beginners stuff. Outcomes and other stuff like that. Also, I'd like to find a kit first, as I'm having trouble finding one.. I found stuff here: http://www.airbrush-depot.com/scripts/depot.exe?pgm=abiwakits.bbx but don't know what to get :S I really want to get into airbrushing, I'm just worried that I may suck at it and be out $300 US for initial startup costs..that's a lot of money for me.

Anyways, I'd really appreciate responses and your help, and not only you Danno. I really appreciate your responses as they're pretty much just what I'm looking for, but I don't want to trouble you so much lol :)

EDIT: I found something that I think, not knowing but guessing, is beginner airbrushing, if I'm wrong correct me.

http://www.statueforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=14931

Is this hard to do for a beginner, with experience in painting minitures (not much) but no airbrush experience?

[Comicboy]

Kyle, welcome to the forum. Airbrushing, like any art talent, just takes practice and patience. I think once you get the understanding of how the paint flows thru an airbrush and how to adjust it you'll catch on in no time. As far as getting a "starter" kit the Dixieart site is probably the best on the net. You can always try E-Bay but with that you may have a hard time with getting any service. Do yourself a favor and save up some more money and go with the quality set-ups. I think you'll find that you'll like the airbrush alot more once you get going and then if you didn't go with a better set-up you'll be :banghead: that you didn't spend the little extra dough. I assume you take art classes in school so talk to your teacher about it. They may have some there you can play with or just knowledge from the teacher can be invaluable. I know ours had airbrushes/comps and it was an actual sub-class we got to take. If your teachers are anything like mine were they'll drool at the thought and jump right in with you as long as you show the interest and dedication to learning. You can't ask for any better help than Rick and Danno. These guys are the masters! They'll be glad to help when they can. We do tend to keep these 2 really busy though. There is alot of talent in this place, all of which I think will help you on your way. One of the beauties of paint is if you screw it up or don't like it you can always do it again. Most of all, take your time and enjoy it. Post some of your work when you get the chance.

[RickDTM]

Hi Kyle,
Check this link for a starter airbrush setup. Airbrush Starter Set (http://www.dixieart.com/Iwata_Airbrush_Intro_Set.html) It's not that cheap, but it comes w/ a TON of stuff. Perfect for a beginner IMHO. Comes w/ paints, video how-to....all sorts o' goodies. You're going to be spending at least that much if you put together the pieces this starter kit comes w/ separately. That being said, only you can decide how much money you're willing to spend.

I started out painting minis as well! W/ a little practice, you can include the airbrush in painting your miniatures. As for the "beginner" link you posted, painting like that can be accomplished by a beginner to intermediate, but I would definitely recommend you practice getting control of the airbrush before you tackle something like that. As for "how long", well, that depends entirely on you and how much practice you put into mastering the brush. Much easier to approach a complex airbrush job w/ the confidence you know exactly where the paint is going. CB and Danno hit it right on the head...this hobby ain't cheap, and you would be much better served spending your cash on good equipment before you tackle more expensive kits and such.

On other thing, as CB said, it's only paint. You can keep working it until you get it right.

Rick

[Arannz]

Here's a site I have found very useful when trying to learn this airbrushing stuff:

http://www.howtoairbrush.com/Lindex.htm

If you want a good book I recommend this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0823001695/103-1788556-0514206?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance

I'm still a beginner, but I went out and bought an Iwata HP-C, since from everything I have read it really pays to invest in a decent airbrush and compressor if you are at all serious about learning to airbrush. :)

[djsupes]

Thanks all,
Looks like it will be a year or so before I can afford this, I ended up not getting the $810 US that was stolen from me, back. Even though, I'll save! :)

And could I see some of your stuff Arannz?

Thanks,
Kyle

[HereBeMonsters]

Since my fellow painters are throwing in their two cents heres mine. The airbrush is a great tool and can give you most effects a paintbrush can. I still recommend learning the basics of hand brushpainting.I dont use an airbrush and have been working on wash tecniques like that of a watercolor artists for a few years now with pretty reliable results. The brush painting will also come in very handy when doing certain details that an airbrush just cant do. Just the opposite there are certain tecniques that the airbrush can do that a paintbrush just cannot replicate. That being said its a good call to learn all the tools at your disposal so your arsenal is well armed.Two publications that you might be interested in are Amazing Figure Modeler and Kitbuilders magazine,both feature articles on how to build and paint figure kits. I hear some of the writers are fairly good painters (LOL).

[CKinSD]

I'm going to agree with ol herebemonsters on this one. I've always felt you need ot understand how paint and brushes work, react to diffrent things and all before trying the airbrush. I just got my first airbrush and will be trying to learn how to use it starting this weekend.

As HBM (hi Jim) stated you can learn alot about washes, pastels, dry brushing etc and this will help you out later with more advanced techniques or ideas you may have.

DAnno just sprayed my first sheet of paper with primer for the weekend.

though as Rick stated it can be an expensive hobby for sure. the eye still thinks kits are cheaper since I've got to paint them............ :buttrock: and I'm not telling her otherwise. :eplus2:

[Comicboy]

the eye still thinks kits are cheaper since I've got to paint them............ :buttrock: and I'm not telling her otherwise. :eplus2:
:laugh: :laugh: