I can't/don't paint;

Thanks everyone for all of the replies and encouragement.


I would suggest at least applying a very basic colour scheme. You can always go back and paint small details later, if you want to. There are so many speed-painting tutorials out there these days its easier than ever. There are many YouTube channels like Sonic Sledgehammer, Pete The Wargamer, The Painting Phase, Duncan Rhodes, Artis Opus, Ninjon, Trovarion Miniatures, Zumikito Miniatures, The Armed Painter and probably 1000 others that have great tutorials on getting minis painted fast.

Choosing factions that are easier to paint is also a great idea. For 40k, Tyranids, Necrons and some Space Marine chapters will be super simple. Chaos Marines with all their gold trim and details, not so much. For Necromunda, Van-Saar suits will be a lot easier to paint than a faction with more details like Escher. Same for historical games like Bolt Action. I can paint a US soldier or a British tank in a few minutes whereas an SS soldier in full dot44 camouflage or a German tank in ambush camo takes about 5 times as long.

I didn't plan on painting, what with the extra time commitment but after reading the reasons that people have mentioned I think I should definitely have painted miniatures, so I'm thinking I'm close to giving it a go. It has been awhile since I opened a pot of Goblin or woodland Green.

So the painting tutorials - Thanks for the recommendations; @MusingWarboss Nice guide with the paints you posted earlier.

Factions - I'd already decided on Escher(noted your comment @Tiny on detail, I might have made a bad choice there) and Goliath.


I'd already spent some hours watching some of what you mentioned (Ninjon etc) and trying to understand what the hell slapchop is. And washes. Man there's a lot to painting!! Again, this has moved to another level I think with the internet. So much more is explained.
But I am starting to understand it more - take for instance primer. Back in the day would have always primed in white/grey, but now I see lots of bods that prime black or dark grey, so it holds the darker shading for further coats. Interesting.

So what I've taken away from it so far is that there are loads of different approaches (Start with the main colour V Start with the flesh; Think of the shading). I did like the official warhammer vid where the guy painted the Escher and Goliaths.


What I didn't realise is just how many different paints you need - Will get to this.


So my plan...
1 - Eschers/Goliaths purchased, should have them in next few days.
2 - Work out the Gang roster, loadouts.
3 - Build the models; Might start with Goliath as they seem less faff.
4 - Paint the models.

Thinking I'll get a few other cheap miniatures to practice my first painting on before starting on Goliaths/Escher.

Questions...
1 - Is it worth building the Escher/Goliath gangs to the existing Underhive gangs list from the Underhive boxset?
My reasons; I'm new to the gang creation, I'm new to assembling the models; I'm kinda new to the painting; So by following the guide in the box is this might make a few decisions easier regarding gang creation - I just build as per instructions and get me playing quicker.

2 - Paints. You appear to need quite a variety. Are there any beginner paint sets relevant to Escher/Goliath that could be worth it (notice some include brushes) - Or is it better to just buy the exact individual paints?

Was looking at either the citadel base paint set or the Age of Sigmar paints and tools set (which looked amazing value at £23 but I get it that it's not strictly Necromunda colours)...



And one thing that I had totally missed...
What happened to miniatures having a bar under their feet to slot into a base?! When did that stop being athing?!!


Many Thanks!
 
Glad you're having a go! I can't weigh in on gang building, I play the old stuff. But I painted my first miniatures with a base set, with an extra wash or shade you could get very far! And something cheap to practice on is a good idea, could simply be some bits of sprue glued together.
And no, slotta bases are out. You're gonna want some plastic cement.
 
Factions - I'd already decided on Escher(noted your comment @Tiny on detail, I might have made a bad choice there) and Goliath.
Just remember you don’t have to paint every detail a different colour. Keep it simple and you’ll be fine.
Back in the day would have always primed in white/grey, but now I see lots of bods that prime black or dark grey, so it holds the darker shading for further coats. Interesting.
I prime most of my stuff with the main colour army painter spray paint. Or brown. As you say, there are many different ways to go. For beginners I’d say Sonic Sledgehammer has the best tutorials even if not specific to Necromunda.
Paints. You appear to need quite a variety. Are there any beginner paint sets relevant to Escher/Goliath that could be worth it (notice some include brushes) - Or is it better to just buy the exact individual paints?
I’d start with a basic paint set. Learn to mix colours and go from there. Army Painter do a really nice cheap starter set of paints which comes with a bunch of primary colours plus a wash and brush. Vallejo have some good starter sets but are a little more pricey. Their Game Color set is a good start though.

The citadel ones have some weird tertiary colours in them. The AoS one really isn’t too bad, although their choice of green is an odd one. You can always mix other greens from blue and yellow though.
 
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wash colours are your freind. agarax earthshade and nulin oil both hide mistakes , smooth out blends and add depth and life to any level of painting skill.
 
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Don’t think you HAVE to use Citadel paints. There’s loads of nice paints out there by a variety of manufacturers. I’d stick with water-bases acrylics though. Easy to clean up, and no stink. (Don’t use these for scenery! There are cheaper options out there!). Washes? What are those? I’ve been painting for like 40+ years and less than 1% of my minis are washed or partially washed. Same with highlights. If you’re worried about painting, you can ignore those at first or altogether if you like. They’re your models
 

I wanted to add that many speed painting techniques rely on models having lots of details- don't be intimidated by very detailed minis!

Washing (Washes, shades, Ink washes, enamel washes ,contrast paints ) is when you apply a semi transparent mixture of paint and water, or any of the above and allow the mix to collect slightly in the recesses, around protrusions.

This makes the detail easy to read and looks like natural shadows at scale when done right.

you can wash the whole miniature at once with a darker colour to create a unified shade look or choose a different shade for each colour you have painted.

you could easily get away with 3 colours and a shade, and one colour could be your primer (though you would probably benefit from having a bottle of the primer colour for touchups)

People who enjoy painting still use these techniques to quickly establish a base to progress from.
 
So the painting tutorials - Thanks for the recommendations; @MusingWarboss Nice guide with the paints you posted earlier.

Factions - I'd already decided on Escher(noted your comment @Tiny on detail, I might have made a bad choice there) and Goliath.
You’re welcome! Of you need any ideas or tips then I’m pretty sure any number of us on here will help you out!

Talking of Escher… I just saw on Facebook a few images of Escher painted entirely using Citadel Contrast colours.

If you’re careful and make sure they’re dry before adding the next colour on you don’t have to do any more work than this. Undercoated White - apply chosen colour to areas.


There you Go - Escher inspiration.
 
You’re welcome! Of you need any ideas or tips then I’m pretty sure any number of us on here will help you out!

Talking of Escher… I just saw on Facebook a few images of Escher painted entirely using Citadel Contrast colours.

If you’re careful and make sure they’re dry before adding the next colour on you don’t have to do any more work than this. Undercoated White - apply chosen colour to areas.


There you Go - Escher inspiration.


Wow - Thank you for the picture @MusingWarboss

I like that - Contrast paints could be the way to go!

For my first attempt that's broadly the colour scheme I'm going for (Yellows/Purples) - Just to loosely copy the box.

I'm not on FB - Do you have the list of what Citadel Contrast colours were used?

Guessing its one/more of these?...
  1. Iyanden Yellow
  2. Magos Purple
  3. Shyish Purple
  4. Nazdreg Yellow


Should be ready to set aside some time to start either one night this week or more likely the weekend. Over the last few weeks I've now gathered/done the following:
- Watched more videos on beginners painting
- Got the Age of Sigmar Paint set
- Got Primer (white scar)
- Got hobby mat + beginners brushes
- Got a selection of other miniatures to start practicing with (building, priming, painting)


Finally, what's the score with varnishing/top coating miniatures to protect the paint?
 
Spray varnish is easiest, but I personally find that plastic miniatures don't really need it if they've been well primed as the finish will be fairly robust.

Metal miniatures do tend to need some protection.

Spray varnish is also finicky stuff - very sensitive to the humidity and temperature you use it in.
 
Warning: I’ve struggled to get a purple contrast paint to work. Magos purple is really light. Shyish purple is almost black. Not sure if they make another one nowadays though.
The yellows are great. Iyanden yellow is really nice bright yellow. Nazdreg is a darker yellow.
 
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I’d consider myself a fairly experienced painter and hobbyist and I steer well clear of spray varnish, the risk of frosting (a white almost snow like appearance) is too great, and there’s nothing like spending ages painting something to then ruin it with the last step!

If you must, get varnish in a bottle or pot and paint it on, but as @Stoof says for plastic models primed it’s unlikely acrylic paints are coming off. It was more of a thing with metal models that seems to have lingered on. I mainly only use a matt varnish to soften highlights these days.
 
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Do they? I haven’t noticed, although once painted I don’t tend to rub my models plus most of my stuff comes out to play about once a year at best 🤣 so you are probably correct!
 
I'm not on FB - Do you have the list of what Citadel Contrast colours were used?
I don’t think they said.

At a guess I’d go with:

  • Iyanden Yellow (which goes into the orange you see in the shadows, Nazdreg is more brown)
  • Luxion Purple
  • Blood Angels Red.
  • Basilicanum Grey
Not sure of the others. If you have a decent hobby shop nearby they may be able to assist on picking a decent green etc. some of the colours can be very thin and others are practically like applying neat ink.
Finally, what's the score with varnishing/top coating miniatures to protect the paint?
For that style of painting a light coat of anything would do. You might even choose not to bother as it’s pretty easy to touch up.

For some of the other styles of painting you might consider a gloss coat if you don’t mind shine, though most prefer matte it can be tricky and temperamental from a spray can.

Down to you if you feel you want to or not. A simple brush on gloss or matte can be found at most model shops and is easy enough to do.
 
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If you do go with a spray varnish, I used army painter matt spray for years without issue. Although I use an airbrush or sometimes even a brush now because I can do it at my desk. Vallejo or army painter satin varnish are great for brushing on. Just thin a little with water.

Main upside of varnishing isn’t just protection though. It’s getting rid of any weird shine from the paints and washes, and making them all look uniform. Contrast paints (and indeed all paints) can sometimes have very different finishes from one another.
 
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Main upside of varnishing isn’t just protection though. It’s getting rid of any weird shine from the paints and washes, and making them all look uniform. Contrast paints (and indeed all paints) can sometimes have very different finishes from one another.
This is very true, but for that reason I would consider Varnishing a finishing move. Once you get to the point where you are considering the reflectivity or your highlights vs your midtones vs shading you are past 'beginning painting's

Also, if you are using a unifying wash it will do the same job.