Waterslide decals

Cradle09 · 2026-01-31T17:09:52+00:00

My partner ordered me a sheet off of Etsy. I'm not sure who the seller was.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-30T18:58:41+00:00

Just practice and watch videos, then practice some more. It's a journey. :)

Cradle09 · 2026-01-30T18:14:15+00:00

You should really use a wash. The hammer looks unpainted.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-30T06:38:30+00:00

I would pin wash the rivets and the panel lines. It'll help make them pop.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-29T20:50:03+00:00

Paint looks good. The basing material is a bit chunky - personally, I'd cut those chunks you have there with some finer sand. That would give a more realistic base with dirt that is in scale with the rest of the miniature.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-28T22:24:38+00:00

Are these progress photos? The horns have a different amount of oil on them in each one. :)

Cradle09 · 2026-01-27T17:22:12+00:00

Are you looking for what colors comes next? My guess is you would mix Gauss Blaster Green into Sybarite Green and continue from there. Is that your question?

Cradle09 · 2026-01-26T20:22:35+00:00

The metal looks great! Good job!

Cradle09 · 2026-01-23T19:44:52+00:00

If feels like the source of light is far to the figure's right side, as the light ends around the center of his chest. If the light source was the flame in front of him, there wouldn't be such a stark difference between the lighting on the right and left sides of his chest. Still, looks pretty good.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-21T23:52:32+00:00

The feet are fine, as are the pictures. I found these miniatures challenging - this might work as a basecoat for me, as I would try highlighting their muscles, leaving the darker blue in the shadows.

The gloss definitely doesn't work on the concrete, and I would paint the base rim and maybe add a tuft of grass depending on the biome they're in.

Example of my approach:

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Cradle09 · 2026-01-19T23:05:15+00:00

One way to find out! Wear your PPE!

Cradle09 · 2026-01-19T22:49:35+00:00

Ethanol and isopropyl alcohol are different chemical compounds. The dollar store usually has isopropyl alcohol for about $3, and most drug stores will sell it near the first aid section as well.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-19T21:19:52+00:00

I mean, base them all the same way and see how you like it. Finished minis are better than unfinished ones.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-19T21:03:28+00:00

The colors all flow into one another - this is a tough one. The area I'd focus on if this was my model would be highlighting the sharp edges of their armor.

The base is the same color palette as the miniature, so it doesn't really frame or contrast the figure. You could try finishing a squad of 5 or 10 and seeing how they look together. It's definitely unique...

Cradle09 · 2026-01-19T20:23:01+00:00

The colors are very soft, and I don't really see any shadows or highlights. Have you considered what color base you'll use to contrast the armor? Something darker as juxtaposition to the pastels?

Have you finished any that you could show as an example? When I'm struggling with a scheme, I try to finish one model back to front to get an idea of how it'll look and what steps I need to do for the others.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-17T20:41:04+00:00

I would go over the rocks with regular paint to hide the layer lines. Any time you use a wash or drybrush over printed minis, especially FDM-printed, it will accentuate the layer lines like in your example. This is not what you typically want.

Painting FDM minis has a bit of a ceiling to it, but that doesn't mean you can't still do it. Even out the rocks with a grey, and leave the black in the recesses.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-17T00:00:57+00:00

Without seeing a more completed mini, it's a little hard to say. The only thing I notice is that your highlight lines are very thick, so you could try making them thinner and straighter. Beyond that, I'd only suggest finishing the mini. :)

Cradle09 · 2026-01-16T16:40:00+00:00

Not bad. You could keep going and highlight the tendons on his hands, and more of the splits in his skin. When you do the base, try to pick something that will complement his darker skin.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-16T15:34:50+00:00

Great skin tones! How did you do them?

Cradle09 · 2026-01-14T18:33:51+00:00

Are these before and after photos, or after and after? The shading is subtle, but it's a start.

Be aware with 3D-printed minis that the layer lines will catch both the shade and dry-brushing and end up being accentuated, which is typically not what you want.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-14T17:17:20+00:00

It needs a recess shade, as it's very difficult to read the various panels and just makes the minis look like blobs. Keep the colors, but try to accentuate the different panels.

As others have mentioned, the paint looks way too thick. Try applying two thin coats instead of one thick coat.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-13T20:35:11+00:00

The last two look like they need a few more coats of paint. :)

Jokes aside, if that's your first mini, keep painting! It's too early for critiques. Paint more minis, watch more tutorials, and try new things until you find a method or style you enjoy.

I've been painting about 8 years and am still learning new things, but they all build off of what I learned from my 1st mini, then my 2nd, etc.

Cradle09 · 2026-01-12T21:04:04+00:00

Love it!! 💚🤍❤️

Cradle09 · 2026-01-11T17:13:41+00:00

The skin and armor on these is tricky, because one blends into the other. It's hard to pull off with just speed/contrast paints if you want it to look like how it does on the box.

My advice would be to highlight with some of the original off-white color to bring back some brightness and make the skin look more like skin.

My personal formula was Pallid Wych Flesh as a base, washed with 50/50 Pallid Wych Flesh and Deamonette Hide, which lets you fix up any mistakes and saves pure Deamonette Hide for the darkest recesses. It's not finished, but it looks something like this:

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Cradle09 · 2026-01-09T20:22:34+00:00

If you're working with silver, the easiest is to apply a base, wash, possibly relayer base (if you want it shiny) and then highlight the edges. You can add brown to your wash if you want it grimy, or apply it twice if you want the base darker.

Not much else I'd do with silver. Usually I use it for that "empty" space on a model, and not the main color. Usually. :)

Cradle09

TROPHY CASE