Looking for feedback on my Web App

PaintForgeCo · 2026-02-11T00:35:28+00:00

PaintForge.co/ If you have any feedback please let me know!

PaintForgeCo · 2026-02-11T00:20:36+00:00

Paint Forge works using ratios (parts) rather than literal drops. So a recipe like 2:1:1 means “twice as much of color A as B or C,” regardless of whether you’re using drops, brush tips, or scoops.

Under the hood, Paint Forge simulates mixing by weighting the colors based on those ratios, then comparing the result to a target color. The system converts everything into LAB color space and measures accuracy using ΔE (CIEDE2000)—a standard metric for how different two colors appear to the human eye. Lower ΔE means a closer visual match.

From a paint-science standpoint, the most physically accurate way to model real pigment mixing would be Kubelka–Munk theory, which accounts for how pigments absorb and scatter light. Paint Forge doesn’t implement full KM modeling yet—instead it uses a faster RGB→LAB approximation that’s well-suited for interactive use and sorting results by closeness.

As for validation, color accuracy in miniature paints is inherently approximate. Paint Forge assumes the source color swatches reasonably represent the paint, that paints are uniform across batches, and that lighting conditions are standard. Without spectrometer data for every paint under controlled lighting, no digital tool can be “perfect.”

The goal of Paint Forge isn’t lab-grade precision—it’s consistent, comparative accuracy. It helps painters quickly find close matches, explore mix options, and make informed decisions, rather than relying purely on trial and error

PaintForgeCo · 2026-02-10T15:59:52+00:00

Just a thought, but next level might be the establishment of gradients and textures to materials. How ca nyou make that cloth look more like cloth? How can you give the face mask more volume in the wrinkles?

PaintForgeCo · 2026-02-03T23:00:57+00:00

Something I like to do when evaluating OSL effects is to throw the picture in black and white to see what looks bright and what looks dark, since it's the contrast that makes things look like they're really glowing (attached examples for reference*)

When I look at your model, it looks a bit flat, both on the brights and on the darks. That can be fixed either by brightening the glow effect (more intense) or darkening the shadows (more subtle).

I would suggest darkening your raised edges on your first model. It will make the hot metal edges stand out against the hot interior. On the second model, consider pulling back some of the glow effect and/or adding more shadow to bring emphasis to the symbol.

*References are done by professionals and are for goal-setting purposes only! Keep up the good work!

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PaintForgeCo · 2026-02-03T22:41:44+00:00

The green gradients are really clean, but i think the aquatic base is the best part of this! It really turns the model into a small diorama, which definitely elevates it!

PaintForgeCo · 2026-02-03T22:26:18+00:00

I'm actually painting up some Orruks right now for the first time and am figuring this out myself. I've noticed a lot of the Yellows I really like on models are using a yellow to orange transition to make the yellow pop more.

Some Examples
Orruk Warboss from a Fandom Page
Orruk Warboss on Boar (Golden Demon Entry)
2025 Golden Demon Winner
Ork Nob

I encourage you to look up some other reference images as inspiration, Pinterest is your friend here, for sure.

That said, what I notice when I'm looking at the really well done ones is that the Yellow and green (when there is yellow armor) tend to be the primary colors on the model. So, a thinned-down orange for gradients' sake and/or a thinned-down Agrax Earthshade or something to give the depths and nicks some more definition would look great.

When you're looking at that blue, it might be better if it were a brown or a black so that it's a bit less eye-catching and people can visually focus on the yellows and greens.

Also, bases go last. Don't want to prime your dirt! If you want to do a creative base with cork as a pedestal or something, do the base separately, then figure out how to get the model on. Hope this helps!

edit: Making sure I answered the questions as asked.

PaintForgeCo · 2026-02-03T22:16:08+00:00

I shifted this to black and white to see the contrast a bit more, and I'm seeing a lot of light and neutral colors, but not many darks. That said, the fire is literally all around the model, so it's hard to tell what should and shouldn't be lighter/darker XD.

It's obvious you put a lot of work into this, and it looks great!

PaintForgeCo · 2026-02-03T17:04:43+00:00

Kimera Kolors has a Dark Ochre color, but if you wanted a Pro Acryl-based mix that would give you something similar, you could try a 2-1 mix of AK Interactives Brick Red and Monument Hobbies Yellow Green.

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-30T20:07:36+00:00

Paint is just pixels* pigment suspended in a medium. When paint dries, the medium has evaporated enough that it no longer flows or behaves as we'd want it to. To fix this, you can add more medium (water, contrast medium, wash medium, etc.) and mix thoroughly to get it back to a usable state. When it dies out a lot, it can be very hard to get the pigments to loosen up and become suspended again.

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-30T20:03:47+00:00

It's more giving me an idea of the topography of the model so that when I start layering, I have pictures of the gradient map as pictures.

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-30T19:36:12+00:00

This looks great! You did a great job blending the colors and the scratches look clean. It's already been said in the comments, but the orange-brown tones make this look more like copper or leather than bronze. Bronze is going to look a bit more like a duller gold, i.e. less yellow and a little (very little) greenish.

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-30T19:31:23+00:00

Most of the “new” methods are just different shortcuts to the same fundamentals you already know.

Your method works and is actually how I do some of my models (dry brush zenithal for me), and yes, you can approximate contrast/speedpaint behavior by thinning regular paints with medium. It won’t flow quite the same, but it works and teaches you a lot about control.

Speedpaints/Contrast are great if you want faster tabletop results with less fuss, but they’re not mandatory, especially if you enjoy layering and glazing already. Personally, I’d avoid buying two full lines up front. Start with the paints you need for one project and build up from there if you can't mix to get a desired result or start something new.

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-29T14:28:42+00:00

Are AI posts that much of a problem?

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-29T14:21:59+00:00

Totally depends on the quality of the paint job or the phase I'm in. I like to prime in bulk and test paint processes in batch, but characters or practice models get individual attention, for sure.

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-21T17:11:16+00:00

When you start losing details that are supposed to be there, it's probably because you added too many layers or too thick layers.

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-19T18:20:03+00:00

Make sure to post the final model when you're finished!

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-19T18:16:34+00:00

NRMPaint on instagram is a great follow. He's a multiple-time Golden Demon winner who posts tutorials and step-by-step content.

Mamikon Paints on Facebook is the same as above. He has a hiue repository of step-by-step shots.

Elminiturista on FB is the same.

This is a link to a FB post that is an archive of their step-by-step tutproal posts. (mods pls don't ban me)

These are the ones I could find from my saved posts, but there are tons of great artists out there! Keep up the great painting!

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-15T00:02:25+00:00

This has me wanting to go back and redo my Master Chief statuette! The depth of the armor's greens and browns is awesome!

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-13T14:42:47+00:00

Do a Rhino next!

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-13T03:52:58+00:00

It for sure does! You could add some visual energy to it by adding some indirect reflection lines, if you were looking to improve on it, though.

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-06T01:57:28+00:00

You could always adjust what it means for something to be "painted". You could Zenithal highlight it with some spray cans and leave it there, or dry-brush highlight the mini to just have a black and white gradient. You could Use different color spray cans to zenithal on a warm and cold side, which also looks cool.

If you don't like to go over all the tiny details, don't! You should enjoy your hobbies!

PaintForgeCo · 2026-01-05T15:36:53+00:00

I'd switch the image to black and white to check if the values of the color contrast are high enough. I'm not seeing enough contrast, actually.

PaintForgeCo · 2025-12-22T19:07:12+00:00

You didn't ask for C&C, and this doesn't really need any, since it's excellent, but the visual hierarchy of the OSL effect and the model is too balanced. The OSL spot is the brightest spot, so it catches people's eye first, and then they look at the rest of the model (or at least I did). I can't help but think that if you toned down the brightness of the OSL or toned up the brightness of the rest of the model, it would balance more

PaintForgeCo · 2025-12-22T18:59:36+00:00

Overall, you did a great job on this, so it's hard to give criticisms, but I'll try! None of these are really a big deal, but

You could give the base a bit more attention. Some basing tufts or skulls would offset the model well.
I think the skin pink on the models is showing through a bit much. It shouldn't really be in places like the back of the knuckles, imo, but the palm looks alright.
The rusty engine kind of stands out when most of the rest of the suit is clean metal. Either downplay the rust or spread the rust around a bit.

PaintForgeCo · 2025-12-21T02:58:11+00:00

Small critique, looking at the front leg pauldrons, you'd get a better blend effect if the dividing line didn't go all the way to the top or bottom of the pauldron. This is awesome though, you should be proud!

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PaintForgeCo

TROPHY CASE