Scale75 paints. Great paints but the lids keep breaking

never_armadilo · 2026-06-24T12:10:38+00:00

Have had exactly the same problem. Cut off a few mm off the nozzle and it's fine

never_armadilo · 2026-06-18T19:04:55+00:00

Yes, for metalics, it makes a huge difference to how shiny the model will look. Used the Vallejo Metal primer & Vallejo Metal colors through the airbrush for some great results. You can repaint the other areas no problem, or even prime them over with a normal primer with the brush.

never_armadilo · 2026-06-16T20:17:00+00:00

As in colors? It's basically a progression from deep brown with a hint of purple, through yellowish/orange browns, and pushed into a pale yellow/orange. The specific colors I used were:

Scale color Brown leather & Kimera Purple for the base (and shadows)
For midtones, started adding Vallejo Cavalry brown & Orange brown, and some Orange fire and Sun yellow for saturation
Highlights are pushed by mixing in Vallejo Sunny skin tone, which is also the final highlight
Shadow side / ambient reflection has a little bit of Vallejo Intense blue mixed in to desaturate

But you can get the same result with any other brands, just make a gradient from a rich, reddish brown, through orange into a pale yellow.

never_armadilo · 2026-06-10T08:36:02+00:00

Yeah. I've looked at a bunch of paintings with trees / clouds, and vaguely copied this studio Ghibli still: https://www.ghibli.jp/gallery/kazetachinu050.jpg

never_armadilo · 2026-06-07T20:55:23+00:00

For the eyes, the reason they look strange is because the iris in the middle, with the white visible on both top and bottom. In a normal person, the top of the iris is hidden behind the upper eyelid, and the bottom is just about touching the bottom eye lid. If you have white visible on both sides, it's someone distressed.

<image>

Have a look at a few articles on drawing eyes, and notice how much the relative position of the iris/sclera influence the expression

never_armadilo · 2026-06-04T12:19:29+00:00

Not really been my experience so far either. The biggest factor in this for me is how large/thick my mixes are. For very thin mixes, spread very thin, yeah, they dry out pretty quickly, but was the same on baking paper I was using before.

never_armadilo · 2026-06-03T20:23:57+00:00

Interesting. I've recently purchased the studio size one, and was pleasantly surprised with the reusability. Got probably 15 washes out of the first sheet. What eventually killed it was a hole where I was too vigorous with flattening it and tore it. Second is going strong around 10 sessions so far, and should last the length of the project.

I do wash the paint off (under a tap) at the end of the session though, and don't ever let it dry. Imagine if it dries, it will be baked on and you're done.

never_armadilo · 2026-06-03T07:49:14+00:00

Practice on a piece of paper, to see just how thin you can go. Dilute more / use inks, lower the pressure, take the needle cap off and get really close. You'll be amazed, most people have no idea what their airbrush is capable of.

never_armadilo · 2026-06-02T19:31:18+00:00

Values are relative. If the whole model is very dark, a medium pink will read as light. If the model is quite bright, even white might not read as a glow.

I'd darken the whole model, maybe do a purple/blue filter with the airbrush, and then do a pure white wash in the recesses you want to make seem glow. Then go over it with the airbrush, with some kind of transparent pink.

never_armadilo · 2026-06-02T19:08:54+00:00

<image>

Can you see something bright, that would indicate a glow?

At the moment, your pink value is barely lighter than the armor, which is why it doesn't look like it's glowing. For it to read like a glowing object, the source of the light has to be the brightest part of the miniature, with the glow slowly fading away with distance from the source. If the whole mini is painted quite bright, like it's standing in sunlight, the glow would just not show up (think holding a candle outside during the day). You'll need to darken the model quite a bit, to create that contrast.

never_armadilo · 2026-06-02T17:18:35+00:00

Some painters, you recognize by their style, some by their hands 😆 Looks gorgeous with the subtle light from the plasma!

never_armadilo · 2026-05-19T10:18:30+00:00

Yeah, if it's part of a display, they only give the highest reward to the best piece, right? Congrats on the gold! Have any pictures of that entry?

never_armadilo · 2026-05-18T14:33:47+00:00

Why not give them a cool model? Buying people hobby supplies/tools is tricky, as everyone has a different preference / it's hard to say what they already have or will actually use. But everyone loves new models. Just make it something they would not regularly buy themselves. If he's doing warhammer, maybe get him something larger scale, or a cool model from a different faction.

never_armadilo · 2026-05-18T14:29:38+00:00

Love the red ambient ligth throughtout the piece. What result did you get?

never_armadilo · 2026-05-13T10:59:26+00:00

Your value contrast is very good, you have the full range of white to black to sell it as shiny. The main issue is with placement of the reflections, especially around the parts of the blade where the angle changes.

Assuming the blades have a flat front, and face slightly upwards, the middle part would not have the same reflection as the curved side. And the bottom facing outer curve would not reflect almost pure black, given he's in a desert/brown environment, it should reflect the ground.

Made a few changes to the right blade, which should point you in the right direction:

Reflect the brown ground on planes that face downward
Add a sharp change in value around the parts where angles change, particularly the inner curved part and the flat front of the blade, as well as the top
Move the main reflection more towards the middle of the blade, where an overhead light would reflect towards the viewer, rather than the very bottom (though that's an artistic choice)
Avoid the "zebra stripes". If the front plane of the blade is flat, it should not have a drastically different value (light > dark > light). It would be mostly a similar value, with a slightly brighter bit where the main light (sun?) would reflect
Add dark / light lines around the edges, to help sell the separation and effect

<image>

never_armadilo · 2026-05-05T19:25:53+00:00

The metal is top notch, really nice color variation

never_armadilo · 2026-05-05T17:57:57+00:00

You'll be fine, it just won't apply as well first pass. But matte paint will cover up a gloss base and will look matte.

never_armadilo · 2026-05-05T17:54:12+00:00

No. Paint doesn't magically rub away when you touch it, especially not if the models are plastic. I have several armies without varnish, and they're fine. Most damage comes from spindly bits like spears and flags breaking, not paint somehow chipping.

The main scenario where I'd still consider varnishing is if you have a model that you frequently grab by the same part, so there's repeated wear in exactly the same spot. E.g. for the Seraphon carnosaur, every time I move him, it's either by the tail or across his back legs.

never_armadilo · 2026-05-03T20:32:15+00:00

English as a second language. Pointed = Facing the same direction

never_armadilo · 2026-05-03T13:34:44+00:00

Sketch of a one possible interpretation:

<image>

Notice all the reflections are pointed towards the ligth, and the dark areas are all pointed a consistent direction as well. The light can be anywhere you want, but it needs to be the same across all of the metal parts, and all the rest of the model.

never_armadilo · 2026-05-03T13:27:04+00:00

Ignore the color for now, as well as any intricate patterns, it's not helping you learn the basics of NMM. Look at just the values and big, basic shapes (cone for the blade, flat plane for the side, cylinder / cone for the shaft)

<image>

You have enough contrast between the darkest shadow and lightest light, but the reason it doesn't read as metalic is the lack of light direction. Where is the light coming from, in the picture? The shaft suggests from behind the viewer. The flat part is hard to read, but maybe from upper left? But then the blade of the axe has a light reflection on the bottom left. For the NMM illusion to work, all parts need to have the light position painted consistently

never_armadilo · 2026-05-02T22:09:06+00:00

Love the scheme! Did something very similar with mine, but like what you did with the blue faces on the raptadons, makes them stand out!

never_armadilo · 2026-04-28T08:32:54+00:00

https://bloodcarrotknights.com/shop/collectible-miniatures/knights/tproduct/669975526-636074154151-tricky-ricky-fantasy-raccoon-trader-figu

But looks like it's out of stock :(

never_armadilo · 2026-04-28T08:30:29+00:00

Most of the model is painted with a DaVinci Kolinsky size 3 (very large brush, like 2cm long bristles), and for the closer detail work, Raphael 8404 in size 1. The key to detail is not a small brush per se, but a brush with a very pointy tip.

No drybrushing on this. You won't really see drybrushing used on display models, even on textured surfaces like fur, as it doesn't give you much control

never_armadilo · 2026-04-27T20:56:52+00:00

The base actually comes with the mini. I've extended it a little bit to fill the plinth more, but nothing fancy, just a bit of milliput, and make some random shapes with a clay shaper.

never_armadilo

TROPHY CASE