Chest of Colors forum

Hey all -

I'm very new to mini-painting, having bought my first Space Marine sometime this summer. I want to become better, so I figured this would be the best place to go for advice! Please, be brutal. Kick my butt. I have lofty aspirations.

Ok, so this is my first ever mini, a Black Templar.
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This is my latest: A Salamander biker. He's not finished - I'm custom-sculpting a Salamander head on his shoulder pad. So, this is a WIP.
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If anyone cares to comment, thanks in advance![/rimg]

aloha!
welcome to CoC as for your minis - First one is way better than mine first ever mini - but pic is not perfect so it's hard to tell somethin' but I would suggest some highlight on armor.
Biker is nice -try to use some shade on guns, and pipes and some blacklining on armor (to separate parts). Good luck Post some more minis here.

Welcome in the Chest!
As for the minis i agree with Cukier.
Have fun!:)

Hi

The metallics look flat. I'd shade them with some kind of washes - at least black wash. But the peeled paint on the motorcycle looks very nice. This effect is really nice!

As for the templar, I would use some edging (whitelining?) to define shapes better - drag the side of a brush along all the edges to highlight them a bit, this would add more detail to the model.

Thank you for your replies! I've not had too much time lately for mini painting, but I'm happy to post some of my newest stuff. I think I've made some improvement.

80% done.
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Still haven't touched the face.
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Needs some minor touch-ups, imo.
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One of my first "finished" minis!
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My version of Ultramarines.
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My current project.
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A passing fancy. Done-ish...
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WIP bases for more of the above, or perhaps some marines.
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My current project. Storm Lords style tank. How's the mud?
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If it's supposed to be mud, try adding a little texture in for that Predator. baby powder, baking soda, etc. something with a pretty smooth soft texture. mix it in with your paint as you add on the mud. Keep it near the bottom, with some glazes and/or drybrushing to add the dust and dirt higher up. If you're unsure, build it up slowly. and check out historical miniatures sites and magazines. you'll get tons of tips on doing tanks with realistic mud and weathering.

Drill out those bolt pistols. It's simple, but it adds so much to the model.

I'll second Mahon's recommendation about using some washes on the metals. a nice brown/black wash on the bolters will help them fit in better with the rest of the model.

Somehow I think I liked the biker the most... AoM is right about the barrels though. It's quite simple but improves the effect a lot!
Of all the new miniatures I think the Ultramarines are the neatest.