u/_Kabr

Hello,

I’m going to be starting a Scythes collection with the Armageddon launch box. I’m just wondering what the current heraldry and company organisation are? All I can find for heraldry is the firstborn stuff (aquilas denote company, knee stripes denote squad) and I can’t find anything for company structure (my brain itches if my marines aren’t lore accurate idk why) so yea I’m just wondering if any of the companies actually have a structure. Also do any of the companies have their own in-depth lore?

1. Use primer. Spray primer. Not paint on.

I know paint on primer seems better as a starter. It isn’t. Use spray primer. The Warhammer shops all have primer racks. Don’t over complicate it; you want dark? Chaos black. You want mid tone? Mechanicus grey or grey seer. You want white (although I actually advise to build up to white from grey) white scar. You’re gonna use contrast paints? Cool, use wraithbone as your primer. Oh you’re doing blood angels or any other primarily red army apart from khorne? Mephiston red. Death guard? Death guard green. Thousand Sons? Use that retributor armour primer.

2. Speaking of priming, don’t glue your minis to their bases to prime.

Get some cardboard, get some double sided tape from amazon, stick them down, then prime. It’ll give you better access to hard to reach places and you can work on bases easier without a mini making it difficult to get between the legs.

3. Do not compare yourself to expert painters. Everybody starts somewhere.

Don’t go look at Siege Studios stuff and be like “I’ll get there in a month” because it is 99.9999% likely you will not. Just try to make every mini slightly better than the last.

4. If you’re painting an army, you don’t need every unit to be at character level.

Batch painting is ok to do. Characters are focal points that people will look at more than bog standard units like intercessors. Make the characters your best ones.

5. Don’t push yourself to finish the 5th or 6th mini if you simply can’t during the session.

If you feel tired or burnt out, take a break. If you force yourself to paint you won’t enjoy it as much and the mini won’t look as good. Go on a walk or go do something unrelated to warhammer.

6. Learn to thin your paints by using a wet palette.

You can legit make them by just using a tupperware box tired upside down so the lid is the base, putting some kitchen towel/paper in (fold or cut it to size) and then a sheet of non-grease baking paper (again cut it to size). That’s all you need. YouTube it if you’re unsure.

7. Transfers don’t have to be torture.

There’s a trick to them - apply water to the back area then let it seal through to under the actual transfer and you should be able to gently lift it off. So you don’t have to go through all of the cutting and soaking.

8. Lights are your friends.

Get a desk lamp. Get a daylight bulb (6500K). It’ll help you see everything and they’re good for taking pictures too. Vision is very helpful.

9. Shadows are also your friends.

If you’re going for let’s say grimy iron warriors (check my profile I paint a lot of grimy stuff) then learning how to build up shadows through drybrushing will help a lot. My advice - only drybrush downwards and keep the brush at a 45° angle from the mini. If an area doesn’t get caught then don’t paint it. Also, if you can’t see it don’t paint it. Sometimes skulls and trinkets get stuck behind a weapon or arm. Can’t see it? Nobody else can so why paint it?

10. Don’t be afraid of bare faces.

They seem scary if you’re watching expert level guides. Genuinely just base them with a “flesh” paint (rakarth, bugman, wraithbone, pallid wych) and use reikland or if you’re feeling brave a thinned down contrast like guilliman flesh. Due to how washed and contrast swap into crevasses and pool gently when thinned a bit, you’ll get natural shadows and highlights thanks to the sculpts of faces.

11. Learn to drybrush.

It can do so much work for your minis. My iron warriors and death guard are legit 80% drybrushing over a black primer. It’s just something you have to practice with. You could invest in a drybrush palette if you want or find some cheap minis to practice on.

12. Don’t be afraid to strip minis and repaint them.

Sometimes when we get better we start to notice that our older works are not quite to our current level. That’s ok, skills improve. So, why not grab a tub or biostrip or a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and give those old minis a bath and a scrub? Personally I recommend biostrip as it doesn’t stink and can just go down the drain as opposed to isopropyl alcohol needed to have a disposal collection date arranged with local authorities. The only drawback is that biostrip is sticky messy gloop so you’ll need to clean the sink or whatever you strip your minis in.

13. Find your own style.

You don’t need to follow box art. Wanna meticulously paint every feather on a lord of change a different colour to the next? Go for it. Wanna give ultramarines black pads and helmets for a campaign? Go for it. Find what you enjoy and do it. The hobby is about having fun after all.

14. Keep batch paints to a maximum of 5 until you get into a good flow.

By good flow I mean you can knock those 5 out in a day. Don’t crown your hobby space. It’ll crowd your mind and make you anxious about the seemingly unending task of getting everything painted. This goes for if you have a big box or army too - the end goal is the full army/box, the current goal is those 5 guys on your hobby space.

15. Watch people paint.

Go on YouTube, find a painter you like. Watch/listen to them whilst painting. I listen to the Siege Studios podcast every Monday. It helps a lot. Duncan Rhodes, Miniscape, Mini Mishmash, Rogue Hobbies, The Lich’s Laboratory, Ninjon, Eric’s Hobby Workshop, Squidmar, Eons of Battle, Dana Howl, just a few examples of people I watch and learn from - all amazing painters and creators.

All of these tips are from personal experience. A year or so ago it took me almost a month to paint 5 intercessors after not having painted since I was 11 (I’m 26 now). On Thursday I painted a full iron warriors terminator squad to what I deem display level in under 12 hours total work time. Just keep going and you’ll improve.

Hello,

I don’t know if this is the right sub or flair but it’s 4:34am and my brain is fried. I’m looking for a very particular rhyme or poem for a screenplay. By “very particular” I mean I’ll know it when I find it, if that makes sense. I’m looking for something that is specifically about the evil side of nature, either particular reference to tree roots. It would be a bonus if it was written before the 70s, and if the text is unsettling in a way that makes your skin crawl. It is my intention to have a child recite it or a mother whilst she is playing with her child.

Thanks