Great video so far! Your paint spinner there. You could probably get one of those magic arm camera mount with a clamp end to hold it so you don't have to.
On vortex mixers; I have chronic joint pain which makes shaking bottles (or any repetitive action like it) uncomfortable up to painful rather quickly. So while it seems silly, they are incredibly helpful because it takes some of the unnecessary wear and tear from my joints. If your joint health or general longevity of your hands is a concern, I highly recommend getting one!
I actually own one too! Super love it - even for airbrushing I use it by dropping my paints/extruder/thinner etc in a 5ml test tube and voila~ amazing airbrushing
1. I learned the 50/50 mix of Milliput and greenstuff from you. Absolute game changer. Best of both worlds. Greenstuff I can sand! Milliput that shapes great! Like a Reeces Peanut Butter cup. Thanks, man. 2. Vortex Mixer: I mocked these mercilessly. Then I bought one, complaining about the cost with every breath. Worth. Every. Penny. 3. "Adult lubricant." I know there's a million ways to keep putty from sticking to tools, but one drop of "adult lubricant" on my cutting mat does the job for me and doesn't foul my greenstuff or make things goopy.
the Superglue Problem has confounded me for longer than I'd like to admit. I am glad to learn 1) I am not alone 2) the solution was painfully simple. The warhammer store manager who gave me my first and only in-person painting tutorial said something like "controlling the finish on different parts of a miniature is key to higher level painting" took me a couple years to know what he meant. Anyone who's watched a Vince V Hobby Cheating video will know you can varnish anything and often. Playing with varnishes and mediums is an invaluable exercise.
New to the hobby, started shaking the paint and realized there was some pain. So I bought a shake to prevent injuries, and get well mixed paints faster, at 47 years old every second counts.
After my son was born I didn't have time to paint and my hobby room became a catch all. I wanted to go back but my paint had separated. A friend gave me his older vortex shaker. It brought dead paints back to life and saved me hundreds of dollars.
Soda-can metal might be alright, to great for armor and such... But for banners and sculptural cloth in general, you have to try the foil that comes over the cork and around the top of wine bottles.
I actually learned about Zinc White from Marco Frisoni! He did a video talking about how artist paints have this "mixing white" and how it solves the issue where you lose a lot of saturation when mixing with white.
Cleaning the desk is most underrated tip. Not only it is good for the desk, but it gives you spark to do hobby! Cleaned desk is so welcoming and you can clean it even if you don't feel like hobbying, and it gives you push in the right direction.
25:30 that numbness can also happen with vortex mixers, especially during longer sessions. My tip is to use the palm of your hand to press down instead of your fingers. If your prefer your fingers, than alternate between them.
Away back in the old days :) the 80's when toothpaste tubes were metal, we used those for banners. They were really good. I assume medicinal tubes of cream would also be good. Its softer and more flexible than cans.
@user-yi9ng8jm8v it was exactly as I remember the toothpaste tubes were: bendy enough to represent trashed newspapers or campaign maps unforded over ammo crates. At the arts store I got it they cut as much as I needed, then rolled it into a cylinder. I think it's worth asking at your local art supply store. Dunno about hobby stores though. Cheers buddy.
I've been using micro pens for eyes for years and have learned from experience (a whole squad of racoon-eyed WWII Brits) that you have to varnish them if you plan to use a wash afterwards. It doesn't matter how long you let them dry, the wash will reactivate them. Another use for dried out micro pens is writing custom slogans on 15mm vehicles. I use the 'dead' pens by dipping them in white (or whatever color you want) paint and writing the slogan on the vehicle. It takes a bit of practice, but I find I have much more control than with a fine-tipped brush.
On the Brush storage. I basically build a little upside down stand. You basically just want to have some firm but flexible material, like dense foam padding, insulation boards (the ones for building gaming boards) etc. and you just cut a slit into them, cut a bit to size and you can stick the end of your brush into the slit. It will stick and it is a great storage open and can be attached to the wall, to a mobile painting shelf or be modular if you have some magnets on this holder.
6:33 I use Guerrilla CA glue and so far haven't had this problem. Of course, I store it standing up and I wipe the nozzle off with a paper towel that has a bit of Isopropyl alcohol. I discovered while using IPA to strip a metal miniature that IPA disolves CA or at least cause the bond to fail enough that parts seperate.
Good video! As far as the finish of paint part is concerned, if the surface is too glossy for blending and highlight coating, you can simply hit it with somehing like AKI Ultra Matte Varnish and that problem will be solved for application of future layers. I will often use a high gloss varnish before pin wash as it allows the wash to glide into the recesses. It also has the added bonus of creating multiple protective layers as you work a model up.
I'm laughing out loud as you're discussing my super glue woes. The loosely sitting lid fix is something I accidentally discovered with my most recent bottle, but I didn't realize it might actually be a thing until I saw this.
Pure Ref is a pretty handy software. If you browse online for visual references/inspiration, you can drag those images into Pure Ref, as it simply acts as a pin board of sorts, to have all your images laid out in front of you.
Ferrule. Good tip. I could probably use my third hand jig for holding brushes upside down to dry. Or maybe mount a strip of alligator clips to the side of my paint rack...
Mmmm, I have an idea for a 3D printed strip with cutouts for a rubber band that could be mounted to a desk or whatever to hang brushes inverted. Might have to give it a shot when I get my new Sermoon this week. Also need to refine my dropper bottle rack design to use less filament. Might start selling that on etsy for a reasonable price. Holds 60+ droppers and it's only about 12" wide and 3" deep so saves desk space tremendously. Maybe offer bespoke paint rack designs on a made-to-order basis.
The best thing I picked up in 2022, was this hobby! I attached a piece of foam tube, with slots cut out, to my desk. As a means of drying brushes. Seeing as I have numerous metal stands around the desk, the magnetic clip seems like a much cleaner and less neon green option haha. Thanks! :)
I too also started to sculpt for the want and need of my own miniatures last year around Oct 2021 and still do. But I never used Milliput or green stuff or polyester as my base to sculpt not even Sculpey or any polyester clay. I highly, highly suggest start with Ceramic (natural) clay because it's water based and super easy to use. Then advance to using oil-based clay like NSP Chavant High Melt soft or medium. From there, it's super easy to learn how to make casting molds with #1 Pottery Plaster for everything. Silicone molds and resin molds are easy peazy compared to plaster molds for casting (or even learning how to do slipcasting!)
24:25 for some paints you can shake them by hand all you want, they won't mix properly. Sometimes vortex mixers are not even strong enough (not even the 100 euro ones) to mix paints. With those I hand mix (stir) using a old airbrush needle. I actually like vortex mixers for fluid paints as well, because you can mix a fluid paints (airbrush ready ones for example) without the paint getting into the cap, which will happen when you shake them.
notice a big difference between handshaken and Four E s, thick and smooth ... I have to shake a day to get it in that state ;p You can hang your brush to dry with some bluetack on your boom arm of your light ;)
Ak interactive pastel range is awesome. Not that I would use the colours raw on most projects, but because they are great for mixing to get different values out of your other colours.
scale 75 sable is amazing. you will enjoy. the one that came in the smog riders starter set is so good. took me a year to appreciate it. instar's water+ is god tier, too
Thank you for all the time caps in the description Alex! It made navigating the video up and down much more enjoyable, and helps re watching. Thank you and a merry Christmas And a happy New Years Eve!
Those Vortex mixers are great, but I like my Typhoon mixer better. It's superheated duty, never fades and I can shake a spray paint can on the. It costs the same as a Vortex. 👍
Have you tried supersculpy? It required baking, but it's a great sculpting material that lets you decide when you're done as opposed to the chemical reaction from a two-part. I sculpted most of a Beast of Nurgle and kitbashed the rest a few years ago and supersculpy was priceless.
Hi Alex. Here's something I find handy. I've drilled several different diameter holes partially through a piece of 2x4 inch ( ~ 5x10 cm) lumber and use it to hold tools that I use frequently. e.g. jeweler's files, hemostats, sculpting tools, scissors etc. It keeps things separated, organized and was free. Happy New year.
The physics of paint finish and how they react was really interesting to hear. Never thought about it but that was fascinating and will help in future. I need to figure out how to unbreak patreon so I can support such good chaps as this Alex person.
Alex, I don't know how you manage to hit it out of the park every time - it is such a pleasure to see your work! Speaking of your work, have you ever seen the film "The 3rd Man"? I think of your videos as like 'hobby film-noire': it is an art within an art (about art?)
Happy and successful New Year Alex. One obvious tip I will add regarding our hobby - Never give up! Success/ failure / inspiration - it’s all a mystical concoction. 👍
Thanks for this lovely collection! Haven't been able to paint for a while because my Master thesis takes up so much time.... But now I'm more motivated than in the last weeks to finish it up and get painting again with the tipps! :D
24:10 - Go ahead and let a bottle of Golden High Flow Fluorescent Pink sit for a year and tell me how much progress 15 seconds of shaking makes towards mixing it. Mine looked like a strawberry milkshake.
Super glue hack. After each use coat a paper towel with a few drops of olive oil. Wipe it around the super glue applicator head. Loosely pu the cap back on and store in the freezer. Never worry about not going through a whole bottle again.
If you're going to try use smooth metal as armature for sculpting with putty, try scuffing it up a bit with a rough file or sand paper or an old piece of concrete and the putty will stick better. Regarding Gloss Matte ... if you like a paint and it's to far on either end of the spectrum, you can totally varnish w/ a matte or gloss varnish in between steps. This is also great because it kind of acts like a "save point" in your paint job, if you mess up you can use a little IPA to clean off down to where you varnished and start over without having to start completely from scratch.
Regarding the white pigments - Titanium is opaque, while Zinc is typically considered semi-translucent (or semi-opaque). That's why your colors retain more saturation when zinc white is added.
On the scale75 brushes, those really look like they're Escoda Reserva and escoda Optimo brushes that scale75 has branded. They're wonderful brushes, and prices look similar. Love my Escoda Reserva and Da Vinci Maestro series 11.
I have a condition with the tendons and nerves in my hands that means that i don't have a great grip and suffer from hand pain. the mixers not only help me mix the paints but can also be the difference between being able get in 30min of painting before my hands really start to hurt and 10 min after spending just a couple of min shaking a bottle (and inevitably losing my grip and throwing the bottle across the room)
A couple of tips and tricks I've picked up this year: - Gel super glue is a god send. It doesn't run everywhere leaving white marks all over your miniatures. - "Really Useful Boxes" are great for keeping things organised. There are countless sizes available and they are very rugged. - Utilise magnets as much as you can. Linked to the above, I riveted metal sheets to each inside wall of a large Really Useful Box and I store all my miniatures in it. - Tamiya extra thin cement is an awesome plastic glue. You can be really accurate when applying it, instead of squirting glue all over your miniatures with the glues that use a needle.
Great video, Alex, that tip about the cap of super glue will be too useful! :) A tip from me, check out Vevor vortex mixers. Not too expensive and comes in many different prices. Bought one for about 30 euros (about 32 USD) and it has kept going fine for many months now.
Hi great video. In Lychee Slicer there will be soon a really game changing option for cutting models in different parts. Uncle Jessie made a Video about it some time ago.
Being part of the 52 Miniatures community was one of the highlights of the year for me. Love the videos, love the livestreams and love Hobby Hangouts on Discord. Thank you Alex and best wishes for the New Year.
Curious if your issue with the brush rinser is the reservoir leaking? I had the same issue cause the lid doesn't match the cup, but was able to solve it by filling the rim of the lid with water and attaching the cup upsidedown to create a seal.
23:42 did you know that centrifugal force isn't really a force? What most people attribute to centrifugal force is actually centripetal force. I could get into it, but, basically, centripetal force is the actual motion and centrifugal force kinda the human interpretation of centripetal force.
Really great video so far! I'm halfway through but just wanted to comment before I forget about Blender. Check out a channel called Artisans of Vaul. He makes it a lot less scary and he models for 3D printing so it's relevant too!. I loved the super glue tip so far too!!
You “flip pages” or just “browse.” Are you a photographer as your career? Your use of color and painting with light is quite noticeable. Many scenes look like you may have done some color grading too.
Cleaning the desk thing is something I've realised I need to do more often, since I moved house I've got a dedicated painting desk instead of using the kitchen table. Using the kitchen table meant I had to tidy it all up every time which was a pain, but this also forced me to keep my paint setup tidy. Like you I've rarely tidied up my desk properly this year, only when I had to move it when we had some work done on the house.
Same. Now that I have a set table, I force myself to do it after finishing every mini. Worth it. Lots of single-used tools end cluttering the arms-reach space.
Very interesting video, thanks for share your knowledge. My best buy in 2022 was the Wowstick, is a low-speed minidrill. I love it. Ak 3rd Gen Paints are really good. I recommend Jose DaVicin's starter sets, awesome for beginners.
re: sculpting tools Not to discourage people making thier own tools, thats a good thing, but worth knowing that a set of 10 or more wax sculpting tools can be found online on amazon or ebay for €5-10 and will set you up nicely for all kinds of sculpting work re: superglue clogging A thick sewing needle does a very good job in my experience, just brace the end of the needle against something like a desk and push the clogged bottle into it, and clean any glue off the needle afterwords. just be careful and push with the same caution you do when using a model knife, where you've braced it from over traveling its target.
Fairly new to the channel at its great to see it's growing. But I'm kind of sad that it's at 56k subscribers not 52k...But really all the best for the new year and look forward to your future videos!
I use a vortex mixer because I have EDS and Carpal Tunnel so paint shaking is torture, though even if I were perfectly able bodied I'd still likely use one for the consistency of thoroughly mixed paints ^^
Please get a vortex mixer for yourself. It is expensive. But I promise you, you will know the difference in the paint and realize you never had your paint mixed correctly. Theres a reason piant mixers mix for an hour or two in hardware stores :) have fun!
I often use the metal foil from a (good quality) wine or champagne bottle for custom banners and standards. You can bend or manipulate it a good deal to get any desired effect from blowing on the wind and paint is easily applied to it. Who doesn't like a decent glass of wine while they paint?
This is one of the great Alex vids, absolutely full of really well chosen ideas. It's like sitting down in a new restaurant and finding the menu full of awesome ideas you've never thought of, except here you can try everything!
I made a point to get into some Discord communities when I was laid up from surgery a few months ago, and the 52 mini's discord is my favorite by far! Stacked to the rafters with friendly, helpful people, and I love seeing what everybody's working on.
