Old pill bottles make excellent painting handles. Sometimes, you can even store the 'in progress' model inside the pill bottle. You can also add whatever weight you like for hand feel.
@@SPQRKlio Yes- have the two way lids: easy open/smaller side of the cap to stick the model onto, and just screw the larger end onto the bottle. Flip the lid to transport the model inside. Larger bottle for larger models. I can put them safely into my paint box or backpack for transport. I also have a mini wet palette system for transport. I cut down several sponge and pallette paper pieces to fit clear plastic craft screw-lid stackable containers. They are about 2.5 inches wide by 1.5 high. I bring 3 or 4 with me and an extra with precut extra parchment to replace when using other colors. Small and portable! Happy painting!
Also, and this is a really hot tip, fill a large pill bottle with sand, very VERY carefully heat it with a hair dryer and squeeze with a gloved hand. Poof! perfect fitted handle to your hand! just have care not to burn yourself.
Sand and PVAglue for the weighty filling. No more storage option then, but I tried a stack of washers or coins i think before anything else, and didnt appreciate the rattling/shifting. Anything you can remove from the bottle easily is probably going to have enough clearance to move in there, hence why I went right to glue. Then it's just a matter of finding how full you like it.
My go-to water cup is a mason jar. Here are the selling points: cheap, and available everywhere; clear, so you can see how dirty the water is; large, so it doesn’t get dirty as fast; lid, so you are less likely to spill it; obviously not a cup, so you won’t drink it.
15:33 That's the first time in 3 years of watching tutorial I've ever seen an honest to God, proper alternative to Spray can/airbrush Priming to just use a brush. Thank you.
There is brush on primer too, Vallejo has some in their paint line. I've also have had a lot of luck using Liquitex Black Gesso, which is very inexpensive. The one downside I've noticed with Gesso is that it doesn't work on resin models, but for metal and plastic it's worked very reliably.
If you're going to be doing any sort of kitbashing, I'd highly recommend a jeweler's saw. They're incredibly good at producing thin, precise cuts on minis.
Yes that's a reasonable idea, but have you heard of the "try to use only green stuff to stick parts that don't work together while getting increasingly mad and fucking up your mini" method?
RE: Wet pallets. I recently started putting a piece of paper towel under the paper so it's between it and the sponge. It helps regulate the flow quite a bit and evens out the amount of water that's being transferred to a more consistent level. IMO, it's a mind-blowing change that really helped me go from "wet pallets are nice" and "I cannot paint without one". I personally learned it from the Paintman Journeying RU-vid channel. I'm sure it's not a secret or anything, just the first place I saw it.
I try to stay away from paper towel or paper if any kind. The fibres break down and end up in my brush and on the mini. Having trouble finding a better alternative though so 🤷🏼
Great vid A scalpel and blades Basing materials! Isopropyl alcohol to brush onto milliput to create gap filling butter/levelling and texturing cream (also to thin paint etc) Cheap non-prescription reading glasses as magnifiers Dremel for drilling/pinning/carving away plastic and resin Magnets MagicSculp - forget greenstuff PVA Very chewy dog snacks so she gives me half an hour's peace. Framed pic of the dog because she's off somewhere gnawing on her snack
For middle-aged and older painters like me who are becoming far-sighted, also probably mandatory is some kind of magnification so you can actually see the details on the mini you're trying to paint, whether you use one that's on your head or one built into your swinging arm lamp. I have both and mainly use the lamp magnifier at my main desk and the headlamp/magnifier when working from anywhere else.
To be honest, even for younger guys it's useful to have something like a magnifier, it'll reduce some strain on the eyes if you're staring at tiny details.
@@Powaup There are a whole bunch of these kinds of lights on Amazon (probably all made in the same Chinese factory), but I have this particular one: www.amazon.com/dp/B091G8M3CP
I still like spray can primers. Even though they can be fickle, when you use them under the right circumstances, I feel they provide a very strong base to work from and help protect the minis in conjunction with the varnish at the end.
This is what I do. I don't like the prices of GW or even army painter. But I use the restoleum paint/primer line which has an insane number of colors and the cans can be found for about 10 at your local store if you don't have a LGS nearby. Using those colors for a primary base color shaves time of your armies aswell if that's what you are aiming for.
The Rust-Oleum brand of printer has been fantastic as a primer. Will varnish prevent the paint from chipping? I'm new to the hobby and looking for advice. There's nothing worse than spending hours on a mini only to have it start chipping.
@@dragonegger2 yes, that's the idea. Varnish is a clear coat on top of your paint that provides extra protection. You can choose from gloss, satin, matt or any mix of the above to create the right shine and colour saturation. It really helps tie all your different areas together IMO and is a must when using decals.
I prefer to avoid for multiple reasons: they can "dust" the paint and damage the miniature often for good, they are EXPENSIVE, they pollute a lot and if they sit too long many colors are as good as trash. I invested in a low tier airbrush and some Vallejo varnish. Coat of Gloss followed by a coat of Matt. Best anti-chipping strenght ever! Seriously, look into it and it can save you money and space
There's one item i often keep close, as a prop maker (and ex-mini painter since i stopped playing years ago) its a hair dryer. It might seem overkill but some times it saves a lot of time to just quickly wiff over a model to quickly seal the color in. Especially useful when you finally got *that* perfect shade of color and you dont want it to dry out too fast in the cases you dont use a wet pallet but you need to use it up on a large model.
Lighting is more important than anyone ever told me, I thought I was painting a perfect burgandy 'aged blood splash' one night - it was a deep brown in daylight :(
@@SiliconBong I feel you, i've done the same mistake before as well. Sometimes you luck out and it works fine, others you're pretty much repainting the entire thing.
- Hair Dryer to save time - Makeup Brushes for dry brushing - Makeup Sponges & Eyeshadow Applicators for cleaning off paints/washes. - Magnification Eyewear to save your eyes - Sprue Goo! for gap filling - Pin Drill & Paper Clips for assembly - Milliput for gap filling, fixing, etc. Another tip: When your Tamiya Extra Thin Cement is running low, don't buy another bottle. Save money and buy Tamiya Airbrush Cleaner. It's the same chemical composition (cement is 50/50 mix, cleaner is 51/49 mix), but costs a lot less.
Don't disagree but I think the point of the video was bare essentials, the minimum needed to paint, a grab box to take to FLGS, a put away kit for those who don't have a dedicated painting space always set up. Paint dries on its own so Hair dryer not essential, dry brushes yeah, might be good to have, I will be taking one next time I set up a travel kit like I needed the other week, but its wasn't NEEDED, just nice to have. As for pin drill and clips, they are in no way essential... and if you have plastic cement then you can probably make up a small amount of sprue good when needed instead of milliput or green stuff for gap filling
He and I both live in Minnesota. Believe me.. it can snow in the middle of July where I live for no good damn reason. Freezing rain and 82 degree F weather in the same day isn't at all uncommon here. Also, we have tornadoes, so ... that's fun. :(
Excuse me for barging in but... Canada. But jokes aside, i'm guessing the humidity must be pretty troublesome in Scotland, i saw a friend prime with citadel spray on a rainy day... Turned out all dusty and cumbly, had to strip the hole army, do not recommend 😭
For water cups, I use these $2 "apaothacary jars" that Michael's sells in their floral section. They're small enough to put in your pocket for travel, made of thick glass (I HAVE dropped them a couple times) and have a latching lid. When the lid is latched, they DON'T LEAK if you tip them over.
When setting up my space, I found a huge, ugly table at a used store. It's got a thick, laquered top surface, and green legs. It's solid as a rock. It's perfect. :D I use cutting mats to protect the surface, but it gets paint and glue etc on the top. That just adds to it's charm.
Concerning the basic building kit: Army Painter has a good starter set of cheap equipment that I'm quite happy with, though the clippers are a little small for my decently large hands. Concerning the glue: Revell offers great plastic glue with a trunk-like nozzle that makes it very easy to apply to edges Concerning the cup: I like glasses because a) you see when you need to change your water much easier (at least on my setup) and b) you don't want to drink your washing water Lastly, concerning the box: I use the cardboard box that all my stuff was shipped in. It doesn't look nice but it doesn't have to and I know it has the correct size I am by no means any kind of expert - I painted two kill teams. However these were comfortable ways I went about getting started and that is the most important thing in my book. Like a wise man once said: stop trying to paint and paint. At least I think those were his words
Having a mini painting handle helped WAY more then I thought it would and is pretty key to prevent hand fatigue. The pill bottle with pins or a big gob of sticky tack/poster tack works great and is really versatile. The GW handle is awesome, but if you're painting a bunch of models at once and they aren't on bases already then I find it useful to have lots of them pre-mounted on handles.
Great suggestions on brushes. 90% of time I use a size 1. Only other suggestion I have it have two water cups. One for initial clean off and then a second that stays cleaner.
I’ve been painting for over 60 years . I’m going to keep this video as a reminder. Yes ! I’ve done most of the things that are mentioned but not all. I’ll watch this again and make a list for the essentials . Great video, and a must even if you’re as old as I am. I can still learn something new. Thanks !
For my kit box i use a fishing tackle box. When you open it there’s also two tiers of holding areas. Paint fits in the bottom. It’s amazing You can also make your own model totes pretty easily
I just got into the hobby and your video was a LOT of help. You not only saved me money, your videos saved me lots of time. My son and I painted our first space marines together with your help and we now have a cool hobby together. Thank you!
A little helping hand stand with a magnifying lens such as fly fisherfolk use for fly tieing is helpful. One can see for very detailed paint application and if applying multiple base coats on can arrange it so that overspray lands on second figure, conserving paint and time.
This was a great starter video! I’m about to start painting minis for first time and this was a great summary for me to get organized. I have some kits and this helps to narrow down where to start. I love crafting and hobbies- most of these tools I have already but for other purposes, so I can gather 3/4 of it now, and fill in the blanks. Those storage ideas are perfect!! I have both of those
Taking the hobby again after long years, you quickly became my new go-to hobby content creator. Not there to kiss ass but eh, you should know you're producing high quality stuff and the algorithm is on your side. To think how I could have started in faaar better conditions all those years ago, when RU-vid was still in its infancy and I had to rely on scanned citadel painting books with instructions such as "to paint a model, fill your brush with paint. apply it on the model. Bam 'eavy metal stuff."
I recently purchased a hands-free vice that was originally designed for doing soldering but it works great for painting miniatures also. It has four octopus-like arms that are very bendable and you can use them to hold the figure and maybe even hold a magnifying glass or something else to help you paint the figure. It has been a game changer
They can be nice, but you need a "good" one. The monstrosities that get sold most commonly with the two crocodile clamps and a magnifying glass are pretty much worse than useless in every way. The clamps destroy whatever you put in them, they don't hold position, the magnifier is trash. I got mine for soldering and scrapped it in favour of a pair of wooden clothes pegs in a vice.
On the topic of cutting mats, if you want a cheap and medium sized one flexible cutting boards work great. You can often get multi packs for around 6-10 dollars and they are about the size of playmat/desk mousepad.
Further essentials i use on a regular basis. Tweezers, Hairdryer, Hobby glases, crocodile clamp on a stick for foam holding, hand drill, micro sol, bal bearings, paper towel, masking tape.
Just want to say those Caboodles makeup cases make awesome carrying cases for hobby tools, a couple miniatures and even a couple paints if you are traveling to the store or a con.
Been building and painting miniatures for roughly 5 years now and all this time I didn't realize how much I really needed flexible sanding sticks until about 2 weeks ago. Picked em up at Hobby Lobby and my God they are absolutely a must. Cleanup without them both takes longer and never comes out as well as with them. Godsend for making joins disappear which is the primary reason I use them and they can be used wet as well to get that seam glassy flush. Great recommendations here mate.
When it comes to storage, I have been using a Plano Hip Roof Tackle Box. It can fit EVERYTHING that I needed and more. Easy to carry with the handles, lots of compartments, and massive room on the bottom. I can fit my wet palette, paints, brushes, cleaner, tools, etc.
For transporting paints I use a foam lined, zippered case designed to hold alcohol inks. It fits most dropper bottle style paints (which works for me since I don't care for GWs pots). While it is more expensive than just using a tub, it is still reasonably priced and it holds each bottle securely with no chance of spillage.
Hey Ninjon, I love your gear videos like this one and it has really helped me as I'm a new painter (only been painting minis since March), about 90% of the stuff you've recommended has worked out great for me. Being able to not waste a ton of money has worked out great and I think it has made me a better artist. For example, using artist paints instead of model paints. This has allowed me to figure out how to mix paints and has kept me from having a wall of paints that I see everyone else has. I have a suggestion for a video series that I think would be massively helpful for newbs like me and it seems no other RU-vidr wants to tackle. A troubleshooting video series. There are plenty of videos out there that say "do this and it just works" but very few that say "here is the technique, and if you are encountering this problem here is how you fix it". You have done a video like this with your "Fixing your mini painting MISTAKES" video, which is helpful and I think that could be expanded into other techniques. Also, more videos on using oil paints would be great, maybe one on oil NMM, if you are up for the challenge :). Thank you for all of your help man!
Love this idea! I’d like a “my models look furry after priming” troubleshooting guide. I think it’s because I live in a relatively cold environment but I’m not sure what to do to get my models looking sleek.
@@Ms_Ink Yeah, I've been working on the oil painting technique that Ninjon talks about in several of his videos. While it's doing okay for me, I'm not getting great results (I'm also like 6 months into this hobby so I'm expecting perfection), I'd still like to know what I'm doing wrong and having a series where an expert tells us what we could be doing incorrectly would be great. Hell, I'm super bad, I'll even give a list of things I'd like troubleshooting videos on that would be a mile long. I'd write that up and give it to him tomorrow, no questions asked, I'd just like to see how to fix my issues.
my painting handle is just old 0.5 liter or 1 pint soda bottles and some poster tac, works pretty well so far. its kind of interesting seeing what kind of cheaper alternatives we can get away with.
I no longer build models or paint miniatures (but getting inspired by this channel to do so again), but do have to do some small repair work at times. I have found that the thin plastic cutting boards they sell at the Dollar Tree to be very handy and cheap for using as a cutting mat, and they are paint resistant, too. LED bulbs run on the cool side, both in the light spectrum, as well as heat, and you can choose your brightness while also saving on the electric bill. And those type of desk lamps are a very common flea market,yard sale/thrift store item if you want to save a few bucks.
@Ninjon I've watched this video twice, 1 when it came out and today, and its a big help. Started this hobby at the start of the year and next year I want to get into airbrushing. The challenge for me is researching what is needed. There are to many videos on what air brush to get but not the set up and tools you need. I see people using box with a filter or a mask or nothing at all. You stated in this video that you often air brush at you desk and you put down paper. I would like to see a video on this subject, what is needed for airbrushing and how to set up the space. Thanks for all the videos. As always, they are a huge help. And lets find a little time in the day to slay the gray.
Great video! I was just at a convention (for work, not fun stuff) with my frontier travel painting kit at my hotel room so I had something to do in the evening. Was great! The only thing I'd add is if you have cats... somewhere to store your brushes. My cat loooooves to chew on brushes. So having a ventilated box with a lid for my brushes to dry safely in is essential.
Interesting about cats n brushes. So far my monsters don’t seem to be remotely interested in them. They did, however, completely chew up and wreck some plastic pipettes and will gnaw anything string-like.
I love poster tack. I've used the same marble-sized lump for several months. It's great for masking connection points when priming, and dry-fitting models with many parts. I always put some on the bottom of my contrast and shade pots to keep them from tipping over. Also, all of my finished models get a bit under the base when sitting on the shelf.
@ Ninjon, when traveling, always put your liquid bottles into a sealed plastic bag. That way, if they leak, they don't get all over your travel case and potentially ruin anything else. - Also, thank you so much for your content. You are the first content creator that I am watching of 2024. I just love your channel and all your advice!
A suggestion for priming miniatures, if you are just priming a few minis and you don't want to use a rattle can or airbrush. Artist's Acrylic Gesso, it is used for priming canvas and boards before painting, the clever bit is it shrinks as it dries, will adhere to metal, plastic or resin and you wash your brush in water (and it doesn't stink). Cheap too.
Supercheap/free alternative for a painting handle is a upside down plastic pill bottle with blue tack or a cork (from a wine bottle) glued to it. I use the ones with the cork the most, because I tend to put pins in the feet of my mini's and can easily stick them to the handle that way. They are super light and comfortable; just find ones that fit your hand size well. Because of how light they are, they tend to tip over a little more easily. I "upgraded" them by gluing a cork coaster (any cork sheet or stiff cardboard should also work) to the bottom and that solved that issue nicely.
A little dust brush when building is always in my little kit. Usually a cut own old flat brush, but i use it loads when removing seam and mold lines and sanding smooth.
As a 48 year old mini painter I use or know a lot of what your saying but the museum putty and airbrush info on the bad things video you did among other things was good. As for adding I have always used the old clay style cat litter for bigger rocks on bases, we had cats in the 80s and as a young painter with no income to speak of I filled a pot with it and last refilled it 5 years ago lol. When you've attached the base layer of cooked soil and tea leaves a couple of these rocks glued in place literally and figuratively ROCK 😅. Also if you don't want to get a holder/handle simple wine corks, or if you want posh ones Champagne/Prosecco ones. You really only need one or two. Again had not heard of museum putty and huge thanks for that!!! ❤❤
Thank you for vindicating my use of airbrush primer with a brush to prime models - similar to you I have no practical way to spray paint models so opted for that method!
You had a chance to "plug" when you talked about water cups. Proud of you for taking the high road. Still a cup of coffee in a "Ninjon" mug goes a long way...
Hey John Video idea 💡 Paint other places. Like in the forest by a river in a car park or in the snow. I won’t ever do this but I would love to watch someone try it.
I have been using a Black Diamond LED headlamp for my portable painting setup while my permanent station is out of commission since I'm moving. They're neat since they have adjustable dimming and you're pointing light directly where you're facing, making wherever I can find a seat and put my wet palette a serviceable painting station for the time being.
My dad got me a magnifier light for Christmas one year a few years ago. ( More like 6), so it has a magnifying glass in the middle and a light around it. It has a clip and a standing base so you could use either or. It really upped my miniature painting. I do think dish soap, a toothbrush and rubbing alcohol for cleaning miniatures is important as well.
I've been using the same 30 years old drawing table.. It's all beaten up and stained with paint but god damn is it just perfect size. A good table with a nice Thin top so you can Clamp lamps or holders changes a lot.
Some tissue paper is useful thing to have near by. I use a small jar with metal lid as a handle / storage for a mini WIP. If I'm painting the mini (magnetized base) is on a jar, and a jar itself is the handle. If it is between sessions, the mini is under the lid, upside down, and protected inside the jar.
WRT lighting, I love my magnifier lamp. It's one of the more expensive pieces screwed to the desk, but it's so useful for close-up work with really good lighting (it gives you a ringlight around the entire workpiece), and you can simply remove the magnifier if you don't want the optics. And once you get to the wrong side of 40, check out reading or display work glasses.
1 tip, vallejo primer doesnt need to be thinned down, i use it straight from the pot and it looks great, just make sure to not apply to thick of a layer
Hmm, yes it works great on plastic and resin but not so much on white metal: (a) it seems to shrink leaving unpainted spots randomly over the surface, and (b) it’s very fragile and will chip off after minor knocks and scrapes. Also, one of the key purposes of priming is to bring out any moulding defects that you haven’t spotted earlier so that you can correct them. Unfortunately, the primer doesn’t like to be sanded or scraped and will peel off in large chunks.
@@sirrathersplendid4825 I find that Vallejo German Red Brown is a dream primer when not watered down, but every other colour gives me issues. Which is a shame, when sometimes I need a light base coat. Have you tried that one?
If you have bad eyesight like me, a desk magnifier and light combo is a good idea. It allows me to see the miniature and illuminates it. Plus, they're not prohibitively expensive.
I love using cloth nappies (diapers) folded next to me while I’m painting. I use it to: regulate the amount of pigment and water in my brush; to ensure my brush is completely clean after washing it; to dry my dry brush out enough for dry brushing; and, to clean up my desk quickly when I inevitably make a mess. They wash well and you can use oxyclean on them when washing. You can, of course, use paper towelling but that gets very expensive when you use it as much as I do. Terry towelling hand towels are also a good option. I’d suggest getting white ones as it’s the best colour to use when you want to see how clean your brush is.
I have a lot of space issues and ended up finding a semi-sturdy case that was for some audio equipment at the thrift store that cost me $0.50 and got some foam that could be plucked out in squares at work for free and after gluing them together I have a padded case that fits all my paints that I can store under my table.
I've found that a cheap nail grooming kit is really good for cleaning miniatures, the file/nail cleaner is good as a mold line remover and file, the clipers are good for removing extra sprue from the mini after cutting it out. Cuticle trimmer is also a good sprue clipper. A hobby knife would be the only thing you should need after that but otherwise it's not a bad little kit to make the nail clippers stop from cutting to far into the mini so you can sand that last bit off it's pretty cool
I was just about to say this! The only thing is that the nail files can sometimes be too thick to get in the gaps, but you can buy some cheap ones and cut them in half for a good 20-40p file that'll last quite a while.
I think you really don't need much to begin with. Sure, a model, some paint and a few cheap brushes, but looking back, that's it. The most important thing is motivation, that's what keep most people from finishing their stuff. I came back to model making and painting after my son showed interest in this hobby. And that's my motivation, spending time with my son and keeping him away from electronic time consumers! Keep up your good work!
So glad I found this channel as I'm retired and want to get back into mini's. I love your set up and I find you are a very professional YT personality. I subbed and now have to watch some more of your stuff. Cheers.
I also need to have a bit of wire and drill for pinning….I prefer to pin my models there bases so it must go in my travel box. I’m also an older hobbyist so my magnifying glasses are also a must.
Any flat tupperware box will serve just as well and cost a fraction of the price. Just grab a flat sponge or paper towel, cover with some parchment roll from the kitchen (cut to fit) and you’re good to go. Just remember to use distilled water not tap or bottled water to prevent mould.
@@sirrathersplendid4825…..yep👍🏻👍🏻. Buying wet palettes is a complete waste of money, making your own for next to nothing gets you exactly what you want…. I use take away containers, cost….absolutely nothing!
yeeeeessssss Scrapbooking totes! While the Citadel paints'll fit just about anywhere, droppers are another story and it's a PITA finding a carryall or toolbox that has the capacity and the height. I found one at a thrift shop, made of reinforced fabric with velcro strips for making up sections... and it smells like crayons XD Despite only using the bare minimum of tools myself, I have a bit of a fascination with weird hobby gadgets that's turned into a bit of a collection... My favourite is this ring from Kotobukiya with a tiny tiny water well, paint well, paper towel clip, mini paint-wicking palette AND a groove for pulling the brush tip together (y'know, for those of use who don't lick brushes 'n stuff). All that and it's barely an inch square, lmao. Never used it, but gosh is it adorable XD
I recently purchased a desk magnifier lamp off Ebay for au$25 and its a game changer for me. Its got a big heavy base and you just sit it on the desk with a double articulated arm. on the end is a 4 inch diameter 5x magnifier lens surrounded by a 52 led light ring. I can have the arm straight up and just use it as a lamp, or pull it down to use the magnifier. The magnifier is a decent size so its easy to see through without feeling restrictive. The ring light gives a very even lighting to your mini and it has a control box that lets me change it from warm/neutral/cold light, and increase or decrease the brightness. Im getting older now and my eyesight is not what it used to be, since getting this my painting quality has gone back to the level it used to be 15 years ago.
Scrapbooking boxes, check! I've two paint racks on my wall over my painting table and those do just fine for me, but there is always overflow...always. I also need to be better about more storage for all my schtuff that takes up space on my painting table! I'm forwarding this video to a friend of mine who is wanting to get into painting as well to help him out a bit.
Awesome video as usual. As mentioned, tweezers are a godsend for snall buts. Also, dental tools. All the random shaped heads, something will fit your need.
I cover my mat with Christmas wrapping paper. It's cheaper than almost any other alternative and works just as well. In January, you can get thick rolls for a quarter at your omnipresent dollar store of choice.
I have found that the ~$80 I spent for an airbrush off amazon is probably one of the best bits of hobby spending I've done, living in a very humid climate. Without it, I might only have 8 weeks a year where I can easily prime outside without having to worry about the temperature, humidity or wind screwing with the primejob. The price goes up a bit with the airbrush primer and some of the cleaning supplies for it, but for priming and doing an easy basecoat, the air brush makes it so much easier.
Regardless of what brand of liquid plastic model cement you use, I've found that the most accurate applicator is a 100cc insulin syringe. It allows you to place just a tiny drop into the tightest corner, or run a line of cement along a seam. You can buy them in boxes of 100 for @ $25.00.
.... That was Awesome. The only thing I might add to the list.. Would be tweezers... .. So glad I stayed to the end of the video, as those outtakes were just what I needed today.... Thanks dude. Keep up the good work. 😍💜
Totally earned my like for the needle karma comment 😂 I often joke about my needle karma, I swear if there's a sharp object available to step on, my foot will find it. I attribute this all to when I was 7 and I left a tack outside my mean older brother's door to step on.
My desk cover is two part. A sheet of clear vinyl and then an A2 sketch pad. When the top sheet of the sketch pad gets grubby, I just tear it off for a nice clean new surface.
Another good lighting option is a headlamp. Those things that tattoo artists tend to use sometimes. I find that I always obscure something or other with any sort of stationary lamp, and then I have to twist and turn to get it to where I can see what I'm painting. This way, you just nudge your head a little bit here or there, and there you go. It's been a massive game-changer for me.
Clothes pins or binder clips or even paper clips, for those times when you have to clamp 2 pieces together and you don't want to hold those pieces together with your fingers.
Stuff I use regularly and you didn't mention: - Paint shaker - Paper towels - Cocktail sticks for applying stuff like super glue. Not need to use even the cheaper brushes for that. - A dropper bottle with water to add small droplets to my paints (on my wet pallet). That way I can add roughly the same amount every time. Of course conditions play a roll, but I like the possibility of standardizing it provides me. - Airbrush. Mobile homemade spraying booth (not kept on the table). I like to have an old white towel to empty the water (plus leftover paint) that's in my airbrush on. Found it to be much faster than emptying that stuff in a cup holder thingy. Also you can see if there is still paint in the airbrush (unless it is the same color as the towel of course).
I use a DeWalt TSTAK deep tub with wheels and two cases on top for all my Miniature painting stuff. I do this as I'm not always painting at home I do session with friends, and it makes it super easy and portal. Also the Vallejo 80 paint foam insert fits snuggly into one of the compartments with all the paints and some rom around the sides and on top for stuff like my wet and dry palates and sprues. moderately expensive but Considering I have everything in there, airbrush included, its a great solution for having limited space and needing it packed away nicely while still being portable.
I got myself a little stackable cantilever tool box for storing all my mini stuff in and it's brilliant! I used to travel a lot with my gear and don't have a fixed set up because i have to use one desk for several hobbies, so something that is portable and can be tucked away easily but had room for expansion like a tool box is perfect. A bit more expensive than scrapbooking boxes but being able to fit everything bar my minis into one box and have it be pretty modular inside and also travel well makes so much of a difference!
