All posts tagged: tutorial

Good Reads 57 – Tutorials, Conversions, Oddness, and More

Published by Joe B

Looking for some awesome hobby reads to check out? Good Reads 57 is finally here with some of my favorite posts from the last few weeks. There are so many excellent hobby bloggers out there sharing fantastic content, and this is a celebration of some of that work. I owe big thanks to Scott (@brushwizard) for guilting me into finally getting this post written. Apparently, I have built up an expectation among some of you to get this out now and then! So without further ado, here are your Good Reads: A New Plague The creative genius Da RedNekkz does a great job of converting and painting disgusting Nurgle, things. This converted Plague Caster is a perfect example of that. It’s fun to see how artists modify pieces to fit their vision. A Son to Be Proud Of Modian is well known for finishing whole armies in a week before selling them off to start the next. His current focus is this beautiful Sons of Horus, complete with a great looking Contemptor. Build a Zone …

Painting Pox Walkers with Washes Tutorial and Showcase

Published by Joe B

Yes, I jumped on the new 40k box set. I didn’t fully plan on doing so, but I broke down, and I am glad I did. These new models are incredibly detailed and full of character. The zombies were the first to get paint and here is the tutorial on painting pox walkers with washes. I decided to use washes on the Pox Walkers as I wanted to get all 20 of them finished quickly and experimented with the style. When done well, you can get a great looking unit with a few different glazes of color. Priming and Prep After assembling the miniatures, I took some of the duplicates and modified them as you will see below. On some, I removed horns and extra equipment. On others, I bent arms and hands to get a different look. Each model got a solid coverage of white primer using two light coats. For painting with washes, others have recommended using gray primer and give it a quick spray of white from the top. This can help …

How to Paint the Blood Bowl Troll – A Broken Paintbrush Tutorial

Published by Joe B

I started painting the Blood Bowl Troll as a way to show different painting techniques but found it was going to work better as a general tutorial instead. Check out the tutorial below for tips on how to paint the Troll as well as some general tips on painting with washes and blending. Orc and Goblin teams can take the Troll for some extra muscle and even toss a (somewhat) willing volunteer across the field. As I build up each of my Blood Bowl teams, I want to add some of the special team players to add some fun to the games. I had fun painting him to a higher standard than the Orc players and testing a few techniques. Building and Prep This model was probably the craziest I have done regarding odd pieces for a single character model. This does create a pose that is detailed and dynamic but provides only a single pose. For those who like to leave pieces separate, the only one part that made sense was the shoulder pad. …

Good Reads 53

Published by Joe B

Despite the focus on all the exciting changes for 8th edition, there was still a bunch of awesome hobby working happening. So dive in and check this week’s Good Reads and be inspired by your fellow hobbyists. For those new here, Good Reads is where I showcase some of my favorite hobby posts from the week. Some are fantastic tutorials, others are inspirational showcases, but all are worth checking out and giving the blogger a follow. Bogged Down Durthu NafNaf is on a roll with his Sylvaneth. This week brings his reimagining of Durthu as a bog demon. Not only is there some excellent conversion skill going on here, but his use of texture paint is impressive. Your Brain on Art Outside of the usual hobby sphere, I did find this interesting article that discusses neural scientists studying the brain activity of artists. While there isn’t anything substantive in the article, it is interesting to see scientists trying to understand what makes painters like us tick. Art ImitatingÂ Art I loved the Doctor Strange movie, and …

Good Reads 51 a HUGE collection of hobby posts to enjoy

Published by Joe B

Welcome to Good Reads 51 where I share some awesome hobby posts from the last two weeks. With some painting tutorials, amazing miniatures, and awesome hobbyists, there is lots to check out. Alternative Magnus the Red The plastic Magnus the Red is already an incredible miniature, so it takes some skill and creativity to convert it. Rebecca took up that challenge with this creepy alternative for their INQ28 campaign. Painting a Blue Orc Popping out of his shell to give us another incredible painting tutorial, Darren Latham wrote how he painted this blue Orruk Megaboss face. While not everyone will want their orcs to be slightly blue, the details around the ears, eyes, and mouth are useful for any orc/ork/orruk player. Master of Change As this is theÂ third Thousand Sons army that Moridan7th has painted, and then sold Â :-/, I think it is fair to say he knows a thing or two about the army. He is also a painted machine, and by the time of this post, he has already finished a few other …

List of Helpful Object Source Lighting Tutorials

Published by Joe B

Whether it is a lamp, glowing lava, or a spotlight, adding the glow effect onto the model can look impressive. Many award-winning miniatures have multiple lights that appear to actually be glowing. I’ve gathered some articles with object source lighting tutorials so learn how to do this effect. The term object source lighting (OSL) is what painters use to describe the illusion of a light striking the model. The painted on lighting effect can be dramatic, and sometimes overdone. But it is also tricky to achieve. I have tried to do this effect on some of my miniatures with varying levels of success. But rather than tryÂ to create a tutorial on something I don’t fully get myself, I found articles by painters who have mastered the technique. Light the Fire I couldn’t find who the author was for this guest post on Chest of Colors, but not only is this a beautifully well-done miniature, but the tips offered are great. “C’mon baby, light my fire ” – OSL Tips | Chest of Colors Seven ‘commandments’ …

Tutorial on How to Paint Yellow with layers, wash, and one coat paints

How to Paint Yellow – Three Techniques on Three Different Models

Published by Joe B

Yellow is one of those ‘hard’ colors. So, much like painting black, I stepped up to the challenge and created a tutorial on how to paint yellow. But not just one way, but three different methods to paint yellow. Mostly this tutorial was spawned by painting my Dwarven Blood Bowl Team with yellow padding. Since I wanted to try a couple of other techniques for painting yellow, I built a Bretonnian Knight and a Death Watch Space Marine. Both of these other kits provides great opportunity to paint other colors. Well, at least if you don’t keep to the ‘standard’ Death Watch scheme. So if you need some help or inspiration on how to paint yellow, check out the three tutorials below. [convertkit form=5009797] Using Layers to Paint Yellow on a Knight I picked up a box of Brettonian Knights years ago to practice painting different colors and freehand. Â And so far, I have painted only two of them! But Sir Sunshine here has provided the canvas for my first tutorial on how to paint …

Brush Stroke 1

Published by Joe B

Exactly one year ago I started a newsletter for Broken Paintbrush called the Brush Stroke. The first few issues didn’t go out to many other than family, so I decided to post each week’s post here for posterity. Want to get the latest newsletter into your inbox? Make sure to sign up in the form at the bottom. Welcome to the first ever Broken Paintbrush newsletter! I hope to bring new ways to help your hobby right to your inbox. New Post: Foldio Review This week’s post on Broken Paintbrush is a review of the Foldio 2 Light Box, a relatively large, but portable light box. Photography: Build Your Own Light Box But you don’t need to buy a light box, Marc from Old School Gaming built a huge one out of a lawnmower box. Painting: Tutorial on Painting Eyes I’ve been working on improving my skin tones lately and stumbled upon a Reaper Minis article on painting eye first. Inspiration: Warlord Titan Dave Taylor is a long time favorite painter of mine, and recently …

Painting the Dwarf Blood Bowl Team

Published by Joe B

In my excitement to get a set of Blood Bowl teams finished, I painted up two of the Dwarf players: a blocker and a Slayer. Given they are a fantasy sports team, I used bright yellow and blue for their armor. Here is how I amÂ painting the dwarf blood bowl team. As with my Orc team, I painted them to be quick so that I can finish the team quickly. Yellow would seem to be an odd choice for a quick scheme, but WarColours One-Coat Yellow made it simple. You can check out the color list at the bottom of the post. Dwarven Blocker I love the look of the Dwarven Blood Bowl players. They are tough and squatÂ but are distinctÂ from mail-clad warriors. They also have a nice balance between ornate armor and flat panels for decals. The long beards and braids add movement and regalness to themÂ even if their bellies hang out a bit. I attempted to paint the blue gems as sapphires, which I think worked out fairly well. Troll Slayer The Troll …

Good Reads 49

Published by Joe B

It is incredible to see what hobbyists come up with or the new projects they are painting. Good Reads is my attempt to showcase some of the favorite ones I found. I hope they inspire you with your projects and teach you a new trick or two. DIY Terrian is Still Cool Sometimes you need more line of sight blocking scenery pieces, especially with all those big guns out there. To solve this, Jack built up a couple of pieces from leftover cans and a few spare bits. Then with his usual impressive painting skills, he turned them into great looking pieces. Coils of the Hydra I liked how Gungrave’s Alpha Legion Dreadnought turned out. Between the charging pose and the fantastic metallicÂ blue, it makes for a very nice looking Contemptor. The details pop with his paint job as well, showing off Forge World’s excellent sculpting. Make Your Own Castle The dream of many fantasy gamers is to do a castle siege,Â reliving all those cool scenes from Lord of the Rings. John built himself a …

Good Reads 47

Published by Joe B

Need a dose of awesome hobby reading? Then get ready for my picks for Good Reads 47 and be prepared to spend a few hours enjoying some excellent content. Painting Black A few weeks back I wrote an article on painting black using some quick and dirty methods. For those looking for a more advanced discussion on the topic, check out David Powell’sÂ post on painting shiny black. Squaduary Finished While my Squaduary pledge was a failure, plenty of other hobbyistsÂ fished their squads in this final showcase. With at least 40 participants and 205 finished models, I think Rory created a fantastic new event. I can’t wait until next year (I really will complete something I promise!) Monster March If you haven’t seen it already and enjoyed Squaduary or Dreadtober, Swordmaster is hosting Monster March! As the name implies, this event is all about completing a Monster this month. So far it looks like 19 people have started, so grab your nearest monster-on-the-sprue and join in! Titan Maniple There are times I wish that I had …

How to Improve Your Hobby Painting Skills

Published by Joe B

In part two of Improve Your Hobby Skills series, I want to share some ways to improve your hobby painting skills. I’ve broken this huge topic down into eight areas that can improve the way you paint. As painting is a huge aspect of our hobby, this is going to be a rather long article, but don’t forget you can download the article as a PDF, including part 1: building skills. [convertkit form=5003522] Painting ability is where a lot of us focus when we think of what we need to improve. Understandable since there are so many aspects of painting to learn, so many incredible artists out there, and we spend so much time on it compared to the build. But just as with the build suggestions, I recommend you focus on one idea at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed. Also, let your painting style build upon itself, don’t pressure yourself to be the next Blanche, ‘Eavy Metal, or name-your-favorite-artist. Get comfortable with what you can do already, and progress from there. 1. …