[40K] Paint, Process and Preferences

I've started to add the red on the Mexi-Marines, and they're starting to take shape and look "real". I'm starting to envision how I'll add details including drybrushing and washes.

Here's an old school metal Dreadnaught (on the right), with the dual colors laid down:

I also have a combat squad done. Only 90 more Marines to go...

I stopped by the FLGS on the way home to pick up some GW Astronomicon Grey- I've heard great things about the "new" foundation line, and I have a LOT of cleanup to do, as very easily seen in the pictures above.

I like the color and the coverage, but I frickin' HATE the bottles they come in.

I'll admit it, I am absolutely spoiled. I have a huge selection of paints available to me. The Dude owns the entire Vallejo Game Color line and is talking about getting the Reaper Master Series line. I have P3 and some older GW paints, as well as (showing my age here) Armory and a couple others that came out between Armory going under and the P3 line.

If it were up to me, we'd also have the Vallejo Model Color line. I adore those de-saturated, subtle, tonal colors. I know they have their place (and 40K really isn't it except for -IG-), but they are the paints for me. It sure doesn't hurt that their bottles are absolute showcases of design genius to me. (The same is true for Game Color paints.)

Those dropper bottles are the smartest thing I've seen in painting tools for a very long time. They're great for keeping you colors wet and well preserved. They make getting just a little paint so much easier, too. I have a couple "custom colors" as well, with the "recipe" on the spare bottles I have laying around.

Example: I wanted a bright, crisp, yellow-ish shiny gold- so I took 2 drops Sun Yellow and 1 drop Glorious Gold and mixed. The result was perfect, and I can replicate it every time with no guesswork or concerns about "how much I used last time".

The GW stuff comes in those crazy hinged bottles, with the big-ass mouth and no easy way to get any paint out onto a palette without a headache or spilled paint. At least not one that I've discoverd- I AM pretty clumsy, so that might just be a personal problem.

Having a palette is part of my painting process- I tend to paint from one well at a time, no mixing or touching of colors. I also paint pretty heavy and messy. There are times when I overpaint, and I grab a nearby brush with short, stiff and dry bristles to wipe away the extra.

I use this "de-brushing" technique very frequently in areas with a lot of detail- I stick a big blob on a section, and then remove, remove, remove. Sometimes, I even do this on areas where I know other colors will end up going (on the Dread above, I did this on the exhaust pipes). I've found that using this technique offers a depth and warmth to parts of models that usually look cold or overworked to me.

These tendencies are just personal preferences. Everyone has some- I'm sure you'll see some more of mine as the Mexi-Marines get closer to completion.