That's a fantastic table and it's nice to see something besides a generic sci-fi-theme.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
edited January 2018
Holy shit, that table is amazing. Good job on it!
[Edit] To avoid double posting, I just wanted to say I'm super curious about the way those buildings are made. I'm finally starting to put some time into working up designs using my Glowforge, and making baby steps toward understanding what works well and what doesn't. For instance, here is my first very sample of some tabletop terrain (wood-paneled interior) I'm working toward:
What part of the production process are you curious about? They are, as I'm sure you know, laser cut mdf. The lead designer is actual qualified product designer/concept artist/design teacher who has won enough Golden Daemons that I once witnessed him and and another Golden Daemon winner play a 6 objective game of 40k using Golden Daemon trophies as objectives, so they've got some serious design chops behind them. Craig is a wizard who makes magic with mdf.
I put models on Instagram now: asher_paints
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
What part of the production process are you curious about? They are, as I'm sure you know, laser cut mdf. The lead designer is actual qualified product designer/concept artist/design teacher who has won enough Golden Daemons that I once witnessed him and and another Golden Daemon winner play a 6 objective game of 40k using Golden Daemon trophies as objectives, so they've got some serious design chops behind them. Craig is a wizard who makes magic with mdf.
...Christ.
I'm just a schmuck former-engineer with an expensive tool and a dream. I guess my only real pertinent question is what he does to minimize charring on his cuts? Other than that....ummm, let him know his stuff is amazing?
[Edit] Also, what do you use to paint kits like this? I can't imagine wanting to use expensive miniatures paint on any sizable mdf kit.
Pickle jar marine work in progress (Pallid Hand scheme death guard).... someone said use your fridge for good lighting on minis.... that actually seems to be true.
The more I work on these the more I realize I'm missing some key colors, mostly blues.... I began thinking I'd just bulk paint a few of them with screaming skull and a sepia wash, just to get the armor down. I never made it to my second marine, but I didn't end up with almost all of my paints opened and in use on this guy.
I need to figure out how to get a smoother finish on the armor using a wash (or maybe don't use a wash? Drybrush instead? I don't know). Pretty happy with censer smoke v1.0... I think I know where to improve.
If you apply the wash lightly across the whole model there shouldn’t be any tide marks. Don’t use water to thin the wash either, that will make it blotchy and uneven, get an acrylic thinner from Vallejo.
1:3 is probably a better ratio, it’ll be pretty thin but you can always do multiple washes. Just don’t slop it on carelessly or you end up with pools of wash leaking everywhere.
What part of the production process are you curious about? They are, as I'm sure you know, laser cut mdf. The lead designer is actual qualified product designer/concept artist/design teacher who has won enough Golden Daemons that I once witnessed him and and another Golden Daemon winner play a 6 objective game of 40k using Golden Daemon trophies as objectives, so they've got some serious design chops behind them. Craig is a wizard who makes magic with mdf.
...Christ.
I'm just a schmuck former-engineer with an expensive tool and a dream. I guess my only real pertinent question is what he does to minimize charring on his cuts? Other than that....ummm, let him know his stuff is amazing?
[Edit] Also, what do you use to paint kits like this? I can't imagine wanting to use expensive miniatures paint on any sizable mdf kit.
I'm honestly not sure about minimisation of the design process, but he often does things in no intuitive ways no minimise cuts needed. He designs everything in sketchup first, then breaks it down for cutting. He just makes all of his objects 3mm thick to match the mdf and then shoves bits together to make what he wants, then slits them apart and makes them a single layer which he then exports (not sure on the specifics there) to the right kind of file for the cutter. All the design work I've done has been straight into Corel Draw and then to the laser, but I've only been doing simple stuff like bases and objectives.
Here is his 115 odd page design plog. He shows a lot of WiP stuff and renders, so you can get a good idea how he iterates on his process and see how the models are put together. Craig is a mad genius and I think on of the things MS has over the many other Laser cut scenery places is the cleverness of his designs.
As for the paint .... Hahaha! We ususally do jsut use miniature paint. Colour sprays and an Airbrush are your best friends. Do as much as you can with a rattle can then airbrush over that for more depth. Most of the buildings in the Arabian Table got a colour spray base, then 2 layers of airbrush highlighting, then drybrush details and freehand etc. We killed 3 half full rattle cans, made a dent in a couple more and probably used the best part of like 5 Vallejo dropper bottles. That's not including the baseboard which was done with mis-tints from our local paint shop. Painting terrain is expensive if you do it 'properly'. You can get away with whatever you like so long as it's matt though. MDF is really thirsty, so I do recommend priming heavily.
Having tried several new schemes (and ultimately growing to hate every one of them), I've retreated back towards good ol' green and brown, but using the carapace texture technique from the one-off Ravener I painted last year.
It'll take a while but it's coming along well.
Kneel on
Want to see more of Kneel's slapdash slatherings?
Visit him at Monstrous Pigments' Instagram and Facebook pages!
What part of the production process are you curious about? They are, as I'm sure you know, laser cut mdf. The lead designer is actual qualified product designer/concept artist/design teacher who has won enough Golden Daemons that I once witnessed him and and another Golden Daemon winner play a 6 objective game of 40k using Golden Daemon trophies as objectives, so they've got some serious design chops behind them. Craig is a wizard who makes magic with mdf.
...Christ.
I'm just a schmuck former-engineer with an expensive tool and a dream. I guess my only real pertinent question is what he does to minimize charring on his cuts? Other than that....ummm, let him know his stuff is amazing?
[Edit] Also, what do you use to paint kits like this? I can't imagine wanting to use expensive miniatures paint on any sizable mdf kit.
I'm honestly not sure about minimisation of the design process, but he often does things in no intuitive ways no minimise cuts needed. He designs everything in sketchup first, then breaks it down for cutting. He just makes all of his objects 3mm thick to match the mdf and then shoves bits together to make what he wants, then slits them apart and makes them a single layer which he then exports (not sure on the specifics there) to the right kind of file for the cutter. All the design work I've done has been straight into Corel Draw and then to the laser, but I've only been doing simple stuff like bases and objectives.
Here is his 115 odd page design plog. He shows a lot of WiP stuff and renders, so you can get a good idea how he iterates on his process and see how the models are put together. Craig is a mad genius and I think on of the things MS has over the many other Laser cut scenery places is the cleverness of his designs.
As for the paint .... Hahaha! We ususally do jsut use miniature paint. Colour sprays and an Airbrush are your best friends. Do as much as you can with a rattle can then airbrush over that for more depth. Most of the buildings in the Arabian Table got a colour spray base, then 2 layers of airbrush highlighting, then drybrush details and freehand etc. We killed 3 half full rattle cans, made a dent in a couple more and probably used the best part of like 5 Vallejo dropper bottles. That's not including the baseboard which was done with mis-tints from our local paint shop. Painting terrain is expensive if you do it 'properly'. You can get away with whatever you like so long as it's matt though. MDF is really thirsty, so I do recommend priming heavily.
If you hit the MDF with a light coat if lacquer (I'd spray it with a rattle can if you have the space), then scuff it with a bit of something like Scotch-Brite, and blow off the dust (you can wipe it off with a very slightly damp cloth if your air compressor isn't powerful enough), it will be a lot less paint thirsty. Dry, Scuff, Clean. You're not looking to seal the MDF, just use something easier and less expensive than paint to fill it's structure. You can, obviously, varnish over the paint, and something like a spar varnish shouldn't have any problems sticking to the lacquer.
You can also use a material called "sanding sealer", which should be even cheaper than lacquer, but doesn't usually come in a rattle can. If you have access to a formal finish booth or spray gun, I'd use sanding sealer (because it's more cost effective at that kind of scale).
It will also help stiffen the MDF up a bit, and help keep the corners hard to prevent any chipping.
1:3 is probably a better ratio, it’ll be pretty thin but you can always do multiple washes. Just don’t slop it on carelessly or you end up with pools of wash leaking everywhere.
Is war of the ring that enormous sucker in the giant box shaped like a fake book? I remember it had a bunch of colored factions and stuff like a mountains and towers.
Is war of the ring that enormous sucker in the giant box shaped like a fake book? I remember it had a bunch of colored factions and stuff like a mountains and towers.
Coloured (painted) factions are only in the ULTRA-expensive collector's edition, the standard game has blue and red minis only (though yes, the borders on the maps have different colours), ditto for the book-shaped box.
Sculpted towers and mountains are third-party add-ons.
But yeah, you're more or less thinking of the right thing.
That makes sense then. I knew a guy REALLY into lord of the rings with that game, I guess he got the ultra super deluxe version with all the fixings. He had a specially engraved 24k gold One Ring made to go with it.
Question: Are you supposed to thin and mix paints for an airbrush inside the gravity feed cup itself?
I mean ... "supposed to"? No, probably not. Can you? Sure. Would say it primarily depends on the quality of paint, how much thinning it needs, how much you're mixing ... things like that.
Literally an hour ago I did some in-cup mixing for a really small session laying grey over an existing blue fade. Had no problems doing that, for example. But for the majority of times I use my airbrush I'll make sure I get the right consistency in a separate container and then pour it in. I think it's just a safer method if you want to build good habits, but it's kind of up to you to decide how comfortable you are making your cup mixes work.
Question: Are you supposed to thin and mix paints for an airbrush inside the gravity feed cup itself?
I mean ... "supposed to"? No, probably not. Can you? Sure. Would say it primarily depends on the quality of paint, how much thinning it needs, how much you're mixing ... things like that.
Literally an hour ago I did some in-cup mixing for a really small session laying grey over an existing blue fade. Had no problems doing that, for example. But for the majority of times I use my airbrush I'll make sure I get the right consistency in a separate container and then pour it in. I think it's just a safer method if you want to build good habits, but it's kind of up to you to decide how comfortable you are making your cup mixes work.
Alrighty, cool. I just saw a guy in a youtube video doing it, and I'm so new to this whole thing I was wondering if I'd been doing it the hard way. Thanks for the advice!
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Mr_Rose83 Blue Ridge Protects the HolyRegistered Userregular
Question: Are you supposed to thin and mix paints for an airbrush inside the gravity feed cup itself?
I mean ... "supposed to"? No, probably not. Can you? Sure. Would say it primarily depends on the quality of paint, how much thinning it needs, how much you're mixing ... things like that.
Literally an hour ago I did some in-cup mixing for a really small session laying grey over an existing blue fade. Had no problems doing that, for example. But for the majority of times I use my airbrush I'll make sure I get the right consistency in a separate container and then pour it in. I think it's just a safer method if you want to build good habits, but it's kind of up to you to decide how comfortable you are making your cup mixes work.
Alrighty, cool. I just saw a guy in a youtube video doing it, and I'm so new to this whole thing I was wondering if I'd been doing it the hard way. Thanks for the advice!
Yeah, it’s kid of an advanced technique you can only use to best effect with experience; unless you know instinctively how that thinner and that paint react and have done it the same way a couple hundred times you aren’t going to be super consistent mixing in the cup. Which isn’t an issue for one-offs usually but for an army? Pre-mix and keep the mix in a separate jar.
Also you need to be aware of the needle; if you accidentally bend the needle while mixing, you’re kinda boned. Even if you have a spare, you’re probably going to lose whatever you were mixing while you change over anyway.
Put together a thick gruel of railroad sand, diorama dust, small rocks and bits of shale with watered down wood glue in a sealable container. It seems to work better and hold stronger than the usual layer of glue on the base, dip in basing, then cover in more glue method, though it probably doesn’t have a very long shelf life. Might try mixing in some acrylic medium as well to see if that helps.
Vallejo Course Pumice is the absolute best material for basing i have ever used.
One tub will do multiple armies, and once dry it is very solid. You can push bits into it while wet and it'll keep them there forever.
Vallejo Course Pumice is the absolute best material for basing i have ever used.
One tub will do multiple armies, and once dry it is very solid. You can push bits into it while wet and it'll keep them there forever.
Conversely I'm going through multiple tubs of Vallejo texture pastes for the diorama walls.
Question: Are you supposed to thin and mix paints for an airbrush inside the gravity feed cup itself?
I mean ... "supposed to"? No, probably not. Can you? Sure. Would say it primarily depends on the quality of paint, how much thinning it needs, how much you're mixing ... things like that.
Literally an hour ago I did some in-cup mixing for a really small session laying grey over an existing blue fade. Had no problems doing that, for example. But for the majority of times I use my airbrush I'll make sure I get the right consistency in a separate container and then pour it in. I think it's just a safer method if you want to build good habits, but it's kind of up to you to decide how comfortable you are making your cup mixes work.
Alrighty, cool. I just saw a guy in a youtube video doing it, and I'm so new to this whole thing I was wondering if I'd been doing it the hard way. Thanks for the advice!
For a one off colour or model I thin in the cup, give it a stir with a shitty brush and backblow (cover the airhead and blow air back into the cup) for good measure.
For armies though, totally premix your colours. Get yourself a bag of dropper bottles from eBay, they're invaluable.
Want to see more of Kneel's slapdash slatherings?
Visit him at Monstrous Pigments' Instagram and Facebook pages!
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
edited January 2018
Hmmm. I have a choice to make now.
I've made pretty good progress since my last post about this guy, but I'm kinda faltering on the direction I want to take the piece because I've had two ... "stories" feel possible. Originally, it was meant to be sort of an action piece, pushing through a front line during an assault (I think of this one as "Breakthrough"). I figured I could amp this one up a bit by adding a 2nd drone with some shield effects (we've all seen that cool clear plastic stuff by now to know what I'm talking about, right?). The flip side is more subtle, with the suit and drone still hanging out, but less aggressively postured, and adding a few fire warriors or pathfinders onto the base. Picture more of a "Recon" scenario, since that's what I'm calling it. :P
Anyway I'm sitting here half-way through painting the base and stalled on whether I want to paint the metal fence with fresh plasma burns, or corroded to shit, and I feel like the driving factor should be whatever colour scheme works the best to compliment what I've got so far. For the life of me I can't figure that out myself. Please, give me opinions.
Hmmm. I have a choice to make now.
I've made pretty good progress since my last post about this guy, but I'm kinda faltering on the direction I want to take the piece because I've had two ... "stories" feel possible. Originally, it was meant to be sort of an action piece, pushing through a front line during an assault (I think of this one as "Breakthrough"). I figured I could amp this one up a bit by adding a 2nd drone with some shield effects (we've all seen that cool clear plastic stuff by now to know what I'm talking about, right?). The flip side is more subtle, with the suit and drone still hanging out, but less aggressively postured, and adding a few fire warriors or pathfinders onto the base. Picture more of a "Recon" scenario, since that's what I'm calling it. :P
Anyway I'm sitting here half-way through painting the base and stalled on whether I want to paint the metal fence with fresh plasma burns, or corroded to shit, and I feel like the driving factor should be whatever colour scheme works the best to compliment what I've got so far. For the life of me I can't figure that out myself. Please, give me opinions.
Rare WIP photos from Arctic's cell phone
Honestly, either will work fine. Rust and corrosion will be orange and turquoise.
Plasma burns would, in my mind's eye, be hot orange.
I personally reckon that it's your aesthetic choice.
Want to see more of Kneel's slapdash slatherings?
Visit him at Monstrous Pigments' Instagram and Facebook pages!
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
Posts
[Edit] To avoid double posting, I just wanted to say I'm super curious about the way those buildings are made. I'm finally starting to put some time into working up designs using my Glowforge, and making baby steps toward understanding what works well and what doesn't. For instance, here is my first very sample of some tabletop terrain (wood-paneled interior) I'm working toward:
...Christ.
I'm just a schmuck former-engineer with an expensive tool and a dream. I guess my only real pertinent question is what he does to minimize charring on his cuts? Other than that....ummm, let him know his stuff is amazing?
[Edit] Also, what do you use to paint kits like this? I can't imagine wanting to use expensive miniatures paint on any sizable mdf kit.
The more I work on these the more I realize I'm missing some key colors, mostly blues.... I began thinking I'd just bulk paint a few of them with screaming skull and a sepia wash, just to get the armor down. I never made it to my second marine, but I didn't end up with almost all of my paints opened and in use on this guy.
I need to figure out how to get a smoother finish on the armor using a wash (or maybe don't use a wash? Drybrush instead? I don't know). Pretty happy with censer smoke v1.0... I think I know where to improve.
Gamertag - Khraul
PSN - Razide6
As is, it looks ok, but definitely not what I was hoping for.
Gamertag - Khraul
PSN - Razide6
I'm honestly not sure about minimisation of the design process, but he often does things in no intuitive ways no minimise cuts needed. He designs everything in sketchup first, then breaks it down for cutting. He just makes all of his objects 3mm thick to match the mdf and then shoves bits together to make what he wants, then slits them apart and makes them a single layer which he then exports (not sure on the specifics there) to the right kind of file for the cutter. All the design work I've done has been straight into Corel Draw and then to the laser, but I've only been doing simple stuff like bases and objectives.
Here is his 115 odd page design plog. He shows a lot of WiP stuff and renders, so you can get a good idea how he iterates on his process and see how the models are put together. Craig is a mad genius and I think on of the things MS has over the many other Laser cut scenery places is the cleverness of his designs.
As for the paint .... Hahaha! We ususally do jsut use miniature paint. Colour sprays and an Airbrush are your best friends. Do as much as you can with a rattle can then airbrush over that for more depth. Most of the buildings in the Arabian Table got a colour spray base, then 2 layers of airbrush highlighting, then drybrush details and freehand etc. We killed 3 half full rattle cans, made a dent in a couple more and probably used the best part of like 5 Vallejo dropper bottles. That's not including the baseboard which was done with mis-tints from our local paint shop. Painting terrain is expensive if you do it 'properly'. You can get away with whatever you like so long as it's matt though. MDF is really thirsty, so I do recommend priming heavily.
It’s pretty close to the Zerg creep, going to do the foliage as a vivid green and purple. Maybe put some of those new creeper vines across later.
Having tried several new schemes (and ultimately growing to hate every one of them), I've retreated back towards good ol' green and brown, but using the carapace texture technique from the one-off Ravener I painted last year.
It'll take a while but it's coming along well.
Visit him at Monstrous Pigments' Instagram and Facebook pages!
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Good job
Do you mean physically nicking the plastic? Not sure about that.
If you mean painting on nicks and scratches then I'm totally on board with that.
Visit him at Monstrous Pigments' Instagram and Facebook pages!
If you hit the MDF with a light coat if lacquer (I'd spray it with a rattle can if you have the space), then scuff it with a bit of something like Scotch-Brite, and blow off the dust (you can wipe it off with a very slightly damp cloth if your air compressor isn't powerful enough), it will be a lot less paint thirsty. Dry, Scuff, Clean. You're not looking to seal the MDF, just use something easier and less expensive than paint to fill it's structure. You can, obviously, varnish over the paint, and something like a spar varnish shouldn't have any problems sticking to the lacquer.
You can also use a material called "sanding sealer", which should be even cheaper than lacquer, but doesn't usually come in a rattle can. If you have access to a formal finish booth or spray gun, I'd use sanding sealer (because it's more cost effective at that kind of scale).
It will also help stiffen the MDF up a bit, and help keep the corners hard to prevent any chipping.
Very well done or someone's stealing your pic and passing it off as their own haha.
PSN: Bizazedo
CFN: Bizazedo (I don't think I suck, add me).
I share my work from my project page, Monstrous Pigments, to a few hobby groups including Games Workshop Army Painters, so you probably saw it there.
Visit him at Monstrous Pigments' Instagram and Facebook pages!
@Badablack
Just so I'm clear here.... 1:3 paint to thinner?
Gamertag - Khraul
PSN - Razide6
Glad I asked
Thanks!
Gamertag - Khraul
PSN - Razide6
That worked great btw... did a couple of coats last night on a different marine.
Instead of a muddy look this one is kind of a warmer ivory.
Gonna try to thin a bit more for the next one and just go like a shade off of the screaming skull for more of a bone finish.
Thanks fella!
Gamertag - Khraul
PSN - Razide6
Edit: heh. Figured it out.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Coloured (painted) factions are only in the ULTRA-expensive collector's edition, the standard game has blue and red minis only (though yes, the borders on the maps have different colours), ditto for the book-shaped box.
Sculpted towers and mountains are third-party add-ons.
But yeah, you're more or less thinking of the right thing.
Literally an hour ago I did some in-cup mixing for a really small session laying grey over an existing blue fade. Had no problems doing that, for example. But for the majority of times I use my airbrush I'll make sure I get the right consistency in a separate container and then pour it in. I think it's just a safer method if you want to build good habits, but it's kind of up to you to decide how comfortable you are making your cup mixes work.
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
Alrighty, cool. I just saw a guy in a youtube video doing it, and I'm so new to this whole thing I was wondering if I'd been doing it the hard way. Thanks for the advice!
Yeah, it’s kid of an advanced technique you can only use to best effect with experience; unless you know instinctively how that thinner and that paint react and have done it the same way a couple hundred times you aren’t going to be super consistent mixing in the cup. Which isn’t an issue for one-offs usually but for an army? Pre-mix and keep the mix in a separate jar.
Also you need to be aware of the needle; if you accidentally bend the needle while mixing, you’re kinda boned. Even if you have a spare, you’re probably going to lose whatever you were mixing while you change over anyway.
Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
One tub will do multiple armies, and once dry it is very solid. You can push bits into it while wet and it'll keep them there forever.
Conversely I'm going through multiple tubs of Vallejo texture pastes for the diorama walls.
For a one off colour or model I thin in the cup, give it a stir with a shitty brush and backblow (cover the airhead and blow air back into the cup) for good measure.
For armies though, totally premix your colours. Get yourself a bag of dropper bottles from eBay, they're invaluable.
Visit him at Monstrous Pigments' Instagram and Facebook pages!
I've made pretty good progress since my last post about this guy, but I'm kinda faltering on the direction I want to take the piece because I've had two ... "stories" feel possible. Originally, it was meant to be sort of an action piece, pushing through a front line during an assault (I think of this one as "Breakthrough"). I figured I could amp this one up a bit by adding a 2nd drone with some shield effects (we've all seen that cool clear plastic stuff by now to know what I'm talking about, right?). The flip side is more subtle, with the suit and drone still hanging out, but less aggressively postured, and adding a few fire warriors or pathfinders onto the base. Picture more of a "Recon" scenario, since that's what I'm calling it. :P
Anyway I'm sitting here half-way through painting the base and stalled on whether I want to paint the metal fence with fresh plasma burns, or corroded to shit, and I feel like the driving factor should be whatever colour scheme works the best to compliment what I've got so far. For the life of me I can't figure that out myself. Please, give me opinions.
Rare WIP photos from Arctic's cell phone
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
Honestly, either will work fine. Rust and corrosion will be orange and turquoise.
Plasma burns would, in my mind's eye, be hot orange.
I personally reckon that it's your aesthetic choice.
Visit him at Monstrous Pigments' Instagram and Facebook pages!
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?