Apply Thin Coats & Improve your miniature painting | Warhammer | Duncan Rhodes

[@Hannib4lBarca]

A moment of silence for the marine sacrificed to the one-thick-coat!

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

He has pride of place in one of our cabinets. He will be remembered. We named him Brother Cataract

[@markcullimore1]

The only servants of the imperium allowed to have one thick coat is the commasariat!

[@olympiabase8204]

@Hannib4lBarca Moment of silence for your ayness

[@fredriknorrman6801]

Dawn_of_war_Space_marine_death_scream.mp3

[@TheGravespawn]

I love how Duncan's one thick coat is still thinner than most people's first thick coat.

[@dowhilegeek]

most folks first coat has the model ending up as a perfect sphere

[@0Aberration]

It's both funny and sad seeing a pro doing something the wrong way still looks better than me trying to do it the right way

[@RevanR]

The real challenge here is to get the right amount thinness of the paint, since each paint had different amount of texture

[@wasmic5z]

And also, different techniques require different levels of thinning. For stippling, the paints have to be REALLY thin, but for 'Eavy Metal style layering, they have to be more milky in consistency.

[@FreshCoatKustoms]

​@@wasmic5zit depends on the type of stipling, the paint you use and the desired effect.

[@Valandar2]

@@FreshCoatKustoms This. And then there's also the pigment and its grain size, etc etc. Some pigments are more naturally translucent, and either easier or harder to use for any given technique.

[@ArnoldJudasRimmer..]

Once you have this nailed down tho, carry it forever forward...

[@goesman81]

I totaly agree, yet i have to admit that when you use airbrush colors (Model Air etc.) they come out of the bottle/pot in a real nice consistancy for painting ;)

[@kl1thedominion]

Parts 1 and 2 were a terrifying glimpse into the methods of Duncan's alternate universe, evil counterpart - Duncan't Streets. Thank goodness we live in the Twothincoatsverse.

[@jacoblobodinsky4626]

Dear duncan , Thank you for doing this. I'm 40 but only started painting last year bc i've always been bad at art. Even after watching alot of your tutorials, i always feel im not doing it right. But now i have a guide to go back to everytime i need it. You are the best.

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

You are very welcome and we are glad to help 👍

[@MMallon425]

we're in very similar situations - I haven't painted a mini in 20 years and didn't know anything at all back then, so it doesn't count. Videos like this are a lifesaver.

[@jakelilevjen9766]

Welcome to the hobby! I really have appreciated Duncan’s channel, as he does a great job teaching why he does what he does, and how he does it, which I have found really great. I could also recommend a few other channels, if you are interested.

[@dilatedbeholder3865]

Same! I was terrible at miniature painting when I was younger. Thank heavens for modern technology to make for better information exchange

[@nobbystylez]

I've also come back to the hobby at 40! Far more dangerous as I was gated by my parents money when I was a kid. Thanks Duncan for the tutorials, I'm building up from the basics - now time to work on my pile of shame lol.

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

Thanks for watching. We hope you all enjoyed this one. It's always good to revisit the fundamentals. If you enjoyed this tutorial feel free to Subscribe to the Channel, leave a Like, and above all else, leave a Comment below to appease the true God of Chaos, the KZbin Algorithm and of course, always remember to Thin Your Paints and Apply Two Thin Coats!

[@JK_Seattle]

Loved this. Would you do a part 2 using some other paint types as examples. I struggle thinning metallics and would be interested to see layer paints as well.

[@kwest9747]

Great vid! The other stumbling block I experienced when starting is that some paints were quite thin out the pot. I tried to compensate for this by putting loads on at once, which just clogged up the recesses but left the raised surfaces too transparent. So the lesson is not only to use suitably thin paints, but to apply them in suitably thin layers.

[@ryanpierce221]

Hey Duncan, I'm new to the hobby and you've quickly become my favorite channel for Warhammer painting/tips. Hey, any chance you'd do some Tau videos? I know they're not the most popular but I'd love to see your approach and paint recommendations. Thanks!

[@Spartan12]

To the marines who were sacrificed in the making of this video, I salute you

[@alexrobertson557]

This is such a good video, people always just say "thin your paints until they are like milk" but what are we talking? full fat? semi skimmed? skimmed? cornish double cream? its correct but a difficult thing to quantify. This video can now stand as a resource for people to compare the actual results they are getting using their paints to know which way they need to know, you really are the king of thinning paints Duncan.

[@insertgoodname]

Duncan out here slinging wisdom. There's a quick check that I learned that's great for finding the sweet spot if you don't mind getting your hands dirty. Take the paint after you've mixed it and brush just a little over the skin of your hand, usually the base of your thumb works best for this. If you can't see the lines of your skin under the paint you need more water. If you can see the colour of your skin under the paint you need more paint. I've found that I've been able to really get granular with the right thinness with this technique

[@AgentSnowpuff]

It's hard to overstate just how helpful this is to see. Thinning paints is a step that is mentioned often but offhandedly, and I really struggled to understand exactly why my results were so all over the place and different from videos I was watching. It's extraordinarily helpful to have all three identical minis with the same paint color one after the other to really highlight exactly what the differences are, and how they affect the final result. The reality was that as a new painter I wasn't thinning consistently and was mixing in coats that were too thick with coats that were too thin. Having an experienced painter simply admit that the best results come from knowing the "feel" of the paint, which comes from practice, explains a lot. When other tutorials make it sound so easy, it only makes it that more frustrating that my results were so disappointing. This video has been a huge relief, and very educational.

[@hagel7208]

Only Duncan could make thick paint look alright

[@klug5916]

Love the intro, the self awareness and the humor. Even as an "advanced" painter, I find this video enjoyable.

[@holmbergen]

Great video, thanks! Some timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:08 Thin your paints, what does it mean? 2:02 Part 1 - One thick coat 4:55 Part 2 - Tons of thin coats 8:38 Part 3 - The sweet spot 13:08 The result

[@chrisnorman118]

I love videos like this I would love to see more technique videos, especially brush handling.

[@amorbavian]

Handling is very individual you just have to go with it and see

[@dorn0531]

True but a few suggestions would help new painters to have a starting point. Sometimes that’s all you need.

[@jellyman-]

some simple suggestions which most people would recommend: - hold your wrists together when painting, to prevent shakey hands. so hold the model in one hand, and push your painting hand up against it at the wrists. Ideally also rest your wrists on the front edge of your desk, or your elbows on top of it (this is why it helps to have a fairly tall desk and/or adjustable chair which can be moved down). this is the most important tip I can think of, and once you find that nice comfy position with your hands pushed together, everything just feels so much easier because the brush always goes where you want it to go! - Hold the model using a painting handle - dont hold the base of the model itself. Holding the base of the model means you are putting quite a lot of pressure on just a finger and your thumb and this usually means the model is gonna shake (not to mention your fingers will get in the way and make it harder to paint at every angle). a painting handle allows you to keep your hand in a much more ergonomic and relaxed position. it doesnt have to be an off-the-shelf handle (although to be honest I find the citadel one is very comfortable) - it can simply be a yogurt pot or something with a bit of blu tac to hold the model on top. hope that helps

[@dorn0531]

@@jellyman- Good tips!

[@fenrisulfsr]

Thank you so much for this video, you hear so so so many times to “thin your paints” but no one ever really wants to show you either how to nor what sort of consistency you should be looking for so this kinda video makes it become so much easier

[@MatthewBester]

This is a perfect example of a "show, don't tell" scenario. Very hard to describe what is intended. You hear "like milk" a lot but there are lots of different milks too.

[@zarknutzbrewgargler9200]

The moment I saw Duncan paint one thick coat was the moment whene I felt true Terror

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

Me too lol

[@RickardLejonhjarta]

perfect timing, im just settling into an evening painting my lizards and ive always struggled with paint consitency Mr Thincoats himself show us the way

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

Awesome, Im glad it helped

[@81DaddyMac]

Dude, you're my hero. You've always been my hero. Damn, what has it been? 30yrs?

[@Sigismund697]

I actually liked how the first super thin coat looked gives the impression of a dude who's been fighting for so long without support that the paint is going away and the ceramite is showing with some details it could look really good

[@terrancej.trainor2477]

You where the first person I tried to learn to paint my Death Korps of Krieg kill team. I'm so thankful for the 2 thin coats it's made all the difference for a beginner. Another thanks for the list of paints in order, save so much time.

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

No problem. We are glad we could help you on your painting journey :-)

[@kewinowitsch]

When I started painting my first space marines today I fastly stumbled across thining my paint. So thanks for this!

[@kewinowitsch]

Seeing the way too thick painted and the way too thin painted miniatures was like seeing fat and thin Gotenks in DBZ, before Trunks and Son Goten managed to find the right vibe

[@kyIethefish]

"thin your paints or i shall thin your ranks" is so beautifully put

[@malperduis]

Anytime someone new comes in the hobby, I always point towards Duncan.

[@JescoJimBo]

I was checking out my old Vampire Counts and Storm of Magic books,, and who's in the credits. Mr. Rhodes! and Peachy! I bet those were truly legendary times,, wish I were there to paint along with the dudes! Thanks for all the years of awesome paint jobs,,, except the first red marine on this video : )

[@horselats]

Thank you, Duncan Rhodes.

[@LeHunter70]

Man, Just the memes and thats all I love about this channel Duncan

[@tylermaurmann]

Nearly every video ive watched about painting has explained how to thin your paint, but never to quite the extent that I *fully* understood what exactly i was looking for. This video has definitely helped me fully grasp what im looking for when thinning my paint and a better way to find it as well So thank you :D

[@ThePingouin2ter]

Thank you so much for the video. I am so glad you covered over-diluting it. I have had horrible results when I was starting as I was over diluting the paint ending with frustrating patches.

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rottendeadite]

These kinds of videos are great. It's way more important to learn how to recover from screwing something up than it is learning how not to screw up in the first place.

[@berry-ei1pp]

Just started the hobby yesterday... needless to say I needed this video yesterday lol. Great video!!

[@XCATX25]

You just proposed a great way to do rust on a mini. Take orange, diluite it TOO MUCH and it will stop in all the nooks and crannies but also sometimes on some flat surfaces. I think it's perfect

[@thepiratepenguin4465]

This is why I love Vallejo Air paints. They are the perfect consistency out of the bottle.

[@SitSnacks]

Finally, after all these years, you have made me realise "Two Thin Coats" isn't a catchphrase and that I am, in fact, meant to thin my paints. Message wasn't quite clear before 😉

[@Daedricsoulslayer]

Watching this to state, finally got to use your paints and I immediately enjoyed them

[@alternate3787]

As someone who started out with these old Vallejo Game Color Introduction Sets I always find it unbelievable how dummy thick these Citadel paints are.

[@Raistlin1404]

I jumped back into painting after starting (and stopping) 2nd Edition (and after Playing Space Marine 2 :p ) and with your tutorials it feels so much better to paint the models, than back in the days in the 90ys :D

[@ArnoldJudasRimmer..]

Legend has it that Duncan is still painting coats on that blood angel...

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

It is true

[@skudfisher]

This will now be my go-to video to send to people asking me about beginning to paint. It’s so hard to explain how and why thinning is so important and how to do it right and this does such a good job of explaining it. I just sent it to my cousin who started painting a few weeks ago. Great work!

[@joeokabayashi8669]

Thank you Duncan for slowing down your pace of narrative. Your videos are valuable tutorials and understanding what you are saying is essential to the student.

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

You are very welcome

[@AzeriathGaming]

Watched SO many videos. Started painting my first today. Applied three coats and it’s decent. But damn. I out one click of paint, whirled around, took water, whirled around in the same spot. Was a damn pain to paint and led to a lot of frustration. This video really helped me. Can’t wait to try this and paint more tomorrow! ❤

[@JK_Seattle]

This is awesome - would you consider doing something like this focusing on metallics? I've struggled thinning Leadbelcher/runelord brass to the right consistency especially since they don't behave quite the same!

[@MB-fv4mf]

Balthasar gold is a nightmare

[@skylermuncy2218]

Used to listen to these videos when I started painting my 40k miniatures and I still use a lot of the techniques I picked up from them

[@necpwnz]

Rollcall Duncaneers! Who put 1 dislike? Shame on you! This is a great content and very important base knowledge to learn!

[@TheCommunistColin]

One tip I've heard for thinness of base paints is that if you thin it down and paint a big line of it along your palette, the paint should kind of retract inward on itself, like it goes from a solid line to a few broken up blobs. Supposedly that means that when you put it on the model it will shrink as the water evaporates which ensures a smoother and less clogged paintjob. I don't know if that's true or not but it seems to work for me.

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

Mmm...thats interesting and worth a try.

[@Pyraxian1]

I've heard this too, but for wet palettes, you need parchment paper that has a slight wax coating. I have an Army Painter wet palette, and the parchment sheets that come with it absorb enough of the paint that you don't see that kind of beading. Was very confused the first few times I tried it.

[@craigarkle1077]

I will be watching this on repeat! While thinking about getting the paint silky smooth. Already looking forward to painting and trying to improve. Thank you

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

Its our pleasure. The key is practice and patience and it will happen :-)

[@tempusavatar]

Thanks for the video. As a tangential piece of advice to this I'd like to remind everyone starting out to clean your brush more than you think it needs. As discussed, since acrylics dry so fast, it's important to control moisture content on the palette, but it is easy for the paint to dry in your brush and make your experience difficult. To build this muscle memory, I would recommend setting an interval timer to chime every 60-90 seconds to remind you to flush your brush out and start fresh.

[@jogslop7315]

My local store manager recommended your videos, and this is great! I never really had a solid concept of what thinning my paints looked like before this, I just kinda dumped some lahmian medium in them and called it a day, which clearly isn't the way to go

[@panzerkitsune]

This video is a great basis for beginners like me, I had trouble in thinning my paints and this explains it good.

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

Awesome!

[@timbuktu8069]

I've been painting a long time but this was new information to me.

[@Xiv2022]

I could have happily watched that for another hour.

[@HeadHunterSix]

6:38 is what I usually see when amateurs say "I'll just use craft paint from the dollar store, it'll look just as good"... and then you get this.

[@kalidane]

After a frustrating session of layering, I think this video solves the problems.

[@MarcinEstkowski]

I love it how you built on your own famous quota.

[@DCUATL]

Duncan & team, thank you for this video. The examples for too thick and too thin were very helpful in showing me I'm pretty close to correct now (I've been taking tips from you for a few years). That will let me worry less and attack other techniques with confidence.

[@justin6021]

The paint dot that comes out in the water cup when you dip in a brush with paint on it is one of my favorite things about painting lol

[@imienazvvisko]

Best painting tutorial OST ever!

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

Wow, thanks!

[@computersocsci]

Thank you for this video! It is so important to show what can go wrong, how to identify it, and how to fix it or avoid it in the future!

[@Pers0n97]

Great video as always. Having the right paint consistancy is the most fundamental skill you need to build everything else upon, and this video is the perfect tutorial for that.

[@malicant123]

Back in the pre-internet days of this hobby (actually a great time!), I think everyone used paint straight from the pot. When I started, I didn't even fully grasp the difference between enamel air-fix paints and the acrylic Citadel paints. I can remember trying to water down the former and ending up with a mess of oily black water. I just assumed that the paint had "gone bad" in the pot. Enamel paint was daemonic :(

[@ceegronlee]

your videos have been a huge help, and I love your paints. I feel like that they are like the perfect consistency right out of the bottle!

[@erikbouchard6539]

Another interesting thing, is a pretty "wet" pallete can end up diluting the paint naturally as you let it sit. I've had perfect consistency to start and as I go back for more as I base coat the model further, I notice it's thinning more and more as time goes on for a bit.

[@ryanyost6745]

An essential video to share with newbies. Thanks, Dunc!

[@dimitris2936]

Thanks so much, I’ve always struggled with this so much and most tutorials use wet palettes so this helped so much! Thanks again.

[@thecrazything95]

Something I struggled with was over-loading my brush after thinning. So the paint would behave like water and stick in dropplets. So I couldn't thin my paint too much because then it wouldnt come on neatly. I also struggled with getting a good primer coat that thin pain would actually stick to.

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

For the primer, try some Colour Forge Spray, they are really good and our go to spray primer

[@tsoliot5913]

I found using medium instead of water made this problem less. Also, smaller volume of paint and water

[@constantine6205]

I have just come back to the hobby after a dalliance in my teens. which were thirty odd years ago sadly and I've forgotten anything that might have been relevant. I only today finished my first minature I now see I was thinning really inconsistently! Love your guides to fundamentals. I wish there was a whole 'syllabus' to follow!

[@Octopootie1]

As a scale military modeler who's just getting into warhammer minis my simple solution to getting smooth even coverage on base coats is to just use an airbrush! Duncan's videos and tips really help with brush painting details though

[@TTTadej]

Love this kind of videos, would love to see more. Especially a video about yellow and white.

[@kwest9747]

On holiday I got a Revell Build and Paint ork trukk kit. It was green plastic and included a paint set / brush. The red was sooooo soooooo thin. This video perfectly describes my experience of trying to layer up the red to get a decent coverage. I must have put down a dozen layers 🤣

[@VincentKiserGaming]

Thank you this is super helpful, much better than just trying to wing it to have a "milky" consistency

[@edwardboon2204]

Thanks Duncan. This is one if the first videos that every new miniature painter should watch.

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@TinBane]

Today I Learned I’ve swung too far from thick to thin. Holy crap I think I’m going to save a lot of time if I can master this!

[@brucehemming9749]

Great video even as a veteran hobbyist it’s still worth practicing foundation skills … thanks for sharing 🍻👍

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Another awesome painting tips video!

[@warmachine5835]

There's a "you know it when you see it" quality to paint thinning, I've found. At this point I've fairly well nailed how thin I want my paints when working, and it came down to another video I saw by another creator who got into the mechanical aspects of how the paint flows and coats when "properly" thinned. I think it's something that gets lost in the "like milk" axiom that gets constantly repeated. I was always told "like milk" and it always had me asking "but why?" Once I had that understanding, the thinning process became second nature.

[@Calibur707]

Just started painting a Blood Angels army so this one with the Mephiston red was especially helpful, thanks Duncan.

[@karrick526]

Pro tip. Heavy metal use mephiston red, then glaze a mix of meph red and wild rider red first in 50/50 then 25/75 on the brightest panels. Hope this helps!

[@Calibur707]

@@karrick526 I'll give it a go, thanks.

[@Kojak0]

To be noted: there is also different mediums (thinner, glaze, etc) you can use to thin the paints with, and I find I have better control over the consistency with those than with water, but it depends on the paint - as Duncan pointed out, there are a lot of factors that determine how the paint is when it comes out of the bottle/pot, and sometimes water is all that is needed, but mediums are a godsend.

[@Arisawa_Heavy_Ind]

The miniature that was painted with the way-too-thin coat of paint would actually look really good with some weathering effects applied to it. Some chipping sponged on there and some rust and you got a properly worn suit of armor!

[@antoniobarquinha2201]

Triggered with that starting miniature! Great video, always good to review the "basics"

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

Sorry 'bout that lol. But yes, it's always worth revisiting the fundamentals.

[@angusmason9958]

Thank you for your service!

[@HyperEwok1]

note how the camera cuts exclusively to the model when he starts to pain the one thick coat, so we don't have to see Duncan weeping with shame

[@jeanfoutre3620]

I love the synth-wave vibe of the early 80s.

[@DottorHealer]

Brilliant video, very necessary for anyone startin and continuing the hobby I think you already talked about it, but would be great to have something similar for Painting Built Mini vs Painting Separated parts, I always see y'all painting it whole and I'm sure I would make a clustercluck but I'm also very interested in knowing the pros and cons

[@gamingborger]

that last meme was good. i might do more dry brushing than thinning my paints, it doesn't mean i don't need it every now and then.

[@fredsmith1970]

Two thin coats as we head in to winter is a great idea. 🙂

[@youwilobey]

painting is scary but duncan makes me feel at ease

[@nikot.9920]

Knowing the consistency of the paints your working with out of the bottle helps as well when it comes to thinning your paints. I'm glad to see a video like this to help out new painters in the hobby.

[@amadeuszkaminski5347]

Great one. I'm looking ahead for layering, highlighting, and glazing techniques!!!

[@danielatar4686]

Really enjoyed this. Always been a bit challenging to thin them just right. Just one constructive criticism I'd add is that it would be great to see all three different versions side by side at the end.

[@emilantonevic8550]

Very nice video!good luck in the future!and good painting

[@TheOnlyRupertBlack]

Hi Duncan You May Remember Me From Salute (ps I'm The Kid With The Skelator) And I have been trying to get my paints to a consistent thinnes and this has helped me a lot thank you Duncan for helping me through my miniature painting journey.

[@DuncanRhodesDRPA]

Awesome. And it's our pleasure 😊

[@nikitavasilev5975]

At this moment I’m painting interrogator chaplain, and He has a cloak, a large flat surface. I was a little worried about ruining it, but now I'm ready to thin my paint in the right way)

[@craigplummer7466]

Thanks for that Duncan. Really appreciate you going back over the basics. I recently used the dry brush technique you suggested for clocks, on one of my models. Oh boy am i happy with the results. I would like to see a video for a basic understanding of the fundamentals where possible. I feel it you be of great benefit. Keep up the good work.

[@adhdengineer]

3:35 barber's adagio for strings slowly fades in...

[@Icosiol]

Finally a video that explains exactly how to do this and what you’re looking for! Can’t wait to try it out. I was using Citadel paints but for the last year have been using Scale Color which has a different consistency. It will be interesting to see if this will translate the same way.

[@chrispygingerpie]

Loving the transitions, regardless of content which is excellent.

[@lwo7736]

I'd love to hear you talk about how to create some generic textures. Like, how you paint wood for example, or rusted metal, maybe decayed bone

[@mirage809]

Thinning paint is something that I can never really explain to people. There's no single golden ratio. It's just something you develop a feel for as you paint more models. Speaking of thinning paints: the only non-contrast paint that I know off and that I've used is Vallejo's Metal Color series. These are formulated to be poured straight from the bottle into an airbrush and start spraying. They are incredibly thin and very prone to separating on the pallet when you let them sit for a minute. They're some of the nicest metals I've ever used however and I will happily deal with them for the finish they provide.

[@ironwarriorcosplay]

THE MEME RETURNS!!!!!

[@twostickzach1739]

The return of the king