This is the BEST Way to SLAPCHOP!?

[@LylaMev]

What do you think about slapchop? Is it worth the hype? Is it just a fad?

[@funchick202]

I think it will stick around... until the next fad comes up.

[@LylaMev]

@@funchick202 wish I could guess the next trend!

[@ricebrown1]

While not perfect, for a low skill artist like me the slapchop method helped me blow through about 40 of my skink and seraphon models in 1/4 the time it would have normally taken. Contrast paints aren't perfect and slapchop can offer wildly varying results but they act like a force multiplier if time is against you. It's always good to have extra tools in the shed.

[@oakes3902]

I don't personally care for it, but I can see the utility. The rebranding is dumb as a rock though, there's nothing "new" here other than more people trying to sell translucent paints. Also, I love my scale75 Intensity set. I don't use inks a ton, but when I do I'm glad I have them!

[@dootdootbeep]

It is the dumbest name ever for underpainting

[@reallymiish]

Love this, but PSA!!!! DO NOT dab off your brush for the purposes of drybrushing on a paper towel or absorbent surface!!!! You're making the moisture of the paint get sucked out of your brush, leaving you with way more pigment than medium within the paint itself. You will get a way chalkier finish if you do that!!! Instead, dab off on any dry surface like your desk mat, a simple paper plate, or a normal plastic painting palette.

[@LylaMev]

I knoowww. I learned about this after I finished the video 😫

[@reallymiish]

@@LylaMev It's okay! We're all here to learn. Its also not common knowledge yet so it's totally understandable

[@saveversus]

@@reallymiish I was just going to ask about this. 😀

[@TwospotzArtAndCraft]

I LOVE my slightly coated paper plates that I buy at the Dollarstore. They sortof have this vaguely plastic very thin coating that keeps the paint in the spot. I do use some paper towels, but they are really heavy duty and not the fluffy and soft toiletrags or super absorbent kitchen paper. They're the single folded kind for wallmounted holders.

[@aonline_abridged]

I use sacks of rice, I never throw them out. It is like a burlap material

[@doms.6701]

My fav mini painter dropping a vid right when my food is done. No looking for something to watch while my food gets cold 😁 😂

[@urzulus]

$40 for the smallest "dry pallet" jesus. Its just glass. A tile for $1 is as good.

[@migelsker]

I ude my normal wet pallet works ok

[@YanniCooper]

Really appreciated when instead of breaking out a fresh paper towel you used a well used one. Most YTers doing hobby videos always break out pristine tools and materials, especially disposable ones and I feel like that makes them seem more like actors than genuine hobbyists. Props!

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

Funny thing is, I've been painting for about 40 years, and never even heard of slapchop. But this is the way I've been painting 2mm armies for literally decades.

[@druidobianco9734]

The internet discovered the power of underpainting when someone called it “Slapchop”, great marketing name. It is incredible how effective a well done underpainting is even when using traditional opaque acrilics, but the bulk of mini painters didn’t move from the 3-step basecoat-wash-highlight until this magic word was spread

[@cbpoppet1288]

My preferred slapchop plus method is grey prime with a dark wash. Followed by targeted, complimentary highlights for the contrast paint you're going to apply.

[@W1LYKAT]

I highly appreciate your presence on the internet and your down to earth opinion on products.

[@TheRockDK]

I loved your detailed explaination on the dry brush part. Helped me understand what I was doing wrong.

[@Bloodfencer1990]

Another small tip: don't use a paper towel to wipe off your drybrush! The paper towel will absorb any moisture from the paint, including the medium. I have an old wooden cutting board that I use and there are texture boards from various manufacturers like Artis Opus. But any kind of wooden object with a bit of texture will do.

[@AdamWhitehead111]

This 💯 The name "drybrushing" is misleading. You don't want it to be too dry. Smooth drybrushing is achieved by keeping it damp (just have very little paint on the brush).

[@todsmith6591]

I always use the back of my hand. Real mess though so maybe I’ll get a board.

[@Jesentra]

@@AdamWhitehead111 Artis Opus and Ninjon both even advocate using a tiny bit of moisture in the brush before you even put the paint in. It's something I'm still trying to experiment and learn with, but their results are beautiful

[@TheBlackFrog79]

Don't do drybrush. Problem solved.

[@todsmith6591]

@@TheBlackFrog79 lol! Nice. It has its place though for painting massive armies on the fly. Def not for your golden demon or your hero’s though.

[@brendanmartin3359]

Inks are great for transparent plastic also! Mix it with a clear medium and you’ll retain the transparent magic effects on the mini

[@funchick202]

I really appreciate the review on transparent paint. No one else has talked about that.

[@LylaMev]

Thank you!!

[@kevinfitzgerald9319]

This is best slapchop tutorial I’ve seen and I’ve been watching a lot of them

[@Kaiyanwang82]

I really appreciated this video because a lot of you tried are questions I asked myself.

[@gachacaspa]

This technique can be used to great affect on more detailed high standard paint jobs to if used wisely and correctly. Although your more likely to use in certain locations not all over

[@brendanarmstrong7802]

My personal favorite transparent paints for underpainting are Golden High Flow. Zenithal with the airbrush, quick artist white drybrush, transparents, oil wash, and then highlight. It's not full slapchop speed, but it works well.

[@bobavontanelorn5713]

My personal way: mid grey primer as base layer, then nuln oil (or equivalent) for darkening the recessors, drybrush light(er) grey and white edge highlights. Then Contrasts (or equivalent). (how bright the two grey tones are depends on the genre-style of the figure)

[@03dashk64]

Thank you for actually talking about the history of Grisaille underpainting!

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Great video. I have a tip you may want to try for Drybrushing. I don't use paper towel to wipe paint off my brush, I use a T Shirt! I buy large packs of painters rags (basically t shirt material offcuts). Their cheap, don't break up when wiping on them and you're less likely to end up with paper fibres in your paint. They last for ages and while not as cheap as paper, are still pretty low cost.

[@dosmatrix4470]

I was painting using this method back in the late 80's using a range of inks by Rowney ,Kandahar series inks, they remain to this day the best inks I've ever come across. The first miniatures I painted using this method were the 1st edition Citadel/games workshop Lord Of the Rings miniatures.

[@rumo-mc4dp]

For the Quick Chop, you could do more of an overbrush than a drybrush to set the light areas, and then drybrush the lightest areas for contrast. In my (limited) experience, Speedpaints really need a light basecoat, because they all look black when painted over black.

[@joshlegendre]

Thanks for all the tips and explaining them so well! LOVE all the Bloodborne minsi!

[@renaudroyer5390]

Thank you. You have explained slap shop method very well👍

[@mekko1413]

yeh not sure the whole "don't get your brush wet" is very accurate. I have been using Artis Opus' style of dry brushing for a little over a year now and not drying your dry brush completely out has increased the quality of my dry brushing it no longer looks speckled like the models you are showing.

[@paulvanappeven3340]

hey we did this back in the 80's. Greetings from Belgium. Im 59. 😉

[@antongunther3977]

best dry pallette is a ceramic tile you got at the hardware store for .15 cents

[@Oznius]

The contrasting undercolor reminds me of the technique used by raphael to achieve an iridescent effect, ARTEnet has a very good video on this. I feel like it would be difficult to achieve on a miniature, but certainly possible! Great video.

[@Hawkguy327]

+100 points for the choice of miniatures! Love the Bloodborne board game.

[@clubjer]

Great info as always...but a counterpoint to the RGG glass palette, instead of paying $20 to $30 for their branded product you can get a glossy floor tile from Lowes, The Home Depot or any building supply store for under $5.

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Thank you for the recommendations!!

[@issa496]

Great video, there were a few ideas I wanted to test and now I know how to do them

[@Paul-eb4dc]

I’m enjoying your videos and so helpful for a beginner like me. One thing I’d love your opinion on, painting large flat or curved surfaces with a brush. I’m painting a 1/24 scale camper and find getting overlap lines out difficult. Many thanks, learning lots from your vids.

[@LylaMev]

Try stippling! The video I'm releasing tomorrow talks about it!

[@WillMontgomery85]

I've been using the build up to white and a burnt umber ink on wood to some really great effect recently. I know a few people who live for this method and it's great seeing your take on it! Also funny how far you went back to show how long the technique has existed as one of the guys at my game club hates that it's called slap chop because there's nothing new about it :D As always, keep up the great videos and thanks!

[@headhunterscustoms]

I read a magazine by P3 Paints ages ago and it used a similar technique. This was before contrast paints though. Anyway, can speed up the process and give a more natural feel if you prime black, from a 45 degree angle spray or airbrush prime your mid gray, and from very top spray or airbrush white primer. Let the paint naturally fall where it's going to fall. THEN contrast paint. Will definitely add some speed to your results!

[@whatmaxlikes9977]

I know you did it with the brush because not everyone has an airbrush. But if you do a zenithal (black/grey/light grey) a drybrush with white for the hot spots and the edges and then the ink thru the airbrush. The result is the best. At least for me! :) And I thought It has become common not to use a paper towel for dry brushing because of the medium in the paint. That's what I learned from the dry brush master Artis Opus :)

[@YanniCooper]

That'd be my suggestion if you want to skip the grey step, and you can also do it with rattle cans if you don't have an airbrush

[@septymesk7721]

I actually cut down my slap chop time, even more. I prime black for dark models, buy use field grey or mechanicus grey for lighter colored minis. When I apply the middle coat, I use a nice can of spray primer (like a scale75 or vallejo primer) to apply the middle grey coat by applying it at about a 55 degree angle; don't get the can too close or too far away. I use nice primers for it because the spray primers by them don't speckle over the black base coat. Cuts so much extra time off

[@dane3038]

Your videos inspire me to paint. And painting is even more fun when you're inspired.

[@LylaMev]

I'm so glad!

[@prredgrassgames5337]

Wow! This video is excellent, full of great tips!!!! Thanks 😀

[@lawrenceelgrin2205]

An experiment worth trying could be. Black primer - Typhus Corrosion, for texture (avoiding deep valleys) - Primer again. This may help when blending in mid-tones and lighter values. I personally think oil paint is best for these techniques. Mini-painters don't ever mention lavender spike oil as a much healthier alternative to mineral spirits either.

[@NameIsDoc]

For color chop you want to use temperature theory to help you. To give an example, If your final transparent color is going to be a cool yellow then a muted warm dark pink might be best as a base color. When you apply the yellow inks This creates a transition between a dull cool orange to a striking bright yellow highlight. Another way to approach is with complementary colors. If you're final highlight color is say a purple a yellowish base coat or mid coat would be choice. As when the purple covers a complimentary color it makes mud brown which can in some circumstances create the illusion of a color darker than black. Another idea is to do two mid coats. One 50% white another 190% and then your highlight I'd actually a shade darker then the second midtone (90%). This can create a saturated glowing edge you can also go 0-65-50-100 for a saturated core shadow look.

[@Creecher98]

i think its great for knocking out an army fast and looking good

[@DCUATL]

Starting with slap chop and color chop gives me my favorite results. I've also found success using it as an undercoat and spraying over it with a metallic paint like Turbo Dork. It provides the shadows and depth that can be hard to get with metallic paints.

[@Beartree]

Brilliant! Thank you

[@dancingpotplant]

Plenty to think about there thank you

[@GirlPainting]

The problems your facing are that not all contrast paints are created equal. there are basicly 3 types of contras paints that GW unfortionedly dos not mark as such. there are the weak ones, barely covering and almost work like a wash or glaze. then there is the mid tone contrast paints that are perfect for slapchop with a good covering, but enough translucentcy to have the effect shown. and finaly you have the heavy covering contrast paints that stain so much, that the translucentcy is lost. Goobertownhobbys and Dana Howl both did extencive tests to show witch colours do what. you should check those videos for reference. ;-)

[@LylaMev]

THAT IS SO ANNOYING.

[@Unholycrumpet]

I like to base black, detail a different base color for skin and lighter colors I may want to lift, then drybrush white.

[@AlexanderSauerPlaysWithHeroJr]

thanks for the vid. I just wanted to say i recently saw a slapchop vid ...and tried it ..but went little nuts with it. lol...i did the 3 layer highlightbut i did that in a different darkcolor to light basecoat pre-highlighting instead of black to white ...or the whole model in one color.... cus i first did one model black-grey-grey white - white.... but after i had an Ork ..and thought green skin and ran out pf black primer.. but had dark army brown.....used that only on the skin areas..with lighter and lighter highlighting in lighter to white brown... worked perfect for the green... the brown edges looked awesome...better than my first ork i did with black white... Most of hiss clothing is also a brownleather earthy colors ... so i picked different dark blue and dark red color for the rest of the model parts... THe difference is subtle but each mother color per 'material' type ..just seems to go nicer with a proper shadow slapchop style foundation... bit of a pain in the a** to separately drybrush each different body material ...but i think it already seems worth the effort..

[@Kid_illithid]

For a while I’ve been painting like this mixed with zenithal . The the zenny with a can or my airbrush and then highlight different gradients with a dry brush, often in different colors. Let’s you get tons of complex gradients for just a little extra work

[@FreelancerND]

Hehehe, I like how people watched Artis Opus videos on the same technic and all of a sudden there's an army of professional dry brushers, who feels oblidged to tell every creator about the proper way of drybrushing because those "professional drybrushers" knew it all along and for years, but surprisingly began to raise the topic only after Artus Opus =)) What a bunch...

[@nathanielhurley3960]

When doing the wash method your model should be upside-down. This way the wash better collects where the shadows are. I use this method: prime mid tone grey, apply black wash to an invertesd model, white dry brush. Then apply transparent paint through airbrush or contrast paint.

[@Dreoni_]

You can add a tiny amount of water to you brush when you drybrush for a less "sandy" and smoother aplication. Artis Opus has a couple of great tutorials on dry brushing

[@LylaMev]

I'm actually taking about this in next week's video! I felt like such a dork when I realized I did it wrong for this video.

[@Dreoni_]

@@LylaMev Can't wait for that video!

[@farpointgamingdirect]

Slapchop has been around for DECADES; drybrushing is a MISNOMER. You MUST have a little moisure on the brush to help prevent streaking or the overly dusty effect. A small slightly damp sponge is best for giving the domed brush the proper amount of moisture

[@credoimperialis]

Very interesting experiment thanks for the video .

[@XbrittneyXable]

How do you decide when to use the slapchop method as opposed to just painting it normally?

[@D00M3R-SK8]

Yeah dude. I seen guys doing skellies back in WHFB with this technique, just using stuff like chestnut ink. also Tyler Mengel paints all his stuff this way.

[@itsio7188]

Wow! Nice video.

[@Lilrockerdude13]

Just picked up the Goff Rocker from the local WH Store and I have him primed up and ready to try this out on. See how well the few Contrast paints do before I ask Santa for more, or another brand as per the Scale 75 love you have here.

[@markgnepper5636]

Great stuff friend 👏 👍

[@stevensmith909]

I have been using this technique since 2020. It works best if using gray to white, brown cream to white and green to white

[@DaHobbles]

I really liked that green contrast paint in the thumb nail and so I “red” the label and realized I’d been dooped!! 😂 Also! great video! :)

[@LylaMev]

😂😂😂😂😂 you weren't supposed to notice!!!!

[@Izzyspaintingworkshop]

Great video as always!

[@ShadowxOmega5]

i believe gw also say that their contrast line is meant to be used on a single colour primer (like grey or bone white) because of how it can pool especially if youre doing the whole slap-chop tabletop ready kinda thing

[@kevincaruthers5412]

Nicely done. I especially like you showing the results of different types of paints. I have always liked using inks. Sub'd

[@f.g.5967]

Thank you!!

[@davidcashin1894]

Thanks for this vid, very helpful. I just picked up a domed brush to try this approach. I like that you also showed the white prime with dark wash. So, many painters never address this. I do it all the time, though I do have puddling or coffee staining issues. I prime white and usually off-white then do a dark wash berfore doing my transparent color. Is it just that I like brighter finishes? Do you think the black prime white brush give more of a zenithal effect?

[@veritasg9020]

Thanks!

[@TheEightshot]

So if you mix two colours which are directly opposed to each other on the colour wheel you get Grey, so I wonder what would happen if you did a base coat of say a "perfect" blue, slap chopped it with white and then painted "perfect" orange contrast over it. Would you end up with a saturation contrast as well as a brightness contrast????

[@HeadCannonPrime]

THANK YOU for pointing out that this is not a new technique! It's should be called tinted grisaille or something suitable. Slap Chop is just a stupid meme name that means nothing. I have literally been painting this way for close to 20 years since Army Painter and Reaper released their colored glazes and washes. AND At 8:00 in the video you discovered the EXACT same thing that I did. Thinning contrast paint 1:1 turns contrast paint into, essentially, a glaze or ink stain. If you thin your contrast 1:2 (contrast:medium) or MORE (for the gloopy ones I have even gone up to 1:4 and added a drop of airbrush flow improver) you actually can make really good colored washes that work BETTER than standard gw washes. I have a hunch this might be what the "new reformulated" washes actually are but I have not tried them yet. (I don't actually use GW washes anymore due to the outrageous price and good quality of alternatives).

[@LylaMev]

I couldn't use a cheesy name like slapchop without giving it a bit of crap for being such an old classic technique.

[@stormelemental13]

Words mean what people understand them to mean. People in the miniature community now understand that slapchop refers to this style of painting, so that's what slapchop means. As for grisaille, it is not the same as slapchop as it almost exclusively referrers to working on 2d canvases, not 3d sculptures like miniatures. The grognards of painting had decades to educate the community using the term grisaille, and they didn't, so now they don't get to complain if a new term is used.

[@bradlymcfarland2303]

You just reminded me that I have a ton of bloodborne minis to paint...

[@the98themperoroftheholybri33]

I find a piece of cardboard to be best at removing moisture from a drybrush. Idk why or how, but it gives the best results for me

[@soulsword34]

You're so dreamy!

[@johnrushman1586]

Was that a Cainhurst ghost girl from bloodborne? I don't remember them wearing blue.

[@hendrikg6003]

It could be interesting to have an undercoat of color (blue, purpel, green) instead of using black. Also to use a color (bright yellow) instead of white for underpainting. This could lead into much more interesting color variance because black/white does just makes color flat and uninteresting to look at.

[@tothtamas4074]

Is that a Cainhurst armor? Sorry, i see it now, and the others too. Love Bloodborne, cool vid thanks4

[@tompeters9829]

A good technique is to use a thin-ish coat of contrast paint to color. Then an oil wash to shade.

[@davemorris7845]

"Here's what you will need" *shows picture of kitty*

[@LylaMev]

always start with kitty

[@guillaumebellanger9716]

Hi. I test many ways of doing this but the best way to do it for me is ot a black grey white. But i base in brown first highlight with a sand yellow and last highlight in white . The shadows are more natural with this .

[@elvolgantagaming2507]

Never use paper towels when dry brushing, it will result in what you can see in this video: A chalky finish. Artist Opus actually recommend using a slightly damp sponge when dry brushing, to further prevent this typically unwanted effect.

[@huckleberrycarignan9745]

I'm sorry to ask this - but for the mid-tone gray in step one, which Armory paint color name would that be? "Ash Grey"? "Castle Grey"? (please be kind to the clueless - like me)

[@aonline_abridged]

How do you dilute acrylic inks?

[@LylaMev]

I used water!!

[@aonline_abridged]

I have the Bombay India inks from Dr. Ph. Martin's and I was thinking of using them for this sort of thing, I sometimes also use Golden High flow transparent paints

[@notdeadandnotforsale]

Using a 'domed' brush for drybrushing.. Where do I get one to try? Is that a makeup brush?

[@smittery]

I have yet to be happy with contrast paints over any amount of black underpainting. It seems to me that they really want to be put over a base layer that uses mid-to-dark Grey as it's lowest values

[@tobiasr1267]

After the grey step, there should be nearly no pure black left. Same for the white, since the contrast paints only pop on white. Still it looks much better than just using white underpainting.

[@jekylthorn8969]

It may be me doing it wrong but applying any dark Citadel contrast paint just erases all the dry brushing. I end up having to recess wash and highlight again.

[@AnHourOfWolves]

Is it wrong to have tried the translucent paints and to prefer to start with the shade and highlight up with paints and glazes the old fashioned way? Should I embrace the new hotness and abandon the tried and true?!? I feel like it's easier to get decent looking models the highlighting way, but is it just that I'm too old to learn something new?!? This was a helpful video, thanks!

[@philipstroud6327]

I have a really dumb noob question, after you finish dry brushing, do you clean your drybrush like normal, in water? Really sorry for the question

[@glych002]

Watching you paint is like spreading peanut butter using a butcher’s knife

[@SaschaKleiber]

I had the same experience with contrast paint regarding having to thin it down for slapchop. Applying it immediately was way too opaque. What about Army Painter, did you thin them down as well?

[@joelcasseus628]

Miniwitch, do not get your drybrush wet, yet, stupid question, do you wash it?

[@panzfaust9812]

Would this method work for 1/24 figure (75mm) or larger sizes?

[@tanman729]

not even commenting about the slap chop (or grisaille as i heard it, which i like the sound of better) but i love those bloodborne minis ya got there. i've been thinking of picking that game up for the minis alone.

[@tanman729]

though the statue at 4:49 is technically a ghost, so it was interesting to see her in any color at all lol

[@LylaMev]

The models actually belong to a friend! They told me I am welcome to paint all of their bloodborn models as they own every faction and are happy to get paint on them.

[@yakkyuu12]

You might want to add "flow aid" to your paints and do you think you might have too much paint on the brush? , I have only tried it on projects with less crevices, but it really stopped the pooling, In using your WHITE paint; should you use a titanium white - this white paint is very dominant and opaque, or use a MIXING white, that is much less opaque and will not cover your project, lastly there is Zinc white that also not as opaque! I know that is a lot of different whites, is the white you used opaque? Does that even matter since you are dry brushing ?

[@ThePellefantman]

Great video :)

[@sebp2295]

This question ist probably stupid but I'm new to this hobby: why can't I just use diluted colors instead of these expensive contrast paints?

[@josechitty339]

Great video with great tips. Another method I've tried is to zenithal with the airbrush for a smooth transition and then use oil wash to regain the contrast on the recesses, you can tidy them up a lot easier than with a normal wash. Maybe you can try it on another video :)

[@LylaMev]

Oh airbrush is the best of course.

[@jasonwong7922]

Can I ask where these miniatures are from? They look great for grimdark settings

[@LylaMev]

They are bloodborne models!

[@jasonwong7922]

@@LylaMev Much appreciated! 👍

[@heretic192]

If you are using the airbrush to prime black anyway, you can just skip the entire drybrushing step by just spraying white from above.

[@LylaMev]

the point of the video is no airbrush!

[@kajn3206]

I'm using it, I'm hearing the name for the first time, I just use gray as a foundation

[@myzorbos]

is there a makeup brush equivalent for the domed brush?

[@krisspics6418]

Why not try with other great transparent paint? Golden hi flo Pro acryl transparent set And... Maybe scale 75 instant paint. I d like to see those paint in action for slap chop, there are so many video with contrast and army painter speed paint out there.

[@LylaMev]

I totally get what you mean, but I don't own any of those! I have just reached out to vallejo for their speed paint variation, but maybe on my next order of pro acryl I'll get some of the transparent paints as well.

[@darthvector]

How do you water down your Inktensity inks Lyla? Do you use medium, water or something else?