Fixing Your Mini Painting MISTAKES!

[@crazybritishsteve]

I got a tip :- Turn that mistake in to a feature. I was recently painting a grey suit on a mini and managed to get some dark red on it. I hadn't even noticed until i was mostly done. The Wife pointed it out, as she so often does when checking out minis i've painted. She said "Wow, the blood on this mini looks great!" and pointed at this little red blob. After i'd stopped crying, she helped me figure out how i could put blood splatter on the model as if she had just punched someone and the blood had landed on the minis suit. The person that the mini was for loved it. Bob Ross, happy little accidents. It's a thing.

[@Kittifizz1]

My grandfather always told me that. "Make a mistake? Just doctor it up!" Happy little accidents all day long.

[@commandermcnash5137]

Most important tip I ever received back when I was getting my graphic design diploma, the other I learned later when I was getting my systems engineer degree, you need to cover the requirements to achieve things right, we all have heard someone said in some moment of your life "you can't excuse bad results for not having the right tools and resources", anyone who has painted for long enough (or actually worked with a minimun of professional ethics) knows this is absolute bullshit, oh sure, you can try to make the best with what you got, but it's like trying to carry rocks from a mine to a refinery with a sedan instead of a haul truck, the truck will keep going over and over while it will be short time before the sedan gets fucked up. So yeah, improve your skills, get the right tools to get it done and adapt yourself to the current situation as best as you can.

[@NIMMHATVRapBeats]

@@commandermcnash5137 There's always another perspective on that though.. If you can work "just as good" as the person who has ALL THE BEST tools, (yes you probably need more time to get as good) you will surpass that person's skills, when you later on got the same tools.. Same goes with anything in life.. I could've got myself very good music production software and hardware, which make life easier in so many ways, but then i wouldn't have the same skills as now, where i used to do way more complicated steps... But I still FULLY agree with you.. If you can get the right and maybe even the "BEST" tools right away, you should. If you start painting with bad low quality brushes, you could get demotivated quick. While if you learn with amazing high quality brushes, you will advance in skill, faster.

[@SuperJeremy1982]

Fun fact: A Gargoyle is only a Gargoyle if it has rainwater drainage feature, otherwise it is a Grotesque. :)

[@stephenspackman5573]

That said, it may not always be polite to check.

[@Supapunchy]

@@chilenitonuma yup "gargouiller" is actually.a verb in french. Gargouiller is the action of making noise with your stomach when your hungry 🤤

[@grimmriffer]

@@Supapunchy might share some of the same etymology as "gurgle"... 🤔

[@Supapunchy]

@@grimmriffer thanks , i l've just learned a new word.

[@Sindig0]

@@stephenspackman5573 This comment deserves more love.

[@manaseater]

This is a must watch for any painter of any experience level. Eraser brush is soooo clutch. Last two methods, calling the mistake intentional, or covering up with weathering/battle damage.

[@Florian-yg7le]

you forget the most important fast fix, the good old "licky licky, paint no sticky!"

[@amarmunaev7939]

Hahah wait so lick the brush ?

[@Miniac]

that new shirt is STRAIGHT 🔥🔥

[@beno5324]

I was very confused and tried to find Jon's old shirt that was supposedly GAY. It took me more time than I like to admit before I realized what you ment. I'm too old for this

[@knightzix_01]

how come your guide videos NEVER Went through Normal shit like this Beginners need To know How to fix mistakes

[@T_A_WOW]

Sweet T shirt. Shame "GREY" is spelt incorrectly. Edit: or have I missed something (I'm new)

[@Miniac]

@@knightzix_01 you're joking, right? This is the most popular video on my channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqKVgKeHrb2Hr80 ....

[@knightzix_01]

@@Miniac this is me 3 am in the mourning sorry scott

[@daniel_tenner]

One preventative trick I learned from Vince Venturella is to use varnish as a kind of “save point”. So after doing that beautiful blend on the cloak, apply a layer of Matt varnish. That will stop the fix from ruining things - sometimes when trying to brush the mistake away it can damage the fragile paints underneath... the varnish layer prevents that!

[@robhallquist1140]

I just started painting. I've been watching a lot of videos on technique, etc. This was one of the most informative videos I have watched so far. I really enjoy your production value as well with well timed comedy. Keep up the good work.

[@drkatz1192]

I’m new to the hobby, and I wish I had watched this before I painted up my Thousand Sons. Especially painting inside to out. That would have helped me immensely. Love your simple explanations and sense of humor. It’s so cringe, but in a lovely way ❤

[@srsgoblin]

Re: Inside-Out painting, your second point Sometimes its actually easier to *not* do it. Specific example is chaos space marines. It's so much easier to paint the trim and fill in the armor panels than paint the insides and then do the trim. The key to deciding which "layer" to paint is often the volume of painting involved.

[@Ninjon]

spot on! when a model is 80%+ one color, do all of that first, then just hit those elbow pits n such~!

[@blaximus1st]

the "inside out" is a brilliant idea. never even thought of that. i always paint without method :S

[@durzod2052]

That was one of the first lessons I learned when I first started,but I'm amazed at the number of KZbinrs who totally ignore it. They wind up painting the face last! Talk about making things harder...

[@z0cat]

Another thing is that you paint the base layers and maybe 1 shade first. Don't go into highlights / tons of layers when you have large unpainted neighbouring surfaces. When I paint the brightest highlights I am more careful in general and rarely mispaint on the neighbouring surface.

[@gigaChad4570]

Know when to say 'when'. Sometimes you overcorrect for a folly, and make it worse. When do you draw the line?

[@R3dS0ulSnak3]

The enemy of good is better. I still fumble over this with fossil restoration and mini painting. If it looks good leave it the heck alone hahaha.

[@apocalypticmoth6040]

I’m actually going to be backing this Kickstarter later today! Very informational video. I love that purple and orange skin so much!

[@mattsmokes2505]

Something that’s really been monumental to me you continuing to enjoy this hobby is to lower my expectations and realize that everyone makes mistakes. This hobby has been so good for my OCD and perfectionism even though sometimes I want to throw all my shit away because I feel like I’m garbage it’s not about that it’s about the process and having fun and being creative and getting better at something you enjoy and that’s OK it’s not always gonna be perfect it’s never gonna be perfect I should say

[@adamholt5395]

Another tip for preventative mistakes is start with your darkest colors and work your way to brighter colors. The worst mistake that I've made is accidently getting a noticeable black mark on yellow. It took me ages to put enough layers of yellow just to cover up the black mark.

[@sashav6847]

The introduction is a summary of every space marine eye lens I've ever painted

[@attemptedunkindness3632]

Fingers always close at hand... I paused the video, starred at the screen for about five minutes, walked out into the cold night for several more... Thought a lot about my life, how I have wasted it to fall to a point of hearing that pun. Liked and subscribed, you monster.

[@demonic2174]

Amen! If your not fixing your paint job at some point then your not trying hard enough! New shirt looks epic, might have to invest in one.. to help slay the gray of course!! Great vid ❤

[@yfz450rider39]

That intro was great. lol I just started miniature painting and I've had to fix eyes countless times already!

[@ryansargent661]

One technique I use is to paint small areas like eyes, small gems and doodads early on in the process that way any paint over spill that can’t be corrected immediately will be covered up in a later step. Some times it’s easier to avoid those small areas later on than bullseye them at the end

[@JokeeGA5]

Oh man! The eyeballs on Space Marines are the bane of me. I always get it to the point where I'm like, this is good. Now, let's make it perfect. FUUCK!

[@ShowerOnceYearly]

you, scott miniac, and the beard guy always motivate me to paint more often

[@larryofastora9467]

0:02 "I'm in this video and I don't like it"

[@garrettbrocksmith1862]

Never thought about the inside out method. So simple. Thanks Jon!

[@thedabblingwarlock]

That face after he says “fingers close at hand.” I lost it!

[@R3dS0ulSnak3]

Too good!

[@josec.5712]

I was painting while watching this. Painting a face. The face was going well until Jon's scream. Then, I ended up screaming too...

[@Evo1veTT]

I like that your videos are letting you act out all that weird stuff that's clearly going on in your head, must be therapeutic! Oh and it's entertaining to watch too 😂

[@angelozaccarin9130]

That blue-red-orange gradient is dope! I am definitely going to steal it

[@lunahula]

Preventative measure: When airbrushing or blending by hand that you just love how a blend has come out, you are about to move on and start painting differently and are afraid of ruining that finish, particularly if aiming for a very clean look, where adding wear or additional detail isn't an option. Save your layers by putting down an acrylic varnish ( by airbrush or brush, matte or satin ) to preserve these blends. Then when you go back and use that damp synthetic brush to scrub, you can actually push a bit harder to take off a mistake and even use small amounts of alcohol, without damaging the previous work. Think of it like working in layers in photoshop. The reason it is not so advisable to use gloss is that it doesn't tend toward giving your next layers of paint a micro-textured surface to cling to. Which is useful for when you want to apply a wash or contrast paint, but less so when you are trying to layer paint, base coat other parts or glaze, as you have just lowered the surface tension, the surface now has less friction for the paint and will now tend to push into recesses where you may not want it to go.

[@vee_tinymoose]

This is exactly what I’ve been wondering about , whether this might be useful to do

[@lunahula]

@@vee_tinymoose Hey, so what you want to do is keep varnish layers from an airbrush like brush painting, multiple thin coats, let it fully cure before painting over it. Matte varnish will give you a better surface for future layers of paint to adhere to, but satin or gloss will aid things like acrylic washes, oil washes, or the enamel wash and thinner cleanup methods. Mainly keep in mind you can probably only get away with it a few times depending on the model, as eventually too many layers or a varnish layer that is too dense will start taking away details from the model. An old video for painting on youtube once mentioned using the green rough side of one of those kitchen scrubber brushes over varnish or paint, after so many layers to give future layers something to stick too and avoid things getting too thick. Though it doesn't seem necessary with modern urethane varnishes applied with an airbrush in thin layers.

[@vee_tinymoose]

@@lunahula thank you so much!!

[@TJtheBee]

I supported Counterspell Miniatures a few days ago! I'm so pumped for that Bone Behemoth, which is going to play a part as a big boss in the campaign I'm planning. I can't wait to paint it. Also, shout out to my favorite technique of fixing mistakes, pretending your mistake was intentional and thus not a mistake at all.

[@Ninjon]

I love the look of that model, I wanna use him in my next campaign as well!

[@RyanEdwardsVA]

Really gonna need to see an example of that texturing fix you suggested in the slow fixes. Having a hard time visualizing how that would help. Thanks for the vid

[@willsham45]

That is the trick to a good artist. Not so much reducing mistakes but how to use mistakes.

[@KoraRubin]

I liked all your intros, but this one I love! 💖

[@Raedrie]

It's definitely a pain in the butt to fix mistakes sometimes. I've been learning I have to be more patient when it comes to mistakes. I tried to paint a sunburn on a mini last night and a friend told me it looked like the guy had "lesions on his skin." That wasn't what I was going for at all and I spend the next couple of hours slowly re-doing the skin and stippling on patches of pink to red and he looks so much better now! I'm really happy I didn't just rush past it and leave it as it was.

[@Daldo1411]

Videos like this push me towards the end of the process of painting my little ravenguard army

[@christofersvensson370]

that blue and red paintjob is sweet

[@ImpendingDuff]

love the tips, some i already do my self... some i totally need to work on, such as starting with perfection and not just slapping it on and refine later... also, love that almost black lite effect on the gargoyle. this may be the first KS i back from a youtube add... these minis are just so my style, i have to.

[@Dimanti88]

6:53 made me laugh like a crazy person. The joke plus the face where so bad that it was good.

[@TheSzybas]

I can't simply specify the BEST moment here.... first couple of seconds made me think it's basically me EVERY TIME i'm painting details (eyes specifically), but 6:53 made me laugh so hard!

[@DruryHall]

Love the “boop” and erasure brush

[@prophetsspaceengineering2913]

My wife can relate when it comes to her eyeliner. Great opening : D

[@koncorde]

Wet brush, tasty paint, move quickly. Also, a wash can be your friend to blend in hard to reach places. So instead of trying to get that little bit of leather that is precariously close to that beautiful cloak you want to pain with a thousand layers of shimmering yellow, just give it a solid dose of base colour, and a thin wash of a darker shade, then just make everything that is easier to reach that little bit brighter than you thought. Your eye will correct the rest.

[@kenkfistkenkfishopaints757]

That Hoodie is Bangin', so I got my Order in!

[@R3dS0ulSnak3]

Hahahaha love this video. Goes right nice with my "order of operations for painting minis" list I am working on.

[@dylanbrad5695]

Don't lie - it must have pained you just a little bit to dab that lens like that...

[@Ninjon]

Sure did 😂

[@SgtZTubesocks]

You're taking away all my excuses for not painting..........LOL. Great video Jon.

[@WVTarheel]

Slay the Gray shirt. Your nerd friends will think you like painting miniatures but everyone else will think you have a grandma fetish. Good video.

[@NIMMHATVRapBeats]

A grandma fetish? Slay the gray sounds more like.. A big psychological problem other than a fetish haha

[@ThealaSildorian]

Sometimes I want to erase something I did, esp if I notice a gloop obscuring a detail. I'll wet a clean brush, and apply enough water to thin that paint then wick it off the model so I can repaint that area. Doesn't work after its completely dried but if you get it in the first 10 minutes or so works great.

[@steveharrison76]

That opening skit is basically me painting anything ever.

[@RieksVisser]

A risky one as you can tear up previous layers, but... when paint is semi dry you can sometimes lightly scratch it off with a wet toothpick or color shaper. Apply little to no pressure. The harder/glossier the previous layer is, the more likely it will work. With the eraser brush it can be helpful to have some tissue paper at hand to quickly absorb the diluted paint.

[@paulburrow5178]

Nice summary Jon. Your videos are great.

[@MrStatistx]

I was already sold on that Kickstarter, just waiting to see more minis (I mean in not artwork Form) to know which I pick

[@zippy5131]

Here's a good one, resin figures after painting and varnishing sometimes get glossy sticky patches. Put them on the window ledge in direct sunlight and leave, the patches disapear. Reasoning it's the resin not cured properly.

[@JakeDogg-RIP]

NinJon is the best at mistakes!!

[@JakeDogg-RIP]

Only a few days till TUP next release 😬😁😬 can’t wait!

[@davidlowton9359]

I just laughed out loud at those opening seconds 🤣🤣. Brilliant 😂

[@Winterydee]

First off, I hope that your family, friends and you had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! Second is thank you for the tips!

[@Zickzag]

Your spiderman gargoyle looks really cool, thank you for sharing!

[@hookedbrushpainter1555]

I found a brush to help with the fast fix step. Its called a Royal Sovereign, Color Shaper, size 2,soft, taper point. Reason why i use this brush sometimes instead of my finger is when the paint went into a recess that my finger couldnt reach this rubber brush can really help erase that undesired color.

[@MentoliptusBanko]

The inside-out method was a popular phrase for miniature painting when I started some 20 years ago

[@danmclean7375]

6:53 🤦‍♂️....👏...👏...👏... This is what I subscribed for; Ninjon you are legend🤣👍.

[@0_killjoy_078]

Great video! Will be using these!

[@arturd2746]

The first 20 sec. of the video are the best 😂 Very good video thanks for share your information.

[@LordSquee]

Nothing that ever starts with "You got this, you got this!" ever got...got.

[@herald0fmanwe]

Erasure brush is the best. I never use my finger because inevitably I touch the model again before that paint is totally dry and manage to make it worse!

[@ericphilippa]

Ahh the old architectural design principle: wanna make it smooth? make it rough... You will never get a perfect finish, just add texture to trick the eye into it. :-) Great tips. Fun vid.

[@Ninjon]

Well said!

[@fransaacs]

That blue to orange transition is strong.

[@kentboorman9328]

I use most of these. One other option for the too late paint is dry option is to use the eraser brush method but use 70% alcohol.

[@brandongiles6875]

Haha I am feeling that intro!

[@tassosmoukas5247]

Your videos are getting better. Gj

What about using some sort of cleaning alcohol? I guess if it's a bit diluted it shouldn't strip too much colour at once, right?

[@mortcog4767]

That intro is me every time I paint eyes on anything, lol

[@geekfreak69]

Fun vid: great tips for mistakes in painting minis Ninjon

[@FriendlyTrollPainter]

Painting minis is the fine art of fixing mistakes

[@finkmonkeyful]

Well done. I just ordered a shirt. Lol.

[@SlickRieck]

"I don't make that many mistakes.." *intro starts with him dotting the whites of lenses* Okay maybe I do need to watch this

[@benwilde6044]

I always have a trusty piece of paper towel ready for my eraser brush to dab on. Unfortunately, I never use it, for I am a brush licker and proud!

[@Donmegamuffin]

How do I fix the painting mistake of a judge not rolling up and handing me a crystal brush... hmmm Maybe you should show us your winning piece to see how it's done? ;)

[@TheXasTube]

My variation of your eraser brush: the emergency clear water pint: have a small glass of clean water nearby where you can just dip your mini into to instantly "neutralize" any paint mistake. Especially usefull when trying to get washes into very intricate. very small spaces without tainting the nearby area and your brush slips. or too much wash on your brush caused it to run into recesses were you didnt want it. Once the mini is inside the clear water you have time to grab a clean brush to remove the now super thinned paint if at all necessary. you should however keep the water allways 100% pristine and not be lazy and keep it once its been used and contamianted.

[@TheTwistedClarity]

love the simplicity here

[@samuraijaco1]

What would you recommend if you change your mind after the fact? For example, I painted some swords a few months ago, but decided after it dried that I didn’t much like it? I really like the job I did on the rest of the models, but I haven’t been able to find a good way to change it beyond just painting over it.

[@lucycannon6732]

Hey, Al Gorithim... Here's your comment, ya greedy bint! Jon, great tips!

[@andycroft9956]

Dude I was laughing so much at the start that I nearly MADE a load of painting mistakes!

[@ryanstagg7187]

What would you do if you, say, received some miniatures from a friend and he'd already primed them black. However, when you applied paint, the paint was just beading off of the figure? It wasn't spreading and adhering to the surface the way you'd expect... almost as though the primed surface was had a paint phobia lol...

[@malcolmfitzgerald6801]

That opening is painful but accurate.

[@Kittifizz1]

I had to come back to this video to tell you.. Squidmar did the finger swipe thing and all I thought was "boop". Thanks for that ahaha

[@Ninjon]

Lol!

[@diecast667]

hahaha, opening skit has me in stiches, it is going to be a good one!

[@michaelmccullough1034]

I used a toothpick with the tip soaked in water to fix mistakes. Since the toothpick is wood, it holds the water and i can get in close on mistakes.

[@silverrwhiskers26]

Boop!!! Love it! Put that on a tee shirt for me please?

[@Mikey__R]

I know KS is a fantastic tool for funding indie projects; but sometimes, I see a mini and want to impulse buy it NOW! I'd spend a lot more money and buy a lot models if I didn't have to wait months, sometimes years to get them. When I see a KS with some models I'd like, I often have a think and try to decide if I'd still want them months down the line. In most cases, I decide to wait till they're on general sale. If the models are KS only, then i tend to rebel against the enforced scarcity and look elsewhere.

[@BGPHughes]

I just love he start...

[@mikewalf]

Hey i always keep a spare brush next to me for erasing! 😀

[@ryancrowe3475]

Great video. Thank you. I do find it a bit dark. Black glove and a black board on your desk.

[@benjaminpenman-derstine1072]

Hell yeah! Love the vid and love the mini!

[@RooblesYT]

Hey Jon, I loved the gargoyle and how you painted it. I went straight over and backed the kickstarter, I look forward to them sitting in my house for a couple months before guilt pushes me round to painting them. Also, hopefully constructive feedback, when you make jokes like you did at 6:53, it may be good to cut the music for a moment to enhance the joke a little ;)

[@Ninjon]

Yes I meant to do that, damn good catch!

[@theibault]

That opening....I feel personally attacked. ;) Dude, your skits are brilliant. Is it possible that you could upload a new video every 8 hours? Is that too much to ask for? Keep up the fantastic work Jon.

[@Ninjon]

I'd love to release that many!

[@sebastien9193]

Another tip is to use varnish after some important step and you can remove the paint with some paint remover (I d'ont remember the name)

[@Me-cw7wu]

that intro segment was more tense than any horror movie i have ever watched

[@matthewbrookeart]

Do you loose a lot of paint putting citadel paints into the dropper bottles ?

[@asaffin1]

Hey Jon, bit of a long shot on a video from so long ago, but what were the other colors you used after Bad Bruise? I'm looking to try this palette on some Chaosy bois.

[@thebag1981]

The one effective way I’ve seen for getting recently dried paint off is to break or cut a tooth pick to get a flat edge, suck it, then rub across the spot you want to remove. You can do this without lifting lower layers.

[@thebag1981]

I should say I learned that from Roman Lappat who knows a thing or two about this stuff

[@WolfGirl930]

Here is my clever witty comment ....... " this is seriously really helpful....." I don' make any mistakes but for the quivery handed this is a must watch .... (I lie badly)

[@markgnepper5636]

Great stuff friend 👏 👍

[@Ninjon]

Thank you! Cheers!