Painting for The Tabletop? - Consider This

How do you paint for the table top to make sure your miniatures stand out? This video discusses some things to take into consideration when painting for the tabletop - the natural habitat of our miniatures.
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[@sovietbear1917]

I hate spending hours with my goggles on making 'perfect' blends that look amazing, then I show my wife and she can't tell. She used to be in theater, so she was talking one day about stage makeup looking good from 50-300 feet away, but horribly garish up close and something clicked. I started doing really dramatic contrasts and while I feel like they aren't the best from half a foot away with 3.5x magnification, they look amazing from 4 feet away.

[@52Miniatures]

I think level of detail is such a personal matter. I so enjoy spending a lot of time on my miniatures. But just as your wife narrows it down to - what is that time spent on?

[@MisfitHobbies]

I feel like every 52 Miniatures video not only leaves me pondering the intracacies of my process but equally feels like an approachable and understandable academic thesis on this thing we call wargaming, and I love it.

[@blakec1924]

Totally agree with this sentiment.

[@52Miniatures]

I wouldn’t go so far as thesis. Pondering I can agree upon :)

[@havoclord299]

Your style, sound, filmmaking, and philosophy about painting always put a smile on my face. Thanks for not taking tiny toys too seriously and don't stop. Would love to see more project vlogs between these vids, like the orc settlement, just to show what you are working on and give us more places to give you views

[@igoruberwald]

It is a really calming experience

[@philippealpe1151]

I was about to post something, but you said it very well :)

[@theangryjeff]

I agree! So refreshing! Also the fact that these are suggestions/considerations and not a “okay first of all you need to make a wet pallet and buy an airbrush”

[@billdefranza4927]

I couldn't have said it better!

[@hrvojegrgic-akovic5552]

Honestly, I thought this was another one of those "you dont have to try very hard on your entire army" videos. And all the power to those videos, as they do have a point, but I was really pleasantly surprised with this topic and the considerations mentioned here that is rarely pointed out, especially in beginner videos. Great job, as always

[@52Miniatures]

Thank you H. I try to not go through all to many things that already have been covered by others. Difficult, because most things have been done 😅 but this subject I haven’t seen around to much.

[@trovarion]

Always a pleasure to watch these videos!

[@52Miniatures]

Thank you T!

[@oldschoolfrp2326]

Good discussion - Golden Demon figures are fun to look at, but I learn more useful lessons from gamers with large armies and from board game painters, who paint nice collections quickly and consistently and get them on the tabletop faster

[@rosascreativeworks5403]

Yeah, I want them to look good, but I also want them to get done. Interesting balance to try and strike. 😊

[@PainterIdeas]

As someone who doesn't play, only paints, and struggles to notch down the quality of painting to tabletop, when requested and/or agreed on commissions, instead pushing to paint every single detail, this video is just an eye opener.

[@52Miniatures]

Great to hear P! 👌

[@andrewl9191]

So far, this is the only video of yours that I've come across. I'm a D&D player for like....2 years now, pretty much only DMing, but with an art and music background, I really love the way you've done this video.

[@52Miniatures]

Thanks Andrew, KZbin is very good at narrowing the world down into tight enclaves. I must confess as to never have seen a D&D video in my feed 😅 cross pollination just is very difficult, even though we are all painting miniatures. I’m glad to hear you found your way here eventually.

[@urbanursine]

Great video. 1. The topic was an amazing reminder of why we paint. A couple of months ago, I surrendered my dreams of winning any painting commission and accepted that I paint for my own satisfaction (gaming). 2. This also supports choosing TMM over NMM because on a gaming table, light source/s will hit your mini/s in different angles. 3. Greeeeeat filmography (if this the right term). Love how your videos have their own character and style.

[@52Miniatures]

Thank you U, great to read you comment.

[@pennsylvania9665]

My friend recommended your channel to me. I'm just starting out. This was the first video of yours that I watched. Thank you. It made me feel a bit more at ease.

[@52Miniatures]

Great 👍 Welcome to the channel :)

[@CJWproductions]

Your new squad of brightly colored Stormcast look fantastic! What I think is really interesting is, I don't think I would have noticed you didn't detail the shadows, if you hadn't mentioned it. There's also a lot of nice upward-facing detail on those models.

[@BillMakingStuff]

The glimmering armour 'bit' was great!

[@52Miniatures]

I assume this is the point to full Gold schemes? Why else do it?

[@Doppelwulf]

Excellent video! I really enjoy this type of topic and I there are few other channels that delve into the more esoteric and philosophical areas like you do. While I do enjoy your tutorial videos my favorites are the ones like this. The meat of it is in the voiceover but the visuals keep me engaged as well. Bravo.

[@52Miniatures]

Thank you humbly D!

[@jasonogg8743]

Your videos always seem to relax my brain. Thanks for the vid.

[@52Miniatures]

My pleasure!

[@justmakesstuff]

A lovely and simple video. Without feeling like filler. Calm and wryly delivered to make a series of subtle points. I'd give it 3 thumbs up.

[@52Miniatures]

Thanks Justin

[@8BitJesus]

Doug, over at 2+ Tough, has the term "3' fabulous' and it absolutely sold me on how I want my minis to look. Whether I achieve that look, that's a different matter, but the good intention is there. I think your approach definitely adds a different dimension to miniatures, hopefully I'll get my pastel Eldar finished this decade to apply the new found knowledge

[@andygorman858]

I pledge my allegiance to 52…..oh wait, it’s not a recruitment video! Great thoughts and ideas on what we look for in painting minis. I used to be the ‘paint it like your entering golden demon’ style but after w[a while and very few painted minis I decided to try a different way. I like the idea of using the zenithal highlight as the base coat and applying the main colours to the highest points as designated by the highlight underneath. Leaving areas just pure black is a sort of revelation to me as I used to think you had to paint everything. Thank you for this fantastic video…..now, back to this recruitment thing……😉

[@52Miniatures]

They are all recruitment videos! Eh.. I mean.. painting videos.. thanks Andy :)

[@Iwanttoregister]

It's good to see that you've finally started magnetising your miniatures :)

[@52Miniatures]

I’m slowly growing up :)

[@youtousim]

Maybe a bit too specific already, but a general guideline as well: The colour spectrum perceived by our eyes provides the most nuances in yellow tones for bright areas, red tones for midtones, and blue tones for darker areas. Thus using warm colours for highlights and cold ones for shadows is often recommended.

[@52Miniatures]

Quite so! Also quite natural, cool shadows and warm highlights :)

[@dirkignatzek]

Since there are obviously two of you i demand double the output of your excellent videos, sir!!!

[@52Miniatures]

Hah! I demand a double like button 😂

[@rmfberry261]

i love this perspective you gave. one takeaway ill put to use for sure is turning down my lights. that way I can get a more balanced view of what they would normally look like. I've found my minies lacky that bright color too and are dull.

[@52Miniatures]

It’s probably individual but it’s worked well for me. It all started with my wife saying “can you turn that bloody light down a bit”.

[@timothypaul8983]

This editing was very enjoyable to watch while listening to your rant. 👏

[@52Miniatures]

Hah! Thanks T

[@nikchi]

Yes, this is why I like the loud colors, all the grim dark stuff just blends into the tables.

[@LamesJames]

Whenever I see a new video from you I instantly watch it. Great stuff man!

[@52Miniatures]

I appreciate that!

[@EelcoWind]

This was good! Modestly hilarious, informative, an angle/topic that is not often discussed and reflective of your own old work. Subscribed and on my way to the supermarket to buy a pack of wine gums!

[@52Miniatures]

Well thanks E, and welcome to the channel. At least I’m contributing to candy sales as well :)

[@Ploppy316]

You sir are a champ, great thoughts all round. Kudos!

[@mato_2000]

Funny! I was thinking about this yesterday, how many painters claim you need a "daylight" to get the right colors while most games are played in warm/bad light. Thats just gonna make your minis look bad - on the table that is. Instead, painters should probably think more like makeup artist for TV, adapting the makeup (colors) for the skintone and light, in our case, base coat and light to look natural. :D

[@52Miniatures]

I think painting under daylight is the way to go. It’s kinder on the eyes and will be the “true” representation of colours used. But I think checking under other lights is a good idea. And maybe not to paint white armies…

[@mordj5247]

How about painting minis using color schemes with the aim to trick the brain and confuse your opponent (it's warfare so it's legit) : a strong deadly unit, painted to blend and be forgotten on the battlefield, a "hit that unit" unit painted brightly in order to focus the eye on it, making the player forget about the real threat. There are many optical illusions out there that trick the brain and that could be used in tabletop. What an army would look like if painted in this single goal : some very flashy, fluo, colors for some units ? dark black or grey no borders for others ? This would be very interesting to explore and analyse there after the behaviour. Maybe write a form of few questions to gather up players impressions, behaviours and actions during the game.

[@52Miniatures]

Now this is some devious planning! Now we just have to figure out how to make the huge hero models look less imposing :)

[@sethpeterson8261]

It works. The Sea Monster in my Blood Rage set blends in to the board so well my brother always takes it, because other players often think they're safe and completely miss it on the board even though it's really big and looms over other minis. It's big, it's obvious, yet no one ever notices it until it attacks and then you're like"how in the hell did I not notice that thing right next to me!?!"

[@marcozanobini8307]

I've the same problem: I can't leave out the details (even not visible). Each miniature takes a ages to finish to these standards and every time I wonder why I can't compromise on quality... I realized that: by using all my painting skills on each miniature, I improve. And, even when I try to paint quickly, I am able to be more precise and the mini remains extremely readable (increasing the contrast from a distance). So.. you've not waste your time on your actual stormcast army. In the next one you'll have the right knowledge and the right skills to do a great work!

[@52Miniatures]

Quite so Marco! I very much agree. I don’t think I intended anything in this video to be about speed, rather things to consider regardless of painting speed.

[@VertexCarver]

A variant of a complementary color scheme can be really cool. What I mean is to choose your primary color that is incorporated in everything. Playing around with texture, saturation & value mapping helps readability & having something like 90% this primary color just makes the mini look cohesive along with a rich contrast by your complementary color. One disadvantage though, is that you often have a distinct lighting sanario like a cool or warm setting. It also looks a bit stylized or unrealistic. idk, I think it marries well with the grimdark style as you often use desaturated colors but can make use of that & create contrast by color choices or the standard saturation & values.

[@52Miniatures]

Sound nice :) thanks for the tip 👍

[@danwagner4306]

Ohh the generic talk is warming to my heart and pleases my hobby butterfly soul. Much appreciated great stuff...

[@52Miniatures]

Glad to hear it :) thank you

[@KnarbMakes]

I wanna hear more about this plan to conquer the known universe.

[@52Miniatures]

Ehh.. what plan? There's certainly no plan. Nope...

[@badpoulet]

That comment on the "expensive cards that are probably already out of date" hit right in the feels! XD

[@52Miniatures]

I mean, what is Yndastras war scroll like now? Does anyone know? 😂

[@Tgauchsin]

I love your videos. You are like the smooth Bob Ross version of a mini painter. Very well put together videos and excellent tips for this mini painting noob. Subscribed and can’t wait to watch more.

[@52Miniatures]

Thank you P and welcome to the channel

[@justinanderson3095]

This is a tremendous film style. A pleasure to watch

[@52Miniatures]

Thanks Justin!

[@paulincumbria]

To make bosses stand out, rather than giving them a different colour scheme, I elevate them on rocky bases. And by quite a margin - about a 1/3 to a 1/2 of the overall height of the mini. It makes them stand out on the tabletop - quite literally!

[@52Miniatures]

Also boosting "line of sight" :) I've got a hero on a ridiculous base that's actually taller than the mini itself. A lot of fun.

[@LostJasonR]

That 6:28 moment killed me! :') Epic video sir!

[@seankavanagh3742]

This for me is a Eureka moment thank you so much!

[@52Miniatures]

Great to hear Sean 👍

[@Slaneshhhh]

Awesome video. I love the chill vibe.

[@Wijkert]

You are so good at making video's with a message or at least something to consider! Lovely stuff.

[@52Miniatures]

Thanks W! I probably think to much...

[@Wijkert]

@@52Miniatures I do that too...

[@theturts9626]

top notch editing in this one

[@nathanielstark5070]

It was really fun to watch something different. Also, I can't wait to see more of these new stormcasts :)

[@52Miniatures]

Hopefully next video will be a bit more of a spotlight on the new Stormcast :)

[@flowinsounds]

that was funny. your stormcast eternals disappeared into the background/bases, when you put colourful figures next to them. I tried doing instagram style paint schemes, but then shifted to high contrast, boldly highlighted & colored schemes instead, precisely because it looks better on the table

[@chriswhite7249]

It's interesting that you say that painting under lower lighting has helped improve your painting. I found the opposite to be true for myself. I had been painting under a single Ottlite, but a few months back I put in an LED workshop light that is incredibly bright, and I think my painting is better because of it. I think because everything is so well and evenly lit that I have to push my highlights and shadows much further for them to stand out under that light. I think the result carries over under normal lighting and everything looks better because there's more contrast than I would have done normally.

[@52Miniatures]

Great to hear Chis. Yeah, I think these things are individual. But that they are good to experiment with. Not just assume that brightest is best - or what I say is best for that matter. To check minis in different lights, to try ant paint in different locations. All the stuff :)

[@jeremiahpointer1299]

Another lovely video. Thank you Alex. Can't wait to watch it at home, again!

[@52Miniatures]

Thank you Jeremiah.

[@chrisgallagher7]

Solid video as always. Great work.

[@MentoliptusBanko]

Very thoughtful video. Your new Stormcast are much nicer that the "grimdark" ones. I am a little biased because I love colorful armies. The fact that each is a different color is beautiful. I usually paint skirmish warbands where every mini is different in some way...and when I put them in units in an army it is all very colorful indeed. And I like it. So don't be afraid of colors, not everything in life should be (grim)dark 😉

[@52Miniatures]

Thanks M, I’m looking forward to getting more done, to see what they look like in numbers :)

[@MentoliptusBanko]

It will be beautiful, full of colors....just as planned 😉

[@troyzelaya]

Not gonna lie, I genuinely laughed out loud at 6:30 with the lights flashing. Tip of the cap to you, sir.

[@52Miniatures]

Mission accomplished Raul :) Thanks!

[@mttwstyle]

Really enjoyed this one!

[@Smaakakor]

Haha. Kikaren och tumstocken fick mig att skratta högt här borta, mycket underhållande video även denna gång.

[@52Miniatures]

Fint! :)

[@Mark-cl4dd]

Much food for thought 😀

[@robbar77]

Oh wow, the original version of Dungeonquest! Drakborgen I think. Amazing.

[@52Miniatures]

Drakborgen yes! My childhood friend :)

[@markfrommontana]

Alex, So as you know I paint military miniatures to go with my model airplanes and I although don't paint fantasy figures and haven't played a war game of any sort for decades, I think everything you discussed here applies to what I do--how I might paint my little pilots in the best way to make them pop (or not pop) on display. This was great. Oh, and.. I read all of the comments (which stood at 51 as I type this) and I'd just like to say--don't change your narration stye one bit.

[@52Miniatures]

I think it is a cool thing. To step by step discover what "works". We can totally choose to discard, or ignore whatever the discovery is, but it's fun nonetheless. I'm still in between liking the less dramatic up close, but very much appreciating the dramatic on the table. And yeah, I'm not going to change narration :) - From time to time I do enjoy dishing out reminders to folk who seem to have lost the sense of common decency. Regardless of their listening state.

[@TheEnd]

Thanks Al!

[@squidly162]

Very interesting!

[@patpaintsminis]

Hej! Awesome as usual, always lovely to follow your adventures. See you around!

[@52Miniatures]

Thank's very much!

[@marcolai9735]

Amazing video once again! And really great “observations”. I didn’t realise you had a twin brother.. (@10:30) hope to learn more about him at some point 😆

[@52Miniatures]

He's the one who does all the camera work while I'm in shot.

[@markgnepper5636]

Great stuff friend 👏 👍 Loving your journey

[@52Miniatures]

Thanks Mark!

[@Hartmansgrad]

The lesson to be learned here is that if your table and it's surroundings are garbage, it doesn't matter how good a painter you are. Build a table, make it higher than a dining table so you can see...make and paint terrain...treat other aspects of your hobby with as much diligence as you would clean mould lines, it will pay dividends when your miniatures belong on the table rather than a light box.

[@52Miniatures]

Quite true!

[@k_sinner8147]

Amazing as always please more 3D printing

[@RPRsChannel]

*_I always add lights to my terrain. Light from inside houses, streetlights, mushroom casting off light. All light from terrain more or less shines down on the table. It make a world of difference._* Edit for the worlds most common spelling mistake.

[@52Miniatures]

That’s pretty cool :)

[@paintingbyminions8360]

Wonderful video. I think I’m going to do all my instagram photos at table length. Just for kicks.

[@52Miniatures]

😂👌

[@Andy_Quest]

My friend just introduced your channel to me.. absolutely LOVE your content! Thanks so much for making it! Love the lighting and filming style. 👍🏼 Where did you get the trestle legs and tabletop? 🤔 I really want something like that for a quick setup/teardown.

[@52Miniatures]

Thank you Andy and welcome to the channel. The trestle legs are the cheapest I could find from the cheapest local hardware store. The top is actually the board from an old school architects desk (you know the vertical ones). My dad had it “lying around”.

[@Grimmlocked]

for my space marines, the boss always has a different colored helmet.

[@MutsuKazuma]

I use a different head for the bosses, no helmet for the special guy, or if alle the others don't have one he gets a plumed helmet with some colorful plumes, or if they almost look the same with the same helmet use something like the space marine approach and give them a gold/bronze stripe or decoration on the helmet, or shoulder pad

[@52Miniatures]

Yeah, that’s smart. Different ways to distinguish them.

[@honestminis9530]

I made a small video on this subject because I could not find one. Now there is no reason to watch mine :) Great job!

[@52Miniatures]

Of course there is, I’ll try and find the time to watch it :)

[@honestminis9530]

@@52Miniatures Don't bother. I'm not to proud of it and we are all better of if you spend those 7 minutes on creating more quality content :)

[@mandasity]

painfully accurate. Great lessons to be learned here but I can't help but feel attacked lol

[@52Miniatures]

I honestly feel like I'm attacking myself. But it's not rules, and it's not for everyone. Just something to consider - not swear by.

[@mandasity]

@@52Miniatures honestly i've been living by this philosophy because I can rarely keep my interest in a project long enough to shoot for 'instagram' level quality and usually shoot for tabletop quality so I can move through projects at a reasonable pace. The part with the stat cards and the dice and the snacks and the mixed terrain some of which is unfinished and the lighting.. it hit like a truck XD

[@diegohg8786]

I came here for the conquering, when are we starting?

[@52Miniatures]

Working on it! :)

[@MrMagicchrisi]

These are all very valid points you are mentioning. I will give it a try and turn down the brightness of my painting light! Do you change the colour warmth as well?

[@52Miniatures]

No! Daylight temp for painting is optimal. It’s kinder on your eyes, and gives most “neutral and correct” colour rendition.

[@MrMagicchrisi]

@@52Miniatures thank you!

[@stephenspackman5573]

Is there any reason not to put subtle squad and rank markings on the edges of bases? Bases are large, so they needn't be garish to work, I should think. I noticed that computer games very rapidly adopted the convention of rendering “bases” on, or at least rings around, units for this reason and this reason (given that there are simpler ways of denoting unit activation) alone. And frankly, the (it seems) conventional black rimmed bases are already immersion-breaking, even if they are visually fairly neutral (though for a flat image I'd go with a ~75% grey surround and not a black, actually, because why steal from the blacks in the piece itself ). Always excellent content, of course!

[@52Miniatures]

Hey Stephen! I'm two minds about it. One side says, "must try and hide the base". The other is like, yeah, a perfect space to paint in different colours to mark out different squads. Or in a game like stargrave, one can write the name of the character for swifter reference to the crew sheet.

[@wyrdpsyker3483]

I'm working on the Crimson Court vampires and I'm thinking about giving them a classic horror treatment with some OSL uplighting. But will it actually translate on the tabletop? What do you think?

[@52Miniatures]

I’m sure it would if vibrant / contrasting. Like a red glow on grey, blue green vampires?

[@boredniko2406]

i get a Christopher Waltz vibe from Alex.

[@KelRiever]

This is a hard argument for not painting very carefully the bottom fold of a turned over riding boot flap. My personal attention to detail need wants to argue very much about this, insisting that someone will notice when they pick up and examine the figure I painted. I mean, that never happens, or when it does, nobody cares or says anything anyway. But in my mind, it hypothetically COULD happen, and that is why I never get the rest of my models done, probably. But that boot is done right, and I know it! Otherwise, how could I sleep at night? :D

[@52Miniatures]

Hah! Yeah! I still glance at the back of those shields and think… they look very boring… and then I stand up and back away and I’m just happy I can see the shields.

[@philthymofo]

Fun video, gives some good thoughts into my pea brain, and now I want wine gums...

[@52Miniatures]

Candy!

[@NewSquallor]

I'm really torn by this. I spend a decent amount of cash on these little villians and heroes, I want to do them justice. But as you say, they're for gaming. Almost no one notices the details except for the photo I take when I finish something to catalogue it as done. I guess I can go lighter on the weathering a tad. Let the bright colours gleam a bit more. That aside...sooo terrain. Have you hit the MDF terrain slump I have? Bought a ton of it to finally give my table a nice bit of coverage and, wow, do I not want to touch MDF.

[@52Miniatures]

Just haven’t gotten around to finishing the mdf terrain, mainly because of complicated plans. But I’ll get there :) I think we should paint for our own satisfaction… but what if for example you would spend less time on areas not as visible, and spend more time on the visible? Or even spend more time on the to really make them stand out on the table? :)

[@ScarecrowYFM]

Feast for crows you say? Asoiaf reference? 😏

[@timothyyoung2962]

I never paint eyes. I figure if I was really dealing with a humanoid that was only 28mm tall would you even really see their eyes much? Demons, robots, orcs, Space Marine armor... that gets some eye color even if it's just a dash of red... but most other minis do not. Just some shade where needed. And for my light where I paint vs. the light at my gaming table... it's the same table with the same lighting so I guess I'm good there : ) The minis look great by the way. And a quick question... how did you do the colors on the dragon's wings? I'm getting ready to paint up some demons and angels for Reign In Hell and my fiance has an angel cabal leader. That color is exactly what I was thinking for the wings.

[@52Miniatures]

I usually try and just do a dot of white in the corner of the eye, but nothing more. The dragon wings will be a video! Probably within the month… airbrush required though I’d say..

[@06BiLOo]

Came for the mini, stayed for the gott&blandat

[@52Miniatures]

Ha ha! Thanks C

[@michaelwright3886]

I will help you "create more videos" ASAP. To ensure I have a place in... I mean to make them better. Yes.

[@52Miniatures]

Better videos.. yes... that's what I'll be doing... definitely..

[@tobbestrom502]

Åh gott och blandat!!!!

[@hallsofvalhalla1749]

Wine gums!?!

[@52Miniatures]

🤷🏼‍♂️

[@davehultermans7238]

The robot Voice Is really Annoying. Good Video But try To work On That Plz Pal

[@52Miniatures]

You should try one day. Somehow. To see what it feels when a complete stranger walks up to you and says. Hi. You know what? You talk weird! Work on that. Bye. I’d say, if that happened to me I’d think. Wow, that was one rude person.

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

@@52Miniatures your cadence is lovely.

[@52Miniatures]

@@BlackMagicCraftOfficial Thanks Mate :)

[@Veles343]

So you're saying a yellow army is the best idea then 😁

[@52Miniatures]

😂💛

[@bettsdn]

Such a great video. These days so may of us mini painters (me included) are focused on the perfect picture for Instagram or our facebook mini painting groups. But on the table, or even in person under normal light, the minis just don't look as good.

[@HacksawsHobbyBunker]

One may find that, if one is painting for enough years, the "looks good at arms length" standard becomes more appealing. I just cant see minis as sharply as I did even a decade ago. Definitely speeds up painting! I agree that adding contrast helps, whatever makes the colours pop even a little is an aid to vision. I also wonder if as technology advances, daylight bulbs will start to make it even into the darkest recesses of FLGS? That would be an improvement and maybe help some of us not feel quite so daylight deprived on certain days. Also - mmmmm, turnips. I ate a rutebaga earlier, so in some places they would say I cut up and ate a Swede. Thats disturbing. :-D

[@52Miniatures]

There was the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Middle Ages… all leading up the the Daylight in the LFGS Age. The ultimate step in evolution

[@TylerProvick]

Personally I think people should focus more on volume than detail. Drybrushing, edge highlighting and washes are often cited as "bringing out detail" but on the tabletop that detail merges together. On the other hand, having the tops of object be bright and the bottoms dark shows the volume, even at distance. You don't even need blending - in situ lighting and distance handles that part. And never paint eyes.

[@Marconius6]

I paint more with my display case in mind, since that's where my minis spend 98% of their time, and where I see them every day. Like, I actually sit at eye level with some of my minis, so just not painting the underside of a huge dragon would be a complete non-starter for me. Bottom of a tank though, that can probably be just one solid color.

[@rosascreativeworks5403]

That's what I need to do. Build a display case for my minis... good thought.

[@thedabblingwarlock]

Thank you, Alex. I was struggling with figuring out how to paint the minis I have primed and sitting about waiting for the brush. You've helped me not worry about that so much. I enjoyed your sense of humor throughout the video. I hope the like I gave you helps in your plans for world domination. ;)

[@52Miniatures]

Glad to hear it DW, and yes, a like goes a long way :)

[@blainetoms]

absolutely wonderfully written and produced as always. everything is so considered in your creative process, it really is lovely stuff.

[@52Miniatures]

Thank you B, I appreciate it.

[@jakubgramczynski8155]

Magnificent content on all levels. I've always been afraid of bright contrast color schemes and rather hidden myself in the grim dark muddy corner of painting minis. By showing me a familiar yet previously unnamed context you've opened my yes to the fact that I actually want to paint in bold contrast way :) Thanks!

[@52Miniatures]

I’m still working towards the “colour full grim dark” goal. Keeping the muddy vibe but with more colour.

[@Scherdnr]

That blue pot of paint being used on the top of your terrain really increased the tension of the story! Loved the video, thanks for this!

[@52Miniatures]

Hah! Thanks Scherdy. An old pot of GW paint :)

[@bluesheepminecraft]

Your painting is just sublime - can't wait for the new stormcast video!

[@acidcoen]

It always makes my day when you post a video :) Some really interesting thoughts and ideas. Great job as always Alex!

[@52Miniatures]

Thanks D! I appreciate it as always.

[@alangates5240]

Seeing your new stormcast and the points raised, I think it helps to think about why traditional rank and file armies had bright coloured shields etc, imagine you are the army commander half a mile away and want to issue an order to a unit, you dont want to spend precious time working out what unit it is that you wish to issue the order to! Units needed to be identifiable from some distance away! These same rules should apply to us armchair generals. Great video!

[@52Miniatures]

Very true! Hadn't really considered that. I mean, the traditional uniform is pretty sound. "Only kill all the ones in red" was probably a nice thing for the folk up front. But as you say. Up on the hill, tactics was maybe easier if one knew who's who.

[@manbearpiglett-4110]

Honestly I just tended to whip some gold onto the greaves and wash with a gloss varnish and that gave my miniatures a ton of "pop", certainly Dark Angels Space Marines, and my zombies always had the contrast of a very glossy red using freakflex paints. Now I have an airbrush and I find I'm stalled in the mud watching videos and never truly developing my rhythm. I definitely won't be able to ignore the underside of miniatures, CERTAINLY not characters, I often croon and purr and scrutinise them lol, I think I'd genuinely be losing out if I didn't paint them fully 😂. By big issue is I work hard, many hours, and different shifts. And I have a fun girlfriend. My best hope to paint comes at night for an hour or two, but you know, a fun girlfriend doesn't really want to see you in the corner by yourself....😅. My plan is to do a massive trench network that I bought materials for about 4 years ago, and if only I could finish off my Lord of the Rings Mumakil first and then there's those 90s Cluedo miniatures I'm trying my best to pro-paint for family games nights oh and of course my new Eldar and Tau models, not to mention my Mordian Guard army annnnd.....yeah. Hard to juggle everything. Probably going to end up swimming or hiking or visiting family instead. But! Some hope! Like an ornithologist stranded on a desert island without his binoculars, squinting up in wry contemplation at seagulls, a muted satisfaction, here I am, unable to practice my hobby fully and to the previous extent, but your videos give me a nice feeling and I appreciate them, so thank you! 😁

[@52Miniatures]

Thanks MBP!

[@philgee486]

A feast for thought There are mini painters who rightly speak to telling a story with the painting of a mini (or more), I like that approach. Some really good ones will go beyond just running a bit of basing pigment over the boots to tie the figure into it's environment, they'll talk about environmental lighting. Is it midday in a desert? Is it moonlit in an ancient forest? How does that effect the colours cast over the mini that complicate it's look, how do we create them with paint. I've been told to replicate cool daylight on my painting table, and I do. I even cover leds with bits of sweet wrapper and save all sorts of other coloured plastic so I can shine them from different directions onto my zenithal and take pics to guide me later. I paint models to play games with... But I play with them on a board on the dining room table.... Above is three cheap energy saving bulbs in frosted glass shades and behind me is a window onto the concrete patio Once painted I never again look at them in cool daylight lighting, I just don't. My display shelf for the ones I'm most proudest of is opposite the painting desk, not under it's expensive lighting. Don't remember anyone ever pointing out how my models live, and how I actually view them, how they might look in a forest yes, but not how they might look on my dining room table from where I'm standing - and how that perhaps ought to influence my painting decisions. I think about painting every day, I paint or model most days for at least a bit. I think I'm a thinker.... But this is considering painting, this is mindful hobbying, this is what I come to 52minis for, this is why Alex is alex

[@philgee486]

I use a dice tray, but would really like a terrain camouflaged tabletop dice tower for each genre of games, great plan. I watched this vid and was immediately so glad I knew where there was a packet of wine gums in our kitchen. Then it occurred to me, so much more than that.... I need snack holding terrain, Hiding washable interchangeable tupperware inserts. Wine gums, M&Ms, sausage balls, cheese and crackers.... What about edible objective markers - whole new game Now the lift off roof of my ruined dystopian factory won't reveal the ground floor layout, it's going to be cheese straws and hobnobs ..and winegums

[@philgee486]

So sorry for dragging it back into the gutter that is food obsessed chat.. I am really

[@52Miniatures]

I could see myself there, mistaking the candy bowl in disguise terrain piece for the dice tower terrain piece. Accidentally chewing down on a die, teeth flying across the battlefield..

[@philgee486]

@@52Miniatures What? you don't snack on dice when the winegums run out???

[@ForgottenStreams]

This is such a cool and refreshing perspective to the tabletop standard - thank you! (and yes, pun intended)

[@coalitionofrob436]

Space Monkey returns! For some unhealthy reason I love that little guy.

[@52Miniatures]

It’s a cracker of a mini!

[@clubwargamessanangel]

I really like your videos because of the lighting, dark and melancholy.

[@WayOfHaQodesh]

Hahahaha, excellent topic for discussion and great points for contemplation. Much appreciated.