Slapchop Experiment: Beginner Tries Slapchop For The First Time - Backvlog 09

Welcome to Mel's Mini Loft, where we embark on exciting painting experiments! In this video, join me as I take on a new challenge - using the slapchop technique to paint a squad of Tau Fire Warriors. Get ready for a journey filled with surprises, spills and unexpected challenges!!
In this experimental painting session, I dive into the slapchop technique for the first time. Watch as I explore this unconventional approach to bring a new texture and style to my miniature painting. Will it be a triumph or a hilarious disaster? Join me to find out!
While the slapchop technique proved to be more challenging than expected, I am determined to push through and get through my backlog while being proud of my work. This video serves as a reminder that embracing experimentation and stepping out of our comfort zones can lead to growth.
Let's inspire and learn from each other as we celebrate the creative journey!
FOLLOW ME: / melsminiloft
#MelsMiniLoft #MiniaturePainting #BeginnerPainter #Warhammer40k #OldArmyNewSkills #PaintingTutorial #LearningToPaint #BacklogBusting #BoardGameMiniatures #WargameMiniatures #PaintingMotivation #Progress #Growth #Nostalgia #Tau #slapchop

[@danbbq8194]

I’m not sure if you realise how important this kind of video is… we’ve all seen the pro painters do their amazing work, but that’s not what a beginner needs, they need to see someone go through the same journey they’re on and survive to the end. Keep it up, slapchop isn’t as easy as it looks ❤

[@melsminiloft]

It's why I made this, its something I wish I had when I first started two years ago and one of the reasons I had dropped it for a while. Thank you! I'm for sure going to keep going!

[@typicaldonut6191]

Real talk been searching for army speedoainter videos that are more realistic to what I might accomplish just finished my models ready to paint

[@metagrossle]

I second this. Thank you for taking the effort to show us your hobby journey. The honesty, the ups and downs. This is one of the best slapchop videos out there.

[@robvandamme6473]

Bla bla bla

[@dagdamar2000]

Please keep doing what you are doing. I think it is important for other beginners to see that no one is perfect right from the start. We all had to learn by trying and making mistakes. You are doing a great job keep on going!

[@melsminiloft]

Thank you 😊 I will! That's why I started this whole thing, to help other beginners realize it's OK to make mistakes and it's part of the learning process.

[@Gr8KnightGaming]

A lot of people pop the top off their dropper bottles by accident - most likely you were holding it directly upside down which caused the ball bearing inside to completely block the hole - Try holding at 45 degrees when pouring onto the wet pallet, that way the hole can't get completely blocked and will prevent you from over squeezing the bottle to get the paint out.

[@melsminiloft]

I think that's exactly what happened, I have never used bottles with ball bearings inside before and didn't even realize that could happen. Thank you for the tip!

[@hmgirlpopuri5819]

@@melsminiloft Definitely had that same thing happen to me with my first foray into speed paints. Sideways or 45 degrees helps!

[@samsowden]

@@melsminiloft make sure the ball catches in the shoulder, not the nozzle

[@LEF3133]

You have now been speedpaint hazed, welcome to the club haha

[@xtigerbotjoe]

I make sure to warm my friends that were using my speedpaints about this to avoid this mistake!

[@estevandelgado8329]

As a complete beginner for speed paints, I truly appreciate this video. Something I have to remind myself is that any new hobby takes patience and practice. Thanks.

[@blkjet117]

For speed paints you are supposed to load up your brush to get a good amount of paint on the mini, to get one coat and your done. When you are dry brushing you grey and white when doing slap chop, you can use a bright white to paint your bright highlights to do all the edges you want to pop, then when applying the speed paint just start there and draw the paint away. This should leave you with highlights without going back to paint mixed paint highlights.

[@melsminiloft]

That makes sense thank you! When I was first painting them I didn't load up the brush and it looked really weird. I'll do that from now on

[@spartanvi3888]

Was about to post this. The gradient of grays to whites coupled with your make-up dry brushing technique should lead to a stunning slap chop finish.

[@VanDavis]

Also came in to mention this, as I've only seen the first half where you're struggling with the purple...it DEFINITELY looked like you're not adding enough of the speedpaint. It's formulated to shrink and even out as it dries, after its excess material has worked into the deep spots. So you don't need to DROWN the mini, but you definitely want to give it a generous first coat.

[@tripfoward]

I came to say that I had heard that wet pallets and speed paints don't mix but it looks like you already got the word out - thumbs up.

[@dahobdahob]

Yeah, I concur. You want to load up the mini with speed paint and kind of "let it find it's own level". That also helps with the speed part since a loaded brush will cover faster. Also, I feel you with the excitement of having an excuse to buy more painting gear...

[@RJ-vg3yu]

Great advice for new painter's trying these techniques!

[@FzudemR]

Hey Mel, great video! A few things i´ve learned using speedpaints are: - dont use a wet palette! i know how this sounds but i had better results with the undiluted paints out of the bottle - if you dont have access to an airbrush: try to work up from different gradients of grey while drybrushing. start with a dark grey and use a big brush and the higher you go with the paint color, the smaller the brush should be and with off white and pure white, try to cover just the edges and the highest spots in a downward motion to give a semi zenital highlight. - IF you have access to an airbrush: i recommend a white acrylic ink after a black basecoat to apply the zenital highlight, acrylic ink has a really smooth application and after that use a titanium white for a last drybrush like mentioned above, this for me made a huge difference, as the highest spots just pop - if you want to add onto the speedpaint layer i recommend a matt varnish, after that you can play around with edge highlights or oil wahses and pigment powder and all that fun stuff :D with all that said, huge respect that you painted the guys in just 4 days, i struggle with my armies as the amount of work is not to be underestimated hahaha Slapchop can be fun and rewarding AND it is definitly faster than other styles, but for an average painter like myself its still a huge load of work! ;D

[@nagysuti]

I found that speed paints are working a lot better on lighter primer so at this point I am doing that and then a wash to the recesses and a single while drybrush instead of going from black primer to grey and white drybrush. It made the colors pop so much more.

[@fremandn]

I appreciate the vlog format as a beginner. It's a needed middle-ground between "professional painter shows you how easy it is" and me just trying something blind

[@jonathanllewellyn5053]

^ Underrated comment right here. I always keep one of my first ever painted minis (15 yrs old) with whatever I'm painting currently. Even if you feel like your current standard isn't that good you'll have the visual proof of how far you've come by comparison

[@sotpseamus]

As far as your color theory goes, if purple is your dominant color, I would consider an ochre in place of the red. It's a darker, more muted yellow, and it would hold up the purple nicely. Red can be considered for a spot color, like the eye lenses.

[@TweAKGaming]

Thankyou so much for documenting the whole journey! Love the minis

[@pauljessee8611]

I watch all of these other miniature painting videos and they have this persona of being perfect, never making a mistake and it seems unreachable. Thanks for showing us that painters can end up not liking what they did and still push forward.

[@socalastarte6727]

I've been painting minis for over 20 years and I have found that the Slapchop method is best used by combing Contrast Paints and acrylic. Certain bits like pouches, holsters, leather straps etc can be time consuming if you are bothering to lay down acrylics, then washes, then build up the base again, then add highlights. If you throw down Contrast paints as your base coat and then use your acrylics to highlight, you get a quicker result that typically looks just as good. Also, especially with the new Contrast Range, they are great for achieving vibrant color schemes that can be difficult and time consuming without them. Good luck with your future paint projects. Oh, and I liked and subscribed!

[@melsminiloft]

I started trying to add acrylics on top of speed paints and it really is looking much better than just the speed paint alone. It's something they don't advertise and can really throw off new people. And thanks!

[@kristoff7049]

Rollercoaster… well done and thank you for showing us your journey… all the feels!

[@DannyQM]

They look great!

[@michaelpipe5488]

Your videos are great! They come across as super honest and are very relatable in a way that i can’t recall seeing elsewhere. Best of luck for you and the channel. 👍👍

[@drhapi5308]

YES YES YES!!! Slap Chop is my JAM!

[@robertlasitter5284]

I’m so glad I found your page!!! So wholesome and inspiring. Whatever you’re doing keep doing it. You’re doing great!!!

[@eduardschmidt6910]

Thank you for sharing your fails and doubts. Starting to paint (with a new technique) can be annoying and seeing other KZbinrs making everything just perfectly fine at the first attempt can be even more frustrating. I reall enjoyed your journey :-)

[@jessicadoyle5911]

These look amazing! Great job!

[@melsminiloft]

Thank you!

[@haveguitar]

Fun video, thanks! I sub'ed for the content, perfect to watch/listen while painting myself :)

[@GeneralHappyPie]

Loved the video. Just discovered you and I'm just on the journey back into painting myself. It's nice to see someone else also taking the journey. As others have said definitely use a dry palette for speedpaints, I use a old tile and it works great for them. I have discovered recently they don't do the best through an airbrush unless you layer it on so thick you may as well have just used a brush so watch out for that if you were thinking of heading that way. Keep up the journey.

[@kennethhebnes2941]

Great video,,need more lik this impove my self❤❤❤

[@NathanDrennan]

So great to see a video where I can really feel everything you are saying. Your video is REAL and thats what makes it special. Good job powering thru the unit and seeing it to the end. Look forward to watching more as I am returning to painting after a short haitus as well.

[@Shatteredzero1]

Mistakes are okay, it's part of the learning process. This isn't life or death. It's perfectly alright to start over.

[@XerrolAvengerII]

Next time, try using an overloaded brush and work one panel at a time, painting in as few brushstrokes as possible, then immediately use an unloaded brush to pull up any pooling so the SpeedPaint can dry smoothly. Of course, really depends on the undercoat for the final texture. Keep it up!

[@melsminiloft]

Thank you! Going right in with an unloaded brush to move around any pooling is a super helpful tip ill be sure to use it!

[@NewOldEBM]

Keen to see how this pans out for you, having recently got back into the hobby myself too and trying to navigate this new painting world has been wild! Keep it up!

[@darryll4049]

Just keep going. I was in your shoes over 2 years ago. Just paint. Its how we learn. Your painting is fantastic!! Just keep going kiddo!

[@RyanGates-kq9tu]

Don't feel bad, contrast/speed paint takes practice, i find i quite often get tea stained look, until i learned the right ratio of paint to use, i find now i use the contrast/speed paint as a base coat and highlight after that, that sped me up a lot, but don't give up it takes practice like any other paint. I also moved to zenithol priming which smoothed out everything nicely, i had way less blotchy spots.

[@melsminiloft]

That's a good idea to use the speed paint as a base and then start layering/highlighting from there. I will keep practicing for sure!

[@sies3334]

I haven't been playing the painting lately due to life, your video helped me. You are doing fantastic keep at it.

[@markgnepper5636]

Great stuff friend 👏 👍

[@patrickdickson4671]

Wonderful to find you. Looking forward to your continued successes

[@melsminiloft]

Thank you so much!

[@colemanwyatt4031]

Once you finish the boots definitely add something to those bases. I think good basing with lighter colors will contrast well with the darker red and purple and will really bring it all together.

[@PopeJrod]

Thank you again for sharing your journey. Weve all gone through the "ugly stage" of a model no matter what technique is being used. I really liked that you took a breath and pushed through on your first/test model. Trying both to finish a older project and testing a new technique is a big step, so im glad you were able to get through the squad. Keep pushing that pigment, practice is the best thing anyone can do to continue improving. Have a great week

[@jfcaronjonq]

Nice video. Thanks for your honesty with all the challenges you encountered in this project. I’ve used SpeedPaints 1st generation for a Bloodbowl team project and it turned out fine but, as you mentioned, the undercoat is really important. Keep up the good work!

[@varryn]

I love your videos, they inspire me to try and paint more often than I do currently! In terms of suggestions, I'd echo what some other comments have mentioned, Contrast/Speed paints tend to need a more generous application over an area so they have a chance to settle properly before they start to dry. I like them as a medium, but they do need a bit of practice to get the feel 🙂

[@Cursedsama]

Fun to see you go through the same process I have and voice the same type of thoughts. Keep going! One thing that usually helps me when I'm iffy on a scheme or something is to look at the mini in different kinds of lighting; natural, strong overhead, just your ceiling lights etc. Most important thing by the end of the day is that it looks nice in just your average room lighting from about an arms length or two away after all! And also; troops and stuff are just little guys, I prefer putting most of my effort on the bigger, cooler models.

[@curtcleancut]

I know it seemed hard to do, but hoenstly.... the mini's look great. Next time around will be even easier! Awesome stuff.

[@irwedge]

Slapchop and contrast/speed paints are awesome. But they're just one tool. I've found that it's still super important to pick out a few details and have some complimentary or neutral colors after all the main painting is done. Like belts, gun handles, hair bands, pouches, etc. just having a couple of those details painted up really makes the model come to life.

[@TheGoatPC]

I noticed you only dry brushed grey, for slap chop you need to do a second light dry brush of bright white. That white is gonna hit all the edges and because of how speed paints work, they will pull from the edges when drying giving you an edge highlight.

[@drhapi5308]

Yeah, sometimes I just skip the Grey and go black to white for a stronger contrast.

[@TheGoatPC]

@@drhapi5308 the grey layer is important for getting shadows and highlights.

[@tonyhind6992]

Slap chop has got me back into painting minis again.

[@jamesgalbreath343]

Thanks, Mel, for sharing your journey with all of us. I think you pulled things together quite skillfully by the end. I also think that it's OK to work on a miniature, then look at it, and say, "Nope, not what I want." Especially with color choices, you should feel free to try different options and choose the best.

[@julianabson7870]

I really like your pink on purple highlights. Well done on pushing through

[@Mortalware]

Awesome to see a beginner miniature painter. I've bought a bunch of miniatures and a bunch of paint and am already too intimidated to even start painting. This reminds me that I just need to start and see what happens.

[@melsminiloft]

It can seem really scary but we're all here to cheer you on! Plus there are tons of helpful guides and tips on youtube and even just in these comments. You got this!

[@TheThewhatnow]

After a while I changed my slap chop to be black basecoat, light grey through an airbrush as a heavy zenithal, and then finish with a pure white drybrush, this gives a much smoother finish. Depending on how bright and saturated you want the model to be, you often have to go a lot brighter then you would think before you apply the speedpaint on top, don´t foget they were made to go directly onto pure white. Keep up the good work.

[@rykerm4249]

I've been slapchopping some Infinity models, and it has really helped my fear of those models. I also had a bottle where the dropper top came off. It was the worst. Mine was stopped up, I squeezed to hard, and the whole top came off 🙃 You're doing great with this! What I really like about this new batch (in case you haven't seen) is the 2.0 can be reactivated during a certain period of time to do things like wet blending.

[@wickedgaming9632]

I really like the color of the purple. Contrast paints(and citadel shades) are pretty funky to use. Bit of a learning curve if you want really saturated colors after it dries. I really like the way your models turned out!!!

[@Darognarr]

Hey there! This is the first viedo of yours that I've watched. I really like your energy and it's nice to see someone so thrilled at trying something new! :D

[@King_of_Sofa]

Contrast/speed/express type paints are great. But it's all about getting the right grey scale undercoat. Throw on a lil oil wash after, then some tasteful highlights and voila, you have some premium level painted minis in a relatively short amount of time

[@FinestFellaz]

I absolutely loved this video! Its my first time seeing your channel! You have so much personality and an absolute killer smile ! Pls keep going ! Your energy is addictive 😊

[@melsminiloft]

Thank you so much! :D

[@loganporter6]

Great video! I appreciate your painting resilience. I get a lot my schemes for modes from plants and wildlife l: they have the best color harmonies. Graphic design books are also a good reference. End of the day just have fun with it :)

[@napalmmachete]

To make the speedpaints/contrast paint pop, I use different colours with my underpainting. I start with a bone colour primer, then thin down a purple wash for the shadows before adding a white drybrush. This makes most colours really pop :)

[@sethofsouth]

The best advice I can give is throughout your painting process remind yourself that it doesn't need to be perfect. We are often our biggest critics. This is something I still have to remind myself every time I sit down to paint. I honestly think they looked really good. I liked the paint scheme. You're doing great. Keep up the good work.

[@melsminiloft]

It’s really hard not to focus on all the mistakes when you’re so up close to it. But you’re right, and taking a step back to appreciate them helps. Thank you!

[@eugenioconti4688]

It's very good to see a fellow beginner! From my experiments with the Vallejo Xpress colors: - my slapchop works well only if I want the mini to look dark - great for undeads and tyranids, but I would not do it with a Tau. Instead, try drybrush titanium white over white primer, as the latter normally gives you a grey color. Then the speedpaints will retain all their vibrancy, brightness, fullness, and look super good for a Tau. - I am better when I do not use black as base over which to build the highlights, and instead a brighter color (e.g., red, blue, brown, or green) over which I drybrush very light tones up to white. - Better to apply the color in 2 thin coats until you learn how each color behaves, as speedpaint/contrast colors behave differently from each other. Even Xpress colors, which are known for their consistent behavior. Some colors may need water or medium, others are good just straight out the bottle. In general, darker colors are thicker than lighter color. - The brush should be full of color. You slap it on the miniature, then move it around. That way for me works way better as the color distributes as it should, creating amazing shadows and highlights. - dry palette much better than wet palette in this case I think it is a great and fast way to paint but it still needs some adjusting. I would not see it as a "one coat - done" technique. I learned a lot from my experience, Artis opus and Juan Hidalgo.

[@melsminiloft]

Interesting about the base coat using not black but another color. I can't wait to try that out! Thank you for these tips!

[@eugenioconti4688]

@@melsminiloft of course! sources: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYC2cpWmgc2MY5I and kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3rIfYKeapWBhaM :)

[@4sayk3n]

Am also learning how slap chop works love your video. I habe same issue with what u had except the bottle spill lol. Amazing work at the end though❤

[@progenitorx]

One thing to keep in mind is to make sure to clean your drybrush now and then when doing batches of Slapchop. It looked pretty caked in a few shots, which makes the paint not transfer as well to the model. You can use a damp makeup brush cleaner sponge to clean it, then dry it a bit on a shop towel. Also maybe go even lighter and softer with the white pass. Loved the video!

[@mortimarbischop9163]

Hi Mel, interesting color shema. My tip to you change following: - cancel slapshop - use a Airbrush or spray cans for a softer base highlight, speed paint will look better on this -> use black or dark grey as base, next spray light grey from the side (90° or little higher), last set a soft highlight with pure withe from top the mini - then us your speed paints like your video - cancel blue as extra color, us it only for skin - as contrast an eye catching use a nice yellow (no speed paint) for the tau marking stripes/lines etc. - for metall normal silver and a bright gold - for optic linses try glowing blue or green - for good end think about a matching base design (maybe snow?) Best Regards and I hope you like my idea and has some fun by trying.

[@antiwaffles]

Another great video! I've found that the contrast or speed paint style paints work better on more organic, less rigidly structured things. I've got some old chameleon skinks that I want to try doing mainly with speed paints. For flat surfaces, like the armor on Tau or Space Marines, it can be hard to hide the splotchy nature of those paints. More important is to look at what you learned from the experience. As for color theory? Woof. Personally, I watched a Sam Lenz video where he used the ProAcryl color Jade once, and since then I've been trying to find ways to work it into my paint schemes. Honestly, whatever gets you wanting to paint more is probably the best color choice, and learn as you go. One thing that I've found that helped me like my results with contrast paints more was actually to prime it in black, but then immediately cover over 90-95 percent of the model in a medium gray, only leaving black in the deepest recesses. Then highlight with a light gray and a final sparse white highlight. Every time I tried to use contrast paint or ink over something with that sharper 'black to white' jump, the results looked great on the highlights and muddy, desaturated black with barely a hint of color in the shadows. They're just too transparent to cover that big of a difference between undercoat layers. I think the value of zenithal highlighting is in the way it shows where light would be hitting more on the mini, and for painting with more opaque, but still kinda transparent, paints.

[@melsminiloft]

Thank you! I love what you said about whatever color scheme gets you painting is the best. That's a great look at it! I can for sure see how speed paints work better on organic models and I'm looking forward to painting on those. I really think I need to get away from zenithal being something that will enhance any paint job and use it more as a guide to where to put my highlights as you said.

[@gutssubz8232]

Hi Mel. I've not used speed paints but with speed/contrast paints they are usually meant to be applied in a thicker coat as opposed to a lightly brushed-on layer. Maybe that may make a difference. If you can try it on a test model and be liberal with the paint.

[@melsminiloft]

Yeah I was for sure adding the paint on too thin and it came out really weird. I want to practice this more with other types of minis to really see its potential!

[@gutssubz8232]

@@melsminiloft A thin layer like that can look really nice in heavily textured areas. can add a lot of depth but then doesn't colour the superficial parts much :)

[@SupermegaGchan]

One thing I wasn't prepared for when I started using speed style paints was how quickly they can destroy a brush. They're so fluid that they soak right up into the fuller and eventually gunk up and split the bristles. The way to avoid it is to clean your brushes with alcohol based hand sanitizer, preferably gelled. Do it regularly while painting and rinse with your water. It forces all the paint out of the bristles and prevents build up. I also found out that you can fix mistakes by using a small amount of hand sanitizer on a clean brush to "erase" them. Just gently scrub and wipe away, it doesn't affect the undercoat.

[@Battouga]

Fellow beginner here. Can't really give any advice since I just got pack into painting again a few months ago (last time I painted miniatures before was in the 90s), but my start was sort of the same. I just got a bunch of citadel contrast paints because that's what I heard was great for beginners together with dry brushing. What I've learned over these months is personally I rather enjoy painting with layers. It takes MUCH longer but I love the painting part more than the end result. As a kid I just wanted the finished miniature but I enjoy the process now and trying new things. Keep up the good work!

[@VanDavis]

Enjoyed watching your process! I started out painting with Speedpaints almost a year ago, and I've really grown to love them. But they definitely take a little getting used to, compared to normal acrylics. Besides what everyone else has stated about 1. only thinning colors with Speedpaint Medium 2. avoiding wet pallets because it will dilute the paints too much, and 3. agreeing that you look like you need to apply a thicker coat to allow the paint to settle and cure properly ...I just wanted to suggest the following. I found it really helped to grab one of those fairly cheap porcelain palettes from Amazon! They have some at Michaels, but Amazon has the nicer ones with 24 small, round cups in them and they work perfectly! They don't waste a lot of speedpaint getting trapped in rectangular corners, they keep you using smaller amounts that don't dry out and waste paint, and they're extremely easy to get speedpaint out of, with a little hot water.

[@chrisc.2591]

Great test and jumping in with both feet. I think the one thing that I saw others mention is that you need more of the actual speed paint on the brush where it can pool in the creases more. Then try priming your minis with an off white or white and slap the speed paint on and brush the excess away with the brush or a dry brush. That's when the speed paints really shine!

[@alphawolf2993]

Looks good! I find using a mix of traditional acrylics and speed paints is the best. I really love the orc skin green for vibrant cloaks, and watered down pallid bone for staining white into a bone colour. Also the oiled leather I think its called is great when washed over brown, it really looks like leather!

[@melsminiloft]

That makes sense mixing the two, just the one coat of speed paints definitely looked off. There's so many colors to try! I'm looking forward to all of it! ☺️

[@Catchi1989]

I just bought the complete speed paint set the other day and I'm also trying to figure out the do's and don'ts of speed paint! At least I'm getting paint on minis, even if I'm stumbling my way around the paints for a bit. I've got lots of backlog minis, ones that don't need the best of paint jobs since there are so many, so they're working well for test subjects. Great video, keep with it!

[@nightfall8764]

I don’t have a lot of experience with speed paint style paints. But i did use them for a necron army I painted for a friend. If you under coat with a chrome paint then speed paint over it. Whatever color over the top looks like metal, or even anodized metal. Plus once you clear coat it, it still looks like metal. Outside of that I find them to stressful thanks to my shakey old hand. Lol

[@melsminiloft]

I was getting much more stressed than I thought I would doing this too! lol using a speed paint over a metal sounds interesting though I'd love to try that out too

[@nightfall8764]

It works soooooo well, Its not non metallic metal, but it looks way better than metallic paints. And I’m pretty sure I’ll never figure out how to make non metallic metal work…. I think it’s because I’m ginger and don’t have a soul to sell for that forbidden art.

[@thegmwitch]

This video was super awesome, I'm a total beginner at painting minis and I just also bought that set in hopes to really speed up the process and improve my mini painting skill. I'm breaking out of a TTRPG hobby hiatus and hope to start posting videos again soon (sept) and have been binge watching different channels and getting hyped about mini painting. Thanks so much for sharing and I look forward to watching more of your videos!!

[@melsminiloft]

Ooh I'm excited for you getting back into your hobbies! You got this! 💪

[@JBearwa]

Thank you so much for your work and research! I am glad you responded to comment posts on using a wet pallet versus the dry pallet on speed paints. It makes a big difference on how Speed paints were designed to be used versus the outcome you get. In your V log 10. It looks like you are applying speed paints not with a dry palate but a paper towel. Please only use a dry pallet or traditional paint tray pallet with speed or any contrast paints/washes. A paper towel as a pallet will pull out the moisture from your speed paints (or most any paints) and they will not flow like they’re designed to. As more of a beginner myself, I’ve gone through lots of research on learning this part and it makes a big difference. I’m glad to see that you’re telling other beginners about your journey. I am learning things from you and appreciate your effort. Another tip I learned from a professional mini painter during a dry brushing class. Don’t splotch dry brush (or overload your brush). For priming slap chop with dry brush method, apply the second grey (or brown) and the top white basecoat on model with downward strokes ONLY 😊. Start dry brushing from the top of the model highlighted areas and work your way down as the paint gets less on the brush. This will help simulate a top light source and you won’t have to do as much highlighting after the speed paint. For me one way I check to see if I am doing this correctly, after I’m done with priming three coats in the zenithal slap chop style, look at the model from the top down. It should appear very bright as you are viewing, the brighter light source highlights. Then look at the model from the bottom direction up, and it should look darker as you are viewing the shadows. That means you did not over dry brush paint the last white primer layer in all the shadow parts of the model. Hope that made sense 😅

[@sgtsol7934]

New Subscriber Here! I too struggled, still have not got it down. Thank you for keeping it real.🌹

[@jameshartman4]

Great video! Think panel linning with some oils for next step would really pop. Again, good job on production and story flow.

[@vicioushellsing]

Awesome video. Glad youtube recommended it to me. As far as picking my color schemes. I usually take inspiration from other properties. For example, I have an Infinity Panoceania army that is themed around the Vanu Sovereignty from the FPS game Planetside. Or when I started a small tyranid army. I used zerg from starcraft color schemes. I find that looking at these things and going "why do I like this armies color scheme" helps me pick my own in the future.

[@dankoftinoff8119]

From other reviews the clogging is from the ball bearings in the bottles. Some say that not tipping the bottle upside down but pouring from an angle helps this problem. I think with purple some gold accents would look nice on the armor.

[@TabletopTurtle]

Oh no, we've lost another mini painter to the "slapchop" method. Just teasing. Hopefully you keep exploring new painting methods in your learning journey and just use this on those huge armies where every model looks the same! Think you're right about the importance of the undercoat. Seems like either using a rattle can or an airbrush for the highlight is a must. RIP purple bottle.

[@melsminiloft]

I don't know about that, my favorite parts of this week were the highlighting and blending haha but doing that with 10+ minis would take forever! Lost but never forgotten 💜

[@dmeep]

@@melsminiloft Rob that put the name slapchop (from an infomercial i belive) on that technique admits that he hates painting and this was the only way he could bring himself to getting painted stuff on the table. It is supposed to get you an army on the table at an acceptable quality so if you are not happy with the result as you wanted your first army to look good and better then slapchop then you might have to avoid taking shortcuts. Speed and high quality are usually mutually exclusive. When you push yourself and try new techniques you become a better painter but speed comes with practice. So painting more minis with techniques you already know will improve your speed.

[@melsminiloft]

@dmeep in the end I prefer painting with acrylics and layering. I think I was sold it would be a save all fast way to get amazing results but it's just a tool like anything else. Learned that through experimenting this past week! But it did get me to finally finish those Fire Warriors so it was a success in the end.

[@deanofcool]

Would be nice to see a side by side comparison of the slap chop ones and the other ones that you painted with out the slap chop method

[@Barry-Sweaty]

I feel like I always need more speed paint on my brush than I normally would have with conventional paint. Love me some speed paint. Just takes some getting used to. I recently ordered some speed paint 2.0 and I really enjoy it.

[@Keseleth]

I would say slapchop tends to be more effective on textured surfaces, Tau have relatively high proportion of flat surface for infantry models, so that might be part of the reason why the end result wasn't quite what you were looking for.

[@Mystrich]

Ooof, the exploded bottle in the wet palette happened to me with Magic Blue. RIP that bottle cause the color is so gorgeous.

[@chrisdavidson2810]

Thanks for the vid Purple and red are extremely hard colours to make a color scheme with since purple is red with some blue in it, so it can be a lot on the eyes, I find neutral tones go really well with purple or red, it helps the powerful color pop without being overwhelming

[@MultiZegamer]

Wonderful work! I think you should try the zenithal priming technique :)

[@crapparc]

First time visitor that found you because of the thumbnail with the speed paint boxset. I like your enthusiasm but what earned you my subscription is the Arkham Horror box behind you. What a game that is! Too bad I don't have anybody to play it with any more, or else I'd be playing it to this day. As far as the splotchy purple goes, I think that may be due to your undercoat. Army Painter recommend using a white undercoat, either with a spray or airbrush.

[@melsminiloft]

Love Arkham Horror, it's a great game. So is Mansions of Madness if you haven't tried it before!

[@jrod5113]

Awesome video for beginner painters about not giving up and finishing 💪. Also in that mega set it comes with speed paint medium. So to make the slap chop method work you can add a drop of that or add water. It's your choice i say try both and see which one you like more.

[@stevensmith909]

I just found your page. Welcome to the hobby. Your minis look great btw. have not read all the comments and this may have been covered all ready. I find that speed paints and contrast paints work best on a dry pallet and not wet. A wet pallet will thin them out. Also. when painting multiple figures like you just did, they need to look good from 3 ish feet away. they will get handled and the mistakes and differences will get lost on the table top. Unless you are looking for a display army. Every project you will learn a lot. I think we tend to be our hardest critics. Keep at it.

[@stevensmith909]

oh, ultra matte varnish will protect them and will pull the colors together.

[@justinc1611]

I just started this "speed paint" style...it's good for a quick style with not a lot of detail. I would recommend doing multiple base coats and grey/white touch ups with a spray can or air brush. Doing this style makes me miss long drawn out painting sessions on 1 mini. Also this is the first time I have seen your channel, good content. :)

[@Adam_Skinner40K]

Thanks for the video. Quick tip from me ref clothing, instead of dry brushing, stipple the black-grey-white gradient. It makes the clothes look more "real" if that's a thing in mini painting 😅

[@giacomomarini4994]

brava ,e bella ,ottima idea per chi a acceffare con questi colori ,

[@henrikwannheden7114]

Super brave to put up this video with all the trials and tribulations intact. I think the end result is very good. And you should be proud. You've already heard about the ball bearing.. sorry that you had to find out the hard way. And I think you'll get a better result with speed paints on organic surfaces as you mentioned. The red was on the pants and they looked great, and the blotches was on the flas surfaces of the armor, a particularly hard surface for speed/contrast type paints. An excellent video! Keep it up!

[@melsminiloft]

Thank you! Hopefully some other beginner will learn from my mistakes and save themselves a lot of paint and time haha that's why I put it all out there. I am definitely proud and excited to keep trying, especially on more organic surfaces.

[@KtokShaman]

Using Contrast Medium instead of water when working with Speedpaints or Contrast paints is a really important part I feel like a lot of tutorials gloss over. These paints (and washes like Nuln Oil) work by having the pigments in the paint be particularly heavier or lighter than the liquid it's made with, and having some ingredients of the paint evaporate faster than others so that high areas can dry one color or intensity and lows areas another. It also seems like these paints are very sensitive to the texture of your model. If you feel like your base coat or highlight comes out even a little sandy or rough from a spray can, it's probably worth it to strip it and re-base coat. I tried a bunch of stuff to salvage a squad of Stormcast Eternals that had a rough base coat and in the end every painting technique I tried turned out like sandy garbage. Thanks for posting a painting video that didn't go according to plan. It was really brave, and it really helps anyone who doesn't pick up a new hobby skill on the first try.

[@racingtowardsfate]

Looks fantastic so far, You should be really happy with them! I would look to basing them something that would be complimentary to the purple like a nice snow base or urban ruin. As Far as colour theory I tend to go with Primary, Secondary and tertiary colours when designing schemes. The fire warriors primary colour is purple, secondary is red and tertiary is red and black. I would adjust your paint scheme slightly repaint the optics and go over them in a tesseract green (fluro green) and the power nodes on the gun with a metallic like gold. These colours compliment the primary colour of purple as well as any secondary colors. This was impressive to watch great video look forward to more.

[@HurricaneHanz0]

Speed paint on flat and smooth surfaces is rough. It's definitely a harder application. Historically space marines generally get splotchy results with contrast paints, and the same is generally true with speed paints. Where they shine is on textured surfaces, like the pants on the first mini you had. Also, from my experience, I've found that you don't want to brush these on lightly ala 2 thin coats, you want to really load your brush up and douse them. For flat/smooth surfaces you can take the excess off with a dry brush to help get a smoother finish. Also, don't be afraid to use the medium to thin the colors out, a lot of them are so dark it's hard to read the details. I'm really sorry about the spilled bottle, that's the worst thing about this product. I think it's the shaker balls inside that clog up the nozzle so paint won't come out, not sure, but it's a real problem with them. You have such a good attitude and mindset about the whole process, and I really want to try to embrace that kind of mindset more. I get discouraged a lot when it doesn't look good right away and I'll just stop working on a piece and never come back to it. So, thank you. I really enjoyed this video and I'm glad I found your channel.

[@xXGamerGirl47Xx]

Is that the new mega set? Did the reactivation issue get fixed? I have the original and love how they apply and hope the new set works just as well

[@georgewright9223]

Picking colours for a new army scheme can be really tricky! But it's also heaps of fun. I normally pick one main colour I LOVE and try and base my other secondary colours around that main colour. If you go a cold main, I will stick with other cold colours BUT go a warm base to really contrast the model and vice versa. I end up painting around 4-6 test models before I find what really works well. Then drop the test models in a jar full of LA's Totally Awesome (a household cleaner) for a few days/week and it'll strip off all the test model paint so you can redo them in your newly found paint scheme (or you could not strip them but this saves you having to buy new models). The squad you painted looks really good!! I'd be happy with that end product :)

[@melsminiloft]

I never thought of testing a few different ones and then stripping it once you find what you like, that’s so smart! Thanks! ☺️

[@georgewright9223]

@@melsminiloft You're welcome!

[@zelphermm]

Instead of dry brushing i use a dark wash thinned out alot and its much smoother.

[@fenfire3824]

Some tipps: 1. Slapchop doesn't recommend zenital base coating specifcally, but i would at leas recommend it for any paint job. If you don't have an airbrush, you can still do zenital base coating with spray bottles. Important to know, is that you need to build up the lighter colors. So first step would not be to use whit on black. I would recommend a mid grey zenital spray over black, so there is still room for lighter colors. 2. Your drybrush was not that dry. You should use towel paper to reduce the color on your brush much more, so it will become more dry. You With the drybrush step you can even go with white or off white, if your brush is really dry. If you may think it is too dry, it is probably perfect. I also recommend to use soft make up brushes for dry brushing, they are cheap and work much better. 3. If you want to Slapchop, i would recommend to thin/dilute your speed paints. It will become less saturated, but you have a better control and after some tries you may get the perfect ratio you prefer most. 4. Not every color work well as speedpaints. Each speedpaint needs its own base color, that is very important for GW colors, i don't know how important it is with army painter colors. But with some colors, a grey undercoating is not the best choice. Maybe you would base coat at least some parts of your miniatures with a specific color first. E.G.: You said you like your reds, but not the purple. Maybe the purple looks better, if you basecoat these parts in a different color. In some cases, maybe it could even be worth to basecoat the whole minuature in a different color than black/white. Like probably lightblue with pink drybrush as a base. This can create a higher variety of colors and vibrance and depending on what kind of colors you use, it will change your endresult by alot and fix the desaturated look. In my opinion this is the most difficult part about speedpaints and the reason why i don't use them. I personally feel, that with speed paints you always lose this clear colors. It looks very desurated oftenly and it oftenly makes the miniatures look dirty or grim. If you like a grim look, it is probably beneficial, it highly depends on your likings.

[@DJChipsandGarlic]

i tend to use contrast paints(speed paints) then dry brush a lighter colour over. they do look a bit better than just the speed paint on its own :)

[@EliteC64]

Priming in black makes a world of difference when slap chopping then dry brushing heavy grey before the light white dry brush using a dry palette 😉👍. Also don't neglect that speedpaint mixing medium 50/50 ratio I've found works and remember its call SLAP chop so slap loads on 😁

[@Antheraws]

Another sick video. Totally feel you with somedays just dont go your way. Life lesson outside of hobby work too. As far as color schemes go. I usually use two powerful/bright colors and the rest are neutral. (Greys, creams, browns etc) this makes your other colors sing and get them the attention and pop on the table.

[@nicky3538]

Get a Reaper "Pokey Tool" to clear your paint bottles when they stop up so they don't explode on your pallet and keep painting, your doing great!

[@zackvnoone]

With my experimenting with Slapchop, I decided after a few tries to stop using the grey and just do a white drybrush over the black prime. It really boosted the contrast and made for a more striking application. Might be something to try :)

[@sugahdaddie]

I learned the hard way that speed paints should NOT be used with a wet pallet. They are already liquid enough, adding more makes it difficult to do what they were designed to do. You can of course thin them out if needed for contrast and coloring, but not needed to use out of the bottle.

[@Chillinchillin8]

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