Three OBVIOUS Hobby Tips You Might Not Know

[@peeperus]

I came across this today after a long bit of a hiatus of hobbying and watching videos and the first thing I realized as soon as the video started was that it felt like home. So I wanted to take a second to thank you for consistently being a voice of positivity and warmth and welcoming for everyone in the hobby. And a personal thanks from myself for that sense of comfort and acceptance after a very long few weeks.

[@tabletopminions]

I’m glad to hear it and I hope things get better soon. Thanks for watching!

[@Njwanta]

My take away: New band named wiggly meat bits has a hit techno song “boots and pants.” And don’t drink medium water. I’m going to try some medium now. I’ve been a cheapskate too. Thanks for explaining the new/simple stuff. I know how painting skill dumb I am and I gobble up all of these tips

[@intzbk1]

Wiggly meat bits is right up there with gribblies, dead animal bits, and waffling. Terms I've only heard since starting this hobby.

[@intzbk1]

Oh, and nibbly, nobbly bits and sprue goo...

[@Bluecho4]

I use cheap clear plastic shot glasses from the dollar store. They're small enough that a whole batch of 10 models can fit in my painting desk's little cubby hole. And they widen at the top, which when used as a handle becomes a wide bottom. Making them way more stable, and way less likely to fall over, than the wine corks I used when I first got into miniature painting.

[@Spark_Chaser]

Pill bottles and blue tac or superglue.

[@jacoblee867]

Spray cheese caps work the same for me, although not nearly as cost effective lol but at least they get recycled

[@ColonelSandersLite]

I have used a *lot* of different things over the years. Various types of bottles and other various cylindrical things. After a lot of trial and error, here's the one I like the most. By far. Go to any hardware store and get yourself a hardwood dowel. Bout 1" - 1.5" thick maybe. Whatever feels best in your hand, which obviously varies by the size of your hand. Hold it in your hand and see how much room your hand takes up on the thing. Take that length and add approximately 50%. Use a simple saw to chop it into several handles of this length. You can use blue tac to hold minis onto the handle. If you're in the habit of magnetizing your bases to stick them in a metal tray, you can also embed magnets into the ends. If you're going to do that, I suggest you put a magnet in both ends with opposite polarities.

[@Sup3rH4ns]

​@@ColonelSandersLite agree, then if you want to do subassemblies you can drill into the dowel easily too and stick wires in

[@doobiousd5020]

At first I thought you were going to say that the best way to steady your hand is to go to the dollar store, buy shot glasses, and then go home and drink some shots ;)

[@christopherbroga4700]

years later this is still one of the most helpful and entertaining wargaming channels on youtube

[@michaelsbagley]

I always struggled with glazes when I attempted to use water for thinning. The first time I used medium instead of water, I finally had the "aha" moment for learning how to do glazing. So one of the lessons taught here, while I had learned it the "hard way", I can vouch is a brilliant lesson, as it helped me make a technical leap in my painting skills

[@ollep9142]

As usual one doesn't exclude the other. Adding medium makes the paint less opaque while adding water (or purpose-designed thinner) makes the paint more fluid. Having control of both opacity and fluidity are essential painting skills.

[@Hardcover_Pilot]

Question about using medium: do you use it on a dry palette or a wet palette? And if wet, do you just use medium or a mix of medium and water or just water on the sponge itself?

[@DeadGators]

A note of caution about placing elbows on a countertop-with the hours we pull as mini painters, that's a fast track to ulnar nerve compression. Ignore that for long enough and you can start permanently damaging the nerves downstream of there (including some of the fine motor ones in your hand). Put something squishy on top of that part of your painting surface so the pressure is spread out instead of coming to a point.

[@seanmalloy7249]

A tool that's useful is a seam roll, intended to allow you to iron sleeve and pants seams flat when sewing; if you have a hard-edged work table, this can be more comfortable. As a cheaper alternative, a section of pool noodle provides the same flexible bracing, and if you want to get fancy, you can easily make a fabric cover for it., or cut a line down one side and open it up to fit over the edge of your work bench.

[@Cris_Shatty]

After finished with painting and washed the brushes i used with water, i put some drops medium thinner (for example the airbrush thinner from Vallejo) into a bottle cap and clean with gentle rubbs the brushes in it. Try it! You don't believe how much of dried paint you solve out of the brushes. It expands their lifetime. After that i wash the brushes again with water and soap too.

[@questgivercyradis8462]

Add-on for the positioning! I learned your tip in silversmithing class - jewelers need similar skills and tools as we do! They also have an extra step - with elbows at sides, wrists together, lean your forearms on your bench. That way you lose the forward-backward motion from your elbows.

[@timothyyoung2962]

I use the good old medicine bottles and tac, because I have a lot of medicine bottles, so I figured I would put them to good use. I watch lots of painting tutorials as well as DIY terrain builds. Love Sonic Sledgehammer, Pete The Wargamer, I paint Small Things, 52 Miniatures, Eric's Hobby Workshop, Black Magic Craft, Midwinter Minis, and Bill Making Stuff to name a few. I find tutorials relaxing and they help motivate me to paint or build something, or both. I just like watching other people and see how their creative process works.

[@brenthartman502]

Paint handles for me are the old 35mm camera film canisters with Blutac. Sometimes, old wine corks that you can place paperclips attached to parts embedded too .. Decades of success for our group 😆😄

[@onkelgroen]

Used pill bottles from kids vitamins with poster putty for me. Works well enough, and very financially viable. Edit: exactly like Uncle Atom says, I even think this is where I first got the tip.

[@spacedock873]

You must have really small hands! 😮

[@janschulte8434]

I love old champagne corks as I found their shape to be more fitting. Adding a screw to the bottom changes the center of gravity so they don't fall over plus you can add a magnet to stick them to metal trays. Adding a crown cork to the top of the cork also allows you to work with magnetized bases right from the start. Some Roll-on deodorant bottles make even more ergonimic painting handles. They even come with removeable tips and hot glueing crown corks, washers or coins for magnetized bases is really easy. Their only downside is availability. Asking friends for their wine or champagne corks is one thing, asking for used deodorant-bottles IS much more personal.

[@spacedock873]

@@janschulte8434 😂 Are you sure that you're not just using this as an excuse to buy/drink more champagne? 🥂

[@ger5956]

@@janschulte8434 maybe get the wine and champagne yourself, drink it and then you’ve got the courage to ask for used deodorant 😂

[@7peacewalker77]

I'm in the miniature painting since 2018 (I know, I know, that's not too much 😅), and you are the first guy who actually told me WHY using medium is superior to water :) Thank you for all your work - I wery much like how you explain things 👍

[@fyetor]

I bought a bag of plastic bathroom cups maybe 10 years ago and use them + poster putty as paint bases. You usually need 2 cups, but I mean, the entire bag cost me 3$ and had over 100 in it, and I've had to throw out all of maybe 2 of them over the years. A trick I learned just a few months ago while painting a walker I had magnetized was that I could just put a magnet or two between the cups and just sit the weapons on top of the cup and let the magnets hold it in place. Something I learned only maybe 2 years ago, when I first was told the value of mediums, was to throw on a coat of gloss varnish between base coating a model and washing it. Using those two tricks were a game changer for me and I feel really made my models look better overall, as the wash will slide a bit more off the flat areas and pool in recesses more thanks to the varnish. Just have to make sure you wait 24 hours or so after varnishing and before washing to let it cure.

[@brianpugh2656]

I have been enjoying the pill bottle approach. I fill mine with the sand I use in basing. It gives it weight and more comfortable to hold. Ot also prevents tip overs when I put them down. I like the handle so much, I use quart size dairy tubs turned upside as handles when doing terrain. Makes it easier when planting trees on CD based scatter.

[@haxan6663]

Excellent. I have been using Liquitex flow aid instead of fancy mediums. Costs me around £10 for 118ml.

[@Alphacheesehunter]

I do like their flo-aid but you can get some really fun results with their mediums as well. I like to combine true metallics with gloss primer and a high gloss medium, liquitex has them, to get a real luster. Though I do buy my paint additives from companies like golden and liquitex. Saves me a bundle.

[@intzbk1]

Nice video Uncle Atom. I use plastic shot glasses. I'll superglue one foot to the shotglass and it's easy enough to pry off with a modeling knife. If the base is included in the model, I usually use poster tack. For the last one, I'm guilty of this as well, I don't clean my brushes enough. I did learn something new though, rinsing your brushes more as I'm guilty of not doing it until I switch colors. Thanks for the video! Now I'm off to go clean some brushes! :)

[@Ainar86]

100% agree! I had huge trouble with edge highlighting, I always got paint everywhere until ONE SINGLE video showed me that you're supposed to wipe off most of the paint on a paper towel and suddenly I'm edge highlighting like a pro and some of my other techniques, like doing leather texture, improved as well!

[@MrCovi2955]

I've been doing 40k ever since 8th Edition dropped. So I'm by no means a veteran, but I've got a few years under my belt. Despite having done canvas acrylic paintings, and knowing there was acrylic medium out there for that, I had never even thought of using medium for miniatures. I'll be buying a bottle today to try. Thank you!

[@printandplaygamer7134]

For handles, I chopped a wooden closet rod into 2" lengths. I have a jillion of them, for free, because I had the closet rod, but it would have been less than $10 if I'd had to buy a new one. It's nice to be able to stick 20+ models on handles at once, so I can do large batch-paint jobs, or switch from one unit to another while washes dry, or whatever.

[@AlansWay3DPrinting]

I did similar with an old (but not rotten) wooden shovel handle. The shovel broke so free paint handles!

[@hickdead6188]

Oh my gosh, you absolute beauty! This wrists together thing has been huge. I can actually get the details I want in the right spot. This one tip has brought me so much painting joy, thank you ❤️

[@tabletopminions]

I’m glad to have helped. Thanks for watching!

[@arnhelmkrausson8445]

Same here! I learned the wrists together from a german mini channel. It was a real game changer for me. The little tips and tricks are really more important than you'd think.

[@jonathansherlock]

The tip about the medium was new to me. I've got a homemade wet palette (from your video years ago!). In defence of Games Workshop and keeping your hands steady, I did get the wrists-together-elbows-on-the-table tip from the Battle Games in Middle-earth magazine years ago. I solidly agree about brush maintenance - I like your example about factory painting, sounds about right to me (although it's such a habit now I've lost track of how often I wash out the brush).

[@sup3rcr0n16]

I have always preferred this kind of video over the drama videos. Sometimes I think the drama can be important, but overall I would rather just learn more about the hobby itself. It feels more genuine and like there is less clickbait.

[@KristopherMelin-l4i]

I also use medicine bottles (filled with pennies and tissue for weight,) and hot glue to the lid to attach the miniature. The glue peels off pretty easily when I'm done. Great tips- I always enjoy your insights. A an "old timer" (i.e. first edition AD&D rulebooks) I see a lot of great new ideas all the time. And, like you said, there are always ideas to be learned, from even the most basic of videos!

[@ryanbrooks3432]

Great tips, and some things I’ve never thought about with position. I haven’t every tried painting with my wrists together. One other tip I would add, change your paint water regularly. Especially after using metallic paints. It’s easy to forget that all that paint building up in your water can start to effect the colors if your then thinning the paints from it, especially whites.

[@nobodyimportant5417]

I use an old laptop tray to steady my hands. The old kind, with a hard surface and a bean-bag type material on the back. Flipped over, your forearms make nice little troughs that really help you stabilize your hands. And it's a lot more comfortable than the edge of a desk.

[@liberalhyena9760]

I understand the principle of stability when painting and employ two of the painting tips - using a painting handle and pressing my wrists together - but have been less rigorous about holding my elbows to my sides or resting them on a surface. I’m going to try to make this more of a habit from now on. As for the handles, I use bottle tops - typically from soda bottles - more than anything, usually attached with a tacky glue as this is stronger than Blu Tack but the model can still be detached easily when finished. I also use proprietary handles such as GW’s and Red Grass Games.

[@patchwork667]

Love your channel. Your tip about keeping your wrists together made me want to mention my painting posture. I’m on in years with a bad back. What works for me is to sit on the floor, one knee raised, with my wrists braced on either side. In case anyone else has difficulty sitting at a desk lengthily.

[@davemacey1279]

The tip about using medium instead of water is brilliant! I would never of thought of that and I've been painting for years. Thanks Uncle Atom 😀

[@the_Mike_d]

So glad to hear you talk about your hands close during painting for brush control. I always think of it that I'm making sure I'm like a T-Rex - arms in tight and bent up towards my face. It really does make a *huge* difference. Thanks for great video!

[@erinweatherly6539]

Elbow in! Got it. That alone speaks truth to your opening. Watching tutorial videos constantly to pick up extra things even after you may know lots of things

[@fruitymcgiggles8983]

All the tips on stabilizing your hands and “meat parts” was something I had never heard before from other tutorials quite like you explained it and I’m so glad I saw it here! I have big hands that are always shaking so I’m really looking forward to painting with my wrists locked together and using a handle. Thanks for the great tips sir!

[@joejoyce1027]

Mediums changed the quality of my painting in very short order. I wish I had known this earlier on. Like back in the 90’s when I started painting my Battle Masters models. I would get something just right and go to wash it with home made water based wash and then yuck. Wrist bracing and film canister handle with blue tack was again learned by happen stance when I tried to put my first pupil in a tiny eye. This is great advice and are excellent pro tips. I don’t think we share enough of these arcane and well earned techniques. These two things will reduce frustration and make you much better when staring out. Uncle Adam, you truly are a good mentor and teacher.

[@dibles420]

I always hear people say "Thin you paints!" but no one ever says HOW to thin paints or how thin to make them

[@mattbrown5234]

And people rarely point out that “thin your paints” can mean “make sure they’re not so thick they create texture on the mini,” but they can also mean “reduce the opacity of the paint (for example for a glaze.)

[@WolfwoodXIII]

Just...thin them mate

[@codyott1982]

I'm starting to think that a large portion of the time people saying "thin your paints" really means "it looks great, however I am incapable of giving a compliment and can't criticize it in any other way, so thin your paints!!". There's always room to improve,

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

@@WolfwoodXIII Yeah but their is a wrong way to do it... Which Uncle atom briefly mentioned how 12:53 you put the water into the paint not the other way... Also for 28mm/31mm dudes you want it milky.

[@tabletopminions]

It’s completely dependent on the model you’re working on and the look you’re trying to achieve. A person can’t really tell you how MUCH to thin your paints because what would they say? Thin your paints by half? Thin your paints 6? It’s more of a feel, and it takes some practice to get the feel of it, but you’ll know it when you see it. The goal is to make the painted miniature not LOOK painted, but to make it look as if that’s just the color it was when you found it. Paint texture, brush strokes - these are the things you want to eliminate by thinning your paint. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!

[@tokutoku4638]

Thank you! Solid advice, painting for 15ish years and no one has ever made a good point about a paint stand besides "You should use one!" Very well thought out and informative video!

[@ArnoldJudasRimmer..]

Funny thing is, I have been painting miniatures now for coming up to 3 decades. In fact my first box of miniatures were a set of Terminators that I butchered with straight out of the pot Citadel old school hexagonal pots. Death Wing. I still have those miniatures today. The sheer ammount of stuff I have learned out of these videos I doubt I could recall. But I have found it a process of trial and error till I combine a series of techniques to create what I am trying to achieve with whatever model I am doing at the time. But let me say this, I combine many different ways. Spot on video as ever sir 👏

[@Doppelwulf]

I found that the Army Painter speed paints work so much better when I thin them 1:1 with speed paint medium. It solved the blotchiness problems I had when painting Battletech models.

[@TheJankmaster]

What I like about the type of pill bottle you showed…and this is somewhat dependent on the model…is that if you know that you are not going to get back to that model for a while, you can unscrew the lid, and invert the bottle to encase the model and rescrew it to the top of the lid. To protect the model from dust, etc.

[@tabletopminions]

Indeed - if the model is small enough then it can fit in those pill bottles really well as you mention. Thanks for watching!

[@SavageBruski]

Solid tips. And yeah, though I've been at this since I was a teen, I still watch tutorials and how to-s from many creators in the hobby. I'm constantly learning new stuff.

[@laughingman4570]

KZbin painting tutorials, like the ones you make Uncle Atom, are what gave me the confidence to get back into Warhammer 40k 20 years after I used to play back in high school. I'm following Vince Venturella's grimdark space marine tutorial for my Blood Angels and I love the way they came out. When I start on some vehicles I will be following your tips and tricks video for weathering. Thanks!

[@tabletopminions]

That’s a great tutorial - Vince knows what he’s doing. Thanks for watching!

[@MauroDiogoM]

I started the hobby earlier this year but I LOVE and find it very easy to come with creative solutions for things. I too swear by brush maintenance! I use the The Master's Brush Cleaner and Perserver and I love it. But instead of using my hand to wash the brushes around, I just... Use the lid! I don't know about other soaps but The Master's soap actually has some very slightly raised ridges along the inside or the lid, so it makes it perfect to just softly drag the bristles over and as they fall into the ridges, it separates them and makes easy work of getting all the paint off! I lather the brush, add the equivalent to about 3 or 4 drops of water into the inside of the lid (and get rid of the water and add more for each brush I'm washing) and just wash them in there! 😁

[@dawick5]

After moving half way across Canada and a major life transition mixed in with some pretty hard times... I just recently set up my painting area and have jumped back into the hobby. Thanks for being here when I got back and for "keeping the lights on." You probably have no idea but its content like this that has helped me feel normal again.

[@X13N]

IDK, all the info i heard is already things I know. But there's just something in this guys charisma that makes me listen to him untill the end of the video. And ive been watching him for more than a year i believe...❤

[@jakea3950]

These are fantastic tips! Ive been a hobby paintet for 3-4 years and couldn't agree more with these. Ill add some more words: 1) stabilising your hands is a big deal when going into fine detail or small areas like cloth. Elbows can be stabilised on the table or, as Atom said, at your side. Hand stabilisation is more important tho, and wrist togeather during fine detail is a must imo. I dont do it all the time but with details i always do. 2) add mediums to your paint. Ok so an added cost however, mediums are cheaper then paints so if half of the mix is medium you get more out of the paint. It lasts longer so it wont waste as much aswell. Thin them right down and as duncs says, two thin coats most of the time. I knew I was inproving when i started adding another coat becuse i could see the worth and tell when my coat was not leaving full coverage. Its worth it because youllnhave less fixing and less unsatified coats. Some paints like whites can look terrible and may take 3 or 4 coats, dont let that diswade you. Instead pick a less white or another colour until ready for that. For mediums most are fine but if you air brush just use flow improver. It keeps things wetter the longest and works great in airbrish and even pallettes, learnt from next level painting. 3)Brush cleaning is so worth it. Once the paint clogs and drys, youll notice less paint coming from the brush. If you notice this its time to dip in water. A pot with rivetts at the bottom helps so much getting paint out the furrel/end. I always keep a handy wipe/absorb paper to dust off my brush. Brush soap at the end means brushes dont harden or fray, well worth! My own tip would be if you get paint somewhere dont repaint but get a wet brush and just wick/wash it off. Most of the time itll come off or leave a bairly noticeable trace. Another is get used to a 2.0 brush and get a feel for a loaded brush vs half or third brush. This is easy, full dip with little removal of paint means for larger areas you can move more paint over it. For smaller areas dont use loaded brush, on side of pallet just push brush on a hard surfsce to remove paint. With less paint, just drag only the end of the brush around not half or the whole thing. Hope people find any tips in the vid and comments a game changer! And always have fun!

[@midichlorianice]

One thing that I do think the newer GW handle has on the old one is that I have an easier time holding it upside down or claw gripping it in weird ways when I'm trying to get a specific close angle or grip on the mini, has helped a lot with stabilization for painting stuff that gets behind capes, arms, weapons, etc

[@GarredHATES]

I love them along with scratch terrain build videos, very therapeutic and educational

[@IzzysIssues]

Scratch build and kitbash videos are my favorite by far

[@alans6752]

Some great tips. And believe or not, after 40+ years in this hobby, this is the first time I've heard about locking my wrists together for steadier hands. Thanks!

[@tiffanylamb1187]

I'm getting ready to paint my first mini. I've watched a good 100 hours and taken lots of fun notes. I'm glad I found this video before I started. I'm one who would have been holding the mini with my fingertips, wondering why my hands are shaking so much. Lol. Thank you for the great tips!

[@jeffhiatt3793]

Thanks for pointing these things out! Even someone who has been painting miniatures for a while can use a reminder or see things in a different light. The part about keeping the wrists together was never something I thought about in that way before. I appreciate the practical tips and the emphasis on continuous learning. Keep up the great work!

[@spacedock873]

Very useful tips, particularly for noobs like me! Having said that, you have a direct line to one of the top content creators in this field to pick tips up from 😊. I use Redgrass gaming blue handles because you can get extra tops to swap round. The minis stay on the heads and you only need one (or two) handles. A tip i picked up from Vince was to put a couple of drops of flow improver into the rinse water. I do watch tutorials which always help, but Vince's are too short! I love them but by the time I'm getting into them they're over 😔. Hope to catch you on Twitch later - it will help me get through feeling rough after my Covid booster yesterday 🤒

[@Ogre6972]

You're joking about the length of Vince's vids, right? Please tell me you're joking... 😂

[@spacedock873]

@@Ogre6972 Nope! Vince's HC videos used to be about 30+ minutes long. I also follow a creator (Magratheabuilderofworlds) who does videos over an hour long. They are great for keeping me company during long sessions in the hobby shed 😁

[@Ogre6972]

@@spacedock873 I see what you mean. I just went and check out VV again for the first time in ages and yes, his vids are substantially shorter. Good for me, but not so good for you I guess (I hadn't checked out his channel in some time, due to how long all his HC videos were...I prefer a bit shorter content of that type).

[@spacedock873]

@@Ogre6972 Uncle Atom's Friday Twitch stream or Every Other Sunday shows are great ‐ I can get a few hours of quality hobby time in with him keeping me company 👍😀

[@Ogre6972]

@@spacedock873 I haven't checked out his Twitch stream yet...but, I HAVE noticed that his painting has greatly improved since he started doing those streams!

[@chappy4756]

Old, empty Citadel paint pots with blu-tac and/or a paperclip poked thru the top are my go-to for figure painting handle. Happy 10 year KZbin anniversary to the channel

[@thomaschase7097]

Thank you for sharing! I rinse my brush after every three to four minis. Then I clean the brush with preserver soap every hour or so, and before walking away from the desk.

[@KevinoftheCosmos]

I always learn more when I'm not tricking myself into thinking I already know it all.

[@wordsofjed]

DIY paint handle I use: an old plastic paper grinder. The size is great to hold, and the spinning top makes it easy to turn the mini with one hand.

[@ben.harnwell]

Always a good idea to see what others are doing. I’m a big fan across all aspects of my life. Learning forever. Thanks for the reminder!

[@MatthiasMeys]

Don't sleep on acrylate medium, great tip! For many painters it's not quite clear why you would use medium to thin your paints, but I think you explained very well! As this topic is so rarely talked about, I'm starting to wonder... Could there be a video idea on how & when to mix in transparent products into your paints 🤔? I use glaze medium, flow improver and varnishes all the time to change the consistency of my paints, but I'm the only one of my painter friends to do so. Ofcourse thinning with water also has its place, but in certain cases acrylic mediums are just superior. Especially when thinning down inks or washes, I couldn't do without acrylic mediums anymore. Thanks for the vid, enjoyed it ❤!

[@flgbanjo]

"Meat platform" LOL! Love the tip about using medium to thin instead of water, I seriously need to try that!

[@joecosier22]

I like using the wooden alphabet blocks as painting handles. They are nice and sturdy and keep my minis spaces out so that they don't touch each other as the paint is drying. I have been meaning to try using medium to thin my paints but it is such a set habit to just use water. I like watching painting tutorials because there is usually at least one tip or trick that I can use.

[@ironbomb6753]

That's a good tip, the alphabet blocks, 👍

[@michaelrossel7339]

Corks if you have habbit of drining :) . I have magnets in my miniature bases (for storage and transport) and sawed down a wooden broom stick in to hand sized portions. Glued a washer on top. Huzzah!

[@Ogre6972]

This is the first video I ever recall seeing where we are shown how to actually USE that brush cleaner. LOL! So many vids reference it, but don't show it being used. Nicely done. 👍👍

[@Synthi_Soul]

Your guide on drybrushing is what allowed me to make sense of it

[@sloppyhobby]

I personally prefer a longer painting handle has it allows me to steady my brush hand easily. Since I have a 3D printer I ended up printing one and works much better than the GW handle for me.

[@timbuktu8069]

Good stuff There is *ALWAYS* something new to learn. I generally give my brushes a deep clean every other week or so. But now I'm going to try to be more mindful of cleaning as I go. I've found prescription bottles a little too tall to have on my painting table. They are easy to knock over. But just the lids works fine. I hold the figures down with a dab of white glue. It's good enough to hold the figure but can easily be peeled off when I'm done.

[@ger5956]

Best cheap/free painting handles I’d recommend would be old medicine/pill bottles with some blue tack or double sided tape.

[@woodyrobinson9628]

thank you sir!!! I paint plenty of assembly line & cleaning up my brush every other model is definitely what I needed. I paint ASOIAF & play. Always enjoy your content.

[@darklingeraeld-ridge7946]

Sections of dowel, about 4” long by 1” di are great to begin with - I used em for years & still have em spare. But recommend the Redgrass handle, more adaptable for model size, they don’t ping off like the GW one, & the tack is dedicated & works really well. The handle allows you to revolve the model with your thumb, & is magnetised comes with a stick on flat disc that is it’s station so it stands firmly immediately when put down. Lovely to use. But what a great communicator- medal deserved by TM.

[@joecrose2371]

I been painting since the 1980s and still learning new stuff thanks .

[@LukeMartinVideo]

I did learn something 🎉 rather you reminded me that I don't stick my hands together enough. Also having a standing desk thing you put on top of your desk is nice to paint... Well... Standing up ! Helps me a lot with back pains and I can chuck my elbows nice and High

[@oldskooljules]

Great video! I knew most of what you were describing in your tips, but there were things I had not considered, like the frequency of washing brushes, and the holding your arms tight against your sides, or finding a posture, or even an aid, like squishy pads for your elbows as you support yourself. Topics or aspects of the hobby have both breadth AND depth. Even if you feel like you have a good handle on say, dry brushing, there could well be a thing that comes along that expands the breadth, or deepens your knowledge of a thing. I used to use flow aid very early on in my hobby journey, but the extra step made me stop using it. Your mention of using it made me realise that there are a few things I am currently frustrated with in my painting experience that oh.. yeah. flow aid/medium will definitely help with those. Sometimes we just need reminding. I really enjoyed your describing wanting to know more ways to explain and approach the same thing that might be different to how you do it. During my teaching degree, a lot of emphasis was put on being able to pitch an idea or concept at not only a bunch of different levels of difficulty, but also having an extra metaphor or two tucked away, that might help someone 'get it' more clearly. Always be Learnding ;)

[@maxxon99]

I always found the handles clunky... never had a problem holding them by the base. I do own a couple GW handles but I never use them. With cavalry riders I usually drill a hole underneath and glue some wire to hold them (I paint riders separately from the horses). The wire will also help get a more secure connection to the saddle later.

[@jedfaulkner522]

I'm 31 been painting since about 10 wrists got me been sort of balancing on my non dominant pinki never even thought about it before cheers dude

[@Cosmoproto]

I use windex instead of medium to thin paint a lot. I also use gel hand sanitizer to clean brushes before rinsing them in water while painting as an extra step. It works especially well with speed paints, the sanitizer practically kicks the paint off the bristles. Oh, and I use old wine corks for handles.

[@F_N_Inquisitor]

I find watching hobby tutorials relaxing tbh, I actually rewatch hobby videos a lot

[@moody628]

Makes me happy to say that for a year or so now, I've been using a 50/50 mix of matte medium/H20 to thin my paints.

[@Adler87]

I use a big laboratory test tube (50ml) as a painting handle, it's slim and cheap - I took it as a souvenir after my studies ;) fits well in my hand and the cap is big enough for 40 and even 50 mm bases.

[@drr377]

I like Jen's also to clean brushes, and I also found gel hand sanitizer works really well on cleaning brushes with old paint.

[@GoufinAround_]

The bit about using medium to thin paints is a great point. I bought the wash/glaze medium from pro acryl and it's amazing

[@Telthar]

I've gone to this as well. I found water to be unpredictable and behaved slightly differently for each paint. Especially metallic paints, water seems to absolutely destroy that paint in quick order. Actually, I find metallic paints don't even like mediums very much so I often try to buy paints formulated for airbrushing so I don't have to thin them(even when using a brush). I love Vallejo's metal color line for this.

[@pimvandergeer7179]

On painthandles.. I work in a bar and can pick up 3-4 Nice fat prosecco corks per shift. And I like just glueing them to a base, rehusable and when you're done easy to throw away. ❤ Pro tip stick your Old Knife Blades in a Cork as well, and when you have a magnetised option (currently working on zoggrok anvilsmasha) have the second option just with the Magnet sticking to your metal on your familiar handle. GG 😎👍

[@leefisher6766]

Perfectly titled, a couple of bits that are very obvious but due to bad habits I do not always do.... then the bit I didnt appreciate, medium working better than water. I have a pot I haven't used! Thank you. 😊

[@Spongemonkey26]

Great advice on saving my wiggly meat parts, I'd also add investing into a nice pair of magnifiers is a complete game changer in miniature painting.

[@artistpoet5253]

Oh man, ergonomics is critical in every aspect of work. I have an adjustable table that is set so I work with my elbows resting on it for better stability. I used to use this wrist pad for typing to cushion my elbows, but a folded up hand towel is enough. Mostly, thanks to a table mounted magnifier and bifocals, I work right on the table letting the outside of my palms support my fingers for tighter control. Took some getting used to but it's been great. I've seen Jeremy from Black Magic Craft hold his hands up against his chest to control his shake. Regardless of the volume of work done, my brush touches water any time I go to reload it with paint before it touches the paint. I also put a small drop like maybe the tip of a brush handle's worth, of Dawn Ultra to break up surface tension so the water wicks into the belly better. I use flow improver for all thinning too. You can find some decent quality product at the big box hobby stores and Amazon and it's virtually Contrast Medium. Don't use airbrush thinner for acrylics as it does dry faster and will cake up that brush fast.

[@Demon32835]

One of my tips for cleaning brushed between paints: I have 1 cup with dirty water that I do my rinsing in, then 1 cup with "clean" water, I go into after I do the paint purge and it looks clean. Usually has a little bit extra on there that it gets off and helps keep me from mixing paint colors I don't want. I also keep an actually clean water ultra small water container that I use if I want to use water to mix. Normally I do a little bit of medium and some water to help it last longer. I also keep a little spray bottle with rubbing alcohol in it, that I'll occasionally spray on my brush in between very different colors, say black and neon green, and work that in, then rinse it in the "clean" water cup to really make sure i don't contaminate light colors with heavy colors.

[@squigburger]

Thanks for the painting support!

[@Fox01313]

Not sure where i got this early on in the hobby for me a few years ago, blue tac poster putty and 2 ounce plastic sauce containers. Works great for painting handles & dealing with army painter similar bottles when it decides to explode open. And I'd like to add, every couple of weeks while watching your favorite show or KZbin painting/gaming channel, get your used brushes, paper towels and a small container with 90% isopropyl alcohol to clear out the stuck paint. Some brushes might just get moved to only base layers or drybrush but others can get a new life for a while. My other simple stuff for new people, get a comfortable chair to work on & get good daylight or just bright lights to use while you paint. Every now and then, get a set of cheapy brushes for pva glue, texture paint, mod podge, varnish and so on. Having these around saves your better brushes and you wont feel guilty for tossing these cheapy ones in the trash.

[@electronicshaman]

I don't know what I was doing before but focusing on keeping my arms in and hands together feels like I've enabled cheat mode. Thank you!

[@aarongonzales7878]

The using medium tip is gold. I heard it from Vince recently and he uses a 80%Thinner to 20% Flow Improver mix and it makes things flow like BUTTER.

[@thomaschase7097]

For thinning paints I would suggest flow improver. A big bottle from a art store is much more economical. I also put a drop in my rinse water to help keep the brush easier to clean. Oh yeah, start with a damp beush and that will help prevent gunking.

[@dfly27485]

a stiff glass of good gin always does wonders to steady my hand when trying to paint the more intricate parts of my figurines. It’s to the point where I consider a good bottle just as essential a hobby material as glue or paint.

[@davidsonfamily2930]

100% agree about watching painting tutorials. Also, "Stop your meat from wiggling so much" -- excellent work. How many takes before you managed that bit with a straight face?

[@tabletopminions]

First try - I’m a consummate professional. Thanks for watching!

[@rat-matt-miniatures8705]

I have to admit, I agree with the painting handle, they are a brilliant addition. BUt I just started painting a warhound titan and there isnt a paint handle big enough hahaha. I also rinse frequently, cant beat it, rinse the brush, dry the brush then roll through CLEAN de-ionised water too before going back for paint.

[@saltfreegamer]

Great tips! One more obvious one: use magnification. Some basic reading glasses will make a huge difference (and bonus: reduce eyestrain). It's neat how things you tried for display painting feedback into regular army painting. Good reason to keep trying mixing up your painting projects! A quick thought about bringing your wrists together. I find most of the benefit comes from anchoring your hands to each other, which you can achieve even by having the tip of one finger of your brush hand pressing on the model hand/paint handle. This way, any shakes in one hand are cancelled out by the other.

[@jakea3950]

Never use glasses if you aren't prescribed. They actually weaken your eyes. Better off with a mag lamp. Use the lamp because bright illumination will do the trick most of the time and if need be can use the mag glass of the lamp.

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

The number one thing that got me was not to thin your paints but how too... Which thank you for the brief mention of how to do that! Which does medium help with making the paint less wash like? Which is my new problem as I work on Pico armor 3mm dudes and their tiny less then half an inch tanks and I found that if I have my paint milkly thin it would be to thick... So I've been going thinner and the paint is acting like a wash now making the model look like an abstract water color canvus. Not the worse thing pretty interesting actually but still.

[@noobpaints6114]

New painter here, (started a couple months ago) I gotta say the paint handle is really a game changer. Some time soon in the future, I want to pick up some contrast medium based on your video and a few other.

[@mikehammer4018]

I used oversized wine bottle corks, about two inches across at the base, that I bought at Hobby Lobby for painting handles. On top is a small glob of silly putty to get the miniatures to stick. For subassemblies, I stick pieces of sacrificed paperclips through the silly putty. Oh, and I've found that for all but the smallest subassemblies, having two or three points of contact makes the item much easier to paint. Otherwise, I spent way too much time chasing the darned piece as it rotates around the axis I'd glued to it.

[@doubledog5894]

Robert Tolone has a nice KZbin channel about toy making, specifically casting techniques. He has a video all about various wax for different purposes. Instead of sticky tack you could try a wax. Tolone mentions a material called “sticky wax” which might work for fixing your miniatures to handles. Also, I learned a trick from a lapidary guy who uses this stuff called dopping wax to hold small gems during the stone polishing process. Might be overkill for some minis but it would probably work great for anything 42mm or larger. I use the dopping wax with a large dowel and it works like a charm.

[@bluething3D]

Been painting for 20 years and never used medium. Going to have to try it now!

[@SUPERPETRo77]

I already knew these things, but it took me years to figure it out. Anyway I appreciate the validation and the way you explained all these things.

[@garypilkington2]

Thanks Uncle Atom. I keep saying I need a tin of brush cleaner. So yeah, I need a tin of brush cleaner and now I will buy one. As always thanks for the time and effort you put into these videos. Cheers!

[@jeffmuncy6832]

Despite the fact I’ve heard some of these tips before, my painting is infrequent at best and it serves as a good reminder. The thing I appreciate the most is the tip to touch wrist for more control. I’ve painted, literally thousands of miniatures, most 15mm and this tip would have come in handy during that period of painting. I recently bought some medium to help me improve painting when using speed paints from GW. I wonder if this works with the tip given today for all paints?

[@Dark_Iron_miniatures]

This was awesome I wish I would’ve seen this when I first started and had some many questions, and you give off the vibe of actually care about us progressing as painters very cool very positive!

[@Telthar]

I painted for years just holding the base. I didn't have the wobbly problem but I sort of wrapped the finger around the one side(these were Lord of the Rings minis so quite small bases). To be fair, I played an instrument that had my left arm locked while playing, so it wasn't a problem for me to lock the muscles up. I can't do this anymore though, at least not for long. The wrist locking thing though, figured that one out myself as absolutely essential. GW seems to think people are surgeons are something that can make due with overpriced low quality tools (at least back in my day) and hands steady enough for playing operation flawlessly.

[@poulsentyler]

I appreciate your point of view, it's a fun perspective of 'looking through the eyes of a new painter' I wish I could watch your twitch streams but I hope that maybe you'll do something like Miniac and make a backlog channel of sorts!

[@tabletopminions]

You can technically watch old Twitch streams of mine on Twitch, but they’re only saved for 60 days. But that’s still two months. Thanks for watching!