Hobby Cheating 168 - Bust Painting 101

[@James-dk2kx]

Continuing the trend of being the most informative painter on KZbin. Not only do you say what you did, but you also give the reasoning and rationale about why you did it. The broader explanation is so much more helpful to apply techniques elsewhere appropriately.

[@dannyeccles1894]

This is the reason I love his videos so much. The added detail and explanation is excellent.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, that is exactly my goal, I really want to make sure you understand what I am thinking so you can either do the same or apply the same lesson to something completely different OR do something completely different, but have a good reason to make that choice. :)

[@arsenmarek597]

Beside the points you mention. Another great benefit of this channel is the focus on the subject rather than on the broacaster and the absence of childish video effects.

[@boostingaddict]

Hey Vince where can I buy this model?

[@le_chimp]

7:20 So you just layed down a sketch, huh? I would be glad if my model looks like this after i'm finished with it...

[@VinceVenturella]

I know it seems like much, but it really was jut some thin layers/glazes with the airbrush and some quick and dirty brush work, it's just practice that makes it look okay (and the camera hides flaws you would see in person). :)

[@WhiskeyTango84]

It would have been nice to show the process.

[@bodotrenaud7441]

Ha！You got that *draw the rest of owl* too ? I am starting my first bust this week and I would be quite happy if the finished product looked like Vince quick sketch results

[@scottcomber]

It is quite a large bust indeed. .... I'll let myself out. Also fantastic video as always. Fabulous level of detail.

[@VinceVenturella]

You're not the first one to notice. :) - I honestly never even thought about the double entendre until someone noticed it. Glad it was helpful.

[@scottcomber]

@@VinceVenturella after all your song references and quotes I assumed you were doing it on purpose. But knowing it was totally unintentional makes it far better. :) Just love the series man, really appreciate the amount of quality content and the tone of your teaching style is fantastic.

[@LaurentsOfEldern]

I'm a simple man. I see a new hobby cheating video, I click "like" and proceed to watch the video.

[@VinceVenturella]

I thank you for that, but always keep me on my toes if you see something you don't like. :)

[@benmarwick234]

I just ordered my first bust and I get a Vince tutorial.. thank you sir

[@VinceVenturella]

Rock on!

[@arnauc.6986]

I'm prepping to paint my first bust and, man, if it looks like your "sketch" i'll be a happy miniataure painter :) BTW, and i mentioned this already: i love the old format, regardless how unpopular this opinion might be. No fast forwarding, no nonsense. Not that much painting in this particular video but, in any case, I just learn so much more watching someone actually paint at real speed, watching the paint mixing and hearing their actual thoughts at the time. Your old videos were like masterclasses :) Your current ones too. Cheers Vince, thank you for ALL the vids!

[@Mikey__R]

There are so many gems hidden in the Hobby Cheating series!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, glad you enjoy it. :)

[@f.s.3197]

Thank you, for giving us inside of the thoughts of a proffesional miniature painter. I realy appreciate it.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, happy to help as always. :)

[@hamboigahs1589]

painting my first ever bust, this was awesome and really got me thinking about how to approach things. thanks vince!!

[@VinceVenturella]

Happy to help!

[@IntrovertedWARGAMER]

This is perfect as I have been debating on pulling the trigger on a napoleonic bust thank you for all the advice

[@VinceVenturella]

Excellent, happy to help as always. :)

[@TheMiniaturesPaintbrush]

Setting values for free hand and learning how to refine is something I’m working on improving. I’m looking forward to your class with CK studios so that I can lock in a strategy that works for me to elevate my painting “game “ as the kiddos say. Wonderfully informative video, thank you for sharing.

[@VinceVenturella]

The class is going to be a great time buddy. Happy to help as always. :)

[@13Robzilla]

Another great video, thanks for doing one on busts (have seen a lot of comments requesting it.) You mentioned something a couple of times I thought I could help with; The armor samurais used was made by using a trough with water in it to stretch the bamboo then lacquering only the dry parts until it got to the strength and shape they wanted. This gave it an unbelievable strength and durability as well as usually a pretty heavily glossed appearance. Thanks again and Happy New Year!

[@VinceVenturella]

That's awesome, one of my favorite things about doing these videos is what I learn through people sharing and that is awesome. :)

[@szendroib]

Hello! Just found your channel by looking for bust painting guides (they are quite rare). It was very informativem and it would be great to see the continuation of this video with footage of the bust being painted :). Subscribed.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, happy to help as always. I do enjoy bust painting, there will be more content to come and many of the techniques in the HC series have applications to busts as well. Glad to have you along on the hobby journey. :)

[@mikebreazeale2563]

I was so excited when I saw this bust. I have one of these to paint. This is about the size I usually work with. Sure would have liked to see you paint it. Kind of bummed. There is no one that I have found painting up a bust. Step by step I guess. Well...the bust looks good. Maybe you have some how to tuts coming up...I hope so. Thanks for sharing...Look forward to many more coming...

[@VinceVenturella]

It's been a popular request, I will record another video and actually try to capture significant portions of a bust on camera and then figure out the best way to record it. :)

[@docbun]

What is the name of this bust?

[@redrooster7371]

Awesome! This was a video I asked for not long ago. So thank you very, very much. This is EXACTLY what I hoped for. So much useful theory and information. As my next project will be a 70mm miniature (first time) I think I can transfer the information. But 2019 will be definitely the year when I paint my first bust. The Viking Raider is already waiting in the drawer. Best wishes to you and your wife and the dogs and happy new year!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, happy to help and yes, when you get up into the 70mm+ scale, the same rules apply. :)

[@davedogge2280]

Holy cow from that 5:01 to that ! 28:07. One thing is that I think that bust painters tend to be more at the 'upper levels' of painting skill; I've got a mate at the games club who enters mini painting competitions around Spain and he does the occasional bust. From the point of view say of a regular gamer who only plays with say Warhammer minis I would say that the bust maybe an easier starting point with which to start painting facial detail etc. due to the larger surface area.

[@naphaneal]

I for one would have loved to see, how that was achieved. bust painting is not something, I'd call my forte

[@VinceVenturella]

It was a big jump, but it really wasn't anything special, just some thin layers with the airbrush and a regular brush, not much more got me to that initial sketch. :) - That being said, I am thinking I will do a much longer video in the future where I try to capture the whole thing and then play it back at like 8x and narrate so people can see more detail.

[@dannyeccles1894]

I would love you to do a full video on painting a bust to that standard and what to go for for competition standard. I'd watch it if it was long several hour video or several nearly an hour or over videos. Or do you have a subscriber function where you do more detailed videos?

[@VinceVenturella]

I don't have any such function right now, but I thought about the same thing. I was thinking I would try to record a more detailed video, speed it up to 8x and then narrate over the top at some point in the future, that way people could actually see it all happening, but I thought this would be a good intro. :)

[@karolzigmunth5784]

Really cool looking model and insightful chat. Thanks!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, happy to help as always. :)

[@sebastianforsell6981]

Woooow this is super interesting! Great video! How do you desaturate a cloak for example in this sculpt… let’s say it was a rich red cloak in moonlight, how to I show its a rich red while knocking the saturation out? Also this samurai is in a warm summer moon light, but what if it’s a more a cold winter moonlight, the moon is further away and everything is just darker… how would that effect the light of the mini?👀 much more shadows, lesser points of lights, but perhaps stronger contrasts? Less saturation? Almost black and white?

[@VinceVenturella]

You integrate something like glacier/pastel blue as your highlight color and avoid the use of a highly saturated red. (think of Knights in White Satin - Red is grey and yellow white). ;)

[@bomberman7269]

Love your videos Vince, just got started with miniature painting and the massive amount of information you have in your cheating videos will help me grow immensely as I paint more. As a video request: I picked up the Reaper "Learn to Paint" kits and have been working through those, would you consider working through those kits with your experience and expertise factored in (eg: kit says do this, this will give you bad habits, this is a more efficient way, pick up this brush to supplement the included ones, etc). Would really help from a "starting from "square 0" perspective. I'd be happy to provide the kits if you'd be up for it. Thanks for the continuing great work.

[@VinceVenturella]

I'll see what I can do, but my best advice for starting out is don't worry too much about being perfect or even good. Worry about just focusing on learning how your paints act, how to thin and control them and work on one type of technique for a little while (work on your blending,your glazing, whatever). Building out all of those individual muscles will all contribute over time to many steps on the hobby journey. :)

[@ChopsMcGillacutty]

You're "rough sketch" is my final product. Geez.

[@VinceVenturella]

I appreciate that and that's part of the challenge with busts, you have to keep going. :)

[@Diegan]

Vince, as usual, flawless work. Nowadays with resin 3d printing I think we will move away a little from 28mm being the overwhelming norm, to bigger stuff and much more full body and bust bigg-ish stuff. I have a phrozen sonic mini on the way and 3 bottles of resin, I will be printing many, many busts, and as time goes by, printing your own miniatures will surely become the norm, not the exception. So my request to you would be, please do a couple of busts, from start to finish. I would pay for such series. For example in this video, you cut with bust in grey, and come back which an amazing paintwork! I would also love if you could explore the possibility of teaching some kind of online classes, as I live outside US and with covid and everything, I am afraid I will never have the pleasure to meet you in person. So thats my request, please think of some classes or tutoring for your overseas fans, and please do some much beginner to indepth full bust stuff. As usual, very thankful to you sir!

[@VinceVenturella]

We've already seen such a growth in 54mm and busts, I totally agree and I am so glad to see additional sizes and types of figures on the market.

[@bethanygraham427]

I would love to see a start-to-finish video of you painting a piece. After you come back from a break the mini always looks so different and sometimes it is hard to understand exactly what has changed.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, this was a common request, I will see what I can do to capture the whole thing. I will tell you the real challenge, I move a LOT when I paint, I frequently paint in my lap at different angles, etc. It's hard for me to paint at an angle that is recordable, especially for many hours, without simply pointing the camera at my lap.

[@CharlieCruzCycling]

Hello Vince , You are not only a master painter but also one of the best teachers around. I would love to see this bust painted step by step but not speeded up in anyway. I for one would be willing to pay a fee to see your full time tutorials on how you paint busts. I often pay in Patreon.com but you are so good in explaining the process, man I wish you did.

[@VinceVenturella]

There were several people that asked for this, I am going to do another bust in longer form as it seemed to be a popular request. I will try to determine the best way to record and present this. :)

[@Wijkert]

29:00 I am actually interested in the "golden rule" yo where speaking of. Any new insides since making this video concerning this topic?

[@VinceVenturella]

It's the same, you just keep going until you're insane basically.

[@Wijkert]

Painting the moon makes it clear that it is a night scene. I realize the backdrop has a certain level of abstraction. However the light seems to be coming from here top/front left and the moon is behind here. Wandering what your thoughts are on this.

[@VinceVenturella]

Sort of an artistic license, I mean, I can't actually paint the figure in shadow, that is why I have the moon running off the edge of the frame so that there is some ability to believe it's also above slightly.

[@witlessfop36]

Sometimes I don’t find the flaws until I’ve done the zenithal highlighting, the white really turns up the contrast.

[@VinceVenturella]

yes indeed, it's the best chance you have to find the issues before you really get into the painting.

[@edsontirelli1900]

Great video as usual Vince! Thanks!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, very much appreciated. :)

[@theezekarion164]

Ok Ive got a better understanding now im more into the video thank u man wish me luck "I'm gonna need it"

[@VinceVenturella]

It's just keeping going and refining and refining until you are basically insane. Then you do twice as much as that. ;)

[@chucklamb3496]

Hey Vince, I got my first resin bust, and I’ve been watching videos on priming. Some recommend Lacquer, some Acrylic, and another used Gesso? As you can guess, I’m confused. What is the answer for resin priming?

[@VinceVenturella]

Standard acrylic primer will work just fine, you don't need to worry about anything special for priming on resin. :)

[@chucklamb3496]

Vince Venturella Thank you as usual. I trust you over anybody else!

[@docbun]

Very skillfully rendered expression with the eyes, and her face and skin look both delicate a coldly deadly. Kudos! One thought came to my mind in her specific case: the height of the plinth actually brings her close to where I would imagine she'd be if she was standing from the table. I have no clue if that was part of your thinking process, other than the thoughts you've shared with us? (And I take it it's probably not a rule of a thumb, especially for busts that would be further focused towards the top of the body?) Thanks, Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

I wanted to create that motion with the sculpt, hence the angled plinth, so I am glad that came thought. Thank you and glad it was helpful. :)

[@thumbprintsinputty6168]

A great example of taking a bust beyond good. I paint primarily busts and it is always hard to know when to stop. But you have to start, put brush to figure. I got some ugly ones from a few years ago and I can see progress thanks to your videos. Thanks for all your efforts and congrats on the upcoming birth of a new painter. What was your total time painting the bust and where did you spend the most ?

[@VinceVenturella]

I would say total was around 100 hours or so, the metals and skin took the majority of the time, as they are complex blends and very sensitive to the lighting scheme. Thank you and I am glad the content was helpful. :)

[@angelozaccarin9130]

Hi, love the backround and I would like to try to paint one myself. What is the best material to make one? I saw Squidmar make one some time ago and he used cardboard but I am not sure if that will warp. Also if you have any general tips they will be much appreciated

[@VinceVenturella]

So I always use plasticard, prime it and then just paint away. There are some plinths now that actually already have it as part of the plinth itself which is helpful.

[@angelozaccarin9130]

@@VinceVenturella Awesome, thanks!

[@LandofMert76]

I'll pass this video on to my commission bust painters!

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, thanks for sharing sir. :)

[@michaelhurst42]

Hi Vince. Is there a rule or recommendation for the height of the base vs. the height of the bust? I've got a sculpt that is 4.5 inches from top of head to mid thigh and wonder if it should mimic the figure's full body projected height, which would probably be another 2 inches. Is there a "golden ratio" for this?

[@VinceVenturella]

Generally smaller, like 1.7 to 1 or 1.5 to 1, something in that area.

[@JamesSerapio]

So Vince, you do a tutorial on bust painting and choose a thumbnail focusing on the model's chest. I see what you did there! LOL Thanks again for great content Happy New Year!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you enjoyed the irony. :) - Thank you and happy new year to yourself.

[@Nergling]

Happy new year Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

Happy new Year to you!:)

[@pkmcleod]

Hi Vince, thanks for always producing such fantastic, ever green content! Just finished painting my first bust, and I've purchased a plinth... and now mounting it is giving me some grief! Trying to find the right kind of rod is difficult. And most of all, the bust itself doesn't have a large enough hole in the back - is this something you normally just drill into the back of? (I'd hate to crack it now that its all painted!) Thanks again for all that you do. Much love.

[@VinceVenturella]

So in general, with many busts, you have to drill a hole in and use a brass rod or something similar to get them on the plinth. I often use a standard drill with a bit the size of the rod. It's often hard to get at the end of the project, but you can drill into the bottom safely, just hold the mini in a gloved hand with a firm grip.

[@pkmcleod]

@@VinceVenturella thank you, sir! Very much appreciated!

[@pk-vk3oc]

Sorry, can you elaborate on the mold release? I’ve never noticed paint not adhering to resin figures, but are there other symptoms of agents being on my fingers that would affect the smoothness?

[@pk-vk3oc]

*figures not fingers

[@VinceVenturella]

Some resin figures still have the mold release (the oil that allows the model to be removed from the mold itself). So it can often be a good idea to just give a light scrub with dish soap.

[@marcopiobeneduce9197]

Hello dear Vince, I'm new to bust painting and i'd love to hear from you about where to start: are there any companies that produce "Best quality busts" (whatever that means) to buy from or a "basic bust" (whatever that means again) for a beginner? Thank you in advance :)

[@VinceVenturella]

Check out Mr. Lee's Minis and Black Heart models, that will have lots of options at good prices to get you going. :)

[@davidkilby1043]

Vince, is there a basic paint set that would help me get started? Thanks

[@VinceVenturella]

Any paints will work really, though something like the new Pro Acryl set is a good starter set, most Vallejo paints can be bought piecemeal and they are great to get going if you are starting out as well.

[@DVLtrigger]

Great video Vince. What is your process for shading something like that cloak without obscuring freehand? Im guessing with glazes, but my own attempt at that didnt end up... great. Do you blend while filling in the trace of the illustration, or is it some other method?

[@VinceVenturella]

So my normal method is a 3 step process. 1) I create most of the blending and shading and highlights. 2) I add the freehand 3) I go back and correct the overall colors with some glazes over the freehand.

[@Demonprinz1]

As always I‘m really thankful for your superb videos. I‘m thinking about getting to painting busts for a while now, but the rather complex (at least seemingly) mixture of textures always repelled me somewhat. Would you say one should just get to it, or are there well suited busts for beginning to dive into it? My next question is for the skin tone in this bust here you used a colorrange like in your detailled caucasia flesh video but but with a paler flesh highlight and less orange/red midtone is this correct? While i‘ll wait excitedly for your next video I wish you a happy new year!

[@VinceVenturella]

You are correct on the skin tone, I actually sketched out a deeper tone than I wanted and I ended up sapping some of the colors out through desaturated hues as I painted and got a good feel for the overall blue light that was I was trying to portray. As to painting busts, my advice is jump into it with some simpler busts you still find interesting. This one was quite complex with all the detail and texture, but many busts are very cool, but much, much simpler (a face and robe or something). you can still do a LOT with those and they are great to learn on.

[@redrooster7371]

As I want to start too painting busts I asked an experienced friend what bust would be a good start. He recommended the Viking Raider from Victoria Miniatures. Not too complicated, reasonable priced, enough different materials for texturing but not too much complicated details.

[@JustForUs-c9m]

What bust is it? I need to find it!!

[@JustForUs-c9m]

Newer mind, looks like it's a custom one :)

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, it was from AMPCA, but it's OOP sadly.

[@Dalkiri]

As always, great video, Vince. I have a question for you: where can I find good busts to paint? Do you have a list of recommended websites or something like that if I want to buy a bust?

[@VinceVenturella]

Mr. Lee's Minis, it's your go to for sure. :)

[@TheOnlyJuan_]

Are large scales harder to paint than smaller scales for a beginner?

[@VinceVenturella]

I think in the end, the answer can be yes. Small scales can hide a lot of sins (or rather, something like 28-32mm is the good middle gorund, middle bowl of porridge). Larger scales require more drtail and rendering to sell and that is often outside of the grasp of newer painters.

[@Nortic111]

Why can I not paint like THAT?! Astonishing work.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, it's just time and deliberate practice but it's very much appreciated. :)

[@fredmulvaney7559]

Great work on the bust Vince. What competition are you going to be entering her in?

[@VinceVenturella]

She will be going to Crystal Brush and then to NOVA. Thank you, very much appreciated. :)

[@fredmulvaney7559]

@@VinceVenturella that's awesome wish I could see her in person next year. Got a little one on the way in March so cant make Adepticon next year. I think she will do well. That background really sells the mood and backstory to me.

[@RoktJosh]

@@VinceVenturella How did she do?

[@VinceVenturella]

@@RoktJosh Won some lost some. :)

[@naphaneal]

„When you're dealing with busts“...talk about a double entendre here... 😜 @Noriko: She looks more like a "kunoichi" (female form for "shinobi". more common term is "ninja") to me than a "onna-bugeisha" (correct term when referring to the female form for "samurai". It approx. means "female warrior". It also only applies to the female nobility as common folk were not allowed to carry weapons like a katana.) and with that I bid you farewell and wish you a happy new year...

[@VinceVenturella]

That's awesome detail and all stuff I didn't know. Always good to learn. :)

[@naphaneal]

@@VinceVenturella speaking of details: what irks (in lack of a better term) me the most, is that her hair goes left, and her cloak goes right. if she was hit by wind from one direction, cloak and hair would be fluttering in the same direction. also, the background: if the moon is in the back, her front would be darker, as the moonlight hits her backside first. a compromising explanation: she gets illuminated by reflected light from the surrounding surfaces (light coloured walls, windows, etc.) but that's only, if we're talking about realism as an absolute.

[@davidkilby1043]

And please do more bust videos!

[@davidkilby1043]

I have watched this at least 4 times

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it's helpful sir. :)

[@raffa10110]

Whered u get the bust from?

[@VinceVenturella]

This was from AMPSA, they are a small miniatures group out of Alberta that does runs now and then and I was lucky to pick one of these up.

[@raffa10110]

@@VinceVenturella ye alookslike they arnt producing any at the moment is a nice bust, I want one :) Cheers

[@scrubhammer2432]

whens a good time to attempt your first bust mate?

[@maurernorbert7031]

whenever you see one that you want to paint :) Really if your first figure is a bust it's ok too

[@VinceVenturella]

Today. Tomorrow, whenever you want a different and challenging experience that you will learn from. :) - There are some great lower cost and simpler style busts out there (check out Mr. Lee's Minis) and they are a great source.

[@theezekarion164]

How do i join ur patreon?

[@VinceVenturella]

No direct patreons, just watch and share is all I ask. :)

[@theezekarion164]

@@VinceVenturella You Got It Till The World Explodes Brother Superman ain't got shit on Vince "DA MAN!" Venturella!

[@theezekarion164]

Vince im in over my head i bought an Abaddon Bust i Thought Was Ur Size Bust But Its INSANELY BIG! It's 4 times bigger than ur Bust and non of the techniques are working brother

[@VinceVenturella]

Hopefully the whole video helped. :)

[@theezekarion164]

@@VinceVenturella It Did It Really Did Vince If Anyone Deserves A Patreon it's u Brother cause out of every account i use i always get a response from u so u earned this brother thank u hope me bein a Patreon shows u my appreciation Thank U

[@theezekarion164]

@@VinceVenturella It Did It Really Did Vince If Anyone Deserves A Patreon it's u Brother cause out of every account i use i always get a response from u so u earned this brother thank u hope me bein a Patreon shows u my appreciation Thank U

[@geoffreywhitehead503]

Where did you get that bust?

[@VinceVenturella]

This bust was from AMPCA, it's a canadian miniature making collective and they do some really cool stuff. I don't think it's available anymore sadly.

[@geoffreywhitehead503]

@@VinceVenturella do you remember what it was called?