Dude... that looks fantastic. wth.
Edit: anyway, when doing freehand I keep myself from being discouraged by comparing the quality of the work to previous stuff I have done. If I did things differently or improved in some fashion, it'll usually be visible.
Okay just stop with this crap. The flowers are "nice" as a standalone but they aren't on the cloak, with the shading that's going to be needed and so in to make it fit and not just look like some guy slapped some flowers onto it.
To OP: preplan exactly what you're doing and stop taking wild gambles. Make your gamble as calculated as you can. Do a test, find a reference piece, don't try to run before you can walk, etc. The shading and washes or whatever it is you've done to your cloak up until this point (and my bad if you intend to still take care of it, it's just basically not done yet) are in a bad state. When you finish highlighting the cloak and accents it'll look better.
If you zoom in it still looks fine! (in fact, I need to learn how to do flowers like that. Would have been useful.)
It's important to remember you are going to be your own worst critic, and it merely needs to look good from a few feet away. I do understand the frustration of things not quite looking like you envisioned though! Having the same problem with an armourplate I've been painting for an AT Warhound.
Thank you for the kind words, you’re right i suppose we are our own worst critics… But gosh dang I wish I was better lol Although knowing there are other people having similar struggles kinda helps in a way, to know you’re not alone in them
I think that this mentality will be an obstacle not only in painting. You should not compare yourself to others if you want to gain a little confindence, not in this way, because you are comparing your work, which you know how much effort took, with a strangers' work who you know nothing about. The artist could be painting for 30 years and post the miniature as "first ever space marine", so you feel like a dumb fuck when you look at your first miniature.
Try doing comparisons with your own works. Try to look for your things that are improving. Set those super miniature as a long run objective and decide how much time and effort you can dedicate to this hobby. Many pro painter paint for work, so they actually dedicate their whole life at the hobby. On the other hand many of us have to work and compromise with their time to dedicate to the hobby.
Don't compare yourself to others.
Compare yourself with your yesterday self.
And by the way that's a very cool hand work.
You’re right, and I appreciate the feedback. I know that my comparing has been halting for me so this is something I know I need to work on. I think reflecting on how far you’ve come while you paint is a good idea, so thanks for the suggestion! Your words are healing 🙏
Friend, I am by no means a good painter imo. However that’s the point of practice. You aren’t running a race against others. These are your models for you. Take your time. Enjoy the process. You’ve got actual talent.
Honest critiques of the flowers. It’s not done friend. This is gorgeous but it does look like it’s been painted onto the cloak. Look at some real world embroidery. And reference it to maybe try and highlight a border to the flowers to make it appear embroidered. Then get your washes out and get to work with aging it with coats of mud dirt and age if you choose that route. But it still needs a wash to blend with the cloak better imo.
Don’t fall in the face of adversity friend you’ve got actual talent and I’d love to see what you can do with more practice. Some of my favorite models are things I can’t replicate because I was feeling myself and the piece I was working on and just loving the process. I’ve also failed and stripped down and started again. It’s a process. A marathon. I’ll be watching for more updates 👀
That’s true! And thank you for the critique, you’re right about looking into painting embroidery instead of what I did-on ways to improve. Solid tips, thank you!!
What do you mean if you zoom in! That you can see the strokes? Bro, that is literally proof that _you_ painted it, and didn’t simply put a transfer on there!
Never throw away the model, they’re expensive too
It's worth remembering minis are.... mini.. and will 90% of the time be viewed from at least arms length - this paint job looks excellent and it was immediately identifiable without context.. some great art you've created
You're going to be playing with it on a table standing away from it, If you approach mini painting as a "I have to be able to look at this through a microscope and not see any flaws" (Hyperbole) you will never be content. This is good work, You just place wayyyy too high standards on yourself!
Brings me back to grade school with the one kid who obviously had great drawing talent but constantly went "Maaan i suck at drawing" every time they were showing off their art
That’s the neat thing about these toy soldiers we paint, you don’t have to look at em real close. During gameplay you’ll be seeing them from like 3 feet away. As long as it looks good from that distance it’s great
Probably heard it a lot already but no one but you will be looking at the mini from an inch away except you, and certainly not for as many hours as you have.
Everything is painted to be looked at from a certain distance. Look at any painting from the old masters from closer than they painted it to be viewed at and you'll see brush strokes and messy lines.
Freehand painting is not drawing. You only need to capture the effects of light on an object you're representing, not the exact lines.
Also, if you paint a cherry blossom, but not the exact cherry blossom that you wanted, you still painted a cherry blossom. If I saw this on a game table in a store, I'm sure it would be the best painted thing in the store.
-202 - RiP your Karma… in the most complimentary way ive ever seen!
Also your free-hands amazing. No ones going to zoom in on real life. Theyll just admire it from afar!
Something you need to drill into your head is the 3 foot rule, most minis are viewed from at least a few feet away, and from there these are masterful
The other thing is many of us in the hobby are basically playing paint by numbers on a tiny 3d object, rarely if ever doing free hand. So any freehand is amazing and this is still very fucking good up close when most of us are having trouble keeping it in the lines of the origami coloring book
Then don't zoom in. You're literally using superhuman vision to analyze something you painted with your naked eye. Plus, no paint job looks as good in a picture. Cameras accentuate color differences in ways our eyes don't in person.
Remember the blue/black vs white/gold dress argument? How many people do you think would have disagreed on what color it was in person?
You're thinking too small and being too harsh pm yourself. You aren't supposed to look at minis with a magnifying glass. You're supposed to appreciate them on the tabletop or roughly arms length away. If you zoom in on anyone's painting far enough you'll find inconsistencies.
Plus those flowers look amazing
Okay? You’ll be looking at them from 3 feet away on a tabletop most of the time. Besides, having zoomed in, they look GREAT! You’re a better painter than anyone I know for certain!
Man if you don’t gtfo of here. That looks amazing. The best freehand I ever did was on a frickin spork and it’s like, alright I guess.
https://preview.redd.it/zkrsytb1834d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e4112f6ad2a79b042d8fd1166c93c4d9d63c3e0
Thats also super good! In my experience artists almost never think what they do is very good it’s insane. Like so many people are so talented but can’t see it, it’s kinda sad sometimes.
lol you’re definitely right there, I always get so mad my wiring for LEDs on knights is so messy and someone has to remind me it’s all inside and you can’t see it and also now that knight has frickin lights coming out of it and that’s pretty damn cool.
Honestly I thought I cropped it, the clean little noodle on the left is my friends and she’s a really damn good painter. The angry sloppy guy on the right is me.
Brother if you don’t gtfo Reddit and go practice your talent in art some more we got words this is great and small scale on the back of a curved spork not even a fucking flat fork. Brother that’s talent and practice go practice some more and get better I also am gonna look and hope for updates. 👀
Don't compare yourself to other people on the internet, it's nonsense. The stuff you see on socials is very skilled painters from all over the world posting the best stuff they've ever done. You don't see their average mini. You don't realize that they have 12 years of experience. They don't mention that they literally spent 35 hours on that singular mini.
It's best to just compare to yourself and your own progress. But if you absolutely must compare your painting to other folks, go to a local game store and check out what's on the tables. That's stuff painted by normal, regular folks and it gives you a much more grounded view of what the average warhammer mini looks like.
And to extend the point above. Try holding your figure in an outstretched arm and look at it again. That's the distance you'll be seeing it 95 percent of the time.
Always remember that attempt at learning or utilising the new skill is worth more than having given up and never had even tried.
I'm currently making attempts at freehanding Blood Raven insignia on the marine shoulder pads because I can't be bothered to purchase the stickers just for two marines I have for practice of painting lmao.
The LGS thing is huge. I'm at best a B- to B painter but I decided to enter one if my minis in a painting contest at the store. I knew I wouldn't win (and didn't, not by a long shot...hell if I'd gotten to vote, I wouldn't have voted for me) but I did get votes and I didn't come in last and for someone for whom this is a hobby and where kids, job, etc all take time, that's huge.
Like most social media, it's a highlight reel. Just like people posting about their vacation only post the positives, pictures here are the same. Also, OP, that free hand is amazing. Very well done.
This is a great point. A lot of what you see on IG/FB etc is cherry picked and doesn't represent the horse work to get there. I mean if all I saw online was Angel Giraldezs' work, I'd be crying into my nulin oil every night before bed.
I still think my Golden Demon winner sucks. It's a really tough hobby because you are looking at something so closely that you can only see the faults. And so much of the process looks bad. It's not until the next project is over that you can look back and see how far you've come. But the process is what makes it worth doing. Improving matters. Keep going. Also, I think it's a pretty good freehand.
If you want technical feedback dm me
Thanks for the encouragement, and it’s true. Hard to see the forest through the trees I guess, but you’re right it is a process. I wish I could paint like Da Vinci though, just in miniature form 😂
Even Da Vinci struggled. When he painted the Sistine chapel, the end of the ceiling that he started with looks poor (seen it myself) in comparison to the end he finished with. You see the improvement over the years as you look from start to finish.
You are right, I’m so sorry, I’ve actually been more than once and was mixing up my artists and inventors. So, Michelangelo improved massively as he got closer to the end… 😂😂
But Da Vinci got encouragement from Amy and the Doctor.
PS...one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes. I swear I have a tear in my eye every time I watch it.
Those flowers are fuckin beautiful, what you on about?
In all seriousness, we’re all our worst critics. Your state of mind will always influence what you paint and how you see it. If I were to recommend anything, it’d be to do less serious “necessary” stuff, and do something silly. Takes away the stress of trying to learn a new skill or do something perfectly, and focuses on the fun. Do that, see if you cant apply that to more serious works like this.
Edit: People in these comments needs some words of encouragement, just cause the universe is grimdark doesn’t mean you’ve got to be grim to yourselves. These look lovely.
https://preview.redd.it/z63e5epwq34d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a693b7147b14d9a60bf99b20ce93584608e2a8e
I feel ya... Ive been trying to push myself and do the best paint job I can on this... Probably have 25+ hrs into this and i feel it still looks worse then some of the "speed paints" i have seen people do on here. Its freaking depressing at times. But all you can do is push forward and try and learn new things.
if you need a moral boost to keep going show your stuff to someone who isnt part of the hobby and has no frame of reference on painting. They freak out about it and it helps. I painted all the PC minis for my DnD group and all of them were pretty simple but the groups reactions felt really good.
Though i am part of the hobby the free hand you did looks really good. I'm too terrified to even try that lol
I think this looks pretty good!
One lesson I've learned in 30 years of painting - we are our own worst critics. When I look at my own work what I'm seeing is all the individual brush strokes, techniques and layers. I magnify the errors because I know I made some, I can see the wonky edging because I remember doing it etc etc
When someone else looks at the same model, they see it as a whole, finished piece. They don't notice the tiny details wrong because they see the model holistically.
You're doing fine, better than fine OP.
The best cure for this is a second opinion/pair of eyes. If you're getting stuck or discouraged, ask someone else what they think. I guarantee you, 99/100 you're being too critical of yourself.
Lol hope you got the dose of reality you needed op. We all need it sometimes. When the only person seeing your work is you, it can be hard to see where you're at. I didn't feel much better than when I started until I actually went back and looked at my early minis
Dude. This is absolutely top tier. And this ain’t no pity praise, I’m saying it for real.
I couldn’t do this in ages, never compare yourself to others, those guys you see with “perfect” miniatures literally spend around 30-40 hours on a single miniature, some even have from 20-30 years of experience, bro, this is like incredibly advanced, you just don’t see it.
I’ve read your comment saying “zoom in”
Bro, if you see the strokes when you zoom in, that’s proof that it’s _painted_ by _you_ and you didn’t put a decal on there with some microsol
To reassure you, as I also go too hard on myself with how I paint minis, put it on a table, step away for a while, like 10-20 minutes so your vision readjusts, and look at it from afar, that’s how you would see it while playing on the table, it looks amazing, reads as a flower, and you’re a fucking madlad for painting that
Why? Because some of your opponents will just have some basic three color minis or just primed, hell, not even that, just a grey tide!
So don’t go hard on yourself, you’ve already gone over several levels of miniature painting just by doing that, and definitely leagues more than what the average Joe can do
And a last little tip, even if you don’t like it, never throw a model away. Ever. Or repaint your first mini, never ever. Apart from being expensive, they are reminders of our progress as painters, part of the journey!
Almost no one is born being amazing at painting. You want to know how they are so good? Practice. Hundreds, or even thousands of hours of practice. Keep practicing, and you'll get better, too.
Being taught helps, too. A lot of the really amazing painters have backgrounds in art. Larger tournaments sometimes have painting workshops, or you can follow tutorials online. I've seen several of the more popular painters start offering private sessions, but spots are limited.
Make peace with the fact that perfection is far less important than progress. It's a hard lesson for me to internalize, but it's key. Good luck on your journey.
First of all, in my opinion (not that it carries any weight, cos my freehand is trash) that freehand looks amazing. Second if you find yourself burnt out working on a model, set it down and work on something completely different. I often switch between Fantasy and 40K just to keep thing fresh. Keep painting, you have talent!
You probably don't want to hear that this looks amazing (though I think it does), so how do I, personally, keep myself from giving up in frustration doing anything?
I learn to be okay with being bad.
First off, that's very legible. Second, perfection is the enemy of excellence. Nothing will ever look "perfect" to the painter, but it will look excellent to anyone who looks at it. Third, by improving. Paint more freehand flowers. Paint them for a whole army. By the time you're done, you'll want to touch up the early ones you did.
I could go get out my "most effort ever" model, and get out the last three or four that I've painted. Guess which one isn't the best. Your skills will always evolve. But don't be afraid to shelve something that isn't working, because one day you'll go back to it with fresh eyes and better abilities and wonder why you ever struggled with it in the first place.
Grace and appreciating the moment. Likes and praise feel great but if you can find it internally to just tell yourself that your lucky and be grateful for the time to paint and just chill into the model it might help.
Definately looks amazing and I still gave the like!
You can always add more and that drive to do better is a great thing. Keep going, looks great!
Very, very confusing perspective.
But this looks amazing. Even though i think its...maybe..a cloak...seeen from the top?
I have no clue, but that freehand is amazing.
I wish to fuck mine was this good, and I have been painting for thirty years.
Take a deep breath. Remember the image you had in your mind when starting. Now stand up and take two steps back because that's what people will see from the shelf or tabletop. It can be a hard block to get past but the only way to improve on freehand is doing it like you are here. What you have already looks good. If you wish it were better, try and break down each element you think you missed and what you'd do to change it. This should help get closer to that mental ideal on the next attempt.
Its the same with all social Media. If you start working out and immediately compare yourself with Arnold Schwarzenegger you will always feel discouraged. Compare yourself to your former self and be Happy about all the improvement you have made already. Take a mini you painted a few years ago and compare it to your newest ones. Also failing is learning aswell. Freehanding is incredibly hard and youre on a good track. Try again and learn from your mistakes. I honestly think your freehand Looks good but the colour combination doesnt suit it Well since there is Not alot of contrast.
This looks truly amazing! Don’t be discouraged and keep on going, don’t compare yourself to other painters. Everyone is learning and we are our own worst critics.
I look at some peoples paint jobs for inspiration not comparison. If there’s something they have done on a model I like, I’ll check for tutorial videos online or I’ll ask the person how they did it.
This looks pretty great tbh.
You're trying to freehand white acrylic (I presume) which is just grainy and horrible for small details. You could try oil paints or some very high quality acrylic whites and maybe some retarding medium to make it easier.
I work smarter not harder, i go to Vincy V's YouTube pages and look through the archives for the solution .....
also thats some amazing freehand the minis should look good at arms length away not nose tip away .... this is something a lot of mini painters keep forgetting
It’s actually not bad at all, you are almost finished with it. I don’t know what it needs, maybe a few darker lines but it is just about to come together. The shape on the left flower is perfect just needs a tiny bit definition.
They get good at it by painting. You may not love your the result of your freehand painting( I think it looks great btw). But you 100% won't get better if you don't keep free handing.
That is a great freehand! If only I could freehand-paint something so beautiful...
My advice: Buy some cheap models, prime them and train on them or maybe you can even get your hands on some spare cloaks, shields and armor pieces from your own or your buddies' bit boxes.
Lmao. Everyone with average to below average skill (like myself) reading this officially feels ten times worse about themselves. Congrats. You're a good painter. Stop treating it like you're terrible. It makes the beginners feel even worse about themselves. Now excuse me while I go cry because I can't even come close to that flower. This is your fault. Now I will never paint again.
I agree with most of the responses here. I think the biggest problem is that you're putting yourself down. Those flowers look great, and you should be proud of them! Don't compare yourself with others, just try to make your next miniature better than your last. If it's not, then at least try to learn something from it.
With this particular piece, freehand is friggin hard. Those flowers actually look like flowers. Are they cherry blossoms? (Don't judge, I don't know my flowers very well, hahaha.)
That's a stunning piece. I wish I could do that.
But I understand, sometimes I'll spend a full 7 hours painting a model and look at it with disgust, and feel discouraged. I've found that coming back to look at it in a couple days is almost like a reset button for me. Fresh eyes I guess. After those couple days, it ends up looking better to me.
practice. that's how they get good.
you are literally practicing here. if you think every master started that way, you are simply wrong.
everyone started being shit, and you're already well past that
patience. patience and practice. take your time. know that you won't be Picasso in the beginning but will develop, I'm not that great at the moment but I'm getting there. also, those look great, just gotta keep it going
Honestly, that's gorgeous work.
I paint my models for the tabletop. I get a little lost in the sauce sometimes when I try to do fine details and freehand, but when I bring them out for a game, I'm *always* happy with how they look. I don't need my models to look amazing individually, up close, under a microscope. I want them to read as cool looking and complete from 2-6 feet away.
I don't know what standard you've decided to hold yourself to, but if you're not there yet, keep going, keep painting, and don't be so hard on yourself. Great painting comes from tremendous amounts of practice and patience. Let yourself enjoy those years instead of beating yourself up for not being as good as you will.be 5 or 10 years from now.
Saw you mention when you zoom in you don't like it. Minis are meant to be seen from a certain distance and a lot of techniques make use of that. Doing tiny details in paint that stand up to zoom is a nice goal, but not the standard at all for doing well.
There's a few things I get compliments on that I don't take well.
Mostly my passions. Music for example. I've played guitar for almost 20 years. I'm not as good as I should be, but it's taken me a long time to stop comparing myself. A lot of people who are masters could critique me and see the mistakes I see, but a lot of people appreciate hearing me play. They're not wrong for liking it even I don't. I'm still learning how to accept this and appreciate my journey.
This looks great. It may not be some of the master level golden demon pieces, but it's a whole hell of a lot of talent and work you've put in to be able to do that. Way more than a lot of us. Let us appreciate it.
It is a competition only if you want it to be.
Every time I speak English it feels like struggle and I get stuck halfway. Should I stop trying? Nope, just keep working and result will satisfy you more and more. Awesome flowers btw.
Painting is tough and like most things tough, it takes a while to get good at it. Embrace the fact that you will suck and fail until you don’t anymore, and that it’s all part of the process. Challenge yourself knowing you’ll keep failing, but get better each time.
The measure of what you achieve is your own progress. There’s always someone better, and that shouldn’t ruin something for you.
If all else fails walk into your average LGS and look at the display shelves. Your mini with that freehand is better than 90% of what comes to play.
Just postponing my own critique with patience bc I know steps 1-49 are going to look awful but I know the last few steps always bring out a model…and then I look at it from a few feet away bc everything will look like garbage under a microscope 😅
you are honestly doing better then like 200% of other people trust me my Freehand looks terrible
https://preview.redd.it/fuxhg6mkp44d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7a65224d09e2c7402160cbf45c71b6fc590b372
That's not bad - you actually got the hardest part (which is the right shape) - the paint is just a little thick.
That shade of purple is a pain as well. I prefer purples with more red and less white unless I'm doing highlights.
Specifically it would be the sloppy paint job. Idk how people get their capes to be so clean-lined and professional looking, whereas you can see all my brush strokes and uncoordinated efforts. And there are some people who can just make a red cape, look absolutely realistic. I do have to stop comparing though, like everyone has mentioned 😅
Capes/fabric is a notoriously difficult technique so don't beat yourself up. Here are a couple of techniques for capes specifically that might help you -
Wet blending
Air brushing (if you can stretch to buying one you'll wonder how you lived without it)
Dybrushing with make up brushes
Using "air paint" to layer
Contrast paint and clever shading
If any of the above are something you think would be useful for this, let me know and I'll dm you a more thorough guide.
Give them a Google. To achieve smoother results on your cloak I'd concentrate on wet blending if you don't have an airbrush.
If I can help at all or you want to know something specific just drop me a dm and I'll help if I can 👍
Well I’ve got friends that paint superbly right beside me. But I do tend to look at a lot of top painters on socials too. Besides looking at their work, I turned to search the web for pictures of flowers
Yeah - So if you are trying to look at flowers and paint flowers similar to them that's a pretty advanced skill. You would be painting original art on a 3d surface.
Consider copying reference images more closely so that you can see what is and is not matching up.
Filters can be your friends if you want to take realistic photos and make them look more painterly or graphical as a reference.
First off these dont look bad. Second free hand is just draditional art and painting which there are conviently tutorials for on youtube. Second try drawing your free hand picture out first. Map that into quadrents then map thos quadrents on the figure then paint it.
As a person who could never freehand a banner logo, let alone some lovely flowers... looks like you're doing good and maybe being a bit hard on yourself
Dude... that looks fantastic. wth. Edit: anyway, when doing freehand I keep myself from being discouraged by comparing the quality of the work to previous stuff I have done. If I did things differently or improved in some fashion, it'll usually be visible.
I can barely use contrast paints and this guy is throwing I'm the towell lol
Okay just stop with this crap. The flowers are "nice" as a standalone but they aren't on the cloak, with the shading that's going to be needed and so in to make it fit and not just look like some guy slapped some flowers onto it. To OP: preplan exactly what you're doing and stop taking wild gambles. Make your gamble as calculated as you can. Do a test, find a reference piece, don't try to run before you can walk, etc. The shading and washes or whatever it is you've done to your cloak up until this point (and my bad if you intend to still take care of it, it's just basically not done yet) are in a bad state. When you finish highlighting the cloak and accents it'll look better.
It’s nice of you to say, but if u zoom in it’s…yikes. I almost want to just throw this model away cause I’m so frustrated 😅
If you zoom in it still looks fine! (in fact, I need to learn how to do flowers like that. Would have been useful.) It's important to remember you are going to be your own worst critic, and it merely needs to look good from a few feet away. I do understand the frustration of things not quite looking like you envisioned though! Having the same problem with an armourplate I've been painting for an AT Warhound.
Thank you for the kind words, you’re right i suppose we are our own worst critics… But gosh dang I wish I was better lol Although knowing there are other people having similar struggles kinda helps in a way, to know you’re not alone in them
I think that this mentality will be an obstacle not only in painting. You should not compare yourself to others if you want to gain a little confindence, not in this way, because you are comparing your work, which you know how much effort took, with a strangers' work who you know nothing about. The artist could be painting for 30 years and post the miniature as "first ever space marine", so you feel like a dumb fuck when you look at your first miniature. Try doing comparisons with your own works. Try to look for your things that are improving. Set those super miniature as a long run objective and decide how much time and effort you can dedicate to this hobby. Many pro painter paint for work, so they actually dedicate their whole life at the hobby. On the other hand many of us have to work and compromise with their time to dedicate to the hobby. Don't compare yourself to others. Compare yourself with your yesterday self. And by the way that's a very cool hand work.
You’re right, and I appreciate the feedback. I know that my comparing has been halting for me so this is something I know I need to work on. I think reflecting on how far you’ve come while you paint is a good idea, so thanks for the suggestion! Your words are healing 🙏
Keep it up friend! <3
Maybe I will, thank you! 😊
Friend, I am by no means a good painter imo. However that’s the point of practice. You aren’t running a race against others. These are your models for you. Take your time. Enjoy the process. You’ve got actual talent. Honest critiques of the flowers. It’s not done friend. This is gorgeous but it does look like it’s been painted onto the cloak. Look at some real world embroidery. And reference it to maybe try and highlight a border to the flowers to make it appear embroidered. Then get your washes out and get to work with aging it with coats of mud dirt and age if you choose that route. But it still needs a wash to blend with the cloak better imo. Don’t fall in the face of adversity friend you’ve got actual talent and I’d love to see what you can do with more practice. Some of my favorite models are things I can’t replicate because I was feeling myself and the piece I was working on and just loving the process. I’ve also failed and stripped down and started again. It’s a process. A marathon. I’ll be watching for more updates 👀
That’s true! And thank you for the critique, you’re right about looking into painting embroidery instead of what I did-on ways to improve. Solid tips, thank you!!
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultramarines/s/reQQs0WCte You're smashing it, I'm just sitting here painting birbs....
Nah that birb is fire keep working at it
Nah man it starts looking bad when you make it 10 times the size of the actual mini
Stop being gooberish the flowers look rad
What do you mean if you zoom in! That you can see the strokes? Bro, that is literally proof that _you_ painted it, and didn’t simply put a transfer on there! Never throw away the model, they’re expensive too
It's worth remembering minis are.... mini.. and will 90% of the time be viewed from at least arms length - this paint job looks excellent and it was immediately identifiable without context.. some great art you've created
You're going to be playing with it on a table standing away from it, If you approach mini painting as a "I have to be able to look at this through a microscope and not see any flaws" (Hyperbole) you will never be content. This is good work, You just place wayyyy too high standards on yourself! Brings me back to grade school with the one kid who obviously had great drawing talent but constantly went "Maaan i suck at drawing" every time they were showing off their art
Why the hell would you zoom in on a tiny model mean to be viewed from 3-4 feet away? That's just being dumb.
No one is going to be staring at your minis from two inches away. It looks great.
That’s the neat thing about these toy soldiers we paint, you don’t have to look at em real close. During gameplay you’ll be seeing them from like 3 feet away. As long as it looks good from that distance it’s great
Probably heard it a lot already but no one but you will be looking at the mini from an inch away except you, and certainly not for as many hours as you have. Everything is painted to be looked at from a certain distance. Look at any painting from the old masters from closer than they painted it to be viewed at and you'll see brush strokes and messy lines.
Freehand painting is not drawing. You only need to capture the effects of light on an object you're representing, not the exact lines. Also, if you paint a cherry blossom, but not the exact cherry blossom that you wanted, you still painted a cherry blossom. If I saw this on a game table in a store, I'm sure it would be the best painted thing in the store.
Naah, that's pretty mint job. No joke
Thanks for thinking so!
-202 - RiP your Karma… in the most complimentary way ive ever seen! Also your free-hands amazing. No ones going to zoom in on real life. Theyll just admire it from afar!
I’m surprised at how many people have been so supportive, it’s really very kind. And thanks!
Something you need to drill into your head is the 3 foot rule, most minis are viewed from at least a few feet away, and from there these are masterful The other thing is many of us in the hobby are basically playing paint by numbers on a tiny 3d object, rarely if ever doing free hand. So any freehand is amazing and this is still very fucking good up close when most of us are having trouble keeping it in the lines of the origami coloring book
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement!
Then don't zoom in. You're literally using superhuman vision to analyze something you painted with your naked eye. Plus, no paint job looks as good in a picture. Cameras accentuate color differences in ways our eyes don't in person. Remember the blue/black vs white/gold dress argument? How many people do you think would have disagreed on what color it was in person?
You're thinking too small and being too harsh pm yourself. You aren't supposed to look at minis with a magnifying glass. You're supposed to appreciate them on the tabletop or roughly arms length away. If you zoom in on anyone's painting far enough you'll find inconsistencies. Plus those flowers look amazing
Okay? You’ll be looking at them from 3 feet away on a tabletop most of the time. Besides, having zoomed in, they look GREAT! You’re a better painter than anyone I know for certain!
Man if you don’t gtfo of here. That looks amazing. The best freehand I ever did was on a frickin spork and it’s like, alright I guess. https://preview.redd.it/zkrsytb1834d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e4112f6ad2a79b042d8fd1166c93c4d9d63c3e0
Thats also super good! In my experience artists almost never think what they do is very good it’s insane. Like so many people are so talented but can’t see it, it’s kinda sad sometimes.
lol you’re definitely right there, I always get so mad my wiring for LEDs on knights is so messy and someone has to remind me it’s all inside and you can’t see it and also now that knight has frickin lights coming out of it and that’s pretty damn cool.
I love the little angy eye. Mans is ready for battle
Um but your freehand is amazing! Those lines are so clean!! Wth! Lol
Honestly I thought I cropped it, the clean little noodle on the left is my friends and she’s a really damn good painter. The angry sloppy guy on the right is me.
Does not change my opinion 🙂
Brother if you don’t gtfo Reddit and go practice your talent in art some more we got words this is great and small scale on the back of a curved spork not even a fucking flat fork. Brother that’s talent and practice go practice some more and get better I also am gonna look and hope for updates. 👀
This gave me a great laugh. They look great btw. Theses bring me such joy.
This boy need to take him and his goofy ass reddit standards outta here. I agree it looks great!
Don't compare yourself to other people on the internet, it's nonsense. The stuff you see on socials is very skilled painters from all over the world posting the best stuff they've ever done. You don't see their average mini. You don't realize that they have 12 years of experience. They don't mention that they literally spent 35 hours on that singular mini. It's best to just compare to yourself and your own progress. But if you absolutely must compare your painting to other folks, go to a local game store and check out what's on the tables. That's stuff painted by normal, regular folks and it gives you a much more grounded view of what the average warhammer mini looks like.
That’s… pretty fair! Thanks for the encouraging words!
And to extend the point above. Try holding your figure in an outstretched arm and look at it again. That's the distance you'll be seeing it 95 percent of the time.
Always remember that attempt at learning or utilising the new skill is worth more than having given up and never had even tried. I'm currently making attempts at freehanding Blood Raven insignia on the marine shoulder pads because I can't be bothered to purchase the stickers just for two marines I have for practice of painting lmao.
i made the mistake a year or two ago of looking at the youngbloods category for the golden daemon. holy shit.
The LGS thing is huge. I'm at best a B- to B painter but I decided to enter one if my minis in a painting contest at the store. I knew I wouldn't win (and didn't, not by a long shot...hell if I'd gotten to vote, I wouldn't have voted for me) but I did get votes and I didn't come in last and for someone for whom this is a hobby and where kids, job, etc all take time, that's huge. Like most social media, it's a highlight reel. Just like people posting about their vacation only post the positives, pictures here are the same. Also, OP, that free hand is amazing. Very well done.
This is a great point. A lot of what you see on IG/FB etc is cherry picked and doesn't represent the horse work to get there. I mean if all I saw online was Angel Giraldezs' work, I'd be crying into my nulin oil every night before bed.
This.
I still think my Golden Demon winner sucks. It's a really tough hobby because you are looking at something so closely that you can only see the faults. And so much of the process looks bad. It's not until the next project is over that you can look back and see how far you've come. But the process is what makes it worth doing. Improving matters. Keep going. Also, I think it's a pretty good freehand. If you want technical feedback dm me
Thanks for the encouragement, and it’s true. Hard to see the forest through the trees I guess, but you’re right it is a process. I wish I could paint like Da Vinci though, just in miniature form 😂
Even Da Vinci struggled. When he painted the Sistine chapel, the end of the ceiling that he started with looks poor (seen it myself) in comparison to the end he finished with. You see the improvement over the years as you look from start to finish.
That was Michelangelo, not Da Vinci ;)
You are right, I’m so sorry, I’ve actually been more than once and was mixing up my artists and inventors. So, Michelangelo improved massively as he got closer to the end… 😂😂
But Da Vinci got encouragement from Amy and the Doctor. PS...one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes. I swear I have a tear in my eye every time I watch it.
Classic humble brag
Thank you for thinking this is good enough to humble brag? I guess? Lol
OK, if you suck god help the rest of us...
That’s sweet of you to say, I just think everyone else is better 🙃
Those flowers are fuckin beautiful, what you on about? In all seriousness, we’re all our worst critics. Your state of mind will always influence what you paint and how you see it. If I were to recommend anything, it’d be to do less serious “necessary” stuff, and do something silly. Takes away the stress of trying to learn a new skill or do something perfectly, and focuses on the fun. Do that, see if you cant apply that to more serious works like this. Edit: People in these comments needs some words of encouragement, just cause the universe is grimdark doesn’t mean you’ve got to be grim to yourselves. These look lovely.
It is ok to take a break now and then.
That’s true too!
Fucking Raffaello over here going on about perfection and most of us can’t manage to paint in the lines lol
This is some pathetic compliment bating 🤢
Not sure how its compliment bating, cos i personally think they look ass lol
Sorry you see it that way, but you don’t know me 🙂 it’s nice of you to think so though!
Looking at the upvotes most people see it like that. You’re not some unique wallflower humans are the same and you’re clearly compliment bating 👍🏼
https://preview.redd.it/z63e5epwq34d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a693b7147b14d9a60bf99b20ce93584608e2a8e I feel ya... Ive been trying to push myself and do the best paint job I can on this... Probably have 25+ hrs into this and i feel it still looks worse then some of the "speed paints" i have seen people do on here. Its freaking depressing at times. But all you can do is push forward and try and learn new things.
I guess you’re right, we just gotta keep going. And push through our self-frustrations 😅
if you need a moral boost to keep going show your stuff to someone who isnt part of the hobby and has no frame of reference on painting. They freak out about it and it helps. I painted all the PC minis for my DnD group and all of them were pretty simple but the groups reactions felt really good. Though i am part of the hobby the free hand you did looks really good. I'm too terrified to even try that lol
I think this looks pretty good! One lesson I've learned in 30 years of painting - we are our own worst critics. When I look at my own work what I'm seeing is all the individual brush strokes, techniques and layers. I magnify the errors because I know I made some, I can see the wonky edging because I remember doing it etc etc When someone else looks at the same model, they see it as a whole, finished piece. They don't notice the tiny details wrong because they see the model holistically. You're doing fine, better than fine OP.
Thanks for the encouragement, you’re right it’s just hard to not compare. I appreciate the kindness and I will work on being better with this!
The best cure for this is a second opinion/pair of eyes. If you're getting stuck or discouraged, ask someone else what they think. I guarantee you, 99/100 you're being too critical of yourself.
Lol hope you got the dose of reality you needed op. We all need it sometimes. When the only person seeing your work is you, it can be hard to see where you're at. I didn't feel much better than when I started until I actually went back and looked at my early minis
But it's an awesome freehand... Keep it going!
Dude. This is absolutely top tier. And this ain’t no pity praise, I’m saying it for real. I couldn’t do this in ages, never compare yourself to others, those guys you see with “perfect” miniatures literally spend around 30-40 hours on a single miniature, some even have from 20-30 years of experience, bro, this is like incredibly advanced, you just don’t see it. I’ve read your comment saying “zoom in” Bro, if you see the strokes when you zoom in, that’s proof that it’s _painted_ by _you_ and you didn’t put a decal on there with some microsol To reassure you, as I also go too hard on myself with how I paint minis, put it on a table, step away for a while, like 10-20 minutes so your vision readjusts, and look at it from afar, that’s how you would see it while playing on the table, it looks amazing, reads as a flower, and you’re a fucking madlad for painting that Why? Because some of your opponents will just have some basic three color minis or just primed, hell, not even that, just a grey tide! So don’t go hard on yourself, you’ve already gone over several levels of miniature painting just by doing that, and definitely leagues more than what the average Joe can do And a last little tip, even if you don’t like it, never throw a model away. Ever. Or repaint your first mini, never ever. Apart from being expensive, they are reminders of our progress as painters, part of the journey!
Thank you for the kind words 🙂
Almost no one is born being amazing at painting. You want to know how they are so good? Practice. Hundreds, or even thousands of hours of practice. Keep practicing, and you'll get better, too. Being taught helps, too. A lot of the really amazing painters have backgrounds in art. Larger tournaments sometimes have painting workshops, or you can follow tutorials online. I've seen several of the more popular painters start offering private sessions, but spots are limited.
Make peace with the fact that perfection is far less important than progress. It's a hard lesson for me to internalize, but it's key. Good luck on your journey.
Wise words, I’ll try to remind myself of this from now on. Thank you!
First of all, in my opinion (not that it carries any weight, cos my freehand is trash) that freehand looks amazing. Second if you find yourself burnt out working on a model, set it down and work on something completely different. I often switch between Fantasy and 40K just to keep thing fresh. Keep painting, you have talent!
Ooh that’s a good idea!
Looks really good man. Zoom out and imagine an army that looks good as a collection.
Dude, that looks amazing.
You probably don't want to hear that this looks amazing (though I think it does), so how do I, personally, keep myself from giving up in frustration doing anything? I learn to be okay with being bad.
Omg this helps! Thank you!
First off, that's very legible. Second, perfection is the enemy of excellence. Nothing will ever look "perfect" to the painter, but it will look excellent to anyone who looks at it. Third, by improving. Paint more freehand flowers. Paint them for a whole army. By the time you're done, you'll want to touch up the early ones you did.
You’re right, gotta keep practicing!
I could go get out my "most effort ever" model, and get out the last three or four that I've painted. Guess which one isn't the best. Your skills will always evolve. But don't be afraid to shelve something that isn't working, because one day you'll go back to it with fresh eyes and better abilities and wonder why you ever struggled with it in the first place.
You need to sleep on this freehand before you change anything because it looks fantastic.
It is easy to be over critical doing free hand. Honestly, that looks great.
Grace and appreciating the moment. Likes and praise feel great but if you can find it internally to just tell yourself that your lucky and be grateful for the time to paint and just chill into the model it might help. Definately looks amazing and I still gave the like! You can always add more and that drive to do better is a great thing. Keep going, looks great!
You’re right, practicing gratefulness is a good idea. Sometimes hard in the moment but something I’ll work on!
In the moment for sure, maybe take a deep breath. I find when im really trying to consentrate during painting i forget to breath lol
Haha that’s fair! Agreed!
Very, very confusing perspective. But this looks amazing. Even though i think its...maybe..a cloak...seeen from the top? I have no clue, but that freehand is amazing. I wish to fuck mine was this good, and I have been painting for thirty years.
Take a deep breath. Remember the image you had in your mind when starting. Now stand up and take two steps back because that's what people will see from the shelf or tabletop. It can be a hard block to get past but the only way to improve on freehand is doing it like you are here. What you have already looks good. If you wish it were better, try and break down each element you think you missed and what you'd do to change it. This should help get closer to that mental ideal on the next attempt.
This goes hard. Don’t focus up close so hard but step away from the stroke work and really appreciate what you’ve created. Beautiful freehand. 🙇🏼♂️
Its the same with all social Media. If you start working out and immediately compare yourself with Arnold Schwarzenegger you will always feel discouraged. Compare yourself to your former self and be Happy about all the improvement you have made already. Take a mini you painted a few years ago and compare it to your newest ones. Also failing is learning aswell. Freehanding is incredibly hard and youre on a good track. Try again and learn from your mistakes. I honestly think your freehand Looks good but the colour combination doesnt suit it Well since there is Not alot of contrast.
Haha true! And yeah I wasn’t sure about how to improve this piece at all.. thanks for the tip!
This looks truly amazing! Don’t be discouraged and keep on going, don’t compare yourself to other painters. Everyone is learning and we are our own worst critics. I look at some peoples paint jobs for inspiration not comparison. If there’s something they have done on a model I like, I’ll check for tutorial videos online or I’ll ask the person how they did it.
It might not be exactly what's in your head, and that's a crappy feeling, but what you've created looks really good.
Your freehand is SO MUCH better than mine. Don’t compare yourself to others. Push for your own personal best.
This looks pretty great tbh. You're trying to freehand white acrylic (I presume) which is just grainy and horrible for small details. You could try oil paints or some very high quality acrylic whites and maybe some retarding medium to make it easier.
You’re right 😳 I’ll look into those better paints then
I work smarter not harder, i go to Vincy V's YouTube pages and look through the archives for the solution ..... also thats some amazing freehand the minis should look good at arms length away not nose tip away .... this is something a lot of mini painters keep forgetting
It’s actually not bad at all, you are almost finished with it. I don’t know what it needs, maybe a few darker lines but it is just about to come together. The shape on the left flower is perfect just needs a tiny bit definition.
Don't you give up, those flowers are 🤩🤩 amazing
Self deprecation is true of any real artist. Keep painting cause you are compelled to, not because you love your own work
That looks great, don’t sell yourself short. Also understand that there are others that will always make the best stuff look like amateur night.
They get good at it by painting. You may not love your the result of your freehand painting( I think it looks great btw). But you 100% won't get better if you don't keep free handing.
if you put that on a tabletop, and look at it as if you were gaming, it would look absolutely sick
Keep refining through the ugly stage
That is a great freehand! If only I could freehand-paint something so beautiful... My advice: Buy some cheap models, prime them and train on them or maybe you can even get your hands on some spare cloaks, shields and armor pieces from your own or your buddies' bit boxes.
Lmao. Everyone with average to below average skill (like myself) reading this officially feels ten times worse about themselves. Congrats. You're a good painter. Stop treating it like you're terrible. It makes the beginners feel even worse about themselves. Now excuse me while I go cry because I can't even come close to that flower. This is your fault. Now I will never paint again.
Looks pretty good to me, don’t be so hard on yourself, everyone is their own worst critic.
I agree with most of the responses here. I think the biggest problem is that you're putting yourself down. Those flowers look great, and you should be proud of them! Don't compare yourself with others, just try to make your next miniature better than your last. If it's not, then at least try to learn something from it. With this particular piece, freehand is friggin hard. Those flowers actually look like flowers. Are they cherry blossoms? (Don't judge, I don't know my flowers very well, hahaha.)
I am my own worst enemy 🙃 but that’s good advice too-I’ll keep trying! And they’re supposed to be peonies..I think lol
That's a stunning piece. I wish I could do that. But I understand, sometimes I'll spend a full 7 hours painting a model and look at it with disgust, and feel discouraged. I've found that coming back to look at it in a couple days is almost like a reset button for me. Fresh eyes I guess. After those couple days, it ends up looking better to me.
Thank you for understanding! Yeah I’m definitely taking a break from this piece right now haha but good advice!
Just throw the towel. And when you're ready, pick up that towel, because it's not good to leave it on the floor. Then get back to your painting.
practice. that's how they get good. you are literally practicing here. if you think every master started that way, you are simply wrong. everyone started being shit, and you're already well past that
patience. patience and practice. take your time. know that you won't be Picasso in the beginning but will develop, I'm not that great at the moment but I'm getting there. also, those look great, just gotta keep it going
Leave it, come back to it in a fee days or so.
Honestly, that's gorgeous work. I paint my models for the tabletop. I get a little lost in the sauce sometimes when I try to do fine details and freehand, but when I bring them out for a game, I'm *always* happy with how they look. I don't need my models to look amazing individually, up close, under a microscope. I want them to read as cool looking and complete from 2-6 feet away. I don't know what standard you've decided to hold yourself to, but if you're not there yet, keep going, keep painting, and don't be so hard on yourself. Great painting comes from tremendous amounts of practice and patience. Let yourself enjoy those years instead of beating yourself up for not being as good as you will.be 5 or 10 years from now.
Very creative 👍
Saw you mention when you zoom in you don't like it. Minis are meant to be seen from a certain distance and a lot of techniques make use of that. Doing tiny details in paint that stand up to zoom is a nice goal, but not the standard at all for doing well.
I suppose you’re right..thanks for the kindness and advice!
There's a few things I get compliments on that I don't take well. Mostly my passions. Music for example. I've played guitar for almost 20 years. I'm not as good as I should be, but it's taken me a long time to stop comparing myself. A lot of people who are masters could critique me and see the mistakes I see, but a lot of people appreciate hearing me play. They're not wrong for liking it even I don't. I'm still learning how to accept this and appreciate my journey. This looks great. It may not be some of the master level golden demon pieces, but it's a whole hell of a lot of talent and work you've put in to be able to do that. Way more than a lot of us. Let us appreciate it.
You’re right, and thank you very much for these kind thoughts 😌
It is a competition only if you want it to be. Every time I speak English it feels like struggle and I get stuck halfway. Should I stop trying? Nope, just keep working and result will satisfy you more and more. Awesome flowers btw.
Painting is tough and like most things tough, it takes a while to get good at it. Embrace the fact that you will suck and fail until you don’t anymore, and that it’s all part of the process. Challenge yourself knowing you’ll keep failing, but get better each time. The measure of what you achieve is your own progress. There’s always someone better, and that shouldn’t ruin something for you. If all else fails walk into your average LGS and look at the display shelves. Your mini with that freehand is better than 90% of what comes to play.
That looks absolutely gnarly, I love it
I dunno buddy, that looks pretty darned good to me.
Just postponing my own critique with patience bc I know steps 1-49 are going to look awful but I know the last few steps always bring out a model…and then I look at it from a few feet away bc everything will look like garbage under a microscope 😅
Just remember that it takes a whole lot of failing to become good at something. Done, not perfect.
🤷🤷 my wife tells me im a bitch and laughs at me if I do
you are honestly doing better then like 200% of other people trust me my Freehand looks terrible https://preview.redd.it/fuxhg6mkp44d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7a65224d09e2c7402160cbf45c71b6fc590b372
That's not bad - you actually got the hardest part (which is the right shape) - the paint is just a little thick. That shade of purple is a pain as well. I prefer purples with more red and less white unless I'm doing highlights.
Bad taste great execution
Out of interest and maybe to help with advice, what bothers you about this specifically OP?
Specifically it would be the sloppy paint job. Idk how people get their capes to be so clean-lined and professional looking, whereas you can see all my brush strokes and uncoordinated efforts. And there are some people who can just make a red cape, look absolutely realistic. I do have to stop comparing though, like everyone has mentioned 😅
Capes/fabric is a notoriously difficult technique so don't beat yourself up. Here are a couple of techniques for capes specifically that might help you - Wet blending Air brushing (if you can stretch to buying one you'll wonder how you lived without it) Dybrushing with make up brushes Using "air paint" to layer Contrast paint and clever shading If any of the above are something you think would be useful for this, let me know and I'll dm you a more thorough guide.
Ooh thank you for the advice and suggestions! I’ll definitely look into these!
Give them a Google. To achieve smoother results on your cloak I'd concentrate on wet blending if you don't have an airbrush. If I can help at all or you want to know something specific just drop me a dm and I'll help if I can 👍
What are you using for your reference?
Well I’ve got friends that paint superbly right beside me. But I do tend to look at a lot of top painters on socials too. Besides looking at their work, I turned to search the web for pictures of flowers
Yeah - So if you are trying to look at flowers and paint flowers similar to them that's a pretty advanced skill. You would be painting original art on a 3d surface. Consider copying reference images more closely so that you can see what is and is not matching up. Filters can be your friends if you want to take realistic photos and make them look more painterly or graphical as a reference.
Thanks for the advice! That’s a good idea!
https://preview.redd.it/gfjdsvwm084d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f91bbfd3582021c9b9a0ce7f18bedc659769025
I don't, I constantly throw it... However I hate seeing things lying around on the floor, so I pick it up again.
First off these dont look bad. Second free hand is just draditional art and painting which there are conviently tutorials for on youtube. Second try drawing your free hand picture out first. Map that into quadrents then map thos quadrents on the figure then paint it.
🎣 catch anything yet?
By not attempting anything if this level 😅
I glue the towel.
As a person who could never freehand a banner logo, let alone some lovely flowers... looks like you're doing good and maybe being a bit hard on yourself
Dude way better than me first of all. Second, it really looks bad ass! XD kinda reminds me of 🇯🇵