Thoughts on the New DVD Set

So I watched almost the entire first disc of the 2 disc basics set, and let me tell you, wow…

This DVD is pretty intense. I have already picked up a lot of tips. Pinning models on corks for painting, using iron wool and sand paper to clean up your mold lines and flashing, getting the chemicals off of your model before trying to work on it (iron wool on metal, soap and water on resin), wet paint pallets and seeing what people mean when they say a “milky” constancy. Another thing was priming. Very little primer on the model, just enough to get the paint to stick. On the model, you can still see a lot of the metal, but with the painting method used, it’s not a problem.

Imo, this DVD set is for people who want to become competition painters, not gaming table painters. Using a 75% dilution ratio and doing 20 layers (literally) of color to blend 4-5 separate colors from shadows up to highlights is intense. I think some common sense can be added and time gained by lessening the dilution they use and make a really nice gaming model. This is not an Iron Warboss production where you are done in a few hours with an entire squad. Their model takes hours to paint just to get half way done. Again, I think there is some common ground between the Warboss painting method and this painting method that can produce some damn nice models.

Some of the things I like about this DVD so far is the closeness of the model. It is extremely clear and right in your face. You see the paint going on the model with each brush stroke and you can literally watch it dry and the color change. A lot of what is being done right now in the video is stuff that Mike and I have talked about but seeing it while someone is talking about it just makes it way easier to understand. They talk a lot about color harmony which is just a fancy way of saying each color is complimentary to each other or part of the same family. At this point in the DVD, I have not seen anything related to extreme brush control which is good because that is my biggest problem atm. With as many thin layers that are going on to the model, brush control isn’t a big part due to the dilution. Another thing to note is the camera barely ever leaves the model so having one consistent shot is very helpful so you can start seeing the results.

One thing worth noting is the painter is a French guy and he struggles with some of the English words he is trying to use. It’s a very minor thing to me and will still recommend this DVD to anyone wanting to learn to paint but thought it was worth noting. The main commentator or interviewer sounds like an American as he speaks English with no problem and helps fill in the gaps where the painter struggles.