John Brown's Painted Axis and Allies Pieces

@dangermouse650:

Awesome work. Keep it going  8-)

Thanks dangermouse! I appreciate it. Now it is time to work on phase 3, but got to take a break. :-D

@toblerone77:

Really great looking stuff JB!

Thanks Tolerone, I really worked on these. My next project will be the desert scheme. It should be a lot of fun. :-)

Guys, phase three of the Luftwaffe will be the desert camo. I will not give a timeline, because I’m going to be experimenting more with this set and this is a busy time for me, but I will post them when I’m done.

Thanks guys! :-)

@Spitfire38:

Nice work John! I hope you enjoyed painting them.

Thanks Spitfire! It was fun, but I’m learning, when your very tired, it is not a good time to paint, because you make too many mistakes, especially if your decaling.

There were a couple of times, I made some mistakes, and it was because I was too tired.

I won’t do that again, LOL, but overall it is fun! :-D

@R:

Nice work John……looking good!

Thanks buddy! I appreciate it. :-D

Guys, I’m just curious, am I using too much protective coat or is it just the lighting in my pictures. I notice my paint jobs have tiny bumps or is that normal?

Any help would be appreciative.

Thanks,

John

@toblerone77:

@John:

Guys, I’m just curious, am I using too much protective coat or is it just the lighting in my pictures. I notice my paint jobs have tiny bumps or is that normal?

Any help would be appreciative.

Thanks,

John

John,

The pieces look great. As for small bumps it could be many things they’re not really noticeable. One thing to remember is the scale you’re working with. These pieces will be seen from a couple feet away thus they are perfect from a tabletop point of view.

I’ve researched this from miniature war game painter’s techniques. In otherwords when painting large armies in small scales the greatest effect is achieved by not a single model but the grouping of many models on the tabletop which create the “wow” factor.

If you get on YouTube look up 6mm miniature painting and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

All in all I think your pieces look great and anyone playing with them is going to get an extra level of depth and excitement playing the game.

Thanks Tolerone. I’m a perfectionist, and I sometimes look at flaws, instead of the positives. As long as you guys like them, I’m pleased.

I just want to improve my painting and decal work.

Thanks again! :-D

John

@cyanight:

Excellent work John.  I don’t know how I missed these. The camo on those planes looks great!

Thanks Cyanight! I appreciate that. I put a lot of energy on these, and now I’m working on the desert camo themes. :-D

@Der:

Constructive criticism? The camo looks nice but the yellow looks like you put it on too thick - its kind of gloppy - try multiple thin coats instead of one thick coat. If it still looks gloppy try acrylic which tends to go on thinner. If you want to redo anything and you are using oil base, drop the whole plane in brush cleaner for about 5 minutes and clean with an old toothbrush. Don’t leave the plane in the cleaner too long or it could dissolve the plane!� Â

Yeah, I’m still trying to work those kinks out. I’m using acrylic paints, but still have trouble with the noses and lines on the planes.

I do put multiple coats, but maybe I’m putting on too much paint on the brush.

That could be the culprit.

It is a work in progress, learning to paint, LOL.

Thanks Der for your input. :-)

John

@IWillNeverGrowUp:

@John:

@Der:

Constructive criticism? The camo looks nice but the yellow looks like you put it on too thick - its kind of gloppy - try multiple thin coats instead of one thick coat. If it still looks gloppy try acrylic which tends to go on thinner. If you want to redo anything and you are using oil base, drop the whole plane in brush cleaner for about 5 minutes and clean with an old toothbrush. Don’t leave the plane in the cleaner too long or it could dissolve the plane!� ���

Yeah, I’m still trying to work those kinks out. I’m using acrylic paints, but still have trouble with the noses and lines on the planes.

I do put multiple coats, but maybe I’m putting on too much paint on the brush.

That could be the culprit.

It is a work in progress, learning to paint, LOL.

Thanks Der for your input. :-)

John

Not enough thinning so coats are being put on too thick.�  Yellow and White are major culprits for this issue, especially when they don’t cover well in one or two coats (people tend to put them on thicker to speed the process).

If it’s looking like that after thinning it with water (often at this scale I just dip my brush in water, then in the paint, slide the brush across a palette or piece of paper to remove excess and then paint), my best suggestion would be to get yourself some Acrylic Medium.�  Liquitex is the brand I use and I go with the Matte Medium.�  You only need a small bottle of it and it will last you a long time.�  It’s not very expensive either.�  If you get it at a good art supply store I think my bottle ran me about $6-7 (Canadian) and I have been using it for 2 years now.

Mix the paint/medium about 50/50 on a palette (I use one of those cheap plastic paint palettes from the dollar store), or even more medium if needed.

The reason for using an Acrylic Medium instead of just water is that the water, while thinning the paint, also reduces the pigment count and can bet contaminated with tiny tiny particles.�  The Medium retains the pigment levels while thinning the paint and won’t (or shouldn’t!!) be contaminated at all leaving you a nice smooth result.

Thanks, I may try that. The yellow is the main color I’m having trouble, and this might help me if the water doesn’t do it.

I think, my patience, also has been a factor. I’m learning you can’t rush when your painting.

Thanks so much for this info. This helps me a lot. :-)

@IWillNeverGrowUp:

@John:

Thanks, I may try that. The yellow is the main color I’m having trouble, and this might help me if the water doesn’t do it.

I think, my patience, also has been a factor. I’m learning you can’t rush when your painting.

Thanks so much for this info. This helps me a lot. :-)

Definitely cannot rush with yellow or white (and sometimes red).  Several nice thin coats, fully dry in between is the way to go.

Thanks, I’m finally figuring this out. Thanks again for all your help. This definitely teaches you patience, LOL. :-D

Guys, I’m hoping next week I will have phase three of the Luftwaffe done by the middle of next week. I think you will like this set, better, than the last two. I’m improving each set. I’m hoping by the time I get to phase five of the Luftwaffe, I will be better at noses and smoother lines.

If I improve by then, when the German set comes out, I will redo the first two schemes with the new and improved planes.

For those that have seen the new German 3D set, this next phase of the German Luftwaffe will have the Me-323 in the desert camo scheme.

I also have painted one in the green camo scheme as well.

The 2 Do-X German sea planes will be in my phase five of the German Luftwaffe.

Be on the lookout for those.

I really enjoyed doing the desert scheme and took more time doing it, and I think you will agree, it showed.

By not putting pressure on myself and taking my time, hopefully, you will see more improvement with my painting.

I hope so! Cheers to you all for your help.

It is fun and I’m learning a lot from you. :-D

John