Project Cassino paints & things

I have been amateur painting for a while now and throughout the years my style has slowly evolved. When I first started painting I was using enamels like Humbrul and Testor's and when you are a kid you think your stuff is pretty awesome. Now I look back and realize that it was just the beginning of a long learning process for me. Some people are born artists and others (me in particular) struggle to make the figures come alive or jump out at you. When acrylics came out I was really excited because, 1; no longer get that painters thinner high, 2; I could actually work better with water based products.

I won't go into the acrylics I use other than what I am using for this project. I use Vallejo Model Color's. I like the paints for a couple of reasons. If properly taken care of the eye dropper bottles allow you measure out exactly what you want. The paint also thins nicely with water (I use distilled water because tap water has minerals and other impurities that can affect the mixture and flow). Most importantly they have a very fine selection of WWII colors and this just happens to be what this project is about.

The above is what I am going to be using just on my Fallschirmjager which includes shading paint etc. Notice I paint the tops of my caps to make it easier for me to find what I am looking for without having to pick up every bottle when grouped together.

The brushes I am using are anywhere from 10/0 all the way up to a 0 (size). I don't use the cheap brushes you can get from a typical hobby store. I go to an Art store and pick out good brushes made of hair. You can wash these with shampoo and use conditioner to take care of the brushes so not only will they keep there point longer but last longer. Most art stores have cleaning liquids and other things to help take care of your brushes but they are usually way more expensive than what you already have on hand in your shower.

One thing I do is keep a small diary of the paints I use on my soldiers. This way I if I need to add more in the future I can match the paints exactly without taking a huge toll on my brain.

I also use two different kinds of lighting (one fluorescent, and one candescent)  in my work area, both attach to the table and have swinging arms so I can adjust how close to the figures or angle for shade effect (still learning this). This greatly helps with eye strain and simply helps you see the colors going on the figure that much better. Of course this goes hand in hand with the magnifying visor I use. Now a days I can not paint without one. It takes a little getting used to but once you do you'll kick yourself for not having gotten one sooner. Really, it makes that big of a difference.

Lastly I am trying something new that I have never used in painting before, a Wet Palette. I am kind of excited about learning how to use this, from what I hear, handy tool. I should be able to mix my paints in the wet palette and after my allotted time for painting is up come back the next day and not have to worry about matching the mixture all over again. We will see how this serves me.

The beginnings of my wet palette.

The one thing I have learned is "Setup" is really important. Your work will go a lot smoother if you think things through before you start and have all your supplies and stuff ready to go when you start to paint. Keep it simple, know your direction you want to follow, and have fun.

Cheers