I hear ya! I’ve been a programmer myself since 1992. But there’s no section 0 in a library or bookshop for mere mortal none programmers . 🤣🤣 🤣They should do it and put all the programming books in section 0!
I have a big collection of White Dwarf magazines and I often take a look back in the past to get inspirations or a tutorial how to paint. I'm old...but happy. Thank you very much for this wonderful video.
This video is exactly what I've been searching for! I've been seeking good miniature painting books but I haven't had any idea which ones might be worth my money. Miniac shouted you out on the latest episode of Trapped Under Plastic and I'm so glad I checked your channel out. I can tell from the way you talk and think about the hobby that I'm going to like it here.
@@thestateofplay2023 The podcast episode was all about lessons from being a RUclipsr. At the end of the episode he just shouted out a couple of smaller, up and coming channels that he really appreciates and you were one of them! He specifically mentioned your video mixing about 100 or so colors from 6 starting colors.
Books are a great source of instructions and inspiration. I have Mel’s book as well as the ones by Michael Mertens aka TWS. Books also require your full attention which is another advantage with everybodies digitally induced attentionspan of a goldfish.
A lot of youtube painters go into the 'look at me paint good' whereas the painting coach, peachy and Duncan are a lot more practical if you're painting your 30th space marine!
Yes, this is the approach I take. I don’t paint single models. I paint huge numbers of minis at the same time. However I still think the guys you mentioned do things the slow way and rarely even try a new technique. Ever seen Duncan do an oil wash?
This comes at a perfect time. I've become frustrated with getting my information from youtube videos, that let's be honest, are more often than not just glorified entertainment pieces you watch in your sofa rather than lessons that teach. I had the chance to flip through the Angel Giraldez book and had the impression it was just a step by step guide with nothing really to teach.
A big thank you for this video. I had been struggling for sometime to find information on certain painting subjects & I kept falling down the RUclips rabbit hole myself looking for answers. I picked up one of the books on this list & another is on my birthday list. These niche books can be hard to find & the reviews even harder to find. This means you have to gamble your money that the book contains what you are looking for & they are not cheap nor always available in your average local book shop. I would love a volume two recommendation video for further painting/modelling books.
Loved the video cause I love having a textbook style of book when I’m learning something. But I was talking to my wife and I thought a warhammer coloring book would be great so you can get your color scheme out of your head and down on something before you paint a miniature
That’s a bloody great idea. Now the hard part is convincing Games Workshop to invest time in something actually useful like that - and not a damn paint pallette shaped like a skull!! 🤣😜
@@thestateofplay2023 I doubt they would cause people would not end up buy paints they aren’t going to end up using. But if they did they could sell color pencils to match their paints so you could see the right colors.
Sadly, it looks like "How to Work with Colors and Transitions" is out of stock literally everywhere (even eBay). Here's hoping that there's another printing as I'd gladly pick up a copy. Many thanks for this video, I've ordered a couple of books off the list already.
@@thestateofplay2023 They do offer digital copies but they can only be read through AK's app and the reviews on the Apple store are dominated by people saying that they can't open their purchases after the most recent update. I think I'll wait for a bit in hopes that they do another physical printing. On a more positive note, I was able to find copies of both Color Harmony and the Minipedia at very reasonable prices on eBay and am looking forward to reading them.
As someone who really enjoys the tactile touch of paper, I really appreciate this video and have a good number of these books. I shall grab the rest. I also really enjoy your sense of humor. Keep up the good work, you have a new subscriber.
Great review! I can confirm AK and Ammo MIG are completely separated. They have history together but are now functionally and financially separated. I had the companies confirm this when I boycotted AK after their holocaust debacle
The AK series is aimed at scale modellers (which has always been big on realistic basing and weathering vehicles). From the video, they look to be a logical extension to the late Francois Verlinden's books (yes, I am dating myself) that were the first real 'how to' for well composed basing. Scale modelling is so much larger than mini painting - particularly in the gigantic US market - and that has driven most of the publishing. But really, miniature wargaming is just scale modelling at a different scale (most tanks are at 1:35, planes are at 1:72 or 1:48 and 28mm Warhammer is about 1:56). Definitely have been referring back to my old copies of scale model magazine for some weathering techniques and this video has definitely made the "maybe I should look for a book or two for mini painting reference" easier.
Yeah Kickstarter had a minipedia for gamers book a while back. I opted not to get it because many techniques are the same, just on a smaller scale, as you say. A technique is a technique so to speak. I dunno, may I overdo things. I can’t help wanting my stuff to look like little miniature worlds.
Books! Who'd have thought you could use these ancient things to gain knowledge. And you don't have to keep rewinding to get that bit you miss. The page stays open until you are ready to turn it. Love your channel and your delivery, it's a breath of fresh air. Keep up the good work.
A few other books that I've found useful over the years: James Gurney's Color & Light and Imaginative Realism - Gurney wrote the Dinotopia books and these discuss many of the techniques he used. Really good on color, including light temperatures and reflective lighting. Kirill Kanaev's Figure Painting Techniques F.A.Q - Detailed sections on many of his painting techniques paired with excellent photography. A bit expensive, but also huge. Sheperd Paine's How to Build Dioramas - Brilliant book on the details of diorama work. Quite old at this point, but still very valuable for me. Bill Horan's Military Modelling Masterclass - Better on the conversion/sculpting side than the painting side, mostly because Horan used enamels almost exclusively. Still brilliant work, especially on diorama composition and conversion. And for a deep-in-the-weeds discussion of pigment and color theory: Michael Wilcox's Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green
Nice to know I’m not the only person left that prefers printed material over endless RUclips tutorials. I hate how many products have ditched want sort of written manuals in favor of RUclips videos.
"How to work with colors and transitions with acrylics" from AK seems to be unavailable everywhere sadly. "Color and Light" by James Gurney has a number of chapters on the applications of color theory, pigments and limited palettes, but its not an easy read if you want the basics compiled into a short number of pages.
oh, it’s dangerous to watch your videos... after watching you definitely have to spend 100-200 euros on very cool stuff. Thanks for this detailed review! damn, these books are very good... As a lover of all physical stuff, I now simply have to buy myself some paper guides! The first and second episodes are simply top.
@@thestateofplay2023 I was surprised to find Encyclopedia of figures here at local internet store... 44 euro for vol.3 - not so huge price. I mean not cheap, but manageable
@@thestateofplay2023 I was surprised to find Encyclopedia of figures here at local internet store... 44 euro for vol.3 - not so huge price. I mean not cheap, but manageable
Scale75, AK Interactive, Ammo Mig, Vallejo, and Green Stuff World are 5 different Spanish companies which all make paints for scale modelling. They make and sell many more things, but they’re mostly known for acrylic paints in miniature wargaming. Recently, AK and Ammo Mig are also known for enamels and oils, thanks to The Grimdark Compendium and Dark Ages Workshop. Ammo Mig used to be part of or associated with AK, though, I don’t know the story. I like both companies’ products and have many paints from both (acrylics and abt502 oils from AK, enamels and pigments from Ammo).
Great list, I love reference books. FIGOPEDIA by Jérémie Bonamant Teboul is a great book to have. Sort of like Color & Light by James Gurney (another book I'd recommend) but more geared towards model painting. Aside from that AK FAQ Figure Painting Techniques vols 1&2 are great but there is a lot of overlap between them. I think I favour Kirill's Vol.1 more.
I always find it much easier to post-it note a page than pause and skip a video. That’s if I even remember which video I saw with the tip I wanted to try. 🤣 Memory goes as you age….what was I saying?
I think main issue with these kind of books is that they are not ringbound (not sure if that's the correct term). This way they would be easier to keep open on relevant information.
Learning about painting NMM/ non-metallic metal is learning how to do volumetric highlight’s which applies to everything. This opens up a whole world of possibilities.
I know how to do NMM. I don’t because I can’t spend that time on a model anymore. Two kids, job, house, family, friends and RUclips - it’s quicker to paint TNM. Then I can play a game. 👍🏼
Great video, this could be my favorite one so far! Im definitely going to order myself some of these books! I, like you, have really cut down on watching a lot of RUclips painting videos, so some good painting books will get me excited again to improve my model painting skills. Thanks again!
Oh man, tell me about it. “hey Will, where did you learn that?” “I read it,” I say. “Send me the link”, comes the reply. “There’s no link, it’s in a book. You want the link to the book?”. ….silence.
Nice video! I also found Working with colors a really good reference for color theory. I like a more philosophical and theoretical take on paint/design/miniatures/angst ;) I love your mature and honest take on the hobby, dry humor and you go more in the cracks of the questions so to speak. With that I mean, I may search RUclips for the answer on something and often have more questions after I've watched the video but with you it's more "Ahh! As I suspected! Good to have another guy having the same problem and not just saying 'Thin your paints'."
@@thestateofplay2023 Then you should definately check it out. I'd say it's a standard in artbooks. You see it in nearly every book shelf behind all the RUclips artists. And fantastic artwork.
Ha, right there with you mate… I still have my hand written note book from 1995 of tips and tricks that I collected after pouring through my mates 7 year collection of White Dwarf magazines for the 1 or 2 pages of helpful advice from the pros hidden somewhere in each edition. Thanks for a great vid and keep up the great work (including the glib one liners…not to bad for a pommie) 👍👍from Stray-ya
🤣🤣 Us pommies are good for….nah, forget it - we’re not. I still often go back through my old WD. Some of those techniques still work. Not that I’d paint my bases goblin green of course!
Glad I am not the only one that prefers painting books than videos. I find the issue with videos is that you constantly have to pause, backup, restart all the time. Plus I hate having a source of distraction sitting there on my painting desk. I like a book on a stand far better as I can look at it in an image or reference it anytime I look up. Just personal preference I guess.
Yeah Im an idiot. I ks the terrain book, got it tossed it aside.. YT will teach me so much more. Everytime I plan on learning something on YT I lose hours watching shorts from films and nothing about the skill I wanted. Think its time to go look for that book.
🤣🤣🤣 yeah you sound like me. Yesterday I wanted to watch videos about Bambu lab printers. I watched none. I did spend an hour learning why the Pyramids weren’t built by the Egyptians but by an Ancient civilisation, possibly Aliens - so not a total waste…
Great video. Highly informative. I see the barrier to buying books is the cost. Hobby can be already expensive. Shelving out $50+ is just not going to happen.
It’s funny you say that as this is an expensive hobby. No one really ever says this. It’s always strangely ok to spend hundreds of dollars on models that never get painted but a book tips us over the budget. 🤣🤣
good video, makes me feel old considering my first instinct in taking up this hobby was trying to find a good how to paint book and there werent any in my local hobby, book. arts. used books and library...so I had to learn from RUclips. I may pick up some of these now that I know they are out there.
I do enjoy reading and looking at physical books much more than ebooks but didn't realise that this type of book was available. As I am older even than you, I too have had a proper education, including literacy! Unlike you, however, as a Computer Science major, I am perfectly happy with counting from zero 😂. I will take time to look round the book sellers at Salute this year. Thanks for the tips 👍
My favorite miniature painting book is F.A.Q Kirill Kanaev. One might think it would be way over the heads of most painters but it's really an excellent source for every technique and concept of mini painting. Worth every penny.
Thanks for a great video. I really enjoyed the How to work with colors book as well. I would recommend the two general FAQ books from AK as well and I will check out the diorama book.
I just ordered AK's book on color transitions, as I've also noticed that just adding black or white to a color doesn't always do what I'd like, so it looks like it will be super helpful! I might also have to check out some of Minipedia. Thanks for the recommendations!
Hey not a problem. I just worried that many of my links only had a few books in stock. Glad you grabbed a copy. It really is a handy book to have on hand.
Thank you thank you thank you. I'm new to the hobby and have been searching for just this. Btw there was a Kickstarter last year that is for 3 books with painting tips and processes from top painters. I subscribed of course.
this was fantastic, thank you. i have added most of the books you suggested to my Wishlist. *Clicks subscribe* I look for word to browsing your website and YT Channel!
@@thestateofplay2023 darn it has so many amazing references and how-to guides I am blown :O I'll use this on all my models for sure. Now I wish for the other recommended books as well :'D
Your videos inspire me to go mix up my own custom paints from inks and medium and paint. I end up painting something after each of your videos, so thank you for that. Less faffing about what to do and more doing. Plus, I appreciate the humour and sarcasm and as a fellow trained print designer you are excellent at explaining the stuff we know but forgot to wpply to miniatures... 😅
Weird isn’t it. We designers can make computers do anything with colour. Then we stare at grey plastic and just freeze. Maybe we should write briefs for every model and set a deadline. 🤣🤣🤣
I used a How To Draw Manga: COPIC MARKERS book to get some inspiration for Tau army. Took 2nd place in the Painting Comp at a local tournament. That was back when 40k mattered enough to me to want to push my skills.
Another awesome video! I will add some of these books to my wishlist for sure. Can you make a video covering how to extend a day from 24 hours to something like 36 hours so that I can actually get some time to myself to hobby?
Maybe you can slip this in one of your future videos that the word ‘incorrectly’ is spelt incorrectly in every dictionary 😂 That will make a few people reach for their dictionaries 😂until they eventually understand it.
The video was already too long I think. 🤣 We’ll get there. Everyone and their grandma has a painting channel thesedays. So I’m waiting for a good opening.
I loved the video! Thank you! Quick question for you sir. If money wasn’t an issue, which book/or sets, would you say I should get? (Could be from this list or anything else that comes to mind). I’m not sure if we should get them all or just a certain few etc. thank you for your time.
Definitely the book about colour and mixing. And the art of Tommy Soule next. Then FAQ dioramas for bases. Finally I’d say “minipedia for gamers” which isn’t in the video.
@@thestateofplay2023well I’ll add those to my list! I want to read them all. Follow up, in the comments, you referred to minipedia for gamers as a cash grab and a less detailed version of the original minipedia in the video, but now you’re recommending the former. Do you have new information? What’s changed your mind?
It’s a cash grab for those people who already own the original minipedia as it’s a lot of the same information. But if you have neither set them it won’t matter which you buy. But the original focuses more on large scale models and the gamers one is more for minis. Basically I wasn’t going to pay £120 twice for the same info.👍🏼
@@thestateofplay2023 Yeah I'm an old guy. So I love art books, hell books in general. But concerning the content specifically, it's way better than another "Super turbo slap chap wang chung" video. This is excellent content I probably wouldn't have heard of or stumbled over. Also for anyone else who likes this content Marco Frisoni ruclips.net/video/d4OxycPSdys/видео.htmlsi=744qHI4VLYRpQuXW has a great video on art books he likes. Keep up the great work!
The price comparison to unpainted minis hits hard. I have in the same day bemoaned spending $15 on paint, and then dropped $100+ on impulse model ideas.
I was going to do that. But found that chapters were killing my view duration and then causing the video to die. It was a bit like someone telling you what all your Christmas presents were before you unwrapped them. 🤣
@@thestateofplay2023 haha lost interest in the franchise years ago. Got to actvisty for my taste. Will defnitly buy some of the books. Especially the weathering pencil one. Maybe i can get them to work then 🤣
Thanks for the great video! I might get a book or two that aren't still in my hobby library. But if I see that grinning dwarf in another book ever again.... ^^ Have you also taken a look in the minipedia for gamers?
I did look at that when it was on Kickstarter but as I already had the other one, it looked like more of the same. Effectively painting techniques don’t really change because a model is smaller. Base, shade, glaze, wash, drybrush, highlights. 😜
@@thestateofplay2023 I fI might suggest a book not mentioned it is "How to paint miniatures for Wargames" by Ammo of Mig Jimenez - a great colleciton of starter techniques going all the way to masterclass. If I had to recommend a single hobby realted book to someone it would be that. But careful not tp purchase the spanish edition ;)
My problem with most Influencer videos is they bury their tips in hours of "entertainment" (yawn) and it's difficult to track down their tips. Example, the Mini-Witch lass. Lovely lass, nice hair. A recent video is her face scrunched-up in the thumbnail THIS ONE TRICK CAN HELP? and it's just a video about using slow-dry additive (in this case, Newsh) to wet feather blend. She painted a tyranid in her typical Synthwave colours then showed, quite well, how to add extra depth. But unless you can remember which Troll-faced ClickBait title it was filed under, it is lost - like a bottle of Nuln Oil after your hand has slapped the pot. The objectively correct way to learn to paint is VINCE VENTURELLA. His video titles tell you what you will get in the video. His intros are a few seconds long and the rest of the video is explanation. The Shredded Wheat of master artists: nothing added, nothing taken away. And he has 8 years of tutorial videos behind him, the culmination of a 25 year art career.
Nailed it! So many times I remember watching something useful and can’t remember where I saw it. I can save a video but can’t bookmark a specific part of it. With a book I can literally shove a post-it note in the page with a quick note. Thanks for this info because this kind of stuff informs how I make my own videos.
@@thestateofplay2023 your videos are usually quite clear as to what they're about, but the "Five Tips" type videos, whilst they might be exciting to watch them unravel the first time, aren't useful as an encyclopaedic resource. Unless you group them by theme, e.g. "Five Laser Burner Tips". You mentioned offhand about the Layman's Medium, "see my other video about it", but it took quite a while to find. You can change thumbnails, even a list on the thumbnail would make subsequent referencing much easier. PS I'm now really gearing up to start painting with the Ink/Layman's Speed tutorial you mentioned a while back and you got me all excited for in the comments. It took a while to get the airbrush due to it having sold out (H&S Ultra) but I have it now (god-damn, for a 1st ever use of an airbrush it's SO easy). Already have 45 minis Zenith primed, 30 Black primed ready to be Zenithed, and 15 unprimed ready to get Black when I can find mountings for them. It's chaos on a tiny table. And that's just the terrain (walls, doors, furniture). 90 miniatures in the first "batch", THEN it's 80 monsters & heroes. And that's just Base set, two mini expansions, and 1 Etsy Resin round. After that, 6 full-sized expansions and a 2nd Round of Etsy Resin. Just a few weeks into the Hobby and my PILE OF SHAME MOUNTS!
Yes it’s hard one on YT to balance. Make a video indexable and obvious and no one clicks. Then YT kills it. Make it more obscure, more clicks but less easy to reference. Totally agree about the airbrush though. Never understood beginner vs advanced in this hobby. What works, works.
Cheers for the kind words buddy!
Credit where it’s due Mel. It’s a fantastic book!!
Learned so much from Mel's channel. Didn't know he actually released a book too.
He did indeed!
You’re a legend, Mel! Even in the States! 🙏🏼
Yes Mel! Great book. See you at salute?
Retired software guy here: Zero is the first number, not one. 🤣 This is a great video and I was really happy to watch it. I love good books!
I hear ya! I’ve been a programmer myself since 1992. But there’s no section 0 in a library or bookshop for mere mortal none programmers . 🤣🤣 🤣They should do it and put all the programming books in section 0!
I have a big collection of White Dwarf magazines and I often take a look back in the past to get inspirations or a tutorial how to paint. I'm old...but happy. Thank you very much for this wonderful video.
Oh man, me too! New doesn’t always mean great. Some old White Dwarf tutorials are some of the best I’ve ever seen.
Well I am now the happy owner of Minipedia and Vol 0 & 3 of Encyclopedia of Figures. Thank you for the great suggestions!
Oh cool! I hope they serve you well!
This video is exactly what I've been searching for! I've been seeking good miniature painting books but I haven't had any idea which ones might be worth my money. Miniac shouted you out on the latest episode of Trapped Under Plastic and I'm so glad I checked your channel out. I can tell from the way you talk and think about the hobby that I'm going to like it here.
Miniac shouted me out? What did he say?
Oh and welcome. Great to have you here! 🤣😜👍🏼
@@thestateofplay2023 The podcast episode was all about lessons from being a RUclipsr. At the end of the episode he just shouted out a couple of smaller, up and coming channels that he really appreciates and you were one of them! He specifically mentioned your video mixing about 100 or so colors from 6 starting colors.
Yes, I have a lot of these books and I’ve read many of them, or regularly use them for ideas.
Books are a great source of instructions and inspiration. I have Mel’s book as well as the ones by Michael Mertens aka TWS. Books also require your full attention which is another advantage with everybodies digitally induced attentionspan of a goldfish.
Attention span of a goldfish ….sorry, what were you saying again. 🤣 but you’re absolutely correct on all counts.
A lot of youtube painters go into the 'look at me paint good' whereas the painting coach, peachy and Duncan are a lot more practical if you're painting your 30th space marine!
Yes, this is the approach I take. I don’t paint single models. I paint huge numbers of minis at the same time.
However I still think the guys you mentioned do things the slow way and rarely even try a new technique. Ever seen Duncan do an oil wash?
This comes at a perfect time. I've become frustrated with getting my information from youtube videos, that let's be honest, are more often than not just glorified entertainment pieces you watch in your sofa rather than lessons that teach.
I had the chance to flip through the Angel Giraldez book and had the impression it was just a step by step guide with nothing really to teach.
In that case i’d recommended The Art of Tommie Soule for you.
A big thank you for this video. I had been struggling for sometime to find information on certain painting subjects & I kept falling down the RUclips rabbit hole myself looking for answers. I picked up one of the books on this list & another is on my birthday list. These niche books can be hard to find & the reviews even harder to find. This means you have to gamble your money that the book contains what you are looking for & they are not cheap nor always available in your average local book shop. I would love a volume two recommendation video for further painting/modelling books.
Hi Helen, sadly there aren’t enough quality books left to review. I think I pretty much own them all. 🤣🤣
1:34 "... things you might not get from RUclips. Like litteracy." - Hah! Jokes on you. I have subtitles on, because my hearing is bad...!
Ah, but I wrote my own subtitles and deliberately misspelled every word - just to prove my point. 🤣🤣
@@thestateofplay2023I am pretty sure, that the auto-generated subtitles surpass you easily on that 😛
Yeah that’s true. I said “fork out money.” Have a guess what swear word RUclips thought I said. 🤣🤣
The Diorama FAQ taught me so much!
Great isn’t it!
@@thestateofplay2023 Probably one of the best art books I've ever read to be honest.
Loved the video cause I love having a textbook style of book when I’m learning something. But I was talking to my wife and I thought a warhammer coloring book would be great so you can get your color scheme out of your head and down on something before you paint a miniature
That’s a bloody great idea. Now the hard part is convincing Games Workshop to invest time in something actually useful like that - and not a damn paint pallette shaped like a skull!! 🤣😜
@@thestateofplay2023 I doubt they would cause people would not end up buy paints they aren’t going to end up using. But if they did they could sell color pencils to match their paints so you could see the right colors.
I would add Colour and Light by James Gurney and Figopedia by Jeremie Bonamant Teboul
You know I wanted to add figopedia but it seems out of print and I couldn’t find one anywhere. I’ll check out the other one!! Cheers!
Sadly, it looks like "How to Work with Colors and Transitions" is out of stock literally everywhere (even eBay). Here's hoping that there's another printing as I'd gladly pick up a copy. Many thanks for this video, I've ordered a couple of books off the list already.
Shame as that’s a great book. You might be able to grab a digital copy?
@@thestateofplay2023 They do offer digital copies but they can only be read through AK's app and the reviews on the Apple store are dominated by people saying that they can't open their purchases after the most recent update. I think I'll wait for a bit in hopes that they do another physical printing.
On a more positive note, I was able to find copies of both Color Harmony and the Minipedia at very reasonable prices on eBay and am looking forward to reading them.
I"d love to hear more about the 60, 30 10 rule.
It’s coming
Great work, you’re my favorite hobby RUclipsr. Your presentation and editing skill has really improved too
Thanks! Yeah, much more comfortable on this side of the camera now. Took a a while to move from director to “presenter”. 🤣🤣
Like literacy..... the deadpan delivery slays
On RUclips, perhaps. When my wife asks me what she said an hour ago - and I deadpan the wrong answer. I get slayed.
As someone who really enjoys the tactile touch of paper, I really appreciate this video and have a good number of these books. I shall grab the rest. I also really enjoy your sense of humor. Keep up the good work, you have a new subscriber.
Thanks George! Glad you got the sense of humour.
Great review! I can confirm AK and Ammo MIG are completely separated. They have history together but are now functionally and financially separated. I had the companies confirm this when I boycotted AK after their holocaust debacle
Great! Thanks for informing me as boy, that one was confusing me! 👍🏼
The AK series is aimed at scale modellers (which has always been big on realistic basing and weathering vehicles). From the video, they look to be a logical extension to the late Francois Verlinden's books (yes, I am dating myself) that were the first real 'how to' for well composed basing. Scale modelling is so much larger than mini painting - particularly in the gigantic US market - and that has driven most of the publishing. But really, miniature wargaming is just scale modelling at a different scale (most tanks are at 1:35, planes are at 1:72 or 1:48 and 28mm Warhammer is about 1:56). Definitely have been referring back to my old copies of scale model magazine for some weathering techniques and this video has definitely made the "maybe I should look for a book or two for mini painting reference" easier.
Yeah Kickstarter had a minipedia for gamers book a while back. I opted not to get it because many techniques are the same, just on a smaller scale, as you say. A technique is a technique so to speak. I dunno, may I overdo things. I can’t help wanting my stuff to look like little miniature worlds.
"(yes, I am dating myself)"
Not uncommon in this hobby.
Books! Who'd have thought you could use these ancient things to gain knowledge. And you don't have to keep rewinding to get that bit you miss. The page stays open until you are ready to turn it.
Love your channel and your delivery, it's a breath of fresh air. Keep up the good work.
Ancient things! 🤣🤣 pretty much describes me too!
Oils over acrylics are amazing, everyone should do it.
Agreed!!
That minipedia book collection is an amazing source for beginner information. Gave me the confidence to start mini painting
Yeah it’s a really good reference. A proper confidence builder.👍🏼
Haha... you're funny! But also very helpful
Cheers Joe🤣
Looks like scale75 released an updated minipedia called “minipedia for gamers”. Very curious on how it compares to the original minipedia.
Yes I looked at it and it’s linked on my website but…weirdly it was less detailed than the original. Felt like a cash grab to be honest.
A few other books that I've found useful over the years:
James Gurney's Color & Light and Imaginative Realism - Gurney wrote the Dinotopia books and these discuss many of the techniques he used. Really good on color, including light temperatures and reflective lighting.
Kirill Kanaev's Figure Painting Techniques F.A.Q - Detailed sections on many of his painting techniques paired with excellent photography. A bit expensive, but also huge.
Sheperd Paine's How to Build Dioramas - Brilliant book on the details of diorama work. Quite old at this point, but still very valuable for me.
Bill Horan's Military Modelling Masterclass - Better on the conversion/sculpting side than the painting side, mostly because Horan used enamels almost exclusively. Still brilliant work, especially on diorama composition and conversion.
And for a deep-in-the-weeds discussion of pigment and color theory: Michael Wilcox's Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green
Great references there!! Amazing
Nice to know I’m not the only person left that prefers printed material over endless RUclips tutorials. I hate how many products have ditched want sort of written manuals in favor of RUclips videos.
I recently bought a fold up kids tent. There was no printed instructions just a QR code to a YT video? 🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️
"How to work with colors and transitions with acrylics" from AK seems to be unavailable everywhere sadly. "Color and Light" by James Gurney has a number of chapters on the applications of color theory, pigments and limited palettes, but its not an easy read if you want the basics compiled into a short number of pages.
I think it’s available as a digital copy too
@@thestateofplay2023 I am pondering that option, but I am really not the type to read literature on a screen. Thank you for the input!
Great video. I had heard of some of these, but many others were new to me. Thanks for the recommendations!
You’re very welcome! Hope they help
oh, it’s dangerous to watch your videos... after watching you definitely have to spend 100-200 euros on very cool stuff. Thanks for this detailed review! damn, these books are very good... As a lover of all physical stuff, I now simply have to buy myself some paper guides! The first and second episodes are simply top.
🤣 I never expect people to run out buy stuff.
@@thestateofplay2023 I was surprised to find Encyclopedia of figures here at local internet store... 44 euro for vol.3 - not so huge price. I mean not cheap, but manageable
@@thestateofplay2023 I was surprised to find Encyclopedia of figures here at local internet store... 44 euro for vol.3 - not so huge price. I mean not cheap, but manageable
Scale75, AK Interactive, Ammo Mig, Vallejo, and Green Stuff World are 5 different Spanish companies which all make paints for scale modelling. They make and sell many more things, but they’re mostly known for acrylic paints in miniature wargaming. Recently, AK and Ammo Mig are also known for enamels and oils, thanks to The Grimdark Compendium and Dark Ages Workshop.
Ammo Mig used to be part of or associated with AK, though, I don’t know the story. I like both companies’ products and have many paints from both (acrylics and abt502 oils from AK, enamels and pigments from Ammo).
Brilliant info thanks!!
Great list, I love reference books.
FIGOPEDIA by Jérémie Bonamant Teboul is a great book to have. Sort of like Color & Light by James Gurney (another book I'd recommend) but more geared towards model painting.
Aside from that AK FAQ Figure Painting Techniques vols 1&2 are great but there is a lot of overlap between them. I think I favour Kirill's Vol.1 more.
Yeah I know what you mean. Most i’ve now added to my website but figopedia is really hard to find now.
Showing my complete lack of age, I had no idea there was ever enough of a market for mini books. I like it!
I always find it much easier to post-it note a page than pause and skip a video. That’s if I even remember which video I saw with the tip I wanted to try. 🤣 Memory goes as you age….what was I saying?
I think main issue with these kind of books is that they are not ringbound (not sure if that's the correct term). This way they would be easier to keep open on relevant information.
I use a music stand which means I can have it next to me rather than on the table and it has hooks to stop the pages going back.
Learning about painting NMM/ non-metallic metal is learning how to do volumetric highlight’s which applies to everything. This opens up a whole world of possibilities.
I know how to do NMM. I don’t because I can’t spend that time on a model anymore. Two kids, job, house, family, friends and RUclips - it’s quicker to paint TNM. Then I can play a game. 👍🏼
Great video, this could be my favorite one so far! Im definitely going to order myself some of these books! I, like you, have really cut down on watching a lot of RUclips painting videos, so some good painting books will get me excited again to improve my model painting skills. Thanks again!
Glad I could help. Yeah, books let you go at your own pace without pausing and skipping ads! 🤣
lol love it.. I have had so many students that think so much is just on computer and phone screens.
Oh man, tell me about it. “hey Will, where did you learn that?”
“I read it,” I say.
“Send me the link”, comes the reply.
“There’s no link, it’s in a book. You want the link to the book?”.
….silence.
I bought The art of .... Tommie soule, it has helped my painting come on leaps and bounds.
Yeah it’s a great book. And after chatting with him, he’s a really nice guy too!
Massive thanks! I'm sincerely glad it helped you :)
T
Nice video! I also found Working with colors a really good reference for color theory. I like a more philosophical and theoretical take on paint/design/miniatures/angst ;) I love your mature and honest take on the hobby, dry humor and you go more in the cracks of the questions so to speak. With that I mean, I may search RUclips for the answer on something and often have more questions after I've watched the video but with you it's more "Ahh! As I suspected! Good to have another guy having the same problem and not just saying 'Thin your paints'."
Not surprised you say this. It’s why I started my channel. If no one else was going to answer my questions - I’d bloody well answer them myself! 🤣
OMG these are some of the best and funniest videos in the hobby!
And I was aiming for “serious yet lighthearted”. 🤣🤣
If you're interested in display painting I highly recommend James Gurney's Color and Light. Awesome resource to painting atmosphere.
I’m interested in all forms, whether I do it or not. 👍🏼
@@thestateofplay2023 Then you should definately check it out. I'd say it's a standard in artbooks. You see it in nearly every book shelf behind all the RUclips artists.
And fantastic artwork.
Ha, right there with you mate… I still have my hand written note book from 1995 of tips and tricks that I collected after pouring through my mates 7 year collection of White Dwarf magazines for the 1 or 2 pages of helpful advice from the pros hidden somewhere in each edition. Thanks for a great vid and keep up the great work (including the glib one liners…not to bad for a pommie) 👍👍from Stray-ya
🤣🤣 Us pommies are good for….nah, forget it - we’re not. I still often go back through my old WD. Some of those techniques still work. Not that I’d paint my bases goblin green of course!
I love books, and am always looking for more. Thanks for this!
You’re very welcome!
Thank you, i will pick up some of those books. Some I already own and totally agree!
Phew! Glad you agree. Thought I was the only one.
haha so true about Angel Giraldez's books. I felt exactly the same
Yeah, I love his work but the book felt like secrets were kept secret so Vallejo could make money out of him. Shame really.
I liked covered books and the video. Especially the part which describes what books actually is.
Thanks mate!!
Excellent resource! Thank you for showing all the different series.
No problem!
Glad I am not the only one that prefers painting books than videos. I find the issue with videos is that you constantly have to pause, backup, restart all the time. Plus I hate having a source of distraction sitting there on my painting desk. I like a book on a stand far better as I can look at it in an image or reference it anytime I look up. Just personal preference I guess.
Plus a book can’t edit around mistakes and pretend a paint job took less time. 🤣🤣
Yeah Im an idiot. I ks the terrain book, got it tossed it aside.. YT will teach me so much more. Everytime I plan on learning something on YT I lose hours watching shorts from films and nothing about the skill I wanted. Think its time to go look for that book.
🤣🤣🤣 yeah you sound like me. Yesterday I wanted to watch videos about Bambu lab printers. I watched none. I did spend an hour learning why the Pyramids weren’t built by the Egyptians but by an Ancient civilisation, possibly Aliens - so not a total waste…
Great video. Highly informative. I see the barrier to buying books is the cost. Hobby can be already expensive. Shelving out $50+ is just not going to happen.
It’s funny you say that as this is an expensive hobby. No one really ever says this. It’s always strangely ok to spend hundreds of dollars on models that never get painted but a book tips us over the budget. 🤣🤣
@@thestateofplay2023 agreed. I always tell people think of it as an investment. Unlike paint, etc. Books don’t run out 😂
good video, makes me feel old considering my first instinct in taking up this hobby was trying to find a good how to paint book and there werent any in my local hobby, book. arts. used books and library...so I had to learn from RUclips. I may pick up some of these now that I know they are out there.
🤣🤣 We are old in that case. It is hard to find these books used as most people never give them away.
Really great!
I do enjoy reading and looking at physical books much more than ebooks but didn't realise that this type of book was available. As I am older even than you, I too have had a proper education, including literacy! Unlike you, however, as a Computer Science major, I am perfectly happy with counting from zero 😂. I will take time to look round the book sellers at Salute this year. Thanks for the tips 👍
🤣🤣 Nice! And thank you. I hope you find a good book - properly numbered of course.
My favorite miniature painting book is F.A.Q Kirill Kanaev. One might think it would be way over the heads of most painters but it's really an excellent source for every technique and concept of mini painting. Worth every penny.
Ooh. I just searched that. It looks amazing. Thank you!
@@thestateofplay2023 You're welcome!
Thanks for a great video. I really enjoyed the How to work with colors book as well. I would recommend the two general FAQ books from AK as well and I will check out the diorama book.
The la for that recommendation. I’ll check those out!
I have the 3 Foundry painting books from Kevin Dallimore. Love his paintingstyle.
Awesome vid with great humour as always. 😅
Thanks I’ll check those out. Love me some book collecting!
I just ordered AK's book on color transitions, as I've also noticed that just adding black or white to a color doesn't always do what I'd like, so it looks like it will be super helpful! I might also have to check out some of Minipedia. Thanks for the recommendations!
Hey not a problem. I just worried that many of my links only had a few books in stock. Glad you grabbed a copy. It really is a handy book to have on hand.
Thank you thank you thank you. I'm new to the hobby and have been searching for just this. Btw there was a Kickstarter last year that is for 3 books with painting tips and processes from top painters. I subscribed of course.
Cool thanks for that info. I’ll check it out!
this was fantastic, thank you. i have added most of the books you suggested to my Wishlist. *Clicks subscribe* I look for word to browsing your website and YT Channel!
Welcome aboard!
I think I found my new favorite painting channel !
Oh thanks for that!! 😳
This is a great video mate, really useful and I might buy some of these books. Thanks for making this
You’re welcome!
I've just got the Dioramas FAQ book as a gift, and it is absolutely flippin' amazing :O
I know right! 👍🏼😀
@@thestateofplay2023 darn it has so many amazing references and how-to guides I am blown :O I'll use this on all my models for sure. Now I wish for the other recommended books as well :'D
Very valuable, thanks.
You’re welcome
Your videos inspire me to go mix up my own custom paints from inks and medium and paint. I end up painting something after each of your videos, so thank you for that. Less faffing about what to do and more doing. Plus, I appreciate the humour and sarcasm and as a fellow trained print designer you are excellent at explaining the stuff we know but forgot to wpply to miniatures... 😅
Weird isn’t it. We designers can make computers do anything with colour. Then we stare at grey plastic and just freeze. Maybe we should write briefs for every model and set a deadline. 🤣🤣🤣
@@thestateofplay2023 you might be on to something there 😂
Lot of excellent suggestions here, thank you!
You’re welcome. I love your 007 books too. Although I bet you hear that joke a lot. Sorry. 🤣😜
Love your channel.
Thanks Scott! Love ya too!
I used a How To Draw Manga: COPIC MARKERS book to get some inspiration for Tau army. Took 2nd place in the Painting Comp at a local tournament. That was back when 40k mattered enough to me to want to push my skills.
I have that book! You might even be able to see copic markers in my background behind the lighted sign. 🤣
Thanks
Cheers & thanks for this!
You’re welcome
Thanks for the great recommendations!
No problem!
Another awesome video! I will add some of these books to my wishlist for sure. Can you make a video covering how to extend a day from 24 hours to something like 36 hours so that I can actually get some time to myself to hobby?
🤣🤣🤣 I’ll go one better. I’ll build a time machine with the laser cutter and some AA batteries.
@@thestateofplay2023 they make MDF DeLorean kits. All you need to do is add batteries and I think we'd be in business!
@@bretts2356 Sorted, I'll see you yesterday and reply before you even wrote the comment.
All 3 are Spanish companies, but they are different companies. They seem to all use the same artists for reference.
Thanks for that. Yeah I’d came to that same conclusion.
Thx for the book tips!
👍🏼👍🏼
Another great video, thank you!
Cheers!
Ive loved books as painting ressources ever since I bought the official eavy metal paint guide as a teen. Shit, I must still have that somewhere!
Dig it out. It’s vintage now!
Hehe will do@@thestateofplay2023
Goodness this was fantastic
Thanks. And for being super polite. My kids read this. 🤣😜
Thanks for another great video; you had me laughing so much when you were describing to youngsters, what a book is (brilliant)😂😂😂😂 👍🏼
🤣🤣 it’s funnier when it’s true!
Absolutely 💯. 😂
Maybe you can slip this in one of your future videos that the word ‘incorrectly’ is spelt incorrectly in every dictionary 😂
That will make a few people reach for their dictionaries 😂until they eventually understand it.
The one I like was what’s the best word in the dictionary. Most people say “best”. But the answer is …better.
Thanks for flipping the pages >.>
🤣🤣
I used to get the books by Verlinden, Superdioramas was incredible.
P.s. thank you for the tip with nail art brushes, they worked really well.
Cheers for those! Yeah nail art brushes are great - provided they aren’t pink with glitter sparkles. 🤣🤣
Oh the irony, a You Tube video on why books are better than You Tube videos. I did read a book once and enjoyed it but couldn't find the like button!
I tell it like it is! 🤣 That’s what Twatter is for. Read a book then broadcast it to the world.
I loved this video!
Cheers mate. Much appreciated!!
Would have been nice to see some examples of you applying some of the techniques you read to your models.
The video was already too long I think. 🤣 We’ll get there. Everyone and their grandma has a painting channel thesedays. So I’m waiting for a good opening.
Really cool.
Cheers!!
I loved the video! Thank you! Quick question for you sir. If money wasn’t an issue, which book/or sets, would you say I should get? (Could be from this list or anything else that comes to mind). I’m not sure if we should get them all or just a certain few etc. thank you for your time.
Definitely the book about colour and mixing. And the art of Tommy Soule next. Then FAQ dioramas for bases. Finally I’d say “minipedia for gamers” which isn’t in the video.
@@thestateofplay2023well I’ll add those to my list! I want to read them all.
Follow up, in the comments, you referred to minipedia for gamers as a cash grab and a less detailed version of the original minipedia in the video, but now you’re recommending the former. Do you have new information? What’s changed your mind?
It’s a cash grab for those people who already own the original minipedia as it’s a lot of the same information. But if you have neither set them it won’t matter which you buy. But the original focuses more on large scale models and the gamers one is more for minis.
Basically I wasn’t going to pay £120 twice for the same info.👍🏼
@@thestateofplay2023 I appreciate you. Thank you sir!
😜
Casio watch classic
You remember when teachers always said you won’t always have a calculator in your pocket? I wanna meet them now and pull out my phone….🤣🤣
I see State of Play video, I click the Like button.
I see ThorekIronbrow and I add them to my Christmas card list! 👍🏼🤣
…and then I find a thing to comment about!
Gibberish works for the algorithm too. Probably a myth though. 🤣
@@thestateofplay2023 Well, in that case, adjust turbines to speed, correct for inverse polarity, and engage the turboencabulator!
Here! That Magic the Gathering books not to do wi painting!
HACK! FRAUD, CHARLATAN, I SAY!
(Jokes, Nice to see another magic nerd in the wild :P)
If it’s for nerds, it’s for me!!! 🤣👍🏼
Best video yet
Really? Thank you my dear sir!
@@thestateofplay2023 Yeah I'm an old guy. So I love art books, hell books in general. But concerning the content specifically, it's way better than another "Super turbo slap chap wang chung" video. This is excellent content I probably wouldn't have heard of or stumbled over. Also for anyone else who likes this content Marco Frisoni ruclips.net/video/d4OxycPSdys/видео.htmlsi=744qHI4VLYRpQuXW has a great video on art books he likes. Keep up the great work!
“Super turbo slap chap wang chung “ is now the title for my next video. 🤣🤣🤣
The price comparison to unpainted minis hits hard. I have in the same day bemoaned spending $15 on paint, and then dropped $100+ on impulse model ideas.
🤣🤣 weird how we do that, isn’t it. “I better make my own airbrush cleaner and save £3. Oh, look, new Intercessors for £150!”.
Great video thanks!
I would love it even more if you split the video into chapters 😅
I was going to do that. But found that chapters were killing my view duration and then causing the video to die. It was a bit like someone telling you what all your Christmas presents were before you unwrapped them. 🤣
Great video!
Thanks!
How does the Airbrush content in the MiniPedia book 2 (£14) compare to the Airbrush for scale modellers book (£18) for a 1st book o' airbrushes?
Very similar. None of these books ever go into deep detail. It’s basic use and some basic troubleshooting
That was fantastic. Thanks.
No, thank you for watching! You could’ve watched The Marvels. But you picked the better option…🤣
@@thestateofplay2023 haha lost interest in the franchise years ago. Got to actvisty for my taste. Will defnitly buy some of the books. Especially the weathering pencil one. Maybe i can get them to work then 🤣
Yeah those pencils are fiddly little things but can do some cool things on terrain.
Thanks for the great video! I might get a book or two that aren't still in my hobby library. But if I see that grinning dwarf in another book ever again.... ^^ Have you also taken a look in the minipedia for gamers?
I did look at that when it was on Kickstarter but as I already had the other one, it looked like more of the same. Effectively painting techniques don’t really change because a model is smaller. Base, shade, glaze, wash, drybrush, highlights. 😜
P.s. I might buy that dwarf just so I can take a blowtorch to it
@@thestateofplay2023 I fI might suggest a book not mentioned it is "How to paint miniatures for Wargames" by Ammo of Mig Jimenez - a great colleciton of starter techniques going all the way to masterclass. If I had to recommend a single hobby realted book to someone it would be that. But careful not tp purchase the spanish edition ;)
I appreciate the zero-indexed based numbering system haha.
🤣🤣 I thought it was a bit weird to devalue a book by calling it 0. Each book system to their own I guess. 👍🏼😜
My problem with most Influencer videos is they bury their tips in hours of "entertainment" (yawn) and it's difficult to track down their tips. Example, the Mini-Witch lass. Lovely lass, nice hair. A recent video is her face scrunched-up in the thumbnail THIS ONE TRICK CAN HELP? and it's just a video about using slow-dry additive (in this case, Newsh) to wet feather blend. She painted a tyranid in her typical Synthwave colours then showed, quite well, how to add extra depth. But unless you can remember which Troll-faced ClickBait title it was filed under, it is lost - like a bottle of Nuln Oil after your hand has slapped the pot. The objectively correct way to learn to paint is VINCE VENTURELLA. His video titles tell you what you will get in the video. His intros are a few seconds long and the rest of the video is explanation. The Shredded Wheat of master artists: nothing added, nothing taken away. And he has 8 years of tutorial videos behind him, the culmination of a 25 year art career.
Nailed it! So many times I remember watching something useful and can’t remember where I saw it. I can save a video but can’t bookmark a specific part of it. With a book I can literally shove a post-it note in the page with a quick note.
Thanks for this info because this kind of stuff informs how I make my own videos.
@@thestateofplay2023 your videos are usually quite clear as to what they're about, but the "Five Tips" type videos, whilst they might be exciting to watch them unravel the first time, aren't useful as an encyclopaedic resource. Unless you group them by theme, e.g. "Five Laser Burner Tips". You mentioned offhand about the Layman's Medium, "see my other video about it", but it took quite a while to find.
You can change thumbnails, even a list on the thumbnail would make subsequent referencing much easier.
PS I'm now really gearing up to start painting with the Ink/Layman's Speed tutorial you mentioned a while back and you got me all excited for in the comments. It took a while to get the airbrush due to it having sold out (H&S Ultra) but I have it now (god-damn, for a 1st ever use of an airbrush it's SO easy).
Already have 45 minis Zenith primed, 30 Black primed ready to be Zenithed, and 15 unprimed ready to get Black when I can find mountings for them. It's chaos on a tiny table. And that's just the terrain (walls, doors, furniture). 90 miniatures in the first "batch", THEN it's 80 monsters & heroes.
And that's just Base set, two mini expansions, and 1 Etsy Resin round. After that, 6 full-sized expansions and a 2nd Round of Etsy Resin. Just a few weeks into the Hobby and my PILE OF SHAME MOUNTS!
Yes it’s hard one on YT to balance. Make a video indexable and obvious and no one clicks. Then YT kills it. Make it more obscure, more clicks but less easy to reference.
Totally agree about the airbrush though. Never understood beginner vs advanced in this hobby. What works, works.
Ha 😅 I think I have been watching the same Weathering pencil videos as you.
🤣 Funny aren’t they. A bad workman blames his tools, especially when the tool is blunt.
How to do stuff to minis. Why do I feel worried for the minis. Are they safe
Around me…no mini is safe. 🤣
@@thestateofplay2023 lol
Aw thanks for the review Will! It means a lot to hear that you got what i intended the book to be.
Tommie
Well looks like my link sold it out so happy to send traffic your way. Bloody good book! You may need to get a lot more printed up. 👍🏼