Damn look at this chad putting ALL the product links in the description for USA, UK, Canada and Australia. Now that's dedication. Too bad I live in France, but hey, you gotta appreciate the effort
Lets just take a sec to appreciate that we are living in a golden age for mini painters! 3d printers, tools, tons of content! Its a great time to be a painter.
@Josh Freitas You’re so right, my friend! I started painting miniatures in the mid-1980’s. 3D printers were sci-fi, (as were home computers with a paper printer!!). Modelling tools were impossible to get, you had to devise ways to adapt a figure. The Citadel “How to” books hadn’t been published. Even Milliput was near-impossible to get (I lived in Australia). No tutorial videos, of course; you got together with your mates and did painting sessions together, helping each other out. And miniatures were all made of metal, so adapting them was an art form! But we didn’t know any different, and they were great times - we felt like pioneers creating a new art!!!
I started painting miniatures in the 80s and there was precious little content available back then. I think there were two magazines that devoted aa few pages each month to mini painting but that was it. I also didn't have a dedicated hobby shop. Where I lived, they sold miniatures in a cigar shop/magazine store. God that place smelled great....
Make-up industry really got us covered. Pun intended. the variety of sponges and brushes is useful, and then there's the disposable files which are IMO better than sanding sticks as you get a wider sanding area that can be cut down easily with scissors, as required (and they're generally cheaper). Cheap blusher/eyeshadow powder sets are great for use as pigments too; a little medium, a drop of water and some pearlescent eyeshadow can make some great effects.
Love that Darrel is trying to help out 🤣 Something non-hobby I use to cheat: an artist/architect micron pen. Still need a steady hand to 'boop' the pupil in an eye, but much less hassle than trying to do it with a brush.
I've bought so many different kinds of these and they're always so fragile and clog. I'm sure there's tips to improve them, but it seems like such a common issue and it's depressing :(
My new favorite painting handles are restaurant supply stainless steel condiment cups, the kind you might find in a basket of fried food at a burger or BBQ joint. They're about 45mm tall and a perfect 35mm across the bottom. They're great paint handles and useful in a ton of other ways too. Flipped over, the hollow, conical shape makes them ergonomic for a wide variety of painting grips and really steady free-standing on the workbench. They're stainless, so anything washes off of them, making them great for any paints you don't want on the wet palette, mixing larger batches, or as dip-cups or catch-cups for things like glues and basing materials. They're also just really handy for keeping small parts organized during assembly, as a water cup in a pinch, etc. Finally, they stack almost completely, so they take up very little space for storage, and I'm not burning through anything disposable in any of these use cases. I got a 12 pack for around $8. So, maybe slightly more expensive than dowels, but way cheaper than hobby products and arguably much more useful.
Another great video! Here's my share: I use prescription bottles as my hobby holders because you can get them in several sizes. Glue a stack of 3-5 washers for stability and then collect a crap tone of the twist off tops. That way you can get a good assembly line going with all the minis on the tops and only need one bottle. Then it's paint, twist off, twist on the next mini, and repeat.
Variation on this: Larger prescription bottles are great as storage / protectors for minis between paint sessions, especially the ones where you can turn over the lid and screw it back on (instead of always having to use the "safety latch" version). I attach the mini to a plastic water bottle cap, set it on top of the prescription bottle lid, then upend the bottle and screw it closed. I end up with a little sealed chamber, like using a Chessex dice box. Keeps dust (and dog hair!) off my mini just great!
Always enjoy some Ninjon ... and your alter-ego/next door neighbor visits lend just so much more value and raises the bar on the entertainment. Thanks for the showcase of non-traditional items for the hobby.
Excellent and super helpful video. I really appreciate a good, solid script instead of a rambling 20 minutes of repetitive blather. Your channel is terrific.
Amen! 💪💯 I'm only realising this now but this video is incredibly concise. Everything that was said was filed into my head, without any need for editing for memory. RUclips sure does suffer a lot with the repeating and the rambling.
You are quickly becoming one of my favorite painters on youtube. You are making great, useful content that I'm not seeing anywhere else. Keep up the good work!
Yeah, many of the bigger channel gradually took the path of click bait and empty content video. I guess it works for views but I'm not sure people are going to stay for the long run.
I love the wooden dowel trick. I'll give that one a go. My easy, really, cheap holders are wine corks. You buy the wine and enjoy it. When empty, you have a "free" figure holder. The best ones are from Champagne bottles as they have a nice flat wide bottom so you can set it down on a table and it won't wobble or fall over. For agitators, I bought a massive bottle of BB's, which will last a lifetime. I simply drop 1 or 2 in each of my paint bottles and they really mix the paint well when shaken.
Plain plastic bottle screw-tops are also great. The sort you get on your milk or orange juice. Especially good for batch-painting large groups of small figures.
Every video on this channel is the right amount of generic help and a look into the niche process. Even if it's about a very common technique it's done in way where I still feel there's something to learn. Keep doing what you do john
Some other useful things. That sculpting set, if sharp enough, can be used to scribe detail like panel lines- if it's not sharp enough, then a dental pick set for cheap can do the same trick. Also, if you need to polish something or sand a large surface (or multiple large surfaces) you can turn a cheap power toothbrush into a tiny power sander- saves time and hand strain from extensive sanding sessions.
Great recommendations! I've been seeing makeup sponges enough that I feel I need to get some. To anyone, art supply stores are a treasure trove of useful items for mini painters including many of the items here; brush cleaners, alternative paints, palettes, containers, glues, sculpting tools.
definitely getting me some of that, Hey Ninjon!! when using the tiny funnel make sure there is a tiny gap between the rim of the botte and the sides of the funnel, that'll allow air to escape the bottle as the paint runs down into it. also adding a couple drops of water to begin with could help thin it just enough to pour properly :) you rock!
Some great tips there! A few of my own takes: ~For handles, I use the standard amber prescription bottles that everyone throws away. I fill them full of table salt, which costs pennies and ensures that they won't tip over, even with larger metal minis on top. Also, they're free. ~For tacking the minis down, I do use tack, but I don't use the usual dollar store poster tack. I use Quake Hold Museum Putty (I think that's the name.) It holds better than poster tack, it leaves less residue (and poster tack does leave an oily residue - try it on paper for a year sometime), and it holds better. Best of all, it doesn't go stiff and dry out the way the blue/yellow stuff does. The tack I have on my handles right now has been in use for *four years* and still holds just fine. ~X-Acto knives are marketed to hobbyists, and that means that they're relatively expensive. There are alternatives that are cheaper, sharper, and hold an edge better. Just get yourself a halfway decent scalpel handle and a pack of blades. The only thing to look out for is that they're tricky to switch blades on the first couple of times (do NOT use your fingers!) ~If you can't find the tattoo bottles, look for them as 'lab wash bottles.' That's what they were originally designed for, and what they're usually sold as (plus you can find a bigger variety of sizes and even color coded bottles.) FWIW, I also use mine for refilling my palette and cleaning my airbrush, and they're perfect. ~Last one is homemade, and one of my most used tools. Take an old brush handle and strip the rest of the bristles out. Now get two sewing needles, one fine, one larger (I use one with a triangular cross section.) Use plain old thread and lash one to each end for 3/4 of an inch or so, and give it a brush of super glue. Now you have a handle with a needle coming off of each end. It cleans out clogged paint bottles, scrapes out tiny spots, picks things up, cleans out bottle threads, and a thousand other uses. It's one of the only two tools (that and the scalpel) that I don't even bother to put into a tool rack because I use them so often. If you do an image search for 'fly bodkin' you'll get an idea of what I'm basing it on.
I know it seems obvious, but I was painting for years before someone pointed out this tip to me. Keep some q-tips on your painting tray. If you make a small mistake, just wipe the paint off with the q-tip before it dries.
can also used them for smearing to do tracks of grease / grime / rust on things like tanks, buildings, etc. Although sometimes they are too absorbent + take too much paint away. From other vids, I think painters feel that the the ones with pointed ends (rather than rounded ends) work best. Maybe 'cos the sharper end means you have more control, but also I think they seem to be slightly less absorbent in general? [el'sda2].
I love the idea of the water pot, I’ve got one on the way to try now. Something I really like to use that isn’t meant for miniatures hobbyists is silicon sculpting tools. They’re fantastic for working and smoothing greenstuff and other sculpting materials, especially when you want to make fabric or skin.
That was the one thing I was looking for a link for ✅ I found this video while clicking about and trying to remember who I watched recently that included a link for these that I obviously didn't save. (or saved in the wrong place...) 🤔🤔
Great Info. Thanks I'm actually a military modeler & figure painter, but I discover some great techniques and tips from Mini Painters. A couple tips from my experience: I work on a sheet of plexiglass from my home store. Cut to size for my desk, it works as a cutting mat, a paint pallet and of course protects my desktop. The party-supply stores sell tiny plastic 'shot glasses' that I use to pre-mix my paints before pouring them into my airbrush, they're cheap so I don't hesitate to just throw them away when I'm done. I use water bottle caps to hold a drop of CA glue, and apply it with a needle, or a toothpick. Finally: I cut a hole in a small block of wood (2" square), sized to hold those GW tubs, or a liquid glue bottle - it prevents disastrous spills...
Dude, did you just raid my painting area and find all my tools?! So cool that you and I use the same stuff! Another thing I did was I took a board and drilled holes in it that matches the size of my dowels. That way, when I want to set aside one mini and work on another, it has a place to live where I am much less likely to knock it over.
Awesome video. Something not intended for it that I found was great for the hobby: dermatology blackhead removal kits. Very cheap and awesome for green stuff, especially for making little circles, tear-drops, etc.
I’m a nail tech and when I started painting minis I actually found this really useful - I got super frustrated when I bought a games workshop brush and it suuuucked. art supply and nail supply all the way
I saw you mention Josonja magic mix in another video. Thank you for sharing. It is a product I love.I like it is a flow aid, extender and a matte sealant in one. No more rubbing paint off the model as I paint it.
Love videos like this. It's so hard to figure out what is the right tool for the job when you barely have an idea of what you're doing, and there's so many outfits throwing product after product that's either A) Insanely Priced B) Hot Garbage C) Both It's just really nice to have some videos of stuff to have in your toolbox that does the little jobs in the clear and fun way you deliver it. Thanks!
Similar to your Silicoil, I've used something called the Paint Puck. It's plastic tube with a silicone top and bottom. The top has a place you can rest your brushes, holding them up, so they aren't flattened by the bottom of your water vessel when not in use. The bottom has a series of nubs for cleaning your brush and capturing paint particles. It all comes apart which makes it incredibly easy to clean.
Great video. I find so often with miniature painting there’s so many financial pit traps, so many products that are just cheap general art, crafting, or construction tools or supplies that are repackaged as “miniature hobby tools” and sold either in much smaller containers or at much higher price points. It’s at a point where unless it’s paint I’m naturally mistrusting of any product specifically marketed to us as a hobby.
One thing I do for my hobby holders. Since I put magnets under all of my bases I glued a magnet on a bottle cap. I use the hobby holder that is meant to work with bottle caps. It works really good for models with a base size of 40mm or smaller. You can hold them upside down and shake and it won't go anywhere.
Great video! Amazing tips, some I was already doing but some of them really blew my mind! I really like how spontaneous you are, just like in the podcast! Thanks for your great content!
10:48 can you expand on your funnel painting technique please? ive never seen such an elegant approach to it.. i studied under the great funnel painter "Qwooshimitzu" for 10 years and i'll be honest , i thought i knew it all but they way you do it, such grace and passion , i felt like my mind was being born again... i never had time for new-skool funnel painting as no-one ever really pushed the art further over the last 20 years, but seriously man, youd make my teacher blush from embarrassment. kudos for putting yourself out there like this and going against the traditional ways.
I use a hairdryer (instead of a heat gun) but I put the mini and base into an oversized coffee cup and blow all the heat into the cup. The heat swirls around and around and acts like an Air Fryer with almost no wasted heat (as one would have if they simply aimed the hairdryer at the mini). I think you'd melt the mini if you used a heat gun that way however...
Another great video and thanks for the very helpful advice. I have a wife and a daughter who both use their fair share of makeup and beauty products. Aside from the makeup sponges and brushes, the containers these products come in are great for hobby painters like us. Some are nice small and I use them for mixing paints and others make great storage. I cringe every time I ask one of them if I can have one of their jars when they are done with it. Oh and the dowels are definitely the way to go. So much more less expensive and truly built to my specifications.
Insta-set is a great tool, but IME its use results in a much more fragile bond than if the superglue were left to set without a catalyst. Just something people should be aware of.
Yo Jon, please can you consider painting special effects? I have some resin “smoke” I want to paint, maybe with some light in there to show the source, and thought that would make a cool vid idea? Keep up the good work pal!
Some great tips there, thank you for sharing! I totally agree with Bob Smith industries both glue and insta-set. Never looked back. So easy to work with. Also, GW pots are not fine as they are. They are designed to fail and waste paint.
Great tips 🙂 I usually use corks from wine bottles as paint handles, bit smaller but more fun to collect 😅 question about drying minis with an air dryer, tried that a few times but the finish tends to end up kind of shinier than it does when drying things normally. Any idea what may be up with that?
Hello. I hope you don't mind me answering. You are drying too hot or your dryer is too close. you can burn the surface of the paint even if it is still wet underneath thus trapping the moisture and not only can it shine but it can in extreme cases make the paint brittle and flake off. I had that problem and solved it by moving the dryer all the time and from further away. All the best.
im always on the lookout for affordable stuff to repurpose for the hobby. video like this always very welcome. i generally enjoy videos about brushes, tools, gear, painting lifehacks all those things
@@curiosity802 No government has a right to tell its citizens what they are and are not allowed to possess in their own home. That said I didn't come here for politics I was just tickled because I didn't expect to see it in the video. Let's face it knuckledusters are pretty much useless and they're more of a novelty than anything.
I mean... You're not allowed to own drugs, in your home or not. Some states still have weed as illegal to own. You can't own cocaine anywhere in the US, again illegal. If they find it, then you're going to prison with a felony or misdemeanor.
I finally found out where those bottles come from! Also, Shieldwolf has some really nice models, especially like their replacements for a certain female-only army in a well known game.
These are all great ideas and product suggestions. Thanks for showing the application instead of a just pointing at a product and moving on. Well done sir! I’ve added some more working knowledge for the ole hobby supplies!
One note about the makeup sponges: They're actually not too great for sponging techniques. They don't rip up in a way that exposes a lot of texture, and they hold on to moisture really well, so it's hard to get the paint dry enough that you aren't just smearing it on.
I cut lil flakes off a dollar store foam brush and gripped them with tweezers to dab the paint on. Got a really cool rust effect with a layer of red and then yellow oxide colors.
Try soaking the sponge in some water before use, then wring just enough to stop drips before the paint. This is something makeup artist do with them to stop the product soaking into the sponge, and allows more even coverage
Small M6 STAINLESS STEEL NUTS are the BEST AGITATOR in my opinion and the hole helps too. Just in case there's any oil or grease on them just wash with warm soapy water or ISO.
Not everywhere. Over where I live the makeup brushes are actually significantly more expensive than Army Painter dry brush pack. (pack of 4 dry brushes for 36, a single makeup brush for 12+)
Great video as always, will have to check out some of these products! Really enjoyed the unscripted feel of the video, you felt alot more natural and comfortable on screen!
Love it! This is some of the best type of information. So much experience shared in these kinds of things that save so much time and frustration. Thank you!
Non-oil Pastels, a cheap coffee grinder, flower decorating moss, horse hair, apple sauce, a 3d pen, a uv plastic pen, small wood clamps, clothes pins, feathers, cheap food storage containers... That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
This is great, I bet you could mine this topic further to help people further. Some ideas: I know I use hot glue for attaching models (it pops right off with alcohol, no knife needed) and can highly recommend baking soda and super glue as a filler. I know I have others just drawing a blank now. Great video!
You did it Ninjon. You got me to subscribe. I definitely like your different take on the standard educational mini hobby videos. My only critique is the tone difference between your opening skit and your intro after the theme. You definitely have personality that you don’t allow yourself to show through during the meat of the video. Give us some more personality!
Great vid Jon! Some superb tips and tricks in here! The file-cleaner is one I’ll be picking up for sure, as well as the titanium white and the brush cleaner and thickener mix (they look great!) whenever you feel like doing one of these informal non-scripted vids DO IT!!! 😅
Damn look at this chad putting ALL the product links in the description for USA, UK, Canada and Australia. Now that's dedication. Too bad I live in France, but hey, you gotta appreciate the effort
Germany.
Huge props for this @ninjon
Haha I love the twist
Amazon...
That seems more like a YOU problem though, doesn't it? (jk)
"I punched all those other babies. I was the only one left." Hahahahahahaha
That was a solid intro
@@arcane3877 damn right it was
I haven't laughed that hard in so long omg. It was brilliant
hahahaha this was so good ^^
Carrrrrllllll! That kills people!
Book marks 4 me
1:00 wooden dowls
2:30 3m sticky tape
5:00 Heat gun .. hair dryer . To dry the mimi
7:20 Flexi sanding stick.
17:10 Heavy duty white
Lets just take a sec to appreciate that we are living in a golden age for mini painters! 3d printers, tools, tons of content! Its a great time to be a painter.
@Josh Freitas
You’re so right, my friend! I started painting miniatures in the mid-1980’s. 3D printers were sci-fi, (as were home computers with a paper printer!!). Modelling tools were impossible to get, you had to devise ways to adapt a figure. The Citadel “How to” books hadn’t been published. Even Milliput was near-impossible to get (I lived in Australia). No tutorial videos, of course; you got together with your mates and did painting sessions together, helping each other out. And miniatures were all made of metal, so adapting them was an art form! But we didn’t know any different, and they were great times - we felt like pioneers creating a new art!!!
Can confirm getting back into painting after having kids. Took almost 7 years off and the hobby has changed a lot.
I started painting miniatures in the 80s and there was precious little content available back then. I think there were two magazines that devoted aa few pages each month to mini painting but that was it. I also didn't have a dedicated hobby shop. Where I lived, they sold miniatures in a cigar shop/magazine store. God that place smelled great....
It's time to be a great painter... :)
Resin printers brought me home to a hobby I left behind over 20 years ago. We're in a new golden age!
Flinging that model on the table made me flinch, not gonna lie!
I actually like using make-up brushes for my dry brushing. I wasn't sure how it would do, but it works surprisingly well.
They're magical. As long as you don't have too much paint on the brush you can make it look so smooth that it doesn't look like drybrushing
Big fan as well. I like using airbrush paints with them for extra smoothness :D
@@coffeetablewargaming That’s a good idea! I will have to try that.
Make-up industry really got us covered. Pun intended.
the variety of sponges and brushes is useful, and then there's the disposable files which are IMO better than sanding sticks as you get a wider sanding area that can be cut down easily with scissors, as required (and they're generally cheaper). Cheap blusher/eyeshadow powder sets are great for use as pigments too; a little medium, a drop of water and some pearlescent eyeshadow can make some great effects.
Make-up brushes are meant to hold dry pigment and apply it uniformly, I assume that's why they arr the best for dry brushing
Love that Darrel is trying to help out 🤣 Something non-hobby I use to cheat: an artist/architect micron pen. Still need a steady hand to 'boop' the pupil in an eye, but much less hassle than trying to do it with a brush.
Also are awesome for blocking out freehand stuff!
Those are good for recess shading
Agreed. I also use them for seam lines on mechanical type models (think space ships or gundum)
MICRON PENNNNNNNNNNN
I've bought so many different kinds of these and they're always so fragile and clog. I'm sure there's tips to improve them, but it seems like such a common issue and it's depressing :(
My new favorite painting handles are restaurant supply stainless steel condiment cups, the kind you might find in a basket of fried food at a burger or BBQ joint. They're about 45mm tall and a perfect 35mm across the bottom. They're great paint handles and useful in a ton of other ways too.
Flipped over, the hollow, conical shape makes them ergonomic for a wide variety of painting grips and really steady free-standing on the workbench. They're stainless, so anything washes off of them, making them great for any paints you don't want on the wet palette, mixing larger batches, or as dip-cups or catch-cups for things like glues and basing materials. They're also just really handy for keeping small parts organized during assembly, as a water cup in a pinch, etc. Finally, they stack almost completely, so they take up very little space for storage, and I'm not burning through anything disposable in any of these use cases.
I got a 12 pack for around $8. So, maybe slightly more expensive than dowels, but way cheaper than hobby products and arguably much more useful.
Another great video! Here's my share: I use prescription bottles as my hobby holders because you can get them in several sizes. Glue a stack of 3-5 washers for stability and then collect a crap tone of the twist off tops. That way you can get a good assembly line going with all the minis on the tops and only need one bottle. Then it's paint, twist off, twist on the next mini, and repeat.
Plus you get them free any time you fill a prescription.
Variation on this: Larger prescription bottles are great as storage / protectors for minis between paint sessions, especially the ones where you can turn over the lid and screw it back on (instead of always having to use the "safety latch" version). I attach the mini to a plastic water bottle cap, set it on top of the prescription bottle lid, then upend the bottle and screw it closed. I end up with a little sealed chamber, like using a Chessex dice box. Keeps dust (and dog hair!) off my mini just great!
Instead of washers I fill mine with sand.
Nice and heavy for stability plus if you are basing you always have sand nearby
Always enjoy some Ninjon ... and your alter-ego/next door neighbor visits lend just so much more value and raises the bar on the entertainment. Thanks for the showcase of non-traditional items for the hobby.
Those shoes racks that are meant to hang on the backs of doorways are great for organizing and storing spray cans
wow, really useful idea, many thanks. [el'sda2]
Darrel’s trying his best! What a kind, thoughtful friend.
The heat gun/hair dryer is also perfect for straightening bent resin parts like gun barrels and swords. Awesome video as always Jon!
Excellent and super helpful video. I really appreciate a good, solid script instead of a rambling 20 minutes of repetitive blather. Your channel is terrific.
Amen! 💪💯
I'm only realising this now but this video is incredibly concise. Everything that was said was filed into my head, without any need for editing for memory.
RUclips sure does suffer a lot with the repeating and the rambling.
Awesome, new stuff for the paint toolbox is always welcome! Heaps of good suggestions in here!
Like how Jon is subtly flexing his new studio set up. Its nice
I just ordered both of those Jo Sonja bottles thanks to Marco Frisoni. Glad to see them mentioned here, too.
You are quickly becoming one of my favorite painters on youtube. You are making great, useful content that I'm not seeing anywhere else. Keep up the good work!
Yeah, many of the bigger channel gradually took the path of click bait and empty content video. I guess it works for views but I'm not sure people are going to stay for the long run.
Same thought! I wish he'd livestream though
please don’t ever change your intro, the face you make is PRICELESS.
I crack up every time.
I love the wooden dowel trick. I'll give that one a go. My easy, really, cheap holders are wine corks. You buy the wine and enjoy it. When empty, you have a "free" figure holder. The best ones are from Champagne bottles as they have a nice flat wide bottom so you can set it down on a table and it won't wobble or fall over. For agitators, I bought a massive bottle of BB's, which will last a lifetime. I simply drop 1 or 2 in each of my paint bottles and they really mix the paint well when shaken.
I'm a wine cork user, too, but you can also use whiskey corks. They usually have a wooden top/bottom that help with stability.
Plain plastic bottle screw-tops are also great. The sort you get on your milk or orange juice. Especially good for batch-painting large groups of small figures.
Every video on this channel is the right amount of generic help and a look into the niche process. Even if it's about a very common technique it's done in way where I still feel there's something to learn. Keep doing what you do john
as a hobbyist returning to the mini universe this is very helpful info for a dad on a budget thanks bro and keep it going
Some other useful things. That sculpting set, if sharp enough, can be used to scribe detail like panel lines- if it's not sharp enough, then a dental pick set for cheap can do the same trick. Also, if you need to polish something or sand a large surface (or multiple large surfaces) you can turn a cheap power toothbrush into a tiny power sander- saves time and hand strain from extensive sanding sessions.
Nail files, cuticle cutter, and emery boards work amazing for cleaning up mold lines and spru removal
I'm just getting started after 20 years of break. And I love this video. Thank you
Great recommendations! I've been seeing makeup sponges enough that I feel I need to get some.
To anyone, art supply stores are a treasure trove of useful items for mini painters including many of the items here; brush cleaners, alternative paints, palettes, containers, glues, sculpting tools.
3:02
Ninjon: pop it off, simple as that
me: "screams"
Anyone who ever 3D resin printed a mini had a heart attack.
definitely getting me some of that, Hey Ninjon!! when using the tiny funnel make sure there is a tiny gap between the rim of the botte and the sides of the funnel, that'll allow air to escape the bottle as the paint runs down into it. also adding a couple drops of water to begin with could help thin it just enough to pour properly :) you rock!
The paint transfer /funnel / blu tack tip was genius - thank you
Some great tips there! A few of my own takes:
~For handles, I use the standard amber prescription bottles that everyone throws away. I fill them full of table salt, which costs pennies and ensures that they won't tip over, even with larger metal minis on top. Also, they're free.
~For tacking the minis down, I do use tack, but I don't use the usual dollar store poster tack. I use Quake Hold Museum Putty (I think that's the name.) It holds better than poster tack, it leaves less residue (and poster tack does leave an oily residue - try it on paper for a year sometime), and it holds better. Best of all, it doesn't go stiff and dry out the way the blue/yellow stuff does. The tack I have on my handles right now has been in use for *four years* and still holds just fine.
~X-Acto knives are marketed to hobbyists, and that means that they're relatively expensive. There are alternatives that are cheaper, sharper, and hold an edge better. Just get yourself a halfway decent scalpel handle and a pack of blades. The only thing to look out for is that they're tricky to switch blades on the first couple of times (do NOT use your fingers!)
~If you can't find the tattoo bottles, look for them as 'lab wash bottles.' That's what they were originally designed for, and what they're usually sold as (plus you can find a bigger variety of sizes and even color coded bottles.) FWIW, I also use mine for refilling my palette and cleaning my airbrush, and they're perfect.
~Last one is homemade, and one of my most used tools. Take an old brush handle and strip the rest of the bristles out. Now get two sewing needles, one fine, one larger (I use one with a triangular cross section.) Use plain old thread and lash one to each end for 3/4 of an inch or so, and give it a brush of super glue. Now you have a handle with a needle coming off of each end. It cleans out clogged paint bottles, scrapes out tiny spots, picks things up, cleans out bottle threads, and a thousand other uses. It's one of the only two tools (that and the scalpel) that I don't even bother to put into a tool rack because I use them so often. If you do an image search for 'fly bodkin' you'll get an idea of what I'm basing it on.
Great tips!!!
I also use my perscription bottles.
Good clean improv with solid editing that made everything very informative and complete feeling
Coffee cup warmer. It's great for decal water, and paint cleaning water too.
And coffee. :)
Great video Jon!
I know it seems obvious, but I was painting for years before someone pointed out this tip to me. Keep some q-tips on your painting tray. If you make a small mistake, just wipe the paint off with the q-tip before it dries.
can also used them for smearing to do tracks of grease / grime / rust on things like tanks, buildings, etc. Although sometimes they are too absorbent + take too much paint away. From other vids, I think painters feel that the the ones with pointed ends (rather than rounded ends) work best. Maybe 'cos the sharper end means you have more control, but also I think they seem to be slightly less absorbent in general? [el'sda2].
I always keep a tissue and a clean brush loaded with water to clean out. It's very similar ^^
I love the idea of the water pot, I’ve got one on the way to try now. Something I really like to use that isn’t meant for miniatures hobbyists is silicon sculpting tools. They’re fantastic for working and smoothing greenstuff and other sculpting materials, especially when you want to make fabric or skin.
That was the one thing I was looking for a link for ✅
I found this video while clicking about and trying to remember who I watched recently that included a link for these that I obviously didn't save.
(or saved in the wrong place...) 🤔🤔
The fact that you put links for so many countries is why I'm deciding to follow
Awesome tips! Just one to add. Use a syringe for transferring paint. Absolutely zero wasted paint, and transfers lightning fast.
Great Info. Thanks I'm actually a military modeler & figure painter, but I discover some great techniques and tips from Mini Painters. A couple tips from my experience: I work on a sheet of plexiglass from my home store. Cut to size for my desk, it works as a cutting mat, a paint pallet and of course protects my desktop. The party-supply stores sell tiny plastic 'shot glasses' that I use to pre-mix my paints before pouring them into my airbrush, they're cheap so I don't hesitate to just throw them away when I'm done. I use water bottle caps to hold a drop of CA glue, and apply it with a needle, or a toothpick. Finally: I cut a hole in a small block of wood (2" square), sized to hold those GW tubs, or a liquid glue bottle - it prevents disastrous spills...
Dude, did you just raid my painting area and find all my tools?! So cool that you and I use the same stuff! Another thing I did was I took a board and drilled holes in it that matches the size of my dowels. That way, when I want to set aside one mini and work on another, it has a place to live where I am much less likely to knock it over.
Ohhhhh that heavy acrylic titanium white. That's brilliant. Thank you for that one.
Awesome video. Something not intended for it that I found was great for the hobby: dermatology blackhead removal kits. Very cheap and awesome for green stuff, especially for making little circles, tear-drops, etc.
Oh cool!
I think, as a complete noob, this has been the most helpful video out of all the ones I have watched since starting to paint. Thank you.
For super thin lines, look up nail art liner brushes. Nail art products in general are actually really good for miniature hobbying.
I’m a nail tech and when I started painting minis I actually found this really useful - I got super frustrated when I bought a games workshop brush and it suuuucked. art supply and nail supply all the way
I saw you mention Josonja magic mix in another video. Thank you for sharing. It is a product I love.I like it is a flow aid, extender and a matte sealant in one. No more rubbing paint off the model as I paint it.
Love videos like this. It's so hard to figure out what is the right tool for the job when you barely have an idea of what you're doing, and there's so many outfits throwing product after product that's either
A) Insanely Priced
B) Hot Garbage
C) Both
It's just really nice to have some videos of stuff to have in your toolbox that does the little jobs in the clear and fun way you deliver it. Thanks!
This was exactly the type of video I was hoping to find! Thank you!
Similar to your Silicoil, I've used something called the Paint Puck. It's plastic tube with a silicone top and bottom. The top has a place you can rest your brushes, holding them up, so they aren't flattened by the bottom of your water vessel when not in use. The bottom has a series of nubs for cleaning your brush and capturing paint particles. It all comes apart which makes it incredibly easy to clean.
I'm enjoying this Nin-Jonah persona.
Great video. I find so often with miniature painting there’s so many financial pit traps, so many products that are just cheap general art, crafting, or construction tools or supplies that are repackaged as “miniature hobby tools” and sold either in much smaller containers or at much higher price points. It’s at a point where unless it’s paint I’m naturally mistrusting of any product specifically marketed to us as a hobby.
One thing I do for my hobby holders. Since I put magnets under all of my bases I glued a magnet on a bottle cap. I use the hobby holder that is meant to work with bottle caps. It works really good for models with a base size of 40mm or smaller. You can hold them upside down and shake and it won't go anywhere.
OMG, that is genius!
Great video! Amazing tips, some I was already doing but some of them really blew my mind! I really like how spontaneous you are, just like in the podcast! Thanks for your great content!
The intro was perfect!
"tattoo bottle" : 'labratory' wash bottle
If you're looking for a super cheap source, 😉
British Conservative Labrador Bottles?
@@dacedebeer2697 nah the misspelling is intentional for low cost sourcing. Laboratory gets different sources. Notice the punctuation 😉.
@@BullScrapPracEff I figured it was intentional, still couldn't miss the opportunity. Thanks for the info!
@@dacedebeer2697 No issue man. I tend to be overly literal.
@@BullScrapPracEff Thank you for your wisdom.
10:48 can you expand on your funnel painting technique please? ive never seen such an elegant approach to it.. i studied under the great funnel painter "Qwooshimitzu" for 10 years and i'll be honest , i thought i knew it all but they way you do it, such grace and passion , i felt like my mind was being born again... i never had time for new-skool funnel painting as no-one ever really pushed the art further over the last 20 years, but seriously man, youd make my teacher blush from embarrassment. kudos for putting yourself out there like this and going against the traditional ways.
I use a hairdryer (instead of a heat gun) but I put the mini and base into an oversized coffee cup and blow all the heat into the cup. The heat swirls around and around and acts like an Air Fryer with almost no wasted heat (as one would have if they simply aimed the hairdryer at the mini). I think you'd melt the mini if you used a heat gun that way however...
Another great video and thanks for the very helpful advice.
I have a wife and a daughter who both use their fair share of makeup and beauty products. Aside from the makeup sponges and brushes, the containers these products come in are great for hobby painters like us. Some are nice small and I use them for mixing paints and others make great storage. I cringe every time I ask one of them if I can have one of their jars when they are done with it.
Oh and the dowels are definitely the way to go. So much more less expensive and truly built to my specifications.
Insta-set is a great tool, but IME its use results in a much more fragile bond than if the superglue were left to set without a catalyst. Just something people should be aware of.
That beginning! It’s hard to make me laugh but that was epic.
forgot makeup eyeshadow brushes for wiping washes and applying powders also diamond burs for rotary tools in a pin vise are great
I can listen to you wax poetic all day brother. Helps get through the work day.
Yo Jon, please can you consider painting special effects? I have some resin “smoke” I want to paint, maybe with some light in there to show the source, and thought that would make a cool vid idea?
Keep up the good work pal!
Some great tips there, thank you for sharing!
I totally agree with Bob Smith industries both glue and insta-set. Never looked back. So easy to work with.
Also, GW pots are not fine as they are. They are designed to fail and waste paint.
Much like your wax tools, I bought a $9 set of dental tools from Amazon and there’s all sorts of good tools for picking and scraping.
I LOVED this video. Tips for savings, tips for efficiency, and the off-the-cuff style. Loved everything about it!
Great tips 🙂 I usually use corks from wine bottles as paint handles, bit smaller but more fun to collect 😅 question about drying minis with an air dryer, tried that a few times but the finish tends to end up kind of shinier than it does when drying things normally. Any idea what may be up with that?
Hello. I hope you don't mind me answering. You are drying too hot or your dryer is too close. you can burn the surface of the paint even if it is still wet underneath thus trapping the moisture and not only can it shine but it can in extreme cases make the paint brittle and flake off. I had that problem and solved it by moving the dryer all the time and from further away. All the best.
@@rhino5419 thank you for the kind answer, that was very useful and informative! Have a great day! :)
@@Karlmakesstuff Hello again. I had a look at your channel and have subscribed. All the best.
@@rhino5419 Thank you sir, too kind!
im always on the lookout for affordable stuff to repurpose for the hobby. video like this always very welcome. i generally enjoy videos about brushes, tools, gear, painting lifehacks all those things
"Nerd Paintin' " : My new favorite phrase.
I swear! You have THE BEST intro on RUclips!
"Brass knuckles"? Oh, no, this is my special mini painting handle - room to attach four at once to optimize speed painting!
Great video. Do more like this.
I use a bunch of traditional artist paint tools and paints, some of which you mentioned.
Foam Emery boards are a great, cheaper alternative to hobby sandpaper sticks.
Can slice them into thinner strips if needed.
this is really good jon, keep em coming, especially the activator was really interesting
also all the bottles!
I'm glad I'm not the only miniature hobbyist that keeps a pair of Knuckle dusters around
Those are restricted in Canada, having them is a criminal offense if they are in metal, those in plastic are fine.
@@curiosity802 No government has a right to tell its citizens what they are and are not allowed to possess in their own home. That said I didn't come here for politics I was just tickled because I didn't expect to see it in the video.
Let's face it knuckledusters are pretty much useless and they're more of a novelty than anything.
I mean... You're not allowed to own drugs, in your home or not. Some states still have weed as illegal to own. You can't own cocaine anywhere in the US, again illegal. If they find it, then you're going to prison with a felony or misdemeanor.
@@toothless3835 Correct. That still doesn't make it right.
I was on tube searching for mini portable paint compressors and saw your ad. Now I'm a subscriber; thank you for all the great info.
I finally found out where those bottles come from!
Also, Shieldwolf has some really nice models, especially like their replacements for a certain female-only army in a well known game.
Thanks john. Love the comedy intros 🤣😂🤣. Your channel rocks.👍🇺🇸👍
I'm pretty sure Vince VInturella has a video about how to use those brass knuckles for painting minis.
These are all great ideas and product suggestions. Thanks for showing the application instead of a just pointing at a product and moving on. Well done sir! I’ve added some more working knowledge for the ole hobby supplies!
“I punched all those other babies till I was the only one left” yes. 👏
Jon has swiftly become one of, if not my favourite mini painter on RUclips
One note about the makeup sponges: They're actually not too great for sponging techniques. They don't rip up in a way that exposes a lot of texture, and they hold on to moisture really well, so it's hard to get the paint dry enough that you aren't just smearing it on.
I cut lil flakes off a dollar store foam brush and gripped them with tweezers to dab the paint on. Got a really cool rust effect with a layer of red and then yellow oxide colors.
Try soaking the sponge in some water before use, then wring just enough to stop drips before the paint. This is something makeup artist do with them to stop the product soaking into the sponge, and allows more even coverage
I use old glass container/mills our pepper or salt comes in. Perfect handle and the top spins!
Try putting that CA activator through an insulin syringe, it’s been clutch for me every now and then. Sick vid🤘🖤
I mentioned above(or below?), that I use one to transfer paint into dropper bottles, They are definitely handy to the hobby.
@@therealDonMac LIVE-abetus!!
Fun tip you can also use the back of the blade to remove mold lines
Small M6 STAINLESS STEEL NUTS are the BEST AGITATOR in my opinion and the hole helps too. Just in case there's any oil or grease on them just wash with warm soapy water or ISO.
One of the more obvious things missing is soft dry brush = cheap makeup brush
Not everywhere. Over where I live the makeup brushes are actually significantly more expensive than Army Painter dry brush pack. (pack of 4 dry brushes for 36, a single makeup brush for 12+)
@@krinkrin5982 that is fair, I spent £1 on Amazon for 12 makeup brushes which is considerably cheaper than drybrushes from hobby companies
@@b-beale1931 I know. I was as surprised as you.
Great video as always, will have to check out some of these products! Really enjoyed the unscripted feel of the video, you felt alot more natural and comfortable on screen!
3:02 IT LANDED! IT ACTUALLY LANDED
for a heat gun, try a soldering one - smaller, usually come with small tips , and they're pretty much all temp controlled.
My tip to share: Use upside down wooden egg cups as holders.
Good idea 👍
cool idea, thanks
I use a tattoo mixer and I love it to mix the paint into my airbrush cup, great video.
Remember to like and comment to appease the almighty algorithm 😁👍🏼
Love it! This is some of the best type of information. So much experience shared in these kinds of things that save so much time and frustration. Thank you!
Non-oil Pastels, a cheap coffee grinder, flower decorating moss, horse hair, apple sauce, a 3d pen, a uv plastic pen, small wood clamps, clothes pins, feathers, cheap food storage containers...
That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
What do you use apple sauce for?
I'd add that rubbery foam some things are packed in (not styrofoam) for sticking things in
@@Vanye111 mud, Nurgle rot, general nastiness.
@@Vanye111 ruclips.net/video/88saBKYnmD0/видео.html
@@thoughtstream9591 or like a pool noodle, maybe? Lol
This is great, I bet you could mine this topic further to help people further. Some ideas: I know I use hot glue for attaching models (it pops right off with alcohol, no knife needed) and can highly recommend baking soda and super glue as a filler. I know I have others just drawing a blank now. Great video!
"I punched all them other babies, I was the only one left"....COFFEE SPITAKE....
You did it Ninjon. You got me to subscribe. I definitely like your different take on the standard educational mini hobby videos. My only critique is the tone difference between your opening skit and your intro after the theme. You definitely have personality that you don’t allow yourself to show through during the meat of the video. Give us some more personality!
the moment when you start to spend more time in the makeup store, than your wife
Great vid Jon! Some superb tips and tricks in here! The file-cleaner is one I’ll be picking up for sure, as well as the titanium white and the brush cleaner and thickener mix (they look great!) whenever you feel like doing one of these informal non-scripted vids DO IT!!! 😅
Thank you for the kind words!
I am mildly concerned that you own a pair of brass knuckles lol
And the last several items were very suspicious. Saw, hatchet, tarp........
I'm more concerned that he doesn't own a pair. If you're going to knuckle up, might as well go all the way.
This was fantastic. Way more informative and inspiring than I could have hoped for.