Squidmar is back with another one of his great tutorials! This time he’s showing us how to learn from pro painters effectively!
Squidmar’s channel is rapidly growing due to his great tutorials ranging from full-scale models to tips, even to practical physics! This time around he slows down the pace and takes a minute to help teach us how we might learn better on our own!
For his video and examples, he pulls pictures from Maxime Penaud, Richard Gray, and Aythami Alonso. All of whom are well decorated and experienced painters.
This is How To Learn From the Miniature Pro Painters Effectively
Part of properly looking at a model is analyzing the colors completely. Really dig in and try to figure out mixes and how a painter captures the model’s image. Squidmar uses Photoshop to complete his analysis, but you can also use Adobe Color Picker.
If we didn’t stop and take time to analyze these figures, we wouldn’t truly grasp how the painter may have accomplished them. By looking at the specific colors, we get an idea of placement and color choices, that in turn, we may mimic in our own minis!
Squidmar Miniatures YouTube channel
One of the first concepts Aymil picks up on is the toes and rocks on this troll model. When we think of rocks we often just assume they are grey and move on. However, because the rocks here are green, we get a much different scene. This troll just climbed out of his mossy cave and we can tell that minute difference without any words being spoken.
The toes are a different story. We often take an easy route and just paint toenails a bone color and move on. This painter, on the other hand, matches the tones and palette of the feet to the toenails! Something that many of us would otherwise just forget.
Another interesting concept in this model is the back half. The tones all over take a serious blue tint and give off the impression of a glowing cave behind him. This concept is stunning, not to mention again, most of us don’t usually take into account surroundings that aren’t on the base or model its self.
Onto the next model, we get an interesting take on shadow placement. By using the ghost riders color in the shadows of the horse, he gives it a semi-spectral look. This also perfectly marries the color palette together.
The last miniature is more of a tribute piece as it is a direct copy of an art piece. Everything from highlights and scratches is placed in the exact same spot. This mini is insane, and the level of detail and time you could spend matching details is mind-boggling.
Squidmar Miniatures is a great place to learn all kinds of painting techniques! Be sure to subscribe to Squidmar Miniatures YouTube channel for more tutorials.
About the Author: Andrew Schrank
Andrew Schrank
Job Title: Miniatures & Warhammer Hobby Staff Writer
Socials: Facebook
About Andrew Schrank: Over the past 15 years, Andrew has played all the games, including tabletop and video games, and immersed himself in the associated lore. Andrew joined the Spikey Bits team in 2018 and covers the Warhammer hobby and tournament scene, along with the latest in tabletop miniatures, each week.
Aspiring diplomat, Lord of Fluff, and Master of Ice Hammer, He loves Star Wars, Chaos Undivided, and Gundam. During his free time, he hunts Platinum trophies on PS5 and reads international news. On weekends, Andrew plays commander and cEDH games, often with unique strategies that push the limits.
He believes each day presents a new opportunity to grow and be challenged.
