Jim wrote:
> Hello from a noob to the world of painting miniatures. This is long
> so I apologize,PLEASE forgive me, but I am excited to find the group
> and along with it a lot of resources and answers....I'm sure it will
> be awhile before I'm the one helping pass things on to someone, but I
> will when I can and I look forward to playing a part...
>
Welcome! Glad to have you with us. We are a patient bunch, so feel free
to ask, that's why we're here.

> 1) I noticed more people seem to favor Citadel paints...IF that's
> still true, why???? results? colors? Better colors? Cost? What? We
> all have our reasons, but I would like to hear from others on what
> brand they use and why?
Some of those polls can be a bit misleading, as they are rather old and
out of date. My personal preference is Reaper Master Series paint, with
a few Vallejo that fill gaps that RMS doesn't have.
The RMS paint is formulated for minis, and has some additives built into
it that other manufacturers don't. I am not going to get into a long
technical thing here, I only mention it because it is a "good thing". :)
They also sell their paint in triads, each one containing a shadow
color, a midtone, and a highlight color. For a new painter, this is like
finding the end of the rainbow.

> 2) I saw the poll on layering preferences..Led me to this
> question...After base coating the miniature's base colors in their
> desired places, etc..DOES IT MATTER whether you shadow first or
> Highlight?
Generally, it is easiest to paint the midtone, shadow it, and then add
the highlights.
> Should you paint all the way to completion each area or detail or
> paint all of the figure and then work on each detail's shadows,
> shading, and highlights???
>
As a general rule, paint the entire figure with your midtone, then
shadow everything, then highlight everything. There are always
exceptions to this concept, but as a starting point, I recommend it. You
can learn the finesse stuff after you get a firm grip on the basics.

> 3) And last, when you are sitting down to paint, Which method of
> magnification and lighting do you use/prefer???
>
I use an Optivisor with a #5 lens. Then again, I am old and infirm and
don't see so well any more. Most painters I know don't really use
magnification. The drawback to the lighted magnifying ring as opposed to
the Optivisor is that it never seems to be quite where you need it to be.
--
Deane P. Goodwin
Goodwin's Painting Service
http://minipainter.netfirms.com