Painting without all the fancy techniques


Lots of times I post pictures of models and tell you that I used a variety of complex techniques or other cool tricks. Sometimes it can seem like if you don't do all those fancy things, you can't have a nice looking model. That's simply not the case.

While all the cool tricks definitely have their place and in some instances can make achieving a certain look very easy, you don't have to use them every time to get a nice looking model.

Case in point are the Necrons seen in this post. A reader sent them to me after deciding to use the Necron tutorial I posted with some of his own modifications.


Here's what he had to say about the process:
"Now, I thought that this would be a walk in the park and be a great way to master my drybrushing and be sloppy and fast with the last of the old washes. But being a massive researcher on everything new I'm about to try out, I stumbled upon Ron's great Necron tutorial. I was kind of bummed of the "lack" of drybrushing in the tutorial, but decided to go a head and try it out.

The end result Ron posted really hit the feel I have of Necrons, ancient, dirty and rusted. I think I did the tutorial justice, but judge for yourselves. It should be noted that I have no pigments, so I had to let that one slip, I tried with some ground up pastels, but I only used them on the bases to create some contrast on them. It worked, for the most part, so I'm gonna wait for some real pigments to try them out on the models themselves. Also I opted for a lighter drybrush on the gauss weapons and giving them a liberal wash of thrakka green and badab black, so that they would stand out more from the main part of the model."
I think he's done a great job with these Necrons and I'd be proud to play with them any day. I think the real trick when it comes to painting is to find the look you like and then work on the best way to get that. And by "best" way, I mean the way that works for you and is easy, quick and keeps the process enjoyable.


You don't have to use every painting trick when it comes to painting your army. I use a couple of techniques regularly because of the results I get and I skip out on all of the rest of them that don't really work for me. That's not to say they're bad, they just don't do what I want or I just don't need them in certain paint schemes.

Find what you like, use what works and enjoy painting.

Make sure to check out these posts as they might help:
How to paint Necrons
The difference a simple wash can make


Ron, From the WarpIf you've got any questions about something in this post, shoot me a comment and I'll be glad to answer. Make sure to share your hobby tips and thoughts in the comments below!