Need Painting Tips

So I started painting my Space Wolves, I have a squad of 6 in progress now, and I'm looking for some tips as to give them more depth. I'm not finished cause I have a number of small details to do, a few touch ups, the power sword, doing their bolters and chest plates, reblacking some vents and such on the backpacks. But I was wondering if there are any easy was to bring out some depth and detail on all that gray power armor. My wife makes fun of me that they don't even look painted cause the plastic was grey before. Any hints?

Also, I hate painting yellow. I did it around the border of one of the shoulder pads and the coverage/application was horrible. No one should ever play imperial fists.

Did you try black ink? That would add some depth to them... Be careful with it, though, as you can really screw up the gray expanses on it if you don't use the right ink/water combination. I think that would probably solve your issue though

That's what my wife suggested as well. However I don't currently have any black ink at the moment so I couldn't experiment with it. I'll try picking some up the next time I'm at the store. Also, I have confirmed Matt's advice that it is better to prime black and have to do a extra coat of grey instead of priming grey which makes everything look flatter, and actually harder to know what you've painted and what you haven't when it's still wet.

Glad to see you tackle some 13th John.

What does your colour palette look like and what are you after?

I'm going with a pretty traditional space wolves/13th company color scheme. The power armor is grey, but not the bluish space wolves grey, but more like the standard greys. (Currently I'm using a reaper color, rainy grey so I'm not sure if it's closer to fortress or codex) The shoulder pads are combinations of red, black and yellow, although now less yellow because I don't like painting with it. However the chaos bits will be painted either in the yellow and blue of thousand sons (the 13th were on prospero and the thousands are our traditional enemies) or the black and gold of the black legion. However I would not mind if the colors (excluding the chaos parts) had a dingier feel from being unreplaced for thousands of years. My chest emblems are also planned to be silver.

My personaly would lose the yellow competly( I know space wolves use it but I am not a big fan of the look the yellow gives them so that when I paint my space wolves Im going to lose the yellow) just my only true thought on painting yet(working on experminting with skaven myself before returning to 40k)

I like the yellow, having stark contrast on a miniature goes a long way to making them "pop" on the table top.

I'd mix my own ink if I was you John. Take the base gray you are using and water it down. 1 part to 6 is normally watery enough (better to use paint thinner in the mix too). Then simply apply it to the creases in the armor. Works wonders on power armor, keep a second DRY paintbrush on hand to absorb extra ink that builds up on the flat plains of the armor.

Should help to deepen the color.

Silver on light Grey is a little too "cool on cool" for me John. A dull Gold for your emblems should be spot on. Maybe a Tin Bitz base.

In the past I painted yellow using a Snakebite Leather to Vomit Brown but now Iyanden Darksun should do the trick. Then just go to Golden then Sunburst depending on what you want. Go all out and line the raised areas with White and paint a layer of even brighter yellow over the white. Only way I know to get a decent highlight if you need one.

Ok, I'll try that for the yellow Marc. I think Matt was right in that it makes the models pop a little better with the Yellow, although grey slayers which make up three of my squads don't use yellow, only red and black, but I think I will use the yellow some on the long fangs and the storm claws. I mostly painted one of my squad sargeants last night and I think he looks table top quality so I'm pretty pleased. I'll post a pic after I get things straightened out with photobucket. He partly looks good because he has a Black Legion helmet and shoulder pad. As for the chest symbols, I'm just not a fan of gold as a general concept. I'll have to see what I think after I have painted a couple eagles/wolves

Fair enough, you just don't wanna make your eyes hurt Picture an Imperial Fist or White Scar with a Silver eagle. Maybe your Grey is not as lite as I'm thinking...

In your experiments try a deep bone as well.

Good Luck John

Try this instead of tin bitz for the emblems John.

Paint them a metallic color (either boltgun or mithril) then give them a once over with chestnut ink. It will give them a very deep bronzed color, works a charm and it's very easy. Comes out way more bronze than gold.

Marc is right about the cool on cool imo.

So I just discovered from looking at the eye of terror codex and double checking online that pre heresy space wolves didn't ever use yellow, and that they primarily had black shoulder pads with red markings. I may have to rethink my squad markings a little. Also, who on the boards paints their marine knee pads different colors? I can't decide if doing that will add more color and contrast against large expanses of grey, or if it will just look silly.

I do with all of my dark angels. Their left knee pads are always half beige field half checkered.

Takes F-ing forever

I'll post pics soon (still waiting to get my new lens )

Hey are there any concerns or quirks about painting metal models? I'm approaching my long fangs which are half and half and was wondering if I will need to do anything special.

not particularly. Just be sure not to handle them too much before coating with dull coat... they rub and chip a lot easier than plastic.