Hey guys! There's been this nifty fad going around of painting Nintendo Amiibos, especially in pallet swap colors from the new Super Smash Brothers. I'd like to give it a shot myself in the next couple of months with a male Robin, but I honestly have no idea where to start (beyond buying the Amiibo I'd like to repaint). Does anyone have any advice on this sort of project? Any experience in painting something similar, like D&D figurines? Actual experience in your own repainted Amiibo venture? Certain kinds of paint I may need? Materials? Primer? Things to be aware of so I don't horrendously screw up the Amiibo while I work, since it is an electronic device?
I've painted wee things myself, like ceramic sculptures or little clay things from art class, but that was years ago and usually on a much larger, not-so-intricate scale than this project would be. There are a lot of fiddly lil' details on Robin's outfit I'd have to be mindful of.
I've painted wee things myself, like ceramic sculptures or little clay things from art class, but that was years ago and usually on a much larger, not-so-intricate scale than this project would be. There are a lot of fiddly lil' details on Robin's outfit I'd have to be mindful of.
http://www.wikihow.com/Paint-Warhammer-Figures
I figure this tutorial will be helpful! At the bottom it talks about paint kits specifically for painting figurines like this. I don't know how well that works for the Amiibos though.
http://blog.gamesparadise.com.au/a-beginners-guide-to-figure-painting/
This guide also mentions some things, it seems you can be pretty flexible with the paint as long as it works for the figurines. To prime most seem to use a spray primer/paint to coat the base with, and a finish that is suitable for the paint you used. Matt and glossy varnish sprays work well, but it's a matter of preference.
http://www.how-to-paint-miniatures.com/miniature_painting_getting_started.html
Here's another whole tutorial. It's for metal figurines I think but it has tips for plastics too.
If I were you, I'd fetch some cheap miniature figurines first and paint those to see what you like before you undertake a project on the Amiibos. It seems like a valuable item that you can't soak to remove the paintjob from in case you mess up, and you don't want to end up with a product you hate because you made inexperienced decisions in terms of finishing and such!
I figure this tutorial will be helpful! At the bottom it talks about paint kits specifically for painting figurines like this. I don't know how well that works for the Amiibos though.
http://blog.gamesparadise.com.au/a-beginners-guide-to-figure-painting/
This guide also mentions some things, it seems you can be pretty flexible with the paint as long as it works for the figurines. To prime most seem to use a spray primer/paint to coat the base with, and a finish that is suitable for the paint you used. Matt and glossy varnish sprays work well, but it's a matter of preference.
http://www.how-to-paint-miniatures.com/miniature_painting_getting_started.html
Here's another whole tutorial. It's for metal figurines I think but it has tips for plastics too.
If I were you, I'd fetch some cheap miniature figurines first and paint those to see what you like before you undertake a project on the Amiibos. It seems like a valuable item that you can't soak to remove the paintjob from in case you mess up, and you don't want to end up with a product you hate because you made inexperienced decisions in terms of finishing and such!
The wikihow links are actually pretty informative in text.
My dad used to paint a lot of figures and miniatures when he was younger. A lot of advice he imparted to me that I use (that I didn't see included in the wikihow) when I make personal figures are as such:
Masking tape! Definitely an important tool for anyone painting that has a sizable enough surface area. Not sure how much space an Amiibo has, though some characters have large, flat surfaces (like Robin's robes, even) that might do well to have some of the masking tape treatment. Masking tape should not harm the figure (or really any surface it's put on).
Face mask. I cannot begin to say how much my father hated it when his paint dried too quickly. If you're working on finer details and you have to be up close, your breath can be a terrible detriment to your work if you're constantly breathing on the paint and making it dry faster -- if the paint is in the process of drying and you're still painting, you might end up with terrible goobs and splotches of paint that clumped up in the painting process! So best to cover your mouth (or hold your breath) while painting.
My dad used to paint a lot of figures and miniatures when he was younger. A lot of advice he imparted to me that I use (that I didn't see included in the wikihow) when I make personal figures are as such:
Masking tape! Definitely an important tool for anyone painting that has a sizable enough surface area. Not sure how much space an Amiibo has, though some characters have large, flat surfaces (like Robin's robes, even) that might do well to have some of the masking tape treatment. Masking tape should not harm the figure (or really any surface it's put on).
Face mask. I cannot begin to say how much my father hated it when his paint dried too quickly. If you're working on finer details and you have to be up close, your breath can be a terrible detriment to your work if you're constantly breathing on the paint and making it dry faster -- if the paint is in the process of drying and you're still painting, you might end up with terrible goobs and splotches of paint that clumped up in the painting process! So best to cover your mouth (or hold your breath) while painting.
Aaah those links ought to be fairly helpful, thank you, Sanne! I'd also have to go hunt around town for a figurine to play with, but Amiibo-wise a friend did suggest trying a project with Toon Link first--decently sized, simplified character design I can play around with but have no fear of totally messing him up before I think about moving on to the more complicated Robin.
And those are two fantastic tips, thank you, FreeJay! Masking tape might be tricky to pull off here--it would be more successful and not utterly frustrating with Toon Link than Robin, I think, but that's something I'd have to see from first-hand experience. As for not breathing on them while I work, it never would've crossed my mind that I'd be accidentally drying out my paint while I work, but it makes sense! I'll keep that in mind when I go out to buy my supplies.
On average though Amiibos tend to run about 3 inches, and their simplicity or complexity really depends on the character in question. There's more area space to cover on a canonically shorter character scaled up, like Yoshi for example, while the more humanoid Pit isn't so 'large' but has a lot of stuff to cover because his design has more going on. I certainly get the basic idea of how to paint stuff, but I will definitely have to utilize these tools as my disposal and have a pair of VERY steady hands not to mess up.
Maybe I should have a magnifying glass on hand too?
And those are two fantastic tips, thank you, FreeJay! Masking tape might be tricky to pull off here--it would be more successful and not utterly frustrating with Toon Link than Robin, I think, but that's something I'd have to see from first-hand experience. As for not breathing on them while I work, it never would've crossed my mind that I'd be accidentally drying out my paint while I work, but it makes sense! I'll keep that in mind when I go out to buy my supplies.
On average though Amiibos tend to run about 3 inches, and their simplicity or complexity really depends on the character in question. There's more area space to cover on a canonically shorter character scaled up, like Yoshi for example, while the more humanoid Pit isn't so 'large' but has a lot of stuff to cover because his design has more going on. I certainly get the basic idea of how to paint stuff, but I will definitely have to utilize these tools as my disposal and have a pair of VERY steady hands not to mess up.
Maybe I should have a magnifying glass on hand too?
Dragon's Log 03/18/2015
Still planning on doing this, whoohoo! Although I am not a redditor, I still found what appears to be a good guide on how to paint Amiibos (supplies, preparation, tips, so forth). Amiibo Painting Tutorial Part I: Selecting Materials by serupento. Going to give this a whirl alongside the other guides y'all have linked, though I may differ to this one the most because it handles the exact line of 'figurines' I wish to paint!
Not entirely sure when I'll start this project. I'm shooting for sometime in May or June, since April is a pretty busy month for me. I'm also juggling a few other things I've wanted and needed to purchase for other smaller projects, so I'm going to have to take a look at my funds and plan accordingly. I'm USUALLY pretty good at saving the monies, but I also have been known to go on short spending sprees if motivated hard enough to get whatever I'm gunnin' for. Still looking fairly promising for this project, however! It's about time I got back into some form of 'traditional' art.
Still planning on doing this, whoohoo! Although I am not a redditor, I still found what appears to be a good guide on how to paint Amiibos (supplies, preparation, tips, so forth). Amiibo Painting Tutorial Part I: Selecting Materials by serupento. Going to give this a whirl alongside the other guides y'all have linked, though I may differ to this one the most because it handles the exact line of 'figurines' I wish to paint!
Not entirely sure when I'll start this project. I'm shooting for sometime in May or June, since April is a pretty busy month for me. I'm also juggling a few other things I've wanted and needed to purchase for other smaller projects, so I'm going to have to take a look at my funds and plan accordingly. I'm USUALLY pretty good at saving the monies, but I also have been known to go on short spending sprees if motivated hard enough to get whatever I'm gunnin' for. Still looking fairly promising for this project, however! It's about time I got back into some form of 'traditional' art.
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