That I don't know. I've used Charpak, PrismaColor, and Copic but I really never found any that did anything special. Just knowing that you need to erase the whole thing before you start sucks.
I bought some dodgy erasers, the most expensive school erasers i could find, gum erasers and some weird ones from the art depo.
None of them are affecting the cards at all.
Is there something I should be looking out for on packaging or something?
I could not find the erasers that are recommended here (I think mars plastic ink erasers, it's in another post), but the one I found at the art store that worked was called FACTIS M30. It is made in spain, is white-ish/gray, and is split into two halves- one is just a standard hq pencil eraser like I used to use in drafting class, and the other half is darker and much more coarse (harder too). The hard side is the ink erasing side and it works well.
So, I just started doing alters, and like the ignorant artist I am, I got a set of Reeves paints. Unfortunately, I also won't be able to afford a set of Golden Acrylics for about a week and a half or so. How bad is it to use the Reeves? They've worked fine for the first two I've done so far, despite being a tad thick, but they certainly aren't amazing. Should I not do any painting until I can get better paints?
It's up to you, but Reeves is notoriously bad amongst people who want to control their process. Reeves are great for someone looking to play with paint a little but not spend money. I'd personally just wait.
Those are really low quality "Heavy Body" acrylic paints - they aren't going to lay flat without some serious work and the pigment load is so low that you'll need lots of layers (or thick layers) to get any coverage. I work with Heavy Body acrylics for most of my stuff, but there is enough actual color in the paints that I can get by using hardly any paint at all. That leads to smoother finished and better blends. The Liquid Acrylics are great, but they aren't necessarily the silver bullet that makes yours cards smooth. I think you will have a much better time with good paints regardless of the viscosity of the paints - you need more pigment per ounce!
Thanks man. I figured it out reading this thread. This paints are low pigment paints. Thanks for the confirmation though. I payed about 12$ for 24 colors in 15 ml tubes so eh. I already got my money's worth selling lands I altered. Time to pick up good paints and new brushes/
I payed 12$ for 24 colors of "The fine touch" from hobby lobby. Fine for learning but, it has a low pigment load. It doesn't water down well, and it clumps badly once it starts drying. So yeah, avoid that paint. It was 12 or 15 ml tubes. The 100ml tubes are 2.99. Fine for minitures, but sucks for card alters.
I will again say, don't waste your money on them. I have done about 10 or 15 alters with them, but they all have a rough texture, and would probably get ruled marked for tournament.
$24 for 12?! I think for a 2 ounce tube I typically pay $8-$18.
Art supplies really are one of the most "you get what you pay for" industries though.
Wholly agree with this post. I started doing alters with cheap paints, and I was almost ready to quit, because nothing was turning out how I wanted it to. Getting a set of Golden Fluid Acrylics really enabled my altering to take off.
I currently have 20+/- 2oz bottles of cheap paint from hobby lobby (97c). While they aren't very good in the pigment loads, I am able to layer lots of thin layers of color to get some interesting effects. The other upside is that I can cheat by using Prismacolor pencils to do a lot of the "final touches" on my work since the paints dry with a bit of tooth. If I knew how to paint properly, I would probably get some Golden Fluids. Since I'm still learning and like what my paints/pencils combo can do, I'll keep it cheap. I may get a black/white/grey Golden as my biggest issue is the priming of a piece without having to use more than 2 layers.
But I agree with Gals on that you get what you pay for. Since I do Simple alters as compared to some of the other artists here, my paints will suffice for me. For now at least. One place I do lack in is brushes. I have maybe 1 or 2 that are decent, but I should get some better brushes. Firstly, what types of brushes (brand and size) are recommended? I apologize if this has been previously answered as I have yet to read all 12 pages. Secondly, how to best clean/maintain them? I've been painting junk for years, but I've never really learned any of the proper techniques for, well anything.
For clearing the art via eraser I use one of the MANY Magic Rub Erasers I have. They leave a really smooth surface behind tho, so paint might have some issues with sticking to the raw cardboard. When I have a straight box to remove, I just use acetone since it QUICKLY removes any and all ink. Problem when using it with non-foils is that sometimes the paint acts funny on the raw acetoned cardboard.
i am attempting to use the image post thing. it tells me i most post 5 times before i can link things. am i stupid or do i really have to post 5 times till i can post pictures of my cards? nm u can delete this i figured it out
I was wondering if you would be able to use a black Chinese marker for a swamp and then use acryllic paint to finish the edges?. I'm just wondering if the chinese marker has problems with smudging and whether the paints will dry normally on top of the chinese marker?
Hello MTGS Art community! I am thinking of joining the Alter community, and paint some cards. Im am confidant in my drawing ability, however I do have a few questions about material and process.
To give a bit of a background, I just want to start with simple border extensions. I am primarily doing this myself to make my cards look cooler and practice more small-scale painting.
1) Is there anything I should do to prep the card? Any spray/other material i should apply before I paint?
2) I understand that acrylics are the best for painting on cards. Any preference between soft/heavy? Also, any relatively cheap yet reliable brand I should buy (I live in NY, if that helps)?
3) I've seen a few times artists paint the borders in a dark color initially "to give future layers something to hold on to". Is this indeed the best way to approach altering cards?
4) Whats the best way to remove mistakes, i.e. going into the text/word boxes? I've seen wet toothpicks be recommended.
4.5) Or instead should I cover the card with some kind of FrogTape/painters tape? What are the implications with taking it off? Im also fairly confident with my hand stability, so do I need it if I presume I won't make any drastic mistakes?
5) Like question 1, is there anything I should apply after I've altered the card? To keep the paint safe are anything?
Hello MTGS Art community! I am thinking of joining the Alter community, and paint some cards. Im am confidant in my drawing ability, however I do have a few questions about material and process.
To give a bit of a background, I just want to start with simple border extensions. I am primarily doing this myself to make my cards look cooler and practice more small-scale painting.
1) Is there anything I should do to prep the card? Any spray/other material i should apply before I paint?
2) I understand that acrylics are the best for painting on cards. Any preference between soft/heavy? Also, any relatively cheap yet reliable brand I should buy (I live in NY, if that helps)?
3) I've seen a few times artists paint the borders in a dark color initially "to give future layers something to hold on to". Is this indeed the best way to approach altering cards?
4) Whats the best way to remove mistakes, i.e. going into the text/word boxes? I've seen wet toothpicks be recommended.
4.5) Or instead should I cover the card with some kind of FrogTape/painters tape? What are the implications with taking it off? Im also fairly confident with my hand stability, so do I need it if I presume I won't make any drastic mistakes?
5) Like question 1, is there anything I should apply after I've altered the card? To keep the paint safe are anything?
Thanks a lot!
Golden fluid acrylics have been really good for me. Check out my tutorial on altering a City of Brass to get a feel of my technique for border extensions. I have got a fair bit better and changed some aspects of how I alter since then, but the information is still valuable I feel.
what pens can i use to alter cards with as far as lining and detail i bought sharpie pens prismacolor artist markers and just got Sakura Micron pens which seem to be quite popular but all of these markers seem to smear how long does it normally take for drying time and is there some way i can use them without having to put a sealant on the card i have acrylic sealer but it seems to come out spotty and rough texturing the card surface. Am i just applying it wrong.. i need help.. lol
what pens can i use to alter cards with as far as lining and detail i bought sharpie pens prismacolor artist markers and just got Sakura Micron pens which seem to be quite popular but all of these markers seem to smear how long does it normally take for drying time and is there some way i can use them without having to put a sealant on the card i have acrylic sealer but it seems to come out spotty and rough texturing the card surface. Am i just applying it wrong.. i need help.. lol
Prismacolors and sakura microns are good for the job. Don't use them directly onto the card. Try putting down a basecoat of gray acrylic paint before you apply the pens.
thanks. do you know of any good white pens to use for thin highlighting? paintbrushes can be slightly unruly for fine detail work and toothpicks dont hold paint all that well. lol
brand New SAkura marker just dried out after my first alter with it. how and why does this happen to EVERY fine point marker i buy i have tried so many different types it doesnt matter what brand they are has any one else had this problem?
brand New SAkura marker just dried out after my first alter with it. how and why does this happen to EVERY fine point marker i buy i have tried so many different types it doesnt matter what brand they are has any one else had this problem?
You gunked it up and it's probably full of ink still. I use a blotter sheet to make tiny concentric circles every few minutes to keep mine clear. If you did any graphite drawing or tracing beforehand, that stuff is murder on Microns. I see you also have avoided using brushes. Brushes are best if you can get a decent 2-3 to work with, but it also required practice and knowledge to use them well.
I'm just looking into starting to alter cards, and not having really any art classes or anything, I'm not too knowledgeable in terms of art.
I've painted on canvas before, but that was a few years ago.
Question 1: There is Golden brand paint which I have heard, but there are multiple types of acrylic paint on the website. There is fluid and heavy body. Which is one to use?
Question 2: Also, Golden brand paint seems to be moer expensive then other types of paint. I know paint quality is important, but are the cheaper alternatives viable, or should I just invest now and good the good quality paint?
Question 3: Erasing. Should I do it or not? I heard some people say, just in this thread, that they prefer just using a dark basecoat to hide the parts of the card they want to alter, but some who erase it. If you spend time time to do both, which one is generally better/makes the card look higher quality? What would you recommend?
I'm having a problem lately with some black and white comic-book alters I'm trying.
The thing is, the background should be pure white but thanks to it's transparency I need to add too many layers to get it smooth/clean. It just clogs and brushstrokes start showing eventually.
Anyone got tips for doing this the right way? I'm using Golden Fluid Acrylics Titanium White
MTG Legacy and Vintage extraordinaire (jokes), if it doesn't play blue I most likely don't play it.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
I bought some dodgy erasers, the most expensive school erasers i could find, gum erasers and some weird ones from the art depo.
None of them are affecting the cards at all.
Is there something I should be looking out for on packaging or something?
MTG Legacy and Vintage extraordinaire (jokes), if it doesn't play blue I most likely don't play it.
Reprint Opt for Modern!!
FREE DIG THOROUGH TIME!
PLAY MORE ROUGE DECKS!
Oh wait!! There is!!! I use Magic Rub erasers to rub out my Magic cards.
Nothing does well against the CMD 2013 cards but everything else works fine. It takes some labor but once it starts to pull it's not too bad .
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
Thanks man. I figured it out reading this thread. This paints are low pigment paints. Thanks for the confirmation though. I payed about 12$ for 24 colors in 15 ml tubes so eh. I already got my money's worth selling lands I altered. Time to pick up good paints and new brushes/
BEEEES!
Rabble Red
Modern
Burn
Infect
Art supplies really are one of the most "you get what you pay for" industries though.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
This is it :
http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/artists-acrylic-paint-set-637082/
I will again say, don't waste your money on them. I have done about 10 or 15 alters with them, but they all have a rough texture, and would probably get ruled marked for tournament.
BEEEES!
Rabble Red
Modern
Burn
Infect
Wholly agree with this post. I started doing alters with cheap paints, and I was almost ready to quit, because nothing was turning out how I wanted it to. Getting a set of Golden Fluid Acrylics really enabled my altering to take off.
Juju Alters - Altered MTG Cards
But I agree with Gals on that you get what you pay for. Since I do Simple alters as compared to some of the other artists here, my paints will suffice for me. For now at least. One place I do lack in is brushes. I have maybe 1 or 2 that are decent, but I should get some better brushes. Firstly, what types of brushes (brand and size) are recommended? I apologize if this has been previously answered as I have yet to read all 12 pages. Secondly, how to best clean/maintain them? I've been painting junk for years, but I've never really learned any of the proper techniques for, well anything.
For clearing the art via eraser I use one of the MANY Magic Rub Erasers I have. They leave a really smooth surface behind tho, so paint might have some issues with sticking to the raw cardboard. When I have a straight box to remove, I just use acetone since it QUICKLY removes any and all ink. Problem when using it with non-foils is that sometimes the paint acts funny on the raw acetoned cardboard.
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body
painted cards for sale https://www.ebay.com/usr/somadracula?_trksid=p2047675.l2559
To give a bit of a background, I just want to start with simple border extensions. I am primarily doing this myself to make my cards look cooler and practice more small-scale painting.
1) Is there anything I should do to prep the card? Any spray/other material i should apply before I paint?
2) I understand that acrylics are the best for painting on cards. Any preference between soft/heavy? Also, any relatively cheap yet reliable brand I should buy (I live in NY, if that helps)?
3) I've seen a few times artists paint the borders in a dark color initially "to give future layers something to hold on to". Is this indeed the best way to approach altering cards?
4) Whats the best way to remove mistakes, i.e. going into the text/word boxes? I've seen wet toothpicks be recommended.
4.5) Or instead should I cover the card with some kind of FrogTape/painters tape? What are the implications with taking it off? Im also fairly confident with my hand stability, so do I need it if I presume I won't make any drastic mistakes?
5) Like question 1, is there anything I should apply after I've altered the card? To keep the paint safe are anything?
Thanks a lot!
My deviantART; if you're interested in alters, PM me!
Golden fluid acrylics have been really good for me. Check out my tutorial on altering a City of Brass to get a feel of my technique for border extensions. I have got a fair bit better and changed some aspects of how I alter since then, but the information is still valuable I feel.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/creativity/artwork/tutorials/341575-alt-altered-city-of-brass-tutorial
Juju Alters - Altered MTG Cards
http://maxthearchitect.deviantart.com/
My deviantART; if you're interested in alters, PM me!
Prismacolors and sakura microns are good for the job. Don't use them directly onto the card. Try putting down a basecoat of gray acrylic paint before you apply the pens.
Juju Alters - Altered MTG Cards
You gunked it up and it's probably full of ink still. I use a blotter sheet to make tiny concentric circles every few minutes to keep mine clear. If you did any graphite drawing or tracing beforehand, that stuff is murder on Microns. I see you also have avoided using brushes. Brushes are best if you can get a decent 2-3 to work with, but it also required practice and knowledge to use them well.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
I have this card I got really cheap but the alter is aweful and i was wondering if there was a way to remove the paint
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
I've painted on canvas before, but that was a few years ago.
Question 1: There is Golden brand paint which I have heard, but there are multiple types of acrylic paint on the website. There is fluid and heavy body. Which is one to use?
Question 2: Also, Golden brand paint seems to be moer expensive then other types of paint. I know paint quality is important, but are the cheaper alternatives viable, or should I just invest now and good the good quality paint?
Question 3: Erasing. Should I do it or not? I heard some people say, just in this thread, that they prefer just using a dark basecoat to hide the parts of the card they want to alter, but some who erase it. If you spend time time to do both, which one is generally better/makes the card look higher quality? What would you recommend?
The thing is, the background should be pure white but thanks to it's transparency I need to add too many layers to get it smooth/clean. It just clogs and brushstrokes start showing eventually.
Anyone got tips for doing this the right way? I'm using Golden Fluid Acrylics Titanium White
[Primer] Kozilek, Butcher with Juice.