Beginner's Guide to Repainting?

Hey everyone!

Even though I've only just started collecting Schleich horses, I'm already interested in repainting some models as I would like to get some colours for some breeds that Schleich don't currently make (I really like bay horses but there seem to be few true bays around, especially with white markings like socks or blazes).

BUT I'm having a confusing time finding out a good tutorial to teach me how to do this... there are a lot of video guides on youtube of 'pastaling' but I really would rather paint the models than do that... as I'm used to painting things from making model jets/helicopters.

I have found this: http://miniatures.about.com/od/modelhorse1/tp/Beginners-Guide-To-The-Basics-Of-Customizing-And-Repairing-Model-Horses.htm

but different people say different things, like how you should start with the darkest or lightest colour first on the body, I have read people doing this both ways! And is it best to try and put shading into the paintjob, or for wome colours (e.g. dark bay/black) can you get away with not doing that and having solid layers of colour. And if you are going to attempt to shade, then how do you blend the boundaries of the colours together so it looks nice and smooth?!

So if anyone could provide some tips and tricks to get started, or even a step-by-step tutorial, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

I use pastels, and always start with light colors and then add shadows.

Very interesting    Thanks for the link

I also use pastels... but maybe you can use this tutorial I found on youtube...:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paad9jxa4yI (part 1)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_tMm8w_Whc&feature=relmfu (part 2)
(they are not my tutorials)

as for shading with acrylics, if I paint a painting (and not a model horse ) I make shading by putting some paint on my paintbrush and than rub it on a piece of paper till the paint is a bit more dry and than I use the paintbrush with the not (very) wet paint to make the shading on the painting. I hope you understood my discription.
I wish you luck with repainting

Very interesting to watch !!!! (o)):

thanks everyone for the tips and links, I would do pastels but I live in a flat in a city with no garden, so regularly going out to spray between layers would be difficult to impossible for me >.<

I will have a go with paint and see how I get on. One of my newest schleich aquisitions (percheron stallion) has some orange discolouration on his white mane so I might try and touch up his paint with some of the paint I use to paint my plastic model aircraft/jets (enammal), would that be ok or would I need primer first to get the paint to stick even for small areas?

I recommend you acrylics + pastels, I use varnish (which is used to cover paintings) instead of spray. You don't need any primer for acrylics.

I just wanted to add my two cents, for what it's worth: acrylics work best - I've tried oils, they do not work on vinyl, imo. Depending out what you plan to do with with the finished figure, applying a sealant is not always necessary. Once the acrylics dry they tend to be about as resilient to abuse as the original paintjobs. They will crack and peel, though, if the figure is actually played with. They also can be "washed" off/peeled off if they are exposed to too much moisture. I've had problems getting sealants to dry. They can remain sticky (some for years) and really ruin a nicely painted figure.

Also, when possible, use the fewest number of layers as possible. For a total overhaul of the paintjob, you will need to start with the base color. Skip primer other than base color. My experience using primer on animal figures is that they do not need it. As A-J described, drybrushing (dipping the paintbrush in the paint then "painting" a piece of paper or towel until very little paint remains on the brush) is very effective for highlighting and shading. Practice on a piece of paper first if you're not entirely comfortable with drybrushing. Less is best when applying paint, as you can always apply more to achieve a desired look, but once it is on, it's much harder to correct. So get comfortable with drybrushing before attempting it unless you have figures to practice on. It is exactly what it sounds like - painting with a dry brush.

Also, apply light colors first, then add dark. If you try to use white or yellow to cover black spots, you will see why.