Q and A With Roman Lappat Pt 2.

We continue our Q and A with Roman Lappat Aka "Jarhead"

The First Part of this Q and A can be found here.

Is there a Color which you seem to favor and like to add it to all your models where you can? 

No.

Can you pass on one trick or technique or tip that you think newer painters would find helpful or a technique that you wish someone had shown you when you were a new painter?

In fact this question is very hard. On one hand I know I could explain every tip or technique in some minutes sitting next to you or the readers of this interview. On the other hand finding right words to explain a technique of painting with colors in just words is hard.

The best tip I got is: Open your eyes to everything. See what you want to paint in real life, think about how to achieve or copy it and learn from it. Go through the world with open eyes and your painting will grow from it.

What does your work space look like? 

Wet pallet or ceramic/plastic? 

Wet Palette.

What paints do you use?

Acrylics mainly. Vallejo Model Color, Golden Acrylics, some Citadel, Hobby Line.

What do you use to thin your paints and to what ratio?

Water. Never think about ratios here. Just go with the flow. I quickly realize if I need a color more thinned or not. It happens as soon as I hit the miniature with the brush. Then I change if needed and dilute more or less.

What technique do you tend to favor when painting to Blend?

Well, blend. I think the word "Blending" is messing up a lot of painters brains. Everyone is just hunting for the right blending. In my translation "blending" is just a transition from one color to the other, brighter or darker or different tones.

I enjoy rough blendings, where needed, I enjoy smooth blendings where needed. I use mainly brushwork for creating blendings, of course sometimes my fingers, but you can do this with a sponge too or a tissue or a big brush or an airbrush or much more.

From the aspect of painting technique I would say I use all known techniques I have on my chest to achieve what I want to achieve in the particular area.

What do subject or type of miniature do you prefer IE sci-fi or historical?

Depends on the sculpt. If the sculpt calls me, I'll answer.

Miniature painting can be very expensive and that could put off new people to the hobby have you learnt anything to cut costs? 

Do not buy every new release you find looking cool. If you are a gamer buy what you need to play and buy the next model when you painted the last group or model. If you are a strict painter, buy what calls you.

How long do you spend on a miniature from start to finish?

Depends on the size of the project. Can be single Zombie that I paint up for a diorama where I am in need of five hundred of these. One of these Zombies is painted in 15 Minutes from start to finish. The longest time 

I sat on a project was four hundred fifty hours on "The Last Light". (photos of Work in Progress Zombies and Last Light attached).

What do you prefer metal, resin, or plastic models?

Resin, due to the good quality and the weight.

How do you know when you are finished with a miniature and when to stop before you have ruined the work?

I always paint until that moment. The moment where I have to stop and call it done. Works. Always keep in mind no miniature is ever finished 100%.

And finally is there anything you like like pass on to the noobs who are reading this hoping one day to paint as well as yourself?

Paint with joy and fun. You will learn much more. Accept your learning curve. Accept failures and mistakes, learn from them. Grow as the painter you are, not the one you want to be. 

Questions asked by you.

Morglum Kiebracuellos Asks: What is your most habitual source of inspiration? Do you usually look at illustrations for inspiration? If so, is there any illustrator in particular that you like?

Good Question, I'd say the things my eyes observe. May it be in nature, in my hometown, movies, artwork in real and in the internet. I am always trying to learn more and more by observing what is happening, for example light situations, weathering, material aspects and so on. I never stop to learn from this and I also try to teach such a view on things. Speaking of Illustrators I would name Karl Kopinsky, Paul Bonner, Enrico Marini, Frank Frazetta and Juanjo Guarnido (Black Sad Comic Books).

Shamikebab Asks: Massive Voodoo has been running for some time now is there anything you haven't done with the blog yet that you'd like to do in the future?

Definatly bringing it into the future. Design wise. In the back we are working on future plans to have the menue of the blog much more comfortable for our readers.
Updating older tutorials with content we learned during the last years. Offering an easier way to support us on what we daily create and teach on MV. 

10100003 Asks: As someone just starting out it would be great to hear his thoughts on the type of things he would do in terms of practice, or learning areas, that are not apparent to a rookie, those unknown, unknowns.

3. Practice is most important. When I started painting miniatures I knew a) if I want to learn much that b) I have to paint much. I painted around 300 miniatures in my first four years, each year.
Mainly for the gaming table, but I tried to improve myself more and more. Challenge yourself with self-studies on different topics, like warm-cold colors, saturation-desaturation, painting metals, painting skin and so on. Focus in such study projects on your priorized aspect of learning. Learn from others. Have a look on others work to learn from them, ask questions if you have some, work with the answers, look on tutorials that can help you, but do not go blind and say they are your truth from now on. Always remember the path of the (miniature) painter is a path that is a neverending journey, find out where you are at from your own level of experience. Do not push you with force, but with happy studying. Learn to fail. It is nothing bad if you fail here and there. You will. You will create something that you are not happy with or that you do not like. Ask yourself why, learn from your answers, study on with these answers, teach yourself on your way of the painter. The sooner you take your individual progress and time you got to paint in consideration on your personal level - be true with yourself - you will find these unknowns. The painter can only be found in you. No one else can dig it out. You have to paint to paint and see where your learning and studying takes you. Your Character will also gain from this journey. Help others on their journey as good as you can. Write a tutorial, you will see you will understand the content of your article much better the next time you use it. Try to explain stuff to others, in your words, you learn to find your own language of what you are doing and it puts your own knowledge into concrete.

Work by Roman.

We would all like to thank Roman for taking the time to answer our questions and if you would like to follow more of his work you can find his blog Massive Vodoo.