I'm simply looking for a little feedback on these. The black Rit dye I used wound up dying these WSF dice more of a dark brownish purple (which is fine, it's just not black), so the contrast with the bronze paint isn't as strong as it could be, but overall, I'm pretty happy with this as a first pass. A question or two, though... could I have dyed these a second time to darken them? Also, I'm new to miniature painting... is there a sort of "patina" pass that I could apply on top of this to try to ground the look of the dye with the paint? Thanks! (White version over here: They Arrived!)
These are WSF right? I'd check the post processing section but you should be able to dye it multiple times to make it darker. A true black dye is hard to make, as few things in nature are true black, which is why it's a dark purple color. To make life easier, next time order in BSF.
I thought about ordering them in black, but I wanted to see what the dyes did. Maybe next time I'll try a nice dark brown dye instead. Thanks! Might be worth noting that the contrast is more apparent in different lighting (not direct sunlight)...
Try acrylic paint if you don't mind the extra thickness (dyes go into the material, paints over it, even if sub millimetre), which should not be a lot if you are careful and apply lots of thin layers instead of a thick single one. It's pretty common for miniatures now and you can get some very nice, deep, matte, blacks. In some cases you've to thin the paint a lot, in others just a bit, it depends if you get one more like artist acrylics (which can be as thick as a cream) or ready to brush. If you thin it more (with water or one of the specific mediums sold for this) you can create what's called a wash. It'll be near transparent in the raised areas and stronger in the pits. Some brands also sell those pre mixed, and even some for special effects (Vallejo's Verdigris and Smoke are two, great to create rusty bronze and dirt effects). If you thin them nothing at all, or use the pastes some brand have, you can cover imperfections and the small holes of WSF.
Awesome tips, thanks, stannum! It sounds like a black/grunge wash might just be exactly what I'm looking for. I'll see what paints my local hobby shop and gaming shop have.
Art shops are also a good source, and depending in the quantity, cheaper. You can see a demo that combines both concepts, artist paint and wash for miniatures.
If you're concerned about build-up with paint, use Floquil oil based paints. They go on solid with no perceptible thickness. I'd use a flat black, then drybrush gold or brass to give you the highlights you're looking for.