First project & Im blowing it, need guidance!

[river pecan]

Hi! I'm attempting to paint this diorama for my sister but Im a bit over my head.
I was able to follow some videos for doing wood and brick for the wall and floor and was pretty happy with how it went.
Now Im moving on to details and a lot of the lighter colors I want to use just wont go down, thick or thin.
I have no idea what kind of base to use for certain brighter colors and whites, some seem bold but when I put them down they dont show.
Ive been settling on colors I didnt plan to use just to get something that goes on bold.
Any help greatly appreciated, Im using a cheap craft acrylic set from amazon and these brushes:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BNJJDBX
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X864TW9

[light lodge]

How many yellow layers have you done on for example the bowl of yarn? Yellow is notoriously difficult to get to cover.

Did you use some kind of primer before starting?

[river pecan]

Hi yeah its about 3 layers, I kept trying different color mixes until that shade just worked
it wasnt the shade i planned 🙈
I primed everything with rustoleum x2 gray spray paint primer

[light lodge]

Yellow most easily goes over white. It’s usually worth first painting white then yellow.

[river pecan]

the clock face for example I really want white but I wasnt getting anything over the brown clock color or black

[light lodge]

If you’re doing yellow over grey or any dark colour, don’t be surprised if it takes more than ten layers before that darker colour stops shining through.

[river pecan]

ok awesome to know appreciate it!

[light lodge]

White is not much better depending on paint. Some white paint covers better than other.

This cloth is 5 layers I think of purpose made mini paint.

Hobby acrylics are in my opinion harder to work with but they work just fine for mini painting

But they tend to be quite thick

[river pecan]

wow that looks so bold very nice
i have some bright pink and orange i planned for the yarn balls but it wasnt going down at all

[light lodge]

Orange isn’t much easier than yellow sadly

But try painting them white first, it tends to help.

Or just keep trucking

[river pecan]

Im going to do more research after this project on better purpose paints for sure
I have 2 days to finish this though haha

[light lodge]

It looks like it’s starting to cover quite well. The high points tend to be the hardest since it flows into the recesses more. It’s harder to get paint to stick to high points.

[river pecan]

is your base white for the glowing orange in the cracks underneath and the sword?

[light lodge]

Yes

The sword no

That’s a red base

[river pecan]

ok

Am I right to tackle the large areas first then clean up where the smaller pieces meet the walls after?

[light lodge]

It depends, I like to paint deeper areas first since it’s hard to reach them without making a mess.

But if there are no deeper areas I usually start with the largest areas yes

[river pecan]

Yeah agree Im thinking I should have figured out those tiny recesses first 😄

[light lodge]

But I mean, I think you’re doing good. It looks nice and vibrant.

[river pecan]

Cool thanks, Im really enjoying it so far and hopefully next time can make it easier on myself
Thanks for your time really appreciate it

[light lodge]

No worries, I’m by no means an expert and other people might have more and better advice to give

I started off with hobby acrylics as well back a couple of months ago. If you decide to continue, do yourself a favour and buy proper mini paint, it makes a huge difference.

[river pecan]

Your work looks great, Id love to do something that good in the future
Definitely I know what to ask wifey for xmas 😄

[light lodge]

Thanks. I’m still a beginner but improvement comes fast when you start off. Brush control isn’t something you can learn off of a guide, it takes practice and building muscle memory.

[river pecan]

Agree I mangled a few pieces by holding them too tight, I got some blue tac stuff and have been putting the pieces on corks and things

Do you recommend any paint brands to look for?

[light lodge]

I prefer Vallejo or AK 3rd generation acrylics.

[river pecan]

Awesome thanks again have a good one!

[light lodge]

I’ve also heard Reaper is quite good but haven’t tried.

[crystal imp]

I like Reaper and use it a lot. What I like about it is for beginners it is usually ready to use out of the bottle for base coating. You do need to shake the beejeezus out of it. It also comes in triads of colors so again helpful for beginners. I found I knocked over Citadel pots all the time, so good paint but not for me.

[river pecan]

Thanks for the help, cant wait to try different paints!

[meager matrix]

The Vallejo Model Color starter set is going for an amazing price on amazon:

Vallejo Basic USA Colors Paint Set, 17ml, Assorted Colors https://a.co/d/fmuHmpf