Overwhelmed. Need direction.

[pigelectric]

Hey All!
I'm wicked overwhelmed on where to start. Here is what I have done so far:

• I have almost all the parts
• I cut out my bucket.
• Documented the list of paints I need and have the stencils
• I have an airbrush (that I need to learn to use) and compressor
• Washed and lightly sanded all parts
• Cut down my arm pieces (I need to heat gun them to work on their shape)
• Primed a few pieces with grey primer

But...just... gah. I think what I really need to do next is commit to the paint and just start the painting. But I feel so ... stuck. I was told NOT to start with the bucket (I agree.. I wanna knock out the armor). But... gah. Help. Overwhelmed by All.The.Things.

Any tips on how I can overcome this armor-anxiety-hump? I have armor and painting experience (shoretrooper) but nothing like this.

Thank you in advance for any guidance!!!!!!

 

[Evan1701]

Who says not to start with the bucket? That seems to be the most logical place to start since it's easily the most iconic. That's where I started.

I think what gave me just enough knowledge to be dangerous and to not be terrified of starting were the welshwarrior Youtube series about how to paint a Boba Fett helmet. I had literally zero experience with any of the tools required for doing the helmet- not even with sandpaper. I figured I just needed to get started and left the details to be worked out as I went.

You just gotta take it one step at a time. It's going to take months to paint, and you'll just have to accept that. Focus only on what you need to do next- the next stenciling session, or mixing the next color of paint. It's all you can do.

And of course, best of luck!

 

[jcivitello]

As far as painting the bucket went for me,

I put an ad out on craigslist for an artist (because I tried 3 times on 3 different buckets and failed miserably)

I got a hit for a guy because he thought it would be cool to have in his portfolio.

I handed him the bucket, paints, stencils and reference material and said "I don't care how long it takes, I only care that it's right" He charged me 250 bucks, it took him about 4 months to do the paint job. I took this time to work on a bunch of the other parts of building the costume.

If stuff seems overwhelming, find ways to simplify. Attack one problem at a time. Nobody can deal with 10 problems at once, but you can deal with 1 problem 10 times.

 

[Vithar]

I've mentioned it before, but in case you haven't seen it yet, there is a great 26 part series on youtube by Welshwarrior here on TDH that goes through every step on painting a helmet. My only regret was not learning and testing out how to get the airbrush to create a smooth finish. You need to have the right pressure and properly smooth out each layer, or you get a 'rough' finish that doesn't look right.

As well, Deathproof has a fantastic build thread here that has a wealth of knowledge that helped me out a ton too. Alternatively, there are many talented painters here on TDH who are literally the best of the best that accept commissions.

 

[Evan1701]

I've mentioned it before, but in case you haven't seen it yet, there is a great 26 part series on youtube by Welshwarrior here on TDH that goes through every step on painting a helmet. My only regret was not learning and testing out how to get the airbrush to create a smooth finish. You need to have the right pressure and properly smooth out each layer, or you get a 'rough' finish that doesn't look right.

As well, Deathproof has a fantastic build thread here that has a wealth of knowledge that helped me out a ton too. Alternatively, there are many talented painters here on TDH who are literally the best of the best that accept commissions.

This is absolutely the best jumping-off point for painting a Fett helmet. It's what I've been using.

I agree with the airbrush comment as well. My airbrush skills are mediocre-to-poor and my back panels have some orange peel. Thankfully the back is mostly obscured by the jetpack rocket so no one is going to get close enough to notice my poor craftsmanship

Definitely be prepared to make some mistakes. Start small. Make sure you have some scrap paper or something to test out the spray before putting paint on your helmet. I always make sure I have a good solid spray first before starting my passes.

 

[Mullreel]

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Just pick a part and start..........it is only paint, if you screw it up you sand it off and do it again. No worries, no fear. This is a hobby no lives are on the line, relax .....spray some paint and enjoy.

 

[Viper]

Agreed, one part at a time. Don't rush, take your time, if you're anything like me you may have to re-do some things. But...that's part of the fun

 

[Ghost_Fett]

Patience is key. Patience has been the hardest thing for me in my build. Just relax. It’s a marathon not a sprint.

 

[DeathJedi]

The first thing I did was paint and assemble my gauntlets. I'd never airbrushed anything, but I bought a pretty decent set up and started testing on several surfaces and doing different methods of masking fluid with sanding, steel wool, etc before I actually did it to my raw parts. I was apprehensive because I didn't want to "screw up" my raw parts that I paid a pretty penny for. But eventually I just nutted up and started painting. Sure, you might screw up a little, just go slow. Paint can be removed. You can work back if you have to. While I agree with Evan's sentiment, I honestly think armor painting, while detailed is no where near as difficult or detailed as the helmet and just my opinion that you start with something that might be easier until you feel your proficiency increase.

Good luck, don't get discouraged and pick something and jump in and start doing it. It's the only way you're gonna kick the tires and light the fires. Trust me, I've been there, not sure to start, but I did some of the bigger things that I had listed out and now I feel much better about my build. I hope you can too!

 

[Fettastic]

Welcome to the forum pigelectric! I remember the feeling. The hardest part for me was working up the nerve to start. Once you start, you get on a role and then the problem is taking your time. It's a kind of push and pull type of deal. I started with the helmet knowing that it was just for practice and that I'd tackle more in the future. If your wanting this bucket to be "the bucket" I would recommend starting with the armor. It's less intensive and will give you the feel for airbrushing, layering, and topical painting. I'd recommend priming the armor, laying down the metallic silver with rattle can, then masking off the sliver damage and airbrushing on your base green. Weather the base green with browns, blacks and grays, unmask your silver, then topically do your gray and yellow damage, then do final weathering and steel wool to shape it, and of course finish it off with a dull coat. Good luck and whichever way you choose, just go for it! Cheers and good luck

-Cameron

 

[TK50175]

My opinion: start with the armor! Its not as much work than the helmet. And stop doing everything else on your costume...focus just on the armor! Read about 20-30 threads here about painting the armor and you know everything you need. And then take 2 hours and just have fun tryiing out the airbrush.

Now you are ready for the armor. If you manage this the helmet is no problem anymore.

 

[FirstCoastFett]

TK 50175, i couldnt agree more. I started with the armor. Even as an artist, I've never airbrushed, so I took my time on the armor first. I used a single action siphon feed for the flat parts, and a dual action for the details and weathering. You'll get the hang of it pretty quick. I personally chose to save the helmet last, as daunting a task as this iconic piece was, I wanted to build up some experience (and confidence) with the airbrush. I think many here choose the kidney piece as their "practice" piece as I did. Just take your time and go from there. These guys have done a phenomenal job taking all the guesswork out of the painting, stencils, etc. It's just a matter of pulling the trigger.

My opinion: start with the armor! Its not as much work than the helmet. And stop doing everything else on your costume...focus just on the armor! Read about 20-30 threads here about painting the armor and you know everything you need. And then take 2 hours and just have fun tryiing out the airbrush.

Now you are ready for the armor. If you manage this the helmet is no problem anymore.

 

[pigelectric]

Everyone - thank you, thank you so much for the encouragement. I have definitely watched Welshwarrior's youtube videos several times. That guy is freakin AMAZING!!!!!! We need to give him some kind of lifetime achievement award for his amazing, helpful videos. It was his videos that made me feel better about cutting into the bucket (I'm pretty sure my lungs are now coated in a layer of fiberglass hahah)

We do have a local, amazing talent in our garrison that can do the paint for me but I really, really want to try for myself first. I'm currently unemployed (got laid off earlier this year) so I have time on my hands and no excuses except my own mental hurdle.

I'm definitely going to start with the armor. I've been working on the gauntlets, I need to borrow someone's heat gun to shape them some more. I have the MoW gauntlets which were made for beefy arms and I have slender girl arms (err because I'm a lady, to clarify). But I AM 5'10" with broad shoulders so I think I'm gonna make a good Boba

I've been puttering on the gauntlets but yeah, time to play with that airbrush machine , practice and then start on a simple piece of armor.
Perhaps the kidney armor?

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SPY007]

Yeah, start with something simple like the shoulder bells. I worked on and off on various parts, then would go back and re do, or improve things I finished. It's a long process and you learn as you go. I made most of my stuff from scratch. Took me ten years. Still not quite done.

 

[clmayfield]

I did the armor first. By the time I did the helmet, I half way knew what I was doing. By the time I finished the helmet, I felt like refinishing some of the armor because my technique is a lot better.

 

[ShortFuse]

I did the armor first. By the time I did the helmet, I half way knew what I was doing. By the time I finished the helmet, I felt like refinishing some of the armor because my technique is a lot better.

You will progressively get better as you move along, which creates a never ending cycle of improvements and upgrades. To say you were ever 100% finished is a delusion. Lol.

 

[Evan1701]

You will progressively get better as you move along, which creates a never ending cycle of improvements and upgrades. To say you were ever 100% finished is a delusion. Lol.

Yep... I started with my helmet, so I could really spend the maximum amount of time working on it while I collected the rest of the parts. I can tell a difference in my skill level even between sections- my back panels are certainly a bit rougher than the dome, which is a bit rougher than the cheeks. And I'm not even done yet!

 

[pigelectric]

Yep... I started with my helmet, so I could really spend the maximum amount of time working on it while I collected the rest of the parts. I can tell a difference in my skill level even between sections- my back panels are certainly a bit rougher than the dome, which is a bit rougher than the cheeks. And I'm not even done yet!

Oh for sure. All my other costumes have such a long standing list of upgrades. When I sold my shoretrooper I handed over the list of upgrades to the buyer LOL
It never ends I have almost all the parts except the knee darts. And probably some other stuff I won't know about until I begin assembly..

 

[pigelectric]

I've been verrrrrrrrrrrrrry slowwwwwwwwwwwly working on the jetpack....... it's been on my back patio untouched for about two weeks now.. gonna try to work on it today..

 

[WhyItMatterz]

excited to hopefully see some update pics. Good luck!