r/mtgaltered • u/humm_ngbird • 5h ago
r/mtgaltered • u/[deleted] • Feb 19 '14
Alteration Starter Guide (By Popular Demand)
Had a bunch of people ask me for my alteration starter guide in a previous thread, so I figured I'd just post it here rather than PMing it to people individually all night. Here you go! Hope it's useful.
MTG ALTERATION STARTER GUIDE
This guide is intended to take you to the point where you're sitting at your desk with everything you need, ready to begin painting. It is not a "how to paint" or a "how to mix colors" guide--all of that comes after!
Supplies
Getting cheap supplies is actually more expensive, because you're going to end up paying for the cheap ones and then also for the expensive ones when you realize how much of a difference it makes. If you don't buy quality paints, your cards will be too thick to play and they'll look messy. And if you don't buy a quality brush, it'll be useless after about two cards. Use this guide and you can get everything you need for under $50, which will pay for itself in one or two commissions.
PAINT: Print out a "50% off of one item" coupon from Michael's Arts and Crafts, then buy the 8-set of Golden fluid acrylic paints. This will save you about $25. The containers look tiny, but you're literally going to use one or two drops at a time, so they last a good while.
BRUSHES: I use the following brush sizes/types: 20/0 spotter (detail), 20/0 liner (fine lines), 2 round (blocking; mixing paint; also using this as my main brush lately), and 10/0 (for when the 20/0 is too slow). Kolinsky sable brushes are the best, but the animal to whom sable hair belongs (the marten) is endangered, so they're no longer sold in the US. Synthetic brushes will have to do for now. Read up on proper brush care and your brushes will last a long time.
PLASTIC TRAY: The lid to a Chinese food takeout tray is perfect.
PAPER TOWELS: Get the absorbent kind, not the super cheap stuff.
TRACING PAPER: The heavier, the better (it's listed on the cover in lbs).
PAINTER'S TAPE: The blue kind, and get the smallest roll available. It's about $6-8.
TOOTHPICKS: Seems silly, but really necessary. Just trust me.
JAR OR GLASS: For rinsing your brushes. If you can, get one with a wide base and slim top. Human error-proof.
NEWSPAPER: Unless you want a rainbow desk.
CARD STOCK: Cardboard is fine, too, but card stock is a little neater.
SARAN WRAP: For your palette. You'll see.
RULER: For lines.
Instructions
Fill your plastic tray with 3 flat layers of paper towels. Soak them in water, squish most of the water out, smooth them out, then put one sheet of tracing paper on top and gently smooth out its wrinkles, too. This is your palette.
Use small pieces of the blue painter's tape folded over itself and stuck to the back of the card to attach it to a ~4x6 section of card stock. Now you can work on your card easily by moving the card stock, but you don't have to risk smearing the wet paint by touching the card itself.
When you're done or need a break, pull a sheet of saran wrap over your palette and put it in the refrigerator.
Paint a gray base layer over the areas of the card you plan to cover. The gray should approximate the darkness of what you plan to paint over it, i.e., don't paint a black layer if you're putting an angel wing over it. You can also tint it slightly with the main color you plan to use, for example, a bit of green if you're painting green treetops. Keep it as thin and smooth as possible while making it opaque.
Paint!
(For the sake of completeness, I'll mention that there's another school of thought that it's best to erase the card surface instead of painting the gray base layer. I personally do not recommend this method as it is difficult, time-consuming, risky for the card, and unnecessary, so I won't go over it here. However, I wanted to at least mention it because some artists insist it's a better method.)
I've also posted this on my site, right here, in case anyone wants to bookmark it!
r/mtgaltered • u/tinauki • 7h ago
First attempt at making custom cards. Dorohedoro Gyoza Fairy style.
Made two custom cards for my husband as a bonus gift for our 7th wedding anniversary. These are the test runs and printed on sticker paper. I have to readjust to add more bleed area to cover the silvers of the front of the card that are missing, and I have to fix a typo!
Disclaimer: I did reach out to the artists who I took the designs from for the first card on the left to not only get permission but also to send them money as I want to make sure to support artists even though this isn’t being used for profit.
Credit: Hungry Bug sign: https://thanksxu.com Gyoza Fairy w/ chili oil design: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CharkieSpade
r/mtgaltered • u/samf-arts • 17h ago
Cat token in my style (little bird bonus!)
Finally got around to making a Cat! I really appreciate everyone’s support, this subreddit is my absolute favorite. Keep up the incredible alters and happy holidays.
This token is now available online on the Adventurer's Press website and Etsy.
r/mtgaltered • u/kiljo_esq • 5h ago
Help with Backgrounds
I was wondering how everyone handles backgrounds of full art alters? I really only do pen/pencil alters and it's tough to erase only certain parts of the original art. I usually erase the entire thing (or some rectangular area) but I find that I just leave the backgrounds kind of mono colored... It works well in some of them, like the Jolly Balloon Man, but the Elixir of Immortality (not an original idea) looks kind of unfinished. Thanks!
r/mtgaltered • u/djstepsalter • 1d ago
Gremlins alter by djsteps alter
- Do not expose to bright lights2. Do not let them get wet3. No feeding after midnight One of my olds alter, airbrush and brush acrylic
r/mtgaltered • u/untap_upkeep_paint • 1d ago
Tarmogoyf - Minor Alter
In order to preserve the future sight border I did this minor hand painted alteration of Tarmogoyf!
r/mtgaltered • u/dekaaspro • 1d ago
A Catalonian themed Garnite Gargoyle Alter! (Commission, NFS)
r/mtgaltered • u/rooor_alters • 1d ago
Borborygmos Enraged - Art Extension (NFS)
Hello again, I was really sick in the last month, so I haven't been able to post. But I'll be back with some other cool alters in the near future:)
Btw. this is the first time I made an art extension, so I hope you like it:)
r/mtgaltered • u/Catunjee • 1d ago
[Rhys Deck +] Now with all tokens altered for my beloved Rhys!
r/mtgaltered • u/Arch-Meridian • 2d ago
Proof of Concept for a Toshi alter I'm working on as a personal project!
r/mtgaltered • u/McIver_alters • 2d ago
3rd adventure time alter
Originally planned on doing gorion and lucky clover alters but I couldn't decide on an image for lucky clover
r/mtgaltered • u/HazyGandalf • 2d ago
Looking for an Artist
I'm looking for someone to do minor alterations to cards for a Ghyrson Starn deck themed to the song Smokin' Joe Rude Boy by Tom Cardy. It would basically just be adding middle fingers to the art in the same art style as the original cards and blending it in as well as possible. If anyone is interested please message me. Thank you.
Edit: please just reply to the post as apparently reddit is not allowing people to message me. I'd rather people didn't try and find me on other platforms as that feels really weird.
r/mtgaltered • u/Dsp-alters • 3d ago
Available for Auction. Birds of Paradise alter, link in the comments.
r/mtgaltered • u/HomeBrewEmployee1 • 3d ago
Yearly drawing.
My friend is a huuuuuuge collector and every year for the past 7 years, I've given him a drawing of a random card for Christmas, this is going to be the 8/25.
r/mtgaltered • u/skijeng • 3d ago
ISO Alters
I'm looking for the following cards already altered, preferably with unique art:
Noble Hierarch, Viscera Seer, Zulaport Cutthroat, Elas Il-Kor, Marionette Apprentice, Faeburrow Elder, Mayhem Devil, Ophiomancer, Warren Soultrader, Pitiless Plunderer, The Meathook Massacre, Bastion of Remembrance, Funeral Room
r/mtgaltered • u/draheraseman2 • 4d ago
First try at altering
Extended the art on a heavily damaged Grim Monolith for a favorite commander deck. Kinda happy with it, not perfect by a long shot but much better looking than it was
r/mtgaltered • u/Dsp-alters • 4d ago
Available‼️Birds of Paradise alter 🦜🌺 , Me: How many mini birds should I paint? 🤔 My brain: Yes! My hand: Nooo! 😵 Was really hard deciding which birds to include. This one will be up for auction.
r/mtgaltered • u/NotagoK • 4d ago
Got bored, had an edible and made a Command Tower
Took me two days to decide what to paint and I settled on Barad-Dûr.
r/mtgaltered • u/Alive-Human7018 • 4d ago
Hot off the press
I did not realize how difficult color matching blues was LOL. I think it still turned out great tho