As of this post, I have been painting for one year and two weeks! Over this time, I have progressed very quickly (if I do say so myself), and today I’m going to share the tips and tricks I used to get here.

**As of July 2019, I posted a new blog post with my updated tools. Many of the tools listed here are still what I use today, but I will put an asterisk* by anything I discuss in my updated post.

1. Quality Supplies

This is perhaps the MOST crucial entry and is by far what has moved me the furthest forward in this journey. When I started, I used Bones miniatures, Apple Barrel acrylic paint, and the tiniest brushes I could find from the craft store. Let me tell you that this is the worst way to start! The reason for these beginning supplies is that I have a terrible habit of trying new hobbies and dropping them just as quickly. With this understanding of myself, purchasing the cheapest things possible was obvious. However, if you actually want to be good at this, get better products.

*Brushes:

I use and highly recommend Winsor & Newton Kolinsky Sable Hair Brush, specifically the round watercolor brushes. The #1 reason I use these brushes is because they last a long time. When I was using the cheap (note: $7 or more) brushes from the craft store, I would go through one every two weeks because the tips would start to curve. In the long run, these “cheap” brushes are more expensive than buying the one high-quality brush from Winsor & Newton that will last you months.

Brush size is also essential; I use brush size 0 and 2 from Winsor & Newton. Brushes smaller than 0 don’t hold as much paint, and the paint often dries on the brush before you can even get it to the mini. It is also important to load your brushes appropriately to keep the brush wet and smooth.

*Paint:

Apple Barrel craft paint might be useful for some things, but not for painting miniatures. If you are interested in doing techniques like wet blending, glazing, or feathering, you will need better paints. All of my paints are Citadel Paints; not that I particularly think they are the best, but they are the easiest for me to buy from the local game shop. I have found that I dislike Army Painter paints overall (the other hobby paint at my LGS), as they are not as opaque as I would like. I have not tried other paint manufacturers, but I have heard good things about Vallejo and Reaper paints as well.

Glazes, edge paint, and washes are also great to have in one’s arsenal. To me, washes are required; glazes and edge paints are just helpful.

Along with paint, your thinning medium is also important. I have heard of a lot of people using water, but I have not been successful in using water myself. I use a 50/50 mix of paint thinner and glaze medium from Vallejo. Using this mix, I can thin out my paint as well as extending my drying time allowing for easier wet blending and feathering.

Lastly, make sure you have a good sealant! I use Testors Dull Coat to finish my models off. I also spray often during the painting process to help keep the paint from rubbing off as I work.

Models:

The quality of your model is second only to paint. If you are a highly skilled painter, you can certainly make any model work; but if you want to make life easier, just use a high-quality miniature. My favorite miniatures come from Dark Sword or Kingdom Death (Kingdom Death is a game, so the individual miniatures are more expensive as they come with cards and other components for the game). I also have great luck with the METAL miniatures from Reaper (the above miniatures are The Ghoul Queen from Reaper in plastic and metal). Make sure you prime your metal miniatures with metal primer, it helps the paint stick to the miniature.

*A few other sources for quality miniatures:

Black Sun Miniatures

Cadwallon Miniatures

2. Extra Equipment

*Lighting:

Lighting is so important! It can make or break your miniature, as it is the deciding factor in how well you can SEE your miniature. This does not only include brightness, but also color. Different light sources give off different color casts. I prefer working with an LED, as the light is blue/white. You can compare this to working with a tungsten light, which would give off a yellow cast.

I use a Brightech- LightView, but this particular light is not required. I asked for it as a Christmas gift because of the magnifying glass, but I almost never use that part of it. I have to hold the miniature so close to the lense that I end up knocking my paintbrush against the light. If I wanted to be really perfect, I would have two lights that I would place on either side of my workspace to give me even lighting, but I really don’t have enough space for that.

Magnifying Glasses:

Another product that gave me a big jump in my painting quality was my MagniPros LED Magnifying Glasses. They are pretty cheap (and you can tell in the glasses part of the product), but the lenses are fantastic, and I wear them frequently when painting. They give me the edge I’ve been missing in my painting!

*Hobby Holder:

I use the Hobby Holder from Game Envy Creations. This little bugger helps me grip my miniature without having to touch them. I have found that the sweat from my hands can rub off the paint if I’m not careful, and the curved arm works great to add extra hand support while painting. The fact that it works using soda caps allows me to don and doff miniatures in seconds, allowing me to work on half a dozen miniatures at a time. This system is much better than the prescription bottles I was using before.

3. Techniques and Knowledge

Painting Techniques:

I’m not going to get too much into detail here, but I need to at least name the methods that I use. The techniques that have helped me improve the most are wet blending and glazing. For the moment, go ahead and type those techniques into youtube and I’m sure you will find what you need, but in the future, you can check out my patreon for tutorials.

Contrast/Shading:

Contrast makes a massive difference in your painting and is something that is often forgotten. Contrast is what brings things to life; it is what makes surfaces look voluminous or flat; it is the difference between a circle and a sphere. Your miniature should have bright whites, deep blacks, and a rainbow of colors in between.

Colors:

If your miniature still looks flat even after pushing the contrast, it’s probably because your colors are flat. Nothing is just one flat hue the whole way through. A purple coat, for example, might have blue shadows and red highlights. The addition of blue and red will help make the cloak more realistic, as well as more visually pleasing. Remember not to make the red and blue too intense; you want the color shifts to be subtle.

I find that looking at nature is a great way to find natural color shifts and color combinations. When in doubt, look for reference images to help you create rich and exciting color combinations and highlights and shadows.

*4. Basing

Basing Is a great final touch to your miniatures, and luckily, it can be done on the cheap! Start your hunt at the Dollar Tree craft section and spices section. For one dollar, you can buy sand, rocks, ground cover and more! Remember to be creative, spices make great leaves and who knows what else you can come up with! Variety is vital in your base, and don’t forget to wash over your ground cover to help bring out the texture and add definition!

Conclusion

I hope that this was helpful to you in your miniature painting journey. These tips might seem small individually, but when added together can make a huge impact on your work. Let me know what tips you found most helpful, and feel free to send me any questions you might have. I love miniature painting, and I want you to be a great artist!

Thank you for your time, and go forth and paint!

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