Alright so a lot of people lately have been asking me about the “dipping method” of painting miniatures, so I’ve decided to make a guide. What I’m about to show you is the most dishonorable and lazy method of painting that anyone can possibly employ. With that in mind, it’s actually one of the fastest and best ways to get a horde army painted and on the table quickly.

Step 1:

What I like to do is start with painting the model in a grey primer. I prefer Armory Grey Primer, but color and brand of spray is largely up to personal preference.

After drying, I went ahead and applied a rough base coat of Fortress Grey in order to lighten it up and a bit and also get any spots that the spray missed.

Step 2:

Next, I started with applying color to the rest of the model. Don’t worry about making it look nice or staying in the lines too much, you’ll see why later. Make sure that you are using contrasting colors. Colors that are similar, especially darker colors, will look the same after the dip.

It looks like crap now, but that’s ok! I went ahead and applied a quick coat of paint to any areas that I didn’t want to look grey. Note: Anything you paint in a metallic color, like weapons, will be…uh…”de-metallicized” by the dip a bit. The dip will also darken them, so the lighter color the better.

At this point take the time to paint in small bits like jewelry or icons, and fill in any lines that you really messed up on.

Step 3:

—NOW FOR THE FUN PART—

Yeah, I know it’s super blurry. I always get excited at this part and I couldn’t hold the camera steady.

What you’ll need is a standard electric drill and a nail. Note: This method isn’t always necessary, as some people like to spin the dipped model by hand. I’m simply using this method because the dip that I like to use is a little thick, and it helps to have the extra horsepower(you’ll understand in a minute).

What you need to do is simply stick the drill and nail to the bottom of the model’s base with a small glob of glue to hold it in place.

Now for the dip. What is commonly used for dipping models is a polyurethane wood stain. My personal preference is Miniwax Polyshades: Antique Walnut Satin.

MAKE SURE YOU’RE OUTSIDE AND SHAKE IT WELL. You want to make sure that it’s an even mixture and there isn’t anything settled at the bottom. Also, make sure that you’re in a well ventilated area as this stuff has some potent vapor.

So what you’re going to do now is take the model attached to the drill and dip it in the can of wood stain. Leave it fully submerged for a good 2-3 seconds, then take it out. Hold it over the can and gently shake it up and down to get any excess stain to come off.

Now for the fun part. Get a paper bag or something, so stain doesn’t fly off everywhere. Stick the drill and model in the paper bag and spin it for a good 5-10 seconds. You want to make sure that heavy deposits of stain are flung off the model.

When you take it out, it should look something like this:

I apologize for the terrible quality…as it dries, it will get less glossy and not look as bad.

The stain will miraculously blend the lines a bit where colors meet, hence not worrying about it in the painting stage.

Let it dry overnight.

I’ll continue tomorrow with Step 4 as it really does take an entire night to dry, if not longer….