So you want to paint good looking miniatures ?

Part 1

By Andy Saunders (reviewer for Wargames Forum)

This article is the first of two or three documents hoping to shed some light on the subject of painting miniatures to a high standard. Using my knowledge and experience of painting for many years. Some of the information may be going over old ground for some people but in order to make it as comprehensive as possible I have gone back to basics. The first part will give the basic requirements and info to get your miniatures off to a good start a form of idiots guide. The second will explain the basic painting steps and tips for painting. The final part will contain information on how to use paint effects and how to do paint effects Even if you think you can't do it reading this document and using some of the techniques here should improve the appearance of your miniatures. 

How do I start painting?

Not to difficult for most of you out there but you will need paint, brushes, miniatures kitchen roll or the equivalent and a clean and tidy space to work in. 
Practice; try different materials and painting techniques. There is no secret formula involved, just the best way of painting that suits your style. There is also no substitute for this it has taken me a long time to develop my technique and style.
Oh and of course patience lots of it because things don't always go as planned and painting minis can be very frustrating.

What type of paint should I use?

Oil or solvent based. These are thicker than acrylics and require you to have 'thinner' available for washing, thinning paint and cleaning brushes. They often have very long drying times between coats too. The most common form of this paint is enamel. But just to confuse matters some acrylics can be enamels too, so make sure you read the label.

Acrylic paints are water based and tend to be smoother the consistency resembling single cream. Though if they get too dry they become grainy. The only thing needed to wash, thin and clean this stuff is water. Yes the stuff that comes from the tap.

Now there are some basic colours that you must have and they are white, black, brown, red, yellow and blue. You will need these to mix colours and these colours mean you can mix just about every colour you will need. In addition to these various mettalic's gold, silver, bronze and steel.

Now if you want to really save some hassle buy three shades of each colour.
For example dark green, mid green and bright green. Deep red, red and bright red.
This will give you a base colour first and second highlight. Because mixing the same colour twice can be very awkward. 



What brushes are needed?

Well you need a size 1 or 2 for priming and large areas.
1 brush of every size available from 0 to 20/0, to cover small areas and fine detail work.
I also have brushes with one and two hairs on for super fine details.
Now dry brushing is a technique I shall explain later but it destroys brushes so never and I mean never buy expensive brushes to carry out this work it will damage your brushes beyond use and will be very expensive. Use cheap camel hair-brushes and size 1 or 0 are adequate for this work mainly. (TIP: when dry brushes are worn out they can be trimmed to make very good super fine detail brushes)
When buying brushes make sure you get brushes with smooth tips that end in a good point and the sizes are right for the miniatures you intend to paint the smaller the scale the finer the brush needed to paint with.

How do I clean brushes?

Well this is dependant on the type of paint you are using. Generally acrylics that are water based a gentle wash in warm soapy water will suffice, remember to re-form the tip into a good point though after washing.
For oil-based paints you are better to buy the thinners made by the same manufacturer of the paints you are using.
When cleaning a brush while painting rotate the brush gently against the side of your water/thinner container gently until the brush stops exuding paint.
A clear thinner/water container is best as you can see when the brush is clean and just how dirty the water you are trying to clean up in has become. 
There are 3 things never to do with a brush:
1. Never scrub your brushes on a miniature or the blotter
2. Don't let the paint dry on your brush especially when using acrylics. This will render your brush useless.
3. Never leave your brush sitting in a pot of water/thinners resting on its tip you will lose the fine point needed to paint miniatures.

What other equipment will I need?

Not much really. 
A palette of some description.
2 water thinner containers. Old jam jars are good for this I say two because always use separate containers for mettalics, as the flecks tend to float on the surface and will transfer from the water container to your brush when cleaning.
Good lighting
Time. No matter how quick you can paint there is never enough time. Learn to paint bits at a time 
A magnifier, either a glass clip on's for your glasses or cheap reading glasses with good magnification. This may not seem important now but remind your self when you get eyestrain what you have them for.
A sharp scalpel, emery boards, fine detail files, tweezers, pin-vice (hand drill) and super glue.

What do I do to the miniature before painting? 

Well miniatures often come with varying amounts of flash and mould lines on them. To get a good finish on your miniatures you have to get these off or as much as possible. Carefully using files and emery board remove all traces of mould lines.

Use the scalpel to remove the bump from under the base.
After you have done this the miniatures will require washing in warm soapy water or oxy clean, this is because miniatures are often coated in substances from the casting process to make them come free from the mould, also repeated handling of miniatures leaves oil from your hands on the surface all bad things for getting paint to adhere well.

Finally cut some card board squares or strips of wood, lolly sticks anything really that you can glue the mini to with a little white glue or rubber cement that will allow you to paint the mini without having to touch it at all. Even freshly dried paint is easily rubbed off without the slightest provocation resulting in having to either overcoat or touch up both time consuming and soul destroying. 

Well that's all for this step the next part will start with priming the figures and getting all the basics covered.

Please remember to mention Wargames Forum when contacting traders!

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