Last week, I wrote a post about how now can be a great time to launch a digital side hustle. It doesn’t have to be a business you start, though; now is also a great time to take up a new hobby. One new one that I’ve picked up is painting miniatures. I use them in my D&D games anyway (which is a great game with a number of reasons you should check it out, by the way), and since D&D is off the table while we’re in lockdown, this was a great complement. Here’s how to get started with painting minis if you’re a beginner.
Step 1: Grab your supplies.
You don’t need much to get started. All you need is a worktop with excellent lighting, a brush or two, some paints, a cup of water to rinse brushes in, and some minis. As far as what minis you choose, it doesn’t matter whether they’re D&D miniatures, army miniatures, or something else entirely; the principles are the same.
If you’re not sure where to start with brushes, any cheap brush will do when you’re starting out. If you decide you like painting miniatures though, you’re going to want to invest in quality brushes, because the crappy ones will make you very irritated, very quickly. I’m going to include a few affiliate links here, which allow me to make a few extra coppers at absolutely no extra cost to you if you make a purchase from Amazon.
For quality, I recommend the Winsor and Newton Series 7 miniature brushes. These things are made in Suffolk, the UK, and they are unparalleled in their quality. They hold a perfect point, and give you just the right amount of feedback as you paint so that you can feel what you’re painting.
But again, if you’re fresh, forget all that and just get something cheap and cheerful, like this.
As far as paints go, you’re looking for acrylics, and there are a few players in the miniature paints space that stand out. Vallejo is a big one, but I personally use The Army Painter, which offers a great set on Amazon at a fair price (and it comes with a decent-quality brush, which is a great plus). Either way, both companies’ paints are highly-pigmented, which is important because you’ll be diluting your paints with water, as we’ll see later.
Step 2: Set up your workspace.
Get your minis, paints, brushes and water all in one place within reach of your seat. You’ll want to grab a piece of paper towel to wipe your brush on, as well. It’s important that you sit or stand with good posture and good lighting; you don’t want your new hobby to cause back pain or eye strain.
Step 3: Start painting!
What I love about painting miniatures is that you can get decent quality results pretty quickly, using just a few basic techniques.
Technique #1: Dry Brushing
Dry brushing is a technique where you put undiluted paint on your brush, wipe almost all of it off on a paper towel, and very lightly sweep the bristles across the surface you’re looking to paint. You’ll build up the colour very gradually, which is generally always what you want to do when painting miniatures.
Technique #2: Layering
Layering is a slightly more advanced technique than dry brushing, and involves layering slightly-different colours of paint to achieve a gradient effect. It’s more work, but it also looks just incredible when done well. This technique is how you achieve the very tip-top of quality paint jobs.
To do it, you’ll need to use water or mixing medium (I use water) to dilute your paints. You’ll have to play around with the ratio, and every colour is different, but I find that a ratio of 3:1 water-to-paint usually works pretty well. All you want to do is dip your brush in the diluted paint, then dab it on the paper towel to get most of it off. You don’t want it runny on your brush, you’re looking for control.
From there, you’ll paint on several layers of your chosen colour until you’ve fully covered the painting surface. It’ll take multiple coats, but this approach gives a much more even-looking coat of paint. After adding your base colour, you then proceed to do the same thing with progressively-lighter colours, adding in highlights and details as you go along.
This one is a bit tricky, so you may want to check out a short video from the geniuses at Hero Forge to get the gist of it. The key here is practice; you won’t be amazing at this to start. Just take your first shot, don’t be afraid to suck, and learn as you go!
Technique #3: Washing
Washing is another useful technique that sees you using inks or heavily-diluted paints to basically wash your miniature in paint. When you do this, colour will pool in the cracks and crevices of your mini, which will help to create a highlights-and-shadows effect that would take far more time to achieve with the other techniques.
I don’t use this technique for every mini, but I do use it very often, and I find it especially helpful in painting bases.
Wrapping it Up
So there you have it, a beginner’s guide on how to paint miniatures. Not that much to it! Honestly, I went from complete rookie to painting pretty decent-quality stuff in only a few weeks, and after working on only a handful of minis. You don’t need to spend a fortune to get started; you just need the right tools for the job, and a little patience. Once you get the hang of it though, the results are very rewarding!
