I have just started getting into painting miniatures and have a couple of questions. First, does any company sell a starters set of paints, so I don't have to buy each individually? What size of brushes do I need? Do I need to "prime" the miniatures first by painting black etc? Any other tips would help.
Miniatures painting help
- Thread starter sfgiants
- Start date
Your best bet for paints is to check art/craft stores. Many of them sell paints (use arcylic water based, not oil) for good results. These paints are usually cheaper than any specific name brand paints.
Priming mini's is a must. The primer will give a base for the paint to stick to. Priming in dark colors (black) will make colors placed on them darker. Priming with white will make colors brighter. Don't forget to clear coat them after you're done. If you don't you'll watch all your hard work chip off!
Any hobby shop should have brushes. I use sable brushes, sizes:
10/0, 5/0, 3/0 all the way up to 1 and 2 for drybrushing. Other prefer and like nylon, it's all a preference thing.
I don't have any links to direct you to, but hopefully someone else will chip in. I know there are several good websites on mini painting out there.
The WotC has a section on mini painting tips that they run like a column:
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/pp/pp20010607a
Hope this helps get you started!
Priming mini's is a must. The primer will give a base for the paint to stick to. Priming in dark colors (black) will make colors placed on them darker. Priming with white will make colors brighter. Don't forget to clear coat them after you're done. If you don't you'll watch all your hard work chip off!
Any hobby shop should have brushes. I use sable brushes, sizes:
10/0, 5/0, 3/0 all the way up to 1 and 2 for drybrushing. Other prefer and like nylon, it's all a preference thing.
I don't have any links to direct you to, but hopefully someone else will chip in. I know there are several good websites on mini painting out there.
The WotC has a section on mini painting tips that they run like a column:
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/pp/pp20010607a
Hope this helps get you started!
Henrix
Explorer
Welcome to the wonderful world of miniature painting!
I would recommend you to take a look at some on-line painting guide. Most of your questions are probably answered there.
Wizards has one at their Chainmail page.
Another good one is Hot Lead.
Most companies sell some sort of starter set, including a bunch of paints, and often a brush or two. Games Workshop has one or two, and should probably be easy to find.
Brushes. I'd say you need a size 1 or 0 to start with, and perhaps a 00 for finicky details.
But size isn't that important, really
.
Many make the mistake of using brushes that are too small, which makes your painting slower, and loose their patience.
Take care with your brushes and they will not only last longer, they will also hold their points better and it will be easier to paint details with them.
Priming is a good practice as it makes the paint stick better. If you're just painting one or two minis you vcan prime them by hand, using either a special primer (like Smelly Primer from GW) or ordinary white or black paint.
Black or white primer is a matter of taste.
Black dulls the colours a bit, but if you miss a spot it will be visible mostly as a dark shadow. So black primer coould be the best to start with.
When you start painting a whole lot of minis at a time you can start thinking of spray primers.
Good luck!
I would recommend you to take a look at some on-line painting guide. Most of your questions are probably answered there.
Wizards has one at their Chainmail page.
Another good one is Hot Lead.
Most companies sell some sort of starter set, including a bunch of paints, and often a brush or two. Games Workshop has one or two, and should probably be easy to find.
Brushes. I'd say you need a size 1 or 0 to start with, and perhaps a 00 for finicky details.
But size isn't that important, really
. Many make the mistake of using brushes that are too small, which makes your painting slower, and loose their patience.
Take care with your brushes and they will not only last longer, they will also hold their points better and it will be easier to paint details with them.
Priming is a good practice as it makes the paint stick better. If you're just painting one or two minis you vcan prime them by hand, using either a special primer (like Smelly Primer from GW) or ordinary white or black paint.
Black or white primer is a matter of taste.
Black dulls the colours a bit, but if you miss a spot it will be visible mostly as a dark shadow. So black primer coould be the best to start with.
When you start painting a whole lot of minis at a time you can start thinking of spray primers.
Good luck!
Baastet
First Post
Here are the link I recoomend looking at ...
http://www.wegotgame.net/jen/main.html
She has some beautifully painted minatures and has some great tips. Also she has some great sites to visit in her links page
http://www.wegotgame.net/jen/main.html
She has some beautifully painted minatures and has some great tips. Also she has some great sites to visit in her links page
Ever since Ral Partha went under, I don't know of a packaged starter set (unless you're rich and committed enough to get the GW complete set). I would recommend getting around 8 or so of a variety of colors to start out with. Your first couple of minis aren't going to look that great anyway, so you might as well get some practice and make sure you like it before expanding your selection. The only brands of miniature paint currently available are Games Workshop and Reaper, and I would recommend getting mostly Reaper with a few GW when you can't find a color you want. GW paints are good, but the bottle design is abysmal, so the lids get stuck and they dry out quickly. Reaper is almost as good and without the headaches.
As for brushes, there are a couple of companies that package a set of them of varying sizes, but if they are not available, I would say to get one of size 0 or larger for things like clothes, either a 3/0 or 5/0 for intermediate level of detail, and the smallest you can find for fine detail.
Before painting, you need to wash the miniature, clean off the flash, and then prime it. I generally use grey primer unless I'm painting something that is very light or dark colored, in which case I use white or black. I find that black tends to show through light-colored paint and look splotchy. You can find cans of spray primer at most hobby stores, but if it is unavailable, you can paint it on, though you should thin it a little bit with water so you don't lose detail. After painting, if you don't want the paint to flake off, you need to apply a sealant. I use Testor's gloss coat to protect it followed by dull coat so it doesn't shine, but there are lots of types available.
There's a wide variety of techniques that are used with miniatures, so just do a couple of figures without worrying too much about how they look to get a general feel for how it works, and then run a search online, and you will find lots of resources describing how to do various things.
As for brushes, there are a couple of companies that package a set of them of varying sizes, but if they are not available, I would say to get one of size 0 or larger for things like clothes, either a 3/0 or 5/0 for intermediate level of detail, and the smallest you can find for fine detail.
Before painting, you need to wash the miniature, clean off the flash, and then prime it. I generally use grey primer unless I'm painting something that is very light or dark colored, in which case I use white or black. I find that black tends to show through light-colored paint and look splotchy. You can find cans of spray primer at most hobby stores, but if it is unavailable, you can paint it on, though you should thin it a little bit with water so you don't lose detail. After painting, if you don't want the paint to flake off, you need to apply a sealant. I use Testor's gloss coat to protect it followed by dull coat so it doesn't shine, but there are lots of types available.
There's a wide variety of techniques that are used with miniatures, so just do a couple of figures without worrying too much about how they look to get a general feel for how it works, and then run a search online, and you will find lots of resources describing how to do various things.
Kichwas
Half-breed, still living despite WotC racism
Prime with 'primer'. Not a given color of paint.
Primer itself comes in a number of colors. You'll find it in gray, white, and black at your local game store.
GW's starter set is around $20 or so.
If you have a local art store buying acryllics there one by one is a wiser choice than buying paints from a game shop.
Just make sure the acryllics you buy have a fluid consistancy. If they're too thick they won't go on a miniature too well. Even some of the brands sold in game stores are so thick that you have to water them down a bit first...
you want small brushes... lots of them.
Consider joining this mailing list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mini-painter/
It's full of professionals and hobbyists. A very good place to get advice.
With a name like 'sfgiants' I'm wondering if you're in or near San Francisco. If so there are a number of good Art stores and game shops to get supplies in that I can recommend.
Try Gamescape (333 divisadero) and 'The Art Store' (Van Ness somewhere north of California...), both in the yellow pages.
Primer itself comes in a number of colors. You'll find it in gray, white, and black at your local game store.
GW's starter set is around $20 or so.
If you have a local art store buying acryllics there one by one is a wiser choice than buying paints from a game shop.
Just make sure the acryllics you buy have a fluid consistancy. If they're too thick they won't go on a miniature too well. Even some of the brands sold in game stores are so thick that you have to water them down a bit first...
you want small brushes...
lots of them.Consider joining this mailing list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mini-painter/
It's full of professionals and hobbyists. A very good place to get advice.
With a name like 'sfgiants' I'm wondering if you're in or near San Francisco. If so there are a number of good Art stores and game shops to get supplies in that I can recommend.
Try Gamescape (333 divisadero) and 'The Art Store' (Van Ness somewhere north of California...), both in the yellow pages.
Last edited:
Ds Da Man
First Post
Ive posted this several times, and it has worked out great for me, buy some magnetic stripping (1" wide). Then before touching up your base, glue this stripping to the bottom. When you travel to different games, you can just use a toolbox for you mini's, and they won't get bumped around.
Buy the basic color schemes, red, blue, yellow, green, black, white, brown, metallic gold, metallic silver. I also suggest for you to get some washes and inks from Games Workshop. They make fine detail a breeze, and don't cost "that" much. Ive found Walmart carry's an excellant selection of acrylics, and under $1 for bottles. The main paints above i got in the very large bottle.
Remeber, before painting to trim the slag off the figure. Also, when buying figures, try to check out the face detail. Some of the figures will have horrible detail, and the figure will turn out bad. Also, study your miniture before painting, think about the colors, and remember to use a white primer for lighter colors.
I have been painting for about 12 years now, and I love it. Also check out www.hirstarts.com I think after some time and practice, you will love molding and making castles and such too. Have fun, and keep trying, skin tones can suck when you first start, don't get frustrated, just try try again.
(Soaking unclearcoated mini's in pinesol, brake fluid, or CLR will get paint off of a metal mini easy.)
Buy the basic color schemes, red, blue, yellow, green, black, white, brown, metallic gold, metallic silver. I also suggest for you to get some washes and inks from Games Workshop. They make fine detail a breeze, and don't cost "that" much. Ive found Walmart carry's an excellant selection of acrylics, and under $1 for bottles. The main paints above i got in the very large bottle.
Remeber, before painting to trim the slag off the figure. Also, when buying figures, try to check out the face detail. Some of the figures will have horrible detail, and the figure will turn out bad. Also, study your miniture before painting, think about the colors, and remember to use a white primer for lighter colors.
I have been painting for about 12 years now, and I love it. Also check out www.hirstarts.com I think after some time and practice, you will love molding and making castles and such too. Have fun, and keep trying, skin tones can suck when you first start, don't get frustrated, just try try again.
(Soaking unclearcoated mini's in pinesol, brake fluid, or CLR will get paint off of a metal mini easy.)
Barendd Nobeard
Explorer
arcady said:
That list gets a lot of mail, so be prepared.
I have some links to other's painting sites on my Miniatures Links page. Not very organized, but it's a start.
As already noted, priming is a must.
Another recent tip from the yahoo minipainter list: don't paint "right from the pot" - you need to use a palette and thin the paint a bit. This allows the fine detail of the mini to show through. If you paint "right from the pot" the paint can go on too thick and obscure the details of the figures.
Jack Haggerty
First Post
Ds Da Man said:
Now that's a great idea... I'll have to look into that.
As for washes and inks, you can buy bottles of any colored regular India Ink. A few drops diluted in water go a long way, but add a small drop of soap to the mix (SoftSoap or liquid dish soap work well). That reduces the tendancy of the ink pigments to clump in the water.
Oh, and from my own personal experience, learn how to dry brush, and learn how to do it well.
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