Painting minis?

[Marc17]

I use various model paints. Craft acrylics will work but aren't the best. I do go to the art store to buy big bottles of my black and white. You usually don't want pure white, but rather an off white. After you paint, look into doing a dark wash and dry brushing. Simple techniques that are really good about hiding imperfections and making details pop.

As for rattle cans and reaper Bones: I dislike rattle cans anyway. Needs some good technique. Just half a second too long or a pass too many and it seem details get clogged up and drips happen. I prefer to just brush paint primer. I've also heard the sticky thing is due to the Bones breaking agent (from mold casting) and they need to be washed with soap first as it is not just primer it reacts to. Otherwise, you might check eBay for Reaper Bones auctions people might have up for sale. Large batch of minis but probably still pretty cheap for what you get. (I haven't searched for some time though. I have all the Bones KS editions and maybe 2% painted.)

 

[MGibster]

I'm going to say something negative about Reaper right now. Their Bones (white) line isn't great for new painters. The Bones white lines is inexpensive, sure, but the models often lack details, which I think a beginner should see because they need the practice. The larger Bones white models, like Cthulhu, aren't bad, but the smaller, PC sized ones often lack detail.

 

[Fenris-77]

I use a mix of GW and Vallejo paints, with some army painter stuff tossed in. You really do need good quality acrylics for mini work just to ensure that the coverage will be ok. Cheaper paints will give you fits when you try to cover darker colours with red or yellow for example. Better quality paints with more pigment make things easier. A lot also depends on what kind of technique you're using. If you want strong blocking and a dip then pigment density and coverage are key, but if you're going to do a ton of soft layering you cand look into other products.

 

[Koloth]

In addition to paints, minis and brushes, get an X-acto knife set and a few of those diamond coated mini files. Most minis can benefit from some cleanup out of the package. Mold lines and such.

One of those 'Third Hand' set of adjustable clamps can really help.

2nd the warning about spray primer and white Bones minis.

For 3D printed minis, I have good luck with Rustoleum 2X primer, especially on filament prints. Don't use the normal 2X paint colors as primer. It claims it is primer but doesn't work as well as the black and gray. Several light coats are far better then one heavy runny coat.

A sheet of 100 grit sandpaper is great for clean up of the undersides of mini bases.

Unless you have a dedicated yours only paint station, get a nice large sheet of cardboard to use as a table protector. You WILL spill paint, stick super glue to some thing, and oops with the x-acto knife. Especially if you share the table with others. The cardboard can go a long way to maintaining domestic tranquility.

 

[soviet]

A wet palette. The army painter one is great, they're really cheap. It's just a bit of wet foam with a sheet of special paper on it that allow some of the moisture underneath to stop the paint from drying out. It's a game changer that lets you just concentrate on painting without having to constantly battle the paint itself.