Painting Guide


Author: Ashley Culver Đ 2001

Tools of the Trade

Youīve got get this right before going any further. Hereīs a good list of tools

Brushes - Alright so this is kind of obvious. You may have read elsewhere that a selection of brushes is needed. Itīs true to a point. I use a "5 zero" brush for 80% of my work. I have one larger brush for those really big areas but it isnīt used much. This larger brush also doubles up to mix paints together if I need a large amount of a custom colour. Finally, an old beaten up brush that isnīt too small for a bit of dry brushing when needed.

Modelling Knife
Super glue e.g. Loctite
Epoxy Glue e.g. Araldite Rapid
Epoxy Resin e.g. Milliput

Preparation is everything !

Trim off those mold lines and cut away any excess metal - it will result in a better end result once the mini is painted and is worth taking the 5 minutes it takes. Glue the mini to the base with a dab of superglue making sure the mini is properly upright. If you find out afterwards that itīs leaning to one side it will look a bit daft :-) (and you might not be able to get it out the base without breaking something).

Right, on to undercoating. Please, please do not ever consider missing this stage out.

All miniatures were undercoated in matt grey car primer. Painted mostly with Citadel Colour paints with the odd Humbrol paint too (check out that Lavender used on the Swooping Hawk). I donīt use drybrushing at all and use washes on "metal" areas only. Iīve found this to be the most effective.

Tips

Mix ` n ī match
Donīt be afraid of mixing your colours together ! Acrylic paints mix very well and although your first attempts may end up looking like an off shade of vomit (very common) you will soon pick up which colours mix to give you some nice variation on your standard range.

Paint Consistency
Do not let your paint get too thick ! As soon as you see this happening add some water immediately. If you do not youīll end with a streaky texture where you are painting as the paint dries on your brush. This can obscure detail and leave the area looking rough.

Pausing for thought
Before you start, when your mini is stuck together, undercoated and gagging for some painting, itīs well worth pausing before diving in.
First version from 24.03.2008. Last version from 24.03.2008.

Article from ChronopiaWorld.com