A "How to" Guide for Beginners for Painting Miniatures

Having painted miniatures for decades, I think some of us long-timers in the hobby forget how beginners may not know how to start painting. So, I decided to create this "How To" picture-heavy post in case it might be helpful for novices to see how one veteran, journeyman-level painter does it. We will be following painting a batch of 8 Dark Ages archers from start to finish.

Step 0: How big of a batch to paint?

When I began painting "armies" back in my teens (for Wargames Research Group Ancients rules), I thought that you should paint all of the figures at once. Over the years I have learned that painting all the flesh, all the armor, all the shields, etc., on dozens and dozens of figures can become mind-numbing. I know some people still paint that way, but I paint in batches. For 28mm miniatures, I usually choose 4-8 figures. Why that number? Well, I feel that is small enough that one stage for that many figures won't take too incredibly long of a session. However, it is more efficient than painting each figure individually. With acrylic paints, the first of the eight may be somewhat dry by the time you finish the eighth, allowing you to do multiple stages in one setting. I would certainly recommend beginners start out small, though.

    The excess metal has been trimmed off with an X-acto knife and the figs are glued to cardboard

Step 1: Cleaning the figures and attaching them to cardboard

By cleaning, I don't mean scrubbing them or soaking them in vinegar (like was recommend many years ago). I simply mean taking an X-acto knife and trimming off the excess metal underneath arms, legs, etc. Also, scrape away mold lines (these may be particularly apparent on flat surfaces like shields). Once the figure looks like (you feel) the sculptor intended, I then use ordinary white glue and affix them to a cardboard square. Why a cardboard square? Well, it allows me to write down colors that I plan on using, or even draw a mockup of a shield or pattern I intend to use.

    The miniatures have been primed with white paint (note the planned colors written on the cardboard)

Step 2: Priming the figures

There are a number of ways you can prime figures. You can prime them with spray cans, or as I do, with brush-on paint or primer. Honestly, I use simple white acrylic paint as my primer. These gives the colors -- especially lighter, translucent ones -- a good base to shine. It also gives a surface for the paint to adhere to easier. I use a large, stiff-bristled brushed and essentially scrub the white paint on, as you can see above. You don't need a solid white look. Remember, this is just a base coat to help your later colors shine and to let the paint affix to it easier than smooth metal. NOTE: There are a number of very good miniature painters who prime with black, rather than white. They use a dry brushing method (discussed below) so that any recessed areas show through black as shadows. I have tried this method and don't like the results, but it is a personal choice. 

    My 8 Dark Age archers have their flesh tone base coat painted and darker wash applied

Step 3: Painting the flesh tone

Many people feel you should paint a miniature from the lowest, most recessed area and build outward. In most cases for minis depicting human beings, that's going to be the flesh. There are exceptions to beginning with the flesh. If a miniature is depicted with an overwhelming amount of surface area in one type of material (let's say a medieval knight in plate armor), I may do that area first, instead. This is especially true if only small areas of flesh are showing. It may be easier to do the big area first, and go back and do the flesh after it is done.

For my flesh, I use a simple Delta Ceramcoat acrylic craft paint flesh tone. If this is your first step after priming, don't worry if you slop it over onto some of the armor or clothes. You're going to paint over that. So, you can use a bigger brush and do it quickly, just make sure it gets into all the recesses and doesn't pool too thickly. Oh, and be certain what is flesh tone and what is pants, for example. It's annoying to discover later that the pants are actually the leg and have to go back and redo steps. 

Next, I paint a wash of a darker skin color over the flesh area to sink into the recesses (between fingers, in eye sockets, etc.). I create and mix up a bottle of this wash so that I don't have to remix it every time I do a batch of figures. I use a simple plastic bottle purchased from the craft store. Into that bottle, I empty an entire dropper bottle of Vallejo Matt Varnish. The next step is the tricky part. You take a darker version of the flesh color -- I use a deep orange -- and add it to the plastic bottle. My formula is 10 drops of the color to an entire one of the tiny matt varnish bottles. I recommend starting with less and testing it out on a figure. Once you have your recipe set, shake up the plastic bottle and simply paint it on. It settles into the recesses nicely and gives a nice shadow effect.

    Next step is blocking on the major colors

Step 4: Blocking in the Major Colors

Now, we're really painting! At this step, I paint in the pants, tunics, etc., on the figure. If the figures are part of a uniformed army, then it is easy to pick out what colors you're going to use. If they are more irregular -- like these Dark Age archers -- I will use a variety of colors. It makes it easier to keep track of everything and ensure no duplication if I write down what colors I'm going to use ahead of time. I often will use faded colors for poorer, ordinary troops and brighter colors for nobles or elites. So, it is good to have a variety of tones in a particular color. I easily have half a dozen more more of blues, greens, reds, etc. For these figures, I painted just the pants and tunics at this stage.

    An example of how I do a dry brush

Step 5: Dry-Brushing the Major Colors

So, new folks may or may not know what I mean by "dry brushing." At this stage, you are applying a lighter highlight to the major colors you blocked in above. For example, if you painted a tunic a pine green, you may do the dry brushing in a light or pale green. Khaki is a great highlight for medium browns, light grays for dark grays, and so on. If your base coat above was already a pale color, then white is always a good choice.

    If you look closely, you see the lighter highlights applied at this stage

So, how do you do it? Take a square tipped brush, as large as will work for the area you're dry brushing that won't cause you to slop it over onto every other areas. Dip it into the paint, and then scrape it across a paper towel or Kleenex tissue. I usually do this three times to ensure the bristles of the brush are coated with tiny amounts of paint. Take this brush and slide it lightly across the tunic or pants, aiming for the highest area that light would shine on - shoulders, knees, chest, back, etc. Dry brushing is a skill that you get better at as you paint more. Start lightly. You will need to replenish the paint on your brush, but always make sure you scraped off most of the paint with the towel. Too much on there and you get a big blob of the lighter color. If that happens, "erase" it with a clean brush and water.

    Now it is time for equipment like leather

Step 6: Equipment

Now it is time to paint some of the equipment - especially harder to reach things like straps, belts, and so on. I usually do a darker leather color as a base coat and a corresponding lighter one for highlights. Note that this isn't a dry brush. I paint this on full strength on top of the lighter color, leaving a solid outline of the darker color beneath it. I recommend picking out a palette of four to five leather colors, from a medium brown to a orange-like leather to a lighter tan. Arrange them from dark to light. Use the next shade lighter (or two shades lighter) for your highlighting, if that makes sense.

    Looking closely, you can see the lighter leather colors I have put in as highlights on the equipment

Step 6: Adding More Details

Next, you begin adding in bits of details. For example, I did the shoes or boots for the archers. There really isn't an exact order to doing this. You could easily save the shoes for towards the end. However, I consider it more like "clothes," so often do these before painting larger things like their bows, quivers, and helmets. Once again, I pick a darker base color and then dry brush a lighter highlight color.

    Start adding in more detail - here I have painted the shoes, boots, or leggings

    Shoe and legging highlights can be seen in this photo (hopefully!)

 Step 7: Weapons or Equipment (like quivers) and Hair

For the archers, I picked their quivers as the next part of the miniature to paint. Like I did with so much else on these figures, I also did a base coat and dry brush on these, too. I like to mix up my colors, too. Once again, if you are doing a uniformed army, you may want to make this equipment a similar color. However, for my Dark Age archers, I figured quivers are an individual piece of equipment. So, they can be a variety of colors, too - just the like the tunics, pants, etc.

At this stage, I also did the archer's hair. If historically accurate, I paint the hair colors in a variety, too. This can be a range from black to dark brown, medium brown, a mousey tan, blonde, and even auburn or orangish "red". Once again, I highlight the hair with a lighter color. Miniatures usually do a good job of giving strands of hair depth of carving on the figure, which makes it rewarding to dry brush.

    Here I have added in the base coat of the quivers

Step 8: Weapons

Continuing outward on the figures, it was now time for the bows. I use a medium brown even though I know bows or spears could be much lighter in color, too. For some reason, I like the look of brown wood. Like I did with the leather, I will do a full strength highlight in a lighter brown. I will put a line of this color where I think the light would shine on it. Same with spears. Less is more here, do just a couple streaks of color here.

    The bows were the next thing I painted on the archers

    Close up showing highlighting on the hair and bows

Step 9: Helmets, Sword hilts, etc.

I will often do helmets or sword blades or hilts towards the end of the painting. I recommend a two-tone approach here, too. My favorite base coat is Iron Wind Metals Steel. I paint the object in this color, and then either dry brush silver over it, or paint full strength silver or bronze. If bronze, I will even add in a tiny spot of gold as a highlight on top of that.

    The base coat of steel on the helmets of the archer

I think that at this point, beginners should get the picture of how I paint a batch of figures. However, I should touch on a few other points. Number one, I glue all equipment like shields or weapons on BEFORE painting. I feel the extra coating of primer and paint act as another coat of glue holding the equipment onto the figure while handling a game. If you glue a painted piece of equipment to a painted surface of a figure, it IS going to pop off. The only thing holding it on is the paint's adherence to the miniature, which is not strong enough.

    Washed, flocked and finished - my Dark Age archers!

After the figure is painted, I will usually give it a wash. Remember the flesh wash I described earlier. I do the exact same thing with brown and black. I mix up a bottle of brown wash and a bottle of black wash. Brown goes on flesh, light tans, and yellows. Black goes on browns, brighter colors like red, blue, and green. It also goes on any grays. I tend not to wash chainmail or other armored surfaces. I like them being brighter and not subdued. 

Once the figure is washed, I finally pop it off of its cardboard base. I then use either two part epoxy or tacky glue to affix it to its base. I use bases from Litko Aerosystems, but MDF or even plastic are good materials to use, as well. To affix the flocking, I first paint the miniature's base with a 50/50 mixture of white glue and brown paint. While it is still soaking wet, I dip the base in a tub of Fine Brown ballast from Woodland Scenics. Once this dries, I paint the base with a 50/50 mixture of white glue and water (which I keep pre-mixed in an old glue bottle). While wet, I dip the figure's base in a brown turf colored flocking from Woodland Scenics. 

    Another look at the flocking method I use, and the placement of the tufts and flowers

At this stage, I give the miniature it's first spray clear coat. My favorite brand is Testors Dullcoate, though a less expensive Krylon Flat clearcoat can be used at this stage. Once dry, I will paint on irregular splotches of full strength white glue. I sprinkle (not dip) the Woodland Scenics Blended Green Turf onto the glue. Once all the figures have their grass, I add in commercially purchased "tufts" of taller grass or even wild flowers. All that is left to at this point is one final spray of Testors Dullccoate, and the figure is ready for the tabletop!