When faced with a bare table during your D&D game, do you rely on theatre of the mind or would you like some tangible pieces to play with? If you and your players desire some more interactive maps and characters, here is a great way to start painting those pieces of plastic!
1. Source Your Plastic
Working with your players is a great way to get them excited and feel at home in the world you are creating together.
There are some great companies out there that provide many styles of miniatures and terrain for your games. These miniatures come in a variety of materials and styles. Check your local game stores for brands like Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures or Reaper Bones. Those are easy to come by and available at a reasonable cost. They are easy to clean and prep and some come already primed. Other sources are having your character immortalized in 3D printed resin or plastic. This can be more costly, and shipping times can run a bit long too. Feel free to look on buy or sell websites as well, there might be someone looking to clear out some of their shelves.
2. Get the Supplies You Need for Prep and Paint
You’ve found your characters and terrain and want to bring them to life a bit more, so why not add some color? Painting can be simple and straightforward, but if you would like your pieces to last longer and really have great detail, let's get down to how to achieve that.
When a model comes out of the packaging, and it is unprimed, it is important to give it a wash, to remove any chemical mold release left on. Warm water, dish soap and a soft cloth should do the trick.
You may notice that on your model there are some little tiny raised lines from where the resin was poured, those are called Mold Lines and need to be scraped off. An exacto or craft knife or even some small nail files can do the trick there. The reason you would want those lines off is that it helps the paint not pool up against it and gives the model a smoother finish. This step is optional, but overall, it makes the model more realistic.
Now on to priming. It is good practice to prime figures that will be touched a lot, so the paint has something to really adhere to. There are many brands of primer out there, some cheap and some not so cheap. It will be in your best interest to find something that suits your budget. Generally, if you are doing a light colored model, with lots of skin tone or bright yellows, to prime in a white. Darker beasts and terrain can be primed darker. There are other priming techniques such as Zenithal Highlighting that help bring more realistic lighting to a model, but for the basics we will stick to one flat prime. Once your primer is dry, now we can begin with the colors!
3. Basic Base Painting
Alright, here’s the good stuff. Paint. But, wow, there are so many different kinds of paints, how can you choose any one of them to start? This is where budget and time come into play again. If you are looking to not delve too deep into the world of miniature paint, there are great dollar stores or craft paint from hobby stores that can do the trick, especially on terrain.
Now, the pigmentation might not be there but it can work. If you are looking into more than one or two pieces and want them to stand out, I suggest you look into more hobby related paint brands. There are several paint brands that are highly recommended for starters; Games Workshop carries Citadel Paint, created for miniature painting and a midline price range. You can grab individual paint pots or a box set. These are great paints to begin with. There are also Army Paints that come in dropper bottles. These paints come in a wide array of colors and are very beginner friendly. Other brands like Scale 75, P3, Vallejo and Game Color are also great brands that are fairly easy to find at hobby stores. Each brand uses different consistencies of paint and different finishes, like glossy or matte. Knowing this, you can decide which paints are right for you.
Alright, so your miniature figure is cleaned, primed and you have your paint, but obviously you need a brush too! Many debates have been fought about which brush is best. But to get you going, find a medium sized brush and a small detail brush. That will be great for you to start. These can be found at any hobby store, dollar store or game store. Dungeons and Dragons have a paint brush starter set, same with Games Workshop and Army Paints. These will be perfect to begin.
So, getting some paint down. Pick a color scheme that appeals most to you. Don’t worry so much about complementary color and making it look a certain way. You are a beginner and just getting the basics down is a good place to start. Color theory plays a role in figure painting, just not yet. Go with what feels good to you and what you would want to see on your character. Scooping or dropping some paint on a palette is a great idea. There are dry palettes and wet palettes out on the market, and for beginners, a wet palette is a must. They are simple to make yourself, many tutorials online to get you started on which one is right for you, or how to make your own. They keep your paint moist for a longer working time.
Thinning paint is the next step. You want your paint to be a thin consistency so that it transfers from your brush onto the miniature with ease, and not obscure any details. How thin, you ask? About the consistency of whole milk or table cream is a good place to start. It might take more than 1 layer to get a solid color, but that is okay! You are building up color and not globbing paint over those tiny details. This might take time, but throw on some music and make it a party!
4. All in the details
So you have the base layer of the colors down. That’s great! Now we can work on the shades and highlights. Many of the above mentioned paint brands come with specialty paints such as shades or washes, and metallics. These are great for adding visual interest to your figures. The washed and shades come in a variety of colors and can match the colors you chose. What this medium is going to do is sit in the recessed parts of your figure creating shadows. Essentially, a wash is a thin pigmented paint, like an ink so they are very watery. They also bring out small detail work in armor and the face. Used strategically, they can also be used to change the colors effect. But for now, let's just add some shadows and bring out the details. Metallics are great for armor and weaponry to make them look just like, you guessed it, armor and weapons. Try not to thin down metallics, however, the formula to keep the metal pigment suspended won't quite look the same watered down.
Make sure to allow for ample dry time between base coating and washes. If the paint is not dry, it will muddy the wash and turn your model funny colors. After the washes are dry, if you so desire, you can go back over your base colors to bring back the vibrancy. Washes and shades tend to dull colors. The next basic technique would be dry brushing. This is a simple way to bring out the topmost detail on your figure. This is simply using a dry paint brush, dabbing on some paint, wiping most of it off and lightly brushing over the top details on your figure. Be sure to stick within the same color family, and try to avoid using bright white. This technique is great for terrain and fur.
Please don’t forget to add a clear coat varnish, especially if you are handling the pieces regularly. All that beautiful hard work you put into it shouldn’t be chipped away, which will happen without a clear coat varnish.
5. More advanced techniques
Once the basics are down, you can try your hand at layering and edge highlighting. This is a technique that many YouTube tutorials have been created about and many people have explained. It is a great way to mimic lighting on your figure. This can create the illusion of sunlight hitting your figure and bring out the movement of fabrics and hair. Feel free to dive into this world of technique, and though it might take some practice, it is well worth the effect in the end and make your figure look very dynamic.
These are just the beginnings of your miniature painting journey. Make it your own and decide how deep you want to go with it. There are some wonderful ways to create a dynamic looking figure, but any figure painted on a table top is a fantastic treat to you, as a player, or DM. Creating a world that is visual and tangible is a great dynamic to any game and can help your game to be more immersive and special to everyone involved.
Meet the Blogger
Courtney D. @figuratively_speakingminis
Hi I am Courtney from Figuratively Speaking Miniatures. I have discovered this passion for painting small pieces of plastic and playing with them and I want to share that with you! I am happy to have you here and if you would like join me on my miniature painting journey, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram and my website.