A Quick Introduction to Miniature Painting

So, you have decided to enter the vast and sprawling world of Miniature Painting. Are you wondering where to begin? Luckily, the Chaos Cards team have your back, both online and in the real world too!

From starter packs, to paints and brushes, we have a wide selection of products to help you get started on your epic journey. Some people choose to paint miniatures for use in games or campaigns (Think of Warhammer or the Dungeons and Dragons miniatures) and some people simply paint for their personal collections or just for fun. Whatever you decide to do, read on to find out more and get stuck in!

Did you know we even have regular Miniature painting sessions at our friendly Tabletop Gaming Store in Folkestone?

Where do I begin?

One of the most important parts of Miniature Painting is ensuring you have the correct equipment. Sure, paint and brushes are a good start, but there's a whole world of products out there to discover, read on to find out some of Chaos Cards top picks to help you get started...

If a starter set is something that tickles your fancy, we have many varieties available on our website (and sometimes in store too.) Sets like the Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Stormcast Eternals Vindictors + Paint set are a great starting point for example, if you are particularly interested in Warhammer. This set would begin your Age of Sigmar journey. It contains

• Two plastic Vindictors,
• A citadel starter brush,
• Six essential 12ml pots of colour including; Corax White, Leadbelcher, Kantor Blue, retributor Armour, Stirland Mud and Agrax Earthshade (I don’t know about you, but we always love reading the paint colour names! Always so inventive.)

The figures included in this starter set are push-fit and so you don’t even need glue to start. Another starter set possibility could be the beautiful Moonstone Starter set from Goblin King Games, which has everything you need to embark on this new game, including 8 miniatures, card deck, dice counters/widgets. This particular starter set doesn’t contain paints, but read on to find out more about the wide variety of paint choices available to you.

Tool Up!

When preparing your miniatures there are a few steps you need to go through first. More often then not, these will include a variety of different tools and techniques. Helpfully, Games Workshop do a Beginners Paint and Tools set, which comes with a selection of colours for your chosen faction (Age of Sigmar or 40k) This includes a Citadel starter brush, Citadel starter clippers and a Citadel Mouldline scraper. Its definitely a set worth getting if you are interested in Warhammer as it covers the initial bases needed for a beginner. If you prefer to purchase a simpler toolkit, then Wizkids do a great little Dungeons and Dragons Prep Tool kit which includes basic tools such as a flexi-sander, hobby knife and Sprue Cutter, to help you get started. Otherwise there is always the option to pick and choose the tools that feel best to you. Sometimes, it is simply a matter of trying out the different tools available and deciding which one suits you the most!

To glue or not to glue… that is the question.

Confusingly, there is not one set type of glue that can be used across the wide variety of miniatures available. In fact, some miniatures don’t even require glue due to being push fit. It is definitely worth checking out what method your chosen miniature prefers as you start out. Citadel glue is specifically designed for use when assembling Citadel miniatures (these are the miniatures from the Games Workshop range.) A big plus with this glue is that it has a handy nozzle, which makes glue application more precise and simple to do. Another type of glue would be a water-based glue such as Gale Force Nine Basing Glue. This can be used when making bases for your miniatures. It is perfect for adding tufts, flock and debris to your models base, and it dries clear, leaving no worries about unsightly streaks. Some miniatures, such as the new Moonstone game, require standard super glue as they are resin minis, and plastic glue will not be as effective.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Investing in some decent brushes is probably one of the first proper investments at the start of your Miniature Painting journey. Did you know there is a variety of different brush types and sizes to suit the different techniques involved with miniature painting? There are base coats, drybrushing, highlighting and shading to think about, amongst other techniques. We actually stock a brush for every eventuality. Base coats is pretty self-explanatory! Drybrushing is a cool and satisfying technique where you apply paint with a (you guessed it!) drybrush. It helps to add more dimension to your miniature and is quite a satisfying process. Highlighting and shading will help create more depth and texture to your miniature and we find is quite a fulfilling task!

Primed and Ready for Action

We believe that it’s a great idea to find a mini that you are inspired by when you first start out. It always helps to be enthusiastic at the beginning of a task. Once you have decided on that, its time to think about priming. Whilst some models come ready and primed, others aren’t, so its always worth checking! White, grey or black primers are the standard choice when it comes to priming your miniature ready for action. If you come to our miniature painting workshops, you will often find that we use a grey spray primer. Most miniatures need about 2 – 3 layers of paint, although this can often depend on the primer. If this seems intimidating, a good figure to start on would be these Dungeons and Dragons miniatures from WizKids as these come pre primed, therefore taking away any worries about that particular aspect of painting.

Do you know the difference between your base paint, shades, washes and contrast paints? Base paints are exactly what they sound like and are used to give a smooth matte finish over the initial primed layer. Shades and washes can be used to add detail. A wash is a fluid and semi-transparent layer of paint which you will find to be thinner than the other paints you may be using. It can be used to create shadows and bring out details. A shade paint provides matte shading for your miniature and can provide a contrast to your other paints. Contrast paints are between a normal paint and a wash and are great for those of us new to miniature painting. They are a great tool as they provide a base coat, shade and highlight all in one go! If you are after a starter set of paints then The Army Painter have a hobby starter set which might suit your needs. Or you can purchase the colours separately as and when you need them, much like the Citadel range of paints, which should cover all bases for you when starting out.

Practice makes Perfect!

All of the miniature painters at Chaos Cards will tell you that one of the key ingredients of Miniature Painting is PRACTICE... Practice using your paintbrush, experiment with the wide variety of colours available, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Most importantly it is something that should be a fun and enjoyable experience. Miniature painting pros will tell you it’s a constant learning process and it takes time to refine your skills. Don’t let that put you off though, it is a hugely rewarding and sometimes even therapeutic thing to learn. So what are you waiting for? Get painting!

Do you enjoy miniature painting or are you just starting out on your journey? Let us know if you have any tips or questions you would like to share in the comments below or via our social media channels!