Miniatures Painting FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about the painting of miniature figures for historical and fantasy gaming.
This FAQ about the painting of miniature figures for historical and fantasy gaming was compiled and written by Brenda Klein tierna@agora.rdrop.com with numerous contributions by others.
NOTICE: This document is Copyright (c) 1995 by Brenda Klein.
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as the following conditions are met:
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1. How do I get started painting? (Miniatures Painting)- Get some paint, brushes, miniatures, and a space to do your work....
- 1.A. Are there books on painting available? (Miniatures Painting)
- There are several, though probably not all publications will ...
- 1.B. What kind of paint should I use? (Miniatures Painting)
- This question has sparked some vigorous discussion from two ...
- 1.C. What kind of brushes should I use? (Miniatures Painting)
- Brushes come in a myriad of sizes and several different materials....
- 1.C.a. How should I clean my brushes? (Miniatures Painting)
- It depends on your paint type, mostly. For acrylics which ...
- 1.D. What other equipment do I need? (Miniatures Painting)
- Not much. Something to hold your water/solvent (two of them ...
- 2. Should I prime? (Also, what should I do to the miniature before priming?) (Miniatures Painting)
- Yes. Primer not only assures for good paint adhesion, but it ...
- 2.A. Black, white, or gray? (Miniatures Painting)
- A thousand answers exist for this one. The best advice ...
- 3. What's the first step after priming? (Miniatures Painting)
- Pick the colours you want for the major areas (skin, each piece ...
- 4. What are shading, washing, drybrushing, highlighting and glazing? (Miniatures Painting)
- These are techniques to give a little realism to your miniatures....
- 4.A. How do I wash? (Miniatures Painting)
- Washing comes before drybrushing. Take a shade darker than ...
- 4.A.a. Why do my washes dry badly? (Miniatures Painting)
- It seems that once in a while, even though the inks ...
- 4.B. How do I drybrush? (Miniatures Painting)
- First off, drybrushing is most effective when used with a ...
- 4.C. How do I highlight? (Miniatures Painting)
- Drybrushing is the best method of highlighting any large area ...
- 4.D. What are inks, should I use them, and if so, how? (Miniatures Painting)
- Inks are just that, semi-transparent tones that can be used to ...
- 4.E. What colours should I use for detail work? (Miniatures Painting)
- Here's a standard chart on what looks good together (remember,...
- 5. What should I use for bases? (Miniatures Painting)
- This depends entirely on what you're using the miniature for. ...
- 5.A. What's the best stuff to cover bases with? (Miniatures Painting)
- Again, a matter of how natural-looking and/or durable you ...
- 6. How do I strip paint? (Miniatures Painting)
- There are several substances which will work, outlined below. ...
- 7. What kind of miniatures should I start with? (Miniatures Painting)
- 25mm is easier to detail than 12mm or 6mm, some miniatures are less ...
- 7.A. Metal or plastic? (Miniatures Painting)
- Opinion varies. Some favour plastic because it's cheaper, ...
- 7.A.a. My miniature came in multiple parts, now what? (Miniatures Painting)
- Get the smallest file you can find, a pair of scissors, ...
- 7.A.b. What is pinning and how is it done? (Miniatures Painting)
- Pinning is a method of securing multiple-piece ...
- 8. What is kitbashing? (Miniatures Painting)
- Kitbashing is the colloquialism used by miniaturists to describe ...
- 8.A. How do I convert miniatures? (Miniatures Painting)
- It's an acquired skill. To convert a miniature requires a lot ...
- 8.B. What kind of glue should I use? (Miniatures Painting)
- The common miniaturists glue is Zap-A-Gap, available at nearly ...
- 9. How can I paint details? (Miniatures Painting)
- Finest brush you can get, a steady hand, lots of patience, and ...
- 9.A. How do I paint faces? (Miniatures Painting)
- Start with the eyes. Then do the face in whatever shade ...
- 9.A.a. How do I paint eyes? (Miniatures Painting)
- Depending on the size of the miniature, there are a couple ...
- 9.A.b. How do I paint hair? (Miniatures Painting)
- It's honestly not as hard as it looks, though you ...
- 9.B. How do I paint insignia? (Miniatures Painting)
- Two good methods have been presented in rec.games.miniatures. ...
- 9.C. How do I paint armour? (Miniatures Painting)
- For fantasy and historical, some suggest not priming the miniature, ...
- 9.D. What other detailing can I do? (Miniatures Painting)
- Get in the light and give your miniature a good look-over....
- 9.D.a. Can I use anything besides paint and ink for details? (Miniatures Painting)
- Of course you can. The simplest are decals, which are sold ...
- 10. What is an overcoat and should I use one? (Miniatures Painting)
- An overcoat is a coat of clear paint that protects those colours ...
- 11. How do I keep paint from drying out? (Miniatures Painting)
- Shake or stir them often, put plastic wrap between the cap and ...
- 12. How do I use an airbrush for miniatures? (Miniatures Painting)
- The best paints for airbrushing are Accuflex and Humbrol, with Polly ...
- 13. How/where do I get miniatures? (Miniatures Painting)
- Game stores are, naturally, the best choice. Some comic and ...
- 13.A. Is there a list of companies? (Miniatures Painting)
- Thanks to immense assistance from many, many readers of ...
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