Sofia Martinez
Painting D&D miniatures is a fun way to relax and express your creativity. It is a great way to personalise your tabletop gaming experience and add interesting pieces to your games. You can use a variety of brushes, paints, and techniques to create unique and detailed miniatures. The process involves several steps, from assembling and cleaning the miniature to basecoating, shading, layering, highlighting, and detailing. You can also thin your paint to create a wash and use drybrushing to make certain details pop. This introduction will cover the basics of painting D&D plastic miniatures, providing a comprehensive guide for beginners.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Equipment | Paint brushes, palette, paint, glue, water, paper towels, coffee cup, lights |
| Preparation | Clean, assemble, prime |
| Basecoating | Apply main colours |
| Shading | Add shade to the recesses of the model to imply shadow |
| Layering and cleanup | Clean areas where shade is not needed, add vibrancy |
| Highlighting | Edge highlighting, drybrushing |
| Detailing | Paint fine details |
| Final touches | Anti-shine matt varnish, set on a base |
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What You'll Learn
- Priming the model: Spray a thin coat of black, grey or white paint, depending on the colours you plan to use
- Choosing paintbrushes: You'll need a range of brushes for base coating, minor areas, detailing and drybrushing
- Paint selection: Pick paints for skin, armour, cloth, metals and leather
- Painting technique: Paint the front and back, then the underside. Use a light dry brush for details
- Final touches: Varnish the miniature to protect the paint job and finalise the look
Priming the model: Spray a thin coat of black, grey or white paint, depending on the colours you plan to use
To prime the model, you will need to spray a thin coat of paint. The colour of the primer will depend on the colours you plan to use later. For instance, if you plan to use bright colours like yellow or white, it is better to prime the model with grey or white paint. However, black is generally the most forgiving colour for primer as any hard-to-reach areas will always be shadowy.
When priming, it is important to ensure that the paint is applied evenly. Hold the spray can about 15-30 cm away from the model and use short bursts of spray. It is also a good idea to stand the miniatures up and space them out so they aren't blocking each other from the paint. You can use a cheap can of spray paint from Walmart or invest in a more expensive brand known for its consistent quality. Just make sure that the spray paint is suitable for use on plastics and is compatible with acrylic paint.
After priming, let the model dry for around 30 minutes. You can then move on to the next step, which is basecoating. This is where the main colours are applied. You will want a variety of paintbrushes for this step, including a brush with a very good tip for detailing and highlights, a small brush for minor areas, a larger brush for base coating, and a stiff-bristled brush for dry brushing.
It is important to get a consistent and complete coverage of paint on the miniature so that the next layer of paint will adhere properly. You can test the paint on your finger before applying it to the miniature to ensure that you have a light enough amount of paint on your brush.
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Choosing paintbrushes: You'll need a range of brushes for base coating, minor areas, detailing and drybrushing
When it comes to choosing paintbrushes for your D&D plastic miniatures, you'll need a range of brushes for base coating, minor areas, detailing, and dry brushing. Here's a guide to help you select the right brushes:
Base Coating:
For base coating your miniatures, you'll want brushes that can cover larger areas efficiently. Look for brushes with larger sizes, typically ranging from 0 to 3. These brushes will help you quickly apply paint to the broader surfaces of your miniatures. Synthetic brushes can be a good option for base coating, as they tend to have soft, dense brush heads that are perfect for applying paint evenly.
Minor Areas and Detailing:
For smaller areas and intricate details on your miniatures, you'll need smaller brushes with fine tips. Look for detail brushes with sizes ranging from \-1/0 to -10/0. These smaller brushes offer more precision and control when painting eyes, fine lines, or other delicate features. The Psycho brush, for example, is an incredibly small detail brush that is perfect for miniature painting.
Drybrushing:
Drybrushing is a technique used to highlight raised surfaces and add texture to your miniatures. For this technique, you'll want brushes with stiff bristles that can hold paint well. The Artis Opus Series D brushes are specifically designed for drybrushing and are highly regarded in the miniature painting community. Synthetic brushes with soft, dense brush heads are also excellent for drybrushing, such as the ones offered by Chronicle Cards. Flat and angled brushes are ideal for drybrushing, as they help target edges and small spots effectively.
Brush Quality and Care:
Investing in good-quality brushes can make a significant difference in your painting experience. Artis Opus, for example, offers Artist's Grade Miniature Paint Brushes specifically designed for miniature painters. Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Brushes are also popular among miniature painters, though they are more expensive. Remember to properly clean and condition your brushes, especially if you're using natural hair brushes like sable. The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver is a recommended product for brush care.
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Paint selection: Pick paints for skin, armour, cloth, metals and leather
When selecting paints for your D&D plastic miniatures, you'll want to get colours that cover the main parts of your chosen scheme. A model will usually have a few primary colours for skin, armour, cloth, metals, and leather.
For skin, you can choose a variety of colours depending on the character you are painting. For example, a human character may have a light peach or pink skin tone, while an orc may have a green or grey skin tone.
Armour and cloth often have bright and vibrant colours. For armour, you can use metallics like silver or gold, or rich colours like turquoise. Cloth can be painted in various shades, such as blueish off-white, deep burgundy, or purple.
For metals, gold and silver are common choices and can be used to add details to armour or other parts of the miniature.
For leather, a brown colour is often used to paint straps and other leather details. You can also use a darker brown or reddish-brown for the earth or base of the miniature to create a natural and weathered look.
Additionally, consider the shading and layering of colours. You can use a wash to add depth to your colours and create a brighter or darker look where needed. Using a contrasting colour, such as green on red, can add extra depth to the shadows.
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Painting technique: Paint the front and back, then the underside. Use a light dry brush for details
Painting miniatures is a great way to relieve stress and add a personal touch to your D&D games. To start, you'll need to assemble your plastic miniature by clipping it from the sprue and scraping off any mould lines with a craft knife. Depending on the type of plastic, you may need to use super glue or poly cement to glue the pieces together. Once your miniature is assembled, it's time to start painting!
The first step is to prime the miniature. You can use black, grey, or white spray paint for this, depending on the colours you plan to use for your miniature. For example, if you're using a lot of bright colours like yellow or white, you may want to prime the miniature with grey or white spray paint. However, black is generally the most forgiving colour, as any hard-to-reach areas will always be shadowy. Make sure to get a thin and even coat of primer, holding the spray can about 15-30 cm away from the miniature, and let it dry for about 30 minutes.
Now, you're ready to start painting the front and back of the miniature. It's important to get consistent and complete coverage so that the next layers of paint will adhere properly. Once the first coat dries, you can paint the underside, front, and back.
To add details and make certain areas pop, you can use a technique called dry brushing. This involves using a small amount of paint on a wide brush to cover the edges and raised surfaces of the miniature. The paint should be a contrasting colour to the base coat so that the details stand out. Before applying the paint to the miniature, wipe almost all of it off the brush on a palette or tissue paper, leaving only a small amount on the brush. Then, gently run the brush over the miniature with a mild level of pressure, using a rapid back-and-forth motion. You can use this technique to create texture and add highlights to your miniature.
Finally, you can add the final touches to your miniature, such as applying a coat of varnish to protect the paint and finalise the look. You can use an anti-shine matt varnish, either in a bottle or a spray can. Then, you can attach the miniature to its base using plastic glue. And there you have it! You've painted your D&D plastic miniature!
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Final touches: Varnish the miniature to protect the paint job and finalise the look
Once you're happy with your paint job, it's time to add the final touches to your D&D plastic miniature with a varnish. Varnishing is an essential step that will protect your miniature from wear and tear and elevate the overall quality of your work. It will also ensure that your paint job lasts longer and prevent chipping.
There are different types of varnish finishes to choose from, including satin, gloss, and matte. The choice of varnish depends on the desired look of your miniature. If you want to add depth, enhance colour vibrancy, or create specific effects like wetness or shine on certain areas, a glossy varnish is a good option. It will give your miniature a high-shine, glossy finish and make the details pop. However, keep in mind that a glossy finish can be tricky to pull off, and you may need to avoid blending or anything fancy on the armour to prevent it from getting lost in the reflection.
A satin varnish is a good middle ground, offering some sheen without the intense reflectivity of a gloss finish. It is a versatile option that works well for most miniatures, especially if you want to highlight texture and depth without the flatness of a matte or the shine of a gloss.
If you want to remove the shine from the paint and create a flat, matte finish, a matte varnish is a great choice. It is ideal for historical miniatures or models where you want to achieve a realistic, non-glossy finish. A matte varnish is also excellent for photography as it reduces hotspot light reflections and creates an evenly lit surface.
When applying the varnish, it is recommended to test it first on a piece of cardboard or an old miniature to ensure that it aligns with the look and effect you want to achieve. Spray-on varnish is generally the best way to achieve an even coat, but brush-on varnish can be useful for specific purposes, such as applying a final sealant over wet-slide decals.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need a comfortable chair and a sturdy table, with good lighting to avoid eye strain. You will also need an assortment of paintbrushes, including a brush with a good tip for detailing, a small brush for minor areas, a larger brush for base coating, and a stiff-bristled brush for dry brushing. You will also need paint, including a few primary colours like brown for leather, and gold and silver for metals. You will also need to prime your plastic miniatures, so get some black spray paint for priming. You may also need glue to assemble your miniature.
First, assemble and clean your miniature. Then, prime the model with black spray paint. Once dry, paint the front and back of the miniature with a base coat. Next, add shading to the recesses of the model to imply shadow. Clean up any areas where shade is not needed, then add vibrancy through layering. Pick out the final details of the model, then finish with a varnish to protect the paint.
Drybrushing is a great way to make details pop out visually. Use a contrasting paint colour, wipe almost all of it off the brush, then test it on your finger before applying it to the miniature.
Acrylic paint is a good option for painting miniatures as there are tons of colours available. You can thin acrylic paint down to use it as a wash.
You can use either an anti-shine matt varnish spray or a bottle with a brush, depending on how many miniatures you are painting.
