Embarking on your miniature painting journey can be both exciting and daunting. But don’t worry! Starting with simple projects can help you build confidence, develop skills, and experience the joy of bringing miniatures to life. Here are five easy miniature painting projects perfect for total beginners.
1. Fantasy Heroes
Why Choose This Project? Fantasy hero miniatures are a staple of tabletop games and often feature simple designs. They’re great for practicing basic techniques without overwhelming detail.
Tips for Beginners:
- Use a base coat that matches the miniature’s theme, like earthy tones for a ranger or metallic shades for a knight.
- Practice dry brushing to add highlights to armor or cloaks.
- Don’t stress about perfection; focus on clean lines and basic shading.
Recommended Miniatures:
- Reaper Bones Heroes – While they aren’t the finest in quality, these are pre-built, affordable miniatures that are an excellent way to get your feet wet (or your brush) painting miniatures.
- Dungeons & Dragons Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures A fantastic, affordable variety of fantasy miniatures, by Wizkids, that you can use for your D&D or game campaign.
2. Simple Sci-Fi Troopers
Why Choose This Project? Sci-fi troopers, such as space marines or soldiers, often feature clean lines and repetitive patterns, making them ideal for mastering uniformity.
Tips for Beginners:
- Stick to a monochromatic scheme with one or two accent colors.
- Practice edge highlighting to make armor panels pop.
- Use a wash to add depth to the armor without requiring advanced blending skills.
Recommended Miniatures:
- Warhammer 40K Space Marines (starter sets) The 40k starter sets are an ideal and economical way to delve into the 40k universe and get started with hobbying and gaming. This particular box set comes with basic paints needed to paint the model in this box, a fairly decent sprue clippers, and a good work-horse brush that will last a good while if properly cared for.
- Kill Team (Warhammer 40k) This action-packed tactical skirmish combat game us set in the war-torn 41st Millennium, the Warhammer 40k universe. While painting supplies aren’t included with these kits, the starter kits come with a board, terrain pieces, and game markers along with two factions of figures so you can paint and be ready to hit the gaming table.
- Star Wars Legion Core Set This box set will get you started painting 33 Rebel Alliance and Imperial miniatures straight from our beloved Star Wars movies. The tabletop strategy game is incredibly fun, well supported, highly expandable and customizable, and increasingly growing in popularity. These models are a good investment for the hobbyist, the gamer, and the collector.
3. Fantasy Creatures
Why Choose This Project? Creatures like wolves, skeletons, or zombies allow you to experiment with texture and natural patterns, without worrying too much about symmetry.
Tips for Beginners:
- Dry brushing is your best friend for fur or bones.
- Experiment with washes to bring out details in textured surfaces.
- Have fun with creative colors for mythical creatures, like green for dragons or purple for ghostly effects.
Recommended Miniatures:
- Wildspire Fantasy Miniature Sets Perfect box sets of miniatures to be painted for your D&D or other fantasy or sci-fi campaigns. Miniatures are made of hard plastic and the quality meets the price-point, but these would be fair to decent for trying your hand at painting miniatures.
- Pathfinder Battles Pre-Primed Creatures Awesome critters for your D&D campaigns! Some of these are a good size model for easier painting, and they’re quite affordable!
4. Small Terrain Pieces
Why Choose This Project? Terrain pieces are forgiving projects that let you practice techniques like stippling and weathering. Mistakes can often blend in as “features.”
Tips for Beginners:
- Use a sponge to create a weathered or textured effect.
- Try dry brushing to highlight edges and details.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment with different shades to mimic stone, wood, or grass.
Recommended Miniatures:
- Take Cover Terrain (Star Wars Shatterpoint) This is a wonderful terrain pack with pieces usable for cover, objectives, or build your own narratives. Check out the Mythic Minis painting guide: Step-by-Step Guide to Painting the Take Cover Terrain Kit for Star Wars Shatterpoint (2024)
- Warhammer Age of Sigmar Terrain Pieces Games Workshop, hands down, has some of the most well-made, quality and detailed terrain pieces, and often they can be reasonably priced (within GW parameters. Check out some of these awesome fantasy terrain pieces for Warhammer Age of Sigmar.
5. Animals or Critter Miniatures
Small animal miniatures, like woodland creatures or fantasy familiars, are fun and forgiving projects. Their organic shapes make them ideal for testing out blending and experimenting with fur textures.
Why It’s Great:
- Perfect for practicing blending techniques.
- Low-pressure, whimsical designs.
Recommended Miniatures:
- Wildspire Heroes and Animals Miniatures Includes 29 miniatures in an array of animals, heroes, and hybridized hero/animal miniatures.
- Wildspire Animal Companions A really cool set of 26 fantasy animal miniatures for your Dungeons and Dragons campaigns.
Final Tips for Easy Miniature Painting Projects
- Start Small: Choose one or two miniatures to begin with rather than a full squad or set.
- Use the Right Tools: Invest in beginner-friendly brushes, paints, and a palette.
- Practice Patience: Miniature painting is a skill that improves with time. Enjoy the process and celebrate your progress.
By starting with these easy miniature painting projects, you’ll quickly gain the skills and confidence needed to tackle more advanced designs. Happy painting!
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