Introduction I had been planning to paint an Age of Sigmar Realmgate in a desert or Tomb Kings-inspired style for years. The model seemed like an obvious candidate for a warm, weathered stone palette, but for whatever reason, I kept putting it off. Eventually, I pulled it out and painted it. There isn’t anything particularly […]
Introduction Dry, dusty bases are useful for far more than Star Wars miniatures. The same basic approach works for almost any desert, arid, or rocky environment, whether you’re building a sandy battlefield, a wasteland, or something inspired by a particular fictional world. For this project, Geonosis was the inspiration. My Star Wars: Legion Separatist army […]
An Experiment of Airbrushing Contrast Paints The Persuader-class droid enforcer is one of those Star Wars: Legion models that looks like it should be a complicated painting project. There’s a lot of machinery packed into a relatively small vehicle, along with the long articulated body, exposed gears and those strange little eye slits at the […]
There comes a point in every painter’s journey when the starter box is no longer enough. The first dozen paints fit comfortably in a small container, and it’s easy to remember every color you own. Then another project introduces a few new shades. You discover metallics, washes, Contrast paints, weathering products, and eventually another manufacturer […]
A comfortable chair won’t make you a better painter. It will, however, make it much easier to paint in longer sessions and more comfortably. Miniature painting is a hobby built one careful brushstroke at a time. It’s surprisingly easy to lose track of time while you’re focused on blending armor, painting tiny eyes, or adding […]
When people think about improving their miniature painting workspace, they usually imagine a better desk or brighter lighting. Those upgrades certainly help, but over the years I’ve found that the biggest improvements often come from refining the little things you interact with hundreds of times during every painting session. Rinse the brush. Wipe away excess […]
Tiny details are part of what makes miniature painting so rewarding. Whether it’s the expression on a face, the reflection in a gemstone, or a carefully placed edge highlight, those little finishing touches are often what transform a good miniature into one you’re proud to display or put on the gaming table. For years, I […]
One of the biggest improvements you can make to your painting has nothing to do with buying better brushes or more expensive paints. It’s simply being able to see your miniature clearly. Good lighting reduces eye strain, helps you judge colors accurately, and makes tiny details much easier to paint. If you’ve ever finished a […]
One of the biggest misconceptions about miniature painting is that you need a dedicated hobby desk before you can begin. You don’t. Some of my favorite hobby memories happened around an ordinary dining room table. When my wife Jen and I first got into miniature painting, we shared a large harvest table in our dining […]
You’ve spent hours perfecting your transitions, edge highlights, and color recipes. The very last step—applying a protective varnish—should be a victory lap, not a game of hobby roulette. Yet, every miniature painter has a horror story about a spray can turning their prized model frosty, cloudy, or aggressively shiny. Varnishing doesn’t have to be anxiety-inducing. […]