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Get started painting miniatures
The Army Painter way
Are you eager to embark on your journey into the captivating world of miniature painting? Then you’ve come to the right place!
Whether you’re a complete novice or looking to refine your skills, we’ve got you covered with The Army Painter’s four-step painting method:
Spray, Paint, Dip, Done.
This article will guide you through the essential steps and techniques to help you start this exciting and rewarding hobby.
Get started painting miniatures
The Army Painter way
Are you eager to embark on your journey into the captivating world of miniature painting? Then you’ve come to the right place!
Whether you’re a complete novice or looking to refine your skills, we’ve got you covered with The Army Painter’s four-step painting method:
Spray, Paint, Dip, Done.
This article will guide you through the essential steps and techniques to help you start this exciting and rewarding hobby.
SPRAY
Priming is an essential part of painting your miniature. By priming your miniature, you create a rougher surface that allows the paint to bond more effectively and reduces the chances of chipping and flaking.
With our signature Colour Primers, you can save loads of time as they allow you to prime and basecoat your models in one step. They also ensure you have the best possible foundation for a smooth and impressive paint job. You can read more about priming and how to prime in the article “How To Use a Colour Primer”.
Select the right Colour Primer
The Army Painter’s range of Colour Primers offers 30 colours to choose from, all designed for plastic, resin, and metal miniatures. The choice of Colour Primer depends on your painting style, the level of contrast you wish to achieve in your finished miniature, and whether the primer should double as a basecoat.
The Army Painter’s top 3 most popular Colour Primers are:
Matt White
The Matt White Colour Primer is perfect for all paint jobs and paint types, especially if you want to achieve brighter and more vibrant colours using Speedpaints.
Matt Black
The Matt Black Colour Primer is quite simply the best black spray on the market, great for creating a darker, more shadowy appearance. It is excellent for models with predominantly dark or metallic colour schemes.
Ash Grey
The Ash Grey Colour Primer is a versatile option that works well as the base for many different colour schemes. As it provides a neutral base, it is suitable for many projects.
PAINT
Once you’ve assembled and primed your miniature, it’s time to paint!
The Army Painter offers a wide range of different types of paint: Warpaints Fanatic, Airbrush, and Speedpaint. They all feature our heavily pigmented formulation for intense colour and saturation.
Our paint comes in our spill-proof 18ml dropper bottles, enabling you to administer the exact amount of paint you need and prevents your paints from drying out.
Warpaints Fanatic
Warpaints Fanatic is a high-performance range of premium acrylic paints with unparalleled coverage, intense pigmentation, and smooth application. It’s the new gold standard for miniature paints that is perfect for painters of all skill levels.
EXPLORE WARPAINTS FANATIC
Speedpaint 2.0
Revolutionary all-in-one Speedpaint is the ultimate one-coat painting solution. By applying a coat of Speedpaint over a primed miniature, you easily create realistic shading, vibrant saturation, and highlight effect. When it comes to miniature paints, no paint is faster or easier to use than Speedpaint!
EXPLORE SPEEDPAINT 2.0
DIP
After painting your miniature, you can enhance the realism by adding depth and shading with either The Original Quickshade™ Dip or our Quickshade Wash.
The Original Quickshade™ Dip brought the age-old dipping method to the masses! This innovative product made miniature and army painting faster than ever and is the cornerstone of The Army Painter’s Spray, Paint, Dip, Done method.
Simply Colour Prime and basecoat your miniature, dip it into your Quickshade™, shake to remove excess Quickshade™, and voila! Or simply brush it on with a Wash.
Contrast in three levels
Quickshade™ Dip comes in our three classic levels of toning: Soft, Strong, and Dark.
After drying for 24-48 hours, you will see the result Quickshade™ Dip has created: More contrast than any wash will leave on your miniatures, creating great results!
DONE
After assembling, spraying, painting, and dipping/applying Wash to your model, you are almost done with the Spray, Paint, Dip, Done method, and your models are almost ready to begin an adventure on their own on the tabletop.
To finish strong, we recommend the following steps:
Highlighting: Reinforce the vibrance of your paint job by adding highlights.
Using Varnish: Sealing your models is absolutely necessary to protect them from wear and tear.
Finishing the base: Elevate the finished appearance by basing your miniature.
Protect your paint job with a Varnish
We recommend you apply a varnish to your miniature to protect your paint job.
A Varnish forms a protective layer on the surface of the miniature. This is particularly important for frequently handled miniatures, such as those used in tabletop games. The varnish helps to protect the paint from chipping, rubbing off, or getting scratched.
A good varnish can enhance the vibrancy of the colours and make details pop. Depending on the type of varnish used (matt, satin, or glossy), it can give the miniature a different finish, highlighting different aspects of the paint job. Also, if you've used a mix of different types of paints (e.g., matt, satin, glossy), applying a varnish can give the entire model a uniform finish. This helps in maintaining a consistent look across the miniature.
Aegis Suit Satin Varnish
The Aegis Suit Satin Varnish balances matt and glossy finishes. You can enhance the depth and dimension of your miniatures by adding a subtle sheen without being overly reflective. This is especially useful when accentuating certain details without making them too shiny.
Anti Shine Matt Varnish
The Anti Shine Matt Varnish is an excellent choice when you want your miniature to look as realistic as possible.
It eliminates the glossy sheen that acrylic paints can sometimes have, making your miniatures appear as if they are not made of plastic or metal.
GameMaster Matt Sealer
The GameMaster Matt Sealer provides a non-reflective finish, reducing glare and reflections on your foam terrain pieces, adding to its realism. It protects the terrain from chipping and extends its longevity, as it provides a protective layer that guards against wear and tear.
Use your miniature’s base to tell a story
The choices you make about how to base your miniatures are really impactful. Just look at our putrid warrior, standing on three different bases: On home turf in a desolate wasteland, in overgrown elven territories, and far away in a scorching desert.
The base is as much a part of your army as the miniature itself. When displayed on the tabletop, the bases are some of the first things your opponent will notice. Consistent bases will make your army look coherent, tying it together and telling a thematic story.
Use your miniature’s base to tell a story
The choices you make about how to base your miniatures are really impactful. Just look at our putrid warrior, standing on three different bases: On home turf in a desolate wasteland, in overgrown elven territories, and far away in a scorching desert.
The base is as much a part of your army as the miniature itself. When displayed on the tabletop, the bases are some of the first things your opponent will notice. Consistent bases will make your army look coherent, tying it together and telling a thematic story.
