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.
On this page, we’ll guide you through the essential steps and techniques to help you get started with this exciting and rewarding hobby. 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.
Looking for a more extensive and downloadable version? Then grab our official Painting Guide here 👇
Priming is an essential part of painting your miniature. Priming creates a rougher surface that allows the paint to bond more effectively, reducing the chances of chipping or flaking.
With our signature Colour Primers, you can save loads of time because they allow you to prime and basecoat your models in one step while ensuring you have the best possible foundation for a smooth and impressive job paint.
• Easy to use for painters of all skill levels
• Our range offers a wide selection of 30 colours to choose between
• Designed for use on plastic, resin, and metal miniatures
• Durable primer and highly pigmented basecoat in one!
Our top 3 bestsellers
Matt White
The Matt White 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 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 light-grey tone 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 a wide range of projects.
Once you’ve assembled and primed your models – it’s time to paint! The Army Painter offers a wide range of different types of paint; Warpaints, Warpaints Fanatic, Airbrush and Speedpaint – all featuring 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 prevent your paints from drying out.
The New Gold Standard for Miniature Paints!
Warpaints Fanatic is a high-performance range of premium acrylic paints with unparalleled coverage, intense pigmentation, and smooth application. The paint can be thinned to extreme levels or applied right over a miniature. It is perfect for painters of all skill levels.
Get Impressive Results from Day 1
Speedpaint is a one-coat painting solution and an alternative to the regular acrylic Warpaints Fanatic. It leaves your models with intense shading, vibrant colour, and a highlight effect in one application. Simply apply directly over a primed miniature – and you’re done!
Warpaints Starter Set
The perfect starter set for any wargaming system. With this set, you’ll have all the most needed colours for painting miniatures. Also included is a FREE brush and Painting guide to help you get started properly.
Speedpaint Mega Set 2.0
The Speedpaint Mega Set 2.0 features 46 colours, 3 metallics, and 1 Speedpaint Medium – a total of 50 bottles – enabling you to paint beautiful tabletop-quality miniatures in no time!
Warpaints Air Starter Set
The perfect set for diving into airbrushing and to start your collection of Airbrush colours. They are beginner-friendly and airbrush-ready straight from the bottle.
Partner your paint job with the right tool
Brushes come in many shapes and sizes, each for a different purpose and technique. Whether painting tiny details on a miniature or creating a small diorama, these brushes, specifically designed for miniature painting, will help you achieve the perfect finish every time.
We have three different ranges of brushes: Hobby brushes, Wargamer brushes, and Masterclass brushes. All of them are named so you can easily pick the right one for the task at hand.
After completing the painting of your miniature, you have the option to enhance the realism by adding depth and shading with the following products.
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.
Achieve high or low contrast
GET MORE 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 a great result in no time!
Read more about Quickshade Dip
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WASH FOR YOUR PURPOSE
If you are new to painting, covering the whole miniature in the same Wash will give you a good result.
But if you’re ready to take the next step, apply different colours of wash onto different parts of your miniature for even better effects. I.e., use a Flesh Wash on the skin, Dark Tone for metals, Red Tone for red cloth, and Strong Tone to tie the rest of the miniature together.
Read more about Quickshade Wash
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 from wear and tear
• FINISHING THE BASE: Elevate the finished appearance by basing your miniature
Protect your paint job
Aegis Suit Satin Varnish
Balances matt and glossy finishes. 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
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
Provides a non-reflective finish, reducing glare and reflections on your 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.
TELL A STORY
The choices you make about how to base your miniatures are really impactful. Just take a 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.
Meadows Flower Tuft
Lovely and idyllic flowery meadows… do not let your guard down, though! Can be used as contrast to evil armies – or to enhance a forest or glades look. Super realistic looking and comes in 3 different sizes for any base size.
Brown Battleground
Bring your painted miniatures to the next level with a great basing job. Coloured sand in 3 different sizes for the perfect foundation of any base. Can also be painted any colour to resemble any climate or setting.
Winter Tuft
Winter is coming, and with the Winter Tuft so are your troops. Tufts are very easily applicable, and can be used to add details to your battlefields as well as your individual miniatures.
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