How to Paint Your First Mini

Ready to take the next step and bring your miniatures to life with some colorful flair? Whether you’re gearing up for a D&D campaign, a wargame skirmish, or just want to add some pizzazz to your board game pieces, this step-by-step guide will take you from blank mini to masterpiece.

Let’s dive in!

Andrix (@boardgameswithandrix), one of our community leaders, will guide you through all the steps!

The Supplies You’ll Need

Before you start, gather these essentials:

• Miniatures: Plastic, metal, or resin figures. 
• Primer: Spray or brush-on primer.
• Acrylic Paints: Basic colors, plus any specific hues for your mini.
• Brushes: Various sizes, including a fine detail brush.
• Water Cup: For rinsing brushes.
• Palette: To mix paints (a piece of tile or plastic plate works too).
• Some Paper Towels: For drying brushes and clean-up.

Painting Your Miniature

Step 1 – Priming

Using a spray primer is your best bet while still learning the basics, as it’s easy to apply and dries very fast. Try choosing a fitting primer color for your miniature: black if you want a more grim-dark looking monster, or white for a more colorful look. You can even prime your miniatures in the base color of your army, like an ultramarine blue for your Space Marines! Apply a thin, even coat of primer. This helps the paint stick better and gives a good base color. Let it dry completely.

Up for a little challenge?

Hear me out: prime your miniatures with black primer first and let them dry thoroughly. Then, using white primer, lightly spray your miniatures from above, in a diagonal line, from all angles. This is called zenithal priming – it mimics the sunlight hitting the miniature from above. These lights and shadows will show through the next layers of paint, making your miniatures look even more detailed.

Step 2: Base Coats

Start with broad areas of color. Thin your paints with water and start adding layers of color one by one, until you reach the desired shade. Use thin layers and build up to avoid obscuring details. Let each layer dry before adding more – this allows you to work on other areas of the miniature as well.

Step 3: Shading

Apply a darker wash (diluted dark paint or the cherished Nuln Oil) into the crevices to bring out details. Less is always more, so don’t go dipping the whole miniature in the paint jar 🙂 Shading is an essential step in bringing your D&D monsters to life.

Step 4: Highlighting

Use lighter shades of the base colors – and even work them up to white – to gently touch raised areas, enhancing the depth and details.

Step 5: Details

Switch to a fine brush for eyes, belts, buttons, and other small details. Steady your hand and take your time. 

The next tip we’re about to give you is most important in this step, although it’s best practice to use it all the time: you only need paint on the tip of the brush. Seriously, you’re not going to paint with the base of your brush, so why sink it in the paint jar?

Gently get paint on the brush tip and work it on the miniature little by little. It’ll work wonders and will save your brushes from getting split tips in the long run.

Step 6: Finishing touches

Add any extra details, like battle damage to an armor, (for example bloody smears on a mighty axe), rust on a metal pipe or other special effects. Be creative! 

Step 7: The base

Decorate the base with sand, miniature grass tufts, or tiny rocks for that extra bit of realism. You can even use parts of other miniatures as decoration for your bases – maybe a monster trophy at the feet of a brave Witcher? Glue them on and paint as needed. 

Step 8: Varnish

Although optional, this step surely adds to the longevity of your masterpiece. Once your paint is dry, apply a coat of varnish to protect your hard work. Matte for a natural look, gloss for shiny effects. 

Pro tip

Never (ever!) leave your brushes drowning in the water cup while not using them! You don’t want the special tools of your trade to curl. The damage caused by this simple yet overlooked mistake will render your fine brushes useless.

Show off your masterpiece

Congrats! If you’ve followed the steps above, your mini should now be ready to dazzle on the battlefield or at your board game table. Take some pics, show off to your friends and to us!

We look forward to seeing your creations. Send us pictures on Facebook Messenger or tag us (@guildhallcluj) in your social media posts!

Don’t forget to follow Andrix (@boardgameswithandrix) on Instagram.

Remember, practice makes perfect, and each mini you paint will look better than the last. Happy painting, and may you never spill your Nuln Oil!