Our Miniature Hobby Lifestyle
Choosing a good basing material for a painted miniature is the easiest way to add life and story to your work. A huge variety of products allow you to finish a model with a bit of narrative flair without being expensive or requiring a ton of extra supplies. In this article, I give you an …
Miniature Basing Materials for Tabletop Miniatures and Models (Tips and Review) Read More »
So you want to get started painting your new model kit. People who want to start painting miniatures but don’t know where to start might be wondering how to prepare miniatures for paint. It can seem daunting, but with a few simple steps you can have your miniature ready for priming and painting in no …
How to Prepare Miniatures for Paint (Quick Start Guide) Read More »
Are you trying to paint models for a diorama, a tabletop wargame? Military tank miniatures from wargames like Bolt Action, Flames of War, or even Warhammer 40K can be fun but challenging to paint well. For the scale modelers who aren’t sure where to start with the process, tanks are one of the best places …
If you’re a miniature painter, odds are you’ve heard of zenithal priming. This unique method of priming minis provides a great foundation for painting, and can really help bring out the details in your figure. In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps of zenithal priming and show you how to get the most …
Zenithal Priming and Painting Miniatures – A Tutorial Read More »
A clear coat of varnish is essential to protecting your painted models and miniatures, but did you know that you can use varnishes in other ways too? I’ll show you three unique ways to apply varnishes on your miniatures that you may not have considered, but which will undoubtedly come in handy. Recommended Gloss and …
Three Creative Uses for Varnishes in Miniature Painting and Scale Modeling Read More »
Are you looking for 3D printed terrain for your favorite tabletop miniature game? Whether you’re into Warhammer 40k, Dungeons & Dragons (DND), or other game that uses miniatures and models, 3D printing your own terrain can be a great way to get exactly what you want for your game board or battlefield. There are a …
3D Printed Terrain for Warhammer and Tabletop Games Read More »
Are you looking to improve your hand-eye coordination when it comes to painting miniatures? The fastest way to make tangible leaps in your ability and model painting results is to hone your body’s ability to control and use the brush as an extension of your own hand. Sure, I could suggest “paint more miniatures”, but …
3 Tips to Improve Your Hand-Eye Coordination for Painting Miniatures Read More »
What is the most popular miniature scale for tabletop wargames, RPGs, or even model trains? The exact scale of a model varies widely depending on who is making it and what purpose it will serve. There are also quite a few nuances to understanding how manufacturer’s scale their products to sizes in real-life (or fantasy). …
Miniature Scale Reference Guide (Conversions for Model Railroads and Tabletop Wargames) Read More »
Are you wondering if you need a lightbox for taking miniature photos? If you’re a hobby tabletop miniature gamer and want to take better photos of your models, a lightbox can help. But, studio photography setup also has drawbacks and may limit your ability to create unique images of your painted miniatures. The best photographic …
Pros and Cons of a Lightbox: Better Miniature Photos Without a Lightbox Read More »
Are you having trouble painting with your hobby metallic paints? Metallic paints are wonderful for adding a little accent or realism to your models and dioramas. But, they can be frustrating to work with. Luckily there are some simple things you can do that will help them go on smoothly and keep your sanity. In …
Why It’s Bad to Thin Metallic Paints, and Other Metallic Painting Tips Read More »
Okay, so you want to dry brush miniatures? Dry brush painting is one of the simplest and most under-rated ways to paint miniatures. When painting miniatures, many people head straight for the more advanced techniques. But, why? Dry brushing is not only simple, but many professional painters rely on it to complete their work. Dry …
How to Dry Brush Miniatures & Models (Tips, Photos) Read More »
Are you wondering if you need to apply a clear coat to your miniatures? At first glance you may think that paint should be enough to endure gentle handling, even during gameplay. But, a layer of acrylic paint is thin and vulnerable to all sorts of environmental insults, e.g., sunlight, moisture, bumps, and movement during …
The Benefits of Clear Coating Your Painted Miniatures Read More »
Does your primer color matter? Some say the primer color does not matter, and it doesn’t if you put enough coats over it. However, that can get costly, and many people don’t want to spend more money on paint than they have to. Spray primers (in aerosol cans) and surface primers (which you can airbrush …
Does Primer Color Matter? Should You Use Color Primers? Read More »
The task of painting miniatures is often difficult due to the difficulty in seeing what you are doing. The two solutions that I have found to be most helpful for this problem are a magnifying visor or a lamp with a magnifying glass. These magnifiers both have their pros and cons, so it can be …
Best Hobby Magnifier for Miniatures and Models: Visor or Lamp? Read More »
Are you considering an airbrush for painting your miniatures? There are a lot of questions about the usefulness of an airbrush for miniature painting. Is airbrushing miniatures worth it? Can you paint details with an airbrush? Is using an airbrush cheating? On the market, there are a lot of great airbrushes for painting scale models …
Complete Airbrush Guide for Painting Miniatures and Models Read More »