How to Paint OSL on Miniatures (Start Dark, Build the Glow)

Published September 26, 2026. Last updated September 26, 2026. By Andrew M. Tan.

What is object source lighting?

Object source lighting is a painting technique that creates the illusion of light coming from something on your model or within its scene. A lantern, a glowing lens, a magical orb, or an energy weapon can all become a light source.

The illusion becomes convincing when that source appears to affect the things around it. In this demonstration, I paint the raised palm as the source and carry its light onto the nearby armor and face. The darker parts of the miniature give those pale marks room to stand out.

For this beginner exercise, I keep the source as the brightest part of the model. That gives me a useful reference every time I add another highlight.

What you’ll need

The basic exercise uses black and white acrylic paint, a brush, and a dark primed surface. A spare plastic card is handy for practice. You can mix the gray transitions from the black and white already on your palette.

For the miniature, I also use a dark base color, a shade wash, and a midtone to help refine the glow. Citadel Nuln Oil is the wash in the video. Your existing dark paints can do the same job of establishing enough contrast.

I use an airbrush for the initial gray coat on the full model. You can apply that coat with a regular brush. Most of the light placement and refinement shown here is ordinary brushwork, including some dry brushing.

Keep a palette, water, and a comfortable way to hold the model nearby. A brush you can control is enough to get started.

Practice the glow on a flat surface

Start with a black primed card and mark a small area with white. That is the light source. Mix some gray and work outward from the white, letting the paint become darker toward the surrounding black.

Keep the brightest area small. You should be able to follow the light from the white center into the darker surface around it.

My first version is fairly rough. You can see the stippled paint and uneven transitions. It still gives the impression of a glow because the values are in the right places. By value, I mean how light or dark a color appears.

This little exercise takes a lot of pressure off the next stage. You can test how far the light spreads, darken an area that has become too bright, and bring the center back up with white. A spare card is a forgiving place to work those things out.

If you’d like a related exercise with a colored core, my glowing lightning practice drill takes the idea onto a simple blade shape.

Move the glow into three dimensions

Next, I add a small ball to the card and paint it as the glowing object. The principle stays the same. The ball is bright, the surface nearest it receives light, and the effect fades across the card.

I also try the effect on a skull-topped model part. In that example, I map the light before working on the surrounding colors. On the full miniature later, I put down the main colors first. Both sequences give me a way to build the effect; the useful thing is to keep comparing the surrounding paint with the source.

The sword-and-orb example adds another consideration. An object can block the light. The side of the sword facing the orb receives a highlight, while the area behind it stays dark.

For placing direct light on a miniature, imagine straight lines running outward from the source. When a piece of armor interrupts a line, the surface behind it belongs in shadow. Light from a small source also spreads over a larger area with distance, so the painted glow should fade as it travels away.

Look at the shape before you place the next brush mark. On a broad curved surface, let the light fade gradually. Keep an exposed edge highlight narrow, and leave the recess behind an overhanging part dark.

My OSL painting tool lets you move a light around simple practice figures and compare the result in color, grayscale, or a paint map. Use it as a reference for placement, then look closely at the actual shapes on your miniature.

1. Start with a dark miniature

On the full model, I want the light to come from the raised palm and reach the nearby face and shoulder. I begin with a dark gray coat so I have room to build toward those bright areas.

Then I look at it and realize the gray is still too light. A coat of Nuln Oil darkens it enough to give the glow somewhere to go.

Let the wash dry before continuing. Bring back the base colors you want to show through, keeping them subdued enough for the light to stand out. I add color to the armor and a few smaller accents before mapping the OSL.

You can also add OSL to a model you’ve already painted. Check the area around the intended source first. If it is already very pale, you may need to deepen some of the neighboring shadows to make the new light readable.

2. Map where the light will land

I begin with a very light gray and rough in the illuminated areas. The open palm tells me where to start looking. From there, I follow an imagined path toward the face, shoulder, and upper body.

Turn the model in your hand and study the surfaces facing that point. Paint small areas first. You can expand them as the pattern becomes easier to judge.

At this stage, I’m feeling my way around the sculpt. The marks are loose and the transitions are unfinished. I want to see whether the light appears to come from the palm and whether the dark areas still describe the rest of the model.

Check the surfaces facing away from the palm, too. Leaving those areas dark helps show where the light is coming from.

3. Build the glow with light dry brushing

Dry brushing is useful for building this first light map. Remove most of the paint from the brush, then use gentle strokes to catch the texture and raised details in the areas you’ve chosen.

Keep the application controlled. Dry brushing can catch every raised detail it touches, so guide the brush toward the surfaces that receive the imagined light. A shoulder on the far side of the miniature can stay dark even though its edges are easy to reach.

Use a little less paint as you work away from the palm, and stop the brightest coverage close to the source. The glow should gradually lose strength across the model.

My dry brushing tutorial shows how much paint to leave on the brush and how lightly to apply it. For this glow, keep those strokes close to the palm and on the surfaces facing it.

4. Make the source the brightest point

I use white to establish the source in the palm. That small area needs to remain the brightest part of this particular effect.

Compare it with the face and shoulder as you work. If a broad patch of armor becomes just as bright, tone that patch down or reduce its size. Keep the strongest surrounding highlights close to the source and let the rest fade into the underlying colors.

Step back and look at the whole miniature. My first light map is a bit overdone, with pale paint covering much of the upper body. The light is in roughly the right place, so I can work back into it with a glaze.

5. Use a midtone glaze to refine the transitions

Once the light map reads clearly, thin a little of your midtone paint with water and apply it as a glaze over the areas that need softening or darkening. In the video, I use this to bring down some of the broad bright patches.

Aim for a translucent layer that lets the work underneath remain visible. Unload excess liquid from the brush so the glaze stays where you place it, and let each pass dry before judging the next one.

Work gradually around the edges of the illuminated area. Preserve the bright source and the strongest nearby highlights while bringing the outer glow back toward the base color.

You can see the same approach in more detail in my guide to layering and glazing paint. The gradual adjustments are useful whenever a rough transition needs a little more control.

For a colored example, my 3D-printed miniature tutorial shows how I work blue fireball light into a brown cloak with glazes.

6. Pick out the edges facing the light

Now I return to a brighter paint and add selective highlights. The edge of an armor plate, part of the face, and a small ridge near the palm can all help describe where the light is coming from.

Keep checking the direction. An edge receives this highlight because it faces the light and has an unobstructed path to it. Highlighting every edge equally would spread the viewer’s attention across the whole miniature.

These smaller marks make the effect easier to read after the broader glazing work. Add a few, look at the model again, and decide whether the next mark helps.

7. Check the contrast under ordinary light

During the painting session, I occasionally turn off my desk light and look at the model with the remaining room light. This helps me judge whether the bright areas still stand out.

Use that as a quick check, then return to your usual lighting and look again. The effect should also make sense in the conditions where you expect to display or use the miniature.

Follow the glow outward from the palm. Check that it reaches nearby surfaces, fades with distance, and leaves believable shadows behind the shapes that block it. If the upper body has become too uniformly bright, a little more midtone or shadow can restore the separation.

When the glow needs another pass

A glow that looks like a pale patch of paint may need a smaller bright center. Check where that center sits, then work on the fade into the surrounding color.

To pull back a glow that spreads too far, paint into its outer edge with your base color or a midtone glaze. Bring the strongest light closer to the source and look again from a normal viewing distance.

When the whole model starts looking bright, deepen a few shadows. The lower body and the surfaces shielded from the palm give you places to restore some dark paint.

Visible brush texture is fine at this stage. The practice card and my first pass on the miniature both show a glow through some fairly rough paint. Let the contrast do the work. You can smooth the transitions once you are happy with the placement.

Remember to watch the full OSL video for more visual insight for each step.

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