Our Miniature Hobby Lifestyle
One of the best ways to prime your miniatures and models is with an airbrush. Spraying a primer helps you apply even and smooth coats that make painting more enjoyable. Learning how to prime your miniatures with an airbrush will save you precious time and money. Applying primer with an airbrush can even improve the …
How to Prime Miniatures with an Airbrush (Tips and Guide) Read More »
Priming is one of the most important steps in miniature painting. A primer smooths out microscopic imperfections in the surface of your model and provides a solid foundation for overlying model paint color. When applied correctly, a primer is essential for a durable paint job, preventing paint peeling and chipping. In this article, I share …
Top 3 Mistakes To Avoid When Priming Miniatures (and Solutions!) Read More »
Every miniature paint job is way to discover a bit about yourself. In art, the opposition to progress is your resistance to explore outside your comfort zone. This is true for athletes and erudites looking for the next metaphorical hill to climb. Of course, all this soul-searching and boundary pushing leads to a chaotic mess …
Painting Complexity with Simplicity: A Miniature Painting Philosophy Read More »
As a commission miniature painter, there are projects you shouldn’t take due to the immensity of the work. You only have so much time in your day for the side gigs. You trade time for money, but when it comes to painting miniatures, the exchange is often an unfair. This is particularly true if you …
Are You a Bad Client for Commissioned Miniature Painters? Read More »
Ever have a lazy mini painting day? I wrestled with the lack of motivation to paint a group of Blood Angel space marines during a bad snowstorm. Forced indoors, there wasn’t much to do, except watch TV and maybe catch up on some other responsibilities, e.g., work and chores. But, as I walked past my …
Ever wonder why you can’t seem to finish a project? Procrastination, it’s like a road block that holds you back. Whatever thorn is in your side, you can’t name it or pull it out. The bogeyman stalks all artists and miniature painters the same, and makes the work that much more scary. I’ve said it …
Procrastination: The Bogeyman of Artists and Miniature Painters Read More »
Don’t you hate it when your paint brushes fail you? Painting miniatures often requires precision and reliable brush control. A paint brush with stray hairs, splayed filaments, and twisted bristles is useless for painting details. There are many reasons why a paint brush will start to fail and fall apart. Poor maintenance, bad habits, and …
7 Reasons Your Paint Brushes Fail (and How to Avoid It) Read More »
A paint brush is a weapon. You wield a brush to slay “your subject”, and perhaps, often yourself (figuratively). Did you know that the act of creation is often a means of destruction, too. “To light a candle is to cast a shadow,” wrote Ursula K. Le Guin, famed fictional author and creator of the …
5 Must-Know Brush Features for Painting Miniatures and Models Read More »
A wet palette is a device that keeps your acrylic model paint “wet” for a near-indefinite amount of time. Just add water to the sponge material in a wet palette, and your paints won’t dry out, ever. A potential limitation with using a wet palette over a long period of time is mold and bacterial …
How to Make a Wet Palette for Miniature Painting (Tutorial) Read More »
You’ve been painting your new Warhammer 40k army for weeks in preparation for an upcoming convention or a new rules edition. Thankfully, you’re now at the point where you can stop and feel accomplished. But, what do you do to avoid thinking about your project, or burning out from delving too deep into the hobby? …
5 Destressor Tips for a Miniature Painter’s “Day Off” Read More »
Are you looking for a cheap alternative to Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes for painting miniatures and models? For the mini painter, the Winsor & Newton Series 7 line of paint brushes are the gold standard. However, the Series 7 line of kolinsky sable paint brushes are expensive, often more than $20-30, per brush. …
Best Alternative to Winsor & Newton Series 7 Brushes for Painting Miniatures? Read More »
What’s better for painting miniatures, airbrushing or regular brushwork? The best answer for this question is that it depends on what you’re trying to do with your miniature painting project. Airbrushing is a powerful tool and adds other more technical options for miniature painters. For best results, regular brushing will always be useful for finishing …
Airbrushing Vs. Regular Brushing for Miniatures and Models Read More »
I’ve painted miniatures for a long time. Along the way I’ve gathered up a collection of miniature painting tips that have helped me. Many of the tips and tricks I’ve learned are from providing a miniature painting service. Through the years, I’ve learned how-to be a more effective painter. Of course, I’m always looking for …
50 Miniature Painting Tips: What I Learned as a Commissioned Painter Read More »
The two best alternatives to Citadel Texture Paint are sanded tile grout or crackle paste medium. Compared to Citadel Texture Paint, these products serve as great replacement mediums. They are much less expensive, just as easy to use, and look great! Read below to see my thoughts on the best replacement alternatives for Citadel Texture …
Do you use a wet palette? How do you setup your palette? I’ve tried all types of wet palettes: the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) disaster and even the fancier “Everlasting Wet Palette” (Red Grass Games). These are either mold-farms or over-hyped and expensive palettes.