Our Miniature Hobby Lifestyle
Did you know that a messy desk can increase stress and make hobby work more difficult? Of course, you did. An organized miniature painting workspace helps you enjoy enjoy the process of painting. Let’s take a look at why you should be organizing your miniature hobby supplies, and why it will improve your miniature painting […]
Painter’s Delight: Organization Tips for a Less Stressful Miniature Hobby Read More »
Hobby paint organizing can be a challenging task. I have hobby paint in every drawer, under the bed, and it’s spilling out of cardboard boxes under my desk. My brushes are in worse places! As a commissioned miniature painter, wargamer, and blogger, I’ve gathered a huge collection of hobby supplies. Just look at my desk!
The Perfect Paint and Brush Organizer? (JKB Concepts Hobby Organizer Review) Read More »
What’s the difference between a matte and gloss varnish for miniatures? Simply put, a gloss varnish creates a reflective, shiny finish on your models. And, a matte varnish produces a non-reflective, dull or flat finish coat on your painted miniatures. But, there are more differences you should know in what varnish type to use, including
Matte Versus Gloss Varnishes for Miniatures and Models (Overview and Best Uses) Read More »
Inspiration is an unconscious burst of creativity. As a miniature painter or other artist, inspiration fuels our desire to make our visions come alive. It is an empowering intellectual and emotional energy. Without inspiration, there is zero internal motivation and all of our efforts are cold-hearted and dull. How do you find and nurture inspiration
Miniature Painting Inspiration (Tips for Motivation) Read More »
How do you thin acrylic paints to airbrush miniatures? As a best practice, you should thin your model paints to the proper viscosity for your airbrush. The proper viscosity for airbrushing depends on the air pressure, the resolution, and the airbrush nozzle size. For simplicity, of course, you could buy “airbrush-ready model paints”. But, these
How to Thin Acrylic Paint for an Airbrush (Tips and Guide) Read More »
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
Bloody Motivation in Miniature Painting 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 »
How do you glaze miniatures? Glazing is a powerful technique for blending acrylic paint on miniatures and models. If you’re a painting wargaming models or tabletop miniatures, such as for Games Workshop Warhammer 40k or D&D minis, knowing how to glaze is a great skill to have in your back pocket. Glazing is a simple
How to Glaze Miniatures (Tutorial for Blending Color) 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 »