One of the other hobbies that inspired me to start this blog is miniatures.

Miniature models, or minis, are small models ranging from 2mm or higher in height. They can either be simple or heavily detailed. They can be used to help play games such as Warhammer or DnD or for fun.

You can buy them primed or unprimed. The prime is a base layer of primer that helps the paint to stick to the minis. Wizkids or Games Workshop are prominent companies that sell them. I have found that the better minis are currently being put out by small businesses that print or cast them. Many of them can be found on Etsy or other sites that allow for selling.

You can even print them out on your own if you can get your hands on a 3D printer and some resin!

How did I get into minis?

Well, I met a cool dude named Joel (@yenshinstudio) who runs a cool podcast and discord called The Cutting Mat Podcast. He sent me some info and I started painting Wizkids minis (owned by Wizards of the Coast). I get my minis from several local shops.

It was something frustratingly new to me. I was just painting too fast and that’s not how it always works with minis. You want to let layers dry before adding new ones if you don’t want to run the risk of ruining them.

It took me a while but I got the hang of it. I watch a lot of youtube videos to learn new things to try out.

A favorite of mine is Goobertown Hobbies and Dana Howl.

Paints that I like to use

Here’s a list of paints that I like to use when working on minis

• Vallejo
  • Both for paints, inks, and transparent paints
• Turbo Dork
  • Some of the best color shifts I have ever used.
  • I like using them over black and white primers for the best tones.
• Citadel
  • Pots are a little pricey and can dry up so I thin them out and re-bottle them in squeeze bottles
• The Army Painter Warpaint
  • I find the quality a hit or miss on some of the shades, such as yellow but overall a durable
• Creature Caster
  • The white is wonderful!
• Green Stuff World
  • The color shifts are awesome

Tools that I like to use

Here’s a list of tools that I find handy for mini painting. There are more tools that other hobbyists use, this is just my go-to list.

• Glue
  • Some minis (like Warhammer) need to be glued together
    • I use super glue and Tamiya cement
• Hobby knife
  • A normal X-acto knife will do the trick
  • This will help mold line removal and decals
• Cup of water
  • I use an old solo cup
• Wet palette
  • I use this to store paint that I’m not done with yet
  • I’ll put together a tutorial on how to make a cheap on soon
• Hobby Nippers
  • It Helps cut parts off of runners
• Tweezers
  • A fine tip set bought from the dollar store will work for decals
• Paint brushes
  • I use cheap brushes (I don’t have the best brush etiquette)  

Tips and Tricks I’ve learned along the way

Primer is better sprayed on with either rattle can primer or airbrush if you have that as an option. Try spraying in moderate temps with low humidity. Humidity is the bane of painting.

Top coat your minis to better protect them from bumps and scrapes along with color fading. I like to hit it with a strong gloss coat and then hit it with a matte varnish.

A quick wash of your models before assembling with help remove any gunk or dust. I just wash them gently with soap and warm water then let them dry fully before assembling and painting. This is avoidable if the mini is pre-primed.

Try priming with other colors but black to play around with different shades and tones. Some tones like red or yellow may be difficult to paint on a black primer. It may be easier with white.

One tip I have for yellow is to paint it over pink! It produces a far more vibrant yellow. This can be done with either a pink primer or a pink base layer. The same can be said for red over green as well.

Practice! Practice! Practice! No one picked up a brush and was suddenly a painting master. It takes time and effort.

If you need to strip a mini, soak it under rubbing alcohol (90 percent preferably) for about 5 to 10 minutes. 

Older minis from when I started

These are some rougher minis but some that I am still proud of. The pictures are a little iffy.

Here’s what I’m working on this week

I have a bunch of cool minis to work on this month!

I am currently working on some funky Tyranids and some cool Predators (hyping myself up for the new predator movie dropping on August 9th)

I plan on keeping the same color scheme for the unpainted Tyranids as well.

I love these predator minis, these were printed as a gift by a good buddy of mine. I love the concept of different Yautja skin tones based on some of the NECA action figures and comic art. Right now I am currently working on building up skin tone layers and armor base layers. I’m thinking of using Turbo Dork for the armor. Not shown is a Predalien hybrid that is being painted as well.

Not sure on the bases just yet. I’m thinking of a lava theme for one of them. Maybe an article themed.

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Hope you all enjoyed this post! Thank you for reading it! If you have any questions, drop them below.

Happy Monday everyone!

-J