Making Notes

Some people like to make notes about what colour each part will be. This is handy as a reference later on as you can get carried away once you start.

Sketches

Some people make a sketch of the model to go with their notes, which makes for a much more visual representation of your plans.

Colour Theory

Traditional Colour Theory comes into play a bit here too. You want to pick a colour scheme that will work well and look good. Anyone who has done any art lessons will be familiar with Colour Theory – using a colour wheel like the one above, Colour Theory is really best left for an article on its own though.

Do I Have Everything?

There’s nothing more frustrating than sitting down to paint, getting half way through a model and the next paint you intend to use has ran out!

There is also a good online colour scheme generator that can be found here. While it’s not based around specific paints, it’s handy for getting a general idea of how things will be.

Just a short one from me today, next time we’ll be getting the paints out!

Dos

• Rinse in water after using a colour
• Wash in luke warm water or brush cleaner after a painting session
• Keep plastic covers on when not in use

Don’ts

• Leave upside down in water
• Clog the brush with too much paint
• Use good brushes for drybrushing!

Removing Mold Lines

Often there will be “Mold Lines” present on the parts. This is due to how the Molds are put together whilst in production. Using a file these can be easily removed. If you were to leave these Mold Lines they would still be present on the finished miniature, and you don’t want that!

Washing Metal Parts

With metal parts, it is usually best to give them a quick wash in warm water before assembly. When metal parts are removed from the mold, a lubricant is used to get them out. This can still be present when you get your hands on it, and can cause difficulties when trying to glue them together.

Cutting Mat

A cutting mat is very useful to work on. It protects the surface underneath, so any slips of the knife or paint spillages are caught.

Brushes

Brushes are an obvious one as we’ll be painting, although which brushes to choose is a good question. There are a few brands of brushes out there designed for the detailed work you’ll be doing. Games Workshop’s range of brushes have recently been revamped and seem to be a good all round set of brushes. Army Painter have a range of brushes, although I’ve not tried them myself. Personally I have long been a fan of the Windsor & Newton Series 7 range, as even though they are more expensive, they are the best quality I have used. The important thing here is that you are comfortable using your brushes of choice.

Palette

A palette to mix paints in is essential, and the best thing for this I find is a ceramic tile or saucer. There are palettes you can buy out there but a saucer does the job perfectly, and most of the time you can use an old one for free! I’ve played around with “Wet Palette’s” in the past too, but still prefer my old saucers!

Water

An old jam jar is ideal as a water pot, but you can use anything you can put water in really. Remember to change your water regularly too!

Paints

Paints are another obvious one, but again which paints to choose is the question. Like brushes there are many choices. Personally I use both Games Workshop’s range and Vallejo’s Model Color range.

Daylight Lamp

As I mentioned in the previous section, you will need plenty of light! Ideally natural light, however sometimes you can’t paint near a window, and of course there’s no light at night time! Enter the Daylight lamp – or more specifically Bulbs. I have an angle-poise strip lamp bought from Ikea, and have put Daylight strip bulbs in. Daylight bulbs will give you clean light so you can see your colours perfectly (normal bulbs are usually tinted yellow and aren’t as bright).

Clippers

Clippers are ideal for removing models from sprues and removing unwanted parts. Personally I like Games Workshop’s clippers, but you can pick up a similar pair elsewhere.

Files

Files are useful for removing unwanted mold lines from models. I picked up a cheap set on ebay.

Super Glue & Plastic Glue

Glues are essential for putting your models together in the first place. Personally I like Loctite’s precision super glue and Games Workshop’s plastic glue.

So there we have some essentials. If you have any suggestions on alternatives for any of them post up a comment letting us know!

It makes sense to start at the beginning with the basics, so I apologise to those already competent painters for now, you’ll have to bear with me for a while.

Painting Area

First up are some thoughts on your painting area. It makes sense to have a place where you can do all of your painting and modelling. For most people this is a table or desk, however anywhere you can sit and work will do. I’ve seen people work happily from an Ironing board!

Of course, the ideal situation is to have somewhere in your house that is always set up, with all of your equipment to hand and plenty of natural light. Below is a picture of my own painting area, which is always set up. As you can see I have a cutting mat to protect the desk, all of my paints to hand and plenty of room for everything. Even though I have good natural light, I also have a daylight lamp (which also allows me to work at night).

That’s about all on painting areas. The most important thing is that you’re comfortable with where you’re working. Next time we’ll be looking at what equipment you’ll want to have at hand. Until then feel free to leave a comment, why not let us know what your painting area’s like?