Seeking Advise for a Beginner Painter

[Justin The Critic]

I dabbled in miniature painting a couple years ago after seeing painted Gatefall minis online. I picked out two dnd minis got them mostly painted but never went back to pick up additional colors that I wanted to finish them. With the announcement that Heroscape will be returning and the miniatures will be unpainted I went back to a couple FLGS, bought additional minis and the paints required to finish those first two.

I would love to hear from this community on tips they wish they knew when starting painting or links to articles and videos to assist someone just entering the hobby. Like everything, sometimes advice will contradict and I want to start with one specific question. The first game store I went to was sold out of of white and black citidel paints, and the man behind the counter (who was very helpfull and showed me some of the minis he had painted) told me just to buy cheap apple barrel paints from Walmart and water it down for whites and blacks. After a Google search I was told don't do this, and tracked my desired colors at a different game store. Does anyone use a cheaper white or black paint or is it recommended to stick with the more expensive citidel paints?

Thank you in advance. I'm eagerly awaiting this new era of 'Scape and looking forward to seeing everyone's future paint jobs

[Dr. Jekyll]

I actually started painting with this set (MSP Starter Set) and the black and white from it works well for a cheap starter set. The set allowed me to mix paints to make whatever color I needed for the most part as well.

I have since switched over to Vallejo paints, I would say the quality of paint definitely matters for your base coat because you don't want to lose any of the details the mini has with thick cheap paints. Vallejo paints can actually be purchased at most Hobby Lobbies if you have any of those nearby.

As you said, it is all really a matter of opinion and you will for sure get conflicting answers. Everyone has their own style of painting and you will find yours over time. Good luck on your fantastic journey into painting miniatures!

[Justin The Critic]

That looks like a great starter set, but I've bought most of these colors at my local game store. Great recommendation for others though.

[Agent Minivann]

Cheap paints or expensive paints, my advice would be to just start painting. Most of what I learned, I learned from people talking painting here, and trying it out. Somewhere buried in the forums here is a recommendation to get some dollar store minis and test stuff out. I would lean toward cheap paints to start while experimenting, and then move to more expensive paints later on. If you want to. The great part about cheap paints and minis is that you can watch how to videos and try stuff out for yourself and see how it works for you. You might like cheap paints good enough for your games and how much time and energy you want to invest.

If you do get cheap paints, it is a good idea to water it down.

[DragonSlayer2]

Practice makes perfect. If your flgs has a used/second hand miniature section try to pick some unpainted minis from there for practice. Could also look for mini lots on eBay or if you know someone with a resin 3D printer have them print some free models for you in exchange for resin or something. (I think the material cost per printed mini for me is like $1 if that) Find painted minis online you want to replicate, watch YouTube videos on how others do it and then just practice. Personally I am not a huge fan of citadel paints. That's just cause I hate the pods and feel like I waste so much paint with them. Granted I do love some of their technical paints as it makes life easier. I have Vallejo, army painter, citadel, etc. Usually I just buy the paint based on the colors I want and availability at the time.

I use to get basic white spray paint from Walmart to bulk prime/base space Marines. Now I have an airbrush for priming and bulk coloring. Then I just go back with my brushes to add details and clean up.

[fastbilly1]

There are many ways to approach this subject and no best way, welcome to the world of painting. Personally I went the GW only route for most of the 90s, then only top tier paints for a short time (Z scale trains), then Craft paints only (Apple Barrel, Delta/Delta Creamacoat, Folkart, etc), now I am a mix of both craft paints and hobby paints depending on the model. If you are just starting out, I highly recommend buying a set of good paints first. Once you learn how the different paints flow and what brands make colours that work for you, you can build out your set over time.

The MSP set Dr Jekyll posted is a great starter set, so is the Army Painter starter:
https://www.amazon.com/Army-Painter-...dp/B01MTXRU2L/
And the Vallejo basic:
https://www.amazon.com/Vallejo-Basic...dp/B009162PWU/

All are about $30 USD and give you enough colours to get started. The Army Painter one gets a special nod for the Strong Tone wash which is awesome.

If you want to dabble in craft paints, go to a Walmart and get a starter set of any local Plaid branded paint - Apple Barrel, Delta, etc. Itll be under $10 USD and have a dozen colours. Plaids factories are in Decatur GA (part of Atlanta), if that matters to you. I have painted down to 10mm (Battlelore/Memoir 44) and up to 54mm figures (think Army men sized) with Apple Barrel paints thinned out and they got the job done, but due to the pigment size they wont be as nice as actual model paints (atleast for tiny models, they are awesome for 54mm). That said a skilled painter with apple barrel paints can win actual competitions:

http://demonwinner.free.fr/usa/2007B...0k_squad_2.jpg
Scott Bowser got second in the 2007 Golden Demon (GW's painting competition) using Apple Barrel Paints.

For anyone who has never painted a figure, the most important thing to do is just try it. Putting paint to the first figure is a huge mental barrier and at the end of the day, you can strip the paint off if you dont like it (pinesol bath for an hour and some work with an old toothbrush takes off most model paints). I use to run terrain tutorials at conventions before Covid and I would always give everyone a piece of printer paper and a random craft paint and tell them to put some paint on the paper, they have now made terrain. Since that broke the tension of "my first piece will be terrible" then we could get everyone working on an actual project.

Just whatever paint you chose make sure you get acrylic and not enamel. Unless you like the toy soldier look keep away from most Testors, RMT, and Tamiya.