We used the Army Painter range of paints for this tutorial. They have great surface coverage and a wide range of colors. Make sure to shake the paint pot before you apply to your palette to make sure it’s properly mixed. Once you’ve applied the paint to your palette you will need to thin your paints down with a small amount of water. About a 1:1 ratio will work for most paints.
Due to the size of this miniature, you are going to want to use a smaller size brush with a fine point. The majority of this miniature was painted with a Size 0 brush, going down to a Size 00 or even 000 for the ultra-fine details.
If this is your first time painting a miniature, then this probably seems a bit intimidating. No worries! You can stick to Step 1,2, and 3 and then base the miniature. Practice makes perfect and you’ll be up and running in no time.
The most important thing to remember when painting miniatures is HAVE FUN!
Step 1 - First Layer: Apply your Base color
Belt, Scabbard and Boots - Necromancer Cloak
Cloak – Deep Blue and Matt Black (50:50 mix)
Flesh – Kobold Skin
Metalwork – Gun Metal
Hair (upper)– Deep Blue and Matt Black (50:50 mix)
Hair (lower) – Cultist Robe
Trousers - Necromancer Cloak
Tunic - Cultist Robe
Fur trim – Deep Blue and Matt Black (50:50 mix)
We start by blocking out all of the different areas of the miniature with a dark basecoat. These colors act as the shadows for the final colors, and make them a bit easier to apply. We want to apply a couple of thin coats of paint instead of one thick one so we don’t obscure any of the details.
Since the majority of Yasha is going to be black and dark grey we will be starting with very dark grey and blue tones for the base coats and highlights, and using our ink washes later on to take the color back to a black.
In this instance, not all of the highlights will be used to represent a brighter color of the material (like with the leather areas or skin tones) but how the light interacts with a dark material and makes certain areas look grey or blue-grey. The way we apply the paint is the same as any other area of a miniature, we’re just using it to give a different effect.
Yasha’s hair has a two-tone effect. Starting as a dark blue at the top and turning grey towards the tips. When base coating these colors take a bit of time separating these two areas of the hair to give this a natural fade effect. Don’t worry if it looks a bit blocky, our highlights and washes will sort that out later.
Starting with the largest areas block in each different section of Yasha. We want to apply a couple of thin coats of paint instead of one thick one so we don’t obscure any of the details.
You might need to do two thin layers of paint rather than one thicker layer in order to get a solid coverage of paint, when painting the lighter colors.
Step 2 - Second Layer: Brighten up your Base Coat
Belt, Scabbard and Boots - Cultist Robe
Cloak – Dark Sky
Flesh – Elven Flesh
Metalwork – Plate Mail Metal
Hair (upper) – Dark Sky
Hair (lower) – Castle Grey
Trousers – Dark Stone
Tunic - Castle Grey
Fur trim – Dark Sky
Now we will start to add depth to the colors by brightening them up. Concentrating on the raised areas and sections that would be exposed to more light, we start to apply the brighter versions of our base colors. This is generally on the tops of an area, the ridge of a fold of cloth and on the more pronounced details of a face like the eyebrows, nose, cheeks and lips.
When applying these we want to be careful to leave a small amount of our basecoat in the folds and recesses of the area we are working on to act as a shadow.
This is where we start to work on that lighting effect, to prevent the darker areas from looking flat. When applying the first layer of highlights we don’t necessarily want to evenly cover every raised edge in the color. We want to concentrate on just the ones that will get the most light.
For example, if we take a look at Yasha’s cloak, we want to paint only the most obvious folds of the material, and on the inside edges of the tears and rips, and leave the rest in the color from step 1.
This technique can take a bit of getting used to so if you don’t feel up to it then no worries, you can give the black areas a very light Drybrush of the dark Stone instead to pick out the raised areas. Check out our previous articles for more information on this very useful technique.
We will also be working on making sure the highlight colors for Yasha’s hair are in the right place. You can work from the top down for the blue and bottom up for the grey. This will keep the color split nice and consistent and easier to achieve.
At this stage we don’t need to be applying as much paint to the miniature as when we did the basecoats, so be careful not to overload your brush.
Step 3 - Third Layer: Applying Some Washes
Belt, Scabbard and Boots – Dark Tone
Cloak – Dark Tone
Flesh – N/A
Metalwork – Dark Tone
Hair (upper)– Dark Tone mixed with Blue Tone (50:50)
Hair (lower) – Strong Tone
Trousers – Dark Tone
Tunic – N/A
Fur Trim – Dark Tone mixed with Blue Tone (50:50)
These washes will help to add shade to the miniature and increase the definition on highly detailed areas. Mix them well, but don’t water them down too much or they can dry, leaving a very chalky finish.
Due to the nature of a wash they are much thinner than the paint we have been using and can be harder to control. Don’t overload your brush or allow the wash to pool in the creases as it can run into other areas of the miniature.
This is where we will see Yahsa’s clothing return to much darker colors. The Dark Tone will flow into the recesses making them much more shadowed and it will tone down the Greys/blues we have applied into a much more subtle color.
We don’t want to apply a wash to Yasha’s skin as we want to keep that pale tone and subtle transition from light to dark. Don’t worry if some wash does goes onto the skin by mistake. Just wait for it to dry and use the previous skin color to fix it.
Step 4 - Layer: Edge Highlights and Touch Ups
Belt, Scabbard and Boots – Castle Grey
Cloak – Wolf Grey
Flesh – Corpse Pale
Metalwork – Shining Silver
Hair (upper) – Dark Sky
Hair (lower) – Castle Grey
Trousers - Castle Grey
Tunic - Castle Grey mixed with Stone Golem (50:50)
Fur trim – Dark Sky
After we have applied the washes to add depth and enhance the details of the areas, we can do a layer of color to brighten it up again.
Just like before, we want to concentrate these colors on the raised areas/details of the miniature such as the tip of the nose and cheekbones for the face, the top ridges of the folds for the cloth, and the sharp edges. of the daggers.
The highlights at this stage are quite small and pronounced. They cover only the uppermost areas on cloth folds and the sharpest of edges. We do this to add more contrast between the light and shadowed areas and increase the look of light shining on black.
It’s best to use the smaller Size 00 or 000 for this stage as you need to be very careful. Take your time and remember it’s easy to go back and cover up any slips and mistakes if you do make any.
Congratulations you’ve painted Yasha!
Step 5 - Optional Finishing Touches
At this stage you could add a further layer of highlighting to Yasha if you felt like it. Just like before concentrating on the uppermost raised areas of the miniature, predominantly in the sections and materials most affected by the light, such as her leather belt and the metalwork on her scabbard. You can either select a brighter version of each color for these highlights or add in a small amount of Matt white to the Step 4 colors.
This is an extra stage where you can choose to add another layer of highlights or go back to the miniature and pick out small details, paint in eyes/mouth, or enhance the details by taking the Size 000 brush with Matt Black to carefully paint in the lines between each different area. This technique is known as “black lining” or “lining in”. This will really add to the contrast for the black areas.
With your miniature painted, you can choose how you would like it to be based. It’s perfectly fine to leave the base black, but just make sure to clean up the edge and give the base a nice even coat of black paint to really help the miniature look finished. Alternately, you can use sand and glue or pumice gel to give the base some earthy texture and then paint it to match whichever setting you like. You can then add some static grass or grass tufts to bring the base to life.
If you plan to use this miniature for gaming, it is a good idea to seal it with either a spray-on sealer such as Testor Dullcote or Army Painter Anti-Shine. There are brush-on options available if the idea of using a spray can on your freshly painted miniature is something you’re wary of. In either case, be sure to follow the application instructions provided. Always test your sealer before applying it to your miniature to make sure it cures correctly.
We would love to see your results, so post them up on Twitter using #CrittersPaint hashtag!