Although there are many different and varied ways to paint figures I will do my best to try and describe what I do. Of course you do not have to follow my way of painting and you may even feel that some of my comments and suggestions are obvious. My best advice is to experiment and settle with whatever method best suits you.

Most of the time I aim to get something that looks fair to good on the table. Excellent quality takes time and I’m happy to compromise on quality in order to get a quicker result for large units of figures which at best are generally going to be viewed from about a foot away, however when only a few figures will be on the table at any one time it is worth putting in that little extra work. For skirmish level games I like to consider each figure represents one person and has the right to be an individual.

These may overlap what follows, but I reckon the following points are important.

Primary Colours are basic and cannot be mixed from other elements. They are to color what prime numbers are to mathematics. One can mix two primaries to get a Secondary Colour. You will notice that each Secondary Colour on the Colour Wheel is bounded by two primaries. These are the components that one would mix to get that Secondary Colour.

Color Complements are color opposites. These colors contrast each other in the most extreme way possible. They also help to make each other more active. In the Color Wheel illustration above, the complement of the color is used as text in that section. This is to illustrate the opposite character of the color. Color Complements are on opposite sides of the Color Wheel.

Remember when mixing shades that you do not have to use White to lighten a colour or black to darken it. In fact I would advice you not to. Try using blues, browns or even deep reds to darken colours and beige, magnolia and other pale colours to make highlights.

When using your miniatures most people will view them from the top. A neat and well designed base can make all the difference. For armies try to have a theme linking all the bases together. Think of where the figures would naturally be. Snow, forest, desert? Paint all the base edges with the same colour to help show uniformity. You can have a great mix of individually painted figures that all look unique and tie them all together as a unit just by careful basing.

An Old army saying is Preparation prevents **** poor performance. Scrape and file all the flash and mould lines off. A good way to find mould line on figures with slotta base’s is to start at one end of the tab at the bottom of the figure and follow a line right over the figure until you get back to the other side of the tab on the bottom. Plastic and resin figures will need to be cleaned with warm soapy water and allowed to dry. Once all this is done take another look at your figure in case you have missed any marks. Gaps can then be filled in with modeling putty or if they are very small cracks a thin line of watered down PVA glue. If I’m painting a unit of similar figures I then attach them to small sticks of wood with wood glue for ease of handling when I start painting.

For speed I use Spray paint undercoat from Halfords or any model shop. Be sure to use a face mask and spray in a well ventilated area. Trust me you will not be very popular if you spray paint the kitchen….trust me I know. The spray can be immersed in a basin of hot water to heat up and make sure it sprays well but this is just a personal choice. I find it does tend to cut down on large globules of paint coming out of the nozzle. Place your piece of wood either on a layer of old newspaper or inside a box to prevent any overspray colouring the patio.

On with the gas mask. You think I’m kidding? Try without and you will be able to taste the fumes for ages and have odd coloured bogies to boot. Using a constant motion apply a light layer of undercoat to your figures from no closer then 12 inches. It will take several layers to cover the figure completely, but its far better to have several thin layers then one thick layer. After applying your first layer all over the figure use a hairdryer to dry the paint and ‘Bake’ the undercoat. I find that doing this gives a tougher layer and does not chip or flake away as easily.

Once the figure is completely dry check for any areas that have been missed. A thin layer of your chosen undercoat colour can then be applied to the bits that the spray has missed. I prefer to use a black undercoat as it helps add a natural shade in the painting process. A white undercoat is good for figures that will use a lot of light colours. Try using terracotta undercoat for figures with a lot of exposed flesh.

As I said above most paints are too thick to use straight from the pot and will need to be thinned down so they flow nicely. There are many types of paints out there and most can be mixed with each other without any problems. A good selection of natural colours is essential. Be careful when using model paints as they can be very difficult to remove from furniture.

Some people, myself included at times, seem to find what appears to be an inexhaustible amount of figures that need painting. Don’t let this get you down. There is light at the end of the tunnel. When painting uniformed figures start up a production line and work your way through one colour at a time. If you have figures with the same pose it becomes quicker if you paint them all in one go. This is where gluing your models to strips of wood really comes in handy. This production line method takes a little longer before you see results but your armies will grow in leaps and bounds rather then small dribbles. With 28mm scale figures I find painting them between 10 and 20 at a time is ideal. If mixing your own colours be sure to mix up enough for all your figures as there is nothing more frustrating then forgetting what colours you used to get a certain tone.

Good brushes can save you a lot of heart ache. Look after your brushes and keep them clean. With a well maintained brush you will get much more enjoyment out of your painting. Avoid getting paint on the metal band near the bristles. Use cut up lengths of straws to cover the ends of your brushes and keep the points sharp. If possible have separate brushes set aside for different tasks. If nothing else keep brushes for painting metallic colours and separate brushes for all the other colours.

Ok first off. When using enamel paints don’t be fooled into thinking that water will get it off when it’s dry. Ensure you clean your brushes regularly in clean water. Have separate pots of water put aside for washing metallic paint brushes in. A lot of people put their brushes in their mouths to regain a point. Use water as saliva can cause your brushes to deteriorate.

Start off with painting all the dark recessesfirst. Ideally you want to use a colour darker then what you want the actual colour to be. Avoid using black on its own as it can appear unnatural. Try adding small amounts of brown, blue or red to black.

Ok so you have painted the shading and then applied a base coat of the final colour, the more adventurous of you may have applied several lighter colours to blend the deepest shade into the base colour. (I will go into more detail about this in a separate article.)

Highlights are areas where the light would catch on various items. Try to imagine where the light source is coming from so that the highlights remain consistent. Rather then add white to highlight base colours try adding other light tones to the base colour. For example using pale beige can give a more pastel effect. Now I’m not saying don’t use white at all, I’m just saying that it’s not the only choice open to you. Again the more adventurous of you can use several highlights to help blend the colours. I find that a total of five different shades (Shading through to highlights) give a good effect for most figures. Some figures if they are going to be viewed in units can look good with as little as three shades. With character figures and unique models you can really go to town with the amount of shades. (I will go into more detail on highlights in a separate article.)

The smaller the figure, the more contrast you need. The larger the figure the more it’ll create the effects itself and hence the more subtle you can be. It’s also worth noting that on smaller figures you will need to use brighter colours to make them stand out and look right. That Prussian blue may look great on your 28mm Napoleonic’s but trust me it will look very very dull on your 6mm figures.