In today’s Watch This we are going back to painting basics with NPCChris. This is a great video for anyone just starting out with painting, but also anyone who just wants to review the basics of painting a model.
With the Watch This series, I look for videos that help with various aspects of our hobby that I want to share with you. I then embed the YouTube video below for you to watch – but don’t miss the notes I put together below the video.
After watching the video myself a few times, I write up the highlights from the video for your reference.
So let’s jump in and watch Chris share painting basics while he paints up his Troll.
Painting Basics Notes
I’ve put the following notes together from Chris’ video. This can help recap what you watched or summarize the different points he brings up.
- All models have three basic layers of paint: the base coat, highlights, and a shade.
- Can be done in different orders
- Single layer (wash) or multiple
- Prime your miniature
- Brush, airbrush, or spray
- Keep it light, but enough for the paint to adhere to
- Paint the base coat
- Pick a color
- Add it to the pallet and water it down (I like Airbrush Medium)
- Cover all the areas that need it
- Drybrush the Highlight
- Pick a lighter color
- Keep the paint thick – don’t water it down
- Add paint to the brush
- Wipe it on a paper towel until most of it is off
- Run it over the textured surface (like the base)
- Can add lighter colors to make it even more extreme
- Shading with a Wash
- Darker than the basecoat
- Thin type of paint, or watered down paint
- Paint the model, it should flow into the crevices without covering the higher edges
- “Pull up” extra wash with a dry paintbrush to remove extra paint
- Darkens the shadowed areas to add more depth to the model
- (You could paint a whole model just with washes too)
- Bring your own creativity to your models
- Add any mix of basecoats, wash, and drybrush
- Multiple layers add even more texture
- If it has more details, just focus on each area at a time
- Armor, cloaks, skin etc
Wrap Up
If you are a beginner painter, I hope the video helped illustrate the painting basics that many of us now take for granted. While it is hard to believe, even award winning painters use the same techniques to paint their models – though they may add a few extra techniques like layering, glazing, and airbrush to the mix, the basics are the same.
Know a hobbyist that is just getting started? Share a link to this post using the share buttons floating either to the right or below. Sometimes just watching someone do it helps to get past a hurdle.
