Hobbying Basics: Painting (and Priming)

The hobby aspect of this blog is more of a “by a beginner for other beginners” kind of thing, sort of like the blind leading the blind. Which... might not be the best opening line in the world on a post about painting now that I think about it.

My hobbying efforts are basically guided by two sentences:

1. Get the basic stuff done now.
2. Get the fancy stuff done later.

Essentially, I paint everything up to a basic tabletop standard first (generally speaking, at least three colors of pain on the model and some basing materials). That's a solid accomplishment all on its own. With that goal completed, I can touchup the models (wash, highlight, touchup, etc) as I feel like it, so the hobby doesn't become stressful or a chore. The drawback is that most of my stuff isn't ever really completely "done." However, hobbying is a skill, and I'm getting better over time. If I had tried to jump in and build an army beyond a tabletop standard, I would have given up on the hobby very quickly. Keeping in mind that painting should be fun, I've been super satisfied with my approach. As I learn new skills, I can touchup units as I want to, while still but acceptable stuff out onto the table.

Anyways, I know my hobby stuff is basic. But it's to a "tabletop standard," and looks fine in-game, or on the shelf, so  I wanted to do a short series of posts on essentially how I hobby. The aim is to provide a few tips and shortcuts here for new hobbyists that may be feeling a bit overwhelmed.

But I don’t want to start at the very beginning...

• I’m going to assume that you know what mold lines are and if/how much they bother you.
• I’m also going to assume that all the models you want to work with are assembled to the point you think you're ready to paint. 

But first.... the Primer

The first thing you want to do before you sit down to paint is make sure your stuff is primed. If you are unfamiliar with the term or process, you can read a little more about it here.

For the link-averse, in a nutshell, primer is something that you spray onto your mini, and it will give the paint a consistent surface to stick to. I’m a fan of Krylon these days; it’s widely available (lots of retail stores carry it), it’s been quite consistent can-to-can, and it’s cheap (there are fancier primers put out by hobbying companies, but honestly I don't like it as much, particularly not when it costs 2x of what a Krylon can costs).

While shopping you may notice that primer comes in a few different colors. You may wonder, if paint is going to cover the whole thing anyways, does it matter what color the primer is?

Well... sort of? Let's prime two bits, one black, one white, toss a little paint on them and compare.

Check out those mold lines.. Anyways, can you tell which one was primed with white primer?

It's the same paint on both minis; same amount of time spent. You can see that the white-primed bit is a little brighter, and also that the recesses of the bit remain white (as I didn't slosh blue paint all around). Now, there are definitely ways to fix it and fill in those white recesses with other colors, but that's extra work (I'm not saying that it's hard work, just that it is more work.) There are reasons to use a lighter or white primer sometimes, but if you're just getting into the hobby, I suggest using black primer. It makes your life a little easier, since anything you miss or don't quite get right will look shadowy.

Now... Painting!

Alright, so you've primed your model. What do you need for painting supplies?

You need paints and brushes, obviously. Also, a paper towel and little container of water (even just a little plastic disposable cup would be fine) to rinse your brush are good things to have around. 

Everything but the paint, ready to go. The mat may not be necessary for you, but I don't have a dedicated space to hobby, so it's handy to protect my desk and table. 

For brushes, you'll want something with a finer point for sure. There are specialty hobby brushes, but I just use bulk "variety brush packs" from craft and retail stores. For paints, you have your choice of paint product lines... Games Workshop, The Army Painter, ReaperMini... all have lots of paint to choose from. It doesn't really matter what you use; they all do the same thing. If you're just starting out, I recommend you just pick up/order a handful of basic colors from whatever your FLGS has/recommends, or order a few online.

Seriously... painting, for reals this time.

Sorry. There's a fair amount of things that go into the hobby. But if you've made it this far, all the prep work is done. Jump right in and start painting.

A few parting pieces of advice:

• Start with bigger things first, sweeping cloaks or big shiny plate armor. Paint freely, mayhaps even a little haphazardly. Save fiddly areas (belt buckles, gems, etc) for last.
• Try not to get paint around the metal clamp of your brush, and remember to rinse it regularly. Following those two tidbits significantly increases the lifespan of your brush. 

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So, for reference, here are a pair of models of mine, painted probably around February or March 2013: two Warriors of Chaos (out of a unit of 20). They were some of the first models I applied my "just get the basics done" approach to.

I have never been self conscious about my thumb until this moment.

It's not the best paint job you've ever seen, but, they are to a tabletop standard, and look just fine all ranked up. Just six colors were used (brown, gold, silver, white, purple, blue). Nice and easy. if you're just getting into hobbying, this is a very achievable result to achieve. As you get better, you can always revisit the models with touchups, or even a brand new paint job.. which we'll do in a later post.