Avitov words of wisdom

Step 1 – Undercoat

·         After cleaning each model up, fix a line of them to a strip of scrap card with PVA glue or stick them on nails, and stick the nails into polystyrene blocks

·         Black undercoat is best, use thinned blackboard paint (its really cheap and you can get it in Roys and DIY shops) or other enamel for a good coverage (use white spirit to thin and clean brushes, use a rubbish brush too). Alternatively black spray paint will do just fine, but not cover quite as well.

·         For a white undercoat spray white, then wash with thinned black paint to really accentuate the details on the model

Step 2 – Base colours

·         Paint the largest area first, usually the clothes

·         Paint the base colour (e.g. mid blue for the tunic). If painting red or yellow over black undercoat use a white base coat first for bright effects, or brown coat first for a more natural tone.

·         Highlight with a lighter tone of the base colour, picking out any raised areas

·         Repeat this process with other large areas, such as trousers, shields and spear hafts etc

Step 3 – Skin

·         Using a small brush, paint the hands and face. If possible try to leave some recesses but this is not vital

·         Using a lighter flesh tone paint the raised areas (e.g. nose)

Step 4 – Weapons

·         Any metallic weapons should be painted steel, and then highlighted with silver for a shiny effect. For spears and the like leave a line of black between the haft and blade

·         Chainmail is best painted using a brush not fully loaded with paint to help leave the recesses black

·         Any gold or bronze weapons should have a base colour of brown first as this helps the paint cover

Step 5 – other stuff

·         Paint all the brown stuff like boots, belts and other leather items, being careful to avoid the clothes

·         If the models feature any hair or beards then paint these

·         If you feel brave do any designs on shields or banners!

Step 6 – Final stages!

·         Paint the model’s base an earth or sand colour, as the models look better this way!

·         An optional stage is cover the whole model with a thinned brown ink as this helps “bind” the colours together and give extra depth. However avoid any steel or silver colours. (Note a really good ink to use is Windsor and Newton Peat Brown, available from Jarolds and will last ages!)

·         Finally, varnish the models with 1 or 2 coats of varnish (Purity Seal will do)

It’s a good idea to paint 30 figures at a time. Also, don’t paint each figure separately, instead paint all the miniature’s clothes, then highlight, then all the skin areas, the all the weapons.....you get the idea! This saves loads of time!