PAINTING MINIS WITH MINI GEEKS
How to get your little ones involved with miniature painting!
Written by: Mini Geek Boutique
If you're looking for ways to get your kids involved in your hobbies - especially with something that's hands-on and creative - here's a quick guide to introducing your kids to miniature painting!
Getting the miniatures!
There are so many available on the market now, from Games Workshop to smaller businesses such as Discount Dungeoneering.
From plastic form-fed and resin molds to 3D-printed minis, there's a huge range to choose from. If you live near a GW store, they offer free miniature painting introduction workshops but they only focus on their models and paints.
Prepping the miniatures!
When you have acquired your miniature, it will need cleaning (especially if cast with resin) and potentially glueing together. As you’d be using super glue or plastic glue, I would recommend an adult do this because the use of chemicals, and super glue is nasty if it gets on your skin. There may be “mold” lines or print lines produced during the printing process and these can be cleaned up with a file or scraped off with an edge, please do not allow your young ‘uns to use scalpels or sharp knives, if you’re comfortable enough then please do it for them. It goes without saying, please be careful! Give the mini a final wash to get rid of any residue or dust and let it dry before applying any primer.
Priming the miniatures!
It’s important to prime your mini so that the paint you use adheres to the surface. You can prime it with a brush, airbrush or spray can. If you’re using a spray can (rattle can) make sure an adult does the spraying as again, it can get everywhere and if possible, do it outside in a well-ventilated area with a facemask to protect from particles.
There is some debate about the best primers, from the official GW/Miniature specialist primer to Halfords car primer! At the end of the day, it’s down to your budget and needs. but definitely prime the mini before painting and allow it to completely dry.
Painting the miniature!
FINALLY! You can paint the mini, woo! But what sort of paints are best? It all depends on what you want the mini to look like and how it will be used. Is it going to be used on the tabletop in a war game or in a session of DnD? There are LOADS of paints to choose from but your best bet is to start simple. Don’t go to your local craft store and purchase tubes of acrylic, it’s just too thick! It would be best if you had a paint that is thin but saturated enough to make an impact. Inks, specialist paints and thinned-down acrylic are your best bet. The Goblins Workshop has a small selection of paints to get you started. If you’re going to use Citadel paints, don’t get sucked into buying all the different types, as each one achieves a different finish. Using your basic primary colours with black and white is enough to get you started. And don’t worry about brushes, small “0” sized brushes are enough to get to the details.
You may have heard of base coating, washing and then dry brushing your minis. These are all techniques used to bring out the detail in your mini, but that will be in the next article!
One of the things your young mini painter may find is the paint may dry really quickly, and whilst it’s recommended to use a “wet pallet” there is no need to spend an absolute fortune on equipment until you know your child is committed to the hobby. To make your own version of a wet pallet, simply soak a flat sponge with water, place on a plate or tray and cover with a sheet of greaseproof/parchment paper, make sure the paper is wet and then add your paints.
Miniature hobby painting is so much fun! And you can get some great results quickly. The important thing is to make sure your new painter has fun and not to be concerned about any mistakes, As our Lord and Saviour Bob Ross says “We don't make mistakes. We just have happy accidents” and it is easy to remove the paint before it dries and redo.
If you want to explore further into the world of mini painting; there are lots of Miniature Painting videos that would be great for kids to watch and be inspired by and here are some of our reccomendations:
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