Painting Gaming Miniatures

It's been a while since I've painted any miniatures, but it was something I enjoyed doing; even though I didn't know what the heck I was doing.  I bought my first set of miniatures when I first started playing AD&D so many, many years ago.  It was a set put out by Grenadier, and it was of different adventurers.  I also got a monster assortment a bit later.  I thought they were awesome, and knew they needed to be painted.  Unfortunately, like I mentioned before; I knew NOTHING about painting miniatures.

Now when I say nothing; I really mean nothing.  I didn't know they needed to be primed.  I was using a set of enamel paints for models.  I still cringe when I think about that.  Of course at the time,  there wasn't the resources that were available today or even ten years ago.  At least that I knew of!  There certainly wasn't the World Wide Web/Internet/whatever you want to call it; with all it's websites and blogs.  I didn't know about any magazine that covered such knowledge; much less any books.  Now there are quite resources websites, blogs, books, and magazines which contain information and tutorials that help teach the craft of miniature painting.

One of the better blogs discussing painting miniatures is wargaming tradecraft from N++ .  If you know nothing about painting minis, and want to learn his blog is the perfect place to start.  He covers it all, or will eventually I imagine, and does so with a nice, clear writing style.  I've learned a few things reading his posts.  I really need to go back, and start taking "notes"; i.e. cutting and pasting text into a word processor.  Hey, it's how I do things, and works great if you make back ups of your files.  Plus, Dave seems to be a nice guy, he gave me some advice about my computer problem.

Carmen's Fun Painty Time! is another good miniature painting blog.  He's a talented painter and terrain builder.  It seems he covers quite a few different genres.  The conversions he made for Gamma World are awesome. I couldn't find any miniature painting tutorials, but you can probably learn quite a bit from just reading his blog, he's got quite a few photos.  He's also talented at converting minis and sculpting new creations.  His photos document his processes well, and he does have some really nice terrain tutorials.  Check out his caveman series of terrain tutorials.  Some very good stuff there, with techniques that can very well carry over into other genres.  There's also quite a few links to the miniature companies he buys from; as well as the companies he buys his supplies from.  If his blog does anything, it should inspire you to be a better painter, sculpter, or terrain builder.

Here's another fun blog, Double 0 Sven .  He's got some great tips on photographing miniatures and some on terrain.  Plus, I really love his concept.  He doesn't just post the photos of the miniatures, he writes stories about what's going on. A web comic of sorts.

The World of Double 0 Sven


Double 0 Sven is a cold, Icelandic secret agent working on behalf of the Scandinavian Government. His mission: to track down the feared SMORGES Board-a band of Smugglers, Muggers, Ornithologists, Racketeers and Genius Evil Scientists.

Every time I read this I laugh.  Sheer brilliance.  That's what I love about this hobby so many creative people involved in just about every aspect of the gaming hobby.

Another fun blog is Doctor Merkury , he's always got some kind of fun, miniature thing going on...

Earlier in the post I mentioned the Grenadier Miniatures I bought when I was just a teenager. They were official AD&D miniatures.  I don't remember what the sets were called, but I believe I still have a few, well, maybe a couple somewhere, and I plan on stripping the old paint off, which I now know how to accomplish thanks to the wonders of the Internet, and I eventually will repaint them.  Where are you Balrog!

I know that you can get prepainted miniatures, but there's nothing like taking a unpainted miniature and giving it your own unique look.  Also, with some practice you can convert or create your own fantastic creations.

Well, I guess that's enough for now.  Trust me, you can find many other blogs and websites about painting minis just by checking out blog rolls, or doing an Internet search.  ( I've got a few on my own blog roll. )  Even if it's a genre or gaming system you aren't interested in; the techniques will be the same, and you can learn much from the different ways people do things.  Good luck, and start painting!