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by Bob Barnetson
The “magic dip” is a way of putting shadow onto a figure at the same time as you put a protective sealer on the figure. This technique works with all of the painting techniques discussed so far and can save you significant amounts of time.
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by Bob Barnetson
Most gaming figures will have some metal components that require painting, whether it is a gun barrel, sword or helmet. Getting a realistic metallic look without investing an immense amount of time is fairly easy.
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by Bob Barnetson
Most clothing and shields can be painted with basic block painting or washing techniques. Some clothing patterns (plaids and checks) as well as more complex shield designs require some special attention. The extra effort is often worth it, especially to denote an elite or otherwise special unit.
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by Bob Barnetson
Painting the skin tone on a figure can be intimidating. Choosing the “correct” colour, attempting to mimic the interplay of light and shadow, and getting a good result in a reasonable amount of time all have to be considered. For this article, we will examine ways to obtain a reasonable skin tone effect for both light- and dark-pigmented skin in a short period of time. These same approaches can be used to also paint horses such as those in the photo below.
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by Bob Barnetson
Having considered block painting over dark primer last week, this week we’ll turn our attention to using a light colour primer. Some gamers do not like painting over dark primer, with the main complaints being that a dark primer dulls the colours, results in overly dramatic shadows, and is difficult to cover with weakly pigmented paints like red and yellow. It is certainly possible to block paint over a white primer. Figures painted in this way often benefit from an ink wash to create shadows.
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by Bob Barnetson
One of the simplest painting techniques to learn and use is block painting over a dark primer. Block painting means applying a colour while leaving a bit of the primer showing around the edges of the colour. This creates a natural border that separates the colours you are applying from one another. This border also looks a bit like a shadow, adding visual depth to your figure.
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by Bob Barnetson
While the primer coat on my figures was drying, I finally sat down to think through what colours to paint them. Selecting a colour scheme for historical figures can seem daunting. One of the reasons I prefer gaming ancients is that most reasonable gamers will acknowledge that even the most authoritative source on uniforms is, at best, educated guesswork. This gives me some license to experiment and choose paint colours that I think look good together.
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by Bob Barnetson
Last week, we discussed why and how you might start collecting an army of 1:72-scale plastic historicals. In this article, we’ll consider the first step in painting the army: cleaning up the bare figures, assembling them and priming them. While none of these steps is particularly difficult to accomplish, attention at this stage prevents problems like flaking paint later on.
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by Bob Barnetson
Over the next few months, Tabletop Gaming News will be publishing a series of weekly articles about 1:72-scale plastic models. These articles will be aimed at both new and experienced miniatures gamers who are considering getting into historical gaming with plastics. These articles will cover:
Additional articles based on reader requests may be considered.
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