Miniature painting techniques: a beginner's guide

Start with a smooth basecoat, add shadows, then pick out a few lighter details. That sequence is enough to practise on a first miniature. Drybrushing offers a quicker way to highlight textured areas; glazing can wait until you want to refine colour transitions.

This guide covers brush painting with water-based miniature acrylics on an already prepared, primed model. Follow your paint's preparation and drying instructions. You don't need every technique on every figure.

Choose the technique for the surface

• Basecoating: establish the main colours of clothing, armour and equipment.
• Washes: darken recesses, such as gaps between armour plates.
• Layering: build lighter or darker areas while leaving earlier colours visible.
• Drybrushing: catch raised texture on fur, stone or scenery.
• Edge highlighting: draw attention to sharp edges with a controlled lighter line.
• Glazing: tint an existing colour or soften a transition with transparent passes.

Basecoating: get an even starting colour

Put a little paint on your palette and adjust its consistency gradually, following the maker's guidance. Try a stroke on a spare primed piece. Look for paint that spreads without leaving heavy ridges or flooding small details. There is no dilution ratio that works for every colour and task: pigment, formulation and the underlying colour affect coverage.

Apply a controlled coat, let it dry, then assess whether another is needed. Trying to hide every patch in one heavy application can obscure the sculpt. A wet palette can help manage the working paint, but check the consistency again before loading the brush.

Washes: put shadows into the recesses

A wash is intended to settle into low areas. An all-over application can also darken the surrounding surface; a recess wash places the colour only along selected joins and folds.

Start on a small area where you can see the flow. If a large bead collects on a flat surface, remove excess with a clean brush before it dries. Once dry, restore the base colour on raised areas if the result is darker than intended. A wash is useful for separating details, but it doesn't replace every highlight.

Layering: make smaller changes in smaller areas

Apply a lighter colour to part of the dry basecoat, leaving the darker colour in shadow. On a folded cloak, for example, place the lighter colour along the raised fold rather than filling the whole recess again.

Let that layer dry. A second, lighter layer can cover a smaller area within the first. The Army Painter's consistency guidance distinguishes these controlled, partly covering layers from more transparent glazes. Start with a few readable steps; a perfectly smooth blend isn't required to understand the shape.

Drybrushing: catch the texture

Use a brush suited to drybrushing. Load a little paint, then wipe most of it onto a paper towel. Test the remaining paint on spare texture before lightly sweeping across the model's raised details. Build the effect with gentle passes.

Too much paint can leave a broad stripe instead of picking out texture. Reload and remove paint as needed rather than pressing harder. Fur and rough ground are useful practice surfaces; a large, smooth armour plate needs a different approach if you want a smooth finish. Keep your detail brush for controlled marks; the brush guide explains choosing brushes by job.

Edge highlighting: follow a raised line

Use a lighter colour to trace an exposed edge. Where access allows, touch the side of the brush to the ridge so the sculpt helps guide the line. Use the tip where the edge is harder to reach.

Warhammer's painting team recommends looking at where light catches a model when deciding which highlights to brighten. Practise on one armour panel first, then add a smaller, brighter accent to a selected corner. If the line becomes too wide, let it dry and narrow it with the underlying colour.

Glazing: make a controlled colour adjustment

A glaze leaves the underlying paint visible. Thin a suitable colour with water or the compatible medium specified by its maker, then remove excess liquid from the brush. Place a small amount where you want the tint and let it dry before deciding whether to repeat.

Unlike a wash, a glaze should stay where you place it rather than collect in recesses. Pooling or tide marks suggest too much liquid for the area. Use it to soften a harsh boundary or shift a colour gradually; one pass may barely change the appearance.

A first practice sequence

Choose a spare miniature with a textured area and a few clear edges. Basecoat the main areas, shade selected recesses, then restore any raised surfaces that became too dark. Try drybrushing the texture and highlighting one accessible edge. Keep glazing as a separate exercise over a fully dry colour transition.

Change one thing at a time if the result is disappointing. Heavy ridges suggest checking paint consistency; flooding suggests checking brush loading; torn or patchy layers suggest allowing more drying time. End by cleaning your brushes, and note the colours and sequence you want to repeat.

Common technique questions

Is a wash the same as a glaze?

No. A wash is used to shade recesses; a glaze leaves a thin transparent tint over an existing colour. The Army Painter's glazing guide recommends controlling the liquid so the tint stays where you want it. Choose according to the effect rather than using one dilution for both jobs.

Do I need to drybrush every model?

No. Drybrushing is useful for raised texture, while a controlled layer or edge highlight may suit a smooth panel. The Army Painter's highlighting guide demonstrates both approaches. Practise each on a small area and choose the one that gives the surface the appearance you want.

Sources & further reading

• Warhammer Colour: paint types and their uses — checked 2026-10-28
• The Army Painter Academy: paint consistency — checked 2026-10-28
• The Army Painter: glazing miniatures — checked 2026-10-28
• Warhammer Community: highlights, basing and eyes — checked 2026-10-28
• The Army Painter: drybrushing and layering highlights — checked 2026-10-28

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