Painting Miniatures?

DHS Odium

So a week ago I was smacked with the desire to paint miniatures. I know this is an expensive hobby, but I plan to go the cheap route. I don't do any tabletop gaming, at least yet, but I do have a bunch of little plastic figures from board games from when I was a child. All fantasy stuff, with orcs and knights and all of that.

I need to travel back to my parents house to pick all these figures up, which won't be for a little while, but in the meantime I'm looking for any information about this. What kind of paint, brushes, if I need a magnifying glass, best practices, etc.

Off the top of my head, I have Hero Quest, HeroScape, Battle Masters, and I think one or two other fantasy games. Can these plastic figures be painting, or do I really need to get metal ones? I would love to just start out on the existing figures I have.

I also have like 6 tubes of acrylic paint, i can post the details later when i take a look. Would this paint work? The last time I tried to paint any of these figures, I was like 10, and did a terrible job, paint didn't stick or look right. I assume I need to use primer. What can I do about the poorly painting figures, can I strip the paint off and try again? It seems like I can.

I found this site: http://www.how-to-paint-miniatures.com/
Is that a decent resource? Where else should I look?

I want to do this with as little spending as possible. One of the reasons I got the desire is because I figured I already had a bunch of figures, and paint. At most, I should only need to go out to get primer, and proper brushes, and maybe one of those standing magnifying glasses if necessary.

Thanks for any info.

xeviq

If you have a hobby or gaming store around you, you can pick up individual colors for a couple bucks a piece. I like Citadel paints. Reaper is a good brand also. The tub or droppers can paint a lot of minis.
You will also need primer. Again I use Citadel... I use white, it makes the colors you paint brighter.
Brushes: I use what came in my Citadel paint set, I use a fine, standard, and dry brush.

Apogee

Cool Mini Or Not is pretty good, great for inspiriation and has some nice tutorials.

Hot Lead also has some nice tuts.

I play Warhammer (ohgodmywallet) and Warmachine (somewhat less pricey). If you end up going for any mainstream games, go via ebay or online retailers. Brick & mortar stores will make your wallet cry, especially GW stores.

Acrylic paints are just fine, and I honestly just buy the tiniest, cheapest brushes possible. When they wear out/fall apart I get a new one.

Yes, you need to use primer 99% of the time. White primer if you want bright colours, black for darker (and it makes missed spots/reccessed areas look shaded). Grey for general use.

To strip paint, you have a couple options. For metals, almost anything goes; I hear brake fluid works wonders but is nasty on the skin. For the best price/strip ability, go with Simple Green; it's available in most hardware stores.

Have fun!

Spam

The plastic minis that you get with heroquest and the like are fine for painting, just be sure to prime them properly first. I'm not too sure how good the soft plastic mini's like the D&D ones are for painting though.

You can use the proper citadel spray primer, but to be honest you can get spray primer that'll do the same job for cheaper elsewhere - eg Plastikote, Krylon, etc. When I was painting minis, I just used cheap automotive primer from halfords or the like (don't think you have Halfords over in the states, but you should be able to get something similar).

Make sure and do an even coat or two of spray to prime the model, then just paint away.

Again, paints wise, there's a lot of choice out there. You want acrylic model paints, experiment with a couple of brands and find out what works best for you cost/quality wise. Check out http://www.jenova.dk/PaintReview.htm for some reviews of different brands.

brandotheninjamaster

Everything you would need would be at your local craft store. You already have the paint, but you still need brushes of varying cuts of bristles (you can just get a multipack or you can make a little trim if need be). One of the most important items you need to get though is some grey spray primer, that will keep your paint from falling off.

Total cost to you: around $10-$15 give or take.

My stepfather and I were kings of getting and painting Warhammer figures on the cheap, so if there is anything else you need let me know.

JohnnyCache

I buy my acrylic paint at a hobby store - 99 cents will get a lifetime supply for mini purposes, in a better container then most of the mini-specific brands. Most of my paint is a hobby-lobby brand called "anita's" actually, it's cheap as shit and higher quality then citidel.

As for cost, an army costs a few hundred dollars. As a kid, you might be thinking "hey I can by like 500 candy bars for that" but as an adult? A whole army, that takes a year or more to paint well, costs less then the 9mm ammo I shoot in a summer.

Where warhammer bites people on the ass is they get warhammer fever and build up way more shit then they actually use or paint.

Actual painting tips: The key to painting a tiny sculpture is to think in the layers you're going to be working in. It's not like working in 2d, and that has advantages and disadvantages. Some things are VERY EASY to paint - chainmail, metal, anything where the model itself is defined for you - is pretty easy to give real tone and depth to once you get a little brush control.

Also, a tip on camo - don't camouflage things too well. Good camo should rob depth, and that will make your mini look monochrome or blobby. Use a pattern that looks kind of like camo.

ceres

Spray-on primer is a big deal. I did it the other way for about a year, the switched to spray-on and I'll never go back. It's terribly difficult if not impossible to get a nice, even coat with a paint brush. Save yourself some blotchy heartache and pick up a can. They're not expensive. I usually end up using Citadel.

Never underestimate the power of a good wash (about the consistency of an ink), and learn to use your dry brush. These things make texturing a snap, leaving you the time and sanity you'll need to work on fine detail. Fine-tipped brushes are good, but if you find you want even finer, I've used the tip of a needle and even a strand of hair.

Dammit, now I want to paint something.