Hey all!

I recently decided to pick up Star Wars Legion and in doing so, have delved into the world of miniatures painting. I admit that I am barely a novice, but have really enjoyed the hobby so far (albeit it is time consuming and challenging).

I have a few questions for the community -

When painting details such as the visor on a stormtrooper's helmet/thin lines, what is the best way to get a precise line? I use a small paintbrush, thin my paints, and try to use the thinnest point on the brush for my brush strokes, but still seem to smudge my paint onto the surrounding areas when applying it. I seem to have a bit of trouble getting such accuracy as these areas can be 1-2mm in size. The result, of course, looks very tacky. Also, is there a good way to safely remove all the paint from a miniature if I am unsatisfied with the way it turns out?

Lastly, how long should I let the paint on my miniatures dry before applying a second layer/next step of the painting? I currently use mostly Vallejo paints but also Citadel Abaddon Black/Leadbelcher.

Thanks in advance for your input!

The best way to get a precise line is to:

1. Be careful, brace your hands together with the model, hold your breath if needed.

2. When it has dried, go back and correct the mistakes you inevitably make despite the measures taken in 1. In this case go back with a white or off-white and paint over the parts where you have put black but are not on the "helmet eyebrow". Then you might have to repeat the process with black again and so on until you are satisfied. With practice you will need to make less and less corrections. This is one of the main benefits of thinning your paints with water and acrylic medium, the layers will be thin, so you can stack more layers on there if needed.

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You can strip the paint off of minis by immersing them in Simple Green or similar for some time, then going at it with an old toothbrush. Repeat the process until enough paint is gone.

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Drying time depends on paint, thinning, water/medium ratios, ambient temperature/humidity and much more. If it looks dry, it usually is. If you paint the same details on a squad, the first mini is usually dry when you are done with the sixth/seventh. You will learn to rwcognizant when it makes sense to stop and paint something else or do something else while your mini dries.

Thanks for this post. I have been painting miniatures for almost exactly one year, so I am not too far ahead of you. These are all questions that I had and people in the miniature painting community and on these forums have been kind enough to offer their advice. It’s generally a very nice hobby filled with nice people. So welcome!

First, stormtrooper helmets are the hardest thing in the universe to paint, so let’s get that out of the way. You are not alone in this experience. You can definitely strip minis with a few methods - I use green stuff assisted by a sonic jewelry cleaner and a soft toothbrush. But I would encourage you to do the best job you can correcting your mistakes with paint, and then if you still don’t like it, set it aside until you have finished all of your other models before stripping it. The reason I say this is because I painted a half dozen Imperial Assault miniatures, didn’t like them, stripped them and then painted them again. And the more or less look the same. Part of this is that my skill didn’t improve magically just because I stripped a mini. Part of this is because the little bastards are just hard to paint. And part of this is because painting minis triggers everyonce OCD, and no one ever finishes a mi I and says “this one’s perfect!” So don’t fall victim to an endless, discouraging loop. Let the model rest for a while and you May realize it’s actually pretty good - or at least good enough. You don’t want to exhaust yourself painting the sale minis over and over. If you get through all the minis you have for Legion and have nothing else to do, then sure, go back and strip a stormtrooper to see if you can make him better.

As far as precision, you need to do the obvious - like using an appropriate brush size while stabilizing both hands as much as possible. Also, if you have just run a marathon then slammed three cups of coffee, it’s probably not the best time to paint delicate features on your mini. Those details are best left for times when you feel calm, relaxed and steady. You will get better with practice. The other half of the equation also requires practice but is harder to describe. First, you need to use the topography of the miniature to your advantage as much as possible. For the Stormies, the eyes and “mustache” are recessed so one method is to use super thin paint or even washes to fill this space and then add layers after it dries. Other parts may be raised. For painting finely raised details I find that it works better if the paint is a touch (just a touch) thicker than usual because you don’t want it to flow. The “correct” consistency depends on the paint, the brush, the mini and the alignment of the stars, so I can’t tell you “one drop paint, one drop water.” But you will get used to the “feel” of your paints as you get more and more experience. I am still learning, but my delicate work is better now than when I started.

As far as brush size, it’s not always necessary to use a super small brush to paint fine details. But you want one that keeps a nice point. I generally buy some better brushes for detail work. A Windsor Newton size 1 is a very admirable “all around” detail brush. I keep a size 0 and a size 2 around but I use the 1 for most things. Others will have their own preferences. But what you want is a brush that will keep its point when loaded with paint. And in general this is easier to get with a higher quality brush. It’s worth it to mention that no brush will keep a point if you soak it in very thin, wet paint and yank it out. So take a look at Sorastros videos. Look at the way he rolls the brush tip when taking it off a pallet or wet pallet. If you find your brush comes up looking like a badger hair shave brush then don’t think you’re going to be able to paint details with it. For detail work, try to load only the tip of the brush and then make sure you still have an appropriately sized point before you slap it on the mini.

If you have a lot of anxiety about the detail work, it’s only going to raise your heart rate and make it hard to hold your hands steady. So just try to relax and recognize that everyone is challenged by this type of painting. Keep at it and you will find that you wake up one morning better than when you started out.

5 hours ago, BigBadAndy said:

I would encourage you to do the best job you can correcting your mistakes with paint, and then if you still don’t like it, set it aside until you have finished all of your other models before stripping it. The reason I say this is because I painted a half dozen Imperial Assault miniatures, didn’t like them, stripped them and then painted them again. And the more or less look the same. Part of this is that my skill didn’t improve magically just because I stripped a mini. Part of this is because the little bastards are just hard to paint. And part of this is because painting minis triggers everyonce OCD, and no one ever finishes a mi I and says “this one’s perfect!” So don’t fall victim to an endless, discouraging loop. Let the model rest for a while and you May realize it’s actually pretty good - or at least good enough. You don’t want to exhaust yourself painting the sale minis over and over. If you get through all the minis you have for Legion and have nothing else to do, then sure, go back and strip a stormtrooper to see if you can make him better.

If you have a lot of anxiety about the detail work, it’s only going to raise your heart rate and make it hard to hold your hands steady. So just try to relax and recognize that everyone is challenged by this type of painting. Keep at it and you will find that you wake up one morning better than when you started out.

This!!

Honestly, after you are done, don't hold the mini 8" from your face to judge your success. Our toy soldiers are usually 2-3' from us while we are playing. You'd be surprised at how big of a difference distance makes when you are viewing your handiwork.

For example: I was really kind of disappointed in the quality of a 3d printed item I had a friend print up for me. I decided to try out buying a file and getting them printed locally rather than getting gouged by shipping thru Shapeways (plus I was wanting to print up multiples for use as give-aways at local events). After I got it painted it looked "ok" but once I set it down in the middle of the table I realized I couldn't see any of the print lines at a distance!

1. Brace your painting hand to the hand holding the model and make small movements with just the fingers holding the brush. I usually hold the brush and the subject with index and thumb on each hand. Then my ring and pinky fingers on the brush hand are touching some part of the subject hand. This makes two hands one.

2. DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH! Instead, focus on maintaining a rhythmic breath cycle so that there are a good 4-5 seconds for each inhale and another 4-5 for each exhale. Your muscles require oxygen to work properly and holding your breath is counterproductive. I promise you that you will have to focus on your breathing, I still do.

3. Get a magnifying headset so you can see the detail up close.

4. Back paint the spots where you go out of the lines.

5. Stay away from caffeine.

6. Relax

One that hasn't been mentioned yet - give them a wash, if you don't mind your figures looking "dirty". A good wash hides many sins.

You may have too much paint on ypur brush, when painting delicate areas with thin paints I always wipe a bit of the paint off after picking it up (basically I'm forming my point on a paper towel).

Put a tiny, and I mean TINY, amount of soap in your thin black ink wash. Not Nuln Oil, not Strong Tone, not Badabax Earthshade, black ink, with a little water. Get ink at the craft store, it has much higher pigment ratios than paints and "washes".

Probably, to avoid using too much soap, put a drop of dish soap into a cup of water, stir it up, then use a drop of that water as your "soap" to add to an ink & water mix. Another trick I like is having an old paper plate with soap residue dried on it: I scrape a brush handle across this lightly and use it to stir my ink and water together.

Apply this soapy ink wash to the thin recessed areas with your thinnest brush. The soap will make your black ink phobic of raised areas. Even if you screw up slightly the soap will fix it for you.

If you want you can experiment with soap and paint, soap and washes, etc. ink will work best because it's got such good pigmentation but it's nothing chemically special about how the ink and soap interact or anything.

Or you can get jaded like me after painting dozens of stormtroopers for many games, and just spray prime them grey, drybrush 'em white twice, then pick out the eyes only with black ink, the guns and some other big items with black paint, then drybrush the guns grey and touch up mistakes with white after. From 3 feet away I can't tell the difference.

Course if you use too much soap the wash will run right off the model and down its base. It'd be comical if it wasn't so annoying.

Unless you’re SUPER unhappy with your first minis... I’d say leave them be!

I started painting Imperial Assault a few years ago and at the time I hadn’t painted anything since Hero Quest in the early ‘90s. The Stormies and early minis from that time are, not surprisingly, not as pretty as my more recent work. But they still look way better than bare plastic, they still look good at a gaming distance, and they’ve since become minis I’ve played with a lot and I have affection for them because of that. AND they service as a nice visual reminder of the improvements I’ve made as a painter since then!

If you know you’re gonna be sad every time you pull them out, then sure, go ahead... strip away. But I think there’s something to be said for preserving your early work.

I’ve been painting minis for 27 years... best thing is practice and see what works.

In general - a medium brush with a good point is usually better than a tiny bristled brush. Good brushes are your friend!

You are best off finding a local gaming store and have someone show you the basics of painting rather than people on webs try to explain - although sorastros videos are very good

For the question on stormies best advice is;

1) right amount of paint on the brush (should have paint in bristles, but not so much the shape of the brush changes)

2) turn the model around and for things like the rim almost use the flat of the brush rather than he point to paint along the edge - painting at the right angle will really help you get lines straighter etc.

As above don’t worry too much about how it looks 6” away. Do a mini, put it on the table and stand 2-3 ft away as if playing - if it looks cool and “like a stormtrooper” that’s good enough. The rest / getting better etc is just for your own pleasure.

Most important - enjoy! 🙂

Re times

usually if you are painting a couple of minis at a time then by the time you have done the last one the first is dry. Drying time is very quick.

Excetion is if you are using washes - these can take a while (depending how thin you made them) - up to a few hours.