What is the secret to painting great looking miniatures? Is it a secret art only known to a small number of people? Is it only possible if one is  a master painter?  If so, what does it take to know the secret technique to become a master painter? In this article I shall attempt to uncover some of the questions many of us have tried to figure out in our quest to improve our miniature painting skills.

Let’s first break up painting skill into 4 levels: Beginner, intermediate, advance and expert.

Beginner Level:

 The core challenges faced by beginner painters are :

• what type of paint and brush type to choose
• what type painting techniques are needed to  start
• choice of colours for skin,  clothing etc…
• understanding how to achieve Glossy and Matt surfaces
• understanding the dilution ratio of paints.

Intermediate Level:

• blending colours
• understanding lighting
• painting highlights, shade and wash
• understanding different skin tones and textures
• understanding the colour wheel

Advanced Level:

• painting non-metallic metals
• painting different levels of highlights
• weathering
• mixing custom colours
• painting different hair styles
• painting intricate design details

Expert Level:

The finest details of craftsmanship and artistry

• additional highlighting and shading by ‘feel’.
• usage of new or hybrid painting techniques
• unorthodox colour combinations

If you realise this, almost all of the things that  affects the beginner to the advanced level painter are technical challenges. 

How did I come up with these 4 levels?

Let’s just say,  I also asked the same questions several years back and struggled to find the answer.  Seriously, the next time you go to a miniature  painting competition or see someone else’s work on-line be a bit more critical. Try to classify which level painter each of the  participant are in. 

If all entries look good to you, it means you are a beginner  level painter!  Yes, I’m serious. You need to able to differentiate the different classes of works to know where you stand.  It will be very difficult to gauge your own work because you will always be a bit biased. Simply by using someone else’s work as a standard, you should be able to see which level painter you are.

Once you have done that, it will be  easier to move on to the next step.

Moving  forward to the next level

Moving up a skill level greatly depends on how much experience a painter gains during his journey of practicing and experimenting.  For example if the painter sticks only to tabletop painting techniques,  his  skill level will only stay in the intermediate level range till he starts moving on to learn and master techniques in the advance level(You can stay a beginner and  intermediate level painter all your life till you take the necessary steps to  move forward!).

Mastering the above-mentioned  list in the proper order can greatly help one improve one’s ability to understand the mechanics of how colours work. Sometimes some people have better skills in certain areas and at the same time  lacking in other areas. So it is up to each of us to improve on those weaker ones.

Another very important aspect of gaining more knowledge is by studying visual references of all the things around us. We must be aware of how different materials like our clothes, shoes and all other items behave under different conditions and lighting.

While certain things can be learned, some things can never be achieved simply by learning but only through practicing and experiencing for oneself. Things like how much pressure on a brush stroke or stipple can only be mastered through trying and seeing the result.

Conclusion

Everyone knows in the gaming world your points add up through having more experience at each stage of the game. Similarly in the real world, the key to success is by leveling up your experience as well. Taking one step at a time and understanding how things work are very important. Only through learning new techniques and getting more painting experience will your miniature painting skill level get better.

Always remember, we were all beginners once.

To take the first step, you can visit 2PaintMiniatures.com