How I Pretend to be a Miniature Painter 

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This may be the best video on mini painting in a while. It's totally spot on and covers probably 99% of us that just paint minis because we love to.

"They always impress people outside of the hobby space" Oh, man. I feel that one.

As someone who is a perfectionist, and literally started painting her first mini yesterday...after watching MANY videos.... Thank you for this. It makes me realize that I might not want to start this hobby off my being to hard on myself and ruin the who point of a hobby. This is SO very appreciated!

i dont do miniature painting but honestly, the message of this video is just a nice reminder no matter what. anything worth doing is worth half assing if the alternative is not doing it at all !!

I had to stop watching mini painting RU-vid for a bit because it felt like I was so far away from being able to use most of the advice I was seeing. Then eventually I got to a place where I'm happy with my skill level. I don't paint to win awards, I paint to make my game table look cool, and I feel like my table looks pretty cool these days. Now I can enjoy those videos for what they are and not beat myself up over it.

You are an inspiration. Staying real and down to earth. We don’t need another “slapchop” video. We just want to have fun in our hobby, and you excite us to do so.

Your no bullshit approach to the hobby is the reason why we keep coming back to your channel! You are the one who taught me to minimize my tremors while painting, to stop being afraid of failure and to accept working at my skill level without comparing myself constantly to professionals. I really appreciate your content and you have helped me a lot on my journey. So thank you!

I've watched a ton of your videos, for a long, long time. One of things I've *always* appreciated and *will* always appreciate; is your integrity. You don't bullshit. You don't fake shit. You just give your take and do what you love. Cheers for authenticity mate.

As a fellow Winnipeger, I gotta say I take pride that you're from the same frozen wasteland. Your videos got me into Terrain, and then gave me the guts to try mini painting next. Really appreciate the way you talk about painting with normal human language!

I started my mini painting journey by following your beginner playlist. seeing you talk about this is very refreshing, as I am always worried that im "not good enough."

This advice is so accurate. I taught mini painting & color theory as part of a teen STEM class last week and they were all worried about details & accuracy at first. Teaching them skills like dry brushing so it "looking good at arm's length is fine" was a game changer for them.

I recently took up D&D, I always wanted a 3D printer, now I have an excuse. I learned some basic techniques from your channel and got to work. 100+ mini's later, I'm feeling pretty good about what I've done. Dude, this video spoke volumes to me, the guys I DM for are blown away each time with the next wave of weird and wonderful enemies. Keep up the good work 👍

Was using Goober's video for "slap-chopping" since I had ~500 unpainted D&D minis. This video gave me a couple more tools/ideas for when I get to the Large/Huge/Gargantuan minis, since some of the steps aren't really feasable at Medium or smaller minis. So far I've done nearly 100 since christmas, without having painted minis before, and yeah don't look too close 'cause they're not great, but in a game setting and at that scale they're perfect. Beats the hell out of flat, gray pieces on the gaming board for sure.

Thank you for being a voice of reason in a hobby that often gets too caught up in dos and don'ts, usses and themses. :) There is a handful of hobby channels I know I will enjoy no matter what the latest video is about, and you have been on that list for a loong time. Not changing anytime soon! Thanks again!

The part of this video that really stuck out to me was, the bit about mixing contrast paints and speed paints on the model. You honestly don't know what is going to work for you until you try. The beauty of uniqueness is that it may work for you and not everyone else. It's about having fun and what YOU want to see, not what everyone else wants to see. Let them chase their preference while you focus on yourself :). Fantastic message here!

I like the incredible artists like Sergio Calvo and Squidmar and the like, but I also really like stuff like this. There's a place for all levels of skill in this hobby!

I love seeing your process of mini painting. Unlike a lot of processes it actually looks achievable for beginners

Omg thank you for posting this!!! I was feeling overwhelmed with the "perfection" of mini painting. Makes me feel better to know it's not just me that says it's good enough!

This is what first drew me to your channel ages ago -- empowering people to try, despite the skill level, and to have fun with it anyway. You got me into foam terrain crafting. I've been dreading getting back into mini painting (but I have SO MANY unpainted minis, I feel I need to). This was just the thing to inspire me into action, getting them done, rather than trying for perfection. Thanks again!

Honestly this is great to hear. I’ve really gotten into painting miniatures recently and I feel like I need to constantly be improving and trying to get professional results. This reminds me of why I even started painting in the first place

Your videos always have a very down-to-earth take on hobby crafting for tabletop. Keep doing what you do!

This video is why you are one of my favorite painters. You make it seem possible. Yeah, I watch the others too, but sometimes what they do is so awesome that it just seems like I'm not doing a good job. Dry brushing is my favorite way of pretending!

I've been painting and model making for almost 25 years. I also teach painting at the local hobby store where I work. The first thing I tell all of the people who come in to learn is exactly what you said, "Mistakes are okay, the most important part of the hobby is to have fun. If you painted a crappy or okay miniature, but had a good time doing it, that's all that matters."

It's so refreshing to hear takes like that compared to some professional painters on the big channels ripping appart speedpaints and stuff like that. THANK YOU!

"It's okay to paint models badly." I've come to the same conclusion after (almost) 25 years in the hobby. And I wish I understood it sooner (much sooner). Those words should be spoken to everyone who play with miniature. Thank for spread them!

TRUTH!!! Thank you for speaking it! I tried so hard to paint every mini to a masterpiece and it just resulted in a giant pile of unpainted grey minis, lol. I just recently bought some AP speedpaints and tried the "slap chop" method and Holy crap! I got a whole box of minis painted and they look good!! Why have I been wasting so much time and effort?!? Ain't nobody got time to compete for a golden demon or crystal brush, haha!

I'm a tattoo artist and the comments you made about shading first is spot on and exactly how I approach a tattoo 😁

When this started out as a 10 step program I was afraid I would need to sign up for a free webinar or some shit. But instead its a great mini painting tutorial video with the message that really needs to get out there. Have fun. Good job man.

Love it! Fantastic advice for painters of ALL skill levels. I've been working on spending LESS time on miniatures and giving myself permission to stop when it's "done enough". It was also cool seeing your scroll past one of our videos :D

This video was spot on! I think a lot of us get caught up in wanting to be the best mini painter, with the newest technique and best skill set. A lot of beginner painters (myself included) feel like if it’s not equivalent to Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”, it’s absolute garbage. But it’s important to remember what the main point of a hobby is: to let us have fun and create something that we can totally call our own! Thank you so so much for the tutorial on speed paints, shading, and most importantly for the reminder to let us have fun with our creations!

I started painting miniatures in 1968, and went to model shops in London to look at the Napoleonic and Empire 54mm figures. These painters encouraged me and gave hints and tips, we worked with enamals and artists oils which can give a beautiful finish, horses look great. The problem was the drying time, dark blue oil takes for ever, so we welcomed the coming of water based paint. However, my painting style varies to what I'm painting at the time. You make some great points in this video and it will help a great many people.

Painters got crazy good during lockdown, definitely easy to get overwhelmed by people showing 80 hours of work in a 10 minute video. I’ve always appreciated how easy it is to apply ideas from these videos into craft builds.

You're right. I got too into watching Miniac & Ninjon which led me to watching Jose Davinci, Angel Giraldez etc. I'm going back to watching more of you and the Goobs.

I'm not a model painter, but I watched this video to the end. The advice and philosophy is spot on, and applies to all forms of art and craft. Perfection is the enemy of progress. Don't worry about the product not being perfect. Just do the work... and do it again and again. By doing, you will advance and your work will become better.

PREACH IT! Thanks for taking the time to make this video and ... so well done! Excellent approach to addressing the subject and encouraging painters at every skill level to keep grinding on and ENJOY the process.

I absolutely love the mentality you and your buddy Brent are down with. The hobby shouldn't only be for the rich or super talented. The more we open ourselves and our loved hobbies the more we are going to get out of them. You guys are doing the work of the gods. Keep it up.

Thanks Jeremy for this wonderful breakdown of a process that is easy to follow, pushes boundaries for starters and shows what the hobby could be all about! I've been experiencing the same tendency of many of trying to achieve the photo-worthy quality of models I'd seen in Citadel army books, magazines and game shops. It really is all about the fun and intended goal of your own hobby skills, and this reminder (and permission to yourself) is a very freeing message.

Grisaille is what old master oil painters used. I learned it in college (for illustration) using Paynes Grey and White for the underpainting, then glazing color. It was one of my favorite ways to paint on canvas, so I'm likely going to love it on models as well! (Still working on pushing the whites on my underpainting as most of my models are ending up quite dark)

Very much appreciate the video. I dread painting so much and find it such a barrier to feeling satisfied with crafting. I hope to take your methods here and get painting down to manufacturing-level efficiency. A fun game with minis is more about the story, lore, and mental exercise than about impressing someone with a great paint job. Even having a showcase of miniatures interferes with sorting them by armies and having them all together if you have a lot. I'd just be glad to have most of my regularly used common stuff treated like NPCs and the custom-built stuff can have a little more detail, but their weapons, mounts, armor, and other implements are more important than how they glisten in sunlight.

"you are getting stuff done and having a good time doing it and that's all it matters" man - i love that quote i just started mini painting and i have been following your channel for months. love your content

Awesome video, and I agree with pretty much all of it! I'd even say it's required viewing for those who get discouraged! I recently adopted UV craft resin and love it. I didn't have fishing line on hand for drool in a recent project, but did have some thin fiber optic (I put lighting in some models) and it worked about the same.

Once again, you make an aspect about this craft feel attainable by the common hobbyist who isn't getting paid to do so. After all the heartache that I've been hearing from WoTC and OGL, it is so refreshing to see one aspect of this hobby still giving me joy. THANK YOU!!!

This is video is so true, especially if you "only" want to get your army "table ready". One thing I found out is, that a simple base (really simple like put glue on a base and dipp it in sand) pushes your table-ready minis even further. I painted my whole Steel Legion Army this way: Sand base coat, metal parts in silver, armor in dark grey, pants in blue, leather parts brown, light tone/dark tone wash - done! And they look awesome!

Thank you for posting this video. There is a saying I was told many years ago when I began scale model building and painting miniatures. "Build to your own Satisfaction, and not to the Expectations of others" Which you echo in your video regarding painting as well. I am looking forward to viewing your past and future videos. Thanks again. 👍

Best painting video ever. How you want to paint for the return you want is so spot on. Everyone does it differently and you have to find the style you like. You don’t have to put 100s of hours into a miniature to put it on the table to play/use it but if that is what you want there in nothing wrong with it. I always say experiment with different things. Painting miniatures is an art and like all art it is the painter who says when it is done and good.

Oi! don't scare me like that! :-) Outstanding video dude, the big chonker looks pretty dang cool.

This is absolute spot on advice and to be honest expands beyond painting miniatures. Don't let what others do or say in any way diminish how you feel about your results. In the case of miniature painting (or any crafting) it's art, YOUR art. Enjoy the process and take pleasure in your creations because they're yours. Try not to get hung up on what other people are doing or believing their stuff is "better" than yours. That's not how art works and we're all making our own art.

As someone in art school working to become an oil painter, i found a good lot of the times painting minis as a hobby becomes so much like schoolwork with the pressure and mindset ive unintentionally set to paint minis perfectly. For a while building minis felt more fun than the painting itself and the unpainted shame pile grew, recently I took a shot in the dark and bought a bunch of contrast paints and honestly im never going back. Contrast paints, technical paints, airbusing, and sfx paints made mini painting feel more like a fun hobby again than being caught up with having to think about every miniscule detail. If anything it goes hand in hand with my paintings for my classes as being able to loosen up a bit with mini painting also helped me loosen up and not focus too hard about the tiniest details for my large scale canvas paintings! At the end of the day im painting minis to have fun, this video really helped remind me of that! Thanks!

I needed to hear this. I have MS.. and with this last Flair up has made it were how I use to paint , I am not able to paint like that.. so I kinda just stop painting.

More beginner oriented / friendly content please. Even remaking old videos with updated info or minor changes. Hunting for old content actually takes my kids across newer high skill floor concepts first. Keep bringing the “ you can, and should, just do it” content

This is my favorite mini painting video. Using oils and epoxys are two steps further than I go, but am glad to see people promoting layman's painting.

I really love this video, both the explanation of all the steps and the encouragement! I have barely started with the hobby, and while I like it so far and found some helpful videos for getting started, they are indeed very intimidating and I'm getting scared of painting a great miniature too bad so easily, that I'm barely brave enough to start on one. Thank you so much!

Always love your mini painting videos, but this one is tops! Yeah: just have fun, get things on the table for friends, and make some badass memories!

This is one of the major reasons I follow your videos - you're down to earth and encourage those of us who are starting out and/or have little talent. I'm not a pro painter; I never will be - tbh, I don't want to be. But having people like you encourages me to want to paint just for the enjoyment it gives me, not someone else.

I've been painting for about a year, after my buddy got me into warhammer. I went with the guard and have a Death Korps of Krieg army. They always said in all the videos, to not let your black washes pool too much in the recesses, I disregarded that now my 3rd of the way painted army looks like it's been fighting in dirty rainy conditions. A rogal dorn looks like water has ran down the sides tracks caked in mud, engine grease sloppily running down the back, with wet leather and canvas bags draped on the track guards, and my heavy weapon teams look like they've been fighting in ankle deep water. You don't have to be good, you just have to sell what you're going for. You might not win competitions, but you'll have a sick army that looks like it's been going through hell and is ready to keep going.

I love speed painting a bunch of minis at once for DnD. It might not be the best paint jobs out there but shades and dry brushing make your minis look great on the table. And my friends love them and enjoy using them for our sessions, and that's all that matters to me as a painter.

as someone who literally started miniature painting this week and has never held a paint brush before I appreciate this video not only was it helpful but its always nice too be reminded how fun the hobby can be and not how bad you are at it

You make amazing artwork. I love your videos

One of the useful tricks I've found as a painter is acrylic paint doesn't cure as soon as it touches the model. So if you make a mistake and touch a part of the model that you have already painted if you have a brush already wet you can usually wipe off the mistake if you are quick, within a few seconds, too long and it will start to leave a ring, though sometimes you can still get that off with a bit more work. It is usually much faster than repainting the area, especially if that would require you to do a few layers on it. This works even better with shade/contrast paints with their longer working time. I even sometimes intentionally do this with small nooks and crannies where I've already painted the outer area just paint the inner area not worrying about hitting the outer section and then wipe off the inevitable mistake.

This is just what about 99% of the painters need. Just have fun and make it as cool as possible. That's why we do the hobby!

(Didn't watch video yet.) FINALLY the TRUTH comes out about the esteemed Black Magic Craft! I always knew this day would come.

I gotta say, this has been one of the most fun/entertaining "How to Mini" videos I've watched in a long time. I love watching the "pro painting" vids sure, but I love the message behind this video that it's not about "Superior quality" its about enjoying yourself and having fun.

One cool thing I have noticed in the RU-vid mini- and scale-modeling community is just how fast new knowledge has passed around. Everyone is clearly watching each other's videos and comment on the techniques they use and namedrop who they learned it from. One guy references slapchop and it carries around to everyone else. All my favorite youtube modelers share their favorite tricks that they learned from their favorite youtube modelers.

I was completely overwhelmed when I started playing 40K. I had a whole army of Tau staring me down and needed to be table ready. But your tutorials over the years inspired me to give it a try and the simple steps of basecoat, detail, wash, pick out highlights allowed me to batch paint a ton of minis. I found some great rattle cans of close to Desert Tan (a little lighter bc I knew I was gonna wash it in Seraphim Sepia and/or Agrax Earthshade) and sprayed everything down as a base coat. Then I picked out some details I wanted to uniformly highlight (blue and red lights/lenses, metals, burnt orange for rank insignia) and got to work. Then a coat of Seraphim Sepia, and then touch up details and dry brush with a tan that's closer to the desired Desert Tan, and they were good enough! I got enough complements from players that the scheme reminded them of military ACUs that I felt the paint scheme was successful. Later on the Stealth Suits I experimented with adding a stipple pattern of 2 more browns over the top of the tan base similar to the actual ACU pattern and they looked even better! The paint job was sloppy at best, but it didn't matter. I focused my time on steadying my hand for painting details like lenses and metallic elements and accent markings in a somewhat uniform rank insignia fashion, and it looks great from a distance. Yeah, I'm not winning any Golden Demons any time soon, but this sloppy (yet careful) method allowed me to put a lot of paint on a lot of minis in a relatively short time. With that practice under my belt, I've since used the same methods as detailed in your video here to paint up minis for DnD. With the only difference being: paint outwards from the hardest to reach spaces to the easiest. If you're new or don't have a steady hand, this helps immensely with mistakes. It's easier to cover them up with the next layer as you move outwards to easier to access areas. Base coat like that, wash with Agrax if you want shadow, Sepia if you want a dirty look, then go over the highest areas with your original colors to bring back the brightness. Avoid the deepest recesses so you can still get the illusion of shadow. Then paint your details and you're done. Take it to the next level and distract people from your semi-pro paint job with a little basing material and a couple of Woodland Scenic grass tufts and suddenly everyone thinks you're freakin Squidmar Miniatures because they don't know how much technique it takes to paint like those pros. Your point about diminishing returns is 1000% accurate. Get steady enough to paint inside the lines, wash, highlight or drybrush, and then pick out a few details. It'll be table ready in better quality than the prepainted WOTC or Pathfinder minis already, which is good enough for the DnD session.

Hands down the best miniature painting video on RU-vid.

As someone who has been mini painting since 2016 I will say this is spot on. I used to fret details and it took forever to paint. Now I do similar and it tends to look similar if not better at times due to not being burned out painting it.

I think this is good advice for almost any modeling hobby when it comes to painting model kits. Very on point with the "diminishing returns" thing.

I have people, who dont really paint or know what kind of detail is possible, look at my work and ooh and aah. I used to try to tell them, "it's all tricks and simple techniques". Deer in headlights, "nope your some kind of master" or some other nonsense. Now I just smile say thankyou and keep pumping our OK to OK+ stuff, its fun and I wanna play games!!! Great Video, spot on.

Great ideas. Small thing: Wet blending is super simple -- in fact during the section you stated "ain't nobody got time for that," you're literally wet blending. So -- yes you do have time for that and it looked great! Good job!

"Don't get caught up in diminishing returns" Man, this one hit home hard.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. The end results are what model/mini painting process is about. Anyone that gripes about how you get there is snob. Do it because you enjoy it. Thanks for keeping the positive message out there!

I am a perfectionist and needed to hear this. I shouldn't feel like painting is work. I should paint because I can get immersed in the creativity and fun and make my games more fun.

This video was soooo needed. Thanks for not taking yourself and the hobby too seriously.

I love that attitude: "Who cares, you can do it, it's fine" when it comes to modeling; you can and should do whatever you want 🙂

One of my favorite tricks that I've picked up (especially for Reaper models that may or may not react well to spray primers) is to mix craft paint with some Folk Art glass and tile medium. When thinned with a little water, it'll actually preshade your model for you while priming it. Then drybrush a color on and you have an amazing undercoat in whatever color your primer happened to be. Then just glaze stuff on until done. Looks great, and I don't have to put in a ton of effort.

Wow, this hit very close to home. I'm always putting off my mini painting because they're not good enough, they don't look like the top notch youtubers, or box arts, etc. But your words definitely gave me some motivation to finish these goblins and ogre for my Saturday session! A refreshing and informative video!

I am new to this hobby and I must say, this video should be MANDATORY for anyone starting out. Straight to the point and shows that you don't need godly skills in order to do it. Well done, and thank you.

I run a game shop and I have referred new painters to Black magic Craft and Goobertown Hobbies all the time. You guys lay it out simply and are fantastic for inspiring new painters to get some paint on models.

I spent about a year being bummed about my lack of "superior skill," then I started just watching the vids to steal a few tricks, but not letting their priss over details dissuade me. I realized this in that my players at my D&D table were always stoked and psyched about my work, the brought in their friends and showed them around my house and shelves with a pride like they had done it themselves. They took pics of the characters I made for them and sent them to people. Their impressions and craft guys like you convinced me that I was doing alright, which is all you need. Over the last year I have discovered, not to be too hipster, that I've been doing "slapchop," for years, before it was cool.

I am so glad you also noticed that everyone was going for the "optimal, best, easiest" methods and it's just inflated. I really appreciated the OG slapchop video and I now appreciate this one. It makes painting seem so much less daunting.

I’ve painted minis maybe twice. That being said I’m a professional illustrator, life long painter and if I may say so myself pretty dang good with tiny details, effects etc. my friends and family are always asking me about art and painting looking for tips, & feedback. and what you’ve hit on here is what I ALWAYS tell people. Quit worrying about it being good. Just do it a ton. Make sure you enjoy it and you’ll keep doing it. Not only will the process not suck, you’ll find that you don’t get burned out and eventually actually DO get good. The enemy of good isn’t bad, its perfect. Thanks for putting this out there, I hope tons of people see it. Just about everyone can benefit from making more art and to do that we all gotta chill and let ourselves enjoy it

If the definition of a well painted figure is not how well/cool it looks relative to the individual viewer, it really begs the question what else it could possibly be. Great video!

This made me smile and feel encouraged. Thank you for that. I've recently been dabbling in doing models and just winging it, however I've had friends tell me there are things I should and shouldn't be doing. I love this method, and I love the way you've shown that its OK to do what you want and not follow any crazy master painter strategies and that hey, it's OK to be Lazy in painting if you want to be. Cheers to you!

1. Glad for a return to “the basics”, feels very classic BMC. 2. Throwing shade at gate keeping clowns. Niceeeeeee.

I love your explanation of the Law of Diminishing Returns. BRILLIANT !

Finding this channel is single handedly responsible for me realizing some of my ambitions about stuff I've wanted to build for Heroclix(the only game I've played with miniatures so far but its my entry into the whole idea of minis) and this video I think perfectly summarizes why--Dude you're all about keeping this stuff reasonable, even the impressive stuff. On one end, my big ambition(building a heroclix scale Asgard, including Odin's palace with various rooms from the comics and movies as well as other structures) there's Zorpazorp with his Minas Tirith with the scale and ambition to make something huge happen. On the other end is you my dude, with the tutorials and how to's and all the videos about technique and just making stuff that takes the anxiety out of figuring out how. And that is maybe the more important thing to have. Channels awesome. You're my favorite mini/terrain guy on RU-vid. One day soonish I hope I can show off my Realm Eternal which I won't be able to do with your work.

“Permission to suck” is incredibly freeing. Thanks for making this!

I have never painted a miniature. However, this video is one of the most inspiring videos I have watched in a long time. I think this attitude (diminishing returns, have fun, just do it) can be applied to many of the topics you see on RU-vid, the more hobby and fun oriented the topic the more it likely applies.

As I am just a beginner at painting minuatures I am glad you said that you don,t have to be great at all the designs and just be happy at what you paint

Thank you for your straightforward and honest approach without glaring bias and brand loyalty. I appreciate the help.

This is a helpful reminder. It's really easy to watch the "pros" and think that I have to do it that way too when really all I want is nicely painted models that look good on the table, not display-quality or award-winning quality. I'll say that dry brushing is a nice, fairly simple technique that gets way too much crap from some circles that think it's only for no-talent hacks. In the right circumstances, it can really improve a model for very little time and effort.

“…Don’t be caught up in those diminishing returns.” Gold.👌

Thanks for making this video Jeremy. It's something I needed to hear and I'm sure others do too. "You're getting stuff done and having a good time doing it" - For me, that's the biggest take away. Stop comparing, we all started this to enjoy our hobby further.

The kind of high-skill painting technique is there for people who have already developed their own proficiency, and look for a challenge and to look _really_ good. They do it for themselves, for their own artistic edification. If you're starting out painting or just want to get to the table, you don't need to feel compelled to match that artistry. There are different skill levels with mini painting, just as with every other skill. The purpose of videos like this is to demonstrate that, even if you're using simple techniques that require low skill, you can still make your models look pretty good.

The trick with the thinner is fantastic! Board game minis (which is my focus) don't always need to look 'dirty,' which washes do. This will let me keep some things bright and only keep the shadows dark.

As someone who is an average painter at best - I love this video. I love my zenithal/dry brush, speed paints, highlighting and calling it done. It gets a mini on the table fast and from 3 feet away, it looks great. I think I am going to try some of your methods here and see how they work for me.

It's all about having fun with the process no matter what the result. I learn more from my failures than successes. Good job Jeremy.

Thank you for this video. I have fallen down so many rabbit holes watching videos about painting, trying to figure out the perfect way to paint miniatures that I don’t actually get around to painting any! This is exactly what I needed to hear.

There's perfectionist techniques, then there's stuff like this where it's like Bob Ross tricks to painting happy little trees. I love it!