There are plenty of great places to play Dungeons & Dragons. A local game store. A kitchen table. That one friend’s garage with all the snacks you can eat. But playing D&D in an actual castle? That takes things to another level.
Recently, The Army Painter joined the incredible experience that is D&D in a Castle, an immersive tabletop event where adventurers gather in historic castles for roleplaying, hobby sessions, and unforgettable campaigns. Set at Walworth Castle in the Northern English countryside, the event blends fantasy, community, and creativity in a way that feels like stepping straight into your own campaign setting.
As part of the experience, The Army Painter hosted an airbrushing masterclass led by Factory Team member and miniature painter Rob Medwell, better known in the hobby community as Medders’ Miniatures. If you’ve seen Rob’s work before, you’ll know he has a knack for making advanced techniques feel approachable, especially for painters trying something new for the first time.
“Walworth Castle is a beautiful and historic building set in the heart of the Northern English Countryside and is the perfect place to immerse yourself in D&D for four days,” Rob said. “It was a real privilege to be invited to such an immersive event and to teach people who care so passionately about their hobby!”
During the class and workshop, attendees explored techniques like zenithal highlighting, layering, filtering over white basecoats, and even object source lighting using Warpaints Air and Speedpaint 2.0. There were dragons—Rob noted he demonstrated how to add colours to silver and gold dragons to add more visual interest and players later used the gold dragon in a session that evening. The workshop had plenty of first-time airbrush users trying the technique. For some attendees, it was even their first time painting a miniature at all.
And honestly, that’s what we love most about events like this. Miniature painting has always been part of the Dungeons & Dragons experience. Whether you’re painting the dragon your party is about to fight, bringing your latest character to life, or adding colour to the monsters behind the DM screen, painted miniatures make the world on the table feel more personal and immersive. They turn a session into something visual, memorable, and uniquely yours.
“Having the opportunity to see our paint range hosted at such an exciting and unique event was a no brainer for us,” said The Army Painter Product Manager Chris Shepperson. “Being there in person, seeing the experience they run first hand, the attention to detail, the passion… I was blown away.”
“We’re really proud that anyone attending future D&D in a Castle events will have the opportunity to try out our various paint ranges while they are there and take away some awesome painted minis as part of the experience.”
Safe to say: painting dragons in a castle is now firmly on our list of favourite hobby moments.
