Every painter picks up little tricks over time. Some come from happy accidents, years of experience, or just asking, “What happens if I try this?”
To gather a few new ideas for your next project, we asked members of The Army Painter Factory Team to share a favourite miniature painting tip. From content creators and competition painters to hobby educators and community ambassadors, our Factory Team is packed with talented painters who are always experimenting, learning, and helping others grow in the hobby.
Here are a few of their favourite tips, plus a bonus tip from The Army Painter Brand Commander Adam Abramowicz.
Speedpaint for Textures
From Courtney DeVries of Figuratively Speaking Minis:
I love using Speedpaints to add texture to models, weird right? Let me show you what I mean.
When working with animal skins or leathers, I find that adding some dimension with dried paint can really bring it to life.
For example, this frog from Rescale Miniatures has great sculpted texture on his skin, but to add to it and make it look a little more visually interesting, I use Speedpaints to create a little pool for brown spots, hit it with a hair dryer really fast to dry the edges, then pull up the middle, either with my finger, a paint brush or a Q-tip.
This effect is great on distressing leather or using it with Blood Effects. Using these paints in an unconventional way can help you bring your models to life!
Tape and Speedpaint
From Chris “Peachy” Peach:
I used masking tape for cloth and did a headwrap/bandage and bandana using tape, then applied Shade or Speedpaint over the unpainted tape. Very low effort. Maximum effect.
Stippling Rust
From Adam Loper of Tabletop Minions:
My favourite rust technique is all about stippling.
I use a stiff drybrush to stipple Dark Rust over the surface, building up texture as I go. Then I add some Fresh Rust in selected areas for variation.
Once it's dry, I drybrush silver over the top. It sounds backwards, but the metallic catches the raised texture and edges, making it look like worn metal showing through underneath.
It's fast, easy, and creates a really heavy rust effect.
Best Black
From Heresy for Heretics:
I mix Speedpaint: Grim Black with Warpaints Fanatic: Matt Black. Three to one. It applies like a Speedpaint but has opaque coverage instead of reacting like Speedpaint.
It's really just thinning paint, but it's a tip I've spoken about before.
I call it "Best Black.”
Varnishing & Metallics
From Philip Hall, a.k.a. The Glacial Geek:
I will paint everything on the model except for the metallics. I will then varnish the model.
I've taken to doing a layer of Satin Varnish followed by a layer of Matt Varnish to give a little extra protection as I like the finish of the Matt Varnish, but it isn't as sturdy as a Satin or Gloss Varnish so the combo gives me the best of both worlds.
I will then paint the metallics and call it done! The metallics are more durable with smaller surfaces and thus need less protection. And not applying a Matt Varnish over the metallics helps preserve more of their metallic shine.
Brush Moves
From Sam Lenz:
One little touch I like to remind people of is that the brush behaves much like a sponge.
Sure, it lays down paint smooth as silk. But as that paint is still active, you can use a damp brush to collect any areas that are not so smooth.
Much like two-brush blending, it is using capillary action to a great and time-saving effect.
Midtone Mix
From Brand Commander Adam Abramowicz:
My weird hack that I use is something called the Mother Tone or Master Mix.
I will mix in not only my Speedpaint pre-shadow choice, but also darker versions of the basing and other elements on the model into one deep, murky, muddy mess. Sounds gross. It is. Kinda.
But this tone acts as a reference point I can always go back to that isn't just black or dark.
It's a homogenous shadow tone that represents the environment I'm painting, which has made painting more interesting. I use it as a thinned-down glaze to start, then I'll mix it into my early layers, and often use it to glaze down layers where I may have pushed too far.
The great Sam Horselord Lenz told me that I need to sit in the midtones more, and having this mix has made it easier for me to settle into those midtones.
Try Something New
The best part of miniature painting is that there is no single right way to do it. Every painter develops their own habits, shortcuts, and favourite techniques over time. Maybe one of these tips becomes part of your workflow. Maybe it inspires an entirely different idea.
Either way, grab a brush, try something new, and see where it takes you.
No Rules. Just Paint.
