Three Products That Change how I paint

[@xerjinxerjin6170]

Has to be the home made wet pallet, it makes paints go so much further. I haven’t brought paints now for years.

[@thebloodymummer5502]

For me Enamels and inks are magic in a bottle. Once you grasp how to use/clean them correctly it really steps up the realism of a minature.

[@jeffnorris3913]

Started in late 80s .had original citadel paint in the octagonal flip top bottle. Great bottle, never dried out. Went to screw lud citadel paint. At least twice a year had to add water and stir with a paperclip. Crap bottles. So #1 is dropper bottles. Hands down. #2 used to make my own washes of citadel paint. Now army painter strong tone and the like. Great stuff. #3 poster tack. Holds models onto an empty citadel bottle. Nice way to hold a model for painting. Never dries out.

[@NickMeredith]

Happy New Year. You're not the only person with a cold from before Christmas Being one of the ancient gamers, I guess for me the first big change what's from enamels to acrylics. I might even say from gloss enamels, and then acrylics. After that I'd say very much the same changes as you,

[@jamesevans886]

Happy New Year to you and yours. I know the losing painting station and gaming table for Christmas and feel for you. I realised a little while ago that my painting style just continues to evolve. So it's very difficult to nail down 3 products that change my painting. My painting goes back to the 70s. You had 1 choice of paint, and that was enamels. The first acrylics were hopeless, but today's acrylics are brilliant. So that would be my first. Airbrushing would be my second, especially for terrain. My third choice is technically not a product, but I feel it should be mentioned, and that is the internet. The amazing speed we can exchange methods and products just blows me away. The 3 I mentioned crept in and hardly noticed, but their impact was massive.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Yeh, you've got a point there. When I started there was no internet and the only sources of advice were friends or a handful of games shops . We never could find a local games club we felt comfortable with, so until the internet came along sharing ideas was a slooow process. God I feel old 🤣

[@jamesevans886]

@MiniatureAdventuresTV Me too, on the age thing, so you've got company. The first wargaming club/society I went to with a friend was a complete disaster back in 72. They took our admittance fee and were very friendly and helpful. They set up a table for us. Then I set up my orc army, and my friend set up his elves. The place went quiet as we moved our troops and cast spells. There was some murmuring in the background. We finished our game and packed up everything. On the way out, we approached the desk to ask about joining up. Instead, the guy refunded our fee, saying it was best if we didn't come back as they didn't really cater for our um tastes.

[@malcolmbrown3612]

When I first started painting figures, I used sharpened matchsticks and airfix paints. When I could afford them, I transferred to brushes and humbrol paints. Figures in the meantime had changed from polythene to metal. Hinchcliff and Miniature Figurines and then came Citadel, each producer improving on the last. 20mm, then 15mm, and 20s and Ross 5mm figures , all had their own appeals and problems. My first revelation was acrylic paints. My second is high-quality plastic models, multi part and now 28mm. Easy to assemble and to modify, all accepting Halfords spread primer. My third is an airbrush, I only have a inexpensive one, with a rechargeable compressor. Ideal for undercoating and block painting horses and buildings. It's a long time since the early 60s to 2025, Airfix Japanese Infantry to Wargames Atlantic Peasants. At 71, I'm still painting, I don't play as much as I used to, my pile of shame fills the spare room and more and I have umpteen 'projects ' on the go, and I'm thinking of Flodden. Sorry for the rambling, but I've met some of the greats in the hobby over the years and I feel that we should create a wall of honour to the founders of our hobby. From H. G. Wells, Marcus Hinton, Les Higgins, Neville Dickinson, Tony Bath, Peter Young, Don Featherstone, Charles Grant x 2, Dick Higgs, the Perry brothers, memories of the landmark leaders of our past time should be membered.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Excellent response and very interesting. I'd love to give an airbrush a try, but that'll have to wait until I get a bigger room to work in! I'm already struggling for space now.

[@NSYresearch]

Got to agree about the Windsor & Newton varnishes. Both brush on or spray can are very very good.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

They are easy to find in most art shops and don't discolour with age. I like your top three. I like the basing textures as well.

[@ShaunTame-re5us]

Good update! I recognise the Blandford book open on your desk, picture of Moscow Grenadier? My revelation was Vallejo acrylics, after using Humbrol enamels, in the mid or late 90s what a game changer. Cheers!

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

I probably should have listed Vallejo paints in my video. I used to buy GW paints when I started but switched my entire collection to Vallejo about 20 years ago (Possibly longer??). I haven't looked back.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Gosh, you’re not kidding. Those enamels were a pain to use, and then the paint flaked off the figures… 😳 Vallejo acrylics made such a huge difference!

[@NSYresearch]

Only been painting since 2020 so ive tried all kinds of products to develop my own style. W&N varnishes, Vallejo baseing textures and an old plate as a palette are my fave things.

[@ashley-r-pollard]

Happy New Year Lee. Let me see if I can think of three? Wet palette, deffo improved my control of the paint. Pledge surface cleaner, use this instead of water for your inks. Vallejo airbush flow improver, not in an airbrush, but to thin paint instead of water or a medium.

[@PhilipRedman-gk8zi]

Using washes such as strong tone has really improved my painting.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Its a great way to produce great results quickly

[@sumerandaccad]

Washes have certainly improved my painting. So much so I used only them when painting some Black Hat Miniatures Huns. I consider them my best painted army (I gave them to my brother as I don't generally game in 15mm). Some other figures I have also heavily used washes instead of paint. Best product ever.

[@vhcsPT]

I would say that, like you, inks/ shades and brush on primer changed the way I paint. Speedpaints and contrast paints have also really sped up my painting.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

I like speedpaits/contrasts, but I use them selectively.

[@peterschief9778]

Thanx. I like the idea of spraying gloss varnish first then brushing flat varnish from the art store. Great tip. I’ll try that.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Applying a thin spray coat protects the models surface ready for the thicker topcoat of choice.

[@southpaw5483]

Thank you for sharing. May you have a video that shows how/when to use the Inks? cheers.

[@andystocker3754]

Inks have radically changed the way I paint. Paint organises and brush stations have speeded up my progress too. No more hunting for that elusive paint pot🤔

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Organisation of the paint desk in often underrated but it makes a big difference.

[@grantpavitt3198]

Only started painting in 2022. So a very helpful video 😊

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Glad it was helpful! May you have as many years of enjoyment from painting as I have.

[@adrianmist6681]

Never thought about using paint thinner before, why buy something when you can just use water! But after hearing you talk about it I'm gonna give it a go, maybe it will help to prolong the life of my brushes?

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Don't get me wrong, water works fine, but I think the thinner does a better job. The only way I can describe it is it's like stretching out the colour with no apparent loss of pigment density.

[@robandrosehobden3344]

Great video love it and happy New year to you and your family 🤠🤠🤠🎊🎉

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Happy new year!!

[@PoulPedersen-p2o]

I’m not really doing it these days, since I mainly play WWII 10mm at the moment, but I’ve used inks as Contrasts with considerable success. They’re easy to manipulate both before and after the colour goes on the figure. Only drawback is you might need to apply multiple layers😊

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Thank you

[@jahvyn]

Love washes for 28mm minis. I don't tend to use washes for smaller figs though (although I've only been doing 15s and 6s for about a year now). Instead, I prime black, undercoat everything with a very dark brown, and then paint on top of that layer. The brown layer acts like a pre-painting shadow at that scale. Then the colours I do apply are bright, which is important for me at that scale, otherwise I can't really see the figures from the tabletop distance. I do have some contrast medium, so perhaps I'll look into using it with my next project to see how it feels for me.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

I often use a brown primer on my 6mm stuff.

[@MichaelWCannon]

I am a brush snob. I have tried a lot of brands but always come back to Winsor and Newton Series 7.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Yep, I love Series 7's.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Sables make such a difference. No going back for me though I still use nylon brushes for metallics and GW washes that tend to wreck good brushes fast. They’re not as expensive as I feared - you can still get a good #2 or #0 for under a fiver.

[@JackTheLadBosh]

Happy new year to you! Been loving the videos and will try using some black ink on my warlord epic british

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

I recommend making up some test models first and trying out different inks and different dilutions to get the result you want before unleashing it on a fully painted unit!

[@thomaschase7097]

This year I started using ABTEILUNG 502 products to create liners. Specifically a black liner for general recesses and flesh liner. I mix it with ABTEILUNG 502 odorless thinner and it is safe to use on top of the acrylic paint. On minis I do a gloss coat before applying. Vehicles I don't gloss first. Thanks for sharing!

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

I'll look that product up, not heard of it before.

[@thomaschase7097]

@MiniatureAdventuresTV What makes the ABTEILUNG 502 products special is that they have strong pigments and very small pigment particles. And the Odorless thinner isn't corrosive. There are videos by terrain and mini painters on YT.

[@Big_Blue_Monkey]

I revived a contrast paint that had dried with Vallejo medium.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Any product that can give CPR to a dried paint is good in my book.

[@theDexMcHenry]

Blacklining! Crikey, that took me back! Nowadays I block paint and then rely on a wash (usually GW Agrax) and a bit of drybrush highlighting to bring out the details. But then I only paint 15mm and am content with the three foot rule detail wise.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Lol. I didn't know if anyone would remember that technique, its that out of date

[@wstks-fmworldwide5390]

The various painting approaches different gamers use are fascinating topics of discussion. There is always something new to learn and try in one's own brushwork. The Army Painter washes were a game changer for me. Started using them about two years ago. Their flash wash especially helps bring life to figures' faces/hands, nicely toning down the Winsor&Newton alkyd oil fleshtone that I have used for 20+ years while settling into all of the tiny recesses on faces and between fingers, wrists, and cuffs. I also like Liquitex thinning medium, Liquitex white gesso (base-coating), and Liquitex medium and high gloss varnishes for finished figures. I find the latter a bit too runny though, The medium varnish stays put and two applications are just as shiny to my eyes. Happy Painting and Gaming for 2025!

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Thanks for sharing your approach.

[@johnmycroft3204]

Well been using like you inks but beginning to use oil wash’s more & more. But don’t get me wrong I’m still experimenting . Also use the AK varnish, like you mentioned I couldn’t get dullcote.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Don't quote me on this, but I recall reading that one of the ingredients in Dullcoat is either banned in the EU or can only be shipped in small quantities... I can't remember for sure, but I know it made shipping to UK suppliers more expensive. The price shot up and availability dropped. Thats when I 'discovered' the W&N Matt Varnish and I haven't looked back since.

[@kevindavis1729]

Hi Lee. I found this interesting. I am only just getting back into painting. I paint 10mm and liked the idea of the ink wash. What shade of ink is it you use. I have tried a wash in the past but I found it dulled the colours.

[@fungyfips7437]

Thanks for the tip with the varnish, Lee. So gloss a coat then the Windsor and Newton. Is there any particular gloss varnish you use? You may have said in the video and I missed it.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

I use the W&N spray gloss Varnish because it's easy for me to source, but I guess any good model varnish will do for that first coat. Then leave it plenty of time to dry and harden before applying the brush on Matt Varnish.

[@gabzgaming5991]

I've got a bit of a quirky way of painting, I use watered down game color as ink 😁🎨

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

All the Vallejo stuff is so versatile.

[@Scornado]

I recently switched to using W&N Professional Spray Matt varnish - I'm interested you switched to brush-on: what's the advantage? I have also given up with a gloss coat before - not sure it's needed.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

I like the spray mat, but I always felt that to get a tough coat you needed to go over the models more than once. Brush varnish is a slower process but is mostly done in one coat so saves time. There must be material differences in composition but I just think the brush on W&N gives a tougher coating while still remaining crystal clear. And this is just my experience, but I found that the brush on version was more Matt than the can.

[@Scornado]

@@MiniatureAdventuresTV After making my comment I noticed a metal figure needing a touch-up (not such a problem on plastics). I think thicker varnish is needed. Down to Tooting High Street tomorrow for some W&N brush-on

[@LordVilmore]

big brushes for dry brushing

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Yep. I recommend makeup brushes rather than expensive, purpose made, drybrushing brushes.. You'll get funny looks when you buy them, but trust me, they do the job perfectly!

[@JamLeGull]

I’m pretty sure Testors is no longer in production

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Lol. No wonder its hard to find 🤣

[@davidbenton8775]

Similarly to the previous comment, I also use thinned paint as ink, sometimes black, but usually dark browns. I can't imagine how anyone paints 6mm without a wash. I must also second your preference for dirty washes. War is grimy, and seeing units that look they've come straight from the quartermaster in brand new uniforms straight onto the battlefield always jars with me. If they are in battle, (and isn't that what the hobby is about?) they should look like they had to travel by dusty, or muddy roads, perhaps through rain or snow, maybe for hundreds of miles since the last laundry stop. My little guys are always grubby.

[@MiniatureAdventuresTV]

Its a much more realistic look. Regardless of what period your playing. I've never seen a photo of soldiers on campaign where that haven't looked dirty. It sorta goes with the job.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Soldiers did in fact spruce up prior to big formal battles. They uncovered and polished their brass-work, put on their bearskin hats (which would normally reside in a cover on their back pack), and generally tried to look their best, both as a morale boost for themselves and to impress their enemy. If there was a high chance of becoming a casualty it was pointless to get overly protective about uniforms.

[@lesliebeilby-tipping6854]

Lee you do have a very narrow view on paints and their technology. Your medium is just a normal painting medium that all paint makers sell Matt Medium by the artist suppliers is the cheapest and works fine. Inks and stains are just that. Any artist varnish will be a good product, you just need to follow the recommendations. With any gloss varnish you can add artists oils or acrylic's as appropriate. Normally a brush on gloss varnish followed by a matt varnish works very well.