Step 2: Color Block

Before we get too detailed with our models, we want to make sure we get the overall color scheme right. Start by identifying how many colors you’ll need (it may be just one or two, or as high as ten and up for more detailed and colorful figures). Then, using one color at a time, paint your miniatures without worrying too much about precision. This will be our base coat.

Since we want to water down our paints (so they don’t go on too thickly and show brush strokes), it may take a few layers of color blocking to get a good, smooth color. This is normal! White especially can be finicky, so don’t worry if it takes a bit longer to get to the color you want. For the traditional tan of the Separatist droids, it may take fewer.

As you go layer by layer, clean up your lines and make sure the details are nice and clear. Is the blaster clearly separate from the hand holding it? Have the lines on your trooper’s helmet bled over into the white space?

Don’t worry too much about perfection, especially for your first few minis. What we’re going for is “table ready” miniatures—that is, we just want them to look decent from arm’s length. It’s OK if some details get lost in the mix.

Some of you may choose to stop right here, and that’s fine! If the gameplay is more important to you than the painting, you’ll already have achieved a great product just by getting paint on plastic.

But if you’d like to know a few more ways to make your minis stand out, keep reading.

Step 3: Shade & Highlight

To really give your miniatures an added level of quality, we can do two more easy things.

First, take what’s called a “wash” (think of it like a super-thinned down dark color) and apply it to your mini, taking care to wipe it off the tops of areas or any flat and smooth areas. This wash should run naturally into the cracks and crevices of your miniatures, giving them some really nice shadows that help the brighter colors stand out.

Second, for highlighting, put a bit of paint that’s lighter than the color you want to highlight on a wide, flat brush. Dab that brush generously on a paper towel, getting most of the paint off. Then, gently, flick the brush back and forth over the tips and peaks of your miniature. If you’ve gotten enough of the paint off, this will just catch the edges and give a really nice highlighting effect that takes seconds over the more complicated methods.

Step 4: Base

Once the miniature itself has been painted, it’s time to base. 

There are a number of ways you can accomplish this, and it will ultimately depend on how much time and effort you want to put into your mini. You could easily paint your whole base one color (black looks great, unsurprisingly) just to give it a nice, clean look.

Or you could go to your local hobby shop and purchase basing textures and foliage to give your base a forest feel or a desert feel. The sky’s the limit! And don’t forget: you can always go back and do a base later if you just start off by painting it one color now.