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Painting Tips

My painting style is slightly impressionistic. I want the finished unit to look as realistic as possible when viewed on the games table rather than close up. Therefore my figures are deliberately done in a bit of a 'painterly' style to give a good impression when viewed from a distance. The smaller the scale the more important this is. 

A single 54mm figure needs a lot of fine detail to look right. Hundreds of 6mm figures in a single unit need to look good together when viewed from about 3 feet away. Viewed up close some of the contrast might look a bit odd but further back they look just right. 

You can see what I mean looking at these photos of a 15mm Gothic command group to the right. Viewed up close, as in the top picture, they look a bit overly stylised. At the distance you would normally view them on the table, as in the bottom picture, you get a more realistic impression. The strong contrasts which look a bit odd close up help them stand out on the table-top.

In the following sections I shall provide tips and describe the various painting techniques I have developed over the years. Click on the buttons below to go to the respective pages.

Goth comd close.png

Close up these 15mm figures (above) look far from perfect yet viewed from the distance they would normally be seen on the table top (below) they look just right.

Goth comd far.png

Very small figures, such as these 6mm Romans below, need bright contrasting colours to stand out on the table-top. This is best achieved using a white undercoat with bold primary colours on top.

Pharsalus 2 lr.jpg
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