1. I have my mini, now what?

Some words on mini painting. There is no "secret formula" involved. Despite all the advice and information you'll get from this page and other sources, the best method of painting is the one that works for you. If you prefer one type of paint to another, that's great. Painting is a hobby, not an exact science. Pick and choose, practice, relax, and enjoy yourself. Take advice only if you feel right about it. Be patient with yourself. Most painters have a box of the stuff they learned on or have removed old paint and redone several of their miniatures. Good painting is a skill. Like any other skill, it takes lots of PRACTICE. Try different materials and techniques. Don't take anyone else's word for it, not even mine. In time, you may find the things here don't agree with your style at all.
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Get some paint. What Kind?
This question has sparked some vigorous discussion from two major camps: acrylics and enamels. First, a description of what these terms mean. The common perception is that acrylic paint is water based and enamels are oil or solvent based. This however is not true in all cases, both acrylics and enamels can be found in either a water base, or solvent/oil base form.
Oil or solvent based.-- These tend to be a bit thicker than waters and require that you have thinner on hand for washing, thinning, and brush cleaning. The biggest drawback is they tend to not cover in one coat, and many painters get problems with buildup obscuring details. The upside of oils is the amount of "working" time is far greater then water based. This allows much more control of the placement of the paint. Blending, shading, and dry brushing are all easier with oils. (I use oils, for these reasons.)

Water based -- Paint is water based and tends to be smoother, though if it gets dry, it can become grainy, if you push the "working" time too long. The best part is you only need tap water to thin or clean up with this stuff. I would venture to say more mini painters use water based acrylics than any other medium.
The choice is up to you. Try both to see what you prefer. Start with the basics and expand as you feel you need it. Soon enough, you'll have more paint than you ever imagined you'd need, and you'll likely use every one. Most like types (water or oil) can be mixed regardless of brand, but be cautious at first, as some brands are incompatible. Most paints are available at your local hobby or gaming shop, and places that specialize in miniature railroad equipment often have the best selection. Railroad paints are often oil based, but primers and sealers of that type are usually quite good at preserving detail. There are just as many companies making paint as there are colors to choose from, another topic I won't go into here.
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Got the paint, now I need a brush.

Brushes come in a myriad of sizes and several different materials. Sizes range from 1" to 20/0 or more. The more 0s the smaller the brush, generally, however companies vary in size so the only true scale is to look and compare. You'll of course need very small ones for details, and some mid-range ones for bases. Materials are sable, fox, camel hair (which is actually squirrel tail), ox hair, hog hair, badger hair, pony hair, and nylon. Red sable is the painters' choice, usually. My favorite is Kolinsky Sable is not really from a sable at all, but comes  from the tail of a species of mink that is a member of the weasel family found in Siberia and northeastern China. It is generally conceded to be the best material for oil and watercolor brushes due to its strength, spring and ability to retain its shape ("snap"). It holds a very fine point or edge. This is considered a professional grade of hair, and if properly cared for, Kolinsky will last for many years. For me these are the +3 brushes of mini painting.  I will make a separate A article on the various brush shapes and sizes.
Dry brushing destroys good brushes so a couple camel hair for dry brushing is a good idea. Again, look at them before you buy. Make sure the tips are smooth and end in a point and the sizes are right. A good brush retails anywhere from $3 to $8, so it's a purchase to take time over. Brushes are available at hobby and game shops, often at crafts stores at a better price. (the kolinsky brushes will only be found at art store and are usually pricey).
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K did some painting now the brushes are a mess.

For cleaning it depends on your paint type. For acrylics which are water based, a good careful washing with warm water and dish detergent is fine. Remember to re-form the tips into points before storage. For oil based paints, your best bet by far is to buy a bottle of thinner made by the same company as your paints. Not all paint is formulated the same and thinner is often product-specific. Also, Badger brand "Air-Opaque ready-to-use- cleaner" for airbrushes does a wonderful job of getting dried paint off of paintbrush bristles, either acrylic or oil-based. It costs $4 for 16oz. 
While we're at it, there are three `nevers' to brush-handling.
Never let your brush rest in the water or thinner on its tip. That's the surest way possible to lose a fine point.
Never scrub a good brush across either miniature or blotter against the bristle direction.
Never let paint dry on your brush. This'll fray the bristles into an unusable mass.
When cleaning a brush while painting, gently rotate it against the side of the solvent/water container until the bristles stop exuding paint. A gentle wipe across the blotter before washing the paint out of the bristles both saves solvent/water from clouding prematurely and helps get rid of traces of paint you can't readily see. A clear solvent/water container is desirable so you can monitor its cloudiness and how clean the brush is coming.
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What other stuff do I need?
Not much. Something to hold your water/solvent (two of them if you're working with metallics, one for the regular paint and one for the metallic - keeps flecks out of the other stuff, and change often to keep from muddying your colors), a palette of some sort (professional, ceramic tile, paper plate, the back of your hand) What I use is the plastic lid from a  margarine tub or the like. GOOD LIGHTING. Against a window is ideal, if not a good overhead light or adjustable lamp is a must. Paper towels or napkins - some for blotting your brushes on and some extras for the inevitable spill or splatter. Ventilation, ventilation, VENTILATION! All paints give off noxious fumes, whether you can smell them or not,  you'll want lots of space, open windows, or a fan. 
These are optional equipment.
A magnifying glass - useful for seeing fine detail. An X-acto blade can be helpful, tweezers can be invaluable if you'll be gluing, files and emery boards are used to remove sprue, mold lines, and anything else you don't want. Nail scissors get into places larger ones can't. Rapido pens for making detail marks or eye dots.
As you get more practiced you'll start finding other things to use in your painting pursuits (such as toothpicks and small brushes), so you'll acquire your own personal array in time.
The number one thing you need is Time - never enough of that so learn to paint bits at a time (also good so that one layer can dry before you put on another for us old school oil painters). 
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What about priming?

Yes. Primer not only assures for good paint adhesion, but it also brings up detail more starkly than on an unprimered miniature. Now that that's settled, we go into another major area of controversy among painters: how? The only thing painters seem to agree upon is that a spray primer is best, and the primers specifically formulated for miniatures are better at retaining detail. Some folks use Krylon with very good results, but it takes a light and even spray to retain detail. Companies that put out good spray primers are Ral Partha, Armory, Floquil, Model Master, Testors, and Citadel. Krylon is the best of the non-hobbyist primers, but other store brands are in the same league. Don't use sand able primer, why you ask? well if you like turning chain mail into leather then its great stuff, get my drift?
BEFORE APPLYING PRIMER you will need to clean up any bad lines on the miniature (use a small file, X-acto knife, or emery board), making sure you get rid of the bump under the base, if your miniature has a self molded base (sandpaper is excellent for this). WASH it in a little soap and water, to get off the mold release agents. Then glue the miniature to a base of cardboard, cork, wood strip, popsicle stick, ruler, plastic bottle cap... Anything you can safely handle without touching the figure. This assures that you can handle the miniature during the painting process without touching wet paint. Even a freshly dry coat will rub off without the slightest provocation.
Always use spray paints out side or in a work shop with lots of ventilation, and fans. The method of application is simple, follow the directions on the can for the most part. Use only, one pass at a time check for good coverage. Most importantly, don't flood the mini with the primer.
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Black, white, or gray?

If you ask 5 different people this, you'll get 10 different answers.  The best advice available seems to be use what you prefer. White primer makes colors go on brighter and is best for anything on which you want that effect. Black primer gives good shadows and is commonly used to base modern military and skeleton figures. Gray is rather neutral allowing for brighter light colors and decent shading. The best tip so far is to experiment and see what you like. Also, and I like this effect, prime in black and then dry brush raised areas in white before painting. This allows for the depth of the darker shade but gives the lighter base for the brighter colors. (Also this is handy for oil users, if you dry brush the entire mini, you can shade and paint almost at the same time. This will reduce build up as well.)
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Priming done now what?
This is what I do maybe I'm strange. Just take a good long look at the mini. Check the details, and make sure you know what it all is. It sounds silly, but its very aggravating to find, a tiny detail with the brush when you hit it with paint. Now that's is done. Pick the colors you want for the major areas (skin, each piece of clothing and armor, hair, shield) and paint them on in layers. Think of dressing the miniature. Start with eyes, move on to face and hands, then clothing, armor, hair, lastly weapons. You aren't going for massive detail just now, you're only setting each area's base color. Make certain the paint goes on smoothly and remember to paint from top to bottom. Once you have this part done, it's time for detailing. This is achieved by many different techniques such as dry brushing, washing, shading, and highlighting.
While we are on the subject of color lets look at that.
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Color theory 101

Here's a standard chart on what looks good together (remember, nothing is absolute. Try new blends and develop your own preferences):
 

Base Color	Highlight	Shade
White	None	Gray or Blue-Gray
Light Gray	White	Dark Gray
Dark Gray	Light Gray	Black
Red	Red-Orange	Red-Brown
Red-Brown	Orange-Brown	Dark Brown
Dark Brown	Light Brown	Black
Pink	Pink+White	Red
Human Flesh	Flesh+White or Tan	Red Brown
Tan	Orange+Yellow+White	Brown+Orange
Black	Black+Green or Blue	None
Light Blue	Light Blue+White	Medium Blue
Medium Blue	Medium Blue+White	Dark Blue+Black
Purple	Purple+White	Purple+Dark Blue or Black
Bright Green	Green+Yellow+White	Medium Green or Dark Green
Medium Green	Green+Yellow+White	Dark Green
Dark Green	Medium Green	Dark Green+Black
Yellow	Yellow+White	Yellow+Brown
Orange	Orange+Yellow	Orange+Red-Brown or Red
Gold	Gold+Silver+Yellow	Orange-Brown
Silver	None	Black+Blue
Brass or Copper	Base Color+Gold	Base Color+Black

NOTE: color+color means two or more colors mixed, color-color means either a commercial shade of that name or colors mixed. A quality color wheel can be very useful, for determining color combinations.
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What are blending, washing, dry brushing, highlighting and glazing?

These are techniques to give a little realism to your miniatures.
 Shading and highlighting give the illusion that there is light shining upon the figure. Shading details the folds and shadows and highlighting picks out the brighter, better lit areas. Washing, glazing, outlining and blending are all methods of shading.
Dry brushing is a highlighting method, as is simply accentuating the high spots with a bit of paint a bit lighter than the base.
Glazing is done with inks, as can be washing and outlining.
 Outlining is simply picking out the line between two separate parts of the miniature (i.e. sleeve and arm) and painting or inking in a fine line of either black or a darkened shade of the base in order to bring out the division between the two sections.
Blending is rather difficult and takes much practice. To blend one changes the tone of the paint as it crosses the surface of any non detailed section, as Mecha armor or unscaled hide. Darker shades are laid into any depressions and carefully thinned and blended into the surrounding areas using a damp brush. (This is NOT a technique for beginners.) There is nothing wrong with not shading miniatures until after you have some experience. Again, try it and see if you want to practice the technique or not. Another personal choice situation.
Here is some of the things I have found to work out for me.
If you're using acrylics, you can pick up several toning mediums, which alter the brightness of the paint without the headache of black. I've started using a drop of white, a drop of black, and a drop of toning and mixing all four with equal parts of the color I'm using, so I get light - color - toned color - dark  For blending of water based you will almost need paint extender, this slows the dry time of them and lets you get finished before you make a mess. Warning, oil colors tend to lose their colors and go brown-grey when I try this."

Oil Painters have a much easier time with blending. The way I always do blending is to put a smudge of the two end colors in a strip, separated about .5 inches. I then use a slightly moist brush to mix them together into a spectrum. Brush over them in one arcing motion. The colors near the original smudge will be closer to that color, the colors in the middle should be fairly even mixes of the two. You then have a nearly infinite palette of color to use. You can do a nice blend with only 5 or so shades that looks really good unless you magnify it. 
Another great way to blend is: (this would work for water based or oils)
Let's say you want to fade from green to black. Just paint the whole darn thing green. At the point where you want it to fade, wash with a black ink. When dry, wash again but a little farther down and so on until the bottom is black. If the first ink is not a smooth transition so when the washes are done, go back and dry brush green over the first ink line and this will smooth it out. The washes may be diluted to the desired consistency.

A good oil blending method.
Start by painting a band at the bottom in dark green. While it's still wet, add some white and paint the slightly lighter green band above it, and so on until you reach the end color. Use a second brush and paint along the line perpendicular to the bands. They should blend together pretty good. You may want to clean the brush often during the process or use 2 brushes.

This one is a good water based blending method, but its also complicated. Lets say you want to paint an orange dress on a figure. Mix the base color and plop a pile on your palette. Next to it, plop down a dark tone and a light tone(dark gray and light gray mixed into the base). For orange, that would be dark brown and a peach color. It doesn't matter what kind of pigment you use, water base or oil base. Paint the entire tunic, or even dry brush the dress if painting over a dark primer with the dark brown. When dry, paint the base coat over that color, BUT NOT ALL THE WAY TO THE EDGES. Leave tinted dark shade in the folds. Next, tint light and highlight the center and high spots. Note: this is similar to dry brush except you are painting color here, not actually dry brushing, so you get a certain effect which is different than pure dry brush. In fact, it often looks nice when there is a clear demarcation between the tinted shades on certain surfaces, almost like color contours you can at time paint shapes on. Use more than three tint levels for more subtle blending. It sounds tedious but if you use the palette it's very fast and the results often look much better than the purely dry brushed highlights, especially for larger, flat areas where dry brushing might miss.
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Wash? What that all about?

Washing comes before dry brushing. Take a shade darker than your base color and dilute it until it's about the consistency of milk. Now, brush it across, gently. It'll flow into folds and crevasses. Makes cloth look real good. Remember, you can always add wash, so start light and work your way up. Don't be afraid to wash, then darken and wash again, until you've reached the effect you like. Wash yellows with yellow orange or yellow brown, flesh with light brown, white with bluish white or gray. Experiment, only you can set your style.
The Creeping wash monster.
AC= -10, HP= the price of your mini. HD= The amount of time you spent painting the mini.
Ecology:
It seems that once in a while, even though the inks and washes have been mixed properly, they end up drying, not in the low spots like they should, but on the high contours. It has something to do with the density of the wash and the slickness of the surface; on matte surface the effect is more prominent than on glossy surfaces. It happens because a pool of wash in a recess starts to dry from the edges, then the rest of the paint in the wash adheres to the already dry paint, producing a ring of paint around the recess. 
Weaknesses:
Water based washes:
 Add a small amount of rubbing alcohol to the wash. It lowers the surface tension, and dries faster. This may be a drawback for some painters. Model railroaders have been doing this for years now.
 Add a little dishwashing detergent to the wash. It helps the wash stick better.
Oil Based washes
 Use small amounts of wash, allowing each to dry before applying the next. Blow gently on the wash after applying, from the top, to keep the pools in the recesses where they belong. 
 Mix a new wash, thicker. It might work better, being thick enough to keep from creeping, or maybe with just little different density.
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How do I dry brush?

First off, dry brushing is most effective when used with a color a shade or two lighter than the base. White dry brushed over black primer also makes for a very good painting base. It also looks good as a stand-alone color scheme on some figures. Take your desired color and an old brush, as dry brushing wears brushes out and tears them up (using cheap synthetic brushes for large dry brushing projects with works good). Smaller areas a better quality brushes still necessary. Dip it into the paint until the tip is saturated, then blot on a paper towel until no paint can be seen on a dark brush, or a light one looks pretty clean. Take the brush and gently draw it along the raised parts you want highlighted. A little paint will stay on the highest edges and give great depth. Many painters like to highlight in stages, lightening the shade a little with each level. This can be either overkill and a pain or an excellent technique for brightening and preserving detail. Practice yourself and decide.
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How do I highlight?

Dry brushing is the best method of highlighting any large area or area with repetitive detail, such as armor. For faces, hands, buckles and the like, highlighting can be achieved by taking a slightly lighter shade of the base (mixed with white or a lighter tone) and going along the raised areas lightly. A fine brush point is required, as is a steady hand. For faces highlight the chin, nose, and cheeks. For hands go along the backs and each finger. For other detail, pick the spots that should show up best and give them the lightest highlights. It's common to highlight twice, each time getting lighter in tone and finer in line. A bit of blending is required to keep things looking natural, but this blending is easier than the large surface technique. Simply keep a damp brush handy and brush very lightly toward the darker areas. Again, this technique takes practice, but is worth the effort when the miniature is completed.
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What are inks, should I use them, and if so, how?

Inks are just that, semi-transparent tones that can be used to add color and shading to a miniature. If you wish to go beyond the range of paints, you might wish to try working with them. Unless using for outlining, inks should always be thinned slightly for glazing and rather a lot for washing. A milk like consistency is best for washing (or even thinner, since you can always wash again if more is needed) and about 50-50 ink and water is best for glazing. If you do not get the specially formulated for miniatures inks (the only brand I know of is Citadel, and they're very good). If you go to the art supply store to buy your inks, be sure and get pigmented inks, not transparent ones. Pigmented inks, especially brown, work much better for a wash than the transparent ones. Red and blue don't seem to matter as much. For shading white, there is a really good ink color called "Payne's Grey" which is a kind of blue-grey. It does a much better job than black when washing white or very light tans and greasy." Windsor & Newton inks are my favorite, non mini formula, they are good for doing calligraphy too!. Inks are best used as washes, for outlining, and as glazes. When washing with inks on a matte surface (or on any other, actually), a gentle blowing of air from the top to the bottom of the miniature helps keep the ink from drying back up into the raised areas. (Creeping Wash Monster) Glazing is done with inks. In this technique, a slightly darker tone than the base is thinned and then brushed over the entire surface and allowed to dry. Glazing brings out a richness of color not possible with paint alone. Glazing should be done after highlighting and shading and tends to bring up detail of these well.
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What should I use for bases?

This depends entirely on what you're using the miniature for. If it's a display model, then you can get fancy. If it's for military gaming, you'll want a durable but, realistic look. If it's for fantasy play you'll want durability and likely not too much fuss. Standard materials for bases are: the plastic slottabases many companies both supply with their products and sell separately, pennies or flat washers, tiles, wood, sheet metal, matte board (available at art supply stores), and magnetic strips (often bonded to one of the above materials). Filler and water putty have both been used with success. I've made my own bases out of hot glue. The general rule, of course, is the more use the miniature gets, the stronger and wider the base material should be.
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What's the best stuff to cover bases with?

Again, a matter of how natural looking and/or durable you want the base to be. For foliage, the hands down favorite materials the model railroader's ground covering. Other materials that can be used are sand, sifted clay cat litter (not the scoop able stuff), aquarium bottom material, or sawdust.
First, paint the base a neutral type or natural color. When it dries, take an old brush (or a cheap watercolor brush) and paint a 50/50 mix of white glue and water over the surface you want to cover. Painting the glue on gives more precise coverage than simply squirting it on. The base covering material may be applied by using the fried chicken method, batter dipped! Give it an hour or so to dry and shake the miniature over the container holding the rest of the base covering. If needed, just dab the bare spots with a little more glue and reapply the covering. Mix different colors or dry brush for an irregular look, if wanted. Apply details, like rocks and the like (also available from model railroad suppliers) by dipping into the glue and setting in place with tweezers. You can also find that sand art stuff and use that, it comes in many different colors. Dry brush sand or wash for more effects.
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How can I paint details?

Finest brush you can get, a steady hand, lots of patience, and good lighting. Fine detailing includes (but is by no means restricted to) faces, eyes, jewelry, shield devices and banners, small clothing details, weapon decoration, insignia, and armor detail. For many of these, some of the highlighting/ washing/ drybrushing tips above apply, for others a whole new range of techniques are necessary.
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How do I paint faces?

Start with the eyes, that's another subject all together. Then do the face in whatever shade you choose. Now add a touch of white to the flesh tone to get a slightly lighter shade and go back over the nose and cheekbones. A light orange makes defined but natural looking lips. Remember, red lips are a product of makeup, not nature. Some painters prefer to put the eyes on last, but others say it's too hard to keep from making the effect pop eyed when done last. Try whatever method you prefer. Mustaches are best if dry brushed, paint beards a slightly redder or darker shade than the hair and dry brush with the same color you use on the hair. There's nothing wrong with a o'clock shadow on an appropriate figure, either. Dry brush it on in a shade slightly darker than the hair. Once you get comfortable with faces, experiment with scars or tattoos. You might amaze yourself.
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What is an overcoat and should I use one?
It's a thing that keeps you warn in the winter, didn't your mother tell you always put it on?
An overcoat is a coat of clear paint that protects those colors you so carefully put onto your miniature. Just like your mother wanted to protect you from the flu, your minis need a coat as well. Even an unhanded figure will begin to dull after awhile, and one in regular use will lose its paint even faster from hand and carrying case friction. So you should put a protective coat over the miniature to make sure the paint remains unmarred. Overcoats come in three (possibly four) types: gloss, matte, flat, and lusterless. Though four types are named, one company's matte is another's flat, flat and lusterless are often interchanged, and matte occasionally is labeled semi gloss. When in doubt, test or ask. Overcoats also come in two different applications, brush on and spray. Spray is easier to use when you want a uniform coating, brush on is good for when you only want certain parts covered. Mixing Gloss and flat is a nice touch for shiny boots or something on soldiers. Spraying overcoat on a miniature is much like spraying primer, though 3-5 coats is recommended for maximum protection. Remember to begin and end the spray beyond the miniature in order to get the cleanest application. Gloss is just that, shiny. It is most usually used on cars and other items that should shine. Semi gloss (satin, sometimes called matte) is low luster, and very durable on a figure that will be getting a lot of handling. Unfortunately, it tends to look artificial on humans and some animals. It's excellent on scales, however, and hard leather. Flat (also sometimes matte) is nearly without shine. It's a good all around people coating, exceptional on animals, where it simulates fur's natural shine. Lusterless is absolutely flat, it doesn't even look like it's there. It's perfect for people and cloth and anything else that should have no shine whatsoever. Several coats can be applied and it never shows. A good method of over coating a realistic looking human/humanoid is to use a spray lusterless overcoat and put on 3-5 coats, then after the last coat is dry, use a brush on matte or gloss to go back over all metallics, jewelry, eyes, lips, and anything else that should have a shine to it.
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How do I keep paint from drying out?

Shake or stir them often, put plastic wrap between the cap and bottle on paints that come in glass jars. water based reconstitute fairly well with the addition of water and a good stirring. Oil based do same with thinner. Oil based paints by adding linseed oil you can extend the life of the paint. Solar salt will help water based. Try and keep your paints in a place where temperature remains fairly stable. Users of both Polly S and Humbrol have had good results from storing their paint upside down. The paint itself augments the seal and keeps all air out.
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