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 The Wargamers Army Painting Guide Intro
Welcome Wargamer - to the Army Painting guide
for your next project! This little colourful tome
will give you tips and ideas on how to complete
your next army to a high standard and really fast
as well. The Army Painter offers many specialized
products and a unique 4 step technique - which,
once mastered, will enable you to tackle any army
painting challenge!

Contents:
Pre-step: Assembling your miniatures 4
Using Super Glue 5
A hammer for every nail... 5
Plastic Miniatures 6
Assembling larger miniatures 6
Model Drill 6

Spraying miniatures with Colour Primers 8

Why use Colour Primers 8
Which Colour Primer 8
Range of Colour Primers 8
Range of Varnishes 8
Using Colour Primers 9
The “Spray Strip” 9
Colour Primers = Warpaints 10
Ready for painting 10
Using different sprays 10

Basecoating with Warpaints 12

Basecoating & Colours 12
Only use flat colours 12
Range of Warpaints 13
The Complete Wargamers Range of Warpaints 13
Choosing the right colours 14
Colour Palette 14
Working on an army projects 15
Getting to work 15
Drybrushing 15
Quickshade Washes 16
Quickshade Washes – metal effects 16
Highlighting 17
Wargaming Brushes 18
Expanding the life of your brushes! 18
Cleaning your brush 18

How to use Quickshade to save time and energy 20

INSTANT SHADING! 20
Applying Quickshade 21
Dipping 21
Applying Quickshade - continued 22
Large Models 22

Varnish and Basing for perfect finish 24

Anti Shine Matt Varnish 24
Basing: The final touch 25
Rocks, Static Grass and Tufts 26
Razor Wire 26
Static Grass and Battlefield Rocks 26
Available Tufts 26
Dead Things 27
On the Tabletop 27

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The Army Painter acknowledges the help and support of the following people and
companies in the making of this guide Miniatures by Gripping Beast, Mantic Games, Spiral Arm Studios,
Cool Mini or Not, Avatars of War, Gamezone Miniatures, Urban Mammoth, MaxMini, Warlord Games,
2 Kromlech Miniatures, Flames of War, Scorpion Games, Rackham Miniatures, Renedra, Perry Miniatures, Dust
Tactics, Anvil Industries & Fantasy Flight Games
 Pre-step

miniatures
Assembling your

4
Miniature by Cool Mini or Not , Gripping Beast,
Miniature by Spiral Arm Studios
 SAFETY FIRST!
It is important to read this section to get a general idea of
the tools involved in assembling an army of miniatures.
Tools can be pointy, razor sharp or have other means of
hurting you - if you’re not being careful!
P
STEP
Pre-step: Assembling your miniatures
Assembling an army of miniatures can
be a daunting task at best - but it is
also great fun. This is the stage where your army
takes shape and by assembling your miniatures
in different poses and converting your heroes to
Metal Precision
Side Cutters
The Precision Side Cutters
is excellent for
metal miniatures or
larger bits of resin. It
Cuts legs, weapons
is a lot more durable or arms
than the Plastic Frame Cutter but not
quite so precise. Use it for cutting arms,
legs weapons and for cleaning metal
miniatures. If cutting a larger piece of
metal make many smaller cuts,rather
than one large(risking the tool
snapping). Only use for “white metal”
used for miniatures and avoid! Steel
and piano wire.
Hobby Knife
The Hobby Knife is in essence a surgical scalpel
-so it is razor sharp. The Army Painter Hobby
Knife has an ergonomic safety handle and spare
blades. Use to clean miniatures, remove mould-
lines or cutting of delicate bits of both metal,
plastic, resin or Finecast™
• Do not cut larger bits of metal!
• Great for paper banners/ cardboard parts to be Super glued.
movement trays.
• Always cut away from yourself
Miniature by Cool Mini or Not & Renedra
Excellent tool for
removing mold lines
4
When assembling If required, only use
miniatures: ALWAYS use tools under adult
safety goggles supervision.
stand out - you create something that is uniquely
yours. It is advised that you read the whole guide
before assembly, as you might find some time-
saving tricks within.
Plastic Frame Cutters
The Plastic Frame Cutters is
named after its purpose, not the
materials used to make it. The Plastic
Frame Cutter is very sharp and has
a specially designed pointed tip, to
allow for precision cutting of a sprue of
miniatures. Do not use this
tool with anything other than
plastic miniatures as it might
snap if cutting hard metal.
Cut close to the model for
best results, turning the flat
end towards the part being
cut. It’s well suited to remove Turning the flat end towards
the model part will result in
“flash” from resin/Finecast™. a clean cut.
Files/ Curved Files
Quality steel files from The Army Painter comes
in many shapes but all have the same purposes
although handled differently:
Use to clean metal, plastic and resin/
Finecast™ miniatures.
Always smooth the surfaces of the two
Use the curved files for
those difficult-to-reach
areas
 A hammer for every nail...
There are many types of glue available. Here we
shall look at the 2 most used ones - and what
specific purposes they have. (For Basing glue see
page 25)

Also the Super glue Activator deserves a special

mention as it is a real time saver when assembling
an army of miniatures.

There are special glues for special purposes, and

even though Super glue can be used to glue most
things (especially fingers), the Plastic Glue will
allow you a little more time to get the poses correct
and correct minor mistakes - but only on plastic
miniatures of course!

Using Super Glue

Super glue is wonderful if applied to a pre-filed
miniature in small amounts, nasty if you get it on
your fingers! Super glue bonds when there’s no air
(that is why the bottles always have a lot of air in
them), so take care to make the adjoining edges
smooth by using a file, to minimize air between the
2 parts. The Army Painters Super glue is of medium
thickness - which is the best for assembling metal
miniatures.

Activator works by creating a split‐second airtight

bubble around your super glue instantly hardening
it. Put glue to one part of the mini, then press
the 2 pieces together and spray a burst from the
Activator. Release after a couple of seconds. Use in
assembly stage only, not painted miniatures.

TIP: Green stuff for gluing!

Miniature by Avatars of War, Gamezone Miniatures, Gripping Beast

A super trick for gluing big metal parts together

is to glue a ball of Green stuff on one component
before adding a tiny drop of Super
glue on the other. Press the 2
parts together tightly. The
glue quickly hardens the
Green stuff which draws the
two components together.

Use The Army Painters range of

Sculpting tools for maximum precision
When using Green stuff.
5
 Plastic Miniatures
Most armies these days have core troops and units
in plastic. Polystyrene Cement, or Plastic Glue,
“melts” the plastic making the glued components
as one – once hardened.

To speed up the assembly process, empty the

sprues and pile the bits up; right arms, heads, legs,
etc. Then proceed to glue one miniature at a time
making sure you get the correct pose you want
and also ensuring your models rank up - if you are
playing a fantasy based wargame.

TIP: Make sure your

command group stands out from
the rest of your troops
Miniature by Mantic Games

Assembling larger miniatures

File down the parts Drill holes in the two Add Super glue to both The model is now pinned
being glued together to parts you want joined. sides. Alternatively add and will be ready for
minimize air bubbles Add a small brass wire small round balls of painting.
connected. in one of the holes with Green stuff (see p. 5).
Super glue. Press parts together.
Model Drill
Also referred to as a Pin Vice, this handheld
TIP: Spray before
drill is used for drilling holes in miniatures. Assembly
Especially well suited for pinning larger Using different Colour Primer
metal parts together. Do this by drilling a sprays before assembling will
Miniature by MaxMini

hole in each part and then connecting it make your paint

with a small piece job many times
of brass wire (or easier and faster.
piece of paper
clip) and Super See more on page 10.
glue.
6
 Step 1: Spray

Spraying
Colour Primers
miniatures with

4
Miniature by Mantic Games
Miniature by Cool Mini or Not
 1 St

STEP
Spraying miniatures with Colour Primers
Why use Colour Primers ?
Colour Primers are an exceptional matt acrylic
basecoat for your miniatures prior to painting
them. It allows you to spray in the colour most
used on your army - saving you endless time
basecoating the many miniatures. The matt surface
allows you to add paint directly onto it. Save time by spraying on your
base colour
Colour Primer sprays are an ingenious invention
and combines the best of a high quality primer
and a colour spray - all in one. They come in a
Miniatures by Cool Mini or Not

wide range of basic colours for any army project -

no-matter the setting or size of the miniatures.

Wash in soapy water before spraying

Range of Range of
Colour Primers Varnishes
Matt Fur Ultramarine Alien
Black Brown Greenskin Blue Purple
CP3016 CP3014 CP3022 CP3019
CP3001

Pure Goblin Chaotic Angel

Red Green Red Green
CP3006 CP3024 CP3026 CP3020

Dragon Leather Army Uniform Wolf

Red Brown Green Grey Grey
CP3018 CP3004 CP3005 CP3010 CP3021

Which Colour Primer ?

Since there are many
Colour primers
available - choosing
the right one will
give your army
the look and feel
you want it to - Grey
and make it unique at
the same time.

What colour to
choose is up to you -
but to give you an idea
of the many alternatives we have
5 different primed zombies - all
Miniatures by Mantic Games

with a cool and distinctive look

depending on the Colour Primer
chosen for the job. The choice is
ultimately yours!

8
Using Colour Primers
It is important to understand, that Colour Primers
are not ordinary primers. The hybrid technology
is advanced and the use of them simple - once you
have tried it a few times.
Below we have some tips and tricks on how to use
the sprays correctly - and if you have never tried
it before we advice you spray on a sprue or old
miniature first, to give you an idea of the amount
of paint exiting the spray. A Colour Primer
will spray minimum 100-150 standard sized
miniatures before being empty - but our advice
is to always test a new spray on an old miniature/
sprue to see if the conditions are optimal, before
spraying large swathes of models.

OPENING THE LID - insert a flat head screw SHAKE THE CAN - Shake vigorously for at least
driver (or similar) into the crevice and twist to one to two minutes before spraying, to distribute
open. the fine and heavy pigment.

SPRAY FROM 20CM - Spray from a CLEAN THE NOZZLE - Turn spray can upside
MAXIMUM distance of 20 cm. Use a spray strip down and spray to empty nozzle of excess paint to
(see below) to ensure model does not fall over. avoid clogging with future use.

Miniatures by Cool Mini or Not

The “Spray Strip”

1. 2. 3.
0 cm
x. 2
Ma

A perfect fast and effective way Immediately after spraying the The primer will quickly dry,
Miniatures by Mantic Games

to spray many plastic miniatures
is to use a piece of cardboard or a
flat wooden stick and then spray a
quick layer of primer on top of it.
paint onto the Spray Strip, when
the paint is still wet, simply put
the miniatures on top of it. Face
them in the same direction for an
even coat.
effectively gluing the models in
place. You now have full control
of the mini’s when spraying
them, making it possibly to hit
them from every angle.

9
 Colour Primers = Warpaints
TOUCH UPS: Unique to the Warpaints
range is the fact that all the colours are
a 100% match to the Colour Primers of
the same name. So, if your spray job was
not entirely perfect and certain hard-to-
get-to areas are left unprimed, as is often
the case, simply give your models a quick
makeover using the matching Warpaint
acrylic colour.
Miniatures by Spiral Arm Studios

Ready for painting Using different sprays

Leave the models to dry outside - the vapours The more you can let the spray do the hard work
from the drying models are smelly as well. the faster your army will be fin shed. Steeds
Depending on the weather conditions, your in particular are good examples of where you
models should be dry and ready to paint after could use different
10-15 minutes. colours to save time
Angel
Green basecoating it with
The surface of the Colour CP3020
a brush. Glue the
Primers dries up perfectly models together once
matt, designed for dry.
further painting with
acrylic Warpaints A lot of time can be
colours and saved by spraying
Quickshade dip. the steeds in
a different
primer to
Miniatures by Cool Mini or Not and Gamezone Miniatures

the riders.
These are but
one example
of this, but
the possible
combinations
are endless.

Greenskin
CP3014

10
 Step 2: Paint

Warpaints
Basecoating with

4
Miniature by Mantic Games and Spiral Arm Studios
 2 Nd

STEP
Basecoating with Warpaints
What makes a good paint for miniatures? When
you ask experienced wargamers or newbies to
the hobby you will usually get many different
answers. The Army Painter has developed what
we think is the best paint for the job: creamy and
highly pigmented for optimal basecoating but
still retaining fantastic blending capabilities and
thinning options for the very experienced painter.
Colours are crisp and clear with a matt surface
perfected for additional highlights with Warpaints.

SHAKE IT BABY - The heavy and super quality USING THE DROPPER - designed for your
pigments will fall to the bottom of the paint pot, paints not to dry out and allowing you to
so shake it rigorously before use. We advice you administer precisely the amount of paint you
do this before every use. need. If clogged, use a needle to open flow again.

MEDIUM OUT FIRST - The first time you use DON’T DROWN MINI - better to apply 2 thin
a Warpaint after shaking it first, drip the first layers of basecoat than one big gooey one. You
4 drops into a tissue - as acrylic medium will don’t want to obscure any details with paint - but
always be at the dropper neck flowing out first. colour them instead!

Basecoating & Colours Green

CP3005

After priming but before adding the basecoat to

your miniature, it is a good idea to cover any areas
you missed whilst spraying the primary colour on Army
the model. Use the Warpaint colour of the same Green
WP1110
primer you used. Unique to the Warpaints range is
that the Warpaints are a 100% match to the Colour
Miniature by Urban Mammoth and Spiral Arm Studios

Primers of the same name.

Only use flat colours

If you use The Army Painter 4 step technique,
you will at this stage only need to basecoat your
miniature in flat colours, so no highlights are actully
needed before the Quickshade (page 20).

12
 The Complete Wargamers
Range of Warpaints
Range of Warpaints

Matt Necromancer Hardened Dark Cultist Field Castle Dungeon Uniform Ash Stone Spaceship Brainmatter Matt Banshee Kobold Hemp
Black Cloak Carapace Stone Robe Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Golem Exterior Beige White Brown Skin Rope
WP1101 WP1443 WP1430 WP1425 WP1414 WP1481 WP1407 WP1418 WP1118 WP1117 WP1455 WP1454 WP1406 WP1102 WP1404 WP1434 WP1431

Crusted Orc Grimoire Warlock Wasteland Desert Fur Skeleton Barbarian Tanned Basilisk Centaur Corpse Elven Mummy Troll Pixie Scar
Sore Blood Purple Purple Soil Yellow Brown Bone Flesh Flesh Brown Skin Pale Flesh Robes Claws Pink Tissue
WP1412 WP1422 WP1444 WP1451 WP1463 WP1121 WP1122 WP1125 WP1126 WP1127 WP1405 WP1408 WP1411 WP1421 WP1440 WP1459 WP1447 WP1480

Mutant Toxic Oozing Alien Chaotic Abomination Vampire Dragon Pure Mars Lava Mythical Fire Phoenix Daemonic Babe Moon Arid
Hue Boils Purple Purple Red Gore Red Red Red Red Orange Orange Lizard Flames Yellow Blonde Dust Earth
WP1441 WP1457 WP1445 WP1128 WP1142 WP1401 WP1460 WP1105 WP1104 WP1436 WP1106 WP1442 WP1426 WP1446 WP1107 WP1403 WP1438 WP1402

Witch Poisonous Jungle Snake Goblin Combat Filthy Army Commando Venom Crypt Angel Elf Mouldy Scaly Necrotic Drake
Greenskin
Brew Cloud Green Scales Green WP1111 Fatigues Cape Green Green Wyrm Wraith Green Green Clothes Hide Flesh Tooth
WP1465 WP1448 WP1433 WP1453 WP1109 WP1409 WP1424 WP1110 WP1410 WP1461 WP1413 WP1112 WP1420 WP1439 WP1450 WP1108 WP1417

Deep Ultramarine Viking Crystal Troglodyte Voidshield Toxic Royal Hydra Wizards Elemental Kraken Griffon Electric Ice Gorgon Fog
Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue Mist Cloak Turquoise Orb Bolt Skin Blue Blue Storm Hide Grey
WP1116 WP1115 WP1462 WP1114 WP1458 WP1452 WP1437 WP1449 WP1141 WP1466 WP1419 WP1435 WP1429 WP1113 WP1432 WP1428 WP1427

Wolf Dark Brush-On Glistening Dry Wet Disgusting Military Green Purple Blue Dark Strong Soft Red Flesh Mid Light
Grey Sky Primer Blood Rust Mud Slime Shader Tone Tone Tone Tone Tone Tone Tone Wash Brown Tone
WP1119 WP1415 WP1472 WP1476 WP1479 WP1478 WP1477 WP1471 WP1137 WP1140 WP1139 WP1136 WP1135 WP1134 WP1138 WP1143 WP1469 WP1470

Quickshade Warpaints Oak Bright Greedy Shining Gun

Anti-Shine Gloss Monster Dirt Werewolf Leather Sulfide True Weapon Plate Mail Rough
Wash Mixing Mixing Brown
Matt Varnish Medium Varnish Brown Spatter Fur Brown Ochre Gold Gold Copper Bronze Silver Metal Metal Iron
WP1103 Medium WP1473 WP1124 WP1120 WP1416 WP1464 WP1123 WP1456 WP1144 WP1132 WP1467 WP1133 WP1129 WP1130 WP1131 WP1468
WP1474 WP1475

Acrylic Warpaints
WHITE CAP - there are 96 different amount of colours in the range, you would
acrylic Warpaints - aimed at making the not normally be needing to blend paints to
complete selection of colours used to paint get a nice highlight effect - as we have now
miniatures available in one place. With the done that for you!

Metallic Warpaints
BLACK CAP - The Metallic Warpaints are the Warpaints range and as they are based
of unsurpassed quality and with very fine on the same Medium they will blend
flakes they will cover the first time they are together easily if needed.
applied. There are 8 Metallics available in

Quickshade Washes
RED CAP - There are 11 different toned them formidable for adding shading and
washes in the Warpaints range. The colourful effects to a miniature. Soft,
Quickshade washes share the same type Strong and Dark Tone are identical in
of extra heavy pigment which makes colour to the 3 original Quickshades.

Effects Warpaints
WHITE CAP - The Effects paints have a miniature as some of them are glossy
been developed to create realistic looking (Blood, Slime and Wet Mud for instance).
effects to painted miniatures. Effects paints There are 9 Effects paints also covering
are usually the last you will paint onto Mixing Mediums & Varnishes.

The Army Painter offers many different paint sets. The

most popular cost-savers are the Starter - and Mega
Paint Sets 13
 Choosing the right colours
As mentioned under the Assembly pre-step, it is a
good idea to have an idea of what colours should go
into your army. This is especially true when it comes
to picking a Colour Primer as it will be the most
substantial and dominant colour in your army.
Combining colours to get your palette is fun and
will eventually also dictate what basing materials
you will choose - to get that cool coherent look.
Below are a few examples - but the variations are
almost endless.

Colour Palette Spray 2nd Colour 3rd Colour Metallic

Try to limit your palette to about 3 colours + a
metal and/or black. This will give your army a
Desert Pure Plate Mail
strong look of coherency and also save you time. Yellow Greenskin
WP1111 Red Metal
Here is an example of colours that could work well. CP3011 WP1104 WP1130

Notice the contrast of the second colour. Basically,

have more of the first, less of the second and little
of the third.

Pure
Red
WP1104

Matt Plate Mail

Greenskin
WP1111 Black Metal
WP1101 WP1130
Miniature by MaxMini

BE ADVENTUROUS IN
YOUR PALETTE!
Sometimes the best colour schemes are
those which are a bit unusual and not
normally associated with the army or
simply reversed ,so the primary colour
becomes the secondary, like the yellow
Night Goblin.
Miniature by Gamezone Miniatures

14
Working on an army projects

Miniature by Mantic Games

Test your colour palette on one or more
miniatures! Before throwing yourself into the
exhaustive basecoating step, make sure you have
tried to apply all the colours and techniques you
are going to use on one miniature first, to make
sure it looks like you want it to. Add basing as well
to see the end result. For instance, we made three
test skeletons before settling on the fourth as the
preferred army look.
Once you have settled on the right look for your
army - try to stick to that colour palette. Even
though it can look simple on one model - an army
of coherent miniatures looks stunning!
Extra attention!
The front rank or your characters and
squad leaders deserve a little extra
attention as these are the ones you see
amongst the massed ranks of an army.

Getting to work
Work on one colour at a time. It can
seem a bit boring to paint all the boots Use one colour at a time as it
on thirty models in a row but it is well is very fast due to the practice
you get.
worth it as you pick up speed and get
better with practice. When we work
on large army projects in The Army
Painter, we like to reward ourselves
with a character or hero model - or if
we’re feeling really lucky: one of the
Miniature by Mantic Games

larger models in our army - the so called For every regiment you
centre-piece. This is also a good way to basecoat reward yourself with
a character!
build a fighting force - paint what you
have, so it is ready for gaming!

Drybrushing
The technique called
drybrushing can create
Miniature by Avatars of War

spectacular effects with ease.

Move the Drybrush gently back and
forth over the raised areas.
Apply paint to the brush and
wipe most of it off in a cloth
or tissue. Using small swipes
of your wrist, gently move
the brush back and forth thus
hitting only the raised areas of 15
the miniature.
 Quickshade Washes
The Quickshade Washes are unique in the way they
work, as they are not just a colouring formula like
normal inks and washes, but like its bigger brother
- the Quickshade - they also shade the miniature –
creating some spectacular results in very little time.

All Quickshade Washes are based on the same resin

formulation as the Warpaints colours – so are 100%
mixable – see more on the next page.

Covering all aspects of inking, colouring and shading, the 11

Tones of Quickshade Washes are very useful and easy to use.
The Regiment brush is perfect for using Washes.

These examples will show you how to use the Primers with the Washes you can create endless
Quickshade Washes and just how effective they possibilities of colour schemes and is the ultra
can be to your painting. By mixing the Colour quick way to have an army on the tabletop fast.
Miniature by Perry Miniatures & Max Mini

On a Matt White basecoat the Quickshade Washes work as both The Quickshade Washes work in perfect tandem with the
a colour and a shader. Apply once and you’re done. Very fast and Warpaints and can create very effective shading and additional
effective! colour in one go!

Quickshade Washes – metal effects

A really effective way to use Quickshade Washes are
on a metal basecoat. After a good spray you coat the
model in a good amount of Quickshade Wash – and
you’re done! Dark
Tone
If the model is too colourful, and you only want WP1136

to tone it slightly although still fully shade it,

simply give it a drybrush with the same or lighter
Warpaints Metallic colour you used to basecoat it
with.
Miniature by Avatars of War

Green Purple Blue Red

Tone Tone Tone Tone
WP1137 WP1140 WP1139 WP1138

16
 Highlighting
In army painting terms - this technique is mostly
used on character models or centre pieces.
Highlighting is where you paint a lighter colour
onto a raised area. The more you highlight – and
the brighter your colours get on the raised areas –
the more contrast and effect you will achieve.
As the example below will show, two highlights on
an inked model makes for a very drastic change.
This technique takes time to master but is indeed
very rewarding on the overall look of an army - but
be warned: fun as it is - highlighting is also very
time consuming!

Miniature by The Army Painter

The model has been sprayed The head of the model has been Highlight 1: a brighter colour is Highlight 2: the final highlight
with the Colour Primer: Goblin washed over with Warpaints now used on the raised areas. on the extreme edges finishes off
Green. Quickshade Green Tone Ink. the head.

Highlight Chart

Red Pure Lava Military Combat Necrotic

Red Tone Red Orange Green Shader Fatigues Flesh
CP3018 WP1138 WP1104 WP1106 CP3005 WP1471 WP1409 WP1108

Green Goblin Snake Dark Plate Mail Shining

Greenskin
CP3014 Tone Green Scales Tone Metal Silver
WP1137 WP1109 WP1453 WP1136 WP1130 WP1129

Blue Viking Electric Fur Strong Tanned Barbarian

Blue Tone Blue Blue Brown Tone Flesh Flesh
CP3022 WP1139 WP1462 WP1113 CP3016 WP1135 WP1127 WP1126

Soft Babe Moon Flesh Elven Corpse

Tone Blonde Dust Wash Flesh Pale
WP1134 WP1403 WP1438 WP1143 WP1421 WP1411

Leather Strong Monster Kobold Purple Grimoire Toxic

Brown Tone Brown Skin Purple Tone Purple Boils
CP3004 WP1135 WP1120 WP1434 CP3019 WP1140 WP1444 WP1457

As you can see from the chart above, you will not But, should you want to blend colours anyway, it is
normally need to blend colours to get highlight no problem, as all the paints share the same acrylic
effects, we have already done that for you! medium.

17
 Wargaming Brushes
Brushes come in many shapes and sizes, each with
a different use and purpose. The Army Painters PRO HANDLE
brushes all have names that will identify their main The Wargaming Brushes
task – making it easier to pick the right brush for have a professional
the job. triangular handle giving
you the perfect grip thus
The type of hair on the brush also plays a big enhancing your accuracy with
part – and the Wargaming range utilize different details and basecoating
types depending on the painting task – thus always
giving you the best tool to work with.

The Character brush is great for detailed work and highlights.... For tiny details, the Insane Detail is the undisputed king.

For tanks and large monsters, use the Vehicle Brush. The 43 degree angled drybrush is unique and highly effective

For bulk painting, the Regiment Brush is the

key to efficiency and speed.

Starter Brushes - basics for beginners

The Army Painter have a series of red handled brushes called “Hobby
Brushes”. With the finest Toray synthetic hair and round handles, these
brushes are perfect for the beginner and come in all the useful sizes and
types you need for any paint job.

Masterclass Kolinsky Sable brush

Where the white handled Wargaming Brushes have the purest Rothmarder Sable hair perfected for
painting, the Masterclass brush are simply one cut above the rest. Kolinsky sable are the ultimate brush
hairs and are the tool of the Master Painter - as the smoothness
of application is unparalleled.

Expanding the life of your brushes! Cleaning your brush

Cleaning your brushes between different colours is When cleaning your
very important – as well as thoroughly rinsing the brush you should never
brush in water once you press it into the bottom
are done painting. of a water cup and turn
On a regular basis it around. This will make
you should your brush look like a
Roll your brush along the
wash your Harry Potter broom stick edge of your water
sable brushes instead of a pointed tool
in hot soapy for applying Warpaints!
water thus Also, to avoid damaging
cleaning any the hairs, change your
remains of paint water frequently so you
out of the hairs. do not clean your brush
in murky goo. Roll wet brush against your
18 finger to make the tip pointy
Step 3: Dip

How to use
Quickshade to save
time and energy

4
Miniature by Mantic Games an Spiral Arm Studios
 3
STEP
Rd

How to use Quickshade to save time and energy

The Quickshade is the most controversial product used in the 4 step
technique. In 10 seconds a model will go from being basecoated
in flat colours to being shaded and have incredible depth. The
Quickshade comes in 3 tones and which tone to use is down to
personal preference and what the army’s main colours are.
Miniature by Fantasy Flight Games

The three Quickshade tones available.

INSTANT SHADING!
Quickshade is a revolutionary pigmented varnish,
specifically designed for models and detailed
miniatures. It creates stunning and realistic shading
effects making it possible to paint an army of
miniatures in a very short time. If you like to get
your army painted and on to the battlefield gaming
in a do-able time frame, Quickshade is your most
essential tool.
For many wargamers - using Quickshade is a leap
of faith. It can be difficult to comprehend just how
good an effect it creates on a basecoated miniature
with a singly dip, but we ensure you - it is very real
indeed! For those of less artistic nature or little time
for themselves - the Quickshade is a godsend - and
is indeed where our slogan: GET MORE TIME
FOR GAMING! Comes from.

Quickshade tones after drying for 24hours

SOFT TONE STRONG TONE DARK TONE

Miniature by Avatars of War & Kromlech

20
Applying Quickshade
There are basically 2 simple ways of applying
Quickshade. One (the Dip) is for mass combat
games and is messy, fun and ultra fast indeed. It
is usually done outside and in a few hours you
can finish a whole army. Take care when dipping
delicate miniatures, as a pair of pliers is not exactly
a precision tool - for these special models use
the other application of Quickshade which is the
“Brush-on” technique. (p.22). Using Quickshade is
like anything in life - you get better with practice.
If you read this section carefully and go to our
website for movie tutorials, then you should be
good to go.

Dipping

DIP The dipping technique is by far the fastest

technique involving Quickshade – and that
is saying something! With a pair of large pliers physically
dip the miniature into the QS, all the way to the edge of
its base. Allow the excess to drip back into the can for
later use.

SHAKE With a firm grip (be careful not to

crush the base) shake the miniature
hard 6-7 times and leave it to dry. This is messy and old
shoes/trousers are recommended. Test this technique on
some old mini’s first to get the hang of it.

DRYING Take a look at the miniature

after the QS has settled (about
30 seconds after shaking). If there is too much QS in
some areas or it has pooled up slightly you can remove
this with an old brush (see next page). It is important to

Miniature by Mantic Games

leave enough QS on the miniature, as it will draw itself
into the recesses when drying.

Before you pop the lid off your Quickshade, then turn it
Tip: Keep it warm upside down and shake it very lightly (to avoid too many
In cold weather, a cool little tip to keep your air bubbles) - this is done to loosen the fine but heavy
Quickshade nice and thin is to put it on a pigment which has undoubtedly settled itself at the bottom
radiator or warm “bath” of the can. Keep a tight hand on the lid so it does not open
before using it. This will during this process.
thin the formula and make
it flow easier. Take care not Once opened with a
to make it too warm as the screwdriver, you need to
pigment will simply run off stir the pot thoroughly
without shading properly. to make sure there are
no more pigment at the
bottom of the can.

21
 Applying Quickshade - continued
The “Splash-on” technique is just that: soak the
mini in Quickshade with a large brush, let it
settle for 30 seconds and “suck up” excess with
a piece of pointed tissue or an old brush. Don’t
use your best brush - an old worn out one will
do just fine.

Do not use Quickshade as an ink, but soak the

mini in it, to achieve the fabulous shading effect.
Too many painters use too little Quickshade
at this stage, because as it dries it actually
withdraws into and around the recesses and
details and “shrink”, so it is vital to leave enough
Quickshade on the model and not remove too
much. Again: practice makes you a Master.
Miniature by Mantic Games, Gamezone Miniatures

Large Models
Larger models and miniatures are not suitable for the
“dipping” technique - for starters you would need a BIG can of
Quickshade to fit the model in!

Instead use the “Splash-on” technique described above.

Quickshade is not only shading, but also a very strong
protective varnish, that protects your miniatures and models
on the gaming table.
Miniature by MaxMini, ormarillio

Thinning Quickshade
Quickshade can be thinned with tiny amounts
of white spirits.
While the Quickshade formula is perfected
when opened the first time, it can thicken over
prolonged use.
Add a little turpentine one teaspoon at a time
until you are satisfied with the consistency.
Stir thoroughly before use.

22
 Step 4: Done

for perfect finish

Varnish and Basing

4
Miniature by Mantic Games Miniature by Cool Mini or Not, Scorpion Games , Kromlech Miniatures and Spiral Arm Studios
 4
STEP
Th

Varnish and Basing for perfect finish

Anti Shine Matt Varnish
Quickshade is very gloss and shiny and many Anti-Shine comes in both spray (for armies) and
wargamers prefer to tone down the look also as Effects Warpaints where it is applied with
with a matt varnish called “Anti-Shine”. The a brush.

Matt Varnish
“Anti‐Shine” Matt Varnish is acrylic varnish and very,
very matt – leaving you a perfect foundation
to add further highlights and details with
Warpaints. It is specially designed to remove
the gloss look from the Quickshade.

However all matt varnishes, no matter

what manufacturer, are extremely sensitive
Miniature by Warlord Games

to weather conditions. Therefore

you should carefully read and
remember the section below.
A Roman Officer making Blood Sacrifice before and after Especially important is the distance
a few thin coats of Anti-Shine matt varnish.
you spray from: min. 30cm/12”

TIP: Leave to dry for

24-48 hours ALWAYS test on 1
Quickshade needs to dry and
harden. Leave the miniatures in
model first!
a well-ventilated and dry area (like outside)
for 24-48 hours. You don’t want to move Spray from min.
on to the next step too early - the varnish
part needs to fully harden. Once dry the 30+ cm/ 12”+ and
miniatures are ready for a few thin coats of
“Anti-Shine” to remove the gloss effect.
only thin coats

Min. 30cm+ / 12”+

Frost & Cold Rain & humidity Thin coats

If you can make a snowman Humidity and rain can give Apply the varnish in thin coats
you should never use your matt your miniatures a “frosted” and make sure Quickshade has
varnish outside. Ever! white-ish look. Test first! hardened for 48 hours.

24
Basing: The final touch
Applying basing to your army is very important, as
it binds the miniatures together as a coherent force
with the same character and theme.

This is often the last stage in your journey to a

Miniature by Urban Mammoth, Gamezone Miniatures, Anvil Industries Mantic Games, Scibor & Gripping Beast.
finished army and a very rewarding step it can be.
However, it is worth spending some time making
sure you get your bases right. A little preparation
will prevent hair pulling and models thrown into A regiment of Viking Bondsmen have been through the first
steps in The Army Painter Technique: Spray - Basecoat - Dip -
the garbage can later on. Anti-Shine Matt Varnish. Now they are ready for basing.

Make a few test bases and get the feel for your you can. If nothing else, we
whole army, taking into consideration the time hope this guide can offer
you have available. No point starting on a too you some inspiration to
ambitious basing project, if what you really want what kind of base you wish
is to take your army onto the tabletop as fast as to go for.

A selection of different bases. Do not forget to consider the colour on the side of the base - it has an important impact on the look
of your army. The most common colours are WP Leather Brown, WP Goblin Green, WP Oak Brown, WP Uniform Grey or just
plain WP Matt Black.

Easy does it! Black Battle-ground bases

Here is another step- Step 1: The base is painted WP Matt Black.
by-step example, this Step 2: Apply Battlefields Basing PVA Glue with an old brush and dip in the tub of
time using Battlefields Battlefields Black Battleground. Leave to dry for at least 1 hour.
Black Battleground and Step 3: Drybrush the black gravel with WP Uniform Grey using the Wargamers:
Wasteland Tuft. Another Small Drybrush.
quick and effective way
to get your army onto 1 2 3
the battlefield fast! The
good thing about the
Battleground Basing
compared to normal
basing materials (like
sand) is that it is already
coloured, so you simply
need to drybrush it once 4 5 6
applied. It comes in
brown & black as these
are the most “normal”
Miniature by Scorpion Games

foundations for basing.

TIP: apply Brown
Battleground before
the Quickshade step
to instantly shade your
bases.
Step 4: Give the base a 2nd lighter drybrush with WP Skeleton Bone.
Step 5: Using a drop of Super Glue attach a few Battlefields XP: Wasteland Tufts
Step 6: The Cowboy Sharpshooter is ready for a gaming in the Wild West.

25
 Rocks, Static Grass and Tufts
Once the foundation of the base has been made -
it is time to add effects. The Battlefields series of
basing materials have many cool features and the
almost endless combinations enable you to create
any setting or theme for your army. This is the
stage of The Army Painter Technique that will truly
bind your army together as a coherent force.

TUFTS & WIRE

Tufts are a variation
of static grass where
we have done all the
work for you! Pick Frozen Tuft Woodland Tuft Winter Tuft
BF4205 BF4204 BF4203
your favourite Tuft,
or combination for
special effects, and
simply remove them
from the sheet and
glue them onto the Highland Tuft Lowland Shrubs Wasteland Tuft
BF4202 BF4212 BF4206
base. Tufts come in 3
sizes in the packages Available
and will give incredible Tufts
variation on your
bases. Furthermore
a 3D effect is created Jungle Tuft Swamp Tuft
BF4208 BF4201
as they stand up and
even look weathered.
Miniatures by Rackham Miniatures

For Sci-Fi, WW2 or

Modern armies the
Razor Wire looks very
realistic and you get 3 Razor Wire Mountain Tuft
BF4209 BF4207
meters (9’) of it!

Static Grass and Battlefield Rocks

Where the Tufts represent shrubberies or other
vegetation, the Static Grass represents, well; grass. It
lies almost flat onto the Battleground and come in 3
variations reflecting different times of the year. The
Battlefield Rocks are an important addition to most
Miniatures by Scorpion Games, Anvil Industries, Perry Miniatures & Dust Tactics

bases, as it also creates the 3D effect that looks so cool on

the tabletop. For larger models especially, it is important
to break the large flat areas of a base to give it a realistic
look, no-matter the type of unrealistic monster or alien!

Razor Wire TIP: User super glue for basing

Most battlefields from WW1 and forward
(even 40,000 years out in the future...) Use
For ultra fast
Razor Wire. It is easy to
appliance of
use as you simply roll it
Battleground
around a brush handle or
Basing, use Super
similar -
Glue - it dries in
and then
no time!
proceed to cut
26 out the length you need.
Battlefields Snow: A northern fury
Once your normal bases are done, you can go back normal base, after is has “finished” to create the
and add Battlefields Basing: Snow on top for cool illusion of the recently fallen snow.
winter theme. Applying the Snow on top of your

1 2 3 Arquebus

Miniatures by Warlord Games & Gamezone

Step 1: The Celtic Warrior on a base done with Step 3: Dip in the Battlefields Basing: Snow flock
Brown Battleground Battlefields Grass Green and pot and shake off excess scatter. If you want, repeat
Highland Tuft. step 2-3 for a deeper snow effect.

Step 2: Apply a coat of Battlefields Basing PVA Arquebus example: Notice the flat effect on the
Glue in the areas where you want the snow. base. This base was done using only Battlefields
Basing: Snow and the Battlefields XP: Winter Tuft
straight on the plain base to speed it up.

Dead Things
Any battlefield are TIP: All-in one
bound to have body To save money
parts or dead soldiers and get
or aliens scattered everything you
throughout. Skulls are need in one go for
cool, but also cut-out arms & legs from basing, look for
old sprues and miniatures will add a the Battlefields

Miniatures by Urban Mammoth

nice gruesome theme to your army. Basing Set.

On the Tabletop
Coherent bases looks really good on the battlefield and is well worth spending time on.
Miniatures by Mantic Games

27
DON’T BE A TIN-MAN
- Live and play in colours
Lack of time? Less of an artistic nature?
Don’t know how...?
If these or others are your excuses to never quite
finishing your army projects - this booklet could be
your path to redemption.
This booklet is all about Wargamers and how to get
their many army projects finished to a very good
gaming standard – in a matter of weeks or even days.
An exclusive insight into the many loopholes and
shortcuts you can take, to get that army of yours done
in record time.

This is a FREE booklet

for all Wargamers.

“It’s simply the most significant

development in hobby painting for years.
Miniatures by Gripping Beast

I take my hat off to them. Well done The

Army Painter team. May your bristles
never wilt!” Rick Priestley
Creator of Warhammer & Black Powder

Goodbye tin-man: www.thearmypainter.com

The website has loads of galleries and video

tutorials on how to use the products and
techniques featured in this booklet.

Before you put brush to miniature, go and

seek inspiration and tips/tricks that can
save you valuable time painting your army,
allowing you More Time for Gaming!
The website has loads of galleries and video tutorials on how to
use the products and techniques featured in this booklet.

Facebook.com/TheArmyPainter Youtube.com/TheArmyPainter Twitter.com/thearmypainter

The Army Painter ApS | Nydamsvej 1 | 8362 Hoerning | Denmark | contact@thearmypainter.com | +45 3031 5570