Wednesday, February 8, 2023

My Miniature Painting Journey (Part 1: The Beginning)

 I've been spending a lot of time painting miniatures and models lately (more than I've spent writing, honestly), so I thought I would share some of my passion here. I would probably be better off doing this on Instagram or Reddit or something, but I've got a platform here, so I might as well use it!

I got a 3D printer for Christmas, so there are A LOT of models to paint. And this just shows the finished or nearly finished ones. I have several dozen more waiting in the wings.

Below are some of the very first minis I painted, about 20 years ago. I had no idea what I was doing - I didn't have the proper paints, I didn't prime them first, I used crappy brushes. I bought them cheap at a comic and gaming store in Toronto (the store that was actually the inspiration for The Spider's Parlour in Hell Comes to Hogtown), and they're all metal - unlike today's minis which are usually plastic or resin. The little goblin I believe is actually made of lead.





Though I enjoyed painting them at the time, I got busy with other things (not to mention frustrated because I didn't know what I was doing), so I didn't do much painting for many years. Flash forward to this past fall (October 2022), when I picked up a paintbrush again on a lark. I don't even remember what spurred the idea, I just decided one day that I wanted to give it a try again.

I started with some old Star Wars minis, which I bought the same time as the fantasy models above but were even older (they were originally sold in the 80s and I'm pretty sure they're all lead). I repainted them, using some of the knowledge I gained from the YouTube and other sites on the Internet. They still aren't great, but they're miles ahead of the originals.




I actually primed them this time, but I was still using cheap, lumpy, dollar-store craft paint, which is very hard to work with on stuff this small.

From there, I bought some new, plastic minis, and discovered that these models have progressively gotten larger. The old Star Wars minis above were true 28mm scale, meaning they're barely an inch tall. Nowadays the standard seems to be edging toward 32mm. The new Star Wars Legion Stormtroopers I bought were closer to 40mm (like 1-3/4 inches), which made them easier to paint but also made them look like giants compared to my old models.


They're a slight improvement from my previous models, but still not anything to write home about. Painting solid white is hard, especially since I still didn't mix or thin my paints properly.

Plus, I was really sick at the time so my hands were not exactly steady. The Stormtrooper on the right was painted while I had COVID, the one on the left was after I got better. There is a noticeable difference in quality.

So have I gotten any better in the ensuing months? We shall see! You'll have to wait with baited breath until my next update. 

(Spoiler: Marginally. I've improved marginally.)

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

4 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

But are you having fun? That is all that matters.
Interesting that most are plastic now.

C. D. Gallant-King said...

I do have fun! Did I forget to mention that? :-)
And yeah, everything is plastic these days. The models tend to have better detail, but they definitely feel cheaper.

Patricia JL said...

White and red are the two colors that always drive me nuts. You need so many coats because of how transparent they are. Red is especially transparent.

C. D. Gallant-King said...

Yup, for sure. I like painting black, that usually works well. From now on I'm just going to paint everything solid black. :-)

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