Paint and Model Like You Got a Pair!! Part 3

Another weekend stuck at work = another painting/modeling blog post! This time I want to get into something a little less general and a little more specific: Priming. Priming a figure properly is actually one of thee most important steps to painting any model. So here are a few tips for priming a model.

Part one can be found here.
Part two can be found here.

Priming

Tip # 7) Follow the Directions. This may seem a little obvious, but it is very important to follow the directions on the spray can. Amount of time shaking the can, distance of spray, ventilation, temperature, drying time, etc. These are all important things to keep in mind when priming a figure. For example, not shaking the can enough and holding it too close to the miniature can cause the primer to pool on the figure, obscuring some of the detail, (yes this has happened to me before).

Tip # 8) What color primer to use? This is solely up to the painter. You can use white, black, and even gray. I usually have all three on hand. I tend to favor black primer, and recommend this for beginning painters. Black primer is a little more forgiving, and is best when painting with darker colors or metallics. White primer is good when dealing with lots of bright colors or flesh tones. Gray primer can be good when dealing with trickier colors, such as red. If you're not sure what primer you want to use, try priming one test figure first and apply your base colors. This will give you a good idea how the paint will look before moving on to a full unit.

*Marie has an awesome tip for priming in her Jarl Skuld post. She uses white primer then does a light black wash to the figure to help darken the crevasses. This is an awesome idea that I may try in the future. Her article can be found here.

Tip #9) Be patient. When priming, don't worry about getting full coverage on your model the first time. It is best when you put on several light coats as opposed to one heavy coat. Again this will help keep your detail on your figure. Also, let your model dry over night. It is very difficult to paint a freshly primed figure as you can inadvertently rub off some of your primer if it has not fully set.

Tip #10) Be careful. Every experienced painter has that box that has been primed over and over again. That same box may now have several bumps and is no longer even. One tip I use to ensure that the model doesn't go tumbling off the box the second you start spraying is to fasten the figure to the top of the box using a little poster tack. Nothing is more disheartening than spending your time modeling and gluing a model only to have it nose-dive to the pavement and shatter to a million pieces, (yes, this has happened to me also).

Tip #11) What brand should I use? This may sound like a shameless plug, but P3 (Privateer press) has a good primer and is the one I recommend. Citadel primer is OK, but a little on the expensive side. One brand I like to use if you don't have access to a local game store is Dupli-color primer. These can be found at nearly any auto parts store and works really well as a miniature primer. Auto primers like Rustoleum tend to spray on a little thick and grainy, and I would recommend staying away from primers such as those.

If anyone has any other tips or tricks as it relates to priming or painting, please share. I would love to hear them!

Keep an eye out for my next post, as I will be documenting my Paint Pink project for Breast Cancer awareness, including my pink Thrullg which will be auctioned off on this very site. For more details, see this post here.

"Painted armies are like loaded dice, they always play better."

Cheers,

Skywise