Painting for the Rest of Us! Colonel (Ret) Bill Gray, USA Cold Wars 2003 - Lancaster, PA 7 March 2003 1. Attitude. Figures 15mm and smaller do not need to have every sculpted detail painted to look impressive. a. 15mm gets is visual impact from masses, not the detail on each figure. b. Use the three-foot rule - from three feet away, if you can't see the detail on the figure (like the lace on a pocket flap), why paint it? 2. Mounting. Mount the figures on the stands you will use on the game board to move them around, and then hold them by these stands when you paint. Elmers is always good. 3. Priming. Use Krylon flat black spray enamel in an open area. Insure all folds and crevices are covered. a. This under/overcoat holds paint well. b. Many parts of a figure were black historically (shakos, boots, cartridge pouches, etc). Always paint three out of every eight cavalry or mounted figures on black horses. c. Black under/overcoat absolutely necessary for the Krylon Detail Method (KDM - yes, I made it up). 4. Paint and Paint Brushes. I use the following: a. Water based acrylics (Ral Partha, etc) for all colors except metallic, and then I use Testors (gold, silver, iron, etc - will need Testors thinner). b. Paint brushes Loew-Cornell #8 7500 Filbert (flat, curved for large areas), #0 7300 Shader, #1 7300 Shader (both flat with tapering, wide right angle tip), and #10/0 7650 Spotter (small details). 5. Initial "Factory Line" Technique. a. Paint by unit, eg, 12 figure EMPIRE battalion. Paint the same single color across all figures before going to the next color. b. For mounted troops, paint all horses first. c. For artillery units, paint the gun carriages and wheels first. d. For infantry (and cavalry troopers vice horses, gunners vice guns), paint weapons then hands/face first. e. Use KDM in between. f. For all units paint anything metallic last. g. Dry brush large surface areas like cannon barrels or houses. 6. KDM. This is the most important and also the most difficult part of the process to master!!! a. Note what areas on each figure need to be painted black for shading, edging and detail. This might be such things as where joints where arms or legs bend, under arms or inner thighs, edging along cuffs, gloves and shoulder straps or saddle blankets, inner portion of wheel spokes, etc. b. Then paint all other areas outside those noted above. In effect what you are doing is allowing the Krylon black primer to show through and become your edging or shading. c. This process is extremely difficult because it looks like you are not covering enough surface area (say, the left arm) with paint. You will be tempted to paint more than you need, but you will have to resist this temptation. I still have problems with this. d. Because you are actually painting less surface area, the process will move swiftly once you get used to it. e. Minifigs and similar figures seem especially well suited for this process due to their smooth sculpting technique. f. Looks great on the table! 7. Other Painting Issues and Completion. a. Double Lace. Paint a larger than normal strip, then paint the second color down the center. This will give the impression of lace bordered on both sides. b. Exaggeration. Exaggerate the KDM black areas just a little so they will show up from a distance. c. Flags. Put these on last prior to flocking. Use paper flags and attach them to the flagpole, bending the flag into a wave prior to the glue drying (Elmers is good, again). d. Flocking. Paint the base a ground color and then drag the base while still wet through something like Woodland Scenics Burnt Turf or similar. Remember that battlefields were normally areas of tall grass and not a parade field, so there is little need to be careful around shoe, boot or hoof. e. Bottom of Stand. Paint this a color distinctive to you, to avoid confusion with your friends' figures when picking up. I was assigned Floquil Dragon Blue in Germany and have used it ever since. f. Apply protective coating, either matte or semi-gloss. 8. Results. a. Mr GAJO has judged my figures at about a 7+ on a 1 to 10 scale. b. Can produce 12 infantry or 8 cavalry in 1 hour, 15 minutes. c. Knocked out 2566 figures in 3 months, 10 days. 9. POC Information. Colonel (Ret) Bill Gray, 607 Riverstix Lane, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, phone (717) 732-7242, Email hmgs1@hmgs.org.