- Basic Paints
- Inks
- Glazes
Basic Paints: To get you started in the hobby of painting your war gaming miniatures, I would suggest one of each color of the rainbow, as well as black and white. This way you can mix different colors to get a desired one, if you don't already have it. On top of these I would also suggest a couple of metallic paints, such as gold and silver. These two will come in handy when it comes to painting those weapons, amour and jewelry. Once you have got your basic colors, then it is a good idea to maybe get some of the different shades that GW bring out. Take red for example. You have the choice between Blood red, Blood Angel red and Crimson Gore. These are all different shades of the one color.
Inks: Inks are a watery paint with a strong pigment, similar to ink found in pens. Why use them you ask? Well, it is all part of the process of painting your miniatures. Inks are usually the darkest shade of any particular color. They are mostly used in the procedure of 'shading' your miniatures. They create the effect of shadows and dark nooks and crannies on a miniature. Such places are fold lines on faces, or where two objects meet on a miniature, like a hand holding a weapon. So to be able to create the look of 'depth' to you model, inks are ideal, although you can achieve the same effect with watering down your existing paints. The only problem with this is that you have to get the right consistency time and time again, where as the inks are ready to use. Just open and go. I will show how I use them in the shading section.
Glazes: GW made about half a dozen different glazes that are used to bring out the colour in your miniatures. They are no longer a supported line of product but if you have them, they can be very useful. If, for example, you had painted a red cloak, and it wasn't 'bold' enough, by applying a red glaze, the true colours of the cloak would stand out. They are also good for toning down your colours. If you had painted the same red cloak, but the highlights were too bright, you could apply the glaze to drop the brightness of each shade. Although glazes are not a necessity item that should be on your list, they can add that special touch to your miniature masterpiece.
