If you’ve been thinking about getting away from screens this holiday season, you might want to look into painting miniatures. Just a little effort can really spice up your favorite board game, or bring your favorite Dungeons & Dragons character to life. We’ve even got a handy guide to get you started. Best of all, everything you need to begin your journey — or encourage someone else to start theirs — is on sale for Cyber Monday at Amazon. So let’s get started! (Imagine me throwing stuff in your cart as we roll along).
First you’ll need some brushes. Don’t think too hard about it, because you’re likely to ruin them on your first go around. So let’s grab something functional that isn’t all that expensive.
Here, this 10-piece set even includes some big ol’ drybrushes! And it’s a steal at $12.74.
You’ll also want a wet palette. It sits on the desk next to your paints and helps keep your paints nice and moist while you move from color to color.
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Prices taken at time of publishing.
A sponge and a lid — that’s all you really need in a wet palette to get started. BYO parchment paper, tho, as sometimes the paper that comes in these kits is a bit sketchy.
Paint. Obviously we need paint… Oh! This’ll do! Wargames Delivered has bundled up a great starter set from The Army Painter. No fancy techniques required for these as they’re not Contrast-style paints — just some traditional acrylic paints in a broad range of colors. It even includes a brush-on primer so you don’t need any spray paint at all!
Finally, you’ll need a hobby knife, clippers, and a sanding sponge to clean up those mold lines. You still can’t beat the price on this Dungeons & Dragons licensed starter set from WizKids.
Be sure to check out my exhaustive guide to painting miniatures, which includes details on all the latest techniques like “slapchop,” drybrushing, and more. And if you’re feeling really fancy, we also have a guide to airbrushing as well.
