This article originally appeared on my now closed website.
Almost anyone beginning to paint miniatures, looking for help and advice, will come across many guides on the subject.
It's not easy to figure out which one could be better for us, and you are likely to spend money (which could instead be better spent in other miniatures) to find yourself with a book full of pictures but containing few really useful information.
Since i've made this mistake several times, I can say I have some experience about this subject and I want try to give my personal opinion on some of these books, hoping that others will find it useful.
Eavy Metal the complete guide to painting Citadel miniatures - Mike McVey
I start from the book that for me is one of the best about miniature painting.
Please do not confuse it with one of those newer ones that have almost the same title.
Let's start by saying that the book is a bit dated, this means above all that the examples are illustrated by "old-style" models now out of production, painted with rather saturated colors and color combinations flashier than what we're used to nowdays.
None the less the information is complete, exhaustive, detailed and well explained. There are insights on how to paint the faces, eyes, gems and jewelry, a whole chapter on horses, armor, banners and furs.
This book do contains all you need to know to start painting miniatures and even bringing them to a higher level. The techniques involve the use of the brush, no mention of airbrush.
Written by Mike McVey when he was in charge of Games Workshop's eavy metal team , when they were definitely the best, the book presents techniques that were and are still effective for painting miniatures at any level. The explanations are exhaustive and accompanied by many sample images.
The book is now out of production, but it can be found on eBay at a price ranging between 30 and 40 € but can go higher testifying to the validity of the product even after more than 20 years (but do not buy it if it's too high priced, just wait for another offer).
Please do not confuse it with one of those newer ones that have almost the same title.
Let's start by saying that the book is a bit dated, this means above all that the examples are illustrated by "old-style" models now out of production, painted with rather saturated colors and color combinations flashier than what we're used to nowdays.
None the less the information is complete, exhaustive, detailed and well explained. There are insights on how to paint the faces, eyes, gems and jewelry, a whole chapter on horses, armor, banners and furs.
This book do contains all you need to know to start painting miniatures and even bringing them to a higher level. The techniques involve the use of the brush, no mention of airbrush.
Written by Mike McVey when he was in charge of Games Workshop's eavy metal team , when they were definitely the best, the book presents techniques that were and are still effective for painting miniatures at any level. The explanations are exhaustive and accompanied by many sample images.
The book is now out of production, but it can be found on eBay at a price ranging between 30 and 40 € but can go higher testifying to the validity of the product even after more than 20 years (but do not buy it if it's too high priced, just wait for another offer).
Foundry Miniatures Painting and Modelling Guide - Kevin Dallimore
Dallimore has bee one of the first to approach miniature painting in search for a "method" to be applied to any model, and he found it. After The Dallimore way, more known as "foundry style", you begin by priming the model in black then you follow up painting the different parts of the model leaving a thin black line between them, achieving a very effective and rather fast blacklining. For the different colored parts you use one to three different colours from darker to lighter, not blended but rather stratified and placed in the right spots.
The effectiveness of this method, is demonstrated by the fact that for years it had become the reference method for the GW and other manufacturers. The advantage of this procedure, compared to others, is that it allows you to get excellent results (in the version 3 colors) in a short enough time to allow you to really paint whole armies.
The guide covers many (and many) times the process both in the one colour version (a bit poor, but definitely fast), two and finally three colours (where it is at its best). Many well-detailed and clarifying images are provided. The book contains basic information on the necessary tools, tips on how to sit and how to hold your hands to decrease shaking , clarifications on the primers and on the final varnish, the light sources, etc. There are also many sample models of other painters painted with different techniques which are also briefly explained.
The book refers to the Foundry paint line but the technique is usable with any other brand and on the web there are many conversion tables between the different brands.
Surely a very complete and useful book , but it is only worth buying if you're interested in that style of painting.
The price ranges from 40 € up and ultimately you can' t find it anymore in the foundry site where instead they still have his second handbook, which is dedicated to the most' advanced techniques but with a complete example of the basic tecnique too.
The effectiveness of this method, is demonstrated by the fact that for years it had become the reference method for the GW and other manufacturers. The advantage of this procedure, compared to others, is that it allows you to get excellent results (in the version 3 colors) in a short enough time to allow you to really paint whole armies.
The guide covers many (and many) times the process both in the one colour version (a bit poor, but definitely fast), two and finally three colours (where it is at its best). Many well-detailed and clarifying images are provided. The book contains basic information on the necessary tools, tips on how to sit and how to hold your hands to decrease shaking , clarifications on the primers and on the final varnish, the light sources, etc. There are also many sample models of other painters painted with different techniques which are also briefly explained.
The book refers to the Foundry paint line but the technique is usable with any other brand and on the web there are many conversion tables between the different brands.
Surely a very complete and useful book , but it is only worth buying if you're interested in that style of painting.
The price ranges from 40 € up and ultimately you can' t find it anymore in the foundry site where instead they still have his second handbook, which is dedicated to the most' advanced techniques but with a complete example of the basic tecnique too.
How to Paint Citadel Miniatures
An handbook with no special qualities. As of content it is certainly poorer than McVey's one, it illustrates almost the same techniques of its predecessor without adding anything but a more modern graphical format using photos of more modern models (but some already out production). There's also a current newer version which, however, i don't have access too.
In my opinion it's not worth to buy it except as a fallback if you can' t find the old one.
It is on ebay and also on amazon from 15-20 €
Modelling and Painting Figures (Modelling Manuals) osprey
This handbook is more suited to modellers than to wargamers as it illustrates the painting of figures to be used as part of dioramas or even individual pieces so it focuses more on quality and less on speed. Certainly full of information if you're interested in the genre.
In my opinion nothing exceptional but at the time I bought it anyway ... 😌
It is on ebay and amazon from 15-20 €
Infinity: Painting Miniatures from A to Z - Angel Giraldez Masterclass Vol 1 Giraldez
In a word: airbrush. The book is almost entirely dedicated to the use of the airbrush to paint miniatures which are then finished by paintbrush. The airbrush looks a bit of a magic wand in the hands of those who really know how to use it (and Gimenez is one of the best) but it is quite complicated to use and this is the main flaw of this book in which many images appear of the beautiful miniatures by Gimenez but only a few initial pages are devoted to the explanation of the techniques used (and those few seem copied from other books) actually leaving the reader to contemplate astonished the beautiful images.
In my opinion it's pretty useless for a beginner.
It is starting from 40 € on ebay and amazon.
These are the five books of my collection of which it is worth to speak about, the others are devoted to very specific topics or are too useless to report about... thow i've bought them anyway😌
In conclusion, if you are interested in the "foundry style" the Dallimore book is the way to go otherwise I'd really buy McVey's one although at the moment it's a bit hard to find.
Valid alternative to handbooks are the countless video-tutorial (streaming or DVD) to which I will devote a future article.
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