INTRO

Painting armies of figures is not much different than painting single figures. There are many good articles on painting single figures to a high standard, and painting armies quickly and roughly, but very few that cross between the two, and give advice on painting an army to a high standard.

Many of the same skills and techniques used for painting high quality single figures can be applied to painting armies. One must simply budget one's time, and streamline the process. This article will not cover the specifics on the individual techniques discussed below (washes, blending, etc.) other than how to adapt them. For further details, see the links on the PREVIOUS PAGE. Others have already done a great job explaining these techniques.

Lastly, just as with any other painting article, this is simply what works for me. There is no right or wrong way about it. In fact, I am always interested in hearing other people's ideas, and would love to expand these tips with those from our readers!

Remember, it's all about saving time. If you can cut time through method, rather than sacrificing quality, you will end up with something much better than the often referenced "wargaming quality" paint job.
 

ASSEMBLY LINE

Many other articles on painting armies will explain the idea of 'assembly line painting,' but I will briefly mention it here. The idea is to paint a group of similar figures, or figures receiving a similar uniform/color scheme at once, working on one part on each figure, then moving on to the next.

For example, when painting the GOBLIN ARMY in the gallery, I worked with about 16 - 20 figures at once. I pulled out 20 similar figures, say all Night Goblins for example, since they were all going to be in black cloaks. I would paint the base flesh coat on each figure until all 20 were done. Then I would paint the first layer of highlight on all 20 figures, etc.
 

COLOR/UNIFORM

When choosing which figures to work on at one time, it is better to work by color or uniform rather than pose. Although each figure may be different, there will be less switching between paints. This is one of those vital time-saving steps.

For example, say I am working on 100 gauls, with many unique poses. I might select 20 completely different figures and work on them at once. I will use the same palette of colors, though not necessarily on the same parts. So when I paint their clothes, for example (say shirt, trousers, and shield base color) I may select a light green, an earthy brown and a very pale tan. Maybe I will start with the green, paint about 1/3 with green shirts, 1/3 with green trousers, and 1/3 with green shields. This way I am getting a significant variety between figures - since they are irregular troops - but still keeping a 'uniform painting' pace.
 

TECHNIQUE

As mentioned above, the techniques used in painting masses of troops doesn't have to change greatly from painting individuals.

LAYERING: The most common technique I use for painting armies/regiments is layering. It is more controlled than drybrushing or washes, but generally quicker than blending on 20 figures. Like many others, I start with a black primer, since this will help give shadows in deep depressions, and hide many gaps. However, it's always better to use a dark base color on each area, rather than leave black lines exposed in all recesses. Again, using the GOBLINS as an example, I used a very dark green on all of the flesh areas, even though the rest of the flesh was painted significantly lighter.

From this dark shadow color, I then jump to the real 'base' color, and paint everything but the deeply shadowed areas. From there, I use several thin layers to highlight, each one slightly lighter than the previous layer. If done subtly enough, it will almost blend together visually (and certainly will on the gaming table!)

BLENDING: This is a time consuming technique, and difficult to master. But once you are confident, it can be of use, especially on large, plain areas, such as cloaks. Layering a large area will take many, many steps, so sometimes blending is actually quicker.

DRYBRUSHING: This is a quick way to get highlights on figures, but I avoid drybrushing on most figures, with the exception of chain mail and fur. Drybrushing is sloppy when done quickly, and you can end up with paint on the wrong areas. It can also turn out grainy unless you are very careful with the consistency of the paint on the brush. I do drybrush for several special effects, though, such as rust on metal (using a reddish brown), where I WANT a grainy look.

WASHES: Again, I prefer a more controlled layering method of painting groups of figures. Washes can be even more sloppy then drybrushing when trying to paint 20 figures quickly. I still use it though. For example, I still use a wash on most 'human' and horse flesh tones. But this is generally the first thing I paint, so any mistakes or over-runs are easily covered up. If a figure is largely one color, and depending on the effect that I am looking to achieve, I will sometimes paint a figure almost entirely with layers of thin washes.
 

(to be continued in Part 2, coming soon...)