The Good Enough Guide to
Stone Finish
patreon.com/you_defeated
INTRODUCTION
Many board games come with astonishing miniatures. With minimal
effort, and at a very low cost, you will be able to make these miniatures
look even better.
This guide will provide the necessary steps to create a stone finish,
which will suit many games perfectly. In this particular example, I have
used the miniatures from Blood Rage (2nd ed. Kickstarter), but the
method is certainly applicable to many other games with almost no
modification. To provide a sense of the time scale, I completed the 55
clan miniatures from Blood Rage in a little less than a week.
The Good Enough Guide is aimed towards people that play with
unpainted miniatures, but want to take the first step towards painting.
It can also be used by more experienced painters that are looking for a
fast method for painting large quantities of miniatures to a reasonable
standard.
EQUIPMENT Citadel Brushes
Preparation • Medium Layer Brush
• Army Painter Hobby Knife • Medium Shade Brush
• Army Painter Miniature & Model • Medium Drybrush
Files
Basing
Citadel Spray • PVA Glue
• Chaos Black • Citadel Sand
• Standard Mechanicus Gray
• Corax White OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
Citadel Paint Covering black areas
• Abaddon Black • Citadel Eshin Grey
• Administratum Gray
• Agrax Earthshade Painting weapons
• Drakenhof Nightshade • Additional Citadel Paints (see
• Lahmian Medium Weapons section below)
Vallejo Model Color Coating
• Ivory • Tamiya TS-80 Flat Clear
Magnetizing
• Super glue or plastic glue
• Green Stuff World N35 Neodymium
magnets
PREPARATORY WORK
Before the miniatures can be painted, imperfections from
the manufacturing process must be removed. The edge of
the scalpel is used to remove the larger imperfections, and
the back of the scalpel can be used to effectively even out a
surface.
Remove the residue with an old toothbrush, and clean the
miniatures with soap and water. Make sure to rinse the
miniatures thoroughly in water to remove all remnants of
soap. For bent spears, you can put the miniature in hot water, bend the spear straight,
then put it in cold water. Let the miniatures dry completely before moving on to the
next step. Moisture on the miniature may ruin the base paint completely.
A NOTE ON MINIATURE QUALITY
The miniatures in Blood Rage are of excellent quality, and require very little work
before they can be painted. This may not be the case with other games.
EQUIPMENT
I use both scalpel and files from Army Painter. I find these products to have very good
price performance. I have used the same scalpel and files for many years, just make
sure the scalpel has changeable blades. A scalpel with changeable blades costs around
7 €, and their set of three files is around 5 €. Prices should be about the same amount
in US dollars.
BASING
A custom base will add a lot to the final impression. The
base could just be painted black, but this step is almost as
fast and easy, so I would not consider it optional.
Use an old brush to apply a thin layer of PVA glue to the
base of the miniature. Make sure the glue does not stick to
the rim of the base or the actual figure. Dip the base in
sand, and shake off the excess sand. Let the glue dry.
Mix water and PVA glue in about a 75/25 ratio. Mix thouroughly and apply the mix to
the sand. If the mixture has the right ratio of water to glue, the capillary effect will do
the job for you. Just fill up the brush and put it in contact with the sand, and the glue
will be sucked into the sand and spread out. Repeat this until the sand is saturated.
EQUIPMENT
I use Citadel Sand for the bases, but it seems to be discontinued. Similar products
from other brands are still available. For example, Army Fine Model Sand from War
World Scenics seems good. However, I have not tried it out personally so I can't
guarantee its quality. PVA glue can be picked up for a small cost at any hobby store.
Sand and glue should cost 5-10 €.
BASE COATING
Base coating with spray paints is very simple, but there are
many ways to ruin the miniatures. However, they are very
easy to avoid.
Attach the miniatures with Blu Tack or double-sided tape
to a stick or similar object. I find the perfect object to be
those wooden sticks that are used to stir paint cans. They
usually come for free when you buy paint, or can otherwise
be bought cheaply at a hardware store.
Base coat the miniatures with Chaos Black. Shake the can well before using it. Hold the
can 20-30 cm (8-12") from the miniatures, and apply bursts of about one second.
Successively move the can closer until the paint covers the miniatures, but make sure
it doesn't pool. If it does pool, you are holding the can too close. Turn the stick around
so you cover the whole miniature, including all recesses.
IMPORTANT
• Make sure you are in a well ventilated space - or outside
• Make sure the air is not too humid
• Shake the spray can well
• Don't hold the spray can too close to the miniatures
• Make sure to avoid collateral damage - you don't want your floor or furniture
accidentaly base coated
Let the paint dry completely, and inspect each miniature to make sure it is completely
covered. Use a brush to fill in the missed spots with Abaddon Black before proceeding
to the next step.
IMPORTANT
If the air is too humid, the painted surface will be "frosty" and uneven. Make sure the
conditions are right by applying a very short burst of paint, and make sure that it looks
even. I have the benefit of living in a low humidity country, but if you don't, and are
planning on doing this step outside, you may have to wait for the right weather
conditions. My impression is that Citadel Corax White is especially inclined towards
this phenomenon, while Chaos Black is much better, and Standard Mechanicus Gray is
somewhere in between.
ZENITHAL HIGHLIGHTING
The miniatures are now base coated black. Spraying the
miniatures with gray and white will now perform the
double duty of providing both a stone finish and highlights.
Start with Standard Mechanicus Gray, and spray the
miniatures from the top. Keep spraying the miniatures from
roughly a 45 degree angle. Spray in short bursts until the
front and back are about 50 % covered in gray. More gray at
the top, less at the bottom.
Repeat with the Corax White spray, but this time only apply
the paint from the top, and at a very slight angle.
EQUIPMENT
The spray primers are available at any Games Workshop
store, or other hobby store that sells miniatures. They cost
between 10 € and 15 € each, and will last for a lot more
than even a game with quite a lot of miniatures, like Blood
Rage.
HIGHLIGHTING THE BASES
Drybrushing is an easy technique to provide additional
depth. If you are unfamiliar with drybrushing, see The
Good Enough Guide to Drybrushing.
Use a medium drybrush to highlight the sand base. A single
step with a light gray, for example Administratum Gray, is
perfectly fine. There is no need to be overly careful. If you
accidentally catch the feet or legs of the miniature, it will
hardly be noticable.
MORE THAN GOOD ENOUGH
For additional depth, two or even three steps of highlights could be applied to the base.
For the two-step approach, I would suggest, Standard Mechanicus Gray and
Administratum Gray. For three steps, I would use Standard Mechanicus Gray,
Administratum Gray, and Ivory. For the quality I am aiming for here, three steps is
completely unnecessary.
EQUIPMENT
I actually find the Citadel line of drybrushes to be good value for money. Their
Medium Drybrush has a longer lifetime than the Small Drybrush, and is sufficient for
the precision that is necessary here.
HIGHLIGHTING THE MINIATURES
The same method as in the previous step will be used to
apply highlights to the actual miniature.
For these highlights, I use Vallejo Ivory, which is a bit
warmer than a pure white, but any white will do. Apply the
paint by drybrushing lightly to make sure the miniature
does not become too bright. The white should be applied
more heavily at the top. As a rule of thumb, don't highlight
anything below the midpoint, unless it is some protruding
detail that requires additional highlighting.
MORE THAN GOOD ENOUGH
There may be areas on some miniatures that are almost completely black. To liven up the
miniature a bit, a small amount of dark gray paint can be applied to these areas. Use the
medium dry brush to slightly highlight these areas with Eshin Gray.
WEAPONS
To make the miniatures more interesting, and easier to distinguish, I decided to paint
the weapons in each clan's colors. To make the miniatures more interesting, and easier
to distinguish, I decided to paint the weapons in each clan's colors. First apply a base
coat, then a wash, and finally a highligt.
WOLF CLAN
Base: Khorne Red
Wash: Carroburg Crimson
Highlights: Wazdakka Red
BEAR CLAN
Base: Mournfang Brown
Wash: Agrax Earthshade
Highlights: Skrag Brown
SERPENT CLAN
Base: Averland Sunset
Wash: Casandora Yellow
Wash: Fuegan Orange
Highlights: Flash Gitz Yellow
RAVEN CLAN
Base: Stegadon Scale Blue
Wash: Coelia Greenshade
Highlights: Sotek Green
STAG CLAN
Base: Zandri Dust
Wash: Seraphim Sepia
Highlights: Ushabti Bone
BASING
Mix the paint with a small amount of water. Use the
Medium Layer Brush to apply a thin layer to the weapons.
The base coat is preferably applied in several layers thinned
down with water. For the darker colors, two layers will
suffice. For the lighter colors, three or even four layers may
be necessary.
SHADING
Use the Medium Shade Brush to apply a thin layer of the
wash. Make sure the wash doesn't pool by removing excess
wash with the brush.
EDGE HIGHLIGHTING
For the highlights, dilute the paint with water. The amount
of water depends on the thickness of the original paint, but
25-50 % water usually works for paints of regular
thickness. Apply the highlight to the edges. Use the tip or
edge of the Medium Layer Brush to apply a thin highlight
along the edges. If necessary, use the Small Layer Brush for
the finer details.
A NOTE ON BRUSHES
I am not particularly fond of the Citadel line of brushes. They are too expensive for
beginner's brushes, and too low quality for professional brushes. The reason I still
suggest them is that they are easy to pick up. If you want, you can buy some cheap
brushes from a hobby store, or some high quality brushes from an art store. My
favorite among the premium brands is Raphaël. Their brushes are excellent, have a
very long lifetime, and cost about the same as two Citadel Brushes. One size 0 and one
size 2 is a good start. If you want more brushes, sizes 00 and 1 should be all you need.
Regardless of which brushes you use, I strongly suggest buying a brush soap. The
Master's Brush Cleaner and Preserver costs around 10 € and will last for years. It is
honestly one of the best painting accessories I have ever bought, and I can't
recommend it enough.
SHADING
A wash is used to provide additional depth, by shading the
recesses of the miniatures. This is where the miniatures
will start to really shine.
There is no single solution to achieving the perfect stone
color. Personally I prefer to not go with just gray. The mix I
have come to like the most is Lahmian Medium, Agrax
Earthshade, and Drakenhof Nightshade in equal
proportions.
Mix the washes in a container and apply it to both the miniatures and the bases. Make
sure the wash does not pool. This is done by using a piece of paper to remove the
remaining wash from the brush, and using the almost dry brush to remove excess
wash from the miniature.
MORE THAN GOOD ENOUGH
For additional highlights, dry brush the miniatures very lightly with Ivory on and around
the head when the wash has dried completely. Make sure to do this very cautionsly. Too
little is better than too much.
EQUIPMENT
I have expiremented quite a bit with washes to achieve a nice stone finish, and find
this mix to give a very smooth and natural tone. The washes cost about 7 € each, and if
you are on a budget, I would suggest going with pure Agrax Earthshade. If you are
looking for a colder, high contrast look, you can go with pure Nuln Oil instead.
PAINTING THE RIM OF THE BASES
Finish off the base by painting the rim black. Any black
paint can be used for this, e.g. Citadel Abaddon Black.
For some games, I would paint the rim of the base in the
same color as the weapons, to make them even more
distinguishable. To do this, just use the base color, no
washes or highlights. Blood Rage comes with colored bases
for each player, so I find this unnecessary. I personally
prefer the cleaner look of a black base.
MORE THAN GOOD ENOUGH
I coat my miniatures when I am done painting them. This
serves two purposes. First, it protects the miniatures during
transport and handling. Second, it gives them a nice and
even finish.
COATING
Apply the coat in a similar fashion to the base coat, except
the can has to be a bit closer. The coat has a very strong odor,
so make sure to both spray them and let them dry in a well
ventilated room with low humidity. Let them dry for a few
hours, preferably overnight.
EQUIPMENT
I prefer a matte coat over a gloss one, but it's a matter of
personal preference. Gloss coats give a too shiny look for my
tastes, and make it difficult to take good pictures of the
miniatures.
The best product that is still legal in the EU is Tamiya TS-80,
but if you can get your hands on Testor's Dullcote, that will
give you an even matter finish. Tamiya TS-80 is available at
many online hobby stores at around 9 €. Testor's Dullcote is
no longer available in the EU, but it did cost even less when it
was.
MORE THAN GOOD ENOUGH
I find magnetizing the miniatures to be the superior storage
and transportation solution. No foam or custom inserts, just
put them in a metal box, or on a sheet of metal glued to the
bottom of a cardboard box.
MAGNETIZING
The best way to glue a magnet to a miniature is with plastic
glue. Plastic glue dissolves the surface layer of the plastic,
and the magnet will stick firmly to the miniature once the
plastic solidifies. However, this only works on some types of plastic.
It is almost guaranteed to work on any model that requires assembly, but many games
have miniatures made of plastic that wont dissolve, and will require traditional glue.
Either way, glue the magnet to the bottom of the base, and let it dry standing upside
down. Make sure the magnet is small enough so the miniature does not become wobbly.
This is easily tested by putting the magnet on a flat surface with the miniature on top of
it before any glue is applied.
EQUIPMENT
The size of and strength of the magnet is important. Too weak, and it wont stick, too
strong, and the miniature may break. The magnets I used for Blood Rage are cylindrical 4
x 1 mm. I recommend N35 neodymium magnets from Green Stuff World. Magnets can
sometimes be much more expensive in hobby stores than at online retailers. A pack of
magnets should be available for less than 10 € and be enough for more than one game.
Both Citadel and Army Painter have excellent plastic glue, both at around 5 €. One bottle
will last a very long time. Regular super glue is readily available and costs even less.
COST
The approximate total cost for all mandatory equipment:
Preparation 12 €
Basing 10 €
Priming Spray 40 €
Paints and washes 31 €
Brushes 17 €
Weapons 47 €
Total 147 €
This may seem expensive just to paint one game, but consider it to be the starting cost
for the miniature painting hobby. The first thing to run out will be Chaos Black Spray,
which should last for at least 100-200 miniatures. The drybrush may wear out rather
quickly, depending on how well you take care of it. Everything else will last for a very
long time. For each additional game you want to paint, you will only have to buy a few
more paints and maybe a wash or two.
The paints for the weapons is the largest expense, but all paints and shades except the
teal and yellow are true staples that you will use a lot if you decide to paint other
games. If you are on a budget, I suggest keeping the weapons stone colored. Skipping
highlights and washes and just base painting them won't look good. This will bring the
cost down to around 100 €.
If you decide to do all the steps outlined in More Than Good Enough, the additional
equipment needed will add another 25 €. The extra cost is added in time rather than
money.
CREDITS
The Good Enough Guide is created by
Fredrik Nielsen.
For more guides like this:
patreon.com/you_defeated
For pictures of games I have
previously painted:
instagram.com/you_defeated
