Yet Another Painting Guide for Flint and Feather Miniatures

Kirk has been helping us with the playtesting of the Campaign Rules which we concluded last night and moved on to try a few Multi-player games before we wrap up the playtest portion of our project. As part of the playing Kirk was inspired to paint some miniatures. He used the Accessory packs for his miniatures so many have been altered from their "out of the box" format. Here are his instructions to painting the miniatures.

 

Painting Instructions for pre-contact Northern Native Indians

Items required to paint figures:

Paint colors needed – White, red, blue, burnt umber, burnt sienna, medium brown, tan, green, terra cota and Caucasian skin  tone.

Eye dropper for water drops into paint.

A ceramic  tile for dabbing drops of paint and water.

Flat tooth picks for mixing paints and water on the ceramic  tiles.

Paint brushes used A # 3,  # 1 and a triple 000 brushes were used  to paint these figures. 1 flat brush 3/8^th to ½ inch wide.

Plastic table cloth for covering the table you are painting figures on.

Newspaper to be placed under tile where you mix paints.

Undercoat of paint white Krylon Spray Primer oil, all figures must be primed and left to dry according to manufacturer instructions.

Xacto Knife for cutting your bases.

Bases can be made from artists hardboard into squares, or purchased from various hobby manufacturers who will do rounds, squares, hexagons and rectangles to your specifications.

Step 1 - Colours used on the figures: 1^st Coat – all acrylic paints

When using acrylic paint for every drop of paint mix with 1 drop of water for the following:

Skin - Burnt Sienna with # 3 brush all areas of skin

Leggings and all leather articles on figure - 1 part burnt umber mixed with1 part tan.

Wood shields, wood armour a medium brown.

Step 2 – Shading and base of figure

When shading use the following :

1 drop of burnt umber with 2 drops of water max well called a wash. With the  #1 brush apply to all straps so  the paint overlaps onto the skin of the figure in cluding all jewelry around the neck and on the face, also apply to all areas where the skin touches the any of the leather or wooden armour then wash leggings where the straps and side of the legging meet. Then with the 000 brush apply to eye sockets then nostrils of nose then creases around the nose to the chin, also under the lip.

The base of the figure should be painted with  1 drop burnt umber and 1 part water with the # 3 brush you may have to paint twice over the white.

All wooden armour and shields apply a light wash{1 part burnt umber to 4 parts water using the  #3 brush make sure that the brush is wet going into the paint as your objective is for the paint to bleed into the grooves between each  piece of wood and armour giving a shadowing effect.

This must be left to dry before the next step.

Step 3 - Highlighting the figure

When highlighting use the following:

Use the terra cotta on all areas of the skin with 1 drop of water using the #1 brush highlighting the muscles on the back, arms, chest, ribs, rib cage and stomach only painting the ridges of the figure with the terra cotta leaving the valleys of the figure untouched this will leave a shadow around the muscle definition. With the face use the 000 brush cheeks and under the mouth the chin, paint bridge of nose and the nostrils  leaving facial crease. For painting the leather use the same painting technique leaving shadows .

Step 4 – Second highlight

For the skin 1 part terra cotta and 1 part Caucasian, dabbing the tops of the muscles similarly add white to the tan leather and highlight.

Step 5 – Black

Paint all hair, feathers, straps and hair,  1 part black with 1 part water all feathers in black then wait to dry then dry brush with browns and white. Alternating white and brown tips.

Step 6 – Jewelry, leather sacks and arrow quivers

Again all leather can be different browns with blue, black and red designs or colouring designs with lines can be added to equipment.

Step 7 - Tattoos

Tattoos have been drawn on using a prismacolour premier 005 black ink pen purchased at DESERRES ART SUPPLIES. If you check on the internet under Native Northern Canadian Tattoo designs-primitive.

Step 8 – Protecting figures

Once figures are completely dry you apply 2 coats of gloss coat and 2 coats of matt coat waiting in between coats to dry. Krylon spray can be used or testors paint on gloss coat of matt dullcoat. Gloss coat must always be applied to insure protection for the figure.

BASING:

Figures mounted on round bases figure glued on with white Lepages glue. Lepages or elmer’s wood filler is applied to the base of the figure when rocks, pieces of log, and stand long grass are with white glue applied to each are place on the base once fully dry, a wash of burnt umber water to paint 3 to 1 after rocks included this is dry then a heavy dry brush of raw cienna, after dried an application of light grey to the ridge on the base of the figure and rocks, I will use various colours of woodlands scenic grass in the grooves of the base made apparent by the grey light dry brushing.

In addition I will also add foliage clumps with white glue  to the bases and some static grass. Again all woodlands scenic.