How to Paint Adrik - 3D Printed Miniature - Start to Finish

This tutorial has been written by Marc; he's a professional miniature painter
that's part of the Print Minis team. It's available for free on our Patreon page
with the other two tutorials due out this month locked to Patrons Only.

This tutorial focuses on painting Adrik, the second in command of our group of
heroes from January's DIESELPUNK COLLECTION. When asked to paint one of the
characters for a tutorial, I was immediately drawn to Adrik. His powerful pose,
displaying a true sense of calculating composure, really appealed to me. Besides,
who doesn't want to paint a four barrelled gun? ;)

At the end of this guide you'll find a full breakdown of the paints I've used, but
during the tutorial, I’ll just refer to them by colour name rather than the brand
too. When mixing colours I’ll state how many drops of each I’ve used and how many
drops of water I’ve thinned the mixture with. This will vary for you depending on
the specific paint brand you’re using, so take these ratios with a pinch of salt.

Finally, we've placed the photo above and the steps that are demonstrated in that
photo below.

Let’s get started!

TIPS AND TRICKS

A great tip for painting miniatures is to start working on areas that are on the
“inside” first (meaning those which are most recessed), and paint areas that are
easier to reach afterwards. For this reason, I started with the leather under
armour and worked my way outwards, finishing with the most exposed components (the
gun, buckles, hair).

Throughout this project I used my favourite size 2 brush from Roubloff. It holds a
lot of paint and keeps a precise point for detail. We all have our favourite brush
brand and type, so I simply recommend using any brush you’re comfortable with.
However, I will add that higher quality brushes make the painting process easier
and more enjoyable.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Make sure your miniature is clean and dry, and you’ve cleaned up any small support
marks with a scalpel. I mounted my model onto a simple base rather than the scenic
base that comes with the Print Minis collection so I didn’t have to worry about
smudges. I’ll transfer him later on.

I primed the miniature using a black primer from Vallejo, but I’ve found that most
acrylic paints adhere very effectively to resin printed miniatures.

PAINTING THE LEATHER

Start by blocking out both the body armour and the leather. It’s easier to block
out the major colours at the beginning because it means you're less likely to
smudge on your more detailed work later on. You could also paint a foundation
colour for the hair and skin at this point too, but since this is a tutorial, I
wanted to keep the photos as clear as possible.

Step 1

For the armour, I went with a Russian Green colour. Cover all the panels in a
couple of coats until you have a smooth, opaque finish. I used Ammo by Mig paint
and I didn’t have to thin it since the consistency is already quite thin, but
depending on what you use, you might want to add a little water.

For the leather, we’re going with brown. Take Brown Leather, mixing 3 drops with 1
drop of water. Cover all of the leather areas with this and do several coats until
you have an opaque finish.

Step 2

We’re now going to start developing the leather, making it look aged and worn.

Mix 2 drops of Brown Leather with 2 drops of Dust Grey, and thin with 2 drops of
water. Use this to stipple on texture and edge highlight along the raised parts of
the leather. Apply a few scratches. The aim here is to not be overly neat. Worn
leather has an uneven and broken surface.

Step 3

Add two more drops of Dust Grey to the mix and keep developing the texture. Focus
on the most raised aspects, on the corners of the pouches and along the edges of
the leather straps.

Step 4

Then take 3 drops of Bone White thinned with 1 drop of water and apply a final
highlight layer, focusing on the highest points.

Step 5

We now have leather with very high levels of contrast. I want to tone this down and
tie the layers together. To do this take 2 drops of Transparent Burnt Umber ink and
thin with 2 drops of matte medium (or water). In a controlled manner, glaze this
over most of the leather. Apply additional coats if you want to intensify the
colour of the glaze.

PRO TIP

I love using inks to paint miniatures. They add excellent vibrancy and can really
aid with creating a smooth finish (they’re excellent when used through an airbrush
too). To help control where the ink goes, and to take off some of the gloss finish,
I mix the inks with matte medium.

Also, mixing inks with a medium means you have instant contrast paints!

Step 6

To add further depth to your leather effect, mix 2 drops of Transparent Burnt Umber
with 1 drop of Carbon Black and thin with 3 drops of matte medium. Apply this into
the recesses and the undersides of objects, and carefully apply a thin glaze around
the strapping. I applied a second coat to the deepest recesses to deepen the
shadows further.

Step 7

Returning to the highlights, retouch and enhance any scratches you feel were toned
down too far using the glazes. The top of the pouches were my first focus, as was
along the edges of the strapping. Use 3 drops of Bone White thinned with one drop
of water to go over the scratches. Use pure white paint for a few dots and
scratches to add more contrast.
Step 8

To finish the leather mix 3 drops of Yellow Medium Azo ink with 1 drop of
Transparent Burnt Umber ink and thin 3 drops of matte medium. Apply this carefully
over some of the higher aspects, such as the left leg thigh and upper half of the
pouches to add warmth.

You can add additional tonal variation by glazing on additional colours. Dark
greens and purples work well for adding tonal depth to the shadows of leather
items.

PAINTING THE ARMOUR

We’re going to start by adding texture and highlights to the armour, after which we
will develop the shadows.

The aim is not only to add depth to the armour, but also texture. Adrik is a battle
hardened veteran, and his armour should represent that. As a result, for the first
highlight we’re going to use the stippling technique.

Step 9

Mix 2 drops of Russian Shine with 2 drops of Slime Green and thin with 1 drop of
water. The Slime Green adds a little warmth to the mix. As with the leather,
stipple on the highlights and texture, focusing on the edges and raised aspects of
the armour.

Step 10

The next step is to develop the texture further. This time mix 2 drops of Russian
Shine with 2 drops of Bone White, and thin with 1 drop of water. As before, stipple
on this mix, again focusing on the high points, but remembering to create
additional scratches and marks on other parts of the armour too. Remember to try
and be random with this technique, to create a more natural finish.

Step 11

Now we can start working on the shadows. I wanted to create a heavy contrast
between the different angles of armour. This is most obvious on the shoulder
armour, where I was careful to keep a clear contrast between the browner shadows
and the lighter green highlights. I used the angles of the armour to help with this
- trying to apply a lighter highlight against a darker shadow where the panels of
armour meet, so it emphasises these hard edges.

You can also apply the darker colour to aspects of the armour that are clearly in
the recesses, such as around the base of the collar which would be in shadow.

To mix the shadow tone, take 1 drop of Russian Base and 1 drop of Dark Brown Ochre.
Thin with 3 drops of water. Carefully glaze this where you want the armour to
appear darker. Feather along the edges of this glaze to create a smooth transition
between this layer and the previous layers. Repeat the process to intensify the
colour.

Step 12

Finish the armour by applying a purple/violet glaze over the darker areas. Take 1
drop of Muted Violet and mix with 2 drops of matte medium. Apply this in the
recesses to deepen the shadow effect, and apply along the edges of the armour
plates where the dark green meets the lighter tone of an adjacent surface. This is
a subtle effect but adds more complexity to the colours of the armour, and builds
up a richer look overall.

Step 13

Now we can paint the metallic sections of his armour using a very basic Non
Metallic Metals technique. The buckles, piping, toe caps, backpack, and crate can
all be painted this way.

Thin 3 drops of Cool Grey 3 with 1 drop of water. You will need to be neat, as by
now you will have already painted your leather and body armour.

Step 14 - 18

The next step is to edge highlight these components using 3 drops of Cool Grey 1
thinned with 1 drop of water . This can be a relatively fat edge highlight, as the
next step is to apply a thinner edge highlight.

Develop these edges further, this time using 2 drops of Cool Grey 1 mixed with 2
drops of white, and thinned with water. This highlight should be very fine, and
only on the parts of the metal that would be most exposed to light.

Next step is to apply a blue glaze. Take 1 drop of Inktense Blue and mix with 3
drops of matte medium. Apply this over the whole of the metal surface.

For the final shade, take Neutral Grey ink and mix with 3 drops of matte medium.
Glaze this over the components that would be in the shade, covering approximately
30% of each metallic element.

To make the metal have a reflective glint, take pure undiluted white and apply a
small dot of this at the apex of each metallic aspect.

PAINTING THE BOOTS

Step 19

To start with, we’re now going to stipple and highlight the raised aspects of the
leather. Take 2 drops of Cool Grey 3 and thin with 1 drop of water and use this to
stipple. You’ll want to cover about 20-25% of the boots surface with a stippled
effect.

Step 20 -21

Keep developing the highlights. This time using 2 drops of Cool Grey 1 thinned with
1 drop of water. Keep your brush strokes random and develop that textured worn
look.

Tie the stippled layers together by applying a glaze over all of the boot surface,
made from 1 drop of Neutral Grey mixed with 3 drops of matte medium.

Step 22 - 24

To create warmth, a yellow glaze was applied over some of the highlights. Mix 1
drop of Yellow Medium Azo with 3 drops of matte medium.

Finally, the extreme highlights were applied with pure undiluted white acrylic
paint. Simply place a few dots at the apex of the highlights to create a point of
shine.
PAINTING THE GUN

Step 25

As with the other metallic parts, we’re going to paint the gun using a simple Non
Metallic Metal technique. Start by applying a foundation coat of Cool Grey 4, use 3
drops thinned with 1 drop of water. Cover the whole gun and apply enough coats to
get a perfectly smooth finish.

Step 26

The whole gun can then be covered with a black wash. To make this, thin 1 drop of
black acrylic paint with 4 drops of water. Apply it liberally over the whole gun,
but be careful to not get the wash on the other aspects of your miniature.

Step 27

We can now start sketching out the highlights. Take Cool Grey 3 thinned with 1 drop
of water. Aim to cover most of the gun with this colour, leaving the previous tone
visible in the shadows and on some of the larger flat surfaces.

Step 28 -29

Keep developing the reflective effect. This time using Cool Grey 1, taking 1 drop
and mixing it with 1 drop of Bone White, thinned with 1 drop of water. Stipple on
your paint, creating texture. Aim to target the most exposed aspects of the weapon,
and other parts where light will hit its surface.

To tie the layers together, use a blue glaze, mixing 1 drop of Inktense Blue with 3
drops of matte medium. Apply this over most of the gun, only leaving the most
exposed parts untouched. Then make a dark grey glaze, using 1 drop of Neutral Grey
mixed with 3 drops of matte medium. This should be glazed into the recesses, only
covering approximately 30% of the surface of the weapon.

Step 29 - 30

To finish the gun, apply a few dots of extreme highlight using pure white. As
before, target the most extreme and exposed components.

The copper piping and gold banding was painted using the same process as above, but
replacing the greys with coppery tones.

PAINTING THE HAIR

Step 30 - 36

When painting the hair and face, you can paint either one of them first or you can
paint them simultaneously - it’s up to you. I picked ginger hair for Adrik to
stand out against his uniform and to complement the warm colours of the miniature,
but the steps below will work for any hair tone.

The first step is to start with the foundation coat. Thin 3 drops of Orange Leather
with 1 drop of water and cover the whole area of hair and beard with this.

Next add a little shadow by thinning 1 drop of Transparent Burnt Umber with 2 drops
of matte medium and glazing this over the whole area of the hair.

We’re now going to work on the highlights. Start by mixing 2 drops of Orange
Leather with 1 drop of Transparent Burnt umber and thin with 1 drop of water. Layer
this along the strands of hair, focusing on the upper parts and towards the hair
parting. This obviously requires a steady hand; practice really does help develop
the hand eye coordination required for this :)

Apply additional highlights using a variety of tones to reflect the complexity of

natural hair colour. First take 1 drop of Orange Leather mixed with 1 drop of Bone
White, thinned with 1 drop of water. The next layer should be 1 drop of Orange
Leather and 2 Drops of Bone White, again thinned with 1 drop of water. Finally,
take 1 drop of Orange Leather mixed with 3 drops of Bone White and thinned with 2
drops of water. At each stage apply slightly less paint, with the highlights
increasingly getting whiter towards the parting and fringe.

To tie the highlights together apply a glaze made from mixing 1 drop of Flesh Tint
with 3 drops of matte medium. Apply this over the whole head of hair.

Finish the hair by painting a few white dots very near to the root of the hair and
at the top of the beard.

PAINTING THE SKIN

Steps 36 - 43

I painted the skin’s foundation tone at the same time as doing the hair’s
foundation tone to reduce the risk of smudging on my detailed work later.

The key to painting skin is having a very clean foundation on which to develop the
highlights and shadows. Heavy Skintone by Vallejo produces a very opaque Caucasian
skin tone, and is an excellent foundation colour for pale skin. Thin with a small
amount of water (3 paint: 1 water) and apply over all of the visible skin areas.

Next develop the shadows. Look at your hand - you will notice two different forms
of shadows: warm and cool shadows. Warm shadows are more red, whilst the cool
shadows are of a dark green/blue hue.

We’re going to start with the warm shadows, which are generally those that lie
closest to the highlights. Mix 1 drop of Heavy Skintone with 1 drop of Indian
Shadow, and thin with 1 drop of water. Carefully layer this (or stipple – stippling
tiny dots can help create a smoother colour transition) into the shadows and
recesses, such as around the eyes, the ears and around the back of the head.

For the cool shadows, mix 1 drop of Heavy Skintone with 1 drop of Coal Black and
thin with 4 drops of water. Apply this as a glaze to the deepest recesses.
Generally speaking, this shadow layer should cover less of the skin than the
previous shadow layer. Apply a second or third coat to intensify the shadows.

For a final shadow layer, make a glaze using 1 drop of Neutral Grey mixed with 2
drops of matte medium. Very carefully apply this to the most extreme recesses.

To paint the highlights, take 2 drops of Heavy Skintone and mix with 1 drop of Bone
white. Stipple or layer this on, focusing on the raised parts of the face, such as
the forehead, nose, and cheek bones.

The next highlight is simply a mix made from 1 drop of Heavy Skintone mixed with 1
drop of Bone White and thinned with 1 drop of water. Focus on the same areas that
you targeted with the previous highlight stage, but remember to leave more of the
surface of the skin as that tone.

Tie the layers together by applying glaze made by mixing 1 drop of Flesh Tint with
3 drops of matte medium. Start by applying this over most of the face (do this very
carefully, it’s not a wash!) Apply additional glazes if needed. Add a touch of
Indian Red to the mix to create a shadow glaze, and use this to smooth the areas in
the shade.

For a final highlight, take 2 drops of Bone White thinned with 1 drop of water.
Carefully stipple this along the top of the forehead, brow line, along the nose,
and at the apex of the cheek bones.

Conclusion

We really hope you enjoyed this painting tutorial :) Printing your miniatures is
only the first step, and painting them can really bring the models to life!

When following this tutorial, you can do each step or you can pick and choose the
parts you'd like to do. The aim here is to have fun, so let that be your main
goal :)

The next two tutorials - Painting The Huntsman Hover Tank and Painting a Diesel
Trooper will be locked to Patrons Only. If you'd like to support our channel then
you can subscribe for our early bird price of $10 while there are still spots
available!

PAINTS I USED

These are the exact paints I used across the tutorial, in case you have them in
your collection:

Coal Black, P3 Paint

Art White, ScaleColor Artist
Brown Leather, Scalecolor
Orange Leather, Scalecolor
Dark Brown Ochre, Scalecolor Artist
Dust Grey, Mr Paint
Bone White, Mr Paint
Cool Grey 4, Warcolours
Cool Grey 3, Warcolours
Cool Grey 1, Warcolours
Transparent Burnt Umber, Liquitex Acrylic Ink
Carbon Black, Liquitex Acrylic Ink
Yellow Medium Azo, Liquitex Acrylic Ink
Muted Violet, Liquitex Acrylic Ink
Inktense Blue, Scalecolor Ink
Neutral Grey Ink, Aero Color
Flesh Tint Ink, Aero Color
Russian Green Base, Ammo by MIG
Russian Shine, Ammo by MIG
Slime Green, Scalecolor
Heavy Skintone, Vallejo Game Extra Opaque
Indian Shadow, Scalecolor