Painting Faces In my opinion, the best part of a miniature is the face. This one part contains all of the emotion that is then reflected in the stance and position of the body. Even a gaming quality miniature will improve its appearance dramatically with a well-painted face.   Note: Unless stated otherwise, all paints are thinned down to the consistency of skim milk, and sometimes even thinner! I start by fully priming the miniature black and then misting it with a coat of white primer. This immediately creates shadows in the depths and folds, which help illustrate where light falls upon the miniature and where highlighting will go. The painting begins with a basecoat of Bronzed Flesh, Snakebite Leather, and Dark Flesh in an 80/10/10 ratio. The basecoat is thinned down almost to a glaze; it isn’t as thin, but it will take at least three applications for a smooth coat. With the assistance of the priming coats, I already know where my highlighting will lay.   I add a bit of Dark Flesh to the basecoat and apply this in the folds and crevices, paying special attention to furrowed brows, creases in the eyebrow, chin, and nose, and along the cheek and under the chin. Then I will take thinned down Dark Flesh and paint the eyes and inside the mouth. I blend the shadows with a separate brush using the Feathering technique. I will also line around the head where the hair meets skin. Before I move onto the next stage of highlighting, I will paint the eyes.   Once the shading is complete I remix the basecoat and start to add Dwarf Flesh. This brings the orange hue of Bronzed Flesh toward the natural tones of skin. This is my first highlight. I will start to add Pale Flesh to continue the highlights, keeping the natural color bias of the skin while making the raised areas more pronounced with lighter color. I can often use the Layering technique unless the highlights are too stark, which will require switching to the Feathering technique. (I always have my brush handy, just in case!) The final highlights will see the addition of Skull White to the mix, gradually reducing the size of the highlights while painting towards the highest points on the face. This includes the bridge of the nose, cheekbones, chin, and eyebrows, as well as the top of the head, if hair is sparse. The final highlight is thinned down pure Skull White. For the scar I will touch up with pure Dark Flesh, Feather blending the edges with Bronzed Flesh if necessary. I will then add Skull White to Dark Flesh and paint the raised surface. A final highlight of Skull White completes the scar. Since this model has recessed eyes, I was able to get away with darkening the center with thinned down Chaos Black. However, eyes are very, very important and will receive a tutorial of their own. After an hour of work, here are the results!   Glossary Glaze: Paint or ink thinned down to near transparency. Feathering: Adding a layer of paint over another and blending the edges with a semi-damp brush. Layering: Adding a layer of paint over another. Wet blending: Adding one color of paint next to another of lighter or darker color and blending the edges with a semi-damp brush.  I hope these pics and tips will add to your Miniature Art repertoire. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at rg@raginggaijin.com.