The Art of Undercoating

The Art of Undercoating

Why undercoat your miniatures?

Undercoating/base coating/priming your figures is important as new miniatures (whether they are metal, plastic or resin) need the primer to bond paints onto your miniatures. If you do not undercoat your miniatures with a primer, then the paints will rub off easily and it will make it much more difficult to achieve a good standard of paint job. Also, you are likely to get frustrated having to paint small crevices that would normally be covered up by the undercoat. When it comes to priming your miniatures, you need to consider what overall effect you are looking for as there are numerous ways to give you different effects which we will now take a look at...

White undercoat

If you are looking to achieve a bright, colourful effect on a miniature then a white undercoat would work well in this situation or for painting colours such as yellow and pink. This method of undercoating is more commonly used if you are new to miniature painting as you will not have to apply as many layers of paint colour onto the miniature as colours show through more vibrantly. However, a white undercoat will require you to spend more time making sure you cover every bit of white on the model, otherwise it is quite noticeable and can turn a good paint job into a mediocre one. It can also be quite difficult to achieve depth on a miniature as colours can appear flat from a white base layer, even after applying a wash or two. When painting metallic, you have to first paint the area black as the finished effect will be too bright for any metallic straight onto white and it will just not look good!

Black undercoat

Black undercoat is probably the most common method of undercoating to use as it is more ideal for painting darker colours. Black undercoats tend to mean you have to apply more layers of a paint to get a good coverage of the colour but it gives you more control on the brightness of your miniature. It is a lot easier to build layers up from a darker undercoat than have to tone down a bright finish given from a white undercoat with washes and has the advantage of hiding mistakes as the eye is not drawn to the black if you miss a spot. Also, black is better for creating shades on a miniature compared to a white undercoat as black is a natural shade to anything. Painting metallic over a black undercoat is ideal as they cover the black well and get a lot more depth from the darkness of the undercoat. Black is also most ideal for painting armies as it allows a more quicker paint job for the artist and you do not have to be overly worried about leaving black in small crevices as it will look like a more authentic shade.

Black and white undercoat

This method of undercoating is a happy medium between the two previous methods discussed, and shares many of their properties and bonuses. First you undercoat the model black and then apply the white over it (easiest way is with an airbrush or spray can to create a smooth gradient between the colours). This method is great if you are looking for an even quicker paint job on a miniature as the gradient of the undercoat will show through as a natural highlight when you apply a colour over the undercoat. Alternatively, you can apply washes to areas such as clothing, leather, pouches and skin to a model to make these areas look more authentic and really stand out on a tabletop while taking you next to no time at all! This method shares the advantage of a pure black undercoat in the sense that it is easier to create depth but the disadvantage to this undercoat is similar to a pure white undercoat as you will still have to go over metallic areas with black first and it can also be quite tricky to get the white gradient to look like it is coming from a natural light source. I have seen some professional competition painters use this method as it allows you to create where the light source is coming from much easier which can be the difference from coming home with a trophy or not!

Other colours

Having gone through some of the more common methods of undercoating, it is worth mentioning that pretty much any other colour can be used for a much more quicker process of painting units and armies. For example, if you are painting a unit of space marines in the blood angels colour scheme, then it is much easier to undercoat in red and apply a wash to shade the crevices. Undercoating a unit of dwarves in a metallic colour works in the same way and a wash will create shade. Although this method is quicker, the colours can still appear quite flat without a highlight but if you are wanting to have a quick painting process then this method can still achieve a decent tabletop standard paint job for your miniatures.

Applying an undercoat

Now I have discussed the benefits and disadvantages of different colours that can be used for undercoating, it is worth mentioning how to actually apply the undercoat. There are various methods to this, and these are the more widely used methods:

Brush

This is probably the most basic and accessible way to undercoat. I recommend using an old brush though as it can really ruin a brand new brush you have bought very quickly. You can control how thick the paint is going to be by applying it this way and ensures a good coverage but your hand will probably be sore after undercoating a unit of 20 models!

Spray paint

This is the most efficient way of undercoating a miniature. It is much quicker than applying it by hand and you will have that unit of miniatures done in an instant. The main drawback with spray paints is you have to be cautious with how thick the paint goes on. Holding the can 20-30cm away from the miniature usually does the trick. Once you have applied the spray, you may have to go back and touch up areas that you have missed with a brush. Using black and white is much easier to colour match with your pot collection than using other colours. You also have to look after the cans, as if they get too cold (such as leaving it in a garage or shed) it can ruin the finish, in particular white spray paints. If the cans get too cold, then the paint will appear quite gloopy and unsmooth thus ruining the look of your model and render the can unusable.

Airbrush

This way is essentially the same as using a spray paint, but it takes longer to prepare the paint for the airbrush and then cleaning it between colours after use. This way is more ideal for coloured undercoats as you can use the paints from your pot collection and negates the hassle of touching up areas missed from a spray can. This way is also more effective for applying that white over the black to create a much more natural gradient for the undercoat method discussed earlier.