How to Paint Your Custom 3D Printed Miniature: A Beginner’s Guide

How to Paint 3D Printed Miniatures: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Learning how to paint 3D printed miniatures opens up one of the most satisfying aspects of the tabletop hobby. Painting transforms a raw printed figure into a vivid, characterful piece that brings your character — or your DM’s campaign world — to life with colour and personality.

What You’ll Need to Get Started

Knowing how to paint 3D printed miniatures starts with having the right materials. Essential supplies include: primer spray (grey or white), a set of acrylic miniature paints, a selection of brushes (detail brush, base brush, and wash brush), a wet palette or regular palette, pot washes/shades (Citadel Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade are industry standards), and a matte varnish spray for protection.

Step 1: Preparing Your Resin Miniature

Before painting, resin miniatures require preparation. Freshly printed resin often has a slight chemical residue on the surface that must be removed before paint will adhere properly. Wash your miniature in warm water with a small amount of dish soap, rinse thoroughly, and allow to dry completely before continuing.

Check for any support marks (small nubs left where printing supports were removed) and carefully sand these smooth with fine-grit sandpaper (400 or higher). This is much easier with 8K resin miniatures — their smooth surfaces require minimal prep compared to lower-resolution prints.

Step 2: Priming

Priming is the most critical step when learning how to paint 3D printed miniatures. Primer creates a matte, slightly textured surface that paint adheres to strongly. Without primer, acrylic paint will chip and peel from the smooth resin surface.

Use a spray primer in a well-ventilated area. Hold the can approximately 25-30cm from the miniature and apply light, even coats from multiple angles to ensure complete coverage. Allow to dry fully (at least 30 minutes) before painting. Grey primer is the most versatile — it works well under both light and dark colour schemes.

Step 3: Base Coating

Base coating means applying the main flat colour to each area of the miniature. Work from large areas to small, most-visible areas last. Use thin, even coats — multiple thin coats are always better than one thick coat, which will obscure detail. Focus on solid, even coverage of each colour zone: skin, armour, clothing, hair, weapons.

Step 4: Applying Washes

Washes are the technique that makes the biggest visual impact for the least skill required. A wash is a thin, ink-like fluid that flows into recessed areas and settles into the crevices of the model, creating instant shading and depth.

Apply a brown wash (like Agrax Earthshade) over warm-toned areas like skin, wood, and leather. Apply a black wash (like Nuln Oil) over metal, armour, and cool-toned areas. The transformation will be dramatic — what looked flat and basic suddenly has depth, shadow, and life.

Step 5: Highlighting

Highlighting means applying slightly lighter versions of your base colours to the raised edges and most prominent surfaces of the miniature. For each colour you used in your base coat, mix in a small amount of white to create a lighter variant. Using the tip of your detail brush, carefully apply this lighter colour to the edges of armour plates, the top surfaces of folds in fabric, and the highest points of facial features.

Step 6: Basing and Varnishing

Adding texture and colour to the miniature’s base grounds it visually and completes the figure. Use textured paint, sand, static grass, or small gravel depending on the environment your character inhabits. Once complete, apply a matte varnish spray to protect your work and remove any unwanted glossiness from the washes.

Getting a High-Quality Miniature to Paint

The quality of your painting is only as good as the surface you’re working on. High-resolution 8K resin miniatures from The Gleora’s Character Forge offer an exceptional painting surface — smooth, detailed, and with crisp edges that respond beautifully to washes and highlighting.

Learning how to paint 3D printed miniatures is genuinely rewarding, and a custom 8K resin miniature is the ideal canvas. Visit thegleora.ca/character-forge to commission your custom miniature today.