Free tutorial · Dreamstolife3D
How To Paint – learn to paint figurines
Who we are
We are Dreamstolife3D, a small workshop in Romania. We design and 3D print figurines of characters from TV shows, anime and games, then paint them by hand, piece by piece.
Why free
Painting miniatures is one of the most rewarding hobbies, and getting started is the hardest part. So we share what we learned at our workbench, for free, with step-by-step examples.
Support our cause: learn, pick a figurine, start your hobby
- 1Learn how to paint with the guide below – it's free.
- 2Pick a figurine in the White (unpainted) variant, ready to paint.
- 3Paint your own figurine and start your hobby.
Every order helps us create more free guides. Thank you!
Skin on miniatures: from basics to intermediate
Which colour you use, where you put it and why. Every step has a “before / after” drawing, and at the end you get exact recipes and links to tutorials with real photos.
What you need
- Primer (undercoat) grey or white to start with. On grey you see shadows most easily. One Vallejo tutorial starts straight from grey primer with a brown wash on top to bring out the details.
- 2 brushes: a size 1–2 for basecoats and a fine one (0 or 00) with a good tip for eyes and highlights.
- Palette: a ceramic plate works. A wet palette keeps the paint wet for longer and helps a lot with thin layers.
- Water, paper towel and a hair dryer (optional) to speed up drying between layers.
- A desk lamp above the model. It helps you see where light falls on the face.
Golden rule: thin layers. Three thin coats are better than one thick one. Thick paint fills in sculpted detail and leaves brush marks.
Paint consistency, in short
- Basecoat
- like milk: 1 drop of paint + about 1 drop of water. Covers in 2 coats.
- Layers / highlights
- a little thinner than the basecoat. On the tip of the brush, not the whole brush.
- Wash
- comes ready-thinned in the bottle. Apply generously; it flows into the recesses by itself.
- Glaze
- very little paint in a lot of water. Wipe the brush on the towel first. Almost transparent; apply 3–5 coats.
The basic theory, in 4 ideas
1. Light comes from above
Imagine a light bulb above the figurine’s head. Everything facing up (forehead, nose, cheekbones, shoulders) catches light. Everything facing down or sunken (eye sockets, under the nose, under the chin) is in shadow. If you’re not sure where the light falls, hold the model under a lamp and look.
2. Value matters more than colour
On a 28–32 mm miniature, the eye first reads the difference between light and dark. If shadows and highlights are too close, the face looks flat from a metre away. For gaming figures, exaggerate the contrast a little.
3. Cool shadows, warm highlights
Skin looks alive when shadows lean towards purple-brown or dark red and highlights towards peach or cream. Don’t darken skin with black: it makes it dirty and grey. Dark skin isn’t light skin “plus black”; it has its own warm browns.
4. Skin isn’t a single colour
Cheeks, nose and ears have more blood, so a little red. On men, the beard area is slightly blue-grey. These go on at the end, with very thin glazes.
The 6 techniques you’ll use
Each card shows the same sphere before and after the technique.
The face, step by step
Choose the skin tone and paint brand. Steps with a green circle are enough for beginner level (tabletop ready). The rest take you to intermediate.
The drawings are schematic. On-screen colours are approximate; what matters is where you put each colour and the order of the steps.
Map of shadows and highlights on the face
Shadows (recesses)
- Eye sockets, around the eyes
- Under the eyebrows
- Sides of the nose and under the nose
- Under the cheekbones (“hollow” cheeks)
- Under the lower lip
- Under the chin, on the neck
- Around and inside the ears
Highlights (raised areas)
- Forehead
- Brow ridge above the eyes
- Bridge and tip of the nose
- Cheekbones
- Lower lip
- Chin
- Top edge of the ears
Which highlights are brightest? Only the top ones: forehead, nose, cheekbones. The chin gets a smaller highlight because it sits lower.
Eyes, eyebrows, lips, stubble
Eyes, without the stress
- Paint the eyes early, after the wash and before the highlights. If you make a mistake, cover it with skin colour and you haven’t ruined your highlight work.
- The white of the eye with an off-white (Vallejo Model Color Ivory 70.918 or similar), not pure white. Leave a thin dark line all around.
- The pupil: a black dot or a short vertical line, in the same place in both eyes. To make them look the same way, place both dots towards the same side.
- Fix the shape with black around it, then with a skin shadow tone on the eyelids, until only a very fine black line remains.
Trick: for the hard eye (the left one if you’re right-handed), turn the model upside down. And on small miniatures (28 mm), a simple dark line in the socket often looks better than a botched white eye.
- Eyebrows
- two thin dark brown lines (e.g. Vallejo Model Color Chocolate Brown 70.872), or the hair colour.
- Lips
- the upper lip stays darker (it’s in shadow), the lower lip gets a small highlight. A very thin red or pink glaze gives them colour.
- Cheeks, nose
- a very thin red-brown glaze, 3–5 coats, letting each dry.
- Shaved stubble
- a blue-grey glaze on the jaw and above the lip. Army Painter uses Matt Black + Runic Cobalt 1:1, heavily thinned.
- Face outline
- at the end, a fine dark line where skin meets hair, helmet or collar. It separates the face from the rest.
Body and hands
On the body you work just like on the face: basecoat, wash, then highlights on whatever faces up. Transitions show more on big surfaces, so layers need to be thinner.
Highlights on the torso
- Shoulders (top)
- Collarbones
- Top of the pecs
- Top edges of the abs
Shadows on the torso
- Under the pecs
- Between the abs
- Armpits
- Sides of the torso
In the armpits and under the pecs, a cool glaze (very thin blue or purple) adds depth without making the skin dirty.
Highlights on the hand
- Knuckles
- Top of each finger
- Middle of the back of the hand
Shadows on the hand
- Between the fingers
- Under the hand and between palm and weapon
On hands the wash does 80% of the work: it flows between the fingers by itself. Then a single highlight on the knuckles is enough for tabletop. Elbows and knees get a reddish glaze, like the nose.
Exact recipes
Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic (official recipes)
Based on “The Army Painter Academy: How to Paint Skin Tones”, in the exact order of the tutorial.
| Tone | Steps in order |
|---|---|
| Light |
|
| Tanned |
|
| Dark |
|
Vallejo: the quick recipe (beginner, 3 steps)
Based on Para Bellum’s “Step-by-Step Face (Beginner)” tutorial, made with Vallejo Game Color.
- Basecoat Dwarf Skin
72.041in several thin coats until fully covered. Over black primer it can take 3–5 coats. - Dark brown wash over all the skin. Let it dry completely.
- Go back over with Dwarf Skin only on the raised areas that catch the light.
Vallejo Model Color: the full recipe (intermediate)
Based on “A Guide to Painting Faces” by Pedro Guerra Cernadas (Footsore Miniatures), all Vallejo colours.
- Grey primer, then a wash of Umber
73.203all over, to see the details. - Basecoat Flat Flesh
70.955, leaving the wash visible in the recesses. - Wash over all the skin with Fleshtone Shade
73.204. - Deep shadows: Flat Earth
70.983, 1 drop of paint to 3 of water, beside the nose, under the lip, on the neck. Then Umber on the eyes and mouth. - Eyes and teeth with Ivory
70.918, leaving an outline; black pupils. - Highlights with Flat Flesh, then with 2 parts Flat Flesh + 1 part Ivory.
- Eyebrows: Chocolate Brown
70.872. - Glaze the cheeks with a tiny bit of Cavalry Brown
70.982, 4–5 coats. - Stubble: glaze of Flat Flesh + Basalt Grey
70.869, 1:1. - Final outline: 2 parts black + 1 part Chocolate Brown.
Vallejo Game Color: progressions by tone
Built from the Vallejo Game Color “Skin Colors” set, following the same basecoat → wash → highlights logic as the tutorials above. Use them as a starting point and adjust to taste.
| Tone | Basecoat | Wash | Highlight 1 | Final highlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | Dwarf Skin 72.041 | Flesh Wash 73.204 | Elf Skintone 72.004 | Pale Flesh 72.003 |
| Tanned | Bronze Fleshtone 72.036 | Flesh Wash 73.204 | Dwarf Skin 72.041 | Elf Skintone 72.004 |
| Dark | Dark Fleshtone 72.044 | Skin Wash 72.093 | Bronze Fleshtone 72.036 | Dwarf Skin 72.041, dots only |
Many painters say Vallejo skin tones lean orange. If the face looks orange to you, add a little neutral brown to the highlights (e.g. Model Color Medium Flesh or Flat Brown) or apply a thin brown glaze over it.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
The face looks flat from a distance
Too little contrast. Make the shadows darker (another wash, only in the recesses) and add a final lighter highlight on the forehead, nose and cheekbones.
Highlights are too white, the face looks chalky
Glaze the basecoat colour over the highlights. It tones them down without erasing them.
Shadows are too red
A thin glaze of neutral brown or purple-grey over the shadows.
The wash left stains and “rings” on flat surfaces
Too much wash. With an almost dry brush, soak up the excess from flat areas. Next time use less and pull it into the recesses.
You can see lines between layers
The paint is too thick or the colour step too big. Thin it more and add an intermediate step (a 50/50 mix of the two colours).
The eyes are crooked or look in different directions
Cover with a skin shadow tone and redo them. That’s why eyes are painted before highlights.
The skin looks dirty, grey
You shaded with black. Shade with brown, red-brown or purple.
Shiny or “sweaty” finish
A matt varnish at the end. Fully matt skin can look chalky and very glossy skin looks sweaty; matt or satin is the safe choice.
Tutorials with photos
These are the sources the recipes come from. All have a photo for every step, on real miniatures.