3 TIPS To Become An Organized Miniature Painter

If you read this article, you’re probably looking for tips to become a much more organized miniature painter.

The new year is a great time to improve oneself or just get to the things you’ve always wanted to do or be (but never gave yourself time for). To be an Organized Miniature Painter.

I’ve always advocated for the hobby of miniature painting as a great outlet.

For both personal well-being (as it’s a hobby that lets you invest time in yourself and things that interest you) as well as to more deeply engage with games, fandoms, and universes that you love.

There are a few ways to organize yourself to give yourself a head start when it comes to sitting down and putting paint on minis. The key is organization.

Organized Miniature Painter TIP 1 : Organizing Your Supplies

So often, the biggest hurdle to painting is an arduous setup. If you never get to practice your hobby, the battle to improve as a hobbyist is already forfeited.

Make it easier for yourself to sit down and paint with a kit. Setup that takes less than five minutes to go from thinking about painting, to putting a brush on a model.

There’s a reason why people who paint a lot have dedicated painting spaces: it minimizes setup and makes it easier to start painting. 

You do not need to have a dedicated painting space.

A little organization can turn any table into a painting space. I currently use my dining table as a gaming table, a painting table, and occasionally, a place to eat food.

Start by assembling a painting kit with all the things you need to paint.

I keep my most commonly used paints in one bin, and my painting supplies (brushes, palettes, and other accessories) in another container.

One of my favorite painting kits for that is the Army Painter Miniature Kit with 100 RustProof Mixing Balls.

When it’s time to paint, all I need to do is grab my minis, my paint kit, and lay it out. Grab a paper towel and fill my water jar.

I’m sitting down to paint in less than sixty seconds.

Organized Miniature Painter TIP 2 : Organizing Your Time

Getting to the painting table is a lot like getting to the gym: building a habit is key to consistency.

Pick a night of the week (or three), where you know you can sit down and paint, commitment-free.

If there’s a particular podcast you like that comes out on a certain day of the week, a stream that you regularly tune into, or a show you watch regularly. Use those specific calendar events to help shape your painting schedule.

Blocking off several hours on a single night every week can be a challenge. Focus on smaller 15–20-minute windows instead. 

On a single night, it might be painting a single color on a small batch of miniatures. It can also be putting down a solid base coat and washing a single figure.

Using a Storage Case such as the Alkoo Storage Case, with all your paint organized by colors and extra space for your brushes will go a long way to save you time as well. I know it saves me time!

Over the course of seven days, those small windows of painting can add up to a couple of hours of progress on a project every week.

It’s nice to give yourself 20 minutes every day to do something you enjoy. And when you’ve minimized the setup for it, committing short sessions is easier. (and might also save you from getting sore from hours of poor painting posture.)

Additionally, you can invite family or friends to join in on a regular painting session with you. (Family painting time is a weekly event in my home.)

Just like working out in a group, painting with others is motivating (you help each other and hold each other to the commitment).

Organized Miniature Painter TIP 3 : Organizing Your Expectations

When it comes to painting miniatures, your attitude is one of the most influential aspects. Actually, it might be the most influential way of seeing improvement in your painting skills. 

Knowing the difference between healthy and positive expectations. It will help keep you motivated and avoid expectations that set you up for disappointment.

Deadlines for project completion that are reasonable make for great goals. They’ll help you better commit to a regular painting habit.

Also, they’ll ensure that you don’t fixate on a single element or a single figure.

Working to complete a project for a specific gaming event is a great way to harness a deadline to find motivation. Get paint on the miniature and finish it to a level you can be proud of.

That is the goal when you work to a deadline, no matter how messy the path is along the way.

A Finally (But Not Least), Advice!

Give yourself permission to try new a technique.

Make your goal to practice that technique on a project.  Give yourself the space and permission to learn and make mistakes: it’s ok if you’re not getting it right 100%.

Sometimes you might need a different approach, a different brush, or a different paint. Other times, you may need a different miniature (because the sculpt of the miniature isn’t right for what you’re looking to accomplish).

That’s ok!

Don’t be afraid to experiment, and don’t worry if some experiments fail. Remember: it’s just paint. You can go back and fix it later.

If you would like some guidance on your first miniature painting project, we are here to help you. RIGHT HERE.

This is not the end. Let’s keep in touch!

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