Miniature Painting for Beginners Part Three: Primers

Welcome back to my Miniature painting for beginners series, in this article we will be covering everything you need to know about primers; what are they? what do they do? which one you should use?

This is the arsenal of primers I have around my paint station, each have their use.

Lets start with some theory:

What is primer?

Primer is a base coat paint that is designed as a base coat that helps with paint adhesion and protects the surface that is to be painted.

Why Should you use primer?

The primary reason for primer as I stated above is to help paint adhere to the surface you apply it to, this is especially important when it comes to miniature painting, many plastics and metals do not take paint well, usually if you apply paint directly to them it will chip and flake when it dries, that's if it even sticks to begin with. A lot of plastics that are used in modern miniature making will straight up reject paint, causing it to pool on the surface of the mini.

Okay, I understand why primer is important but there are so many types, which one should
I use?

I get this question a lot, Unfortunately there is no one answer to rule them all. that said I will take some time to talk about a few types I use regularly.

I will say in advance that not all primers are created equally, there are many factors to consider: Sheen(Matte vs. Gloss), Leveling (How well the primer sets on the subject, some primers will be marked as self leveling), Polyurithane (Usually contains additives to help it set properly), Color (Different colored primers are available for niche applications, I'll talk about those later)

Just starting out you will likely want to use a rattle can primer. When I first started I personally used Krylon Matte primer, it was cheap, readily available at almost any retailer and it was easy to use. I still keep a can around for larger terrain projects. If you want something a little higher end Games Workshop make a Citadel primer line available in rattle can that gets a lot of positive feedback.

Here is a photo I pulled from my archives of my priming setup when I first started, Inverted masking tape to hold the models attached to a piece of wood out on my back step. it was basic but it worked.

Lets talk a little about different primer types.

Rattle Can(Arisol Spray):

This is the most commonly used and most accessible and openly used method, they are easy to get, easy to use and produce a good result most of the time. the downside to this method is you need a well ventilated area to use it as it emits plenty of fumes (please do not spray them inside, you will have over spray everywhere and the fumes are very dangerous). These tend to go on a little thicker so any more than a single coat will usually result in loss of quality on your model if you are not careful. 

Some notable brands of Spray primers are: Krylon, Rustoleum, Citadel, Testors, and Army Painter.

Brush on Primer

I'll be honest, This is the type of primer I have the least experience with. Typically this is the route you will want to go if you are unable to prime with a rattle can because of space or environmental constraint. The only type I have use was Citadel Imperial Primer(black) and this was because we were having an over humid season and was unable to spray in a controlled environment at the time. The results achieved were passable but not preferable. While it leveled nicely and went on good the time it takes to apply and the result generated was not preferable to me. I since transferred the primer to a dropper bottle for use with an airbrush.

Acrylic-Polyurethane Primer (Airbrush) 

While Acrylic-Polyurethane Primer can technically be brushed on (I have done it in a pinch). It really shines if you have access to an airbrush. It goes on thin, levels well and allows for much more flexibility. This is actually the main reason I invested in an airbrush. 

My current primer preference, Vallejo Surface Primer

Colored Primer

Primer is also available in colored formats for niche applications. Vallejo actually even makes a metallic primer. This could be great for paint jobs that require a single color with some wash and highlight work. Just starting out I just recommend sticking with Black, White and Grey.

Filler Primer (Automotive Paint)

(NOTE: Do not use this on Miniatures)

This is a newer concept to me since I've started 3D Printing. It is worth the mention though because if you are reading this you will likely at some point be building or painting some type of terrain pieces. This stuff is fairly heavy, it contains additives that fill small cracks and details. It is recommended for priming 3d printed pieces as it reduces the appearance of print lines.

As you can see in the photo to the left 3D Printed pieces show some blemishes, Filler primer (right photo) helps a lot with this. Terrain pieces are from Imperial Terrain and Thingiverse.

Now lets take a moment to talk about how your primer choice will effect your painting.

How primer color effects your paint:

Color choice of primer is quite important when thinking about your end result. When I first started painting miniatures I primed everything in black, this led to a very forgiving model as the black hid the shadowed areas I missed but it also led to more muted colors and the need for more coats of paint for coverage.

Pictured are two Reaper Bones miniatures, on the left primed white, on the right primed black. as you can see the colors appear much more vibrant on the white primed model, the face on the right took multiple coats to achieve a nice pale skin tone while the left model only required a single coat for more vibrancy.

Many people like to prime in grey as it gives a nice balance. of course you could take it a step further and use a technique called Zenithil highlighting. Essentially the idea behind this is you use multiple primers to simulate source lighting. think of it as the sun casting a shadow, anything obstructed will be darker while the exposed areas will be much lighter.

Zenithil Highlighting

This requires multiple tones of primer, usually a Black, Grey, and White but you can make due with Two tones just fine. the idea is simple, you start by hitting the entire miniature with your darker tone, then choosing a source for your light hit the miniature from above at a 45 degree angle only hitting areas that you would reach from that angle. What this does is simulates the idea of a source of light hitting the model and illuminating from that angle. 

On the left is a model hit with a 2 tone Zenithil Highlight, as you can see raised areas are brighter as the light source is simulated from above. on the right we have Darth Vader primed in solid black as this will allow you to build up grays to define his detail. 

Once you get to the paint there a few ways you can utilize this technique.

Luke Skywalker - Star Wars Legion

Firstly as seen above with Luke you could use the highlighting as a reference point for using different colors to shade and highlight, this helps define the model.

Star Wars Legion - Rebel Trooper

Alternative as seen in the above photo of the rebel trooper you can thin your paints further to allow the primed highlights to show through naturally.

Star Wars Legion: Storm Trooper

 Lastly you can use this technique to cheat natural shadows on to your base coat. see above, using just 2 tones of primer the storm trooper was base coated as well and ready for details and highlights.

I hope this article helped you with your painting. In my next post I will cover the basics of Base Coat, Shading, and Highlighting.

Thanks for Reading.