All images by Qi Tyng Leong

Many approached arts class in school with dread because they felt like they weren’t artistic or creative enough.

To quell your fears, I suggest giving figurine painting a try! This is because:

1. You don’t need to draw. The figurine is supplied.
2. Even without shading or highlighting the finer details, it still looks awesome!
3. Painting can be therapeutic.

I’ve never painted a figurine before but had the opportunity to paint a Warhammer figurine at the recently held Publika Comic Play 2017.

Patrick Ong, the store manager of Games Workshop, was the instructor for the day. A cheerful and warm person, he showed me the whole tabletop set he had painted, including the figurines.

Patrick explained to me the Warhammer universe briefly and demonstrated the gameplay of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. This was the first tabletop game where I could roll more than two dices and I think I had about ten in my hand!

Patrick has been painting Warhammer figurines since his childhood days. He also shared that he left his previous job in order to take up this dream job.

He believes that figurine painting not only helps to de-stress but can be a family bonding activity.

Sitting down at the paint station, I was given a tiny figurine holding an axe and a shield. It’s known as the Stormcast Eternal Liberator.

First, I was given a wide brush to paint the whole figurine in gold. Patrick explained that the paint is just like the nail polish only it dries faster!

The second step was to paint the shoulder plate, shield and the front tassels of the armour in blue.

To do this, I was provided a smaller and thinner brush to reach the tiny areas. Taking up the minor challenge, I painted the creases at the back of the legs too.

Once that was done, he introduced the texture paint. Upon drying, the paints texture resembles the ground during a drought.

To achieve the desired effect, a thick layer was applied to the base of the figurine. The texture paint takes a longer time to dry so I was given a nice box at the end of the day to place my Liberator in to take home.

Lastly, I was shown the shade paint. The appearance of the shade paint is watery and almost dark brown. It is used to bring out the details and definition of the figurine.

I had to cover the whole Liberator lightly with the Shade paint making sure it doesn’t drip too much at the same time.

The paint settled in the tiniest corners and really brought the figurine to life: it truly looked like a seasoned soldier.

And ta da! Check out my work! For a first timer, I think it looks alright.

What do you guys think? Did our intern do a good job in painting a Warhammer figurine? Tell us in the comments below!