Painting Bretonnians

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Even though you will suffer defeats at times, at least you can do so with style if your troops are painted. There is nothing more gratifying than to see your painted troops massed and ready for combat. With this in mind, here are some painting tips that I have learned myself and applied to my figures. I hope to add pictures of my miniatures so that you can get an idea of what my techniques can produce. In general, painting any model follows basic steps. But there are variations you can include with the different troop types to produce the right look for each model.

GENERAL TECHNIQUES FOR MEN
Neatness is the most important thing! When painting any model, there are certain steps you follow to produce a great looking model. First, make sure all the flash and sprues have been cleaned off. This may seem tedious but it makes a big difference once the primer's on. For Bretonnia, because the army consists mostly of brightly coloured models, I use white primer. Gray or black is just as good if you prefer a duller, and less cheery, looking army. White primer makes the colours stand out boldly.
Once the model is cleaned and primed, it's time to paint. Think about how the model looks and try to determine which parts are which. Next, paint the model as though you were dressing it. Start with the flesh, and work outwards. NOTE: for Knights and other mounted troops, I prefer to leave the rider separate from the horse. This allows me to get at parts that would otherwise be difficult to get at.
For each layer, paint a base colour, wash, and then dry brush. The wash is done with a darker shade of the base colour watered down a good deal. This gives the model depth by creating a shadow effect. It really brings out the detail of the model. One alternative to this is to use a very wet base coat of paint. It will run and gather in the crevasses, creating a shaded look with the one colour. Either way works fine. When the wash is completely dry, do a dry brush to bring out the highlights and details. A drybrush is done by dipping your brush into the paint, and then wiping it off until it looks like there is no paint. What is actually left is a heavy pigment which will stick to raised details when the model is dusted by the brush. These two techniques work the best to make a model look good without having to paint tiny, tiny details. For small areas such as belts and scabbards, a base coat will be fine.

Many might think that the characters are the place to start. Personally, I think it looks great to have a complete regiment painted first. It's also a good idea to paint small groups together (especially the commoner models), less so with the knights, since they should all have different heraldry. Since Bretonnia focuses on its cavalry, I started with a unit of 6 Knights of the Realm.

KNIGHTS
Tips to come