How to (Poorly) Paint a 15mm Kobold!

So I thought I'd throw together a quick bit about how I paint 15mm models. I'm no Golden Demon winner; in fact, my painting is a bit trash. But I've come to grips with the fact that I'll probably never get better, through a combination of physical limitations and a lack of desire to practice enough. I have Tourette's Syndrome, so my hands shake like a virgin on prom night (hence The "Twitchy" Painter) which is a major limitation in my ability to perform quality paint work. Also, as I get older, my eyesight is starting to go south for fine detail work, which makes it really hard to paint at this scale. But I still paint stuff, and I'm happy enough with it. So without further ado: more Splintered Light kobolds (yes, I lied. I'm doing another post with them. But it's not about them, it's about the painting, so I'm technically in the clear.)

I started off by hitting them with some cheap grey primer from an auto parts store. I'm a cheapskate, and it works just fine. Given my painting ability, I'd much rather spend $4.99 on a can of cheap automotive primer than $15.99 or whatever GW charges for their fancy stuff. Works just as well for me.

Next up, I throw on a base coat. I commit a cardinal sin here; if you're too scandalized to continue reading, I understand. Brace yourself. Ready? Here it comes.

I don't thin my paints.

I know. Shocking. Tragic. Unseemly. But I just don't. Mostly through laziness and impatience. But I also feel that at this scale, it really doesn't make a difference. So I just blithely toss on a base coat of the colors I want. Fair warning: my paint collection is old and eclectic. Many of these colors may no longer exist.

In this case, I used Skorne Red from P3 for the skin, Citadel's Rhinox Hide for the shield and axe haft, Vallejo Model Color Red Leather for his vest and loincloth, and Vallejo Game Color Brassy Brass for the axe head. Just slapped 'em on, trying to color inside the lines as much as possible.

After that, I put on a layer of washes. I have a number of different color washes, so I try to match them somewhat closely to the base coat. I know a lot of folks will just douse the whole thing in Nuln Oil, but that ain't how I roll.

I used all Citadel washes on this one; Carroburg Crimson for his skin, Agrax Earthshade for his shield, axe haft, and clothing, and Nuln Oil for the axe head, just to take the shine down a little bit. 

Then it's on to basing. Again, at this scale, I don't have a whole lot to work with, so KISS applies - Keep It Super Simple.

I have a big jar of black craft paint that I bought years ago; I was going through so much Abaddon Black that it simply wasn't economical to keep buying those tiny little pots. This stuff works just as well for my purposes. So for most of my base work, at any scale, I slather the base with a coat of that stuff, and let it dry. Next, for my 15/18mm guys, I'm just painting the top of the base with Vallejo Game Color Goblin Green, and keeping the rim of the base black. 

And there you have it! One finished, half-assed kobold. Sure, it's not going to win any awards, but this guy and three of his buddies took me an hour to get from primed to finished, and in the end, what's important to me is having painted models on the table. I'd rather have a table full of sloppily painted models than a Silver Surfer army, or hordes of grey plastic. So I keep painting this way, and I'm perfectly satisfied with it. And in the end, that's what really matters.