Painting 3D-Printed Miniatures: Tips for a Better Finish
By Dynafabs
Tips for painting 3D-printed miniatures: prep, priming, shade, contrast and highlights, plus when to hand resin minis to Some Miniatures.
You've had a miniature printed, cleaned it up, and now it's sitting on your desk in plain grey resin, waiting. Painting it yourself is one of the best parts of the hobby, but resin prints behave a little differently from boxed plastic kits. This post pulls together practical tips for painting 3D-printed minis, using the way our painting collaborator Some Miniatures describes its work as a guide to what "good" looks like at each level.
Start before the paint: prep the print
Most painting problems on printed minis start before the first brushstroke.
- Make sure it's fully cured. Resin that's still tacky can repel primer or stay soft. A properly washed and cured print should feel dry and hard.
- Clean up support marks. Small nubs where supports met the model show up badly once highlights go on. A sharp hobby knife and fine sanding sticks are your friends. Our prep checklist for printed minis goes through this in detail.
- Wash off dust and fingerprints. A quick rinse in warm water with a drop of washing-up liquid, then a full dry, helps primer stick.
- Prime in thin coats. Fine resin detail is easy to drown. Two light passes beat one heavy one every time.
Shade, contrast and highlights: what they actually do
When Some Miniatures describes its painting tiers, three words keep coming up: shade, contrast and highlights. Even the entry-level Bronze tier, which they call "tabletop quality", is described as typically including all three. They're the backbone of almost every painted miniature, so they're worth understanding.
- Shade pushes darkness into recesses. A wash or thinned dark colour runs into folds, panel lines and creases, giving the model depth.
- Contrast is the difference between light and dark areas. More contrast reads better from arm's length on a gaming table.
- Highlights are lighter tones on raised edges and the places light naturally hits, such as the top of a helmet, knuckles or the edge of a cloak.
The higher tiers on their site add more of each. Silver is described as "tabletop plus", with extra shade, contrast and shadows. Gold is pitched at heroes and captains you want to stand out, and Platinum at display pieces for your cabinet. That's a handy way to think about your own painting too: decide how much effort a model deserves before you start.
Tips for painting resin minis at home
A few habits make a big difference on printed models:
- Thin your paints. Printed minis often have very crisp, shallow detail. Thick paint fills it in. Aim for several thin layers.
- Pick a light source direction. Imagine a lamp above the model and keep your highlights consistent with it.
- Paint the face and focal point first. If the face looks good, the whole model reads well. It also keeps your enthusiasm high.
- Batch the troops, slow down on heroes. Line infantry can be painted together quickly; save the extra layers for the leader.
- Don't forget the base. A simple textured base with a drybrush often finishes a model more than another hour on the armour. Some Miniatures' quote form even asks whether you'd like a base made, which says a lot about how much it matters.
When to hand it to a professional
Sometimes the honest answer is that you'd rather play than paint, or you want a centrepiece that's beyond your current skills. Some Miniatures' FAQ explains that you can send your own models or have them ordered for you, and that they'll photograph models when they arrive, give you an update halfway through and send a final picture at the end. Their shipping page says UK returns go by Royal Mail, with tracked and signed services recommended so finished minis don't go missing.
Reviews on their testimonials page repeatedly mention good communication and being asked for input on colour schemes, so it's worth arriving with ideas, even rough ones.
If your models are 3D prints, that's where Dynafabs fits in: we print the files you own or are licensed to print, ready to be cleaned and painted. Mention in your quote request that the minis are heading for a painter, so we can plan supports and any split parts with that in mind.
FAQ
Do 3D-printed minis need a different primer from plastic kits? Most standard hobby primers work on resin prints. The bigger factors are a fully cured print, a clean surface and thin coats.
What's the easiest way to make a model look better quickly? A wash for shading, then a light highlight on raised edges. That combination is what turns a flat model into one that reads well on the table.
Can Some Miniatures paint a model Dynafabs printed? Their FAQ says you can send them your own models, so yes. Get in touch with them through their Get a Quote page with as much detail as you can.
Ready for paint?
Whether you're picking up the brush yourself or passing it to a pro, it all starts with a good print. Get a Dynafabs quote for your next minis, and have a browse of Some Miniatures' gallery for inspiration.
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