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The Warhammer 40k hobby is one of the things, if not the main thing, that a majority of Warhammer 40k players like the most. Whether it is collecting, building or painting miniatures, or collecting, building and painting terrain, it’s fair to say that the average Warhammer 40k fan spends FAR more of their time on the hobby side of Warhammer 40k than on the gaming side. Think about it: it could take hundreds of hours to paint an army (or 24 hours if you’re a YouTuber with a challenge) but compare that time to a 3 hour game every couple weeks–if you’re lucky–or a tournament half a dozen times a year. Yes, if we’re looking at time, hobby takes up far more than gameplay.

(That said, there are a fair few number of Warhammer 40k players who are in the game solely for gaming or even lore, and they will shell out the money to have their models commission painted–or they’ll play with gray plastic.)

The Guide to Getting Started in Warhammer 40k: Hobby

What this Getting Started in Warhammer 40k: Hobby guide is for is to lead you to resources where you can find everything you need to get started. I do not claim to be the best painter, and while I am an avid collector, I don’t feel qualified to teach any tutorials on how to paint miniatures. (If you’d like to follow my personal painting, I am engaged in the Hobby Streak challenge, where you paint or build for 30 minutes every day. You can find my weekly Hobby Streak recaps here.)

In this Getting Started in the Warhammer 40k Hobby guide, I’m going to describe the basic processes of collecting, building and painting, but I am going to link to a LOT of expert YouTubers who will teach you far better than I can how to properly paint Warhammer 40k miniatures.

Getting Started in the Warhammer 40k Hobby: The Building and Assembly Tools You Need

Clippers: For clippers you’re going to want a pair of flush-cut nippers. Be certain you’re getting flush-cut, because from a distance the flush-cut and the pincer nippers look the same. You want flush cut so you can put the flush-cut side against the miniature and make a clean cut. I really like the Citadel nippers that I got, but there are cheaper options, including the Army Painter version.

Hobby Knife: For this you want a basic X-Acto Knife with a sharp blade. If, when you trim your model from the sprue with the nippers, there is some sprue remaining on the miniature, you can scrape it down with the hobby knife. If it’s a large piece of sprue, use the blade to cut it, but if it’s just a small raised area, then hold the blade perpendicular to the raised area and rubbed back and forth. It will wear the raised area away.

Plastic Glue: If you’re using plastic models–and you probably are, because most Warhammer 40k models are plastic–then plastic glue is what you want. It is a very strong glue because once you apply it it actually starts to melt the plastic, so that when you hold two glued pieces together they weld into each other.

Superglue, also known as CA glue (cyanoacrylate): If you’re assembling resin or metal models then plastic glue won’t do the slightest thing for them because there’s no chemical reaction with the plastic. You’ll want superglue for these.

Kicker: While this isn’t 100% needed, I find it to be almost indispensable. Kicker is sometimes better called CA glue activator. If you use some superglue, hold the piece in place with one hand, and then give a spritz of kicker onto it, the superglue will harden instantly. The cheapest kicker is actually baking soda, but it will leave a lump of white where you sprinkle it. I use the brand Mitre Apel, and I swear by it.

Getting Started in the Warhammer 40k Hobby: The Painting Tools You Need

Brushes: I have gone into a lot of detail to explain what I find to be the best overall brushes for miniature painting. They’re not the cheapest, but they’re far from the most expensive. If you’d like to read the full article of The 9 Best Brushes Every Wargamer Needs. But for the purpose of this getting started guide I’m going to point you somewhere else. Here is a link to a package of synthetic brushes that I buy in bulk, and here is a link to a package of makeup brushes that I buy in bulk. If you are getting started in miniature painting, then these synthetics are all you’re going to need (you can level up later), and you’ll find that makeup brushes are the cheapest and best drybrushes you can find. These two packs of brushes will set you back less than $20 and they’ll serve you well for months until you decide whether or not you need to invest in something more substantial.

Waterpot: The very first post I ever wrote on this website was about how much I liked the Citadel (Games Workshop) water pot, and I stand by that. But do you need it if you’re just starting out? No, of course not. A mug or a Mason jar or a paper cup will serve you nicely.

Paint: I have also written a long article talking about the different kinds of paints that I find to be the best, and especially in relation to money. Generally you’re going to find that Army Painter paints are the cheapest, Citadel (Games Workshop) paints are the most expensive. That said, I also came to the conclusion that I, as an experienced painter, liked Citadel paints the most (thought there’s a lot of controversy there). For getting started in Warhammer 40k I’m going to recommend either this Games Workshop paint set, or this Vallejo paint set. Either one will get you into the hobby well enough, and you can experiment and find which paints are best for you.

Palette: If you’re going with Citadel paints, then you TECHNICALLY don’t need a palette, because you can just dip your paintbrush in the paint and then paint with it, but we’re going to talk later about how you’ll want to thin your paints a little. AND if you buy any other brand of paints, they come in dropper bottles and you’ll need a palette no matter what. You can use any non-porous surface as a palette, including a paper plate, but I think you’ll find very quickly that a wet palette will serve you better. (I’m going to talk about a wet palette later on; both how you can make one yourself and how you can get the most out of one.)

Basing Material: this can be anything–there are a million options–but for getting started in Warhammer 40k hobbying, I’m going to recommend Vallejo texture paste. You can buy a Citadel texture paste, but it’s about 2/3 the cost of Vallejo for 1/8 the amount. Buy the Vallejo. Here’s a link.

Texture Tool: To paint the texture onto the base of the miniature, you can use the Citadel Outil, which I personally love and recommend, but for starting out just use one of those synthetic brushes that you get in the large pack I recommended.

Grass Tufts: Not necessary, but if you are diving into painting your first Warhammer 40k miniature and you want it to look like the box art, they almost always have one of these little grass tufts stuck to the base. 100% optional, but I always buy the Army Painter version, which you can get here.

Painting Handle: Some people find that it’s easier to paint a miniature with it affixed to a handle (so you’re not actually touching the miniature itself). There are miniature handles you can buy (this is the Citadel one which I use), but you can get 100% the same effect with a small piece of wooden dowel and either a glob of poster putty or double-sided tape stuck to the top.

And honestly, that’s all you need to get started. So let’s tally this up:

Brushes: $18
Waterpot: Free
Paint: $25
Palette: Free
Vallejo Texture Paste: $15
Texture Tool: Free
Grass Tufts: $10

So that’s everything you need to get started in painting miniatures for $68. A little pricey, I’ll admit. I’ll make a deal with you: if that’s too expensive, trade the texture paste for sand from your sandbox or from the beach and ignore the grass tufts, and you’re in the hobby for $43–paint and brushes.

Getting Started in Warhammer 40k: Hobby: Miniatures

You can spend a LOT of money VERY fast buying miniatures, and I would recommend if you’re just getting started that you don’t do that. Yes, there are Start Collecting Boxes and Starter Sets, and those are fine entry points into the world of miniatures, but they can also be overwhelming. I’d recommend finding a box of miniatures that you think look neat: some Space Marines or some Necron Warriors or some Sisters of Battle, and just buy them and them alone. That will set you back anywhere from $30 to $60 if you’re watching your money.

TIP: Miniatures are almost always cheaper from 3rd party retailers, including your FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store) or Amazon or, if you’re in the UK, Element Games. Amazon tends not to get new releases for about three or four months, but they’re good for other purchases. And price your FLGS. I have two stores I frequent and one gives a 20% discount on all Games Workshop products–and the other doesn’t. Shop around, because miniatures are going to be your biggest expense in this hobby BY FAR.

Getting Started in Warhammer 40k: Hobby: Painting

These are the steps you’ll take when you’re first starting out painting a miniature. There are advanced techniques, which we’ll talk about briefly later, but this is the basic way to paint a Warhammer 40k miniature.

First off, I’m going to show you a video put out by Warhammer TV several years ago which is their most basic method of painting a Space Marine. After that, I’m going to walk you through the steps that they took. So, you can choose to watch the video and skip my recap, or sklp the video and read my recap, or whatever you’d like to do.

Okay, so here are the steps that Warhammer TV took to paint their Space Marine.

1. Undercoat:

You will always want to undercoat your miniature. In the case of this video, they undercoated it in the main color that they were going to paint it, and that’s always a good way to get started for beginners, if possible. They undercoated it in Macragge Blue, the color of the Ultramarines.

Here are some tips: first you don’t need to use a spray paint made by a game company–they tend to be more expensive. (Here’s an article that I wrote about the best spray paint for miniatures.) Second, when you undercoat, shake the can very well (some people say for a solid minute, but I generally give it a good 30 seconds), keep the can warm (you can spray outside if it’s cold, if you bring your models immediately inside to dry–don’t let them dry in the cold), don’t undercoat if it’s too humid (you’ll have to test this on your own–I live in a desert), and spray paint in smooth strokes from about 10-12″ away from the miniature. Then take it somewhere warm and dry, and let the undercoat dry. I’d give it at least an hour, though some people say at least a day. Experiment.

2. Basecoat:

Basecoating is the most basic form of painting. It’s just filling in parts of the model that need to be a certain color with that color. Nothing hard to do here except to stay within the lines.

Here is a tip, however: notice in this picture below how the painter is holding his hands. He has the painting handle in one hand holding the model, and he’s holding his brush in the other hand, and they’re pressed together. This method of keeping your hands held together can give you a great deal more control if you’re worried about painting inside the lines. It’s also wise to keep your elbows propped on the table or on your knees something else to give you more steadiness.

Here’s another tip: it’s best to use thinned paint–paint with a little bit of water in it–and paint in two coats (paint once, let it dry, then paint again) than to use one thick coat. Thick coats of paint obscure details.

3. Wash:

A wash is like a thin paint with only a small amount of pigment. In this video he uses two different things in the role of a wash: Contrast Paint and a regular wash. For now, ignore what Contrast Paint is and just think of it in terms of a wash. What a wash does is the dark tones of the wash run into the crevices and cracks in the miniature, and the raised areas are only lightly colored. This can serve to give your model a surprising amount of depth and dynamics. You apply the wash and then let it dry–it will take longer to dry than regular paint, but you should wait until it’s completely dry before continuing.

Here’s a tip: while there are many different companies who make washes, almost all painters will tell you that when it comes to washes, Citadel is the only way to go. Any set of paints ought to have at least Nuln Oil (black wash) and Agrax Earthshade (brown wash) in their arsenal.

4. Drybrush

A drybrush is just a fluffy brush that has a very tiny amount of paint on it. This is what I mentioned up at the beginning where makeup brushes are better than any brush made by a game manufacturer. Put paint on the brush, the scrub the brush into a piece of paper towel until there is hardly any paint remaining on it, and then you can brush it gently over your model. This will have the opposite effect of the wash: a drybrush will just catch the high points on your model and will bring them out or make them pop. Washes and drybrushes can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you when you’re first learning to paint.

Here’s a tip: if you’re drybrushing after a wash, it is extra important to make sure that the wash is dry. Getting your drybrush wet and then rubbing it across the top of your model can be your downfall.

5. Layering

Another way of bringing out highlights on a model is to use a brighter highlight color and just run it across the edges of the model. Generally, layer paints are thinner than base paints, and flow a little smoother (but you should still thin them slightly with water). Layering is also a way to not just highlight a raised spot but to blend colors–use a dark color, then layer on a slightly lighter color, then layer a slightly lighter, and so on.

Here’s a tip: edge highlight is the realm of steady hands. You’ll see the best Warhammer 40k miniatures with edge highlights on every edge and you’ll wish you could do it. Rest assured that it takes practice and if you’re not great at it at first that’s totally normal.

6. Detailing

Now is when you crack out that tiniest brush you have (you don’t need to use a tiny brush for most of your miniature painting) and then just get the details–the eyes, lights, gems, etc.

Here’s a tip: Again, don’t beat yourself up if you’re not great at this. Even the best painters will admit that it might take them two or three times to get the eyes looking right. They’ll paint the eyes wrong, repaint them with the basecoat or the layer paint, and then try the eye a second time, and so on. You’ll get it eventually. (And there are some people who just don’t bother with eyes. I tend to be one of them.)

7. Basing

When your miniature is fully painted, then crack out your texture paste and, using the Citadel Outil (or a paintbrush) gently glob it into place on the model and then let it dry. Once it’s dry, paint it to be the color you like. Then you can–with a small drybrush–drybrush a very light highlight across the rough texture.

Alternately, if you don’t buy the texture paste, use Elmer’s Glue-All (this is called PVA glue) and paint the base with it with an old brush. Then, sprinkle sand over the glue and let it all dry. If you’d like, you can paint the sandy base to be a specific color and the drybrush over it to bring out the details.

Finally, if you’d like, use a pair of tweezers to place a grass tuft on the base. IF you use Army Painter grass tufts they typically don’t need any glue. Other grass tufts sometimes need a small drop of superglue.

Getting Started with the Warhammer 40k Hobby: Additional Resources

We live in a magical time where there is SO MUCH available to teach you how to build and paint your miniatures. I have put together this list of videos that you might find useful as it is very often easier to understand a concept when it is being shown than when it is being read.

Painting Fundamentals:

The first video that I would recommend is this one by Brent at Goobertown Hobbies. It is a complete fundamentals video which teaches you everything you need to paint Warhammer 40k miniatures from start to finish. It’s a wildly useful video, and Brent is a great presenter. It’s long, so feel free to skip to the part where you feel you need help, or simply watch all of it.

Brett from Goobertown Hobbies:

Wet Palettes:

The next videos I have for you are about the concept of wet palettes. I already mentioned above how you should use a palette, but I found that when I switched to a wet palette, my painting game instantly leveled up. A wet palette is basically a sponge with a piece of porous paper over it. The sponge is wet, you put your paint on the paper, and the sponge keeps your paint wet a lot longer.

This video is an oldie but a goodie from Uncle Atom at Tabletop Minions where he explains how you can make a wet palette easily out of common kitchen items for pennies.

Tabletop Minions Wet Palette:

This second video is from Squidmar Miniatures and it uses a manufactured wet palette, and Squidmar–a VERY good painter–teaches you the tips and tricks he uses with his wet palette. It’s not necessarily needed for beginners, but it’s another way to level up.

Squidmar: Getting the Most Out of Your Wet Palette:

Airbrushing:

Another way to level up your painting–which is not necessary but can be very helpful–is to use an airbrush. I personally don’t own an airbrush because I don’t have a good ventilated space for using one, but they can really create marvelous looks on your miniatures. This video from Ninjon teaches you the basics of how to assemble, use, and clean your airbrush.

Ninjon Airbrush Basics:

Blending:

Okay, this one is getting into advanced territory. There is a YouTuber named Scott who goes by Miniac who is VERY good, and in this video he spends a lot of time explaining advanced techniques on blending. I’m almost tempted not to include it in this article because I don’t want to scare anyone away, but if you’re really looking for a way to advance your blending game, give it a watch. Just know that you don’t have to be as good as Scott your first time you try it.

Miniac Blending:

Painting Examples:

Below is a painter who I have enormous respect and admiration for who takes all of the things that we’ve been talk about here and distills them down into VERY accessible and approachable videos. This is the opposite of the Miniac blending video: you watch this and you really think “I could totally do this!”

I’ve selected five of Sonic Sledgehammer’s videos which are all Warhammer 40k miniatures (he actually spends most of his channel painting historical or 3D printed models). This will give you a flavor of what is possible.

Sonic Painting Space Marine:

Sonic Painting Chaos Space Marines:

Sonic Painting Sisters of Battle:

Sonic Painting Tau Battlesuits:

Sonic Painting a Necron:

Terrain:

We don’t want to forget about terrain. Getting started in Warhammer 40k is also about terrain, and there is terrain you can purchase from Games Workshop that is very pretty that you can paint using all of the techniques we’ve talked about here, such as this and this and this.

Or you can build your own terrain. And when it comes to wargaming terrain there are few better teachers than Jeremy at Black Magic Craft. This first video is an introductory video for people who have never made terrain before and it will teach you a lot of basic techniques and materials that you will use to build wargaming terrain.

Black Magic Craft: Terrain You Should Build First:

This second video from Jeremy at Black Magic Craft is a much more recent video he put out in which he attempts to make Warhammer 40k terrain that, well, doesn’t look like the generic terrain he just taught you how to build in the previous video. But watch both videos, because the first teaches you the basics, and this second is more advanced.

Black Mgic Craft Stop Making Generic Terrain:

Getting Started In