February is National Model Painting Month. (Join the Facebook group if you'd like to participate next year!)

This year I painted my first micro-mini model (approx 1:64 scale). And I'm thrilled - this model turned out way better than I expected it would.

I don't have much experience painting with oils; my skills are in airbrushing, pastelling and hand painting with acrylics. But I went with oils on this one, and it was a challenge. The first coat of paint was discouraging... brush strokes! dust! argh! But once I got past the initial coat, things slowly improved. And every day I'd add a little more detail.

I learned a lot, too. I found a brush that works for me (a small filbert), and I butchered some other brushes by cutting off the tips to make smudgers. I learned to use walnut oil for getting paint out of the brushes, so I don't need to use stinky turpenoid for cleaning. I used Liquin to thin the paint, which was great for washes/glaze-type effects as well as for faster drying. And I found that even when a brush seems to be mostly free of paint, it could still leave some color, which enabled me to do soft shading... kinda like pastels.

This model will be a donation for the Meows & Minis live show in September 2020.