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A Quick Guide to Painting your BattleLore Army -- Juan




1- Getting started


You have opened your BattleLore game box, and over two hundred plastic gray miniatures now face you, just waiting to be embellished through your painting skills! While the task may seem daunting, we're sure you can rise to the challenge.
Welcome to the BattleLore Painting Guide! The pages that follow are designed to help you create your own customized army that you will be proud to lead into battle, and which is sure to inspire fear, awe and respect into even the most jaded opponents.


- Why should I consider painting my miniatures?




First, for the pleasure and pride that will result from showing off your troops to your friends and opponents alike. As you will discover, painting is a gratifying hobby for those willing to devote even just a modicum of patience and effort to it.
Further, and perhaps most importantly, painted figures will give your armies a truly visceral and emotional visual impact on the battlefield. Your game will not only look different, your opponents' perception of it will change too!

- What type of paint and paintbrushes should I use?


The two most common paint types used for plastic figures such as the BattleLore units are Oil paints and Acrylic paints. Our focus in this painting guide will be solely on Acrylic paints, as their use is much simpler for the beginning painter, and well adapted to the painting of a larger number of figures of relatively small size.

There are many different brands of acrylic paints available, but those designed specifically for figures are the most convenient ones to use. For the examples that follow, we use acrylics from the Citadel Color brand produced by Games Workshop (abbreviated GW), and those from the Prince August Model color line produced by Vallejo (abbreviated PA). A new line of acrylics, named "P3", recently launched by Privateer Press is also worth looking into, for both its quality and cost. It is rapidly gaining momentum among figure painting hobbyists and enthusiasts.




We also recommend that you invest in a few good quality paintbrushes, preferably from among those that can be purchased in an Art Supply store. The most commonly used brushes among miniature painters are the Raphaêl 8404 and 8408 Kolinsky sable brushes. Such a brush will last you many years, provided you take good care of it and maintain it properly. For the best results, we recommend that you steer away from low quality or discount brushes, as well as those sold for miniature painting; they often turn out to offer poor precision, and their point usually degrades rapidly.

Although BattleLore's figures are relatively small, we recommend that you refrain from purchasing the smallest/finest brushes you can find. This is because a good quality paintbrush has a very narrow, precise tip, even if the brush is of average size. Our recommendation is a size 0 or 1 brush for painting details, and a size 2 brush for all other work. These might seem too large but using a smaller 5/0 or a 3/0 size brush will cost you a lot of time, for little or no visible benefits.

- Which techniques should I consider using ?


Keep in mind that there are over 200 hundred miniatures awaiting your brushstrokes, in the core BattleLore game box alone! As a result, attempting to make a masterpiece out of each figure is probably not a workable strategy for most painters. What matters is the visual appeal of the figures as a group, not the finish of any single individual miniature. A simple consistent paint job will yield excellent results. Given the scope of the project, it is absolutely critical to segment this job into manageable parts. While painting each figure separately would take you forever, trying to tackle them all in one session will also drive you crazy. We strongly recommend that you must split this job into individually manageable sub-projects.




When it comes to painting figures, two techniques will give you decent results rapidly: washing and dry-brushing. For this project however, we are aiming for a slightly better result than can be obtained using those two techniques alone.

If you are just getting started with painting however, and think you might be satisfied with a simple result, we recommend that you check this article (among others) for instructions on how to master the basics: http://hot-lead.org/start/painting_basic_tech.htm

This site http://miniature-painting.net/links_painting.html is also a great repository of useful links.


- Should I follow this guide, or select my own color codes ?


The photos in this guide, and the illustrations from BattleLore, can provide you with a visual guide for painting your army. However, you should never forget that the choice is yours, first and foremost. These are YOUR miniatures you will be playing with, so selecting a color scheme you will enjoy is important.


Here's the base game Giant Spider, painted using the game's illustrations as a guideline.


And the same spider, with an original color scheme to highlight the venomous nature of the beast!

2- A plan of attack



Before beginning, give some thought to the color code, or sets of colors, you will use. This is especially important given the role of banner colors as an integral mechanic of the game.

Two main options present themselves:
- You either decide that the banner colors are a sufficient reminder of the figures capabilities, allowing you to paint each miniature with no consideration for the banner type of the figure; - Or you choose to improve the readability of your troops on the battlefield, and pick a color code for each troop type that will further enhance the your troops banner colors.

A second choice must be made on whether you want to differentiate the painting of the two different camps:- If you own a single copy of the game, we recommend you paint all the miniatures without any consideration to which camp they will be played with. This way, any figure will be able to join either side on an as-needed basis during game set-up.
- If you own 2 copies of the game or regularly play with a friend equipped with his own copy of the game, you may want to differentiate between camps, making it easier to visualize the two opposing parties.


Here are a few painting tests that we used during our search for color schemes that can apply to the whole army.

Here are a few suggestions, based on the different options outlined above:
- A color scheme that does not take banner colors into consideration: if you choose to forego banner colors in the selection of color schemes for your figures, be careful to not use green, blue or red colors as the dominant colors in the schemes you develop; doing so would greatly reduce the readability and playability of your game set.
- A color scheme for each banner color: this is the option we selected, as it maximizes the playability of your army.


- A color scheme for each banner color and each camp: A simple solution with this option is to swap the colored coded zones between similar figures of opposite camps (if figures on one side feature a blue hood and brown tabard, the figures in the other camp could display a brown hood and blue tabard).


Alternatively, you can use different tints of the same color, opting for light-colored clothes on one side, and dark-colored ones in the opposite camp (i.e. both sides' hoods would be blue, but one camp would feature off-white tabards while the other side would have dark brown or black tabards).



3- Getting to work!



In the steps-by-step instructions outlined below, pictures only depict a single miniature in each photo.
When you start painting, make a test with a single figure of the type you have presently selected. Then, once you are happy with the result, paint as many figures of that type as you feel comfortable doing in a single session.
Proceeding this way will not only save you time, it will also give you a sense of progress, as you will end each session with newly painted sets of units ready to play!

- How should I prep my figures ?


BattleLore figures come already assembled and glued to their base, so all that you need to worry about before painting them is to prime them properly. This is accomplished by laying a fine undercoat of paint, to make future layers of paint hold the plastic better.

We recommend using a spray paint primer such as those sold by Games Workshop, because of their good adhesion to plastic and the rapidity with which you will be able to prime a large number of miniatures.

If you do not own a spray primer, or wish to prime your figures using a paintbrush, you will first have to remember to wash your miniatures with some soapy water to get rid of any potential moulding oil residue; otherwise, your paint will not adhere properly to the surface of your figures.

Because BattleLore figures are very light, we recommend that you temporarily affix them to a cardboard strip, so as to prevent them from flipping over during the spraying of your primer undercoat. You can either use double-sided tape (just attach one of the corner of each figure's base, to make it easier to remove later on), or some tack putty.



We personally opted for a black primer. Using a black undercoat allows you to leave a fine black underline between zones of different colors on the figure. The downside to using a black primer is that depending on the color you apply on top, and quality of the paint you use, it might not cover as well, requiring, in some instances, that you to apply two layers of paint instead of a single one, to get a clean result.

- Painting Green Infantry




Apply a layer of brown (German Camouflage Medium Brown av826 PA) to the leather parts (shoes and shirt) of the figure, and a layer of German Camouflage Black Brown av822 PA on the trousers and sleeves. Try to leave a black lining between the various clothes pieces and accessories, to ensure optimal readability.



Add highlights to the shirt and shoes using German Camouflage Beige av821 PA. The folds and creases of the sleeves and knees should also receive a small dash of German Camouflage Medium Brown av822 PA.



The shield, shirt neck and bottom undershirt are painted in GW Snot Green. Because this color does not cover black that well, you will need to apply a second layer once the first one is dry.



The shoulders' top and half of the shield are painted with a mix of GW Snot Green and GW Scorpion Green.
To highlight the green troops lower status, their shields are simply painted with a very basic pattern (lighter upper or lower half, diagonal, vertical split, etc…).



For the flesh areas, apply two layers of Basic Skintone av815 PA.



The soldier's faces are shaded with a very diluted wash of German Camouflage Medium Brown av826 PA. You must try and drop this shade precisely rather than wash the whole figure's face with it.



Finally, paint the helmet and sword in chromePA, making sure to let the black show through near the helmet's joints and sword guard.

- Painting blue infantry





As this figure is equipped with armor, start by painting the armor first, using chrome PA, and making sure to leave a fine black underline to delimit the different parts.



The bags, boots and shirt are painted in German Camouflage Medium Brown av826 PA.



The various leather parts are then highlighted using German Camouflage Beige av821 PA.



The face is painted with two layers of Basic Skintone av815 PA.



With the point of your brush, shade the face using a wash of highly diluted German Camouflage Medium Brown av826 PA.



Paint the shield and the helmet's collar with a layer of Turquesa av966 PA.



The edge of the shield, and helmet's border are painted with a mix of Turquesa av966 PA and white.



Finally, you are ready to paint a pattern to give the figure its individual character. Do not hesitate to create your own patterns and use your imagination! For blue troops, we have opted for more visible patterns than for the green troops, painting all sorts of different stripes patterns (diagonal, double diagonal, ...) using a light blue (Turquesa av966 PA mixed-in with white) for the stripes.

- Painting red infantry





Paint the whole armor with chrome PA Air. You must be careful to let the undercoat's black clearly delimit each part, even when seen from afar.



If you went too far with your paint and end up with blurry or messy edges, you can use a black wash that will underline the various armor plate properly again, when dried in its recesses.



Paint the red parts using Cavalry Brown av982 PA.



Paint the highlights directly in white to achieve good contrast and luminosity (light red usually does not cover very well, so adding a dash of white will improve your highlights).



Cover the white areas with some Vermillion av909 PA.



Red knights are not only rare, they are also more fearsome than standard troops! To reinforce this, we have given each his own coat of armory. Many sites such as http://www.fleurdelis.com/meanings.htm contain good examples of coats of arms you can draw inspiration from.
To ensure good visibility and overcome the shields' small scale, paint the coat of arms' charges (shield illustrations) in pure white.



First paint the outlying edges of the charge.



Then fill it in with white.



Finally add a dash of paint for the eyes, touching the face up with Cavalry Brown av982 PA if necessary.

- Painting the bases





Paint the whole base in GW Camo Green, being careful not to cover the already painted figure.



You will usually need to paint a second coat, to obtain a decent cover for your base with this color.



Now dry-brush the base with a mix of GW Sunburst Yellow and white, applying the brush quite heavily on the base.



… and your figure is complete!

- Painting cavalry





Cavalry is painted using the same principles and color schemes, with the addition of painting the figures' mounts.



For blue cavalry, you can paint each horse with its own mane and coat color.

- Painting Dwarves and Goblinoids


Dwarves and Goblinoid figures are a bit more finely detailed than human figures.
In the core game, these two races come mounted on bases of a different plastic color, to make it easier to distinguish them from other figures. To preserve this differentiation once the figures are painted, you can opt to paint the dwarves in darker tones (marine blue, for instance), and the goblinoids in lighter tones (off-white).






A modest red blush can be added to the dwarves' nose. Their shields are decorated with a thistle symbol.






Skulls and bones patterns are used to decorate the goblins' shields.

- Painting the Creatures


The creatures are both larger than troops, and unique. Here's your chance to spend a bit more time painting and detailing them, to show off your painting skills and make them the centerpiece of your army!





- Painting the Banners


Since the banners already have colored stickers attached to them, all that is required is to paint the banner's edge and staff pole. You will need to exercise some care and make sure you do not accidentally paint over the sticker. A possible solution is to use some uncolored putty to temporarily cover the sticker, before priming it with a spray and touching it up with wood-colored highlights using a brush. An alternative is to carefully hand paint the primer with a brush.

We hope this brief painting guide has tempted you to consider painting your BattleLore army, and given you some first indications on how to get started. Many more detailed and technical articles are available on our Team Toulouse Création web site, at: http://www.ttcreation.org (in French only, sorry), as well as on the web sites mentioned earlier in this guide (especially http://miniature-painting.net/links_index.html).

Manuel « Manumilitari » Sanchez
Relecture et texte tutoriaux Dimitri « Dim69 » Peyrard
Translation in English - The DoW council
Team Toulouse Création