Display Piece

A display piece is the opposite of batch painting. One model, all your attention, no compromises. The finished model becomes a portfolio piece you can point to and say "I did that."

You'll plan and execute a competition-quality miniature from concept through final photography, including a display base that frames the model as a complete composition.

References and Concept

Before touching the model, collect references. Not just box art. Pull fine art paintings for color mood, screenshots from games for atmosphere, and close-up photos of award-winning miniatures in a similar style.

Pin down three decisions early: where the light comes from (your key light direction), your color palette (2-3 main hues plus a spot color), and the focal point (usually the face or a glowing weapon). Every painting decision flows from these three choices.

Subassemblies and Prep

Display models almost always need subassemblies. If a weapon crosses the face or a cloak covers back detail, those parts get painted separately. Pin with brass rod for alignment, but don't glue until both parts are painted.

Clean mold lines obsessively. On a display piece viewed from inches away, every imperfection shows. Scrape with a hobby knife, smooth with 400-600 grit sandpaper, check under strong light. Fill gaps with Milliput or Vallejo Plastic Putty.

The Display Base

A display piece without a base is like a painting without a frame. Cork, XPS foam, epoxy putty, or a wooden plinth from a craft store all work. The base should complement the model, not compete with it. Build it early to plan pose and foot placement. A plinth raises the model to eye level and signals "this is meant to be studied."

Value Sketching and Painting

After priming, sketch values before any color. Paint in greyscale to establish where light hits and shadows fall. Thinking about values before hue leads to more dramatic miniatures.

Start with your largest areas and work toward details. Build up from shadow tones through midtones to highlights using layering, wet blending, or glazing. Wet blending (loading two colors and blending while wet) works on large smooth surfaces. Glazing (very thin transparent layers over dried paint) is more forgiving. Scale75 and Vallejo handle extreme thinning well. Focus your highest contrast at the focal point. The eye is drawn to contrast.

Face, Eyes, and Micro Details

The face sells the model. Start with midtone skin (Vallejo Basic Skintone or Citadel Cadian Fleshtone), shade eye sockets and under the nose with the base plus red-brown, then highlight forehead, nose bridge, and cheekbones with pale flesh.

Eyes at display quality: dark brown socket, off-white dot for the eye, thin vertical pupil line. A Windsor & Newton Series 7 or Raphael 8404 in size 0 is worth every penny here.

Integration and Photography

Attach subassemblies with super glue and pins. Touch up join spots. Add final touches: gloss varnish on lenses, pigment powders on boots, static grass at the base edge. Matte varnish everything (Vallejo Premium Matte or AK Interactive Ultra Matte).

Photograph with two desk lamps at 45 degrees, a clean backdrop, and your phone on macro mode. Shoot from eye level. Take 4-6 shots: front, back, sides, face close-up, and one showing the base.

Common Mistakes

• No clear focal point. Push contrast hardest at the face or most important element. If everything is equal, nothing stands out.
• Overworking blends. If a transition isn't working, let it dry, glaze over it, and try again. Going back ten times makes it worse.
• Neglecting the base. The base is part of the composition. It doesn't need to be elaborate, but it needs to be intentional.
• Skipping subassemblies. Painting behind a weapon with the model fully assembled leads to frustration and missed spots.
• Poor photography. A competition-level paintjob photographed under one desk lamp with a messy background does the work no justice.

Display painting is slow, frustrating, and the most rewarding thing in this hobby.