{"id":44630,"date":"2025-08-08T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=44630"},"modified":"2025-08-07T13:15:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T20:15:00","slug":"gars-tips-tools-issue-202","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/gars-tips-tools-issue-202\/","title":{"rendered":"Gar’s Tips & Tools – Issue #202"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Top-o\u2019-the-Top Modeling Tips<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019m so happy to see my modeling articles in the latest issue of Make:<\/a><\/em>, the \u201cProps, Models, and Miniatures\u201d issue. I did a piece on \u201ctrashbashing\u201d (making hobby models out of kitchen trash) and a collection of modeling, painting, and weathering tips. Bill<\/strong> of Bill Making Stuff<\/a> has a wonderful sidebar in there, too, with his own trashbashing and modeling tips. These articles present many of my top-level takeaways on modeling for tabletop gaming. Here are a few tippy top tips:

One Brush to Rule Them All<\/strong> \u2014 New modelers get sucked into the idea that you need half-a-dozen different miniature-painting brushes, from sizes 0, 00, 000, down to ridiculously small ones like 20-0 and 30-0. These brushes have so few hairs that, by the time you introduce the paint to the model, it has already started to get sticky and dry. It\u2019s best to learn how to use a single brush to do the majority of your miniature painting work. A Windsor & Newton Series 7 Size 1 <\/a>brush is a perfect go-to brush. Use the very tip of it for fine detail work, apply more pressure for medium coverage, and even more pressure for full coverage. It\u2019s made for water colors, so it can hold a lot of paint. It just takes practice to master. Keep it scrupulously clean and pointed, and it will serve you for years.

The beauty aisle is your friend<\/strong> \u2014 There are all sorts of tools and materials for modeling to be found in the drug story beauty aisle (or beauty supply stores): nail polish agitators<\/a> (paint mixing), nail polish racks<\/a> (hobby paint holders), fluffy make-up brushes (dry brushing), nail polish remover (acetone), cotton pads and plastic cotton swabs, and much more.

Chop up and recombine<\/strong> \u2014 In my trashbash piece, I talk about developing an eye for seeing models in your trash (and how I turned a single crudites platter into a derelict sci-fi outpost town). In Bill Mullaney\u2019s sidebar, he talks about further developing your ability to see specific shapes or textures within those pieces of trash. You don\u2019t have to use the piece as-is. You can cut-up and recombine. Super glue<\/a> and baking soda<\/a> go a long way to \u201cwelding\u201d all of these recombined pieces together.

Quick lens and canopy effects<\/strong> \u2014 Painting a lens or glass canopy white and then glazing it with a colored glaze or art ink<\/a> of a suitable color (blue, yellow, red, green, etc.) effortlessly creates a pretty convincing glowing lens effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Micro-pens for eye pupils (and other tiny details)<\/strong> \u2014 You can use fine tip India ink pens<\/a> to add pupils and other super-fine details to models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Use art pencils and art chalks<\/strong> \u2014 Edge highlighting a model can be hard and takes a steady hand. One way of cheating this is using art pencils<\/a>. You can draw on edges and raised areas to introduce highlights. Just be careful not to scrape off the underlying paint with the pencils. Cheap art chalks<\/a> can be ground up and used for dirt, dust, mud, rust, and other weathering effects. Just wear a mask when grinding and applying. That dust is not your friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DIY Precision CA Glue Applicators<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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In more hobby news, this video offers a number of really great tips and tricks for using\u00a0CA glue<\/a>\u00a0in model-making (and beyond). The real\u00a0aha<\/em>\u00a0tip for me is the idea of making your own precision super glue applicators by stretching the barrels of\u00a0plastic cotton swabs<\/a>\u00a0(there\u2019s that beauty aisle again). Plastic stretching is a modeling skill unto itself. I can\u2019t wait to try this out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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