"Paint first or base first?" Topic

Every week somewhere I see WIP pictures of a diorama or multi-figure base where the figures are arranged and glued down prior to being primed and painted.

Do you paint that way? Do you paint by base of figures or by individual figures that are then combined, glued down on a base after the principle painting is completed?

I'm definitely of the latter camp. I think painting even strips of figures can be problematic because not all brush angles can be accommodated.

How common is the former practice?

I glue the figures to paint stirring sticks, then paint them, then spray them, then base them.

Paint first

28mm, I do 1 figure per stick.

10 / 12mm, I do 3 to 4 figures per stick.

I like the thought of basing first, but it just seems wholly impractical to me, especially as I mostly base in ranks of two.

Whenever possible, I glue the figure to the base, before I paint it.
Spray prime, paint, then terrain.

Paint first, unless it's a figure that's going to be based singly. I use sticks with 6-8 figures for 15mm or less. For 25mm or larger, I base them individually on a fender washer for painting but will pop them off if I'm going to do a multiple figure bases.

Paint first.

If your basing scheme has more than one figure to a base, I can't see how you would do it? In all the decades I have been in this hobby I only met one person that bases his figs first.

I base each figure on a temporary base and then paint each one. Sometimes I do all the shoes on each fig. Some times I paint half the fig and move on. Sometimes I get really get into it and paint the whole figure and then move on. I do one unit, complete it, base it and move on to the next unit.

I explain my erratic painting method by having painted a lot of Confederates early on and most of them were so different from one figure to the next, I couldn't do every jacket etc.

I spray my miniatures first. Then infantry and cavalry are glued to magnets used as bases for individual figures in 15mm. Or to steel bases in 28mm. Then I paint them. I use an assembly line process. I paint one step on each of four figures. Then do a different step on the next four. And so on…

It depends.

Generally speaking, figures that are going to get based in groups are painted, then based. Single models might or might not get based.

It depends, I usually put figures on temporary painting strips, but the last two batches (2mm Pike and Shot, 15mm WW2) I based first. I'd forgotten how much quicker it is.

If the figures are in very close order, it is pretty inconvenient to base first.

Paint first

Paint first

Unless you're doing 10mm or smaller moulded in strips I would think painting almost universally comes first.

I tend to base the two figures on the outside edge of the base first, but paint the figure that are in the middle of the base first.

Paint first, no exceptions

Base so I can handle the suckers while painting.

28's I'll paint 2-3 on a stick, for 15's its 4-5.

That said, sometimes a 28's pose will be odd and painting it on a stick might be a problem so I'll glue it on a base right away, but only single figures, never a unit.

Base so I can handle the suckers while painting.

I've always found that my "Mark 1 Fingers" are perfectly adequate for this task …

Paint first. 3 or 4 25s, or 5 or 6 15s per craft stick.

I paint first. It's too hard to reach all the nooks and crannies on each figure if they're already based

It depends. I do both.

For games with multiple men on a single base such as my Napoleonics, I glue the mini to a bottle cap, paint then base. For games with one guy on one base, I paint the base first, then the mini then flock.

Base first. Except mounted figures, then base mount, paint both and assemble.

I always paint smaller figures first. However, I based most of my 28mm first as they are a single figure per base. Ground work still comes afterward.

I don't want to out anybody and show their pics here but just today I saw a handful of examples from various FB pages I follow.

For my 28mm singles I base first but for units I paint first.

Greetings

It varies.

My 10mm SYW I base first because I want mass on table relatively fast – cavalry are 3 figures in single rank, infantry 6 figures in 2 ranks but there is space for the brush in each case. 15mm WW2 I am tending to do the same but here there are only 2-3 figures on a 30x30mm base.

The rest are painted first.

Regards

Edward

For multi-based figures in close order I usually base just some of the figures (e.g. the two outer riders on a 3 man cavalry base, or two diagonal corners on a 2 x 2 infantry base, or two figures on a 4x1 base). The other figures stay on temporary bases till everyone is painted, then are put in position, and base texturing is added.
For open order stuff, there's usually plenty of room, so I base first.

I do 28mm and I put them on "pop sickle sticks" Usually 4 to a stick for infantry. Prime them and paint them. Most are lace war type armies so I base them anywhere to 3 or 4 a base depending on the rules. Cavalry and artillery have different challenges but I still use sticks for temporary basing.