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Rhonda Bender

Although I played Dungeons and Dragons and enjoyed other geeky pursuits for years, I didn't get into miniature painting until 2003. I was looking for a hobby with an artistic, physical aspect, but didn't know what I'd do with the end results of more traditional hobbies like rug hooking or embroidery. Miniatures painting appealed to me because I'd be able to use the figures for games. I got started with Reaper's Learn to Paint Kit #1, and a Casketworks to drool over. The giant rat from that kit is still on my in-progress shelf, but I'll get him finished one of these days!

I was interested in learning display level painting pretty much from the beginning, and I am very grateful to the many talented artists who shared their knowledge in painting classes at ReaperCon and Gen Con over the years. I'm also very appreciative of those who've posted online tips and tutorials, or shared their advice on the forums.

I enjoy entering painting contests as they give me a firm deadline, and a reason to push myself to put what I've learned into practice. I have won 5 Sophie trophies, and Best of Show at ReaperCon 2007. I took third place in Single Figure at Gen Con 2008, and second place in Unit at Gen Con 2009, and have won manufacturer awards from Darksword Miniatures, Iron Wind Metals and Wyrd Games at Gen Con. I have placed in numerous online contests, include Chick Challenge, Wyrd and Newbold World.

The Favourite Reaper Miniature I Have Painted: It was very hard to choose just one, but I would have to say that the Vampiress from Crypt of the Vampiress is my favourite so far. This is a lovely figure that is a joy to paint. The painting of it also represents a moment when I felt like I was moving beyond just trying to reproduce something I'd learned or seen, but expanding upon it and adding my own stamp.

My Advice to the Novice Painter: Don't hold off on painting the new miniatures you really like until you're 'good' enough. Modern, well-sculpted miniatures are larger and easier to paint than those old school minis you found in someone's attic or the deepest recesses of your FLGS's discount bin. And if the older minis are your favourites, you'll find it a lot easier to bring out their character and minimize their flaws if you come back to them once you have some practice under your belt.

My Advice to the Intermediate Painter: Make an effort to see other people's painted miniatures in person. You are doing yourself a disservice if you are only able to compare your 3D painting to other people's 2D pictures of their painting. There's a lot that just can't be captured in a photograph. Try to attend a convention with a painting contest, or consider commissioning a figure from a painter whose work you admire.

Where to See My Miniatures: I'm working on getting a proper website up, but until then you can see my painted figures at my Cool Mini or Not gallery.

John Bonnot

I painted my fair share of mechs and minis in my younger days (mostly just a basecoat and maybe a wash), but started painting again in 2004 after a long hiatus. While I was fortunate enough to have a great painter to learn from (See? I can be nice to Anne), once I got hooked I was determined to get to at least level of painting that wouldn't make the sculptors cry if they saw a mini of theirs I painted. At conventions I would take the best two or three models I had painted in the last six months to every painter I could to ask them what I needed to work on to improve; it gave me valuable insight on how different painters converged or dissented on technique and style, and provided the fodder for the (in-)famous "How Not To Suck" class I've taught for years now.

Favorite model you've done for Reaper? Almaran the Gold, Flaming Sword with Paladin (er, Paladin with Flaming Sword).

Advice you can give to a newbie painter? Don't get hung up on recipes, ratios, the 'perfect' paints for a color, or the 'best' technique for painting. Mix paints together, add tons of water or none, use a huge brush and a miniscule one, and try layering, wet blending, feathering, etc.; you'll figure out quite a lot on your own this way, have a better grasp for how paint works, and be able to ask more focused questions from other painters.

Advice you can give a mid-level painter? Really pay attention to what you're doing, what is or isn't working, and why it is or isn't. I've seen a lot of painters get beyond the basics quickly but then paint the same way for years without really seeing what they were doing. Find a miniature someone else has painted and try to duplicate it; try to match the progression of colors they used (no fair asking them and cheating!) and their placement of light and shadows. Also, constantly work on improving your technique, as many effects (such as Non-metallic metals or Object Source Lighting) depend upon smooth transitions between colors.

Painting handle/Reaper Forum ID: All-Terrain Monkey

Personal website: Mused and Abused

Michael Brower

Nic Daniel

Nic Daniel got his real start in miniatures in 2007 when he found out that Reaper's Asylum was just a few miles away from his home. He dove right in and began leeching expertise from Anne Foerster immediately. After a couple of years of practice, and with as much assimilated knowledge as possible from the talented painters he came in contact with at the Asylum, he joined the Paint Crew in 2009.

Favorite model done for Reaper? Barrow Warden Mystic

Favorite model done for fun? Dragoth the Defiler

Advice for a new painter? Experiment! The best way to learn what works and what doesn't is by doing both. If you don't know how to paint skin, paint some skin! If it looks wrong, try to identify why. Through experimentation you get to explore the process of painting in your own way.

Advice for a mid-level painter? We all at some point find ourselves thinking "I am not good at ___" be it NMM, smooth layering, freehand, or some other technique. Don't avoid that technique, seek it! You will find that the more you force yourself to work on it, the easier it becomes. After a healthy dose of practice, you may find that you aren't so bad at it after all.

Philip Esterle

Anne Foerster

Anne Foerster has been painting since she was nine years old, when she happily dipped some plastic snakes into Testor's red and black enamels. The rest is history! Anne worked for several companies and privately as a freelance miniatures painter before landing at her current happy home at Reaper Miniatures in 2003. She has won a few painting awards, at the national and regional levels, at Gen Con and other venues, both in-person and online. Anne is Reaper's on-site Staff Painter and the designer of the Reaper Master Series paint line. Her teaching credits include classes at Genghis Con in Denver, Origins in Columbus, Gen Con in Indianapolis, and at home down here in Denton, Texas.

At Reaper, Anne's duties are split between creating paint and painting models. In the Paint Department, she creates new colors for Master Series Paints and the new Pro Paints line from the ground up: naming, formula, hand-testing, and mixing day-to-day batches. Her miniature-painting duties these days are split between paint jobs for box art, blister cards, and the hand-painted prototypes for Reaper's Legendary Encounters pre-painted plastics line. Every once in a while she even gets to paint something random that she actually wants to work on (but don't tell her boss)!

Favorite Models she's done for Reaper: In the Master Series Miniatures line, the 54mm Ellen Stone (cowgirl) and Maria Roseblade. Jonas Kane was also fun! In the Dark Heaven line, Derek Scubert's Frost Giant Princess and Golgoth the Ancient, Skeletal Knight. In the Warlord line, Thoth (Nefsokar) and Marcus Gideon--the latter was the first model she ever painted for Reaper. Her favorite Warlord force is the Crusaders, for which she painted most of the display models.

Advice for a Newbie Painter: "The three guidelines I share with new painters are: thin your paint, even if it's just a little; use very little paint on the brush, so that you can control where it goes; and use a brush with the best tip you can find. Miniature-painting is a hobby where the quality of your tools really can affect your learning curve, so if you are the type to take good care of paints and brushes it is worthwhile to buy the best you can and to learn to get the most from them."

Advice for an Intermediate Painter: "Pay attention to the little things. Even if you only can paint half an hour a week, you can progress faster than people who have been painting for years if you are attentive. Push yourself for that half hour. Pay attention to how thin the paint is and how it acts when it is thicker or even thinner. Try a couple of different brushes, and make a mental note how easy it is to use them, and for which techniques. Study the work of painters you admire, and try to duplicate Derek Schubert's eyes, or Jennifer Haley's skin tones, or Marike Reimer's smooth blends. Choose one small way to attempt to stretch your ability on each new model you paint, and you will improve more than you ever dreamed!"

Michael Genet

Jason Glocka

Mengu Gungor

Julie Guthrie

Jennifer Haley

I've been painting miniatures for well over a decade. When I first slapped some Goblin Green on Warhammer plastic orcs, I never imagined I'd be able to turn out anything like the minis in the army book, but I enjoyed the painting and kept at it. Soon the Web introduced me to other painters, styles I'd never seen, techniques I'd never heard of, a thousand things I wanted to try. Figmentia took over. Eventually I would win two Slayer Swords, twice be named Privateer Grand Master, and see my work in ads and publications across the industry. I now spend most of my time painting for companies, collectors, and the occasional competition. It's frustrating and mentally exhausting work at times, but it's rewarding, too. It makes me happy every time someone says, 'I hadn't picked up a brush in years, but I saw some pieces you did, and it made me want to paint again.'

Favorite model you've done for Reaper? Elise the witch, sitting on her Jack o' lantern.

Advice you can give to a newbie painter? Prep your mini well. Even the best painter won't get good results if the primer is grainy or there's a big mold line on the head.

Advice you can give a mid-level painter? Entering competitions can be a fantastic way to challenge yourself as a painter and move to a new level. Even if you don't bring home so much as an Honorable Mention, don't be discouraged--it's still a learning experience.

Personal website: Paintrix-miniatures.

Gene Van Horne

Angela Imrie

Bobby Jackson

Laszlo Jakusovszky

Jen Kaufman

My name is Jen and I live in Colorado with my hubby and three neurotic cats.

I painted my first miniature in the fall of 2002, for use in a D&D campaign. I enjoyed it so much that I started painting everything I could get my hands on and before long I discovered the Reaper Forums. About a year later I joined a local painting group and started taking tons of classes at conventions.

In 2006 I started competing and since then have won a few awards. Among them were Gold and Silver Sophies from ReaperCons, Gold and Best in Show at GhengisCon, Gold and Silver at Tacticon and an Honorable Mention from GenCon LA.

Although I have painted miniatures from several companies I have to say that I paint more Reaper than anything else. It would be a hard choice to say what my best Reaper piece is. I suppose my technical best would have to be the Pirate King and Queen Diorama, but my sentimental fav would have to be the Ghoul Queen and Servants.

Over the years I've learned so much from so many talented painters that it's hard to nail down favorites. Amy Brehm's color theory ideas were very influential for me in the beginning, and the nuance and emotion of Jen Haley's work has also had a lasting impact. I suppose if I had to choose the two artists who continue to be the most inspirational to me they would have to be Marike Reimer and Doug Jones. There's just something about their styles that continues to speak to me. I love their bold use of color and strong, clean contrast.

My best advise for beginning painters? Join a local painting group. You can read online tutorials till you're blue in the face, but there is no substitute for hands on instruction and encouragement from your peers. The folks in my group have been an invaluable source of support and information, and have become some of my closest allies.

My best advise to the intermediate painter? Paint what you love. In other words don't try to work on projects that you don't genuinely like. It's too easy to burnout and rush through the job if your heart really isn't in it. Paint what you're passionate about instead. Cause if you're not enjoying yourself, what's the point?

You can read more about me at my personal website: Midnight Lurker Minis

Patrick Keith

Truly a Renaissance artist at heart, Patrick began his art at an early age sculpting and drawing. Over the course of his life he has studied and crafted art, music, sculpture, photography, cinematography, animation and audio recording engineering in a desire to develop a variety of skills, interests and techniques. While working at various jobs to pay bills he continued to study and grow as an artist on his own. In 1999 he co-created the Ernor comic series with his wife Vicky.

During the time Patrick was a manager for a prominent local comic store chain in 1996 he was prompted by the chain's general manager to show some of his sculpts and figure conversions to the owners of Reaper at a game tournament event. Impressed with Patrick's potential, they invited him to visit the shop and provided him with his first sample of greenstuff putty. Over the next several months, Patrick fought with the material producing several hideous and unrecognizable monstrosities. Frustrated with the green material, Patrick abandoned his hopes and returned to 2D art.

While working on other projects he eventually developed skills in desktop publishing using Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. This grew into producing digital paintings and ultimately led to his first game book cover commission with Living Room Games. Since then he has produced work for several clients in the gaming industry including cover, interior and collectible gaming card art. He began displaying his work at prominent art shows in the industry.

It was a chance meeting with Ron Hawkins of Reaper at GenCon in 2005 that inspired Patrick to return to his roots of sculpting and give it a try again. Upon returning from GenCon, Patrick was determined to develop his sculpting skills and endeavored to work through his animosity towards the dreaded "green putty".

After compiling a mountain of reference on the internet he managed to complete his first recognizable miniature figure (not counting the short-lived disaster in sculpting with it ten years previous). Shortly after, Patrick attended the Reaper Artist Conference and participated in a few workshops which solidified his technique and imparted invaluable instruction and tips from the world class sculptors in attendance. Shortly after, Patrick was able to produce work on marketable level and has provided sculpting for several companies and private commissions. In 2006 Patrick won two awards for his miniature painting including a Silver Skully from Privateer Press for his Warjack Factory diorama and a Bronze Sophie for the Warlord Unit category. The same year he won first and second place in the Sculpted Green category of the GenCon Painting Competition.

Patrick has recently developed a line of resin gaming accessories and participates at irregular intervals with the Asylum Paint Club at Reaper Miniatures. You can get all of the latest info on Patrick at his website Patrick Keith.com.

Kyle Killingsworth

Werner Klocke

Noel Meyer

Noel Meyer, also known as Skya, has been painting miniatures since 1998 when she started painting demo figures for Clan Wars to feed her collectible card game habit. Since then she's graduated to treating minis as an art form and become thoroughly obsessed with miniatures of all shapes and sizes ranging from flats to 12 inch resin kits, although mostly focused on heroic scale fantasy and 54mm medieval figures. All in all probably not that surprising given her long standing childhood obsession with art in general that also led her to doing illustration work for games.

She has many awards to her name, including two Iron Painter crowns, two Sophie Trophies, a gold Demon, a gold rogue demon, and two gold medals and a stack of silver from the prestigious historical based Chicago MMSI Show. If you want to peruse through more of both her minis art and her illustration you should visit Shadowdragon.net.

Currently in addition to being a figure painter she runs the Miniature Hobby Events at Gen Con and is an active member of both the IMMPS (that'd be the Illinois-Midwest Mini Painters Society) where you can find her almost every Friday night except the first of the month, and the MMSI (the Military Miniatures Society of Illinois) where you can find her every first Friday of the month. Never ask her if she's free on Friday unless you want to spend the evening painting!

If you are interested in learning to paint she's always happy to teach. An illustrator at heart her first advice will probably be to keep your brush wet at all times, shortly followed by don't ever use black unless you absolutely have to.

Michael Proctor

Hello, my name is Michael Proctor and I have been painting for competitions for about 4 years. I still consider myself a newbie compared to the awesome talent that appears on this Gallery; however, I am trying to catch up. I started painting a minis for Reaper a couple of years ago and while my most recent piece in the Gallery is probably my favorite at that moment, Marise Greyshroud (DHL 03308) will always hold a special place as it was not only the first piece I did for Reaper and it was also my very first commission piece.

Advice you can give to a newbie painter? Don't just paint in a vacuum. Join a local paint group and/or take classes. From ReaperCon to the local conventions in Colorado , the classes I have taken have really helped me not only improve my painting but put me in contact with a lot of great people. Watching how other people use their brush, thin their paint and apply various techniques worked far better for me than just reading a tutorial. Finally be patient with your progress and remember it is supposed to be fun.

Advice you can give a mid-level painter? Don't just paint for competitions or commissions. Paint a few just for yourself and you just might end up with your best work. My best pieces have come when I was having fun (So remember to keep it fun). Finally, work on developing your own style, your technique should be flawless but what really stands out is the personality you give the piece. For example, I try to tell a story by incorporating a more developed base for the mini. I do this by picturing how I would like to see the character if he/she was in a movie and what type of background they would be located. I then try to recreate that scene in the base. If successful, it really helps the mini standout.

Awards:
ReaperCon - 2008: Gold - Large Figure DHL, Silver - Open, Silver - Large Figure Warlord, & Bronze - Single Figure DHL

Genghis Con:
2009: Silver Medal - Advanced Open Judging, 1st Place - Crocodile Games Manufacturer Category, & 1st Place - Infinity Games Manufacturer Category
2008: 1st & 2nd Places- Historical, Single Fantasy, SciFi Modern, Large Figure/Monster, Machine of War & Fantasy Unit
2007: 1st Place - Single Fantasy & Fantasy Unit
2006: 1st Place - Large Figure/monster

TactiCon
2009: Silver Medal - Advanced Painter Division & Bronze Medal - Advanced Open Division
2008: 2nd Place - Master Class

Groups: Colorado Miniature Painting Alliance (CMPA).

CMON Gallery: 888Michael

Marike Reimer

Bob Ridolfi

Alison Scheirman

Although my first painting experience was technically in 1996, it involved an unfortunate incident in which I spilled half a bottle of GW flesh ink on someone's keyboard, so I was not invited to continue painting with that friend. Apparently keyboards were much more expensive back then, because I'm not sure I was ever forgiven! I went on with my life and didn't get drawn back into the hobby until 2003, when I came home from college and decided to find myself a D&D group. This inevitably led to more kinds of gaming, and of course painting!

My husband often brags that he taught me all I know about painting - and while he did give me all the basics I needed to get started, I can't resist bringing up the fact that the first primered model he gave to me to paint had not been cleaned of mold lines! When I noticed them as I painted and asked why they were there, he replied quite nonchalantly "Oh, those are supposed to be removed first." Sadly, I can still be somewhat sloppy with the prep - Rhonda Bender, I am sure, will give me flak about it at the next ReaperCon.

I've been painting professionally - taking commissions and occasionally selling on Ebay - since 2005. I've tried off and on to approach it as a full-time job, but I find a schedule of 8 hours a day of painting physically and mentally exhausting - I prefer to keep it more on the hobby side, so I can enjoy myself as I go. I've learned to limit my commissions to figures I am really excited about painting to keep up enthusiasm.

I can't name a favorite figure - there are too many lovelies to choose from.

The most important piece of advice for both novice and experienced painters would be this: Never stop experimenting, and don't set your heart on a magic bullet! Every painter uses a technique differently. Even though you may take a dozen classes from the same painter to learn their techniques, chances are good that you will need to figure out a way to put your own spin on it. From taking classes from other painters and just taking the time to talk and paint with them, it's always seemed that everyone does it differently. So do take those classes and find every opportunity you can to observe and experiment with other people's techniques, but don't get frustrated if you can't get it exactly the same.

My first live painting contest was at GenCon SoCal in 2005, where I took first place (I think there was only one category). Since it was the first year of the contest, and it only went another two years before GenCon closed up shop in SoCal, I am rather pleased to have one of the few SoCal trophies out there! I also have the dubious honor of having won 2nd place in the Dark Sword Manufacturer competition at GenCon Indy four years in a row.

Derek Schubert

Derek "dks" Schubert is Reaper's premier scainter (sculptor/painter) or Triple Threat (draw/sculpt/paint). He has been drawing all his life, painted his first figure at around age 10, and began sculpting his own figures in 2003. He introduced himself at the Reaper booth at Gen Con 1997 and has been freelancing for Reaper ever since. His favorite Reaper figure is Shaelin, female bard (Dark Heaven Legends #03139), which he designed, sculpted, and painted; he is also especially proud of his sculpting on the Frost Giant Princess (#03431) and is excited to do more sculpting and painting for the licensed line of Pathfinder miniatures.

Derek has won awards in various painting contests, including the gold Sophie Trophy in the Masters category at ReaperCon 2006, Best in Show in the 2007 Gen Con Painting Contest, and Grand Master (best in show) in the 2008 Privateer Press Painting Contest. He won five awards in the Games Day / Golden Demon U.S. contests when he was 17 and 18. He has also helped judge the contests at ReaperCon and Gen Con, and he teaches classes on painting and sculpting at conventions.

He learned to paint without Internet help, so his advice to new painters might sound quaint: don't be overwhelmed by photographs and tutorials, but start with the fundamental skill of painting neatly. To painters who already have good brush-control, he advises using the location and brightness of highlights to simulate different materials. Thanks to the camaraderie and friendly rivalry with his fellow painters and sculptors, he sees continual improvement (and room for improvement) in his own work, even after twenty-five years.

Derek's green interests aren't only paint and putty. He works at a landscape architecture firm in Berkeley, California, and commutes by bicycle. After ReaperCon '09, he rode his bike from Denton to his brother's wedding in Asheville, North Carolina: a trip of 1,200 miles in three weeks.

Jeremie Bonamant Teboul

Sue Wachowski

Jason Wiebe