As an avid miniature painter, I often share my experiences through reviews and my bio. This article series isn’t meant to be a tutorial, but rather a showcase of my process. If you like what you see, perhaps you can try it yourself! Before diving into the details, I’d like to share a bit about myself and how I entered this hobby.
Dragons have always fascinated me! I’ll watch practically any movie or TV show featuring dragons. Game of Thrones drew me in specifically because of the dragons, and I became hooked even though they don’t appear until the end of season one. For The Hobbit’s second film, I only watched it because of Smaug, with little interest in the rest of the story.
So when Mythic Games asked me to paint their Legendary Dragon, I eagerly accepted. Throughout this article, you’ll see photos of the finished piece. In this series, I’ll explain my process step by step, with new articles published every few days. This dragon was an add-on during the Time of Legends: Joan of Arc Kickstarter campaign, and I understand another campaign for Joan of Arc 1.5 is coming soon.
I was initially intimidated by miniature painting, doubting both my enjoyment and ability to work on such small objects. I had experience with other painting forms, having started with paint parties among friends before realizing I could save money by drawing and painting at home. This became a stress-relieving hobby. While I consider myself an artist, I’m certainly not professional. However, I am a perfectionist—when I commit to a project, I ensure it meets my standards and always complete it.
About two years ago, a friend invited me to paint miniatures with him. He was experienced but had temporarily set the hobby aside. Initially reluctant, my perspective changed when I acquired the game Tokaido, whose miniatures practically begged to be painted and seemed approachable. My friend provided a practice miniature, taught me some techniques, and I quickly progressed from that first piece to the Tokaido figures.
Soon after, I purchased Arcadia Quest—a game I’d always promised myself I’d paint if I ever took up miniature painting. Now I’m simultaneously working on several games: Tokaido, Arcadia Quest, Smog Riders, and Shadows over Camelot, with plans to paint Black Rose Wars next.
I’ll likely add other games from my collection to these projects. This hobby perfectly combines two passions: gaming and painting. By painting game pieces, I enhance the gaming experience. I don’t rush myself—this is my stress-relief activity, so I avoid setting deadlines.
Back to the dragon! This was my first commissioned miniature painting outside my usual personal relaxation time, which added some pressure. It’s also my first large-scale miniature. While I own the Arcadia Quest dragons, I haven’t tackled them yet, and they’re significantly smaller than this one. I always intended to paint this dragon but lacked a clear vision for it.
Typically, I paint miniatures to match their in-game appearance. My Arcadia Quest figures precisely represent their character cards. I’m skilled at mixing paints and matching colors, but my artistic abilities don’t include creating original visual concepts.
For instance, while I can draw, asking me to draw a horse from imagination would result in a crude, stick-legged approximation. My brother, a cartoonist and character animator whom I’ll introduce later in this series, possesses that freehand talent. With a reference image, however, I can produce decent work.
I’ve painted some Dungeons & Dragons miniatures without references, but they’re not my best work. Though this dragon is part of a game with box illustrations showing the publisher’s intended appearance, I wanted to create something unique since I don’t own the game itself.
Due to my creative vision limitations, I consulted my brother and another friend who’s a miniature hobbyist. Together, we formulated a plan. I ordered supplies online and prepared to begin.
Watch for the continuation of this series, publishing every few days! For now, enjoy these photos of the completed dragon. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! This has been an exciting and fulfilling journey!
To be continued…
