I’ve been painting mini’s now for a few months and I wanted to pass on my opinions on a few things.
The first being primer.
You must clean and then prime your mini’s! No exceptions. Plastic, Pewter or Lead. Always do it! And NEVER ever use a brushed on or enamel based paint as a primer! EVER.
When applying, primers must be applied in thin coats. Multiple thin coats! Otherwise you will cover up your miniatures detail work. A good primer will have a texture to it if applied properly. Anywhere you have primer on your mini it should resemble very fine grit sandpaper. This is ideal for the paint to absorb and stick to.
The first thing to consider when choosing a primer is your overall color palate. If you’re going to have bright colors – use white. If you’re going to be making something very dark – go ahead and use gray or black primer. 90% of the time I’m using white primer.
As per brand – there are lot’s to choose from. Games Workshop makes some Citadel primers but I’ve not used them yet. They are over 7 bucks a Can at my local hobby shops and that’s not a price I can pay when there are cheaper alternatives.
I’ve primed mostly with Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Primer. It is readily available in most hobby and art stores and can even be picked up at Walmart. I’ve had some bad encounters with this brand of primer before. Some cans just have a bad mix of paint in them and either apply too watery causing drips or overspray. Other cans have been too dry and spray the mini with dust that doesn’t adhere to the mini at all.
Tired of this I decided to seek out a new type of primer.
DUPLICOLOR SANDABLE PRIMER. This stuff is sold at most auto-motive stores and is under 6 bucks at can. The can’s have a quality guarantee and spray a super fine mist. I’ve not yet had a single bad experience. This is my new primer of choice.
I hope this helps.
The Dungeon Geek 