In this article I will describe the steps and techniques covered in the third weekend Miniature Painting Workshop of 2020 using a Joker bust by FC Model Trend.
The bust was undercoated using a black primer and then the zenital light was applied using a white sprey.
The whole workshop was based around two distinctive „projects“. One was all the textile surfaces – on Saturday, the other the head (with skin tones, scars, face paint and hair) – on Sunday. Since I was not sure how the attendees would tackle the textile surfaces and how much time it would take them, I decided to do that first – and if need be to extend the alotted time to Sunday as well. Luckily, it was not needed.
I'm writing this to explain why we started with the textile. Normally, I would start with the head. Which is how I will explain the process to you here.
I used mostly Scale 75 colors and Citadel washes/shades and glazes so I will use those names (you can easily use a paint conversion chart to determine which colors from different manufacturers you can use).
FACE
The idea behind painting the skin is to use a really light skin tone as a base coat ( I used S75 Light Skin). Using glazes made from S75 Basic Flesh and then S75 Indian Shaddow, I added shades. How to make glazes? Use small ammount of paint and add some Citadel Lahmian Medium and a drop or two of water until the mixture is milky, semi transparent. Then just add layer upon layer of those glazes.
I used a relatively large brush (size 1) to do the shades because the color in that state flows relatively freely in each pore.
If you are not in a mood to wait for the layers to dry, use a hairdryer to speed up the process.
Once the shades were done, I started with the highlights. Again, I mixed a glaze from S75 Pale Skin and Lahmian Medium. The highlights were applied with a small brush (000 – like the ones in this box). Why? Because you paint the highlights, almost draw them… so brush control is vital.
To end the process, you can add some Druchii Violet Shade under the eyes and inside and around the scars. I suggest diluting the Shade with some Lahmian Medium and doing it in several layers.
SCARS
Next up were the fresh scars – they are done with Tamiya Clear Red paint mixed with Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade.
FACE PAINT
Half the face (not smeared part) was painted with glazes of S75 White. The other half was done with Ammo by Mig Jimenez Washable White Camo. Apply it, leave to dry for about 5-10 minutes and then using a damp brush remove the excess paint in places where you want the face paint removed.
The black/blue/red face paint was done using Ammo by Mig Jimenez Oilbrushers. Apply them carefully drawing the patterns you want. Then using Odourless Thinner (also by Ammo) remove excess paint and smear it downwards or along the creases in the face/scars.
HAIR
Hair was painted using a grey and white drybrush (just be careful not to smudge the face). Once dry, I again applied several green oilbrushers and using Odourless Thinner smeared them along the length of the hair. If needed, in the end, add some Nuln Oil in the deepest recesses of the hair as shade.
This marks the end of the face painting part. We now turn to textile. We covered three different textures: silk (for the tie), cotton (for the shirt) and tweet (for the vest).
All three have the same first step. Pure basecoat of some light color (doesn't matter what color you choose, just pick a light shade of it). Paint in thin layers until you get an even coverage.
TIE
We started with the simplest job – tie. The silky feel is created by adding some metallic paint to the original color. I added some silver to the light blue. Using a Blue Glaze I added some shades, and then added white to the metallic blue mixture did several highlights. Also, the silk tends to reflect light in a sort of colourshift fashion so you can add some red/purple to the mix in the deepest shades.
If you are doing a light and vibrant, warm colour (orange, yellow etc), instead of metallic silver, I recommend using a golden color.
SHIRT
Next up was the shirt. I added some stripes with a lighter color and then with a darker color than the basecoat. Upon reflection, I decided to make a checked pattern so I added some perpendicular lines as well. Once this was done, it was time to shade the shirt. I used Citadel Red Glaze to which I added more and more Ogryn Fleshshade with more and more Lahmian Medium. When the shading was done, I used the lighter shades of the stripes on the raised parts of the shirt to make the highlights.
VEST
The trickiest part to paint as it requires a lot of patience. Again, using a lighter color than the basecoat, I started drawing small zig zag patterns (fishbone). Easiest part to start with would be the pocket and then the collar. By the time you finish with them, you should have the motion in your hand to dfinish the rest of the vest.
Once the pattern is drawn, you can add the shades. Again, I used Citadel Yellow Glaze to which I added more and more Seraphim Sepia Shade with more and more Lahmian Medium. Carefully apply the layers to the bottom of the creases as shades.
When I was done with the shading, I used a lighter tone of yellow (than I used on the fishbone pattern) and carefully added highlights to the creases. Don't use lines on the highlights in this case. Apply small dots (to mimic the light reflection off the weave).
The backside of the vest usually doesn't have the pattern, so to the basecoat I just applied lighter dots using stippling method. The shading was done as with the front part of the vest.
I recently was approached by the Historical Museum of Oslo to make three miniature dioramas for their exhibition MUMMY - a display of ancient Egyptian artefacts and mummies. Their requirements were that each of the three dioramas would portray a part of the life of one of the mummies from the exhibition, Dismut, a temple guardian’s daughter. Her Life, her Death and her Afterlife. In addition, they gave the maximum size of the display. This left me a lot of freedom for interpretation and to make the dioramas in my own way and style. In this article I’ll take you through part of my process for developing the three concepts. For a more detailed breakdown of the steps it took to complete the dioramas, see the videos.
My first focus was on the miniatures required. I searched online 3D-file shops to see what was already available. I knew this would be one of my limitations as there was no time or budget to 3D design all objects and characters required for all three dioramas. I found a pack of ancient Egyptian field workers, and so the Life diorama was created with this pack in mind - a tranquil scene by the Nile River, with workers harvesting wheat as Dismut observes from a higher vantage point. This diorama was also an opportunity to include some of the animals featured in the exhibition, so I found a cat and a mouse STL (and later a crocodile as well). As Dismut is not a famous pharaoh, there were obviously no STLs available of her, so I commissioned two 3D sculpts of her, giving me the chance to have her in the exact positions I needed for Life and Afterlife. In Death she would only appear as a mummified figure, easily available online.
I wanted the diorama to read from left to right, as the three dioramas would be displayed one next to the other, so as well as reading the specific Life diorama from left to right, I also wanted the entire display of all three dioramas to lead from left to right. I decided that from left to right the dioramas would also go from light to dark, Life being the lightest in tone and colour and Afterlife the darkest, reflecting the dioramas’ subjects. I decided on the scale for the entire display, around 50mm for humans, as this would be small enough to fit all the elements I needed, but large enough to fill up the dioramas with the amount of elements I found as STL’s and save me some time on not having to paint too many tiny details. I adjusted all STL’s to this scale, and found some realistic wheat plants online at the correct scale as well. And so the concept sketch for the Life diorama came together.
I knew that the Death diorama would be a burial ritual underground. I found a STL pack of several of the objects found in Tutankhamun’s grave, a burial ritual STL pack with two workers carrying a mummy and an ancient Egyptian priest. This would give me the scene. As the dioramas were going to have to be made as cubes, closed on all sides with walls, except for the front, as opposed to the open dioramas on display bases that we are used to, a part of planning each scene was also figuring out how to make the two sides and back panel a natural part of the dioramas. In Life this was an impossible task as no outdoor area is a cube, but I decided on making each side a rocky cliff and hoping the illusion of the scene would make the unaturally geometrical shape of the landscape become less visible. For Death my solution was a roller with Egyptian hieroglyphs. With this I could fill out each wall with historically accurate symbols and this way create interest in the surroundings of the scene as well. And for Afterlife, as this is already a “supernatural” scene, the walls would be bricks, extending the typical art found in Egyptian tombs portraying the Egyptian afterlife of Duat, into a 3D space. Generally I found a lot of inspiration and direction for this entire project from ancient Egyptian art and wall paintings.
The Afterlife diorama would have to have an Osiris character, the Egyptian God of the Dead, overseeing Dismut’s journey to Duat. As all STLs I could find of him had warrior poses, I instead commissioned a seated Osiris figure, as well as the scale that would measure Dismut’s heart against a feather, and thus if she is worthy of the Afterlife. I found a STL of Thoth, taking notes, and thought it suitable for the God judging the dead - in this case Dismut.
After the concepts were approved by the museum, so started a several months long process of getting the MDF walls for the cubes, cutting, carving and gluing XPS foam at the correct angles, sizes and shapes, painting around 40 miniature characters and objects, with airbrush and brush, creating and painting the landscapes, pouring epoxy resin for the Nile River as well as many other smaller and larger tasks. Of the many ideas that came during the making of the dioramas (not reflected in the concept sketches), one that I think especially contributed to the overall look of the final display, was the fact that I decided that each diorama would have its own main colour. Yellow for Life, sun and desert, Red for Death, underground an earthy, and Blue for Afterlife, cold and melancholic. This would differentiate the dioramas from each other even when being viewed from a distance, as well as give a natural progression from warm to cold, another way to add contrast and make the dioramas read in my preferred direction, from left to right. This was achieved most obviously through the choice of oil colours used to shade the three dioramas. Apart from that, the acrylic paints chosen are the same for all three dioramas, giving a cohesion of colour as well as being based on the available pigments they would have had at the time in Ancient Egypt - mineral pigments like lapis lazuli, red and ochre, soot for black, copper compounds for blue and green and synthetic pigments like Egyptian blue.
The final result is displayed here and will also be on display at Oslo’s Historical Museum for the foreseeable future. If you visit the city, make sure to stop by and have a look at the final display.
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Nedavno me kontaktirao Povijesni muzej u Oslu da izradim tri minijaturne diorame za njihovu izložbu MUMIJA - prikaz drevnih egipatskih artefakata i mumija. Njihovi zahtjevi bili su da svaka od tri diorame prikazuje dio života jedne od mumija s izložbe, Dismut, kćeri čuvara hrama. Njezin život, smrt i zagrobni život. Osim toga, dali su maksimalnu veličinu prikaza. To mi je ostavilo puno slobode za interpretaciju i izradu diorama na moj vlastiti način i stil. U ovom članku provest ću vas kroz dio svog procesa razvoja triju koncepata. Za detaljniji pregled koraka potrebnih za dovršetak diorama pogledajte videozapise.
Moj prvi fokus bio je na potrebnim minijaturama. Pretražio sam online trgovine s 3D datotekama kako bih vidio što je već dostupno. Znao sam da će to biti jedno od mojih ograničenja jer nije bilo vremena ni proračuna za 3D dizajn svih predmeta i likova potrebnih za sve tri diorame. Pronašao sam skupinu drevnih egipatskih poljskih radnika, pa je diorama Život nastala imajući tu skupinu na umu - mirna scena uz rijeku Nil, s radnicima koji žanju pšenicu dok Dismut promatra s više točke. Ova diorama bila je i prilika za uključivanje nekih životinja predstavljenih na izložbi, pa sam pronašao mačku i miša u STL-u (a kasnije i krokodila). Budući da Dismut nije poznati faraon, očito nije bilo dostupnih STL-ova za nju, pa sam naručio dvije 3D skulpture, što mi je dalo priliku da je imam u točnim položajima koji su mi bili potrebni za Život i Zagrobni život. U Smrti bi se pojavila samo kao mumificirana figura, lako dostupna online.
Želio sam da se diorama čita slijeva nadesno, budući da bi se tri diorame prikazale jedna pored druge, pa sam, osim što se specifična diorama Života čita slijeva nadesno, također želio da cijeli prikaz sve tri diorame ide slijeva nadesno. Odlučio sam da će diorame slijeva nadesno ići od svijetlog prema tamnom, pri čemu će Život biti najsvjetliji po tonu i boji, a Zagrobni život najtamniji, odražavajući subjekte diorama. Odlučio sam se za mjerilo za cijeli prikaz, oko 50 mm za ljude, jer bi to bilo dovoljno malo da stanu svi potrebni elementi, ali dovoljno veliko da ispuni diorame količinom elemenata koje sam pronašao kao STL-ove i uštedi mi vrijeme jer ne bih morao slikati previše sitnih detalja. Prilagodio sam sve STL-ove ovom mjerilu i pronašao sam neke realistične biljke pšenice na internetu u ispravnom mjerilu. I tako je nastala konceptualna skica za dioramu Života.
Znao sam da će diorama Smrt biti pogrebni ritual pod zemljom. Pronašao sam STL paket nekoliko predmeta pronađenih u Tutankamonovoj grobnici, STL paket pogrebnog rituala s dva radnika koji nose mumiju i drevnim egipatskim svećenikom. To bi mi dalo scenu. Budući da su diorame morale biti izrađene kao kocke, zatvorene sa svih strana zidovima, osim sprijeda, za razliku od otvorenih diorama na izložbenim postoljima na koje smo navikli, dio planiranja svake scene bio je i smišljanje kako učiniti dvije strane i stražnju ploču prirodnim dijelom diorama. U filmu Život to je bio nemoguć zadatak jer nijedno vanjsko područje nije kocka, ali odlučio sam svaku stranu napraviti kao stjenovitu liticu i nadao se da će iluzija scene učiniti neprirodno geometrijski oblik krajolika manje vidljivim. Za Smrt moje rješenje bio je valjak s egipatskim hijeroglifima. S tim sam mogao ispuniti svaki zid povijesno točnim simbolima i na taj način stvoriti interes i za okolinu scene. A za Zagrobni život, budući da je ovo već „natprirodna“ scena, zidovi bi bili od cigli, proširujući tipičnu umjetnost pronađenu u egipatskim grobnicama koje prikazuju egipatski zagrobni život Duata u 3D prostor. Općenito sam pronašao mnogo inspiracije i smjernica za cijeli ovaj projekt u drevnoj egipatskoj umjetnosti i zidnim slikama.
Diorama zagrobnog života morala bi imati lik Ozirisa, egipatskog boga mrtvih, koji nadgleda Dismutovo putovanje u Duat. Budući da su svi STL-ovi koje sam mogao pronaći o njemu imali ratničke poze, umjesto toga sam naručio sjedeću figuru Ozirisa, kao i vagu koja bi mjerila Dismutovo srce u odnosu na pero, te time utvrdila je li dostojna zagrobnog života. Pronašao sam STL Thotha, bilježio i smatrao sam da je prikladan za Boga koji sudi mrtvima - u ovom slučaju Dismuta.
Nakon što je muzej odobrio koncepte, započeo je višemjesečni proces nabave MDF zidova za kocke, rezanja, rezbarenja i lijepljenja XPS pjene pod ispravnim kutovima, veličinama i oblicima, oslikavanja oko 40 minijaturnih likova i predmeta airbrushom i kistom, stvaranja i oslikavanja pejzaža, izlijevanja epoksidne smole za rijeku Nil, kao i mnogih drugih manjih i većih zadataka. Od mnogih ideja koje su se pojavile tijekom izrade diorama (koje nisu odražene u skicama koncepta), jedna za koju mislim da je posebno doprinijela ukupnom izgledu konačnog prikaza bila je činjenica da sam odlučio da će svaka diorama imati svoju glavnu boju. Žuta za život, sunce i pustinju, crvena za smrt, podzemlje i zemljanost, a plava za zagrobni život, hladnu i melankoličnu. To bi razlikovalo diorame jednu od druge čak i kada se gledaju iz daljine, kao i dalo prirodan prijelaz od toplog prema hladnom, još jedan način dodavanja kontrasta i da se diorame čitaju u mom željenom smjeru, slijeva nadesno. To je najočitije postignuto odabirom uljanih boja korištenih za sjenčanje triju diorama. Osim toga, akrilne boje odabrane su iste za sve tri diorame, što daje koheziju boja, a ujedno se temelji na dostupnim pigmentima koje su imali u to vrijeme u drevnom Egiptu - mineralni pigmenti poput lapis lazulija, crvene i oker boje, čađa za crnu, spojevi bakra za plavu i zelenu te sintetički pigmenti poput egipatske plave.
Konačni rezultat je ovdje izložen i bit će izložen u Povijesnom muzeju u Oslu u doglednoj budućnosti. Ako posjetite grad, svakako navratite i pogledajte konačni postav.
On 09-10.05.2026. we held a new weekend miniature painting workshop. This time it was the turn of a dwarf in 75mm scale.
The workshop was held over two days (a whole weekend) and the participants painted a 75mm miniature dwarf. The focus of these lectures was painting various textures - metal, human skin, textiles and leather. Water-based acrylic paints were used in the workshop. For this purpose, the workshop leader, Ivan Knezović, chose a 75mm miniature dwarf from Durgin Paint Forge, sculpted by Carlos Perez Bugedo. The lectures were adapted so that the leader devotes equal time to all participants and can be adapted to all categories of miniaturists (from beginners to slightly more advanced).
The workshop took place as follows:
First, the lecturer sits at his desk and explains and demonstrates each step in painting a miniature/model on his specimen. His work is displayed on a screen via a camera and projector, which the participants listen to, watch, and ask questions about.
Then, the participants sit at their desks and apply the knowledge they have gained. The facilitator circulates among the participants and checks how each participant is doing. This way, he or she can adapt to each participant individually.
The workshop will include the following thematic units:
1. NMM (Non metallic metal)
2. Reflections of ambient colors on metal
3. Steel / gold
4. Face painting (male)
5. Adding vibrancy to the face (filters)
6. Extracting textures from fabric, metal and leather
09-10.05.2026. smo održali novu vikend Radionicu bojanja minijatura. Ovoga puta na redu je bio patuljak u 75mm mjerilu.
Radionica se provodila kroz dva dana (cijeli vikend) i polaznici su bojali 75mm minijaturu patuljka. Fokus ovih predavanja bilo je bojenje raznih tekstura – od metala, ljudske kože, tekstila i kože (leather). U sklopu radionice korištene su akrilne boje na bazi vode. U tu svrhu, voditelj radionice, Ivan Knezović, izabrao je 75 mm minijaturu patuljka tvrtke Durgin Paint Forge, koju je sculptao Carlos Perez Bugedo. Predavanja su prilagođena tako da voditelj posveti jednako vrijeme svim polaznicima i može se prilagoditi svim kategorijama minijaturista (od početnika do malo naprednijih).
Radionica se odvijala na sljedeći način:
Prvo, predavač sjedi za svojim stolom te objašnjava i demonstrira pojedini korak u bojanju minijature/makete na svojem primjerku. Njegov rad se preko kamere i projektora prikazuje na platnu što polaznici slušaju, gledaju, ali i postavljaju pitanja.
Potom, polaznici sjedaju za svoje stolove i primjenjuju stečeno znanje. Voditelj kruži između polaznika i provjerava kako svakom polazniku ide. Na taj način, može se prilagoditi svakom polazniku ponaosob.
Radionica će uključivati sljedeće tematske cjeline:
1. NMM (Non metallic metal)
2. Refleksije boja iz okoline na metalu
3. Čelik / zlato
4. Bojanje lica (muškog)
5. Dodavanje živosti na lice (filteri)
6. Izvlačenje tekstura tkanine, metala i kože (leather)
On May 16, 2026, we participated in the international plastic model making competition KupKA held at the Museum of the Homeland War in Karlovac.
The competition was organized by the Slavoljub Penkala Modeling Club from Zagreb.
Thanks to the organizer for an interesting competition, to the judges for some medals, and especially to my colleagues from the Maketarski Club Novi Sad - IPMS Serbia for the medal!
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16. svibnja 2026. sudjelovali smo na međunarodnom natjecanju u plastičnom maketarstvu KupKA održanom u Muzeju domovinskog rata u Karlovcu.
Natjecanje je organizirao Maketarski klub Slavoljub Penkala iz Zagreba
Hvala organizatoru na zanimljivom natjecanju, sucima na ponešto medalja, a pogotovo kolegama iz Maketarskog Kluba Novi Sad - IPMS Srbija na medalji!
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In May 2026 we held our Back To Basics miniature painting workshops for the youngest in Gallery VN.
The workshops were completely FREE for all participants!
The Back to Basics method is a method of making models and miniatures that focuses on a fun process intended for younger ages, but everyone is welcome! In three separate sessions on Thursdays, participants (aged 7+) painted miniatures of their choice (knight, princess, king, wizard and barbarian).
1st session: Painting miniatures of choice, Thursday, 07.05. - from 18:00 to 19:00
2nd session: Painting a miniature of your choice, Thursday, 14.05. - from 18:00 to 19:00
3rd session: Painting a miniature of your choice, Thursday, 21.05. - from 18:00 to 19:00
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U svibnju 2026. održali smo naše Back To Basics radionice za najmlađe u Galeriji i čitaonici VN.
Radionice su bile BESPLATNE za sve polaznike!
Back to Basics metoda je metoda izrade maketa i minijatura kojoj je fokus na zabavnom procesu namjenjenom mlađim uzrastima, ali svi su dobrodošli! U tri zasebna termina četvrtkom, polaznici (od 7+) su bojali minijature po izboru (vitez, princeza, kralj, čarobnjak i barbarin).
1. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 07.05. - od 18:00 do 19:00
2. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 14.05. - od 18:00 do 19:00
3. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 21.05. - od 18:00 do 19:00
