• Paint cups
• Cleaning brushes
• Lighting
• Paint table surface
• Alternate painting surface

Listed below are a few simple steps you should take prior to starting any project.

Get 3 small contains, such as cups or baby food jars, and fill each with water. Use one for thinning down paints (for washes), one to clean off metallic paint from brushes, and the third to clean off noon-metallic paint. NEVER use the same water to clean off metallic and non-metallic paints. If you do, you will find that specs of the metallic paint will start appearing all over your miniature as you paint and clean your brushes.

Clean your brushes when finished using them for the day. Use warm water and a little soap. Once you've cleaned them, if you put a little soap on the bristles, you can shape the tip into a nice point for next time. Just rinse the brush in a cup of water prior to using it again.

Always paint in a well lit area. A room that receives natural light is a plus. Colors that look good under one type of light (such as a soft white incandescent bulb) will look different when viewed under another type (such as cool white florescent lights). Try using more than one type of light source at a time. This helps balance out the effect of various bulb types.

Use a large plastic cutting board as your painting surface, instead of your table top. This helps protect your table if you happen to spill paint. Put paper towels over your painting surface. It protects the surface, helps absorb spills, and works well for wiping excess paint from your brushes (ideal for dry brushing).

Instead of using paper towels as a painting surface, I use a white dish-towel cut or folded to about the size of a keyboard footprint. It's great for quick-drying a brush and quite absorbent. (I'm always tipping my water pot with the long end of my brushes. heehe) - Matthew C.