What order should you paint a miniature in?

Clean and assemble, prime, base coat, wash, layer, highlight, varnish, then base. Each stage depends on the one before it: the wash needs dry base coats to sink into, the layers need a dry wash underneath or they reactivate it, and the varnish needs every painted stage finished because it locks the paint down. The checklist generator always returns the stages in that order, however you tick them, and marks the waiting steps where handling the model early costs you paint. The one deliberate exception is texture on the base: if you want it under the paint, do the basing stage before priming instead.

How many coats of primer does a miniature need?

Two thin coats is the usual answer, and it is what the generator defaults to. One coat works when you only need a key for the paint, such as a light plastic model that is already the colour you want underneath. Three coats are for covering dark plastic or resin, or changing a model's colour completely, and they are still worth spraying thin: the point of priming is grip, not coverage, and thick primer fills the detail you cleaned up in the first stage. Follow the primer's own recoat and cure times rather than a fixed schedule; cans differ, and the label is the authority.

Should you varnish before or after basing?

Varnish before basing, which is the order this checklist uses. Spray varnish flattens static grass tufts and dulls the sand you just glued down, and the rim of the base is easier to paint neatly once nothing else is going to be sprayed over it. The exception is a model with texture applied before priming: in that case the texture is already under the paint and gets varnished with everything else, so the basing steps you run afterwards are only the tufts and the rim.

What is the difference between layering and highlighting?

Layering builds the mid-tone in successive passes over the raised areas, each one a little lighter than the last, so the change from shadow to light is spread over several steps. Highlighting is the final, brightest pass and it covers far less: the top faces, the ridge of a cloak, the sharp edges. Both belong in a plan, and layering comes first because it is what the highlight sits on. The generator counts them as separate stages, so you can run layering without an edge highlight and still get a finished model.

Can you use one checklist for a whole batch of models?

Yes, and that is what the batch size is for. Enter the number of models once and every step you would repeat per model is labelled with it. Work one step across the whole batch before moving to the next step, so the 20 to 30 minutes a wash needs to dry on model one is spent washing model two. A batch of ten models does not take ten times as long as one, and the waiting steps in the checklist are the points where that saving is won. Batches above fifty models are better split, because the drying steps start to work against you.

Does the generator send or store your painting plan?

No. The checklist is built by JavaScript in this page from the options you tick, and the download is written by your own browser as a text file. There is no account, no upload, no analytics event carrying your plan and nothing written into the page URL, so reloading the page returns the defaults. Close the tab and the plan is gone, which is why the copy and download buttons exist.

Miniature Painting Checklist Generator: Step-by-Step Plan

How the miniature painting checklist generator works

Tick the stages you are painting. Cleaning and assembly, priming, base coats, washes, layering, highlights, varnish and basing are all switched on to start with. Clear the ones you are skipping — a model you are only re-varnishing does not need a priming step.
Set the batch and the standard. The model count is written into every step you repeat per model, and the standard decides how many base coats and layer passes are worth doing: two of each at tabletop, three and four at display standard.
Fill in the technique parameters. Primer type and coats, wash dilution, highlight methods, varnish finish and coats, and how you are finishing the bases. Each choice changes the wording and the numbers in the matching steps.
Take the checklist with you. Print it for the bench, copy it into your notes or download it as a text file. Nothing is uploaded, stored or added to the page URL.

The eight stages, in the order they run

Stage	What it is for	Key numbers
Cleaning and assembly	Wash off the release agent, remove mould lines, fill gaps and assemble the model.	Grit per paint or primer guidance; pin gauge matched to the part
Priming	Give the paint something to grip, in thin coats that do not fill the detail.	Distance, pressure and recoat times from the primer's instructions
Base coats	Block in the mid-tone of every colour across the whole batch.	2 thin coats at tabletop, 3 at display standard
Washes	Push shade into the recesses to separate the shapes before you layer.	Dilution and dry time from the wash product's instructions
Layering	Build the mid-tones up in progressively lighter passes on the raised areas.	2 layers at tabletop, 4 at display standard
Highlights	Catch the top faces and the sharp edges with the brightest tone.	Size 0-00 brush for edges; drybrush wiped almost dry
Varnish	Lock the paint down so handling and transport do not rub it off.	Light coats; distance and cure time per the varnish label
Basing	Finish the base so the model reads as one piece on the table.	Texture or sand plus a painted rim; 30-60 minutes of drying

What the result tells you

The checklist is numbered from one to the end so you can work straight down it, and each stage keeps its own group so you can find the wash step again on the second evening. Steps marked as waiting or drying are real steps: they are the points where handling the model early costs you paint, so they are worth ticking off like any other.

The summary counts the total steps, how many are hands-on and how many are waiting. A batch of ten models does not take ten times as long as one, because you repeat a step across the whole batch before moving on — the checklist is written in that order so the drying time on model one is spent painting model two.

Worked example

Five plastic miniatures, tabletop standard, rattle-can primer, a neat wash straight from the pot, layered and edge highlights, one matte varnish coat and texture paint on the bases. The generator returns 22 steps: wash the models, remove mould lines, fill the gaps, let the filler cure, assemble and pin, then two thin primer coats following the can's recoat and cure times. Two base coats per colour, one neat wash with the pools wicked out, two layer passes where each pass leaves part of the previous tone visible (roughly two thirds, then one third with this plan), a final layered highlight plus an edge highlight pass, one matte varnish coat cured per its label, then texture paint, its stated drying time and a drybrushed base with a flat dark rim. The timings you see in the generated checklist point back to the products you are using rather than pretending one schedule fits every resin, primer or paint.

What this generator does not do

It does not know your paints, resin, primer or putty. Thinning ratios, cure times, grits and pin sizes are left to the instructions for the products you are using; the checklist only organises the workflow and repeats the choices you made. Where a hobby range appears, it is an example, not a universal rule.
It cannot see your model, so it does not pick colours, do colour theory or judge a paint job. You choose the colours and the standard.
It does not order the work around your drying times. The sequence is the paint-safe one, varnish before basing; if you want texture under the paint, move the basing step before the priming step yourself.
The timings are working ranges, not measurements. A cold room, a humid day or a thick coat will all stretch them.
It never uploads, stores or emails your plan. The checklist is built in this page, in your browser, and the download is written by your own device.

Frequently asked questions

What order should you paint a miniature in?: Clean and assemble, prime, base coat, wash, layer, highlight, varnish, then base. Each stage depends on the one before it: the wash needs dry base coats to sink into, the layers need a dry wash underneath or they reactivate it, and the varnish needs every painted stage finished because it locks the paint down. The checklist generator always returns the stages in that order, however you tick them, and marks the waiting steps where handling the model early costs you paint. The one deliberate exception is texture on the base: if you want it under the paint, do the basing stage before priming instead.
How many coats of primer does a miniature need?: Two thin coats is the usual answer, and it is what the generator defaults to. One coat works when you only need a key for the paint, such as a light plastic model that is already the colour you want underneath. Three coats are for covering dark plastic or resin, or changing a model's colour completely, and they are still worth spraying thin: the point of priming is grip, not coverage, and thick primer fills the detail you cleaned up in the first stage. Follow the primer's own recoat and cure times rather than a fixed schedule; cans differ, and the label is the authority.
Should you varnish before or after basing?: Varnish before basing, which is the order this checklist uses. Spray varnish flattens static grass tufts and dulls the sand you just glued down, and the rim of the base is easier to paint neatly once nothing else is going to be sprayed over it. The exception is a model with texture applied before priming: in that case the texture is already under the paint and gets varnished with everything else, so the basing steps you run afterwards are only the tufts and the rim.
What is the difference between layering and highlighting?: Layering builds the mid-tone in successive passes over the raised areas, each one a little lighter than the last, so the change from shadow to light is spread over several steps. Highlighting is the final, brightest pass and it covers far less: the top faces, the ridge of a cloak, the sharp edges. Both belong in a plan, and layering comes first because it is what the highlight sits on. The generator counts them as separate stages, so you can run layering without an edge highlight and still get a finished model.
Can you use one checklist for a whole batch of models?: Yes, and that is what the batch size is for. Enter the number of models once and every step you would repeat per model is labelled with it. Work one step across the whole batch before moving to the next step, so the 20 to 30 minutes a wash needs to dry on model one is spent washing model two. A batch of ten models does not take ten times as long as one, and the waiting steps in the checklist are the points where that saving is won. Batches above fifty models are better split, because the drying steps start to work against you.
Does the generator send or store your painting plan?: No. The checklist is built by JavaScript in this page from the options you tick, and the download is written by your own browser as a text file. There is no account, no upload, no analytics event carrying your plan and nothing written into the page URL, so reloading the page returns the defaults. Close the tab and the plan is gone, which is why the copy and download buttons exist.

Keep going

Every stage in this checklist has a matching tutorial on the site, with the technique behind the numbers rather than just the order to do them in.

Read the miniature painting tutorials

Miniature Painting Checklist Generator

Your painting checklist

Cleaning and assembly

Wash the models before you paint

Remove mould lines and flash

Fill the gaps

Let the filler cure

Assemble and pin the heavy parts

Priming

Spray 2 thin primer coats

Let the primer flash off

Base coats

Block in the base colours in 2 thin coats

Let the base coats dry

Washes

Recess shade with the wash straight from the pot

Let the wash dry completely

Layering

Layer 1 of 2

Layer 2 of 2

Check the blend before you seal it

Highlights

Paint the final layered highlight

Edge highlight the sharp edges

Tidy the highlights

Varnish

Varnish in 1 light coat

Let the varnish cure before you pack the models away

Basing

Spread the texture paint over the base

Let the texture dry

Drybrush the base and paint the rim