Keeping a Painting Journal will change how you paint forever
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- Are you struggling to improve your miniature painting skills? Whether you're a tabletop wargamer, historical wargamer, or miniature painter, keeping a painting journal is the game-changing habit you NEED! In this video, I’ll break down why a hobby journal helps you track progress, refine techniques, and master colour schemes-so you can level up your Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Bolt Action, Flames of War, and D&D miniatures like a pro.
Discover how the best painters use painting logs to avoid mistakes, experiment with acrylic paints, contrast paints, washes, dry brushing, and layering techniques, and recreate stunning effects like non-metallic metal (NMM), weathering, and realistic highlights.
Don’t waste time guessing your paint recipes-learn how to document colour mixes for perfect results every time! Whether you're painting Games Workshop miniatures, historical figures, or custom 3D prints, a painting journal will make your workflow more efficient and help you achieve stunning, pro-level tabletop miniatures.
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An Apology: Despite mentioning it in the intro to the video I can't find the article by Henry Hyde that I referenced. I'm convinced I have seen something by Henry on this topic in the last couple of months, but try as I may I can't find it )otherwise I would have put the link in the description as promised😔) . If anyone can find the link, drop it in a reply to this comment and I'll copy it to the description as promised! 😉
Hi Lee if I remember rightly it’s somewhere in Henry’s The Wargaming Compendium book.
A painting journal is an essential tool and a well reccomended addition to any miniature painters arsenal.
Very useful for revisiting old projects or adding new units to an old army and trying to match the colours you used previously.
I’ve been painting minis for about 6 years. I’ve watched 100’s of TH-cam videos to improve my painting. Not one person has mentioned a paint journal until you!!!! I’m surprised I didn’t think of it myself! Thank you! Def food for thought. 😊
That is awesome! Glad you found it a useful idea.
It is strange this never comes up as a topic.
I always start by collecting reference material. I collect period photos, and photos of reneactors. Colour guides if I can find them, and examples of other people's work, all saved in a folder. Then I make a shopping list of all the paints. Then I plan the process, write it down and try it on one figure. Usually I then have to tweek the process and by the time I have finished that, I have a written set of instructions for painting.
A paint journal is a great idea... I painted a small Tyranid force years ago and then recently decided to add some more units to the force. The problem is now trying to match the new with painted old minis. I've pretty much got them close but if I'd written down the original process I wouldn't be trying to guess the exact colours and steps I originally took.
The painting journal is also good for recording how you do the bases. For example when I did bases for my 6mm Wars of the Roses armies I used a base paint, two different drybrush's, then two types of turf/flock and a specific brand/shade of tufts. I also stipulated what % of the base would be covered in foliage. I'd never have remembered how to do that if I hadn't written it down.
I have a collection of scraps of paper - one for each project. A proper journal is a good idea!
My latest technique for painting cavalry is to rest the rider on its horse, spray the complete model with a brown primer. I then remove the rider and prime it in white or grey. The advantage of this method is that there is no paint on the horse where the rider will sit, making the glueing process easier when both fingers are complete.
Never thought of doing a painting journal though coincidentally, I'm currently faced with adding a tank to a unit painted years ago and want to match the colours, so I should've done it long ago. And not just painting but making stuff too, matching glues with materials, other things learned over the years. Will start journaling today!
Any project where you are 'inventing' a set of colours, or a recipe for basing materials, or a method for a particular project...all of it can go in the journal so you can replicate it again years later.
I am a new minatures gamer and you have really helped me along. I will start this now.
An enjoyable episode thank you. A lot of good advice. I have long kept handwritten notes of what paints and mixes I have used on given figures and paint schemes for horses. I have last year started keeping a note of what I have painted and when and what I have spent on the hobby, partly to motivate myself and partly to actually see what I spend in a year, on what and when. Cheers.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for a thought-provoking video. I've been keeping a daily diary now for two decades, which has recorded (amongst other things) what I've painted. But never thought of doing a specific hobby journal with paints used etc. Bit of a schoolboy error really!
I think of my blog and this channel as my 'diary' of my hobby, but for painting specific notes the notebooks are ideal.
I have kept a diary for years, since Covid in 2020 my diary has been on computer , not so much for painting but memories ,good video Lee
Thanks. The main reason I started blogging back in 2009 was as a record of my painting and games. But it was more of a hobby diary rather than a painting journal. Some people have a single tome containing all their painting notes, but I like to use little books for each project. Each to their own, but its a system that works for me.
Yes, a painting journal would have been ideal years ago for me. As essential would be a journal listing the books you already own. I started one when returning home with the third 'interesting book' which I already had.
I prefer to paint separately because I like the saddle and cloth to be as good as I can make it without struggling around legs or getting paint on the either when I paint them.
I think every painter has to approach this in the way that works for them. Certainly opinion seems to be mixed on the pros and cons.
I make a index card for each project. Listed at the top what its for then each line in the card has a block of paint and its number/name and then what parts on the model used for.
Hi Lee another really helpful video. I was writing down painting guides on bits of paper and then could never find them when returning to my figures I finished 2 months before. So I will definitely get myself a small book in the next couple of days 😅
Any size book is fine but good quality paper is essential, especially if you are going to paint swatches into it.
I started a notebook a couple years ago. I even have made changes once I discovered a better color to use for a particular item. I like your idea adding pictures/swatches to your notebook.
I usually paste in a picture as reference because its good for identifying bits of kit on models.
As ever a great episode on a Sunday lunchtime Lee, always look forward to it. Great advice on a painting journal, hoping there’ll be a little batrep with your French retreat from Russia? Take care pal
Thank you Luke. Yes, eventually a game and a batrep will be forthcoming, but that is likely to be several months away. The painting challenge ends mid March but I doubt either me or Ray will have everything finished. We will be getting together soon afterwards for a joint photo, showing off our collective project and at some point we will be getting together to test out the rules. Our goal is to run a big Sharp Practice game in the shed-o-War for the Rejects with multiple players per side.
@ oh I knew it would some way off, but it looks such a good project you’re working on that I was excited for the future lol
You need to keep a notebook of your armies and how you have painted them. In particular the brand and colour used including suppliers and numbers. Also any custom mixes you make and use.
I never thought about the brand of paint...I tend to only use Vallejo but many painters have a broader range of colours to choose from which probably makes remembering what has been used all the harder.
Hi Big Lee! Well said! I STILL have the very first miniature that I ever painted... a Prussian Seven Year's War mounted Dragoon cast by Jack Scruby. It is sitting on top of my computer monitor, where I can see it everyday. It looks like a wounded slug riding a buffalo... but it is a reminder to me that everyone has to start somewhere and how far I have come in my wargaming journey.
Lol. Sadly I don't have the first model I painted. Thinking back it was probably a terrible paint job but I was very proud of it.
I work is MS Publisher and have kept a project record as I called it with photos and text of what I was buying or intrested in mainly. At some point this also turned into a painting guide for the project as well. Don't think a small book would work for me with the amount of information I do on a project as it would be a book per project. Another interesting subject and great video Lee.
I wish I had kept one big painting journal from the beginning, but the small books work for me and are portable.
Still have my blue book from 1990 with all the colours and combinations used in painting my Palmyran and Roman Armies so that they could easily be expanded. It also has all my projects from around that time. Nowadays I use index cards, that stay with the project.
I've got notebooks going back to when I set up my blog, so about 2009. Now and again I'll pull one out and seek inspiration from past projects.
@@MiniatureAdventuresTV 1990 was the first time used acrylics. I am trying to use the book to assist in expanding my 1/300 Iranian and Iraqi forces, but as most of the references are to Citadel and Humbrol acrylics it is difficult to get a match, though I still have some of the original Citadel paints from the paint sets!
Great tip! Just downloaded Paint Rack. Hopefully it’ll keep me from buying duplicates…of which I now have many.
Lol. Its a good app. I had FIVE bottles of Basic Flesh Tone and six bottle of English Uniform when I checked by reserves. I won't need any more of those colours for the rest of my life even if I live to 120!
I use Brushage app on my android phone to keep track of projects and colour palettes.
It also keeps track of how long you've been working on them .
Oooo I've not heard of that app.. I've installed it and will give it a look over. 👍