So you're getting into miniature painting

Vallejo Game Color Introduction Set (16 colors)

Sixteen essential colors in 17ml dropper bottles — way more precise than Citadel pots, and better pigment-to-price ratio across the board. The range covers every base color you need for fantasy and sci-fi painting. Slightly thinner consistency than Citadel means they layer and blend with less effort.

Watch out for: Dropper bottles need a light shake before use — the pigment settles. One drop per brush load; these are concentrated.

Army Painter Wargames Hobby Starter Paint Set

The most beginner-friendly entry in terms of ecosystem — Army Painter sells matching primer, washes, and brushes designed to work together. The paints are solid without being exceptional. If you want a complete, color-matched system for the lowest dollar and don't want to think about compatibility, this is it.

Citadel Base Paint Set

Citadel's base paints are the thickest, most opaque in the range — designed to cover primer in a single coat. If you're following GW tutorials step by step, or if you're in a GW store with staff who can help, this is the native language. Every color is dialed in for one purpose.

Watch out for: The flip-top pots dry out faster than dropper bottles. Keep a wet palette, add a couple drops of water to the pot lid while painting, or decant into dropper bottles.

Army Painter Hobby Starter Brush Set

A purpose-built miniature brush set with sizes specifically chosen for base-coating, detail work, and dry-brushing — not a generic art set repackaged. Synthetic, so they last a reasonable amount of time even with rough treatment. Much better than hardware-store brushes at the same price point.

DUGATO Fine Detail Paint Brush Set (15-pack)

Cheap enough to buy without guilt and run hard while learning technique. Triangular ergonomic handles, a full range of sizes including sizes 0 through 3, and marketed specifically for miniature painting. Good for someone who wants variety before they know which sizes they actually use.

Winsor & Newton Series 7 Miniature Brush (size 1)

The upgrade everyone eventually makes. Kolinsky sable, legendary point retention, holds significantly more paint than synthetics — which means fewer reloads and smoother lines. A single Series 7 size 1 outperforms a set of cheap brushes for detail work. When you're serious, this changes your output.

Watch out for: Buy one to start — figure out which size you actually use most before buying a full set. Most painters land on size 1 or 0 as their workhorse.

Reaper Miniatures Learn to Paint Kit: Core Skills

Three Bones minis, paints chosen for them, brushes, and an illustrated step-by-step guide — all in one box. The most zero-decision way to start. The minis are well-chosen for beginner practice, and the guide is a real walkthrough, not a promotional brochure. Most beginners who start here finish all three minis and immediately want more.

Reaper Denizens of the Dungeon Boxed Set

Ten classic Bones monsters (bugbear, orc, skeleton, gnoll, kobolds, goblins) at a price low enough that ruining one feels inconsequential. The variety of body shapes and equipment gives you different surfaces to practice: robes for soft folds, armor for edge-highlighting, faces for skin tones. The right second purchase after the Learn to Paint Kit.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Spearhead — Stormcast Eternals

Once you've painted 5–10 Reaper minis and want the real thing, Stormcast Eternals are the entry point. Beautifully detailed hard plastic, a strong online community, and a gold-blue color scheme that teaches edge-highlighting and contrast work. More rewarding than Bones when finished.

Watch out for: Multi-part plastic kits require assembly with plastic glue before painting. Don't start here on day one — assemble and prime after you have a few Bones minis under your belt.

Redgrass Games Everlasting Wet Palette (Painter Lite)

The wet palette the entire community recommends. A foam insert saturated with water under hydration paper keeps paint workable for full sessions. You'll use dramatically less paint, mix colors on the fly, and stop finding dried-out puddles at the end of every session. The Painter Lite is the right size for most painting setups.

Watch out for: Change the water and rinse the foam every week — mold grows in stagnant water. Replacement paper packs are cheap and last 20–30 sessions.

Xuron 2175 Maxi-Shear Flush Sprue Cutter

The industry-standard sprue cutter for miniature assembly. The flat-blade design means one side sits flush against the model — you get clean gate removal without the white stress marks you get from side-cutters or scissors. Under $15 and will outlast fifty boxes of minis.

Citadel Shade: Agrax Earthshade

The single most useful pot in any miniature painter's collection. Apply it over a base-coated model and it flows into the recesses, creating instant depth and shadow. Works on leather, skin, wood, stone, and earth tones — anything brown-adjacent. Combine with Nuln Oil (the black equivalent for metal and dark surfaces) and you have two washes that cover 80% of everything you'll ever paint.