right|thumb|The assembly and painting of models is a major aspect of the hobby of miniature wargaming.
Figure painting, or miniature painting, is the hobby of painting miniature figures and/or model figures, either as a standalone activity or as a part of another activity that uses models, such as role-playing games, wargames, or military modeling.
In addition to the painting of models, the creation of scenic basing for the model to be affixed to is also an important part of the hobby (although not all figure painters are concerned about the basing of their models). These can range from very simple applications of textured pastes, grit, and static grass for gaming bases, to larger scenic bases for display models, and even full dioramas depicting a scene of a single model or a group of models together in tableau to create a story in one moment. It can also include aspects of sculpting, for the purpose of creating additional details for models and bases, as a means of customizing the model to make them more unique, or to create entirely scratch built models for painting. Many figure painters also paint scale busts as part of the hobby, often in bigger scales than figures with a higher level of detail, and display bases and backdrops for them.
As figure painting has grown in size and popularity as a hobby independent of miniature gaming the techniques and methods involved have been developed to advanced standards. Many online forums and online galleries have been created as places for figure painters to share their display and competition pieces for others to view and vote on, such as CoolMiniOrNot and Putty & Paint, as well as figure painting conventions or figure painting events at larger tabletop gaming conventions.
Models
thumb|This model of a [[crossbowman has a detailed coat of paint]]
The models used for figure painting can vary greatly in materials, genres, subject matter, and style. These differences often relate to the production intention, whether the models are made purely with gaming in mind (gaming models), purely with painting and display in mind (display models), or gaming models made with consideration for painters.
Materials
Originally, all scale models produced were made of metal. Early models, produced for miniature wargames such as H. G. Wells Little Wars, were hollow cast and made from lead. These were not made with painting as a consideration, although could be painted to help distinguish forces and armies at a glance. Models continued to be made from metal for many decades, with the models produced by Jack Scruby, credited for the rebirth of the miniature wargaming hobby in the 1950s, being made from type metal. These would be hand sculpted in clays then cast into a mold to be used to produce copies.
Models continued to be made from lead-based white metal alloys until the early 90s. In 1993 the New York legislature banned the use of lead in miniatures following health concerns, so many model manufacturers began casting in lead-free white metal alloys as there was a widespread concern that other states would introduce similar regulations, often at higher prices. Although the legislation was eventually changed to exempt miniatures, many manufacturers continued to use the lead-free metals. As this became more widespread more manufacturers began moving away from lead metals, with lead being rarely used anymore.
Models produced in metal had limitations. The price and density of metal made producing larger models both cost and weight prohibitive. For the production of larger models sometimes parts would be cast in injection molded plastic, such as the wings of a large dragon, so that the model could stand without the need for support or risk of breaking under their own weight.
Once plastic had been introduced to miniature production, it started to become more widespread. Manufacturers began to produce models entirely in plastics as a cheaper alternative to metal. Early plastic models often lacked well defined details as the softer plastics used, such as soft PVC, held details less easily and the casting processes were less successful than the established metal casting process. For this reason metal models were, for a long time, considered superior to early plastic models.
As the casting process was refined and newer plastics were introduced the details that could be cast in plastic improved. Plastic models started to become much more common, being produced to high levels of details and sold as equivalent quality or superior quality premium product compared to metal. Many companies now produce all or the majority of their models in high quality plastics, often polystyrene. With the increase in production of plastic models the models produced could be made increasingly larger and with more details. Whilst hand sculpting a master to then cast a mold is still a common practice, it is becoming increasingly common for models to be digitally sculpted and a master 3D printed to then cast the molds from. This has greatly increased the quality of details that can be sculpted, as finer details can be included. For these higher levels of detail, plastic models have become more popular for higher standards of painting, as well as plastic models being less susceptible to flashing or casting imperfections and requiring less preparations before painting. Plastic models also allow for more options in the pose of the models as they are often sold on the sprue in pieces to be assembled, rather than a single piece of cast material. This allows for the kit to include multiple parts, as plastic is significantly cheaper than metal, that can fit together to allow multiple different variations of the model to be built, for example a kit might provide multiple different weapon options.
Despite this, metal models are still widely and commonly available as plastic casting is more cost prohibitive for smaller manufacturers.
Genre, subject and style
Models are produced in almost every genre. Due to the prominent links of production to miniature wargames the most common genres that models are made in are fantasy, sci-fi, and historical/military. The connection to wargames also means that a majority of models available are single characters (sold individually or in unit sets) in offensive or defensive poses. Within the broad genres, there is still large variation in the models produced by different manufacturers or even by the same manufacturer in different lines. For example, Games Workshop produces models for Age of Sigmar and Middle Earth SBG, both of which are fantasy settings, however the style and aesthetic of the dark fantasy Age of Sigmar is very visually distinct from the high fantasy Middle Earth SBG.
Models produced for gaming can either be generic figures or specific variations on common tropes unique to a manufacturer, for example a generic goblin figure or a licensed model sculpted to fit the unique Pathfinder goblin design. Manufacturers also often have a specific house style or aesthetic for models they produce across all lines as part of their visual identity, so models are easily recognized.
Outside of gaming models, models can vary even further. Often models are sculpted with similar subject matter, many being produced depicting sci-fi, fantasy, or historical characters in combat stances, however the restriction of models needing to fit a game's style, setting, or scale do not exist for non-gaming models. As such, the range of genres and subjects is wider, including models of prominent non-military historical figures, figures of contemporary individuals, licensed figures of media characters, or original characters in different settings and scenarios. It is also common for display models to be sculpted as depicting a snapshot moment to tell a narrative story in tableau. As such, display models are often sculpted with a more realistic style.
It is also common for models not to depict human or humanoid characters. Many gaming systems include rules for using vehicles, such as aircraft or tanks, or mechs so there are many available gaming figures to represent these in gameplay. There are also companies that make scale kits of vehicles such as aircraft or tanks as standalone models rather than gaming pieces, such as Airfix models, however there is often a distinction made between those who paint such kits (scale modellers) and figure painters. It is also common for both gaming models and display models to depict mundane animals and fantasy creatures, either as single models or as part of a diorama set.
Some companies also produce detailed scale busts for display and competition painting. As a subset of display models, these can vary just as widely in subject and setting.
Model sizes
Models come in a variety of different scales. The size of full body figures is commonly given in millimeters, although the stated size of the models is not always accurate due to scale-creep, where over time models have become larger whilst still being called the same scale. For example, Games Workshop models are still stated as being 28mm scale, however over years of production the size has crept up and they're now closer to 32mm scale. The size of busts is almost exclusively given as a ratio scale rather than in millimeters.
The most commonly found full model scale is 28mm scale as this is the most common scale used by gaming companies in recent years, although these models can be closer to 32mm scale or even 35mm scale due to scale-creep. Additional to scale-creep, often models that are sold and marketed as being a 28mm scale have anatomical features such as hands and heads that are out of proportion with the rest of the model. Originally a result of limitations fine details in metal, this is commonly done as a stylistic choice to create a more imposing or impressive looking character, referred to as "heroic" scale. Models made to be exactly in scale are referred to as "true" scale. Heroic scale and scale-creep are more common in sci-fi and fantasy models than historical or military war game models, although true scale models can still sometimes suffer from heroic proportions.
Other common scales for models are 54mm and 72mm. These provided strong colors, were able to adhere well to the metal models of the time, as well as later plastic models, and the long drying time of 12–24 hours meant they were able to self level to a smooth finish. However, enamel paints also has some properties that many figure painters find undesirable. These include the need for specialist thinners for thinning and brush cleaning, limitations on techniques that can be used compared to other paint types, the long drying time making painting highlights and shadows a longer process, and the requirement to paint outside or in well ventilated areas due to toxic fumes that the paints give off.
Whilst still popular in scale modelling communities, the disadvantages of enamel paints compared to other paint types has caused them to become less popular among figure painters, especially those who paint to advanced standards.
thumb|An artist's paint station, with acrylic paints, brushes and other tools
As acrylic paints began to become more widely available, companies began making acrylic paints that were formulated specifically for figure painting, characterized by being thinner than artist acrylic paints, with more flow, and having higher pigment density and more finely ground pigment than cheaper craft acrylics. These include companies that only make paints and paint related products, such as Acrylicos Vallejo's Model Color and Game Color lines, companies that make paints to supplement gaming model lines, such as Games Workshop's Warhammer Colour paints, and companies that make paints to supplement display model lines, such as Scale75's Scalecolor paints. Thin medium acrylic paints are most common, however some companies also make gel consistency medium based acrylic paints, such as Warcolour paints. The major benefits of acrylic paints over enamel paints are the faster drying time, that acrylics can be thinned with water, that various mediums and additives (e.g. retarders, surfactants, etc.) can be mixed in to assist in painting, that multiple thinned and semi-transparent layers of paint can be used to create blending and effects, and being non-toxic.