The Art of Painting Miniature Flowers and Plants

Have you ever tried painting flowers and plants on miniatures? 

Most mini painters avoid these textures since they are certainly not an easy task. But, after practicing painting flowers on cloaks, I discern it is one special texture detail every mini painter should practice. 

In this guide, I explain how to paint flowers and plants on cloaks the easy way.  

How to Paint Miniature Flowers and Plants

Flowers and Plant textures are eye-catching combinations that add a spring-like bloom to your miniatures, especially when used on miniature bases. 

However, painting miniature flowers and plants is quite different from basing flowers. When basing flowers and plants on minis, you really don’t have to paint them. Get static grass and tuffs or fake flowers and glue them on the miniature base with PVA glue to add flowers and plants to the base. Painting flowers won’t work the same way. 

The tricky part of adding flower and plant details to miniatures is that most minis won’t have any surface, whether on the raised parts or recess areas, to paint these spring-bloom textures, especially if you have a small model to work with. 

Of course, you might come across models like Reaper miniature fairies with flower-like designs on their body that requires painting. Still, this is quite rare. 

So, how can you paint flowers when your heroic figures have rarely come with unpainted flower surfaces? The simple answer is to create one. Like most special effects, from glows to snow, mud, rust, and corrosion, consider the theme you want for your models and find a surface to paint them. 

If you’ve never painted floral patterns or plants on your miniatures, do a quick search on Google to understand how real flowers are before starting. Regardless, painting flowers and plants follow the same process. The only significant difference between both is their colors. 

On that note, don’t assume that flowers and plants have green colors. Most plants do, but this is not the same with flowers. You don’t have to use green color to replicate realistic plants and flowers.

When choosing your preferred color scheme, ensure the paint blends in with the basecoat color and the other colors you used on the model for effective color contrast. 

Techniques for Painting Miniature Flowers and Plants

• Step 1: Apply Basecoat

For this step, I do two basecoat layers with Citadel’s Nocturne Green on a Cloak. Then, allow it dry before painting the flower/plant. 

• Step 2: Outline the Shape of the Flower/Plant

Next, I use the Citadel’s Lauren Forest to create a nice little outline of the flower petals on the cloak. When you do this, make sure to use the paint thinly and brush at a downward angle. 

Flowers have really small details on them. So, take your time doing this step. Like natural flowers, outline the petals so that they revolve around a small circle at the center. 

• Step 3: Add Highlights

To highlight the petals, consider using a striking green color similar to Citadel’s Straken Green shade. For this step, use your small paintbrush and highlight over the Lauren Forest. Make sure to thin your paint before adding highlights. 

• Step 4: Paint the Center Circle Black

After highlighting the petals, move on to the center of the flower. Here, I apply small amounts of Vallejo’s Black paint, but any black acrylic will do this trick. This step adds a little bit more depth and realism to the painted flowers. 

• Step 5: Add another Highlight to the Outline of Your Petals (Optional)

Here, we mix Citadel’s Wraithbone with the Straken Green shade to enhance the outline of the petals so that it looks real. For this step, you want to get the overlapping outline looking right between each petal. So, practice a bit on an old model to ensure you get the mixture right before using it on the cloak. Do at least three layers on the outline. 

• Step 6: Blend 

As a final step, I thin down the Wraithbone mixed with Straken Green and use it to blend the innermost part of the petal’s outline for a more realistic effect, and you’re done. 

Conclusion

Painting flowers and plants on heroic miniatures, roleplay, and Warlord figures is easy, even when choosing the freehand over decals. All you need to do is have a clear picture of the flower or plant you want to paint, choose a color scheme that blends with the overall paint scheme, and use the technique above to create realistic painted flower and plant designs on your model.