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The Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy

Welcome to the Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy, the place to learn how to paint your favourite miniatures with regular, in-depth and highly detailed tutorials, painting challenges, courses, give-aways and best of all, a thriving community of amazing Academy Members!

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LATEST TUTORIALS

This Week's Tutorials

Miao Ying in Human Form

Our first video of the week is the highly anticipated Immortal Daughter of the Dragon Emperor, Miao Ying, from Games Workshop’s Warhammer: The Old World.  

In this video, we show you a great way to paint Miao Ying in her magnificent regalia, featuring a detailed look at how to address the various layers of detail without tying yourself in a knot.

 
In this video we show you:
  • A great way of painting Miao Ying’s near-black purple cloak and skirts.
  • What order we recommend you approach the various layers of the miniature so as to make accessing all the details a breeze.
  • How to neatly pick out the delicate trim and designs on the fabrics.
  • An explanation of how to optionally free-hand the swirling designs on the fabric that runs over her shoulders.
  • A great way of painting her porcelain-white skin.
  • How to pick out the small pink gems on her crown and waist.
Miao Ying is a fantastic miniature to paint and perfect for anyone looking to flex their painting muscles. You can see the full video now, and be sure to keep your eyes open for a tutorial on her dragon form coming next week!

Drybrush like a Pro

Our first tutorial of the week takes a look at a fundamental technique that every hobbyist should know – Drybrushing! This is a fantastically useful method of bringing out all the details and textures on your miniatures that takes no time at all to do. However, for the best results, there are some things to know, and in this video, we show you how to achieve a great finish. 
 
In this video we show you:
  • A detailed explanation of what drybrushing is, and clear tuition on how to do it correctly.
  • How to adjust the pressure on your brush to achieve different results, useful for various tasks.
  • What the common mistakes are, and how to avoid them.
  • A look at some more unusual methods of drybrushing, such as how to apply it delicately around fine details.
Drybrushing is a technique that every hobbyist should know and forms a core skill in any painter’s toolkit. You can see the full video now!

New Addition to the DRPA

For a bit of fun, we thought we’d release our taster audio podcast we lovingly titled Episode 0 – Chaos! It of course has zero to do with the faction but more to do with us finding our feet and learning the tools. So join your host Joe who is joined by Dunc and Rog as they navigate their way through the wonderful world of podcasting! 

Our plan is to release an episode every week on a Wednesday for Members to listen to whilst they relax and hobby.

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What is the Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy?

The Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy, or DRPA for short, is a Membership site where you can come and learn to paint your favourite miniatures. Whether you are a beginner or even an experienced miniature painter, the Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy will teach you all the techniques you need to know and give you the confidence to paint any miniature you desire.

Want to know which miniatures we’ve made tutorials for? Then just click the link below!

SEE FULL LIST HERE
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enjoy these sample tutorials

This is just a small taster of the video tutorials we have on the site. We will be adding new, exclusive content every week that can only be found right here for our members. We will be covering all manner of miniatures, techniques and advice, everything to help you improve your painting skills. Check out the full list of videos and a gallery of the tutorials on the site by clicking the link below.

Tutorial of the Month!

Grand Cathay Sky Lantern

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Our mammoth tutorial of the week really ballooned as we went along and is easily the biggest and longest tutorial we have made to date. Fresh from Games Workshop’s new Grand Cathay release for Warhammer: The Old World, The Sky Lantern. This impressive kit is packed with so much detail that we had to break it down into different sections over nearly two weeks!

This miniature looks really complicated and intimidating due to its sheer intricacy. in this video, we tackle the model by breaking it down with this in mind and breaking it into four distinct chapters.

Gondola & Lantern
In this video, we show you a great way to paint the Gondola and followed by the Lantern in the colour scheme of the box art by focusing on the following:

Gondola

  • A clear illustration and breakdown of all the sub-assemblies used throughout the video.
  • How to start painting the complexities of the gondola, featuring what order to tackle details and why.
  • A great way of painting the red armoured hull.
  • How to paint all the metallics, including a weathered and burnished bronze.
  • How to pick out the small details on the structure, including wooden planks and black and white symbols.

Lantern

  • An easy and approachable way of tackling the lantern’s smooth canvas featuring a particular way of applying soft shading.
  • The most efficient way of picking out the complex rope and bronze details.

Crew & Magistrate

With the vehicle complete, we then turn our attention to a great way to paint the Magistrate and crewmen in the colour scheme of the box art by focusing on the following:

Magistrate

  • A great way of painting the Magistrate’s lush, silky clothes.
  • How to achieve a clean white and vibrant yellow.
  • A great way of painting the Magistrate’s skin.
  • How to pick out the priceless gem upon his forehead.


Crewman


How to paint the uniform of the crane gunners featuring the red, blue, and khaki layers.

  • How to work your way through various small details of equipment, such as rope and terracotta pottery.
  • How to paint the smoking flames on the matches.
  • How to paint unique details to particular sculpts, including the champion’s coat and the bird on his arm.
  • A full explanation of the order in which we recommend that you glue together all the sub-assemblies to complete the model.


This is our longest and most detailed painting guide to date, so if you want to paint this model but are worried about the complexities that this might involve, then don’t worry because this video will walk you through every single step.

Check out the gallery below for a sample of our 450+ Tutorials

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FULL PAINTING TUTORIALS

Whether you want to paint a single figure, a vehicle, a monster or even a piece of scenery and not to mention new techniques, you will find an in-depth tutorial here just for you.

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NEW CONTENT EVERY WEEK

Every week we will be adding brand new content for Members only. Whether it's video painting tutorials, blog posts and online painting guides, you can be sure you'll always have something to both help and inspire you.

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WE HAVE A DUNCAN

With over 10 years experience, running painting seminars all around the world and hundreds of video tutorials under his belt, there is no one better to both teach and give you the confidence to achieve the results you've always dreamed of.

£3.99 PER MONTH

That's about the same price as a really nice cup of coffee. Not too bad for expertly produced painting tutorials and tons of inspiration.

MONTHLY PAINTING CHALLENGES

Every month we host a fun painting challenge on our Forum where Academy Members can show off their amazing work and get both inspired and motivated by an amazing community of hobbyists. The winners get an exclusive DRPA Pin badge and an hour online hang out with Duncan where they can ask any questions they want or just simply hang out and paint.

COURSES

The latest addition to the Academy is Courses! Here we host full, in-depth courses that will, over time, cover various, large subjects starting with a full course for beginners - The Fundamentals of Miniature Painting.

MONTHLY GIVE AWAYS

Every month we have a give away for a lucky Academy Member. Prizes in the past have ranged from an amazing core sets like Leviathan to an Airbrush from Harder and Steenbeck.

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Here's what our Members have to say

I’ve been a member almost since day one and it’s one of the best places I’ve found for painting videos. Not only are the videos brilliant for breaking down the stages and how to paint minis but they are brilliant fun. I’ve been painting models for a few years and found the Fundamentals of Miniature Painting course to be really useful. The videos covering concepts like creating custom paint schemes or kitbashing armies have really helped me alot. The basing videos have also been extremely useful. All this for the price of a coffee, it’s insanely good value!
Stephen
Stephen
I've been a member for a few months, and I feel that DRPA has helped immensely in my painting journey. There have been so many inspirational videos to follow, of multiple techniques and miniatures. It's really helped me to focus practising getting techniques under my belt, even those that I see on other channels - using Duncan's approach has given me a much better handle on everything, from basic elements to complex techniques. Thanks for all your work, it's really great.
Bernard
Bernard
"Normally when I start a paid subscription service it seems like a great idea! Then, a month or two later, my interest starts to dwindle and I either end up paying for something I barely use or just canceling. I feel like the opposite is true of the Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy. Since becoming a member I've been using the site and forums more and more, getting involved in the monthly themed painting challenges, and getting inspired by the endless amount of incredible work the community is putting out! All of this would be worth it to me on it's own but that's not even what the membership fee pays for. It's no surprise that having access to all of the video tutorials has been really helpful as this is what Duncan has been doing professionally for well over a decade. These days it's a rare thing to find a business whose founders are more than just faceless figures collecting your money but, not only do you get Duncan's wealth of expertise for the cost of a Citadel paint pot every month, He and Roger also actively engage with the community and I, for one, am thrilled to be a part of it!"
Keith
Keith
I joined the Academy after watching one of the free videos on Youtube. I used to paint back in 6th edition Warhammer Fantasy but then had a motorbike accident which left me with a paralysed dominant arm so after a break of about 7 years from the hobby while I recovered I had to teach myself to paint with the wrong hand. The Academy videos are so well directed; easy to follow step-by-step instructions with tips on everything from weathering to basing. There are so many game systems covered too, not just AoS/40k. With a virtual Duncan to hold my hand every step of the way, I felt confident enough to paint a Krakeneater Mega-Gargant and it is the best model I've ever painted. The forums are helpful too, with people exchanging ideas and posting pictures of their armies. I'd thoroughly recommend joining, I've had tens of hours of enjoyment watching videos even for games/factions I don't play because the techniques can be applied regardless of the game system. I used the Frank Horrigan (Fallout Wasteland Warfare) armour recipe for a Space Marine Inceptor (40k) for example. Well worth the minimal cost to get access to so much hobby content.
Heather
Heather
Whether you want specific help on a miniature or something in the background while you paint, I can't recommend Duncan and Rog enough. Buy them a cup of coffee a month and in return, you get HOURS of high quality, high effort content without being spammed by advertisements. I've been in the hobby since the Christmas of 2000 and I credit Duncan and Roger as the catalyst for my painting improvements. There is something for everyone here.
Gregory
Gregory
Duncan's painting academy videos are not only fun to watch, they also helped me a lot in understanding different painting techniques and how to achieve beautiful results within reasonable amounts of time. Best of all, they are understandable and practicable even for beginner painters like me. Definitely would recommend!
Lennert
Lennert
I returned to the hobby of miniature painting in the first lockdown after many years being away from it. I happened to come across DRPA on YouTube and I decided to take a chance and join the academy. I wanted to improve my standard of painting to a solid level that I can be proud of. I can honestly say I have achieved this, with great pride. I have learned many things since joining the academy, the list is endless. There are techniques anyone can master and achieve fantastic results, without expensive equipment (airbrushes). The DRPA gave me the confidence to take my painting beyond my comfort zone and step into the world of mixing paints and building up colours to create smooth blends of colour. Which in turn has helped my understanding of colour theory, and what colour work well with each other. Personally I more interested in historical miniatures and some fantasy based miniatures such as LOTR or GOT. But this hasn't stopped me from learning all the different techniques used in all the videos across all the different ranges of miniatures used in the videos. Go ahead take the chance and join the academy, you won't regret it!
Roy
Roy
The Academy is often my first step when I am starting a new project. Sometimes I'll find a base that inspire me or an entirely new game system that i didn't know. A good example of this is my latest army, Lumineth from Iliatha, which was entirely inspired by tutorials on the website and sharing the progress with everyone on the Forum was a good motivation to keep me going!
Xavier
Xavier
Duncan & Roger have drastically helped me with my miniature painting and I can not recommend them enough! If you have ever wanted get into a tabletop game and want your miniatures to look amazing look no further than Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy, these guys are the real deal 5/5 stars
Nathan
Nathan
The DRPA has helped me improve my painting so much, with everything from how to progress and which techniques to apply in which way, to helpful tips and tricks to help your models stand out or just give them that special extra touch. The dedication, passion and joy Duncan and Roger put into each and every video make you look forward to every Friday when new videos are uploaded!
Bjørn
Bjørn
The Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy has helped me gain so many tools and techniques to gain more confidence and be able to paint things I normally would be able to. Allowing me to expand my artistic abilities and paint things from various games, times, and moments that I love! Duncan does an excellent job explaining hows and why to use a technique and that coupled with Rog's camera work and excellent editing really do a good job of getting all the information across.
David
David
I took up miniature painting a little over a year ago when lockdowns first started as a way to pass the time, and the DRPA tutorials have improved the results I have been able to get tremendously over the few months that I have been a subscriber. I find that I am always able to take something useful away from a video, whether it be a new technique or a recipe for an usual texture, even if it is for a model or army I don't collect. I recently followed Duncan's Judiciar tutorial and was very happy with the result. This is something I never would have dreamed I would be able to accomplish when I first took up the hobby, and owe it all to the folks at DRPA. Thank you so much!
Bradley
Bradley
The DRPA is the best value for money you can find in the mini painting hobby! For the price of a pot of paint each month you get access to an incredible archive of tutorials covering a staggering amount of topics. The wealth of painting knowledge on offer is amazing, and the video production is top notch. Of course, the best thing is that all of these wonderful tutorials are delivered with Duncan's trademark warmth and sincerity and he has a way of encouraging you to reconnect with your love of the hobby.
Alex
Alex

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

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Small Studio Shoutout_01

There are many fantastic, small, independent miniature and games studios out there and we believe in helping each other out wherever we can. If you feel like checking out something a bit different, then please feel free to give these guys a look-see. You may just be surprised at what you can discover…

Thanks

Dunc & Rog

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