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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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QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT

Missed out on the Dark Arts Kickstarter? Good news, the team Trans Atlantis Games has heard you and has now opened late pledges on Gamefound.

You can find out more HERE!

LATEST TUTORIALS

This Week's Tutorials

Grand Cathay Jade Warrior

Our tutorial of the week explores the professional soldiers of Grand Cathay from Games Workshop’s Warhammer: The Old World and what it takes to look the part of a Jade Warrior. The Jade Warriors wear complex lamellar armour, which can be tricky to paint unless you approach it in the correct way. In this video, we show you a neat and easy way to paint it. 

In this video, we show you a great way to paint a Jade Warrior of Grand Cathay in the colours of Nan Gau by focusing on the following:  
  • How to approach painting lamellar armour to make painting it quick and easy. 
  • How to paint the iconic jade of the Jade Warriors.   
  • A detailed look at painting the skin and eyes of a Cathayan soldier. 
  • How to optionally highlight all the details with a note on which are the most important in case you are looking to paint your miniatures quickly. 
The techniques in this video are great for painting any soldiers from any City of Grand Cathay, as well as any Jade Lancers in your collection.
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Our second tutorial this week delves into the apocalyptic world of Trench Crusade and explores the religious zealots of the Trench Pilgrims faction! Trench Crusade has an iconic style about it, and in this video, we explore it by pushing Duncan out of his comfort zone. 

In this video, we show you a great way to paint a Trench Pilgrim in a Grimdark style by focusing on the following:  
  • A great place to start to lean into the iconic grimdark colour palette. 
  • A close look at the use of enamel paint to give a grubby textured look, thanks to the use of cotton buds. 
  • How to keep your paints safe when using these materials.
  • A great way of painting really gross-looking flesh. 
  • A thoughtful look at the process of bringing various techniques together so as to not cause any problems as you approach completion. 
This was an interesting journey for Duncan to undertake and a must-watch for anyone interested in Trench Crusade and grimdark painting.
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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!

Prince Vhordrai, Lord of the Crimson Keep

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Our tutorial of the month returns to the nightmarish Realm of Death from Games Workshop’s Warhammer Age of Sigmar taking sight of one of the most prolific servants of Nagash, Prince Vhodrai. Sat atop the decaying form of a once noble Draconith, now rotten almost beyond recognition, and armed with the Bloodlance, Vhodrai is a deadly opponent to all who challenge him.

This is a very intimidating model at first glance, and it can be hard to know where to start, but like any big miniature, this can be tackled by breaking it down into smaller steps.

In this video, we show you a great way to paint Prince Vhordrai and his Undead Draconith  by focusing on the following:  
  • What sub-assemblies we recommend to allow you to break the model down into bite-sized chunks. 
  • Our advice on a psychological trick to help you keep your momentum for the project and see its completion. 
  • How to paint the Undead Draconith green skin, including all the various tonal variations. 
  • A detailed look at the use of washes to create blends between colours.
  • How to paint all of the disgusting details such as ribs, muscles and guts.
  • When and where it is best to tackle the scenic details on the base.
  • A fun and easy way of painting Vhordrai’s blood red, metallic armour.
  • How to create an ancient appearance for the gold metals.
  • A great way to paint vampiric skin.
  • How to add the finishing touches, such as verdigris and blood.  
The techniques in this video are great for any undead creature and especially of interest to any fan of the blood dragon bloodline.

Check out the gallery below for a sample of our 400+ Tutorials

WHY BECOME A MEMBER

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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.

Lannisters Swordsmen

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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