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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 to paint any model you desire.

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.

SEE FULL LIST HERE

LATEST TUTORIALS

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This Week's Tutorials

Brotherhood of Steel Outcasts

For our first new painting tutorial video this week we take a look at a miniature from the fantastic new T-45 Power Armour kit, for Fallout Wasteland Warfare by Modiphius Entertainment! This hard plastic set is a lot of fun, being multi-part and posable with lots of weapon options, and as warriors wearing this armour form a core part of the new Capital expansion we decided to paint one in the colours of the Brotherhood Outcasts – a unique faction from the Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3.

The Brotherhood Outcasts view themselves as the ‘true’ Brotherhood on the East Cost, sticking fiercely to their original objective of gathering and protecting technology. Their armour is a dark metal and red, a very striking scheme, and in this video we show a great way to paint the miniatures like this from start to finish with a method that is both easy and fun to do! We also include some weathering to make the amour look the part (it wouldn’t be Fallout without some weathering!)

Fun with Colour & Avoiding Burnout.

Sometimes it’s fun just to paint a miniature just because you like it! Not associated with any particular army or collection that you are working on, a model like this is an opportunity to try out some different colours and methods that you don’t normally use to freshen things up – and this video is all about one such miniature.

Our friends at Miniwargaming sent us this model from their upcoming Ravaged Star range and we like it so much that we decided to paint it, and in this video we discuss how ideas and inspiration can come together to guide you through selecting your colours and then how to piece it all together.

This video is a bit different from what we normally do, but it allows us to shed some light on an issue we often get asked about – hobby burnout, and how to deal with it. We had a great time making this video and we really hope you enjoy it.

Tutorial of the Month!

Lion El'Jonson

The Tutorial of the Month is one of our most epic (and requested!) painting tutorials yet, a full guide to painting Lion El’Jonson, the Primarch of the Dark Angels, for Warhammer 40,000 by Games Workshop. This miniature is a fantastic rendition of the legendary character, striding forth to do battle with the enemies of the Emperor in the 42nd millennium, and he makes a magnificent centrepiece for any Dark Angel army. Like most of you, we actually missed out on the opportunity to get this model when it was first released as it sold out so quickly! But in stepped Academy Member the_gilded_magos who, seeing our plight, offered us his so that we could make this video. We want to give a huge thank you to him, for without his generosity this video would not have been possible! The Lion is a magnificent miniature, blending all the designs you would expect of a Dark Angel together with a style of armour that is both archaic and knightly, whilst simultaneously being right at home with the modern Space Marine aesthetic. He makes for a complex model to paint however – this model features a lot of intricate details, many of which are difficult to paint unless approached in a particular order. We therefore we set out straight away by discussing this, tackling the main features with a few specific tips and tricks to help you get to all of those awkward features. This takes us through the robes (featuring lots of wet blending) and armour, covering a large part of the mass of the model. This brings us onto the smaller details of which there are a lot – seriously, this will surprise you! But we work through them in a logical order with full detail throughout so you know just what to look out for as you go. The video is topped off with a full guide to painting his face complete with subtle tints of colour to bring him to life, along with a crystalline energy effect for his huge sword Fealty. It is just then a matter of gluing together the various sub-assemblies and he is complete! We hope you enjoy this guide and find it useful.

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Check out the gallery below for a sample of our 300+ 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.

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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.

Duncan Rhodes drpa

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.

Here's what our Members have to say

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
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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…

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Dunc & Rog

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