Short answer: Basecoating is the step where you apply each area's main colour to a miniature for the first time. The order is fixed: priming comes first, then a zenithal pass if you use one, and the base coat after that. Because it is the foundation for every shade, highlight and detail to follow, it has to be smooth, even and fully saturated. There is really just one rule to remember: two thin coats.
Let's unpack that a little. Basecoating is the first real skill every painter learns, and it is quietly the hero of the whole job. A patchy, streaky or thick base coat sabotages every technique you apply later. You cannot build a good house on a bad foundation, and that cliche is literally true here, because everything above leans on this layer.
What is it and what does it do?
At its simplest, basecoating means laying the base colour of each part of the model flat (skin, armour, cloak, leather, metal). Do not confuse it with priming, the first coat that prepares the surface for paint: the primer readies the surface, while the base coat is the first colour layer on top. Its one goal is to build a smooth, opaque foundation that does not drown the detail.
So why does it matter so much? Because the wash, the layering, the edge highlight (highlighting the raised edges) and every colour transition all sit on this foundation. If the base is blotchy, everything above it carries that blotch. In other words, a clean base coat is the quiet but decisive groundwork that lets the later steps shine.
How does it work? The thin-coat principle
The logic of basecoating is simple, yet it is also the rule most easily broken in practice: thin the paint and apply it in several thin coats rather than all at once. A single thick coat fills the detail, cracks as it dries and leaves brush streaks. Thin coats, by contrast, grip the surface better, preserve the recesses and dry flat.
The hobby's golden rule, repeated by Duncan Rhodes until a whole generation of painters had it memorised, is plain: two thin coats. Two thin layers with drying time between them always beat one thick coat for cleanliness and durability.
In practice it goes like this: you thin the paint to the consistency of milk with a little water or medium. The first coat will not fully cover, and that is normal. The second thin coat completes the saturation. You will find the full thinning logic in the Thinning Paint: Two Thin Coats guide.
How do you do it, step by step?
The sequence below starts once the primer (and a zenithal prime, if used) is dry. The logic stays the same at every step: inside-out, back to front.
- Pull a little paint onto a palette and thin it to a milky consistency with clean water. Never paint straight from the pot.
- Start with the deepest, hardest-to-reach area (skin, inner clothing). The upper layers will later cover any paint that spills onto them.
- Apply the first thin coat; it will not fully cover, and that is fine. Let it dry completely.
- Apply the second thin coat to complete the saturation. Add a third coat for light colours if needed.
- Once an area is done, move outward to the next layer (armour, cloak, accessories) and tidy any overspill with a clean edge.
- Repeat until every area is flat and even. Do not leave anything half-opaque in a rush.
Inside-out: why does the order matter?
There is really only one reason to basecoat inside-out: cleanliness. If you paint skin and inner clothing first, you can then cap that border with a clean line when you move to the armour or cloak on top. Do it the other way and you dirty an already-finished area every time you overspill.
In practice the order runs like this: innermost skin and inner clothing first, then the outer layers of clothing, then armour and metal parts, and finally the outermost pieces such as the cloak, weapon and accessories. At each step, painting the layer above cleans up the overspill onto the one below.
Holding a clean line between two adjacent colours comes down to two things: a brush with a good point and patient edge-following. Draw the brush parallel to the border rather than through the middle of the area, because a rushed hand always bleeds. Even so, a small overspill is no problem, since the next layer up will cover it anyway.
Which paints and brushes?
The right material does half the work. For basecoating, reach for high-pigment, opaque acrylics, because they cover in fewer coats.
- Paint: Citadel Base range (formulated to cover in one or two coats), Vallejo Game/Model Color, Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic, Pro Acryl, Two Thin Coats.
- Brush: A medium (size 1-2) round brush that holds a good point handles most work. A larger brush speeds up big surfaces.
- Wet palette: Keeps the paint at the right consistency for far longer, which makes basecoating noticeably easier. More in the Using a Wet Palette guide.
One-step basecoating with Contrast and Speedpaint
If you want to paint fast, there is a shortcut too. In a modern fast workflow, a single coat of a Contrast-type paint over a light or zenithal prime acts as both base coat and shade. That collapses the classic two steps, flat basecoat plus a separate wash, into one. The approach is ideal when you need speed or you are painting a crowded army.
We cover the nuances in the Contrast & Speedpaint Systems and Slapchop guides.
The most common mistakes
Nearly every basecoating mistake grows from one root: impatience. Here are the traps we see most often at the bench.
- Not thinning the paint: The most common error. It gives a thick, streaky, detail-drowning result.
- Moving to the second coat before the first is fully dry; this causes lifting and patches.
- Overloading the brush and dipping paint up into the metal ferrule; this ruins the brush and floods your lines.
- Trying to cover a light colour in one coat over a dark primer; it is effectively impossible, and it ends up blotchy.
- Spilling over your lines and never cleaning them up.
Pro tips
A few small habits raise base coat quality in a way you can see.
- Paint light colours over a light ground. Yellow, red and white can want 3-4 coats over a dark primer; if needed, lay a grey or white underlayer in that spot first. For the reverse logic, see Undercoat Colour Strategy.
- Plan your colours in advance: which area first, which area second. Let the upper layer correct the overspill.
- Mix the paint well on the palette. Pigment that has settled at the bottom of the pot leaves blotches on the surface.
- Patience is the biggest tool, because a clean base coat is the invisible foundation that lets advanced techniques like layering and edge highlighting shine.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many coats does a base coat need?
The standard rule is two thin coats. That said, a light colour (yellow, red, white) over a dark primer can need 3-4. What really matters is not the count but that each coat is thin and fully dry; a single thick coat always gives a worse result.
Are basecoating and priming the same thing?
No, they do different jobs. Priming is the first layer that prepares the surface and gives the paint something to grip. The base coat is the first real colour layer applied over the primer. The order is: primer first, then a zenithal pass if wanted, then the base coat.
How much should I thin basecoat paint?
Aim for a milky consistency, flowing but still opaque. Thin it too far and it will not cover and looks streaky; do not thin it at all and it goes thick and ridged. A wet palette makes holding this balance easier, and your eye learns the right consistency with practice.
Why won't light colours cover?
Because colours like yellow, red and white have low-opacity pigment, especially over a dark ground. The fix is simple: use a light primer, or lay a grey or white underlayer in that spot first. The base colour then sits cleanly in a few thin coats.
Does Contrast paint replace a true base coat?
For speed and tabletop quality, yes; one coat gives both colour and shade. For competition-level control and smoothness, though, a classic flat base coat plus controlled layering still wins. So the two methods are not rivals; they serve different goals.
Which brush should I use for basecoating?
A medium (size 1-2) round brush that holds a good point handles most work. For broad surfaces (vehicles, large armour) a bigger brush adds speed. Do not dip the brush up to the metal ferrule; that ruins the brush and floods your lines.
How long does a base coat take to dry before I can move on?
A thin acrylic coat is usually touch-dry within a few minutes at room temperature, but it is safer to wait 10-15 minutes for the coat to set properly. Apply the second coat too early and the layer underneath lifts and patches. So take your time and wait until the surface looks matte and stable.
Key takeaway and next step
To put it in one line: a base coat is a smooth foundation laid with thinned paint, inside-out, in two thin coats, and it cannot be rushed. Get this ground right and the shading and highlight stages shine far more easily.
If you want to lay your base coat with the right materials, start with the high-pigment paints, brushes & hobby supplies in our shop.