We recently painted a mimic miniature and tracked the time across each step. The total came out to just over three hours for a tabletop result.

That number is useful, but it becomes clearer when you look at how the time is distributed across the process.

Time breakdown for this mini

Here is the full breakdown from this specific example:

1. Priming (with zenithal): 15 min + drying

2. Mouth base coat: 21 min

3. Chest base coat: 25 min

4. Non-Metallic Metal (practice): 28 min

5. Tongue: 7 min

6. Eyes: 15 min

7. Finishing touches: 33 min

8. Varnish: 4 min

9. Base (polymer clay + texture): 16 min + baking

   Total ~3h 4min

Looking at it this way, most of the time is not in one single step. It is spread across multiple stages, with basecoating and finishing work taking up a large portion of the total.

What this shows about painting time

The process moves through different types of work. Some steps are quick but precise, like painting the eyes. Others take longer because they involve building up layers or trying something new, like practicing Non-Metallic Metal.

There are also steps that are easy to overlook when estimating time, such as varnishing or building the base. These are part of the full process and contribute to the final result.

Painting time includes more than just applying paint. It also includes pauses, drying time, corrections, and adjustments between layers.

Time depends on the approach

There is no fixed time for painting a miniature. The same model can take very different amounts of time depending on how it is approached.

A useful way to think about this is by painting style rather than exact hours.

Common painting approaches

• Speed / Slap Chop: ~30 min to 1–2 hours, Fast contrast and strong readability for Board games and large batches

• Standard / Tabletop: A few hours to several sessions, Clean base and basic highlights/shadows for most everyday minis

• Practice / Technique-focused: Variable - often longer, Learning a specific skill (NMM, glazing, etc.) for skill building

• Display / Showcase: Many hours to days, High refinement and smooth transitions and detail work for display pieces, competitions

This reflects how different approaches naturally lead to different time investments.

Painting in sessions

Even though this example adds up to about three hours, it does not need to be done in one sitting.

Painting is often broken into sessions. Each session focuses on a part of the process, with natural pauses for drying and adjustments.

This makes the process easier to manage and allows each step to be done with more control.

How time changes over time

As experience builds, some steps become faster because they are more familiar. At the same time, exploring new techniques can increase the time spent on a miniature.

The total time does not always decrease. What changes is how controlled and predictable each step becomes.

If you want to explore this further

If you want a structured way to approach painting time and improve specific parts of the process, you can download the free mini painting guide.

We also share ongoing experiments and techniques on Discord. If you want to share your work or ask questions, you are welcome to join us there!

You can also see what painting tools are in our toolkit if you are still building yours.