Editing WIP (section)

==== Details, Highlights and dry brushing ====
Highlighting has two basic approaches: traditional painting, and dry brushing.
* The traditional method is the same as any painting, just use a brighter/lighter regular colour and sparingly apply it only to the higher parts of the model that naturally see more light, compared to recesses.

*Edge highlighting is simply the application of lighter paint on edge lines, simulating how light catches on edges, best done angling a brush without too much paint 45 degrees and sliding it over the edge. GW's 'Eavy Metal style uses a lot of edge highlighting, even in places where it would be unrealistic, if it's done well, it gives off a sort of super clean, Tron feel, but if done poorly, it just looks tacky and messy. 

* Dry brushing is a technique where a very short-haired brush with thick hairs is used. The colour for it can be a regular one, but Games Workshop also sell specific "Dry" colours such as Necron Compound, whose consistency is more like a grainy mass than a liquid. To do this, dip the brush into the colour, then take a tissue and rub the brush into it until only a fine amount of paint is left on it. Then position the brush over the model and move it up-down or side-to-side in an arcing motion, so that with each contact a little bit of paint ends up on the model until you are satisfied with the amount. With this technique, only the higher portions of the model will receive paint, while the recesses remain untouched. The overall effect resembles a layer of dust to some degree, so it depends on the model if the technique is really appropriate, but it is simple and very fast. Armies that are more "organic" or have lots of rough edges, such as [[Ork]]s or [[Sylvaneth]], work very well with it. Bases are also pretty much universally highlighted by drybrush, as no one has the time to highlight every little rock or grain of sand.

Detail work is pretty finicky, but there are multiple ways to improve on it:
* basic painting technique: as with any regular painting, press your hands together at the lower palms when you paint, so your hand holding the model and the hand holding the brush can only move in unison, this already prevents shaking and improves the result.
* sculpting: sculpted details are naturally better to paint than flat surface free-hands, so consider modelling them on beforehand.
* decals/stickers: most miniatures for games come with applicable decals, and Games Workshop products are no exception. Rather than doing the detail painting yourself, put the decal you want in water, wait a little until it is ready, then use tweezers to apply it. To improve the effect and reduce the visual issue of it being a glued-on sticker, try varnishing the surface first, then varnish the whole thing again once the decal is in place, and/or apply some paint to the transparent area to match it with the area around it. This generally needs experimenting to get right.
* micro-details: first, get an actual detail brush and make sure all the hairs are pristinely in one spot, maybe consider actually removing a few of the hairs to make it even finer if the results are lacking. Do not bother with paint thinning here, instead use the paint itself sparsely to make up for it. Micro-details are things like eyes, teeth, fingernails/claws and the like. If you paint eyes, generally use a tiny amount of white or buff for the eyes, then either black or dark blue for the iris - paint the eye on your "weak hand side" first, because you are likely to slip up. On the side you are strong, you can then just match, making the miniature look into an actual direction instead of having a [[Derp]] face. For creatures like Orks, just use a dot of bright red or something else fitting. Large creatures with big eyes can be more detailed, of course. Claws are best with a base and a lighter layer blend on it, moving outward to simulate a small amount of shadow at the base. Same for teeth. Again, do it sparsely, and it should look just fine.