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I’ve got a theory I’d like to hear thoughts on. I’ve recently got into Knight Models DC miniatures. I think they’re great. BUT I’m very suspicious that the paint jobs they show on the box art are made on bigger miniatures. The ones you buy are tiny and the paintings have enormous levels of detail on faces etc. I know people can paint good but I don’t think anyone can paint THAT good. I think they probably paint up figures about 2x the scale of what they’re selling. And why not if it makes it look better for the box? But am I right? Does anyone know for sure that companies do this? And if they do is it completely honest?

I'm not that familiar with Knight Models, maybe that's the case. Some people are just insanely good at painting small stuff though. Another option is they paint them regular size, take photos, then edit the photos to smooth out blends and whatnot. Or yeah, maybe they just have aliens painting them.

They might be, but you seriously underestimate how good some people are. See this GD winner, literally 2 cm model:



Note reflection painted on spear tip, highlights on feathers, nails, or scratches on belt. These pars are literally less than 1 mm wide, and yet, it was painted for hobby in spare time, not by mini factory employee who literally does it as job seven days a week.

I fully believe that marketing photos are touched up digitally but it is possible my to paint that good I’m sure. I bet golden demon winners will spend months on one mini, I doubt Gw want to invest that much time so take some shortcuts

If you have time, you can paint anything as detailed as you want. Time is the factor, and really good brush control, which comes with….time.
Don’t underestimate how good studio painters are, until you actually see the painted models in person. While I don’t doubt that the contrast, exposure and levels are adjusted (you kind of have to, to get a good photo) those details you consider suspect would still be there.

mrFickle wrote:
I bet golden demon winners will spend months on one mini, I doubt Gw want to invest that much time so take some shortcuts

But GW have the models on display at Warhammer World...

I think you underestimate what can be done by some of the crazy talent that does this professionally, but I will also say that its pretty clear a lot of the time the studio paint jobs are done on rapid prototypes and not final product. I doubt they're scaling those up significantly, but its possible they're a little larger. I think it does result in not having to deal with some of the issues that result from the final production material. This seems really notable with Knight and the blocks of rubber they've been producing lately.

Maybe I'm too cynical. I do know that some people are absolutely brilliant but box art is usually a notch down from Golden Demon winner isn't it? This is the kind of thing I'm talking about. Here is their Shazam miniature. That face is probably about 5 x 5mm, maybe smaller. Can you really get that kind of detail in the expression? Would they really pay somebody that good for box art?

Yes. Scroll down this forum to one of the vote threads for the paint challenge and look at DV8, queen anne's revenge, or Freya's work, just for the three off the top of my head thay reach that quality. Its pretty crazy to me as well what can be done with a brush, but its also pretty clearly doable.

Infinity models have some very outstanding paintwork when you consider the size of the model they deliver.


Personally I don't think any firm is upscaling and then painting for box art; though there are some now using renders and digital painting.



Personally I think that GW has a good solid angle. Their box art is well done but in a style that's fairly easily emulated at a basic level. They then use display works and Evy Metal and such to show off top quality work as a separate element.

So the average person buying a marine can make it look pretty darn close to the box art.


Meanwhile if you want your Infinity models to look as good as the box art you've got to invest a lot more time learning to paint well.

Infinity box art was all done by Angel Giraldez I believe. He's an absolutely world-class painter.

That face isn't really gd winning standard I don't think, however, I have heard rumours about larger scale items used for box art, so I wouldn't be surprised. Seems like you can't trust anything these days.

Box art is usually done on "masters" that are either direct 3d prints prior to mold making, or the first model cast (which is then used to make more molds) off the greenstuff/putty master, depending on how the models are produced. There aren't many that I'm aware of that do scaled-up models for box art, but given how easy that is to do with digital masters and 3d printing, it's certainly possible.

Thing is, yes, there really are painters out there that can do that kind of amazing work on 28-32mm models. Infinity is indeed a perfect example, as their main studio painter is Angel Giraldes, and you can watch him achieve those kinds of results on his YouTube. Not 100% sure who Knight Models has as studio painters, but I'm sure they're some of the cream of the crop out there.

Just because you (general "you" here, not targeting anyone specific) can't achieve that kind of painting level doesn't mean nobody can.

Speaking from experience, it was hard for me to comprehend the level of skill and talent that professional award winning miniature painters have until I was actually in a room with Golden Demon winning miniatures (among other awards). If OP hasn't had that kind of personal exposure to world class miniatures painters and their work, its easy to understand why they might be suspicious.

I’ve included a few close ups of my own stuff here and hopefully large enough to zoom in.
Like I said above, it’s all due to practice and brush control and I am by no means a world class painter.
All it takes is a bit of dedication time and patience.

Nah they just used forced perspective.

Thanks for all the comments. You've convinced me that these are real paint jobs on the real scale miniatures. I'm glad. Even though I doubt I will ever reach that standard it's good to know it's possible because I then at least don't feel like a fool for trying. And Ghool - thanks for posting your images. They are very, very good indeed!

One thing I thought about after Overread's comment which I hadn't considered before is how much GW's approach had influenced my assumption. Their box art is fantastic but it definitely isn't Golden Demon standard. I'd just assumed that would be the case for other companies too but of course that's part of GW's approach. They want their box art to look fantastic but they don't want it to look completely out of reach of most gamers/painters. If Infinity are using a really top painter for their box art then maybe Knight Models are too. I'd love to find out who that is.

Gw box art jobs are done in a specific style that allows the models to look good from virtually any angle, it's mainly looking for high contrast and all details being highlighted. It's actually quite a simple style to master. There is no real consideration for realistic light or shadow placement. It's different to other approaches which are shooting for more realism.


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I definitely think knight models do some digital manipulation for their box art if nothing else though. Their models are lovely, but the details are often not as sharp due to the soft resin they use.