Varnish

All my minis have two layers of varnish. The first one is because I’m using the Dip technique and so all minis are under a coat of Wood Varnish (or Army Painter).

This already adds a great chip protection to them. But as this varnish adds a glossy effect, I also spray some matte varnish on them afterwards. I use the Montana brand for that as they are usually cheaper than the more modelism-oriented brands.

I was a bit doubtful about what a matte varnish would add to my minis at first, but after having used it on a group of Cultist, the results are impressive. Before the varnish, with only the glossy effect, I felt I had a bunch of isolated cultists. With the matte varnish, it gave them a group effect, and I know see a group of cultists. Removing the gloss helped a lot.

I don’t add matter varnish to all my minis, though. I think some of them are better with a bit of glossy effect (blood elementals, chitinous insects, etc).