There's a long-standing argument about whether underpainting on tabletop minis is worth the time. I used to skip it. Now I don't.

What I changed

Two things, really:

1. I started thinning the underpaint a lot more.
2. I stopped trying to "fix" coverage in the basecoat phase.

The result is a basecoat that lays cleaner and stays brighter through three or four layers of glaze.

A quick reference

For a typical infantry mini:

• Zenithal grey with the airbrush at 30 PSI
• Recess shade with a 1:4 Nuln Oil thin
• Let it dry completely before the next step

"If you're not waiting, you're undoing work." — every painter's older self

The next basecoat goes on like nothing else. Try it once on a test mini before you commit a whole squad.