How to Paint the Wardlings Girl Fighter & Hunting Falcon

Quick answer

Prime the figures, block in the largest areas first, then layer up the falcon's feathers and the fighter's gear before sealing with a matte varnish. Keep your palette limited to four or five colors so the pair reads clearly on the table, and let each layer dry completely to avoid muddy blends.

The Wardlings Girl Fighter and her hunting falcon make a great painting project for anyone who wants a quick, satisfying result. The figures are small but full of character, and the falcon gives you a chance to practice feather texture without committing to a whole army.

This guide walks through the whole process in order, from prepping the models to the final protective coat. It is written with kid-friendly miniature painting in mind, so the steps favor simple techniques, forgiving layers, and a few honest shortcuts that still look good on the table.

What you need before you start

Gather a primer, a few acrylic paints, two brushes (one size 1 or 2 for base coats, one size 0 for detail), a palette, a water cup, and a matte varnish. A wet palette helps keep paints workable, but a ceramic tile or plastic lid works fine for a short session.

If you are painting with a child, set up one figure each and work side by side. The Girl Fighter and falcon are separate enough that one person can paint the fighter while another handles the bird, which keeps hands busy and reduces waiting.

• Use a primer made for miniatures; spray in short bursts and rotate the model rather than soaking it.
• Keep a hair dryer on low nearby if you want to speed up drying between layers.

Step 1: Prep and prime both figures

Check the fighter and falcon for mold lines and small bits of flash, then scrape them gently with the back of a hobby knife. Wash the pieces in warm soapy water, rinse, and let them dry fully. This removes release agent that can make paint bead up.

Prime in thin coats. Two light passes from different angles give better coverage than one heavy coat, and they preserve the detail on the falcon's wings and the fighter's face. Let the primer cure for at least an hour before painting.

• Common mistake: priming in humid or cold conditions, which can leave a chalky finish.
• Checkpoint: hold the model under a lamp. If you can still see bare plastic in recesses, add one more light pass.

Step 2: Block in the largest areas

Start with the biggest surfaces: the fighter's tunic, leggings, and cloak, then the falcon's body. Use slightly thinned paint and two thin coats rather than one thick one. At this stage you are only establishing color, not shading.

Keep the falcon's body a mid-tone brown or grey so you can add lighter feather highlights later. If you paint it too light now, you will have nowhere to go with highlights.

• Common mistake: flooding the face or eyes with base coat. Leave those areas for later.
• Checkpoint: step back and squint. The silhouette should already read as a fighter and a bird.

Step 3: Paint the falcon's feathers

Paint the wing feathers in small, overlapping strokes that follow the direction the feathers grow. Use a slightly lighter color on the tips to suggest separation. You do not need to paint every feather; a few well-placed highlights across the wing coverts sell the effect.

For the chest, use a lighter shade and short downward strokes to suggest soft down. Keep your brush barely damp so the paint stays where you put it.

• Common mistake: painting feathers in random directions, which makes the bird look messy.
• Checkpoint: the wing should look darker at the base and lighter at the tips.

Step 4: Detail the Girl Fighter

Now paint the skin, hair, and gear. Use a small brush and thin layers for the face, then add eyes with a tiny dot of dark paint. For the hair, paint the base color, then add a few lighter strands on top to suggest volume.

Paint the belt, boots, and any metal parts with a darker base, then add a lighter edge highlight along the top edges. This simple two-tone approach reads well at arm's length and is easy for beginners to repeat.

• Common mistake: overworking the face. Two or three thin layers are enough at this scale.
• Checkpoint: the eyes should be small and centered; if they look too large, paint over the edges with skin tone and try again.

Step 5: Base, varnish, and finish

Paint the base with a texture paint or a simple earth tone, then drybrush a lighter color over the top to catch the texture. If you want a cleaner look, paint the base rim a solid color like black or brown.

Once everything is dry, apply a matte varnish in thin coats. This protects the paint from handling and reduces shine, which is especially important for kid-friendly miniature painting where models get picked up a lot.

• Common mistake: varnishing before the paint is fully dry, which can smear colors.
• Checkpoint: tilt the model under a light. If it looks glossy, add one more thin coat of matte varnish.

Painting steps at a glance

1. Prep and prime: Remove mold lines, wash, and apply two thin primer coats from different angles. Check for bare plastic under a lamp before moving on.
2. Block in base colors: Paint the largest areas first with two thin coats, keeping the falcon a mid-tone. Squint test: the silhouette should read clearly.
3. Feather the falcon: Use short strokes that follow feather growth, lighter at the tips. Keep strokes directional to avoid a messy look.
4. Detail the fighter: Paint skin, hair, and gear with thin layers, then add edge highlights. Keep eyes tiny; fix mistakes with skin tone.
5. Base and varnish: Texture the base, then seal with thin coats of matte varnish. Let paint dry fully before varnishing to prevent smears.

WizKids products that help with this project

• WizKids Deep Cuts - Clear 50mm Round Base - 10 ct.: Each pack contains 10 clear 50mm round bases designed for Deep Cuts miniatures, Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures, or other figures, with an ultra low profile that keeps models from looking bulky. If you want the falcon or fighter to stand on a clean, unobtrusive base, these give you a consistent look and a spare if you lose the original.
• WizKids Deep Cuts: Bounty Hunter & Outlaw: Deep Cuts miniatures come primed and ready to paint out of the box, with highly detailed figures and little to no assembly required. These are a good next project once you have practiced on the Wardlings pair, since the prep work is already done for you.

The Wardlings Girl Fighter and her hunting falcon are a forgiving pair to paint, and the steps above work whether you are eight or eighty. Start with thin layers, keep your palette small, and let each stage dry. If you want to expand the project, the Deep Cuts line offers primed figures that slot right into the same routine.