Guide · 6 min read
What is edge highlighting on miniatures?
One thin line of light along every raised edge — armor rims, blade tips, cloth folds — and a miniature reads as three-dimensional from across the table instead of flat under a wash.
No card. Edge highlighting is part of PaintMini's Intermediate tier — the free credit covers a Beginner scheme first if you want to start simpler.
Edge highlighting is a miniature-painting technique that applies a thin line of lighter paint along a model's physical edges — armor rims, blade tips, cloth folds — to simulate light catching a sharp corner. A single pass usually takes 15 to 30 minutes and is what makes a model read as painted from across a gaming table, not just up close.
Edge highlighting vs. drybrushing
Both put light paint on raised areas, and beginners mix them up constantly. They're not interchangeable, and using the wrong one changes how a model looks.
Drybrushing
Broad and textural
Almost-dry paint dragged across the whole surface. It catches every raised texture at once — fur, chainmail, rock — and covers a large area fast. You can't aim it at one edge; it hits everything the brush touches.
Edge highlighting
Deliberate and linear
Thinned paint applied wet, with a fine detail brush, along one specific edge at a time. Slower, but you choose exactly which edges catch light — and which ones stay in shadow because the pose doesn't expose them to it.
The method, step by step
- Thin the paint
- Two or three parts water (or thinning medium) to one part paint. Full-strength paint drags and pools on a fine line; thinned paint flows.
- Load a fine brush lightly
- A size 0 or 1 detail brush, most of the paint wicked off on a paper towel before it touches the model. You want a controlled thread of colour, not a loaded blob.
- Follow the actual geometry
- Run the line along the physical edge of the piece — the rim of a pauldron, the top face of a fold — not just "the top" of the model. An edge that faces down or sideways in the model's pose wouldn't catch light in reality, so it shouldn't get a highlight either.
- Build it in two passes, not one
- A mid-tone line first, then a thinner, brighter line on top of only the most prominent edges. One flat pass reads as a stripe; two reads as light.
Techniques compared
| Technique | Tool | Control | Typical time / model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drybrushing | Flat or drybrush, near-dry | Low — hits whole surface | 5–10 min |
| Edge highlighting | Size 0–1 detail brush | High — one edge at a time | 15–30 min |
| Object-source lighting | Detail brush, layered glazes | Very high — light source-specific | 45+ min |
Times are per-model estimates for a single-figure scale (28–32mm), assuming the base coat and shading are already done. A full army gets edge highlighting selectively, not on every model — see below.
What it costs in time
A basecoat-and-wash model — PaintMini's Beginner tier — usually runs an hour or two. Adding edge highlighting to the same model typically adds 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how many distinct edges the sculpt has. A heavily armored character with a dozen plates costs more time than a robed figure with two or three folds.
The payoff is what a photograph or a tabletop glance actually shows: a model with edge highlights reads as painted, not primed-and-washed, from normal viewing distance. That's the whole reason it's worth the extra time on a centerpiece model even when you skip it on rank-and-file.
When to use it, when to skip it
Use edge highlighting on:
- Any single centerpiece model — a character, a competition entry, anything meant to be photographed close up.
- Unit champions or sergeants in an army, to make them stand out at a glance during a game.
Skip or simplify it on:
- Large rank-and-file units, where a solid basecoat plus a wash reads fine at tabletop distance and painting 20 models with full edge highlights is a multi-week project.
- Any model where you're planning object-source lighting instead — OSL replaces the need for a separate edge-highlight pass on the lit side of the model.
If you've already got the basics of layering down, edge highlighting is the natural next technique — it uses the same thinned-paint, multiple-thin-coats logic, just applied to a line instead of a whole panel.
Questions people ask about edge highlighting
What brush size do you need for edge highlighting?
A size 0 or 1 detail brush with a fine point is standard. Anything larger makes it hard to lay down a thin, controlled line rather than a wide stripe.
Do you need a steady hand, or is there a tool for it?
It's freehand for most painters — a steady hand, a well-loaded-but-not-overloaded brush, and resting your hand on the model or a support helps more than any tool. Masking with tape works for long straight edges on vehicles, but doesn't work on organic or curved edges like armor plates.
What's the most common edge highlighting mistake?
A line that's too thick, or highlighting every edge at the same width and brightness. Both flatten the effect instead of creating it — the most prominent edges should get the brightest, thinnest line, and less prominent ones a softer, wider one.
How much longer does edge highlighting take than a basic paint job?
Typically 15 to 30 minutes more per model beyond a basecoat-and-wash job, depending on how many distinct edges the sculpt has.
Is edge highlighting the same as non-metallic metal (NMM)?
No. Edge highlighting is a general technique used on any surface. NMM is a specific, much more advanced approach to painting metal-look surfaces using only non-metallic paints, which relies heavily on edge highlighting and gradients together.
Should you edge highlight an entire army?
Most painters don't. Edge highlighting the champions, sergeants or named characters and leaving rank-and-file at basecoat-plus-wash keeps a large army finishable while still making the important models stand out.
See it worked out on your own miniature
Upload a photo, pick your tier, and PaintMini renders the edge-highlight pass on your exact sculpt — plus the step-by-step guide for the paints you already own.