How to edge highlight miniatures, with paint ramps

What you need

• A base colour, already painted and shaded (a wash is fine), and one to three lighter paints for the edges (the ramps below).
• A brush with a good point and a fine one for the final dots. Many painters use the side of the brush rather than the tip for long edges.
• Paint thinned a little, but not as thin as for layering: it should flow off the brush in a clean line without flooding.

How the Ramps mode builds it

In Edge highlights mode, tap your base colour. There are no shadow steps, since edging goes on top of a finished base. The edges climb from your paint toward lightness 90, losing a little saturation at each step, and the fine edge is 85% of the way from your paint to lightness 96, at a third of its saturation. The hue doesn't change.

The Steps setting reads 2 edges or 3 edges: 2 edges gives one edge highlight and a fine edge, 3 edges gives two edge highlights and a fine edge. There is no tint option for edges.

Every technique then picks real paints the same way: for each step it finds the nearest paint among the ones shown on the wheel, by ΔE with lightness counted 1.6 times as much as colour (value contrast is what sells a ramp), and never uses the same paint twice. Only opaque paints are used: no metallics, washes, contrast paints, inks, glazes, primers or fluorescents. Each step is graded Close (ΔE under 6), Fair (under 12) or Loose.

Using it on the wheel

1. Open the colour wheel and pick Ramps above the wheel, then Edge highlights under Technique (or open it straight in this mode).
2. Choose 2 or 3 edges.
3. Tap your base colour on the wheel, or in the neutrals list under it. If it's a metallic or effect paint, the ramp starts from the nearest opaque paint instead.
4. Untick brands and ranges you don't want, or tick Matches from my paints only once your collection is set up, to build the ramp from the paints you own.
5. Tap ↻ on a step to try the next nearest paint, then Save as recipe to keep the ramp, with the step notes above, in your recipes.

Common mistakes

• Thick edges. The line should be thinner than the panel it sits on; thin your paint and use the side of the brush.
• Edging every edge the same. Edges facing up get the brightest steps; edges facing down can skip the later ones.
• Wobbly lines. Rest your hands together or on the table, and turn the model rather than your brush.
• Too bright too soon. Two moderate edges look better than one stark white one.

The best paints for edge highlights, brand by brand

Each ramp below is built the way the Ramps mode builds one: the same target colours, then the nearest opaque paint in each brand for each step. ΔE says how far each paint is from its target: close is under 6, fair under 12. Swatch colours are estimates, so test the ramp on a spare model first. On the wheel you can build the same ramp from any paint, or only from the paints you own.