A wealth of information is available to painters of every skill level on the Web these days. As hobbyists, we agonize over learning new techniques or setting up an efficient painting station but sometimes the little tricks get overlooked. That was certainly the case for me with a few of the following tips. They aren’t particularly elegant or fascinating, but they can save you time and a bit of aggravation.

Simple tricks that will make your hobby life easier.

Use masking tape to cover the slots in your bases.

Test your paint on a piece of plastic.

Use a flat pallet to test paint consistency and translucency before applying it to your model. Sheet styrene can be found at many hobby shops, though just about any flat piece of plastic will serve equally well. You can even use the back of a blister. Hit it with a coat of primer first so the paint will adhere better.

Use the lid of a spray paint can to mount your model.

Mounting your models will make them much easier to handle and paint and will reduce chipping and wear as you touch the miniature during painting. You can mount them on pretty much anything, but lids from old primer cans are free and comfortable to hold. A wooden dowel cut to an appropriate length also works well—glue the bottom end to a miniature base so it won’t tip over when you set it down. Cut a couple lengths of double stick tape and attach them to the bottom of your model’s base, then firmly press the model onto the mount. If you are painting a particularly heavy model, you may need to pin it instead of using the tape, in which case a dowel will serve better than a spray can lid.

Use your thumb as a multi-tool for sculpting.

Stick your putty to your thumbnail and keep a daub of lip balm on the skin just below it. This keeps everything handy (pun intended!) while you sculpt so you won’t have to set your tools down to access to your putty or tool lubricant. Bonus: my cuticles have never looked better.