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The Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy

Welcome to the Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy, the place to learn how to paint your favourite miniatures with regular, in-depth and highly detailed tutorials, painting challenges, courses and best of all, a thriving community of amazing Academy Members!

LATEST TUTORIALS

This Week's Tutorials

Howling Griffon Intercessor

Our first new tutorial this week takes a look at the colourful heraldry of the Howling Griffons Space Marines, for Warhammer 40,000 by Games Workshop!
 
A number of Space Marine chapters feature halved or quartered colours on their armour, and the Howling Griffons are a famous example of this. Painting such patterns can appear intimidating, but in this video we show you how to do it.
 
In this video we show you:
  • What to think about when planning a half or quartered colour scheme, particularly on where to start and why, be it the Howling Griffons, Novamarines, Eagle Warriors, and more.
  • A great way of painting sections of yellow power armour.
  • How to neatly create the line between the main colours.
  • How to tie the colours together through shading and highlighting.
  • Where to get transfers for unusual chapters such as the Howling Griffons.
If you wat to paint an unusual army that catches the eye then this is one to check out! You can see the full video now.

Terran Dominion Marine

Our second new video this week is inspired by an unexpected announcement from Bilzzard – a new StarCraft trailer has appeared featuring a Marine of the Terran Dominion!
 
It so happens that Duncan had already been exploring ways of painting this scheme for the StarCraft TMG by Archon Studios, so we thought this was a great opportunity to show you the method he has developed. If you want to paint an army quickly that looks great, then look no further.
 
In this video we show you:
  • How to drybrush the model to create the maroon colour scheme of the Terran Dominion with a technique perfectly suited to the smooth curves of Marine power armour.
  • What smaller details to pick out with clear illustration of where they are.
  • Tips on adding transfers as well as an explanation of when to use them.
  • How to use an enamel wash to create depth in specific areas quickly and easily.
  • How to add weathering to give the model a battle-worn feel.
  • Where to concentrate on highlighting, if you choose to do so.
This method is perfectly suited to StarCraft Terrans, but can be easily applied to armoured models such as Games Workshop’s Space Marines and Stormcast too. You can see the full video now!

The DRPA Podcast

Beyond the Brush is the official DRPA podcast, hosted by Joe and featuring Dunc, Rog, and Jack. Each week we dive into all things hobby, from painting and collecting miniatures to industry news, behind-the-scenes chat, and the occasional special guest. If you love the hobby as much as we do, you’ll feel right at home.

New episodes go live every Wednesday, and DRPA Members get early accessa full week before general release — along with the chance to have their questions answered on the show. Just drop them into the DRPA Members’ Discord!

Episodes are available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Player FM, and Deezer plus many more.

The Spotify link can be moody, just search - Beyond the Brush DRPA.

What is the Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy?

The Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy, or DRPA for short, is a Membership site where you can come and learn to paint your favourite miniatures. Whether you are a beginner or even an experienced miniature painter, the Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy will teach you all the techniques you need to know and give you the confidence to paint any miniature you desire.

Want to know which miniatures we’ve made tutorials for? Then just click the link below!

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enjoy these sample tutorials

This is just a small taster of the video tutorials we have on the site. We will be adding new, exclusive content every week that can only be found right here for our members. We will be covering all manner of miniatures, techniques and advice, everything to help you improve your painting skills. Check out the full list of videos and a gallery of the tutorials on the site by clicking the link below.

Tutorial of the Month!

Chaos Lord on Dragon

This week we have a new mighty tutorial sweeping down from the frozen north: a Lord on Chaos Dragon, for Warhammer the Old World by Games Workshop!
 
This is an enormous model, packed with detail and character, and makes for a fantastic project for anyone looking to bring ruin to the enemies of the Dark Gods. But this sheer size makes it intimidating too, so in this video we show you how you can paint it using easy to replicate techniques for an amazing result.
 
In this video we show you:
  • What sub-assemblies we recommend to break the model down into bite-sized chunks, and to help make a great start with painting the model.
  • A great way of creating the red, brown, and black colour scheme of the dragon’s body, including an easy method of blending the different tones together and how to highlight each one quickly.
  • How to paint the wing membranes so as to bring out the leathery texture. 
  • What details to focus on with the Lord to create the iconic Chaos Warrior look.
  • How and when to drybrush amongst fine details so as not to cause problems later on.
This model is an incredible centrepiece for a Chaos army and a satisfying challenge for anyone looking to paint something that they will be proud of for years to come. You can see the full video now!

Check out the gallery below for a sample of our 500+ Tutorials

WHY BECOME A MEMBER

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FULL PAINTING TUTORIALS

Whether you want to paint a single figure, a vehicle, a monster or even a piece of scenery and not to mention new techniques, you will find an in-depth tutorial here just for you.

NEW CONTENT EVERY WEEK

Every week we will be adding brand new content for Members only. Whether it's video painting tutorials, blog posts and online painting guides, you can be sure you'll always have something to both help and inspire you.

WE HAVE A DUNCAN

With over 15 years experience, running painting seminars all around the world and hundreds of video tutorials under his belt, there is no one better to both teach and give you the confidence to achieve the results you've always dreamed of.

£4.99 PER MONTH

That's about the same price as a really nice cup of coffee. Not too bad for expertly produced painting tutorials and tons of inspiration. And everything is included. No tiers here!

MEMBERS ONLY DISCORD

The heart of the DRPA Community can be found here. Chat with other members and the DRPA crew, share your progress with your latest project, leave any questions here for the Podcast. And the Monthly Painting Challenge can be found here too.

MONTHLY PAINTING CHALLENGES

Every month we host a fun painting challenge on our Member's Only Discord where Academy Members can show off their amazing work and get both inspired and motivated by an amazing community of hobbyists. The winners get an exclusive DRPA Pin badge and an hour online hang out with Duncan where they can ask any questions they want or just simply hang out and paint.

THE DRPA PODCAST

Hear our official podcast a week before anyone else and we will answer DRPA member's questions weekly. A great way to relax whilst painting your favourite miniatures.

COURSES

The latest addition to the Academy is Courses! Here we host full, in-depth courses that will, over time, cover various, large subjects starting with a full course for beginners - The Fundamentals of Miniature Painting.

Here's what our Members have to say

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Small Studio Shoutout_01

There are many fantastic, small, independent miniature and games studios out there and we believe in helping each other out wherever we can. If you feel like checking out something a bit different, then please feel free to give these guys a look-see. You may just be surprised at what you can discover…

Thanks

Dunc & Rog