How do I paint Warhammer miniatures without getting everything stained?

Don't make the mistake of just slapping paint straight onto the miniature without prepping anything. Most beginners grab a brush that's way too wet, don't control how much paint they're using, and end up creating blobs that cover entire details. Another common screw-up is not using primer (base coat) or using paint that's too thin right from the start - this makes everything look muddy and blurry. You also forget to do a proper cleanup job on the piece before you begin, because those little mold lines and bits of debris from casting pick up paint unevenly.

So here's the practical side: first apply a uniform gray or black primer to the miniature (spray paint made for that works great). After that, thinning regular acrylic paint in distilled water or an appropriate medium is essential - it shouldn't be like milk, but it shouldn't be thick either. Your brush needs to have a sharp point and you work with just a little paint on it at a time. You're building up thin layers instead of dumping it all on at once. Try not to shake your hand while painting - brace your elbow or use some kind of support - a steady hand keeps the mess off.

Smaller details come out better if you use a fine brush and do several light coats, letting it dry between each one. There's also the trick of running really thin paint into the recesses of the miniature (wash), which fills in shadows without straying from the design. And basic stuff: work in a clean space, use a cup of water to rinse your brush between colors, and let the pieces dry completely before touching them again. Patience is 90% of this work - the less of a hurry you're in, the less paint ends up all over the place.