Painting Leather Armor with Two Thin Coats Paints
By Victrix Limited 28mm miniatures | Published: 2026-10-19
Category: Product Reviews
Learn how to paint realistic leather armor on 28mm miniatures using Two Thin Coats paints. Step-by-step guide with common mistakes to avoid.
Quick answer
Use the Two Thin Coats Leatherwork Triad to paint realistic leather armor on your 28mm historical miniatures. The set's shadow, midtone, and highlight paints give you a complete palette for convincing leather textures.
Why the Leatherwork Triad works for historical miniatures
The Two Thin Coats Leatherwork Triad includes Cuirass Leather (shadow), Boar Hide (midtone), and Fur Cloak (highlight). These three paints are designed to work together, saving you the guesswork of mixing shades. The shadow is dark enough to read as deep leather creases, while the highlight is warm without looking like orange plastic. This makes the set especially useful for 28mm Dark Ages and Napoleonic figures where leather appears on boots, belts, and armor straps.
Common trade-off: speed vs. precision
The Leatherwork Triad rewards careful layering. If you rush the midtone step, the shadow will overwhelm the highlight and the leather will look flat. On the other hand, if you spend too much time blending each layer, the process can slow down batch painting of rank-and-file infantry. Decide before you start: use the full three-step process for character models and a simplified two-step version (shadow + midtone) for troops that will be viewed from three feet away.
Step-by-step guide: painting leather armor with Two Thin Coats
- Basecoat with the shadow paint: Apply a thin coat of Cuirass Leather over all leather areas. Let it dry completely. Two thin coats are better than one thick coat to avoid obscuring detail. Common mistake: applying the basecoat too thickly, which fills in creases and straps. Keep the paint thinned to a skim-milk consistency.
- Apply the midtone layer: Paint Boar Hide over the raised areas of the leather, leaving the shadow paint visible in the recesses. Use the side of the brush to avoid flooding the crevices. Common mistake: covering too much of the shadow layer, which eliminates contrast. Leave about 30% of the shadow visible in the deepest folds.
- Highlight with the lightest paint: Apply Fur Cloak to the very edges and highest points of the leather armor. Use a fine-tipped brush and a light touch. This step creates the illusion of worn, scuffed leather. Common mistake: applying the highlight too broadly, which makes the leather look like plastic. Keep it to the top 10-15% of the surface.
Product facts
- Leatherwork Triad - Two Thin Coats: The Leatherwork Triad includes Cuirass Leather (shadow), Boar Hide (midtone), and Fur Cloak (highlight) from the Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy Two Thin Coats range. You get a coordinated set of three paints that work together for leather textures, removing the need to mix your own shades.
Leatherwork Triad - Two Thin Coats
