Who are you and where are you based?
I'm Evan Walters (aka WaltersWorkshop), and I'm based in Virginia, USA.
How did you first get into miniature painting?
When I was a kid, we moved to a new town when I was 7. When exploring the town, I saw a shop that had a knight in the window and begged my parents to check it out. We did after dinner and it was there I was introduced to miniature gaming and comic books. My little brother and I were enthralled, begging my parents to get us something. They said maybe later, and we left the shop. The next day, my dad came home late from work because he surprised my brother and me with some miniatures and paints he had gone out and gotten from the shop for us. He was a model car maker as a kid and figured if we liked fantasy and sci-fi models, it would be a fun thing to do, similar to when he was growing up. I don't think he expected me to continue doing it well into adulthood!
What kinds of miniatures or hobby projects do you enjoy painting most?
I like doing a little bit of everything, from painting for tabletop games, to painting display pieces. And I have certainly been getting more into the latter here these past few years with going to mini painting competitions.
WaltersWorkshop’s hobby setup
Tell us about one of your favorite projects or miniatures you’ve painted — what makes it special?
I painted Gnomelia from Warcraft and it's a super special piece to me for a lot of reasons but I'll just list the top few. First, it was part of a friendly challenge I was invited to by some painters I highly respect and admire, so I was flattered to be part of the small contingent asked to be a part of it. Second, it was my first piece to earn a medal in the Master's level of the Capital Palette competition after 3 years of trying to earn one. Third, out of the amazingly talented folks who competed in the Warcraft Rumble challenge, it was chosen as the organizer's pick for the challenge. That really helped me validate that I was able to be there, standing next to so many talented artists I had admired for years.
What is your go-to paint range and favorite color to work with?
I've tried quite a few ranges but at this point, I can say I've been extremely happy with the Army Painter lines recently. Though my favorite singular paint is likely Scalecolor's Green Grey. It's perfect for anything dark I'm working on and I use it in almost every piece I paint.
What technique(s) do you use most often, and why?
Glazing. My only formal training in painting I had was watercolor paints so working with extremely thinned paints to glaze is something I'm very comfortable with.
What do you usually listen to or watch while you paint?
I will usually either be streaming online and listening to lofi for the stream, or if I'm painting off-stream, I'll usually be watching someone else's. It's a great way to interact and be a part of the online miniature painting community without leaving the comfort of my home and workshop.
Why did you decide to join the Baselair community and start sharing your work here?
In this world of social media algorithms changing monthly and really not being great to show off pictures anymore, it's exhausting trying to keep up with all of that. I've been looking for a great place to be able to just share my art with folks that care about our niche part of the art/hobby world as well as a place I could refer people to as a portfolio of my work, and Baselair looked like it would check all those boxes that for me!
How has miniature painting changed your life or the way you see things?
Miniature painting literally changed the direction of my life multiple times. As a kid I learned a lot of my social skills from painting at my local game shop and going to conventions for it. For a while I ended up setting it aside when I went to college to focus on school and a career. Then after getting a career going, I started dabbling in it again. Then in 2019 I had some pretty awful life turns and since my job was shut down and I had all the time I could want, I decided to make a big life choice and try to meet my childhood hopes and dreams of making amazing miniature artwork, and to do that I started streaming it on twitch as a way to connect with other miniature painters. Since then, in particular, I'm happy to say I think my childhood self would be pretty jazzed about where I'm at!
What are some of your hobbies or interests outside of painting?
Streaming and making video content is a lot of fun. And the only thing that really tears me away from painting is video games, so I have to moderate my gaming time. I also throw axes and knives, but that became my profession, so that's a little less of a hobby these past 8 years.
What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out in the hobby?
Paint to your temperament. It was advice given to me a long time ago, but I've realized even outside of the hobby it's helped my mental and physical health in a lot of ways. But it basically boils down to not overdoing it, paint to where you feel content, and move on to a new project. Not every one will be an award-winning miniature, and that's ok. It's also ok to work toward that, just don't go too hard, or you'll just end up burning yourself out and making your miniatures look worse because of it.
Make sure to follow WaltersWorkshop on Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok to keep up with his painting journey and latest work.
