Paint is only part of what turns a bare miniature into a painted one. A realistic starter list is primer, a small brush set, a wet palette, a basic wash or two, and something to hold the model while you work. Everything past that is an upgrade, not a requirement.
The mistake most new painters make is buying an enormous paint set before they have the supporting tools that actually determine whether the paint goes on well. A great color in the wrong hands, applied over bad primer with a worn-out brush, still looks rough.
What primer do I actually need?
A liquid primer applied by brush or airbrush is the easiest entry point, since it avoids the outdoor space, ventilation, and weather-dependence that aerosol primers require. A liquid primer(affiliate link) in white, grey, or black covers the vast majority of schemes; pick the primer color based on whether your paints are lighter or darker than the base plastic or resin.
What brushes should a beginner start with?
A small set covering a detail size and a slightly larger base-coating size is enough to start. A synthetic brush set(affiliate link) holds a point well enough for a beginner without the cost of natural sable, which is worth upgrading to later once brush care habits are established. Rinse brushes in water between colors and never let paint dry in the bristles, that single habit extends brush life more than any specific brush purchase.
Do I need a wet palette right away?
Yes, sooner than most beginners expect. A wet palette(affiliate link) keeps acrylic paint workable for hours instead of skinning over in minutes on a dry palette, which matters even more for a beginner who is painting slowly while learning. It also makes thinning paint to the right consistency easier, since the damp surface does some of that work automatically.
What washes or shades are worth having from day one?
One or two general-purpose washes cover most early projects: a brown or dark neutral for recesses and skin tones, and a black or near-black for deep shadow. A wash and shade set(affiliate link) gets a beginner a working range without buying single pots one at a time before knowing which tones get used most.
What can wait until later?
An airbrush, a full paint rack system, magnifying lamps, and specialty technical paints are all real upgrades but none of them are required to finish a first miniature well. Buy them once a specific project or a specific frustration makes the need obvious, rather than up front.
What about something to hold the model while painting?
A simple painting handle that clips onto a model's base makes a bigger difference than most beginners expect, since it keeps fingers off wet paint and lets you rotate the model freely without touching it. It is a small, inexpensive addition compared to almost everything else on this list, and it is worth adding at the same time as the first brush and primer rather than waiting until frustration sets in from smudged basecoats.
Is it worth buying a full paint set instead of building supplies piece by piece?
A curated starter set from one brand is a reasonable shortcut for the paint itself, but the supporting tools, primer, brushes, a wet palette, still need to be added separately since most paint sets do not include them. Treat the paint set as one line item on the list above, not the whole list.
For brand-specific starting points, see the Vallejo brand hub and the Army Painter brand hub, or start directly from the Citadel Base range if you already know which faction or scheme you are painting.
FAQ
Do I need an airbrush to get started?
No. A brush and a liquid primer cover everything a beginner needs; an airbrush is a speed and consistency upgrade for later, not a requirement.
What is the single most important supply after paint itself?
Primer. Paint applied over bare, unprimed plastic or resin does not adhere as well and chips far more easily.
Is a wet palette really necessary for a beginner?
It is not strictly required, but it solves the single most common early frustration, which is paint drying out mid-session, so most painters who skip it end up buying one within their first few projects anyway.
How many brushes do I actually need to start?
Two is enough: one small detail brush and one slightly larger brush for basecoating. More sizes and shapes become useful as specific techniques come up.
Should I buy a big paint set or individual colors?
A small curated set from your chosen brand's starter line is usually more efficient than either extreme, since it gives working coverage without the cost or waste of buying every color at once.