And for this task there are a variety of different paints, colors and shades. Paints are basicly pigments that are dispersed into a liquid, the solvent, which also includes a glue-like binder to make the pigments adhere both to itself and to the surface to which the paint is applied.
The most common paints for miniaturepainting are:
Acrylic paint, a paint based on an acrylic resin binder. It is water-soluble, ussually fast drying and non-toxic. It can have a matte, semi-gloss, or glossy finish.
Enamel paint, a laquer kind of paint, based on a slower drying, smelly, non water-soluble solvent. It can have a matte, semi-gloss, or glossy finish.
Oil paint, a slow drying paint made out of pigments mixed with an oil, traditionally linseed oil is used. Oil paint is also not water-soluble. Though there have been released some water soluble oil paint recently. It can have a matte, semi-gloss, or glossy finish.
These different kinds of paints all have different painting charachteristics which are appreciated by artists all over the world. As my experiences are mostly based on the use of acrylic paints I will recommend and concentrate on them.
In principle you can't mix acrylic with enamel or oil paints. But you can paint with the one over the entirely dried other.
Acrylic paints range from very cheap brands to quite pricey art paints. They come in various shape and size.
As dry pigments, that have to be mixed with the acrylic resin as binder to make them paintable.
Or as ready to paint fluids. These fluid paints are sold in tubes, pots, or bottles. For painting miniatures I recommend the fluid paint in bottles or pots, cause this paint has the most fluid consistency, whichis ideal for the given task. The big advantage of acrylic paints over oils and enamels is, they can be thinned with simple tap water, they don't smell as bad as enamel paints and can be cleaned easyly with warm water when they are still wet. They are nontoxic and dry very quick. In short, they are the ideal paints for the beginner as well as the pro-miniaturepainter. Look for different brands in your local art and hobby store, as well as paints offered by miniature companies at your favorite fantasy games supplier.
Some common acrylic paint brands in Germany are:
Art and Hobby brands:
Marabu
http://www.marabu.de/ Wacofin
Lucas
Faber
Javana
http://www.c-kreul.de/ Hobby Line
Folk Art
http://www.rexart.com/folkart.html
Miniature paints:
Games Workshop/Citadel paints
Ral Partha
Cote d'arms
Reaper Pro Paints
Valejo Model Color
Valejo Game Color
Adrea Paints
All these paints have their pros and contras and should be tried and tested to find out if they suit your style of painting.
In the more specific articles I will go deeper into the charachteristics of the paints I use.