I followed quite a few ideas on Kickstarter at one time, and like all stories, this one had a beginning. A Spanish company called Scale75 started a campaign, what was my very first pledge. It was MINIPEDIA, a book about figure painting. This is the one I want to tell you about.
When I say book, it's quite deceptive because it's actually made up of several booklets. Each of them deals with separate topics. This is an excellent quality primer book, it really has everything you need to know about the basics. It focuses specifically on working with water-based acrylic paints. It does not cover oil paints, pigments, and other useful techniques. The book concentrates on the company's own products and does not give tips on alternatives. Which, I think, is a big disadvantage. The different volumes cover a very broad area of the hobby. For example, for someone who does not want to compete in a competition, the last booklet is not very useful. It is, for example, about how to build a complete competition artwork.
The first two booklets are the most exciting if you've never tried painting before. The first is specifically about brush handling and the basic techniques involved. Of course, it also includes how to prepare the figure. If you've got a lot of board game full of unpainted figures on the shelf, I highly recommend it. The second one is a bit more spicy, it introduces you to the mysteries of the airbrush. Which is a brilliant tool, even if it is a lot pricier. It's got numerous useful ideas. It describes in detail how to hold the weapon and the correct techniques. Once you realize that you don't have to clean the nozzle all the time, it can be very pleasant.
Since then, the gamer version of the book has come out, which is more aimed at the board game, role-playing community. I'll write about that too if there's a demand for it.