Interview with El Miniaturista

Spanish artist Juan Sanz is well-known for his stunning neon displays and OSL. As ‘El Miniaturista‘ online, you can see his amazing warhammer kitbashes and tutorials. He also has a YouTube and Patreon page where you can learn! At Redgrass we have supported Juan for a long time, so interviewing him for our readers was a real treat!

Did you always know that you wanted to be a miniature painter?

Well, the short answer is ‘No’. The long answer is: I’m just someone who has become known as a miniature painter. I have the advantage that I used to ‘obsess’ with things for years. In that obsession I’m systematic too, and I repeat the pattern nearly every day. So in the case of mini painting I painted minis in my childhood (Heroquest and others) then I forgot about it for 15 years. And in my 30s I started again with that hobby from my past, incorporating it again into my routine. Now I’m 42 y/o that systematic painting during the last 12 years has gotten results. Of course I like it, and now also that hobby has become some kind of work.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Basically I feel inspired by the lore of the minis, that is why I paint 40k instead other worlds. I understand the minis; its past, its future, and I mix all that with my personal tastes- which is highly influenced by 80s/90s movies and comics. This shapes the style and presentation (& music) of the minis.

What is the miniature you have painted that you are the proudest of?

That changes with time, but lately I’m putting a lot of effort into my Killteam Ork squad.

Do you play any games with your miniatures, or just paint?

I use to play 40k 5 years ago… but now I just paint.

Do you have any other ‘creative’ hobbies you do? Do you feel they benefit one another in any way?

Not really, sometimes I paint some frames or copy some art piece that I think I am able to do… Sometimes I see something and think “I can do that!”

From your experience, what were the most difficult techniques to learn and to master?

All techniques are relatively the same difficulty. I see the whole concept of the mini by just looking, and the difficulty it will take to achieve. Know what you are going to do before the painting starts.. but during the process of painting is when you can add changes. I never doubt when I start the mini… Maybe I doubt during… And then I test some different details.. but the general paint-scheme is set since the beginning.

What tips or advice would you give someone just starting out in the hobby?

Don’t ask for color names, just copy the color with your naked eye. Don’t try to invent the best color and unique combo, because you don’t have the tools “yet”, just copy good color schemes. Now is the time to improve the technique, not the creativity.