Behind EWS, a miniature painter
I am Étienne, a miniature painter and founder of Etienne Wargaming Studio.
I handle every studio project personally, from preparing and painting the miniatures to photographing the finished work. You work directly with the person holding the brush.
I built EWS around a simple conviction: a beautiful army is about more than its individual miniatures. It must also work as a cohesive whole.
From brush to image
Photographing a miniature is part of how I present it. I aim for images that faithfully represent its colors, forms, and finishes, showing both the overall piece and its finer details.
For armies offered for sale, the photographs show the actual lot being sold. Photography should reveal the painting, not alter its appearance.
Painting with the viewer in mind
A Tabletop army doesn't need to imitate a Display piece to be successful. It should be neatly painted, visually consistent, and suited to its usual viewing distance.
When a piece calls for a closer look, more time is spent on the transitions, textures, and details that matter for that piece. The choice of level must always serve your project, rather than an arbitrary checklist of techniques.
One army, one composition.
Palette, contrasts, recurring colors, bases, characters, and large pieces must tell the same story. I always try to find the balance between the personality of each miniature and the harmony of the army as a whole. This attention to composition guides both projects intended for gaming and those requiring a more advanced finish.