Lighting - bright lighting (of course), halogen light works best since it contains more of the spectrum of colors, flourescent is the worst.

Paint Mixing Surface - Glass or ceramic plates work best because they can be cleaned easily

Cup of Water - Never stand the brushes in the water! Swish them back and forth rapidly then stroke them against an old towel till clean.
 

Brushes

Use only RED SABLE brushes! I cannot emphasize this enough. They cost a bit more (not much) and are harder to find, but they last the longest. You'll need a #5 or #6 for big stuff, and "pointers" or "spotters" in #2, #0, #000, and #10 0. After #0 though the numbers are pretty arbitrary.
 

Files and Picks

A good set of jewlers files and some dental picks are pretty handy for removing the occasional flash from your new miniatures. The most essential element here is an X-acto knife.

Paint

I use allot of different things. Water based acrylic paint (available through craft and art stores and basic colors are best to start with, you can always mix), Testors model paint (for most of my metallics) and thinner/brush cleaner, glass stain (for jewels and blood), inks of various shades (for washing, again availiable at craft and art stores), flat black and flat white spray enamel paint (for primer), flat or matte acrylic polymer sealer (for finishing), and brush-on gloss acrylic sealer (made by Poly-S and availiable at hobby shops that deal in trains).

Glues

PVC white glue - I use Elmer's and Aylene's Tacky Glue, depending on the circumstance
90 second or 5 minute epoxy - the kind in the hypodermic syringe for strong bonds
CA glue (super glue) - I like Zap-A-Gap but I really don't use CA much. Many people claim they like it but it has a tendency to weaken over time so I avoid it.

Other Goop

Artist's Matte Medium - great for scenery, it's an Elmer's like sealent
Celuclay - basically, powdered newsprint, mixed with elmer's and water it can make great scenery
Epoxy Putty - the "yellow and blue make green" ribbon available at the hardware store. This is actually what the miniatures are sculpted out of. It works great for patching seams or even modifying the miniatures.
Squadron Green Putty - basically the "spot putty" used to do body work on cars, It's sandable and easy to work. Available at hobby stores. Note - Testors makes a version that is INFERIOR! Stay away from it.
Clean Sand and Dirt - for detailing the miniature's base as well as making scenery.
Static grass, powdered green foam, Italian seasoning dyed brown, dried babies breath (for flowers), and other scenery materials - availiable at hobby stores that deal in trains.

Optional Tools

A Dremel-type rotory tool - Just too useful to list all its benifits.
A pin vise - very important for pinning multiple peice miniatures
Metal brushes - for cleaning
An X-acto or other hobbyists saw -
Tweezers and /or Hemostats -
Small bench vise -
 

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