Rhonda Bender first tried miniature painting at the Paint & Take table at Gen Con 2003. As soon as she got home from the convention she bought one of the first generation Reaper Learn to Paint kits, and then another, and then another. She avidly took paint classes with dozens of the luminaries of miniature painting at every event she could attend. Within a few years her figures were winning awards at a variety of contests, and she was sharing her enthusiasm with others by teaching her own painting classes.
Today Rhonda is the author of the current generation of the Reaper Learn to Paint kit series. She has put as much effort into learning how to teach miniature painting as she has in learning how to paint. She attends and teaches at several conventions a year, primarily ReaperCon and AdeptiCon. She is a freelance painter, primarily painting studio figures for Reaper Miniatures and Dark Sword Miniatures, and her work is still recognized with awards in miniature painting contests.
Rhonda enjoys writing for this blog and her other online teaching activities as an opportunity to connect with miniature painting enthusiasts who are unable to attend convention painting classes. She quickly realized that online articles and videos offer an opportunity to explore many aspects of miniature painting that cannot be discussed in-depth within the constraints of a short convention class.
The biggest challenge of sharing information online is balancing the time it takes with the time she needs to spend painting figures to make a living. If you would like to support her efforts, please consider joining the Bird with a Brush Patreon, or a supporting via a one-time tip to Ko-fi.
Social Media Sites
Rhonda has been a little disorganized in creating her online identity, and can be found under a few different monikers on various sites and forums: Wren, WrenTheBard, and BirdWithABrush.
Cool Mini or Not photo gallery (older figures)
Awards and Accolades
Best in Show:
CMON Expo 2018, 2014, 2013
Reaper MSP Open (Reaper category) 2014, overall 2008
Smoky Mountain Model Con 2019
Guest of Honour, various years:
GenghisCon
CMON Expo
Cold Wars
Gen Con, various years:
Diorama: First Place
Unit: Second Place
Single: Third Place
Dark Sword Manufacturer: Best in Show
Wyrd Manufacturer: First Place
ReaperCon, various years:
Best in Show
Best in Show (Reaper category)
Three Gold Sophie trophies
Three Silver Sophie trophies
Three Bronze Sophie trophies
Numerous Gold and Silver medals
Special awards including Best Theme entry 2021
World Expo Chicago 2017
Silver in Fantasy Painter
Atlanta Military Figure Show:
Gold for entire display in Fantasy Painter: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2012
Gold medal in Fantasy Open
Silver medal in Historical Painter 2018
Phoenix Award 2018
Smoky Mountain Model Con 2019
Best in Show, Best in Class
Bird with a Brush 