Overall, I think they show some promise for 10mm figures:
(https://i.imgur.com/ijuCXtt.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/pavUPhe.jpg)
Those are contrast paints over Nuln Oil Gloss over white primer.
One thing to note is that little bits you forgot to paint are a real pain when you can't just go back to that color on your wet palette.
Now that's seriously interesting.
I have tried the Blood Angels Red version, which works very well over Vallejo Iraqi Sand. There is a very interesting discussion of this on Lead Adventure.
Someone posted what I think was a 6mm T64 using contrast it it did give it a nice weathered look
I tried Creed Camo on a 15mm IS-2 and was quite shocked how reasonable it looked and I am an appalling painter - just about to try it on a 10mm Pendraken Sherman
Well since people are at least interested here are some random thoughts. A friend bought the whole set and I've been experimenting a bit:
Someone on the Reaper forums compared painting with these to painting with watercolors. Basically, since they don't cover, the only way to fix a mistake is to reapply whatever base coat you are using and then redo the Contrast paint.
Similarly, they might be hard to use for beginners because the thick coats that are applied require a heavily loaded brush and thus any slip up could put a lot of paint in the wrong place.
The level of pigment in each color of paint varies quite a bit and it's not easy to, based on the color in the pot, guess how each will look on a model. This, combined with how much the color and gloss level of the undercoat affects the final result means that you really need a specific recipe to get a result you like. To me, these are only really useful for mass army painting. Someone with artistic talent might be able to use them more freely.
It would be nice if the pigment level was consisted from color to color and you could just add the medium to thin them out. The white and black Contrast paints are exempted from this because they are way better than they have any right to be.
When using a wash, I often think it looks quite nice immediately after application but only OK by the time it dries. I think these end up looking better after waiting. Strangely the intensity of the color seems to increase which I wouldn't care to try and explain.
GW paint pots are terrible but these depend on consistency I'm not sure how well they'd work on either a wet or dry palette.
I'm not quite sure how to combine using these with regular paints and techniques. For instance the metal bits on the orcs and dwarves are still black because I decided to to risk getting metallic paint everywhere with my messy dry brushing. More monochrome models like tanks or space marines would be easier.
I am a figure painter as well as a wargamer of 50+ years experience.
I still paint figures for other people as well as for my own collections.
I don't think I'll be rushing out to try these new contrast offerings unless someone comes along and says "here's some contrast paints and some figures can you try them out for me".
I know what I'm doing with the paints I have and I'm too much of an old dog to learn new tricks.
What the hell are contrast paints ?
Paints with added water ?.....Are painters too simple to thin paints down ? :o X_X
I'm sorry....Sounds like a way to get folk to spend money on something they don't truly need.
Cheers - Phil
Quote from: Techno on 30 June 2019, 07:31:32 PM
What the hell are contrast paints ?
Paints with added water ?.....Are painters too simple to thin paints down ? :o X_X
I'm sorry....Sounds like a way to get folk to spend money on something they don't truly need.
Cheers - Phil
There's that as well.
I went into a local GW store this weekend for some 'Matt White' and something like 'Royal Blue' .... walked away with something, not sure what the colours were. 'Skull Chukka light bone' and 'Glorantha dark gargantuan azure' ... or similar words were used. I remember going into Citadel and Early GW shops in West London and getting paint with names that matched the colour, but that was in a previous millennia.
How are people finding them over non-GW Contrast undercoats? I'm mildly happy with trying them over Halfords white spray but am told they're supposed to be only useful on GW's special undercoats (which is just a satin, as far as I can tell...).
To me.....(Having watched a video on you tube.)......They look like they're inks, mixed in with a matt or gloss medium, or possibly an acrylic varnish.
Decades ago I'd often mix the old Rotring inks with Rowney Matt Medium, and get a very similar effect. (I've still got a bottle of that in the drawer.)
I think the Rowney Matt Medium has gone the same way as the Rotring Artist Inks (i.e it's been discontinued)....But Rowney do an acrylic varnish....and they certainly won't be the only folk that do.
I'm pretty sure I've got a couple of pots of Tamiya acrylic varnish somewhere in another drawer.
If someone has got all the inks already...I think investing in a pot of varnish and at least
trying to 'mix your own' contrast paints would be better than investing in a complete set of these new pots from GW....At least as an experiment.
Quote from: toxicpixie on 30 June 2019, 10:00:56 PM
How are people finding them over non-GW Contrast undercoats? I'm mildly happy with trying them over Halfords white spray but am told they're supposed to be only useful on GW's special undercoats (which is just a satin, as far as I can tell...).
Hmmmmmm... :-\ ;)
Cheers - Phil
They're allegedly very smooth flow, very high pigment paints that go on incredibly thinly (or thin out to), which is basically the same thing (or same effect, anyway) as a high pigment ink?
Have GW moved from "your old codexes are now out of date buy lots of new ones" to "your old paints are out of date buy lots of new ones?"
Cheers,
Mr Cynical
You could see it like that (and they do like their many technical ranges of "special paint for special things"), BUT mainly I've seen it enthuse new to painting people and/or get people who couldn't be arsed/hate painting back into actually painting mini's and getting armies/games sorted - which can only be a good thing :)
Thus far I can see me using them on personal quick paint stuff, but I don't think it'll change my commission painting techniques. Unless someone wants a sort of "silk effect", maybe?
Quote from: toxicpixie on 30 June 2019, 10:00:56 PM
How are people finding them over non-GW Contrast undercoats? I'm mildly happy with trying them over Halfords white spray but am told they're supposed to be only useful on GW's special undercoats (which is just a satin, as far as I can tell...).
I can't be too helpful because the orcs I used for most of my testing were primed many, many years ago but whatever I sprayed them with back then seemed to work ok with the Contrast paints. On the other hand, I didn't have any luck putting them over any of my Reaper paints, which are too matte, I guess.
Personally, I like the extra bit of shading that you get by putting down Nuln Oil before the Contrast.
A pre-shade might work nicely, and I wonder of that's given them the extra bit of "flow" for you?
It's kind of diluting the "one step" process idea a bit though :D
That sounds a great couple of tips 'Cookie' and Nathan.
I think our truly good friends here should/could 'have an experiment' with various mediums and techniques...and then post or comment about the results.
Everyone wants to improve their skills.
Without wishing to go 'on and on' about it X_X.....When I was 'in charge' of the painters at the Evil Empire, we use to try all sorts of stuff.....Some worked (really, really well)....Others didn't.
The ones that worked.....We'd all copy.....The ones that didn't...... ;)
That was the massive advantage in working in an environment working with people who were basically doing 'the same thing as you' on a day to day basis.
Cheers - Phil
I discovered this chaps you tube channel the other day and found his video about contrast paints interesting
https://youtu.be/wy_Jk7bOsPo
Quote from: toxicpixie on 02 July 2019, 02:23:40 PM
A pre-shade might work nicely, and I wonder of that's given them the extra bit of "flow" for you?
It's kind of diluting the "one step" process idea a bit though :D
That extra flow is why they came out with the new Nuln Oil Gloss.
(https://i.imgur.com/7Qfkaba.jpg)
The left C.A.V. (Basically off brand Battlemechs but 10mm!) was done with Spacewolf Grey over regular Nuln Oil. The one on the right was done over Nuln Oil Gloss. In this case I think the regular works better. If you might notice the legs on the leftmost CAV are a different shade. That's because I decided that the Spacewolf was light on pigment went to a 50/50 mix with Ultramarine on the legs. By the time it dried, the torso looked a bit nicer.
The C.A.V. in the middle was one of the greens over Gloss Nuln which seemed to work fine. While the Contrast paints struggle a bit with flat areas, I'd say they sit nicely in the panel lines.
My next experiment will be to paint the cockpit glass silver and then try some Contrast over that. I've got way too many of these and something that would get them on the table would be pretty useful.
Yeah, they look decent! And for virtually zero time, which means big armies very quickly :)
I think I need to experiment and maybe try a pre-shade wash, but then I'm also thinking it's as quick to drop a shade tone afterwards, so...
An interesting video of home-made contrast.
He is basically using Les' wash recipe but without any water to dilute the medium.
Interesting video. I've not got any of the acrylic inks, but I do have a big pot of Matt medium and flow improver.
Might try some mixes, as I quite often use the thinner paint over white approach.
The liquitex acrylic ink is around £6 for a 30ml bottle so twice as much colour for the same price as GW then you mix it with Matt medium to double the volume again, so if you want a lot it's cheaper. Also interesting from a playing to get results perspective.