Need advice on priming...

[meatwagon]

I am about to start painting my Mcmourning box set and was looking for some advice on priming. I have always used black primer, mostly because everything I have ever done was mostly dark colors.But with the amount of white/light colors an the models I was wondering if it would be better to prime them with a white or other light colored primer. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[semanticdm]

It's easier to get to black over white rather than vice versa. If you're planning on making more of them white, then I'd say to go ahead and start with a white primer. If you can find primer that closely matches the major colour of what you're going to be painting the models, that'll make the paint job even easier. Rather than coating 100% of the model w/ a brush, you might be able to get away with 50%, and do a wash / highlighting over the other 50%.

[The Madman]

go down the middle and do a grey or neutral tan primer

most of the DIY stores have a $ .99 primer in black, grey and white

[kbdrand]

I usually go white or grey on my primer. Just make sure you do not use too much primer. You do not need to completely cover all the metal on the model. You just want about 90% coverage (the high spots). When you base coat your mini you should be able to cover any spots that were missed with the primer.

[Mentor]

I would suggest Duplicolor Gray Hot Rod Sandable Primer. I put it on par with the GW spraypaints only half the cost. You can pick it up at any Autozone for $5.

[LoboStele]

I usually go white or grey on my primer. Just make sure you do not use too much primer. You do not need to completely cover all the metal on the model. You just want about 90% coverage (the high spots). When you base coat your mini you should be able to cover any spots that were missed with the primer.

I 2nd this! I've learned that I think I put too much primer on a couple of my models, in an effort to make sure the whole thing was primed. In effect, I end up losing some of the details of the model.

The $.99 primer is a good way to go, but I have definitely noticed that those paints are usually thicker (even in spray can form), compared to the expensive stuff like GW's spray can primer. Not that I'd want to buy GW's stuff all the time, but just be careful with the cheaper stuff. Use even less paint, or go in thinner layers.

[Werecat]

Duplicolor or rustolium makes a great primer.

[The Madman]

Duplicolor or rustolium makes a great primer.

:rock:

[thaehl]

I really like macabre colors and shading so I use black to deepen the colors I add.

[Stargazer]

with whit remember any parts you miss will be very obvious, bear this in mind!!! Black is what I personally use because I like using dark muted tones even with light colours (If that even makes sense...) Try Grey if you want something inbetween I guess, this will probably make your colours look more "true" to how they actually are.

Stargazer

[krak_kirby]

Lots of folks like black undercoat, but I use white then wash the primered mini with black or dark brown. This brings out a lot of details that weren't obvious to me looking at bare metal.

With so few models I am using more expensive primer. If I were painting 300 Cadians or orks I would go cheap, but a can of the good stuff should last you through several crews.

[LoboStele]

Lots of folks like black undercoat, but I use white then wash the primered mini with black or dark brown. This brings out a lot of details that weren't obvious to me looking at bare metal.

Ooooh, this is a neat trick! I'll have to remember that one.

I used a gray off-the-shelf primer from a local craft store on my Colette crew. You guys are right, in that the colors look a bit more 'real'. I liked being able to lay on black in the areas I wanted to be dark though. So I definitely see benefit to using both options, depending on how you want the piece to look in the end.

[Omenbringer]

I would suggest Duplicolor Gray Hot Rod Sandable Primer. I put it on par with the GW spraypaints only half the cost. You can pick it up at any Autozone for $5.

Have to add that Duplicolor is far superior to any of the GW spray paints. Aside from the lower cost, the tooth is much much finer (providing smoother finishes), it sprays thinner (so it wont obscure detail even if you are abit over zealous in application) and it is also a true primer so will provide a better bond to the model.

Also for the OP a light primer will definately make the colors brighter, however, I would say that for Malifaux you would probably be better served with the normal black primer you use then base coating with a darker shade of your desired end color (or GW foundation paint for the base coat).

Edited September 23, 2010 by Omenbringer

[Chev Chelios]

Lots of folks like black undercoat, but I use white then wash the primered mini with black or dark brown. This brings out a lot of details that weren't obvious to me looking at bare metal.

With so few models I am using more expensive primer. If I were painting 300 Cadians or orks I would go cheap, but a can of the good stuff should last you through several crews.

I do the same thing.Most of the time I wash in brown unless the mini is going to be primarly light colors,then I will wash a light gray.I don't ever use black primer,I think its too thick.Especially on the fine detailed Wyrd stuff.I use primers right off the Home Depot shelves.

[Omenbringer]

I don't ever use black primer,I think its too thick.Especially on the fine detailed Wyrd stuff.I use primers right off the Home Depot shelves.

Try Duplicolor sandable primer or Tamiya Primer (usually much harder to find). These go on really thin. I spray very heavy and in two or three coats and have not managed to obscure any fine details in the wyrd minis (though my models are for the table and not comps).

[AvatarForm]

+1 to the above. Everyone here has quite covered the solutions and theory. I used to prime only in black for the GrimDark minis I used to collect and game with. Now, however, Malifaux minis have such great detail and make me want to paint them bright colours. Since I use acryllics, they have a small degree of translucency and your primer will show through in the final results (when painting many thin layers for smooth blends), hence my change to white primer. I had tried a tan (for hordes) and grey (for WM) however, for my Malifaux white is the winner.

[GreenRiveter]

Here's a quick shot of white primer with a Devlan Mud wash. To bring up the highlights, you can dry brush white over this, but I avoid dry brushing whenever possible.

Edited September 23, 2010 by GreenRiveter

[AvatarForm]

Here's a quick shot of white primer with a Devlan Mud wash. To bring up the highlights, you can dry brush white over this, but I avoid dry brushing whenever possible.

Be careful with this technique as too much wash will give you shiny recesses, if you intend on leaving them dark and not applying a foundation into them.

Black ink or a glaze of the base colour would also do a suitable job of highlighting the small details on minis, similar to what GreenRiveter has achieved. Dry brushing is not necessary at this stage of the mini.

[Lord Shaper]

I've always been a white primer guy but when I started painting figures around 20 years ago that's all we really had...

I didn't mind toying with the GW colours back in the day which made it easier to paint a Dark Angels Army as you didn't need to do a base coat but white to me always shows me more detail but you have to be more careful when painting as if you miss something it really stands out.

[AkumaKaze]

I have always been one to swear by black primer, but these models are so small that I may have to change it up. White may be a bit much for me so I think I will go with grey.....

[meatwagon]

Thank you all for your advice on this. It has been very informative. When I start painting them Ill take photos of my progress and post them. Thanks again.

[St. Anger]

I use Duplicolor Sandable Primer for everything. I have gone through the painting evolution from black to grey to white. There are advantages to all of them. You can learn from experience what works best for you. These days, I generally use white for most projects, but i also keep a can of black, grey, and rust for projects that I am trying to get a specific effect. Good luck and feel free to message me if you have any questions.

[Omenbringer]

+1 to the above. Everyone here has quite covered the solutions and theory. I used to prime only in black for the GrimDark minis I used to collect and game with. Now, however, Malifaux minis have such great detail and make me want to paint them bright colours. Since I use acryllics, they have a small degree of translucency and your primer will show through in the final results (when painting many thin layers for smooth blends), hence my change to white primer. I had tried a tan (for hordes) and grey (for WM) however, for my Malifaux white is the winner.

Basically prime to the model and desired color palette. Bright colors are usually best shown when over a white undercoat, and dark colors are usually best shown over a black undercoat.

As an example of this for my Bayou Gremlin crew I painted over black primer (to emphasize the dirty grimy look of the bayou), for my sons Rasputina crew I primed white (because over all he wanted the models to look cold and pale), and for my daughters Lady Justice crew I primed some white and some black (to better show the palettes she selected).

[readerrayne]

Like many others I have used white, grey and black. Typically I use grey or white. If I use white I often put a wash on after to bring out the detail so I don't miss it while painting.

Personally I like the Duplicolor and Krylon sandable primer over the GW and P3 but that' just what I've had better luck with in my area which has a fairly high humidity.

Lots of good advice here and nothing more I can really add except to agree that the best thing to do is experiment and you will find what works best for you on any given fig.

Have fun painting!

Edited September 25, 2010 by readerrayne