Starting Paint for a Noob.

[Boze]

What brand of paints should I paint with?

Hello! Here is a bit about me.

I played 40k for years, 3rd edition i believe it was. Also played me some WHFB for a while to.

That was prob about 7 years ago.

Now, I am head over heels for Malifaux and really excited! I am flipping through a rule book my friend lent me and am trying to decide which crew i want.

So that brings me to the present situation. Which paints to get.

Now I know the actual colors to get will depend on which crew i end up going with, thus my main question in bold at the top.

Which brand of paints should I use?

When I played warhammer the only paints i knew were the GW/Citadel paints.

Now in my years I have seen P3 paints, Reaver (or is it reaper?) some paint called Valle-something.

Is there an affordable option that isn't some over priced brand name? I scoured the forums to no avail!

Please help!

[sithkhan]

Depending on whom you ask, you will receive a different answer. I checked out the information that Les posted at his website. Granted, it's not scientific, but Les does some amazing paintwork. Look for his video comparing the four/five major brands of paints. It's a start, but not the end or answer.

awesomepaintjob.com

[Omenbringer]

If you are just getting into painting then I would highly recommend purchasing the Reaper Master Series Paints (especially their Triads). They are great paints that dont cost a lot and we'll grow with your ability.

Also they aren't that expensive.

[cerealkiller195]

It's all on personal preference, I usually use vallejo, GW and P3 though I have heard great things about Reaper haven't had a chance to purchase any.

[Slinkdawg]

Paint is one of those things that boil down to preference.

I have had good success using the P3 paints. They flow pretty well and cover well. I paint over duplicolor black primer, and they don't take a ton of coats.

Also, I strongly recommend the Citadel washes, specifically Devlan Mud. That stuff is the magical pixie dust of miniature painting these days.

[sithkhan]

Also, there are two different types of Vallejo Paints - VGC and VMC. From what I understand, the VMC has more pigment and dries faster than the VGC. The VGC is better for drybrushing and wet blending however.

This website has some good basics.

[Daniele]

I've been using GW Paints for 12 years now and especially the new foundation colours and washes are great for beginners!

The new colour sets also provide a good fundament on colours.

[kbdrand]

Depending on whom you ask, you will receive a different answer. I checked out the information that Les posted at his website. Granted, it's not scientific, but Les does some amazing paintwork. Look for his video comparing the four/five major brands of paints. It's a start, but not the end or answer.

awesomepaintjob.com

+1 on the awesomepaintjob suggestion. He has a pretty good video about different paints, but he doesn't really talk about the Reaper line much. I used to use only GW/citadel paints but now I have switched to mostly Reaper. They are cheaper than GW and having a dropper bottle makes it so much easier to mix paints and to thin the paints.

I would say check around and see what is easier for you to get, Vallejo or Reaper. I know that on Ebay you can sometimes find deals on sets of Reaper paints.

[Svenn]

I just picked up the giant Vallejo Game Paints suitcase and I love em! They work great. They seem to be a little thinner than GW paints which is a good thing.

Otherwise, GW paints work well, and I've heard good things about P3/Reaper stuff as well. Like others have said, it's mostly a matter of preference. Pick one and go with it, or maybe buy a bottle or two of each type and test them out before committing to a brand.

[kbdrand]

I just picked up the giant Vallejo Game Paints suitcase and I love em! They work great. They seem to be a little thinner than GW paints which is a good thing.

Otherwise, GW paints work well, and I've heard good things about P3/Reaper stuff as well. Like others have said, it's mostly a matter of preference. Pick one and go with it, or maybe buy a bottle or two of each type and test them out before committing to a brand.

Wow! Those suitcases are expensive. I've been wanting one but they are like $700 from our LFGS.

[Svenn]

Wow! Those suitcases are expensive. I've been wanting one but they are like $700 from our LFGS.

$700?! I paid $190 for mine. The retail is supposed to be $250 on it.

http://miniaturemarket.com/inc/sdetail/36443

It was a worthwhile investment I think. The paints are very nice. The dropper aspect is pretty cool, certainly makes mixing easier.

[kbdrand]

$700?! I paid $190 for mine. The retail is supposed to be $250 on it.

http://miniaturemarket.com/inc/sdetail/36443

It was a worthwhile investment I think. The paints are very nice. The dropper aspect is pretty cool, certainly makes mixing easier.

Yeah, I was the same when the guy told me how much. I need to go back and tell him what I can buy it for online.

[daemonkin]

Have tried most brands over my 20+ years in gaming and have to say I'm a big fan of Vallejo but have a whole range of GW/citadel paints including their foundation and washes.

I also dabbled with Rackham's paints but found them very thick and chalky. I maybe should have tried to use them more as I'm sure the amount of pigment in them was the most of any paint range.

Devlan Mud and Badab Black are magical voodoo washes, able to turn a basic paint job into something that looks special.

D.

[Svenn]

Have tried most brands over my 20+ years in gaming and have to say I'm a big fan of Vallejo but have a whole range of GW/citadel paints including their foundation and washes.

I also dabbled with Rackham's paints but found them very thick and chalky. I maybe should have tried to use them more as I'm sure the amount of pigment in them was the most of any paint range.

Devlan Mud and Badab Black are magical voodoo washes, able to turn a basic paint job into something that looks special.

D.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. while I have this nice Vallejo suitcase... I always have a bottle of Devlan Mud on hand. I don't know how it does it, but man can it make a model look so much better.

[Borthcollective]

GW have decent paints, metallics and washes. It's nice to be able to get them all in one line. That being said, I only have a few GW pots in my collection of paints.

[AvatarForm]

Foundation/Basecoating: GW Foundation set

Colours: Vallejo Game Colour (VGC)- same pigments as GW, including those no longer produced (tentacle pink anyone?) 17ml dropper bottles and half the price of GW.

Washes: GW all the way

Inks: Vallejo Game Colour

Alternate ranges are Reaper Masters Series/Triads and P3. Im beginning to experiment with P3 and saving for RMS.

[Magius]

I'm going to take a different approach and offer up my experience with (about) the cheapest of the cheap - Anita's Craft Paints. I use these for pretty much everything I do (except pale skin tones... Theirs gives a rather... bloodless look), and I get some really good results with them. Best part about them is their price, though - ~$1 per bottle, which gives you at least 3x the amount of paint as the other brands (I've seriously only finished off 2-3 bottles from all the minis I've painted, and that was after painting a 4'x6' terrain set).

The paints also break down into really nice washes, though I've also had good experiences with the Citadel washes. For the skintone, I use the Citadel skintones, but I've been thinking about giving the Reaper triads a try (it helps that they're arranged in sets of three, which is how I paint).

The most important thing, however, is to experiment with a range of different brands and color combinations.

Finally, Prime Your Minis! I cannot stress the importance of this (especially on plastic minis) enough. This will help define the nature of your paint job - a white base will really make your minis pop on the table, a black base will help give you some really good looking shadows and crevasses, and a grey base will make the paint look the most like it does on/in the bottle.

Magius out.

[Chev Chelios]

I've started using Reaper after using Cermacoat for years.Got a 75 bottle paint set on ebay for $120,so it made it easy to change.Loving the Reaper paints now.

[readerrayne]

I am a fairly new painter so coming from that perspective I can say that I love the GW washes and have enjoyed the paints as well. I find the GW paints a bit thicker than the P3 paints though.

I've learned the value of using multiple thinner layers of paint (I use a flow medium mixture to thin mine) and find the P3 paints require less flow medium.

On the other end of that I have used some of the $1 acrylic craft paint such as Anita's when I needed a metallic pearl and a few other colors I didn't want to have to mix up. I found much better results from those paints than I expected and was able to use the flow medium to thin them just as I did the GW and P3. With the Anita's craft paint I find that it is super important to get that protective coat of clear coat on ASAP as even on a primed model the paints can chip pretty quick. And I'm super careful with my minis so that's saying something.

Most of all experiment and have fun!

[AvatarForm]

The only thing I ever add to my paints is water. I dont feel the need to add a medium.

Also, if you paint using a wet palette you will not require a drying retardent.

No point spending unnecessary $$$ if water is free and just as good for your purposes.

[Omenbringer]

Addiditves become important when thining paints to produce custom washes, stains, or when applying multiple thin layers. Using just water will cause most paints to chalk at a certain point (cheap paints will do this earlier then quality paints). You dont need to go crazy with them but a flow improver, matte medium, and gloss medium are a good start. Aside from adding them to paints before working on a model, I will also add a few drops of each to the bottles after I have finished with the color (I tend to paint in spurts so long term storage issues is a major concern). Doing this I have not had a single paint pot dry out in over 5 years (and yes that is the average age of my paint pots).

[ddot]

I use matte medium to add a little extra body to my paints when I thin them. I use the P3's which have some serious pigment so I have to thin them down quite a bit. With the amount of matte medium I use, the little bit of flow improver helps.

I can feel the difference in how smooth my layers have gotten since I started using flow improver.

I have to agree with Omenbringer that there is a breakpoint where the paint goes from thin to broken down, because I've hit that point so many times. You can get away with it to a certain extent with darker colors, but it becomes really obvious with anything brighter than "generic" red.

[AvatarForm]

Addiditves become important when thining paints to produce custom washes, stains, or when applying multiple thin layers. Using just water will cause most paints to chalk at a certain point (cheap paints will do this earlier then quality paints). You dont need to go crazy with them but a flow improver, matte medium, and gloss medium are a good start. Aside from adding them to paints before working on a model, I will also add a few drops of each to the bottles after I have finished with the color (I tend to paint in spurts so long term storage issues is a major concern). Doing this I have not had a single paint pot dry out in over 5 years (and yes that is the average age of my paint pots).

I use matte medium to add a little extra body to my paints when I thin them. I use the P3's which have some serious pigment so I have to thin them down quite a bit. With the amount of matte medium I use, the little bit of flow improver helps.

I can feel the difference in how smooth my layers have gotten since I started using flow improver.

I have to agree with Omenbringer that there is a breakpoint where the paint goes from thin to broken down, because I've hit that point so many times. You can get away with it to a certain extent with darker colors, but it becomes really obvious with anything brighter than "generic" red.

You both forget the OP is a beginner, there is time for this later.

I work with Vallejo and though the complete set comes with mediums, I achieve display standard without using them.

I use the Metallic medium when doing NMM and otherwise, water will suffice with most of the paints I suggested in my previous post.

[ispep]

I use the Metallic medium when doing NMM and otherwise, water will suffice with most of the paints I suggested in my previous post.

Uhm...

[druchii]

What brand of paints should I paint with?

Hello! Here is a bit about me.

I played 40k for years, 3rd edition i believe it was. Also played me some WHFB for a while to.

That was prob about 7 years ago.

Now, I am head over heels for Malifaux and really excited! I am flipping through a rule book my friend lent me and am trying to decide which crew i want.

So that brings me to the present situation. Which paints to get.

Now I know the actual colors to get will depend on which crew i end up going with, thus my main question in bold at the top.

Which brand of paints should I use?

When I played warhammer the only paints i knew were the GW/Citadel paints.

Now in my years I have seen P3 paints, Reaver (or is it reaper?) some paint called Valle-something.

Is there an affordable option that isn't some over priced brand name? I scoured the forums to no avail!

Please help!

I've only recently started to paint again, but I feel like I'm pretty close to a "beginner" still. So maybe some of my advice will help.

I like GW paints a lot. Their new Foundation line (the bottles with white caps) are amazing. They not only cover miniatures VERY well (thus requiring less paint) but they retain a lot of color even when painted directly onto a model.

This is nice because you can use some water (sad as it is, I get lazy and just use saliva...mine that is. That'd be weird "honey come here and spit on my paintbrush..") to thin the paint for a "wash".

That leads me to my next bit of advice: do things as simply as possible. Typically I base ALL my models black. This is from habit. White basecoats are typically better for most Malifaux figures, because they require fewer coats to achieve the same highlights. This can be important if you're worried about obscuring detail. I typically paint pretty thinly and quickly, so it doesn't bother me much. Your results will vary.

After the base coat, I apply the "base" color. This color tends to be much darker than the end color. Say I want to do a pretty blue, like this:

I'd start with a color like:

I work that all over the model, applying the thickest layers to the highest parts of the model (like his head, his pectorals, shoulders, etc.) and then apply a thinner coat in the recesses.

After that dries (GW paint dries very quickly) I then go for a color like:

Again I work this over the model, applying the thicker, more "bold" coats to the raised areas, while a VERY thin layer gets applied to the rest of the model. This will let the darker color shine through the "layer" of brighter blue, giving you a very easy shading effect.

After that, I apply the color that I want to be most dominant on the model. In the case of the above golem this:

I start with this very watered down (thus, thin) and apply it to the model, hopefully allowing the darker colors to shine through. Gradually (I lie, I tend to do it all at once, "pushing and pulling" the watered down paint where I need it to go) I build up to the final blue color, the dominant "light blue" you see in the picture.

Since the model is very angular I applied some very stark white highlights to the edges of his geometry. A lot of my painting buddies (who are MUCH better painters than I) dislike the use of brazen white highlights. I like them. So they have to deal with it But usually, only the very tips of the most raised or outside edges should get a dabbing of white. Most colors, shouldn't have white at all (like, have you ever seen a brown dress SHINE? I haven't, unless it's meant to be glossy).

Finally, sometimes you get done with a model and it's just TOO bright. Don't fret. An easy way to remedy this is to go back to your middle color (in this case, the enchanted blue) and water it down a bunch and "wash" the model with the color. This will not only pull your highlights down (as in darker) but sink some more dark color into the recesses. You can then highlight this back up to an appropriate shade.

Don't be fooled, inks (like the GW inks, or all the bottles with black caps) are great (Snakebite leather+Devlan Mud Wash+Badab Black wash makes the BEST and easiest leather, ever.) but you can make almost ANY paint into a wash by watering it down.

Finally, I use both GW and Privateer Press (p3) paints. I'm switching my collection over to p3 paints purely because I've found they water down just a bit more consistently than GW paints, but, like most things, a lot of people have personal superstitions and beliefs about paint. I don't mind paying 5 bucks for a pair of p3 paints because they last me FOREVER ( I think I've gone through THREE foundation greys, and that's because I 1st colored over 8000pts of demons with it!).

I hope this is MORE information that you initially wanted, but ALL of it was worth your while.

Oh, last bit of advice: JUST PAINT! I cannot tell you how much better you get just by PAINTING!

d