Contrast or Bust! Go beyond the hype with these two videos on the new Citadel Contrast Color paint that show more than one thick coat.
Pete the Wargamer on Youtube, gave us his personal opinions and experiences with testing out contrast paints. Keep in mind that he did more than just “one thick coat”. Pete went deeper into some of the tricks you can pull off with Contrast as well as some of the things to look out for in his video below showcasing the models he painted at Warhammer Fest.
In case you missed our first post on the reveal of Contrast paints, make sure you look everything over yourself.
Contrast Paints: More Than Just a Pigmented Wash
Take a look at the video showcase on the models Pete painted with Contrast, as we breakdown some of the key points and techniques he mentions in the video below:
So with most of the community saying it was just a pigmented wash, he set out to test some of the tricks he could do with the new paints.
First, he painted up this Arch-Regent entirely with contrast paints and found these gems:
- Contrast paints can be thinned with their medium to tone down the pigment. (This is good for achieving a pale skin effect).
- Contrast paints stay wet for a while and can be used with multiple colors for wet blending. (He wet blended the recesses of the skin with a non-thinned down color of what he used to cover the entire model).
- Repetitive thin layers of contrast paints can achieve a “veiny”, subsurface effect on the skin. Just make sure the layers completely dry and are not too thick.
- Blood Angels red can be used to pull off a bloody/inflamed skin with a dabbing effect.
- The paint line works well with organic features like skin
- Does not work well with blocks surfaces like buildings, stone blocks, etc. Because the paint takes a while to dry, you’ll have to spend more time babysitting it.
Paints Can Be Thinned & Layered
- Effects like rust are very easy to make. (He used the orange contrast paint and snakebite leather here on the trim).
- To make the green panel, he layered colors like green, orange, brown, and black in multiple different thin layers. There may be more to this paint than just one thick coat.
A Trick For Drawing Out Shadows
Finally, a trick for shading effects.
Doing things slightly backward, he painted on a thin line of a dark brown contrast paints ONLY in the recesses of the armor. While it was still wet, he went over the entire model with a green contrast paint and it drew out some of the brown in the recesses. This made for a wet blending effect and created a smoother transition between the armor plates and the crevices of the model.
Big Paint Pot, Big Risk
Contrast paints are going to be coming in a paint pot about the size of Citadel’s washes. They’re also just runny enough to instantly make a mess if they tip over. Don’t hobby on the wild side. Play it safe and get yourself a couple of paint pot holders from Game Envy.
Make every hobby dollar you spend count. Don’t risk tipping your brand new paint pot over after your first mini! These things are inexpensive and will definitely go a long way in your hobby adventures.
Watching Contrast Paints First-Hand
If you wanted to get a feel for how the paint was going to behave coming straight out of the pot, check out this video from The 2Ps Podcast on Youtube. He paints a Poxwalker using some of Nurgle’s shades.
All in all, we’re surprised at all of the effects some of the painters are able to pull off. While it may take a little bit of practice getting our paint-thinning technique just right, we’re excited about its potential. Will you be using contrast paints to make subsurface effects on your model? What color are you most excited to use? Are you impressed with the amount of detail the paint can capture?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
