It’s been a while since Contrast paints hit the shelves. After using it off and on over the past six months, I’ve finally found the ones I like the best. Here’s why they may be perfect for you!
Contrast paints are easy to use in that you can just use them straight out of the pot without any thinning. If I am painting a lot, I will pull it straight out of a pot with a larger base brush (or even larger brush when doing terrain) and paint it straight onto the primed models making sure it doesn’t pool anywhere. If I am trying to be more delicate, I will use a small layer brush for some minor detail work. Then on top of that, I will either shade everything or if I am happy with the color to go straight to dry brush.
I am using these paints mostly for speed, so I want to dry brush as much as possible. I also do it one color at a time (unless shading multiple colors the same at once) and unless it is really noticeable I do not generally neaten up anything if I get a little bit of contrast paint on an area that isn’t painted yet. I just go over the previous contrast paint with the other and it gives it a little bit of a darker shadow. Then shade and dry brush to bring everything together.
You can also mix traditional paints with the medium to make your own contrast paints, which I have done with varying degrees of success. I especially like this for terrain buildings that are zenithal shaded to do some coat highlights.
Editors Note: I think the Contrast paints are a mix of Flow Improver/thinner and Matte Medium. Here’s is how you can make your own when combined with High-Intensity Inks or Washes (or even traditional acrylic paints like Travis mentions above).
Things I like:
What’s perfect for these contrast paints are their speed and ease of use, they really are a new painter’s best friend in terms of getting easy highlights. Speed-wise, they can cut painting a traditional (non-airbrushed) army by quite a lot of time and are perfect for things like large squads of troops. The ease of use makes them perfect for speed painting and I am finding new joy in just grabbing some pieces I have had sitting around for ages and saying I am going to have a finished piece in 2-3 hours. (great for terrain and endless spells).
It has really helped clear out a backlog and the finished products look above tabletop grade. When viewed from a distance they look good and colorful with bits of detail here and there. Also, there is a lot less of the tedious touch-up work if you are ignoring some of the minor imperfections.
Thinks I don’t like:
Sometimes the contrast paint doesn’t cover the entire area very well and you will see big splotches of white showing through. You then must go back over areas with the contrast paint, but like washes, you need to be careful to not show brush strokes when doing that. Some of the contrast paints just are not that good and should be avoided for what their name implies.
For example, Ork Flesh is way to bright green for what I want my Ork Flesh to be, so I used the other green Militarum Green instead. This is trial and error, but I wish they had more examples on the app using the contrast or comparing them side by side.
Another thing I don’t like is having to use the primers GW provides for the paints, I know it goes hand in hand, but they are expensive compared to other rattle cans I have used in the past. Also forcing the white (its how they work I get it) can be harder on a new painted because a white undercoat is less forgiving than black.
Favorite Paints:
Here are my top 5 Contrast paints that I love, and may be perfect for you as well!
- Skeleton Horde
- This paint is great for doing all sorts of bone color and if you want to make them stand out from one another try various kinds of washes on it to make them stand out. For death armies, or those with lots of skulls and bones though this is a lifesaver in terms of time and how good it looks.
- Snakebite Leather
- I always struggled painting leather and so when I picked up this paint I was hoping for a miracle and it provided one. This looks so good over any of the base coats, and it looks like leather. Personally, I like it over Wrathbone white, then shaded using Agrax earth shade to make it really pop.
- Talassar Blue
- I love the richness of this blue and first tested it out on a lot of blue horrors I painted. It goes on smoothly, and the coverage is nice. Along with that, it has a deep richness that would look good as clothing, banners, etc. for any army.
- Black Templar
- Painting black can be hard and this offers a really good solution to getting something black but then showing you where to highlight. I like to edge highlight the brighter areas on this either in a grey or dark blue, but on the stone, you could get away with dry brushing I would think.
- Apothecary White
- Painting white is hard, this makes it so much easier. If you have a bunch of guys you want to paint up in white this paint can work wonders for you. The nice grey shading is perfect for the white color that can help anyone get the tone of white they are looking for.
Final Thoughts:
There you have it, personally I like the contrast paints and think if your willing to spend a couple of extra dollars on the right primer and the paint pots it can save you some time. For me, I will use mostly contrast paints when doing things like batch painting a large unit or whatnot when I am not sure worried about making it a centerpiece model.
For the centerpiece models though I would stick with the classic method but be open to bringing contrast paints into your repertoire of skills and paints to use to make it look good. Once you do something enough and learn about it you would be surprised what you can make it do.
Overall I like the product and think it could really help those people that are not interested in spending countless hours painting miniatures, to be able to get some paint on that grey plastic. That’s the biggest reason why Contrast paints may be perfect for you!
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About the Author: Travis Perkins
