Excited for Contrast paint? Don’t miss the top 5 things you need to know before you decide if the new Citadel Contrast Color paint line is for you!
We’ve been hearing all sorts of news and tidbits revolving around contrast paints. While it’s still on the way, we can take a look at everything we know about the product so far. These all range from rumors to personal experience from other artists. Check out everything you need to know on these paints.
Retail Price
Obviously, the price will probably be the deal breaker for most. Recent rumors were $10 a pot, however, after the reveal of their smaller pot size than washes, that seems unlikely at this point.
A better estimate would be in the $6-$8 range, however, at the end of the day, you will have to decide whether buying 4 paints at say $8 is better than 8 normal paints at $4.50 ea before needing thier new primer to make the whole system work.
Contrast Revealed At Warhammer Fest 2019
Amongst a rise in rumors between a Citadel Airbrush and some other paints, Contrast paint was revealed at Warhammer Fest 2019. The idea behind the contrast paint is to shave down your hobby time when it comes to painting hordes and other models you just want to get finished. If nothing else, this will be a fantastic starting point for anyone getting into the hobby. The slow dry time will be forgiving as hobbyists can continue to work the paint in areas that they want.
You’ll be able to get your models ready for the tabletop in no time.
It looks like there are over thirty different contrast paints, along with a rainbow of opportunity to paint your models easier! Not pictured (though visible in the glass bottom left) are two new Citadel Color sprays that are designed to work with this new system as well.
Here are some Work In Progress shots of models painted at Warhammer Fest using Contrast sent to us from Sablednah
This shot shows the consistency of the paint. One thick coat indeed!
While the contrast line might seem like a bright new idea, we may not be seeing it for the first time…
Insider Word on the Contrast Paint Line
Two separate insiders spoke a word on the Contrast line. We’ll be breaking them down one by one for you. Remember these are just rumors until proven otherwise.
Industry Insider #1: According to one insider the contrast paints have been under development for four years and everything was just finalized about eight months ago.
One Thick Coat of Hexwraith Flame?
Industry Insider #2: Hexwraith Flame and Nighthaunt Gloom were prototypes to “test the water” for an entire paint line to the same effect.
You might remember a while back around the time of the Nighthaunt release for AoS, two paints called Hexwraith Flame and Nighthaunt Gloom. They were marketed as an easy way to get your ghosts painted up with a unique effect that was different from the other Citadel paints. These could have been the harbingers for the contrast paint line right around the corner!
Contrast Paints: More Than Just a Pigmented Wash
Pete the Wargamer on Youtube got some time of practice in with the contrast paint a little early. While we initially thought that the contrast paints were just a thicker pigmented wash, there are actually a ton of cool tricks that you can pull off with them. Check out his own video:
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 used colors like green, orange, brown, and black in multiple different thin layers. There may be more to this paint than just one thick coat after all.
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. It ended up drawing 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.
Contrast Paint LATEST: Citadel Colour Website Live
The latest word on Contrast paint is the announcement of Citadel Colour’s own website. While this website isn’t solely focused around contrast paints, it’s definitely part of the big appeal.
We’ve finally got a side-by-side glimpse of the size of contrast paint bottles. It looks like they’re right in between the size of a normal paint pot and a wash. (our guess is 18mL because that’s splitting the difference between 12mL and 24mL.)
The website is geared around helpful tips to help you along as you paint. Each paint type has a little instructional video on what you should do when using it. The new contrast paints included.
In the meantime, check out their website and explore the possibilities with the new selection of paints headed our way.
While we are still waiting on the contrast paints to hit the shelves, we can keep checking out what some artist’s personal experiences were as well as inventing our own paint recipes. What paint colors are you going to go after first? Is there a certain model in your army that you’ll be using contrast paints on first? 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.
