Tools & Materials
Paints
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The quality of your paint job is not only restricted by your painting skills but also by the materials you use - and among those especially by your paints.
You may have seen painted miniatures which looked crumbly, streaky or absolutely smooth - and this is partially a matter of paints.
Granted, the right choice of paints won't immediately make you a master-class painter but it'll take you a few steps forward on the road to perfection - or at least satisfacton.
The paints I'm talking about here are all acrylics which, in contrast to oil paints (e.g. Revell paints), can be thinned by adding water and mixed to get new hues (whereas mixing my Revell paints led to a dirty brown regardless of the mixed colors).
What a miniature painter expects of good paints:
+ Good Coverage - So that one needs to paint less layers to get a homogenous surface. This attribute results from a high concentration of pigments (tiny pieces of color bearing material) in the paint and a good distribution of them in the fluid (otherwise you'll get a crumbly look).
+ Slow Drying Time - If the paint drys too fast you'll never be able to achieve a smooth surface. Instead you'll get a streaky look. You can prolong the drying time by adding a small amount of drying retarder to the paint on your palette.
+ Well Sealing Bottles - What use is paint that dries in the bottles?
+ Low Costs - Of course, you want to get as much paint as possible for your money.
There are several paint brands suitable for miniature painting out there but of course I can only give comments on the ones I've used myself.
 Games Workshop
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GW's "old school" Citadel Color line contains mainly bright and vibrant colors. While containing less pigment than Vallejo's Game Color, the paint still has a decent medium to good coverage and a nice not-too-fast drying time which is good for blending/layering techniques without additional drying retarder. The hexagonal bottles are filled with 17,5 ml and seal very well. Another advantage is that one can paint out of the flip-lid if desired. Sadly though, the lids tend to break off after opening/closing them a few hundred times - a drawback of the paint's longevity. The major flaws of this paint line are its 'Skull White' which is crumbly and has a rather bad coverage and the fact that it isn't available anymore - at least not from GW. If you can choose between the old GW/Coat d'Arms paints and GW's new ones, go with the "old school". |
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GW's "new" Citadel Color line has a few more subdued colors than the "old school" line. These new paints were advertised as being of better coverage and sporting a faster drying time than the old ones. While both of it seems to be true, the latter fact actually is the major flaw of this line. The hexagonal bottles with the screw-lid contain only 12 ml (nearly one third less than the old ones!), cost about € 2,50 per bottle and don't seal at all! Combined with the faster drying you'll have a viscous blob of paint after a few weeks and if you're lucky you can still make it paintable by adding water. GW has produced new flip-lid bottels by now but I haven't worked with those. If you have the chance to buy these paints - be it as a special offer on ebay or something - don't do it! You won't have any fun with them. |
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Vallejo
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Vallejo's Model Color line contains a large assortment of hues of which especially the subdued military ones are very interesting. These paints are highly pigmented which leads to a fantastic coverage. You'll have to shake them a long time and add quite a lot of water to make them paintable. Usage of this line's drying retarder may not be necessary but isn't a bad idea. The eyedropper bottles contain 17 ml, cost about € 2,50 per bottle and seal very well. You can add paint drop-wise to your mixing palette through this easy squeeze dosage principle. The Model Color line are perhaps the best paints available to the miniature painter. |
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Vallejo's Game Color imitates Games Workshop's color line in hues and names (e.g. Enchanted Blue = Magic Blue). They are slightly thinner than Model Color and therefore you don't need to add as much water to them. In addition you don't need to shake them as vigorously and the coverage is still very nice. Just like Model Color they come along in the 17 ml eyedropper bottle and cost about € 2,50 per bottle. Choose Game Color if you are an unexperienced painter and/or if you want easy GW to Vallejo comparison. |
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