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I have a few, somewhere around 50 or 60, tiny pots of citidel paints. I prefer the gw brand and when at the game store I often will just grab a pot I don't have, regardless of weather or not I need it so that I can increase my options.

The problem I have is I have just recently purchased the first double on accident. It's not a huge deal but something I would like to avoid. I had the same problem with my 400+ dvd collection and found a sweet app that lets me scan the barcode and basically forms a nice list on my phone (something thats always with me) I can quickly and reliably check if I see a cheap movie I can't remember if I own.

I am looking for something similiar or anything really you think will work well for my gw paints, as there are quite a few out there. So far my best idea is to do it the hard way and write out a list on my phone in a txt document and try and organize it best I can. Any better ideas? Apps? Anything at all is welcomed.

I try not to buy too much paint because I know if I buy something I don't need right now it will probably dry up before I use it. So maybe the solution is not buying so much paint, unless you paint like a madman.

I only buy the paints I need and I have frequently bought doubles because I forgot I had a paint. I've also been collecting miniatures for about 18 years and model planes for a few years before that, so it's easy to forget what I do and don't have.

The main thing that annoys me is when I paint some models, come back a year later to paint more models of the same army and I've forgotten HOW I painted them, lol. I tried to start making lists for how I paint models, but I end up losing them.

At the risk of stating the obvious... just stop buying the odd pot on impulse.

Arranging the pots you already have in at least a rough color gradient will help with organization, making it harder to lose track of a pot and buy a duplicate, only to find the original shortly thereafter. If you want to then resume expanding your collection, the color gaps that will serve you best by being filled will become more obvious. You'll also have an easier time remembering what not to get, come shopping time, as you can go in with an idea of what you're lacking (e.g. "I need a new purple") and only have to remember what you already have in that much more narrow range (e.g. "I only have Xereus, so I can either grab Naggaroth Night or Genestealer - would I rather have a base/shade or a highlight?).

I tend to buy paints when I need them but always get a couple of extras at the same time. I too have doubles, some on intention as i use this colour a lot and some as you say by mistake. This more so now since the name changes of the colours.

This app you mention, something similar would be good, maybe just keep a list in your phone instead.

One suggestion in to use a googledoc spreadsheet to index your paints. This makes the list available anywhere, even the phone so you can check while in the store.

A huge box where they all lie in.

Actually, 3 boxes and have some accidental duplicates too...

Maybe I need to use some kind of spreadsheet system...

I plan out a paint scheme before purchase, so I'd only have a few dozan paints at any one time.
And I avoid buying things I don't need, like €3 pots of paint that would dry out before I'd use even half.

As far as drying out goes, I was originally concerned about that once I had about 20 and I set my brush down. But one year later, the only one that dried out wasn't properly shut. I am convinced that if you keep them properly, clean the lids out and close them tightly, they will last several years at least.

I just like having as many options as possible. Often I will paint a cape a dark red, and decide I want more of a purple or maroon color, or be half way through painting a model and have no idea what color a few of the sections are going to be. A good example is my Chaos cultists. They are chaotic band of rebels, they don't match. (example pictures provided)

I am it's looking like the consensus is
a) don't buy extra paints (which may work for you but is that last thing I'd consider.)
b) Just write up a list on my phone the long hand way.

But wouldn't it be nice if I had something that just had all the citadel paints, with little check boxes. I could choose to organize them by date acquired, color gradient, paint type (shade, glaze ect) or alphabetically? I need to figure out how to program haha.

I agree I would also like a really nice app to track paints. It would be even better if it could also track other items like brushes, flock, models, etc. If I had more time, then I would totally look into building it, but time is something I don't have.

If your using Android there is an app called WarPaint that could track your paints if you got the License key in the Google Play store. I had sent the developer ideas and things to improve, but haven't heard from him in quite awhile. It hasn't been updated since 2012, so it is getting rather outdated and probably doesn't include the new GW paint line. I think he made a post a few years ago on dakka about it.

I have changed phones since I used it, and it didn't have an export feature so I have lost my inventory of paints. There are some paints that I have at least 3 off because I though I needed one and already had a few. It makes it even more complex when you use multiple lines of paints or re-branded versions.

Most paint manufacturers offer a printed colour chart that you can pick up at the store.

GW did with their latest range, as do Vallejo. Other manufacturers have downloadable colour charts.

Keep the chart in your pocket or your game pack, whatever. When you buy a new colour, mark it on the chart. Easy.

if you need to replace a colour, put it on your shopping list. For a long time I resisted making lists but now I can't shop properly without one.

I only buy the colors I explicitly need. I recently started painting up a detachment of Lamenters and realized going into it that I didn't have any yellow paint. None.

I think I have maybe 30 different colors right now; a rather limited pallet but it helps me maintain uniform schemes across my various forces.

I use about 20ish paint colours.
Organised into the various colour/shade groups (warm/cool/neutrals).

I make blends for other shades/tones from those. I don't need specific pre-mixed ones.

They're in a set of racks so I can see them.

Buy what you need when you need it after checking if you have it - which is easier with a good paint storage system, whatever system you choose. I'd also recommend colouring the tops of your paints so it's easier to see what their colour is. Prime white, airbrush the colour... much more reliable way to see what the colour is than relying on what it looks like inside the bottle.

This is how my paints looked a while ago, I've since added a few more... it's full now hehe. No doubling up on paints since it's easy to find everything, creativity is enhanced since you can see at a glance every colour... the box is perfectly sized, held a dozen wines iirc.

I have my paints in a similar box, viewing from the top down and I will absolutely start putting some color on the top, what a great idea!

As for the p remade chart GW provides, I had forgotten about that. I will grab one and fill it out but I am still unsatisfied. There is a likely chance I won't have that with me, even if I keep it in my gaming bag as some times I stop by different places and I don't have my stuff with me. The idea of the phone app was its the one thing I'm guaranteed to always have on me. But it certainly is better than nothing.

Yea I have about 100 paints sitting on my desk in two paint racks (my attempt at some sort of organization). Even with that i still have about 10 around my spray booth and probably 15 sitting on my painting table (the ones I use most often like black, chrome, etc).

If you sign into the Games Workshop website, they have a gift/wish list system. I suggest you just add the paints that you don't have to your gift list, and then you can cross them off when you buy them. Or you could use it to make a list of paints you already have. Or both, you can make more than one list.

The warpaint app, if you pay for it I am 99% you can add your collection to the app.

Finally checked out war paint. I was disappointed. Although it does have an inventory there is no smooth way to go over and add. You need to search the paint, edit the paint, change the quantities. And you need to go back to the edit quantity to view the quantities. As of right now I'm gonna stick with the physical gw chart I suppose.

I keep a spreadsheet up to date, put it in my dropbox folder, then I can access it from my mobile phone when I get the urge to buy paint.

I check my lists before I impulse buy. Saved me a couple of times already from buying duplicates.

Google doc, spreadsheet saved to dropbox.. Something like that certainly.