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I an effort to save time painting, I'm hoping to combine my primer and base color into one layer of paint.

What are my options?

If I could make a custom order from Vallejo, I'd ask for a 'Gory Red' or 'Scarlet red' (both VGA colors) primer in a 200ml bottle.

That's however not going to happen, so the other option I see is mixing something, either from VGA Pure Red and VGA Ultramarine (both primers, but only 17ml bottles) or try to tone down the brown-ish from VMA 'German red brown'.

***

What other options am I overlooking?

The 17mL bottles of primer can go a long way, so I would say that Pure Red is your best bet. You can also mix in normal paint with the primers to adjust the color as you see fit.

I think I'm gonna try mixing something together from German Red Brown, Pure Red and Ultramarine Blue. They all come in 17ml bottles.

I'm thinking 2:2:1, in said order.

The Vallejo PU primers mix very well with each other. I use this to do zenithal highlights while priming. Handy time saver.

winterdyne wrote:
The Vallejo PU primers mix very well with each other. I use this to do zenithal highlights while priming. Handy time saver.

How exactly? Just mix it up in the cup as you go along?

Det Thyge wrote:

winterdyne wrote:
The Vallejo PU primers mix very well with each other. I use this to do zenithal highlights while priming. Handy time saver.

How exactly? Just mix it up in the cup as you go along?

Yep.

If you know what colors you want you can also premix them in a spare bottle to have them ready.

The Vallejo Surface Primers are so far better (and easier to use), in an airbrush that is, than the Vallejo AIR stuff. They come in a few basic colors...

Black, white, a darkish/greenish yellow, a brownish red, a green, a possibly some more.

I use the brownish red as the primer/base on my Blood Angels now.

Hey Gunzhard, did you know that in the Game Air line there is a red primer?

It's #624, Pure Red surface Primer. There is also #625, Ultramarine Surface Primer, which is very useful, too. And Leather brown.

http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/game-air/family/31
(click on PDF)

I went for God knows how long using that brownish red, before I discovered the Game Air one by a fluke. My local shops don't carry it, but they will order it in.

Also, the other thing you can do if you're using the dark brown/red one is do a really light coat (just a dusting) of the bone/light tan surface primer and then a slightly heavier coat of the dark brown/red; the result is much brighter and closer to a red.

Talys wrote:
Hey Gunzhard, did you know that in the Game Air line there is a red primer?

It's #624, Pure Red surface Primer. There is also #625, Ultramarine Surface Primer, which is very useful, too. And Leather brown.

http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/game-air/family/31
(click on PDF)

I went for God knows how long using that brownish red, before I discovered the Game Air one by a fluke. My local shops don't carry it, but they will order it in.

Also, the other thing you can do if you're using the dark brown/red one is do a really light coat (just a dusting) of the bone/light tan surface primer and then a slightly heavier coat of the dark brown/red; the result is much brighter and closer to a red.

I'll give that last one a go, sounds a handy trick. Cheers!

So I went to the store and got all the reds. Here are my mixes:

6 parts Pure Red + 1 part German Red Brown: Too brown (not shown)

4 part Pure Red + 1 part Ultramarine: Might work. Looks a lot like VGA Scarlett Red - it certainly has a purple sheen.

6 parts Pure Red + 1 part Ultramarine + 1 part German Red Brown: A nice dark red. I'm probably going to use this.

Had I known what I'd know now, I'd probably just go with the Pure Red + Ultramarine and not bother with the brown. But now I'm bought the thing, so it's getting used.