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I'm quite interested to see what kinds of results people are getting with their primer preference. It could be interesting to see the differences in tonal quality, and also techniques that are only possible on white etc. Hope it isnt a sucky idea lol -

I'm a black primer, but am interested in giving white a go and trying the all glazing techniques.

According to cool mini, this is my best mini at an 8.8 is my SH broodlord -



My usual method is:
black primer
basecoat
shade with inks and paint washes
re-basecoat
highlight in at least 4, but usually up 7 or 8 stages, glazing towards the end
final watered down wash to blend any areas needing it
freehand if neccesary
4 color chips (metallic and rust/grey interior, highlight lower edge, blackline upper) if neccesary
weathering powders, applied both wet and dry depending on the area
sealer, usually out of the pot and brushed on, usually satin or matt depending on the surface
re-application of weathering if neccesary

In general I try not to ink with the obvious choices if I'm looking to darken colors, for instance I often ink golds with purples as well browns, blues with green or brown.

People like misgula and lunchbox from b&c have me interested in trying white and painting to dark instead of to light with black.

Cheers!

I'm a white primer




I use varying techniques depending on the miniature. Skin tones are put on with thinned down paint in most cases, and then washed and highlighted, depending on the skin tone I'm going for.

Large metallic areas are washed on.

The method really just goes by seeing what I need to do, and screwing around until I get it right.

I've also found that with some elements, like skin tones, washing in black first, and then painting the highlights, works very well (see the first picture).

I'm a white primer because it's a lot easier to paint dark over light than it is do do the reverse.

I'm part Asian (Filipino), so that makes me a half white, half brown primer.

White primer is the best for high quality paint jobs since its really hard to brighten a color and not so tough to darken it.


I use black primer for quick and dirty jobs encase I miss a crack or two.

Tamiya's Light Grey Fine Surface Primer.

It's a great in-between!

Black Primer FTW

I use white primer. Makes it less of a hassle to paint bright colors.

gray... hmmmm worth trying as well.

Post your pics peeps! Who knows, you may convert someone to your team

Close game right now -
Gray -1
Blacks - 2
Whites - 3
Filipino - 1

I use black and grey,

I first prime in black, then i spray grey, or white from above the mini so that i can visually see darker shadows. Works like a charm.

i'm on the black primer team...
always have been, and always will be...

that said, i own both white and black...
mostly because i had to try out some different styles for jobs...
it's good to know how to do different things, but black undercoats lend themselves to my comicbook style...

this is a mini from a black undercoat:



painted with P3 paints, for the most part, as they cover well over black...
there is a dark richness that comes from black primer...
these same colours would have had a brighter tone over white...

this is a pic of a set that was painted with the glazing method, over a white undercoat...



a completely different feel in painting style...
it looks good, but is most definitely not my personal style...
i'm glad i stretched out and experimented, but i'll stick with what i like...

that reminds me, it's time to go buy another can of black primer...

cheers
jah

Those are some awesome lizard dudes.

White primer for light painting schemes, black primer for dark painting schemes.

brush_slip wrote:I use black and grey,

I first prime in black, then i spray grey, or white from above the mini so that i can visually see darker shadows. Works like a charm.

That's a pretty interesting idea, hadnt heard that one before!

Take misgula's alpha legion marines in his current P&M blog, he has gone quite dark with the blues, and generally has a black lined appearance, but that particular luminant blue would be quite difficult to achieve layering on black from the start, that is one particular application that got me wondering about trying alternate methods.

Jah, I will never get tired of seeing that sally... in direct contradiction to what I said above, you have achieved an incredibly vivid and smooth green, not to mention the flames, so it definitely can be done. How much time would you it took you just on the green, and, care to share your methods?

Recenly, I have gone with white, followed by an all-over Badab Black wash, then painting with very thin layers.

I have used white, black and grey in the past though.

The model pictured is much closer to completion now, but this is the only photo I have.

@MajorTom11: no idea how long it took to paint, mate...
i don't keep track of hours, i just paint until it's done...
as everything i do these days is an experiment to push my abilities, it takes a while to work out ideas...
i've always been a slow painter, abd starting from white didn't really speed up the process enough to justify the change in tones...

my recent Mephiston job was done over a black undercoat, but P3 reds are designed to go over black...
my recent Candy & Cola mini was done over white because the scheme was such light colours, and i wanted her to have brighter tones than a Space Marine...
I'm doing a Blood Angel in red over black right now, but when i paint the next Soda Pop mini, which is pink and white, i will paint over a white undercoat...
it's good to be adaptable...

as for the technique on the Sallie's green, its just layers upon layer, of a pretty simple 3 colour set...
i start with Gnarls Green, for a nice basecoat, and then wash it with P3 Armor Wash to get the darklines...
once that is cleaned up with Gnarls again, i start my transition mixes...
usually its about 50-50 of each shade, and then the solid colour...
in this case, it was P3 Iosan Green...
then i just continue the process up in layer...
Iosan plus P3 Necrotite Green on up all the way to a mix of 50-50 Necrotite and White...

the thing here is that green is a pretty forgiving colour to try some extreme colour transitions...
dark blue is as well...
other colours like red and white are not as forgiving, and take more care to get looking right...

it's all about experimenting and adapting...

cheers
jah

I tend to use a black undercoat because my models tend to use darker colour schemes. Building up to a decent white over small areas is usually pretty easy, compared to getting a good, clean, large dark area over a white undercoat (I get bored easily).

jah-joshua wrote:

it's all about experimenting and adapting...

cheers
jah

Indeed sir, indeed. Did you do anything at the end of the process as a unifying step? a watery green glaze or a wash? If not, that is fine control you have there sir, not many can pull it off period
Looking forward to seeing your next job, I'll keep an eye out for it! Am about to tackle the BA termies so I will be checking out your red's for tips , I will not go to highlight pink starks333 from B and C for how-to's on red however lol

So most people stick with the standard white for light black for dark... I have been watching a few miniature mentor videos, it also caught my attention that no matter what, their french painters seem to work from white, light or dark.

I use Black, White, or Grey. Depends on the job.

Black


White


Grey

MajorTom11 wrote:

jah-joshua wrote:

it's all about experimenting and adapting...

cheers
jah

Indeed sir, indeed. Did you do anything at the end of the process as a unifying step? a watery green glaze or a wash? If not, that is fine control you have there sir, not many can pull it off period
Looking forward to seeing your next job, I'll keep an eye out for it! Am about to tackle the BA termies so I will be checking out your red's for tips , I will not go to highlight pink starks333 from B and C for how-to's on red however lol

So most people stick with the standard white for light black for dark... I have been watching a few miniature mentor videos, it also caught my attention that no matter what, their french painters seem to work from white, light or dark.

i didn't do anything at the end, but there are a few washes of Thrakka Green along the way, in between colour transitions...

white undercoats work well for the French, but they have a much more pastel finish in their tones...
it's nice if it's a style you're after, but doesn't quite scream comicbook the way i like it...
i love their style, but want to keep my own identity as a painter...

cheers
jah