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Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba




The Great State of New Jersey

 NAVARRO wrote:
BrianDavion wrote:
 stonehorse wrote:
It was only a matter of time before Army Painter did their version of Contrast paints.

Looking forward to seeing how these shape up, and more importantly just how big a price difference they have.


Yeah GW sort of stole a march on everyone with contrast, and contrast has become VERY popular in some circles so I expect this won't be the first "knock off" we see. I'd not be suprised to see Vallejo do it's own version of it too


To be honest I would expect to see Army Painter coming up with contrast paints before GW did since Army Painter range started with the easy approach to painting of dipping the miniatures.


Army Painter has never been particularly innovative though, the whole dipping thing was a pre-existing process and product line, just not one that was catered towards hobbyists (it was wood stain/varnish or something like that that you would buy at home depot). All Army Painter did was slap new labeling and branding on it and upcharge the price 50%. None of their products to date have lead the market, mostly they've just been essentially rebrands/repackagings of other products from other manufacturers. Something like contrast paint would be seemingly outside their ability to innovate, but now that others have figured it out they no doubt worked with some chemists to duplicate it themselves.

CoALabaer wrote:
Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
 
   
Made in us
Incorporating Wet-Blending






Only took me two years but I finally looked up Contrast paints on Reaper Bones, and lowly linked Goobertown Hobbie's not-quite recipe for Contrast paints. Jump to about 6:30.

* 50% matte medium (a squirt or two)
* 50% acrylic ink
* A few drops of flow aid

I'm sure there are other YT videos and web pages with more concrete recipes. But those of you who have used Les' Wash recipe know that the ingredients are almost the same. Not surprising, since contrast paints behave similarly to washes. Flow aid is what sucks the wash into the recesses. Les' recipe for washes uses more water and thus is actually a little more work to make. (Maybe you can add water to contrast paint so you don't have to make a separate wash. Dunno.)

If you dislike DIY as much as I do, I only recommend making your own wash (and thus contrast paints) if you need a batch of it for a larger project, such as terrain or an army. No point making a few ounces when you only need a few drops for a cape. If you're a fantasy gamer with dungeon and wood terrain, try making your own black and brown washes and see what you think. OTOH, If you're used to mixing with mediums, I figure you could just mix up whatever contrast paint you need right in a bottlecap, instead of bothering with mixing cups.

Also, from the Beast of War thread on contrast, it doesn't look like the GW contrast paints overcome some problems painters have with different paint colors (eg. yellow notorious for poor coverage). But if AP can release a paint line where you DON'T have to find the idiosyncrasies of each paint color, then I think it's well worth picking up a set. (IIRC, GW has one-coat conventional hobby paint for difficult colors, like red, in their Base paint line.)

Les' Washes : https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/261541.page




3:40 This guy fiddles with a similar medium. Says five drops of matte medium and one flow aid is too much. Tries 1-2 drops of ink. Also adds water (which is what Les Bursley's wash recipe would call for).




1:01 Different formula. 3-4 parts glazing medium : 1 part matte medium : ink


This message was edited 8 times. Last update was at 2021/10/11 00:06:20


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Made in us
Lieutenant General





Florence, KY

Army Painter has posted a new Speedpaint video:



'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents
cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable
defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'

- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty
Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
 
   
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Using Object Source Lighting







See thats a simple, short and informative video to make. I appreciate that!

Paint tones seem nice too, I think they have a winner depending on price tag.

   
Made in si
Foxy Wildborne







A bit long winded way to say it's cheaper Contrast. They didn't need to pretend it's a revolutionary concept.

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The Great State of New Jersey

The problem with "make your own contrast" is that you still have the non-contrast medium thats native to the paint that you're using to mix the wash with impacting how it flows and settles ont he model, etc. Actual contrast paint doesn't have this problem, because the only medium in it *is* the contrast medium which is mixed directly with the pigment to give it color.

CoALabaer wrote:
Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
 
   
Made in at
Second Story Man





Austria

People have used the Acrylic Inks that way long before Washes were a thing
Even the old GW Inks were advertised in WD painting articles to go directly on the primer for speed painting (remember old Chestnut Ink for leather effect with 1 layer and the Dark Blue one for making Eldar), as well as the Washes that came later (and were removed again)

GW itself had 2 similar ranges suitable for that style of painting replaced by different products

Army Painter Washes, Vallejo Inks/Washes, Scale75 or standard Acrylic Inks all can be used in similar ways or as base to make a Contrast like base (to avoid the problem of having the wrong medium inside like with standard acrylics) although Contrast works a little bit different (and better on some colours, but not all)

Just a matter of time until Army Painter comes up with a modified version of their Washes to be more like Contrast

Harry, bring this ring to Narnia or the Sith will take the Enterprise 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





 hotsauceman1 wrote:
I will say.
For highly textured models, a zenithal prime and contrast paints are pretty good.


They work amazingly well on Seraphon models in particular (lots of scales). I knocked out a Carnosaur in one evening with them, and it looks fantastic.

If these are any good, I might see if there's any colors I'd like to fill gaps in the Contrast range.
   
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Incorporating Wet-Blending






 kodos wrote:
People have used the Acrylic Inks that way long before Washes were a thing


fwiw, Goobertown Hobbies also has this acrylic inks airbrush on zenithal priming video. I'm still looking for something more brush-on with generic fantasy models, though.

Tangibleday has an acrylic inks article, although I'm still looking for something more "one coat" for us lazy painters...
https://tangibleday.com/15-best-inks-for-painting-miniatures-and-models/

(I do use brushtip pens out of laziness for this-and-that, so technically I'm using inks...)




Back to contrast. Two years ago, draadhaai on Reddit came up with these results for DIY, based on Goober's constrast mix.

Sounds like contrast paints are little more than bottles of hype that can be replaced by 9-10 drops of matte medium, 1 drop of flow aid, and 10 drops of ink. You can even make a wash from this mixture by wetting down your miniature and painting the recesses.

https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/comments/co3l41/diy_contrastlike_paints_using_acrylic_inks/

Spoiler:

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/10/12 03:49:13


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Second Story Man





Austria

Contrast is different and reverse engineering not that easy, and it makes some speed painting techniques easier
the big hype about this is all new and was not there before, was just that, a hype
Some of the colours work better but not all and not for all kind of models

Friend of mine painted all his Eldar with White Primer and Blue Ink 20 years ago, another did his Orcs with Green+Purple Ink 10 years ago (1 layer green ink for Grots, 2 layers Green for Boys, Purple+Green for Nobz/Heroes)
I used the Army Painter Washes for small scale models, (15mm Infantry/Tanks or 1/1200 Ships etc.)

Contrast did not make anything possible that was not doable before, most people just learned miniature painting with GW and there everything but green bases is already highly innovative


I guess I will get some of the AP Colours just to compare them to what I already have as I have some historical armies planned and not happy with the available blues/reds for uniform colours

Harry, bring this ring to Narnia or the Sith will take the Enterprise 
   
Made in si
Foxy Wildborne







Yes yes all this talk of making contrast by the gallon from painters' ink is lovely but my art shop doesn't have magos purple ink, I checked. A bottle of ink is also no cheaper than a bottle of contrast, and sure, you can make a gallon of contrast from it, but I'm not going to paint my car with it so why.

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Goober's constrast mix doesn't seem to be any more difficult than making your own thinner fluid ("gunk"). I'm going to start out with 9 drops of matte medium and 1 drop of flow aid stored in an eye dropper. Then, when I need to make some contrast paint or wash, I'll take a few drops of Goober fluid (: and add an equal number of acrylic ink, diluting with water for a wash. *None* of those components are necessary to purchase if you're already making Les Bursley's wash, which I certainly did (black and brown) when painting several sprues worth of Archon terrain. My FLGS, though, is several cities away, so DIY is more convenient than making yet another trip for a color of wash I find I need.

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2021/10/12 08:57:13


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Emboldened Warlock





I received three samples from The Army Painter today: Gravelord Grey, Dark Wood, and Cloudburst Blue.

The three paints I tried are definitely on par with Contrast paints. Vibrant colours, the medium has a great flow, and they dry as smoothly as Contrast paints like Blood Angels Red or Basilicanum Grey, not as patchy as paints like Militarum Green.

Gravelord Grey is about as dark as Black Templar, but without the weird greenish hint that Black Templar has. Dark Wood is quite similar to Cygor Brown, but a tiny nuance lighter so the highlights are more nuanced when applied to a model, unlike Cygor Brown, which is quite flat. Cloudburst Blue is similar to Leviadon Blue, again, maybe a tiny nuance lighter so there is again slightly more "contrast" between light and dark when applied on a model.

I noticed on the label, that these are recommended to go over their white primer, so I guess they won't release a Grey Seer / Wraithbone primer alternative.

So early verdict: If you like Contrast paints, you'll love these too, if only for the slightly different hues. I don't know about the price point yet, but if they keep them at the price of their washes (18 ml dropper bottles at 3 Euro), then these are a sure hit.

Can't wait until next year to try the full range.

 
   
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Second Story Man





Austria

AP already has a Grey and Bone coloured Primer, no real need to release new ones

Harry, bring this ring to Narnia or the Sith will take the Enterprise 
   
Made in pl
Horrific Hive Tyrant





There are like a 3 videos on YT already using AP new notcontrast, and I am really happy with what I see so far. These paints seem a lot more easier to control than contrast ones. Maybe finally there is a salvation for horrible painters like me who do not enjoy that part of the hobby? I will check more videos, and if they continue to impress me I will get the mega set to have as much new colors as possible.
   
Made in fi
Dakka Veteran





Speed paint has me intrigued but being cheaper and offering different hues isn't enough to convince me yet. I need to try them first hand to but there is a good chance that I won't like using them because I prefer to use Contrast paints straight from pot as often as possible.

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Foxy Wildborne







Yeah dropper bottles are a pain for washes, but if it's gonna be half cheaper...

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 lord_blackfang wrote:
Yeah dropper bottles are a pain for washes, but if it's gonna be half cheaper...
Yeah, half the price (alongside being better to control etc.) is a very good motivator.
   
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Under the couch

I use an old medicine cup for the current Army Painter washes. Any leftovers can just be poured back into the bottle.

 
   
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 insaniak wrote:
I use an old medicine cup for the current Army Painter washes. Any leftovers can just be poured back into the bottle.


I use water bottle caps for the same purpose and as my mixing palettes. Easy to lay hands on, not too large, cheap, and technically(?) recycling something that gets thrown out anyway - albeit just for one more use.
   
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The small set (10 bottles + monster brush) has appeared on distribution lists at 40€ RRP.

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 Shadow Walker wrote:
Maybe finally there is a salvation for horrible painters like me who do not enjoy that part of the hobby?


I actually hate painting, and use colored primers and washes. I brush-on colored airbrush primer, apply a wash, then touch-up when necessary. The colored primer acts as both primer and basecoat, and removes the step of priming, particularly useful if you're only painting a few mini's or painting at night. The washes can be pre-made, or DIY if you need a lot of one color, such as for terrain. Search on "Les Bursley wash". The washes, of course, can also be used as you wish during conventional painting, and don't require the special conditions that contrast paints require. (OTOH, If the pre-made contrast uses Gooberhobbie's medium (matte medium, flow aid, acrylic ink), you can add a few drops of water to make it into a wash, and use it any way you would a wash.)

The figure on the left was primed in red then washed in red. The figure on the right was painted conventionally (started as purple, then repainted blue). The red figure took less time to complete (still had to paint the face conventionally with paints), since I didn't have to spend additional time painting the dress. These figures are from PEG's "The Goon" miniatures, based on the comic.

https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/18/18478.phtml

Spoiler:





This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/10/19 17:17:30


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North Wales

I've been watching the Watch It Paint It videos on YouTube where they've put the three demo colours through their paces.

Interesting to see what happens when you slap them over a metallic base and zenithal base, because that's the kind of thing that I'd try.

Turns out that you seem to get some really nice effects, so next year looks like I'm going to be making my first paint purchases for seems like a very long time.
   
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Florence, KY

 Chillreaper wrote:
I've been watching the Watch It Paint It videos on YouTube where they've put the three demo colours through their paces.

Interesting to see what happens when you slap them over a metallic base and zenithal base, because that's the kind of thing that I'd try.

Turns out that you seem to get some really nice effects, so next year looks like I'm going to be making my first paint purchases for seems like a very long time.

You can get similar results over metallic and zenithal bases using Contrast paints.

'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents
cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable
defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'

- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty
Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
 
   
Made in us
Incorporating Wet-Blending






Yep. You can also use hobby inks over metallics, although I dunno if artist acrylic inks would work. For advanced tabletop, I've even drybrushed metallic craft paints for good effect!

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/420128.page

Crimson Scales and Wildspire Miniatures thread on Reaper! : https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/103935-wildspire-miniatures-thread/ 
   
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Been Around the Block




Contrast medium is the secret sauce. It does not glob up when drying - it's the best leveling medium I've ever worked with and I obsessively test mediums. It's good gak for a matte/satin finish. Still, if you want ultra high contrast you need to use a thin gloss like medium like Future - the lack of matting agent makes the pigment truly settle into recesses like no other.
   
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SoCal

Future as in Future Floor Wax? That is a name I have not heard in a long time. Do they even sell it still?

Also, do you mean you add Future Floor Wax to washes or contrast paints?

   
Made in de
Dakka Veteran






If anyone wants to see contrast on metallic coats, i have some pictures.

All done using Army painter metal spray with
Black templar
Blood angels red
Akhelian green the stormcast left of the maleceptor tyranid
[Thumb - IMG-20211010-WA0005.jpg]

[Thumb - IMG-20211010-WA0006.jpg]

[Thumb - 20210109_220006.jpg]

   
Made in at
Second Story Man





Austria

This is now interesting, you get different effects with using them directly on primer or put on gloss varnish first



Harry, bring this ring to Narnia or the Sith will take the Enterprise 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Riverside, CA USA

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Future as in Future Floor Wax? That is a name I have not heard in a long time. Do they even sell it still?

Also, do you mean you add Future Floor Wax to washes or contrast paints?


I still use Future a lot for varnishing and decals and as a paint flow improver. I actually just had to pick up a new bottle for the first time in years. It changed to "Pledge with Future Shine" for a while, now the current version is "Pledge Revive It floor gloss". Different name and label, same bottle, same product.

I've never used it with Contrast, but 1:4 Future:distilled water mix has been my go-to paint thinning medium for many years for both paint and for acrylic washes. I can see using Contrast OVER a layer of Future as you're basically just going Contrast over a gloss varnish at that point, should work out like in the Speedpaint video just above where it pulls away more from the highlights/edges.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/10/22 16:26:20


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