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I feel this fits here and the Painting and Modelling. If need be a mod can move it.

Given the recent prices of GW im trying to slowly get myself off of their products, while still play their games(am I evil for doing this??).

I have however come across a bit of a snag, on the following sites:

http://www.arcaneminiatures.co.uk/
http://www.waylandgames.co.uk

I have found the following:

Paints:
Vajello
Army Painter
MIG Pigments
P3 Paints

Brushes:
Kolinsky Sable Brushs
Army Painter Brushes

Im hopeing some of yous will be able to help out with these items compared to the current GW ones.

Obviously i need to pick up this to help keep brushes decent:
http://www.pegasusart.co.uk/1109/The-Masters-Brush-Cleaner-and-Preserver.html

Oh and one last thing, do GW allow the use of other company paints and brushes to be used to paint their minis in the stores??

NOTE: I do however still plan on using GW washes as it appears these are the only thing GW does right currently(plus I feel I owe them a little something if they allow me to use their gaming tables).

EDIT: Added extras and title change

Vallejo is great, though some people also swear by P3, and you want kolinsky sable brushes most definitely.

I am alerting the Mods to move this to Painting and Modelling, you will get more info there -

I'm a big fan of Vallejo and P3 paints. I've heard that P3 metallics are pretty hit and miss (I've never used them), though rumour also has it that they have been working on this recently so the latest paints may have been fixed somewhat.

I use Winsor and Newton series 7 and Raphael 8404 series Kolinsky sable brushes and have to say that while they're expensive I find them great to use, very sharp points that with a little of the brush soap you're going to get will last you a long time.

How MiG pigments stack up against others I can't really say. I have a full set of MiG and I find them to be very good, but others will no doubt recommend other methods of getting pigments which may be equally valid.

I would ask at your local store about painting rules. I can't imagine they'd be happy about someone sitting there with various other companies products but you never know.

Natorum wrote:I'm a big fan of Vallejo and P3 paints. I've heard that P3 metallics are pretty hit and miss (I've never used them), though rumour also has it that they have been working on this recently so the latest paints may have been fixed somewhat.

I use Winsor and Newton series 7 and Raphael 8404 series Kolinsky sable brushes and have to say that while they're expensive I find them great to use, very sharp points that with a little of the brush soap you're going to get will last you a long time.

How MiG pigments stack up against others I can't really say. I have a full set of MiG and I find them to be very good, but others will no doubt recommend other methods of getting pigments which may be equally valid.

I would ask at your local store about painting rules. I can't imagine they'd be happy about someone sitting there with various other companies products but you never know.

Natorum pretty much said everything I was going to say... I use the same brushes and paints, I guess like many folks here, because they are imo the best. BTW the MIG pigments are really excellent and I've found much easier to use than many of the other brands, though I am still waiting to try the Forge World pigments.

Go to an art supply store. I've found that they are extremely helpful in finding you the right brush for what you are trying to paint, and artist quality brushes last much longer than hobby store brushes.

Theres all kinds of different brush compositions (synthetic, hog bristle, sable) that are actually better for different techniques (dry/wet brushing, thin line, fine detail, rounded edged lines, straight edged lines)

Also they have fine detail brushes that are small like you wouldn't believe, but still firm. (Size zero, hog hair bristle i believe).

I go to the local Dick Blick but I'm sure a Michaels would have what you are looking for as well.

Also.. for colors like Black, White, Brown (basic colors, since most artists mix their own shades) art supply stores will sell you a pint of acryllic for the cost of a GW little paint thimble. Great for terrain!!

If you knew all that already.. well.. disregard that then.. haha


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh and Blick carries acryllic washes in like.. every color of the rainbow.

Sorry for the almost necro, but im looking for a bit more info.

Iv decided to go with the Vallejo paints purely because they will force me to thin paints and probly use a wet pallete.

As for the brushes I do intend to go for the Sable brushes but currently unsure what sizes to get.

So any help here would be appreciated.

You'll need different sizes,
as far as detail brushes use W&N 0's as for base costing the models i use a reaper flat size 1. i need a better dry brush i cant seem to fine a decent one

I've been transitioning over the Vallejo, not because of GWS butthurt per se but because it generally seems to be better paint, and already comes in droppers, thus saving me some effort.

I've tried several of the P3 paints, and they are indeed hit and miss, with the exception of the Hammerfall Khaki (which is awesome) and their metallics (which appear to all suck super hard, they are very thin and coverage is difficult).

I don't think there is a decent alternative to GWS washes as they are a truly excellent product, unless you want to make your own with Les Bursely's recipe.

I like GWS brushes. They do shed hairs sometimes - but my GWS brushes have lasted me like 2 years now with no other issues, so - haters gonna hate, but I like them. I did get some Windsor & Newton Series 7 brushes on the advice of others here, and they are very nice as well, though I haven't yet really used them heavily yet.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

johnscott10 wrote:As for the brushes I do intend to go for the Sable brushes but currently unsure what sizes to get.

For the Windsor & Newton Series 7, I got a 000, a 0, and a 1, and regretted it as soon as they arrived - they are very similar sizes, and the tips are so good, simply getting a 1 would have proven adequate. I don't know what size would be equivalent to a GWS Basecoat brush, so hopefully we can find out together, here - I'd like one as well.

Ouze wrote:
For the Windsor & Newton Series 7, I got a 000, a 0, and a 1, and regretted it as soon as they arrived - they are very similar sizes, and the tips are so good, simply getting a 1 would have proven adequate. I don't know what size would be equivalent to a GWS Basecoat brush, so hopefully we can find out together, here - I'd like one as well.

Ouze has it right here, you don't need the ultra small brushes, in fact I'd advise against them simply because they seem to me to be harder to use. Generally a size 1 will provide you with what you need. If you decide that you need another size after that then go for it but as long as you keep that tip sharp with regular cleaning you should have no problem. It's more likely to be your technique or hand shakes than the brush .

If you go for the Winsor and Newton brushes they come in two sizes for Series 7. I wouldn't get the miniatures size as I find them a little too small. The normal ones are right for general mini painting.

I've used these guys to get W&N brushes: . Quick service and pretty good prices, though you may be able to find something better if you look harder than I did. For Raphael 8404 I got mine from here.