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Hi guys,

Have been going nuts lately building terrain (Infinity) and just wondering what and where I could buy paints that are much cheaper than overpriced paint pots from you know where?

Doing a good ol' google search yields the art supply stores as the go-to... Can anyone recommend best quality with value for money paints, as well as preferred suppliers to check out online or off? (bonus points if you can point me to places in Australia)

If I can get the right advice and the right paints... I promise to post pics of the abandoned bio-research facility under construction

Any acrylic or latex paint, really. I use house latex paint.

Simply use the craft paints you see in a local art and craft store, you don't need to bother with anything fancy.

Craft paints or for real bulk coverage household acrylic emulsion paint.

Spray cans are good for quick coverage though they are more expensive.

Really? I'm using foamcore, plasticard and plastic scenery bits for the terrain, so just anything semi decent from arts and crafts stores..?

If so... awesome! pics shall soon be inbound!

MaximusPrime wrote:Simply use the craft paints you see in a local art and craft store, you don't need to bother with anything fancy.

What he said. I use craft paints for all my terrain and actually on my figures as well. Never had a problem. Some of my latest terrain using craft paints:

Mobile homes:





Barn:


Mealie bag barricades:


Redneck and truck:


All with cheap craft paint.

I also use craft paints for terrain, although, as opposed to Cpt Jake, I only use them sparingly on models (in a pinch, if I lack a necessary color, or to touch up those hard to reach areas after the initial spray). The quality of the binder and frequently pitiful pigment density are their real weaknesses in figure painting, since it limits their ability to be thinned (they tend to go spotty and chalky quite easily), either for smooth application or translucency. For general coverage of terrain, however, those issues are less important.

I'd probably use latex house paint to basecoat a big project (terrain board, several matching large features, etc.), but for general terrain use I stick with craft paints, breaking out the good stuff, if need be, for special effects and detailing.

Don't know the Australian equivalents, but "everything, ever" (Walmart, Target) and arts and crafts (Michael's, A.C. Moore) stores are usually better places to look than dedicated art stores, as they tend to have fewer markups for "specialty" products that aren't always all that special (the former even more so than the latter). As with all paints, the behavior of individual colors within a single line tend to vary, but I've had reasonable luck using several brands: Americana, FolkArt, Apple Barrel, Delta CeramCoat, and Craftsmart all come to mind (actually, Martha Stewart is the only brand I've seen that I haven't tried ).

Household emulsion is great for base coats on terrain

Cool cool, thanks for the replies everyone. Will make a trip to some of those stores and see what they've got... easy.

Pics to follow!

I don't know about Australian availabilty, but Apple Barrel has been my go to for terrain and scenery for a while since they are so cheap and readily available.

Link to the online shop.

Not sure about shipping though...

Thanks for the tips guys, as promised here are some pics from the terrain I was working on at the time. Comments and critique welcome (in fact, there is a question there that would be cool to get advice from). Either way, check it out with the link...

http://www.eyeforterror.net/futuristic-scenery-elements/

Lastly, for those who remember I ran a blog called 'Eye For Terror' over a year ago. It's now back and I look forward to sharing new ideas and progress of this hobby of ours. Look forward to seeing any and all on there.

Oh! and nearly forgot to add, I found some cheap paints and materials the day I received most of your replies. Cheers for that too!

http://www.eyeforterror.net/alternative-paints-for-scenery/

I hope the cheap paints work out for you as well as they have for me.

Jake

I like the scenery. A consistent paint style always adds to a tables look. For more weathered looks I would look to sponge on brown/black in areas, certainly more at the bottom than the top. Also a wash of devlan mud into the cracks and use some weathering powder to give a rust effect.

For more ladders, I would recommend looking at Zinge Industries who does some nice metal look 28mm style ladders that would fit well here.

Glad you found some paints that work for you. Once I discovered 2oz bottles of acrylic craft paint for 1-2 bucks each I never looked back. I even use it for my miniatures now!

You can go to a Home Improvement stores ( lowes, Home Depot etc ) and look through their mistake/ mistint bins.
You can find 1 gallon cans of $40 regularly priced paints for $5 -$10 and some smaller cans for about $2.00. If you are doing terrain boards it's a god send.
They might not have the exact colour you need at that moment but going back a few times you probably can come close.
I use house paint for all my terrain boards and terrain pieces.
Hope this helps

The mistake bins are a good option, but if you watch for sales, it's not unusual to find basic latex housepaint for 10 bucks or less a gallon. There's no need to buy the more expensive brands for tables and terrain.

Then you can pick the type (I prefer flat) and have them match any color you want. I usually just pick a shade from the color swatches they have, though you can bring in your favoite GW or craft shade and they'll match it. Note that the color shade doesn't have to be mixed in the same brand paint as the display the color tab comes from.

I picked up a gallon of flat "tamipco" brown paint for 9 bucks at Menards!

Eilif wrote:The mistake bins are a good option, but if you watch for sales, it's not unusual to find basic latex housepaint for 10 bucks or less a gallon. There's no need to buy the more expensive brands for tables and terrain.!

Come on....who doesn't want to paint their terrain with Martha Stewart's $60 a gallon paint for $10