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So i've been active in the forum for a while now, especially in the Painting and Modelling section, and every time priming is brought up it is seen as an essential part of the painting process.

Now don't get me wrong, i can see the advantages of priming, having a nice layer that adheres itself to the plastic/resin/puter, which allows for a nice smooth paintjob.

Now i myself have followed this rule like the gospel for months and only recently, due to weather conditions, have been unable to get outside to prime my minis.

And I have to say I haven't noticed any difference at all in regards to paint quality. All i do is instead of priming is a couple of heavy dry brushes of a black or white (the new GW base paints) and it creates the same kind of surface to paint over.

Now have you ever done a similar thing? I think it would be interesting to see if an age old method of priming is becoming obsolete due to new paint recipes.

Thoughts?


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Just as an example, this mini was not primed. And its Pewter.

I don't prime my DE, I wash Purple over bare plastic.

Yes. You might 'get away with' not doing it, but it's so far into the 'best practice' case that it's not worth not doing.

Definitely primer. The new Imperial Primer from GW works great.

You see what you were doing with the black and white was putting on a coat of primer for your model. However priming gives it a pretty even coat and takes like no time compared to painting each model individually. Now if you only have to prime one model, especially the metal ones it wouldnt be too bad

priming just refers to the first initial base colour applied to the model generally black, white or grey. If you dry brushed on a black paint then you still primed the mini black. You don't need and air brush or spray can to prime, you can use a brush.

I remember doing a fire warrior scheme which involved over brushing the entire model with vomit brown, and since there was no undercoat you could see plastic through the paint so I have to over brush another coat of vomit brown. Then I washed it and so on. But you can still consider this priming. Just with vomit brown instead of black. So essentially any fist layer of paint is an primer, and I know things like chaos black spray paint are specifically designed to be used as a "primer" but it doesn't really matter.

I would say that "priming" is the most important part of the painting process. It gives the actual paint a great surface to bond to, for example, if you choose not to prime a model and you "touch" that model enough times you will actually wear the paint off of the model ALOT faster than if that model was primed beforehand. Secondly, the priming of the model provides the base coat that "interacts" with the other colors that are applied to the model, I personaly use three different colors of primer, white when I want a color to really "pop" and be very bright, grey when I need a nuetral reaction from the second coat (this is my most common), and finally black primer for when I need the secondary colors to be more dark and realistic looking. A good example would be to prime coat three identical models with the three different primers (white, grey, and black) and then secondary coat those models with the same primary color (blood red for example). By doing this you should notice a slight difference in the overall "tone" of the model. The grey primed one will look just like the paint in the pot, the white primed one will seem "brighter" than the other two, and the black primed one will seem "darker" than the other two. Hope this helps.

I don't prime mainly because I lack that nice spray-gun! =(

FistoftheImperium wrote:And I have to say I haven't noticed any difference at all in regards to paint quality.

And you probably wouldn't as primer isn't, strictly speaking, necessary for paint to layer on evenly.

However, I'd have to ask - how many times have you taken that mini out of an army case, picked it up and moved it around in a game, and then put it back in the army foam? You may not need primer to get the paint to stick on once, but you do need primer to get the paint to stick on after a lot of abuse. It's basically the same reason you apply a top coat of some sort - it's not required for the paint to stay on when the mini sits in a display case, but it certainly is if the minis are actually going to get used.


For plastic, you also have the added benefit of a spray-primer slightly melting the paint into the plastic, as most spray primers use as their solvent something that will slightly dissolve plastic. Now that's a durable connection.

Primer is a special type of paint which provides a slightly rough surface to paint on top of, and sticks to the model better than a normal paint.

IXLoiero95XI wrote:priming just refers to the first initial base colour applied to the model generally black, white or grey.

It really doesn't. What you're describing is undercoating, not priming.

'Priming' refers to painting on a coat of primer, which is a specific type of paint that bonds better to the surface, and provides a keyed surface for the normal paint to adhere to.


On the plus side, this makes your paint job more durable and less likely to flake, chip, or rub off.
On the down side, primers can be very slightly textured, making it harder to achieve a smooth finish.


As to whether or not they are necessary, a lot of it comes down to the paint you are using. It can be more worthwhile on metal minis, which are prone to having the paint rub off on raised detail with constant handling, but for everything else, if you're using a decent quality acrylic paint it's not as important. The ability to stick to just about anything without the need for primer is one of the things that acrylic paints are specifically designed for.

This isn't just a recent development. I have models that are more than 15 years old that were unprimed, just undercoated with Chaos Black straight from the pot. These have been in fairly constant use on the table over that time, and the paint is just as good now as it was the day I put it on. These days I tend to undercoat with a flat black spray, as it saves a little time and is still a little more durable than brush-on paint.

I tend to prefer spray primers, as they can have a slightly enamel type base to protect from chipping to bare plastic/metal, and as explained before having that extra sticky base color keeps your models smooth and ready for play. My first models were just a few layers of white Testor's acrylic paint as "primer", a terrible choice, but it worked, sorta.

It's kind of like putting down a blank canvas or sheet of paper to work on - I work almost exclusively with white primer, because all of my armies are brightly colored and I want it to pop. This is especially important if painting, for instance, Imperial Fists (my space marine army).

Edit: My favorite primer I've found is from company Bored to Pieces; it's only about $6 a can, and achieves a very even finish when properly applied (I am lazy and do everything in 1 or 2 coats max). However, the tip does clog easily, if you don't use a whole can of paint the first go.

Guess I'll just have to go get myself some primer then..

If you paint the model, black, white or grey then your undercoating it. The use of sprays and specific primers is a bit of a marketing hike and is not at all necessary IMO. Your not spraying a car. I too have old figures some wargaming figures 30 years old
And they are fine. If anything especially on figures you can over spray and lose detail. So slightly diluted paint and brush is best. It takes longer but for detail retention it never fails.

The most important thing is varnish not primer. IMO.

What's varnish?

Probably not that much difference between priming or undercoating really, but having a layer of paint in black white or grey is important. Paint just works over paint better than bare plastic, resin or metal.

spacewolf407 wrote:Definitely primer. The new Imperial Primer from GW works great.

Games Workshop started making primer again? I only see Spary Paints on their site.

So the spray cans at the GW store is not primers?

Reality-Torrent wrote:I don't prime mainly because I lack that nice spray-gun! =(

The spray gun is a piece of crap and no one should buy it, ever. I prime my models with 99 cent generic flat black or white spray paint from my home store and am very happy with it, have been for years. I don't use actual "primer" because it's too thick and obscures detail. Also to avoid: Krylon Fusions, which are probably awesome for patio furniture but will cover a lot of detail on your minis.

Reality-Torrent wrote:What's varnish?

Varnish is a general term for a clear coat used to seal the paint. After you're finished, you can add a coat of varnish to protect your paint from handling. For normal hobby usage many players prefer Testor's Dullote, which comes in brush-on or in a spray can; as it's an enamel the spray can is easier to use (the brush-on requires mineral spirits to clean the brushes after).

It's an optional step and it's skipped for models that are display only; for example the Forge World team doesn't varnish the models they use for their catalogs. If you're actually gaming with your pieces though you'll really want to do this.

Reality-Torrent wrote:So the spray cans at the GW store is not primers?

Not in the most technical usage of the word, but yes in the most common usage on Dakka.

This is the brush-on primer someone asked about and indeed, they specifically mention using it when it's raining out as a substitute for spray priming.

Thanks allot Ouze!

RT, since you're from Sweden, most of the products suggested above are useless to you since spray cans aren't ever shipped internationally to end customers, not even within EU.

You've got both spray and non-spray varnishes, personally I can't recommend either since I've got too little experience with them.
Now, I don't know if you live near one of our three "big" cities or not, but Science-Fiction Bokhandeln should have either Citadel or Army Painter spray cans, most likely you'll find some 'Ardcoat or Army Painter's equivalent varnish.

Keep in mind that some varnishes add or remove shine from models. Typically the paint will have a satin finish, but if you want them to be more or less glossy, the correct type varnish can do that for you.

I live in Lund near Malmö Mahtamori! I'll check it out.