Problems with white paint

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**supersayian**

Hello I am new to the site. I know this is not related to 40k in any way. I have been trying to paint the Storm Troopers from Imperial assault game. The problem I have been having is the white paint is not going on well. It either goes on if I glob it on which I don't want to hide any detail. The flip side is I can do it thin but it seems like it is water and does not coat it in white. I have tried model paint from testors, Vallejo, craft paint (apple barrel), and even artist paint (artist's loft) They all work about the same. Thick will coat but will lose detail. I don't want that to happen. So does anybody know of any white paint that works? I am using acrylic paint on these figures. I have already primed them with white primer but it is not the right shade I want them to look. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

**Thairne**

All whites work basically.
It's just one of the most difficult colours to paint, just like yellow.
You will have to do many thin coats... 6-8 coats is a rough guestimate that I have to do if I go over a black primer.

**jhe90**

not every P&M post is 40K so don't worry.

White is very difficult to paint at times.

might help everyone if you put what kind of white your aiming for, warm, cold stark white, clean, worn and abit beaten etc.

**Brennonjw**

many thin coats of the color you want, and possibly edge highlighy/drybrush with a slightly brighter white. any white will do, but you do have to be willing to water down the color, how did you intend to paint the soft joints, btw? If your not sure, I think a controlled black wash would do good.

**AllSeeingSkink**

You have to do many thin coats, it's the only way. It does help if you use a high opacity paint though, like GW's Ceramite White. But it's still going to take a lot of coats (and the downside to Ceramite white is that loves to dry out on you).

If you're trying to cover black, expect to do at LEAST 3 coats, probably 4-6 coats. If you're not covering black it might take less but it will still usually take several coats.

If you have a lot of white on a model just spray prime it white to begin with. It will come out smoother than you can achieve with a brush and in a fraction of the time. You said you primed white but it wasn't the right shade? Personally I'd typically start with a pure white spray and then shade it with blues/greys rather than priming an off white and trying to work up to a bright white.

**Desubot**

Did you prime the models?

IIRC if its some flavor of pvc then paint is always going to have issues sticking properly.

Thin coats always help.

im also liking the white primer game color off vallejo for use as a regular paint and not priming,

**supersayian**

I primed with krylon white primer because I really was having problems with doing it on grey primer. I am just going for white look. No shading of any kind because I really am just beginning painting. I figure it would be easier to start with just paint and then work my way up to shading. I am going to use a semi gloss for the joints.

**SlaveToDorkness**

Prime with white and do the other colors by brush. A strategic wash of black in the cracks should make the Storm Troopers complete!

**Desubot**

supersayian wrote:
I primed with krylon white primer because I really was having problems with doing it on grey primer. I am just going for white look. No shading of any kind because I really am just beginning painting. I figure it would be easier to start with just paint and then work my way up to shading. I am going to use a semi gloss for the joints.

Is it gloss krylon?

That will give you trouble

Matt would be best but otherwise. you could always just use the white krylon as your base white layer. then wash or shade around it

**SlaveToDorkness**

Gloss actually takes a wash much better and leaves less on the surface and settles it in the cracks, where you want it.

**supersayian**

No it is a flat krylon primer.

**Desubot**

SlaveToDorkness wrote:
Gloss actually takes a wash much better and leaves less on the surface and settles it in the cracks, where you want it.

Well if he is trying to "paint" over it

**Chancetragedy**

White for me is always the same recipe.
Prime grey
Base ice blue(baby blue)
Then 4-5 thin coats of white

Panting the blue basically helps give you better coverage and allows it to not look chalky. The other option is don't paint white but work your way up from black through grey to the lightest shade of grey you can find this gives a similar effect to white with better paint look.

**AllSeeingSkink**

supersayian wrote:
I have already primed them with white primer but it is not the right shade I want them to look.

I still don't understand this, what do you mean it's not the right shade? Is it too white, too grey, too glossy, not glossy enough?

If all you want is pure white but the white spray isn't good enough you need to give some hints as to why it's wrong

**supersayian**

it is a little darker and it is flat not glossy. I want to bring it up and give it a shine a little.

**Talizvar**

A good white primer should have got you pretty much there.
Please ensure the plastic was scrubbed in some dish-soap or something just in case the mold release is nasty.

I would also suggest not going to a full eye-gouging white but an off-white possibly a slight cream colour.
Then there will be some room for edge highlighting or "Zenithol highlighting" if you want to be fancy.
The GW washes would help pick-out detail and you would still have to add a coat to sharpen things up anyway.

Not all paints a created equally in amount of pigment, I was very surprised where I was able to paint over a dark brown with Vellejo white and it pretty much did it in one coat.

That covers about all I could to help with the white, it can be a challenge. I usually start-up from a light grey and add washes of white to give it a little "depth" to the look.

<edit> You can get your shine if you clear-coat with a gloss sealer.