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Nothing comes to mind. When it comes to paints and brushes you're usually best off buying what you need for what you are wanting to paint, rather than buying a starter set that will have a bunch of stuff you don't need and still won't include everything you genuinely do need.
usernamesareannoying wrote: are there any particular starter sets that you guys would recommend to someone just starting out with no brushes or paints at all?
It's a pretty complex question. Do you mean starter sets to try and see if you'll like painting? Or are you reasonably certain you'll be painting, and you want to start with high quality stuff? do you want things you can pick up at your local gaming shop, or do you mind buying online?
The stock response is "try a little of everything and buy more of what you like the most." The Army Painter makes a pretty decent all in one starter kit:
I'm not wild about their acrylics, but they're fine.
Personally, if I were going to start over from scratch, I'd look at Vallejo Game Colors, which mirrors the old GW paint range. They're in dropper bottles, it's a good sized by not overstuffed range, and they're loved by a lot of veteran painters. They don't make a dedicated starter, but they're pretty cheap and you can start with a good spread for about $50.
Privateer Press make some nice paints, and prior to the current standoff between Miniature Market and PP you could get six back army sets for like $13.
As for brushes, You can either got to an art shop and get some decent golden nylon and try to clean them, or just spring for Sable out of the gate. My favorite is the Dick Blick House brand.
thanks all.
I suppose it is a difficult question.
I'm just looking to start painting some AoS and I don't have anything, paints brushes nothing.
I'm definitely a beginner so I don't even really know the difference between good and bad paints. theyre all the same to me at the moment =P
With a lot of brands nowadays, there's not really any 'bad' paints as such, but maybe some that are better value that others, and some that people prefer.
Have you got some specific AoS models in mind in a certain paint scheme? People can maybe give you a few ideas of specific paints to try.
I'm a new painter, so I'll speak up. (less then a year painting)
FIND A GOOD PRIMER, this is huge, paint wont stick or will flake if you dont prime first. I have awesome results with army painter primers.
Good brushes are well good brushes. I started with a 50 cent brush and I'm now working with $7 brush and brush cleaner. I'd NEVER go back, the tip stays sharp, they bristles dont fray, and last a good while thanks to the brush cleaner. I kill the cheap brushes after about a single miniature, on the flip I've painted several minis with a single good brush. (size 2 i love) I got mine from a craftstore, I have an "Artists Loft" round 1 and "grumbacher" round #2. The #2 is my workhorse, use the #1 for eyes and gems on armor/clothes.
I'm also using the p3 paint, its cheaper locally ($1 a bottle, adds up if you like painting from the pot and not mixing, I have 40somehting colors?) Couple colors need to be thinned, couple are a smudge too thin but over all its open the pot and paint away for me. but any of the known makers of mini paint will do you ok starting out.
TL;DR If i started over I'd go with
Good primer, Good brush, brush cleaner, and pick any company who makes paints for minis and you should have good results.
I was thinking about trying out some stormcast.
I really like the celestial vindicators but the teal has me a bit intimidated. I thought that standard stormcast gold may be a bit easier and looks pretty cool too.
usernamesareannoying wrote: I was thinking about trying out some stormcast.
I really like the celestial vindicators but the teal has me a bit intimidated. I thought that standard stormcast gold may be a bit easier and looks pretty cool too.
Rather than having to buy a box of minis, spray primer, paints and a brush, if you quite like the Gold and Blue Stormcast, you could potentially consider the starter box set that GW sell that has 3 Stormcast minis, and then some small pots of paint that include a brush on primer (I have used this OK in the past but I've seen others say they don't get on with it), a base colour and a shade for the gold and blue, then some basing paint.
Bit pricey for what you get if you get it from GW, but if you have a local store that sells it, it may be a good starting point rather than investing too heavily initially.
Guess it depends if you're dead set on getting into the hobby, or if you just want a decent starter pack to try and see how it goes. If it's the latter, the starter pack mentioned may be what you're after.
usernamesareannoying wrote: thanks all.
I suppose it is a difficult question.
I'm just looking to start painting some AoS and I don't have anything, paints brushes nothing.
I'm definitely a beginner so I don't even really know the difference between good and bad paints. theyre all the same to me at the moment =P
the good news is that right now, there really aren't any "bad" paints left on the market. 10-15 years ago, that wasn't really true, but now pretty much all paints compete based on strengths or weaknesses. For example, some paints are thinner, which is good for high end painters that layer, but might not be as useful for a beginner that's trying to get some coverage. Some paints come in flip top pots, that allow you to reach right in and put paint on the brush, while others use droppers. Droppers make it easier to thin or mix paints, while flip pots make it easier to just reach in and grab some paint without a palette.
Answering your question could (and probably should be) a fairly lengthy article, but let me give you the nickel version. the question is: what's most important to you?
Pure Convenience: Citadel paints. Nothing could be easier. They're available virtually anywhere gaming models are sold, they have a nice sized range, and the paints are clearly laid out in base, layers, highlights, washes, etc. You can walk into a shop, and walk out with a nice starter set with a clutch of paints and a brush. All of the painting guides GW makes use their own paints, and plenty of third party painters use them. The biggest downside is cost, with a lesser downside being fliptop pots, which make mixing/thinning trickier.
Cost Conscious: If price is a factor, go online and build your own bundles. I'd recommend Vallejo Game Color, as while there are some cheaper paints, these are probably the cheapest "top shelf" paints. Get the basics (black, white, mid brown, skintone, red, blue, green, yellow, purple, gunmetal, gold) and a few paints specific to your first project. Grab a Size 1 and 000 brush from dick blick: http://www.dickblick.com/products/blick-master-kolinsky-sable-long-handle-brushes/ and then a few larger nylon brushes for dirty work. Downside: You're going off the beaten track here, and you'll need to be comfortable buying what you think you'll need. Also, shipping times can add up, as can charges.
The Best in Show: If you want the best possible options for everything... well, you can do that, just be prepared to buy from a couple of different manufacturers. You'll want Windsor & Newton or Rosemary & Co. sable brushes, as they are the go to brand for serious painters. To build your paint box, I'd recommend the following plan:
Bright base colors (Reds, yellows, bright blues/greens): Reaper HD. These are heavy pigment paints
Layers/Washes: Citadel
Inks: Vallejo Game Color
Metallics: Vallejo Model Air
just putting this out there, because I quite like their paints, and also they do groups (although it's quite large, so if $ is an issue possibly not the way to go) - http://www.reapermini.com/Paints/corecolors
The sets do come with a cool case though
Some pros re: the reaper paints - they're cheaper than GW by about a $1 a bottle; they come in triads, so you'll have your base, midtone and highlight all ready to go if you choose to buy them that way; they cover well and don't dry out as fast as GW Some cons - they're not as good as Vallejo, generally; they don't make a primer (spray can version); airbrushing with them can be tricky though I know some people who do it
Alternatively, check out local hobby and craft stores, see what's available. If you get Vallejo, honestly you're not going to be sorry. It's nice to have something local that you can then go and match colours at as well. Plus they may well be cheaper.
Don't be afraid to buy a few GW paints, I do like their metals a lot and the primer spray is really nice - if quite expensive.
If you aren't sure what colours you want, check out GWs site for their suggestions, and you can always crossreference them with the dakka conversion list, for other paint lines.
I tend to shop myself by what's available first, and by what colour I don't have, and then by what paint I prefer.
usernamesareannoying wrote: I was thinking about trying out some stormcast.
I really like the celestial vindicators but the teal has me a bit intimidated. I thought that standard stormcast gold may be a bit easier and looks pretty cool too.
Don't let the Celestial Vindicator's teal color intimidate you. Its not as hard as you may think.
'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
maybe a bit out of left-field here...but I'll always swear by JoSonja's artist's acrylics for the bulk of my painting...the may not be quite as good as the various designated miniature/model paints, but they have a great range of colours, are great value for money(which also makes them great for experimenting with mixing custom colours), and have a great matt finish, I've been using them a lot for 2 years now...I use citadel, armypainter, and P3 paints too, and vallejo primer through an airbrush, but the bulk of my painting is done with JoSonja's, and I'm always happy with the results
one thing that I must admit though, the metallics aren't great...terrible coverage, and quite "glittery"...I never use the silver at least...though I do occasionally use the rich gold, pale gold and burnished copper, in various mixes with some burnt umber or something to make various shades of bronze or brass...that works out fairly well....but generally, the JoSonja metallics are to be avoided.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/05/09 23:44:15
...and have been very pleased with the range and quality of the paints you receive with the package. If you mix your colors a bit you can expand the range of colors greatly (easily done since the bottles have a dropper tip),
...it's good to be green! 