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I've seen a lot of new folks, not just here, but everywhere asking basic questions about what paints to buy. So, I decided that we needed a paint video. A very specific series. I've solved some camera issues I was having and ten takes in my first video should be up this week. The goal here is to not judge but present in a simple form the features of the various paint lines, discuss availability, and costs.

I don't believe there is a "best" paint (well I do, Vallejo, but even I use a large variety of paint brands each for their purpose).

First video will be red-brown middle tones because I could buy them quickly locally and they are at least mostly similar. Other tone ranges will have to be ordered via the internet, which I hate because the colors are never what you see on a computer screen. I intend to talk about the trouble with tones and internet ordering and color swatches in it's own video.

The brands covered in video one will be: Vallejo, Citadel, P3, Bones, and Army Painter. I would like to try to keep the colors as identical as possible in each video so that it isn't unfair to any brand. Some colors and pigments cover better than others, it's just how it is so comparing a dark color to a light one and saying the light one does not cover is disingenuous. So that won't be done if possible, video one the Bones Master Paint is a mid tone tan/brown because I could not find a red brown it covers well anyways so it's fairly moot.

To note, I have a West Coast American accent and I hope that doesn't grate on anyone's nerves. I tend to prefer proper British accents for audio but I can't be what I am not.

Now, for the requests. If there is a brand, medium, etc you want looked at, let me know. Otherwise I will work my way through what I have and what I can easily get.

I hate adverts with a passion and without going into detail they are also a computer security risk. As such, no ads will be posted on these videos and feel free to adblock youtube, the chumps.

If you want to donate some supplies, sure, I'll bite but wait till you see the first video and decide if you want to participate. I am not after freebies.

Screen shot of a bad take (dept of field problem). So you know what I am doing.

Well a video of the problem pigments and metallics is probably the best place to start.

Reds, Yellows, Whites and your basic Silver and Gold metallics.

Quasistellar wrote:
Well a video of the problem pigments and metallics is probably the best place to start.

Reds, Yellows, Whites and your basic Silver and Gold metallics.

Yeah, I've got one queued up for why citadel metallics suck and their snot-like properties.

I am tempted to go back to my LGS to get another P3 paint, same as the one in the picture but it's newer production. They are completely different hues. To show people that not only can color swatches not be trusted on the net or even print media but that from batch to batch you can experience a color change.

Same as the older citadel metallics were "acceptable" older as in before the current production so a few years ago. They were not "the best" or "great" but they were usable. They changed formula and the "old" paints became snot while the new metallics like retributior armor are fine. Aka, paint isn't as straightforward as most of us experienced folks view it.

Complex subject. Pigment levels, pigment grain size, chemistry, binder media (heavy or thin) qualities, how they behave with various "other brand" products, slow dries, thinners, etc.

I am going to keep them short and detailed. And then work my way through the topics. My hope is to keep the information digestible and searchable.

Honestly the depth of information can be daunting to new folks. I won't even talk about color theory as there are some great videos already out there on the subject.

I don’t see our paints mentioned

Our metallics are head and shoulders above the rest in the fact they are shinier, smoother and look like metal!

Then we’ve got our main line that people are raving about as well - Tale of Painters review on INSTAR

As a first go round I wanted to buy "local" and then move outward to ordered things. After all a lot of the paints just are not available except for mail order. Don't worry, you are on my radar.

No video yet? No, well, there is video.

Currently wrestling with mic issues and not sounding awful. Had a nice unpowered pro mic I'veused for recording sessions but my computer just won't play nice with it, in fact it pulls no audio, die windows 10 die! My blue-tooth mic is.. we won't go there.

Well at least the video is solid and the script is written.

I had forgotten just how damned hard and how many hours it takes to do video work. My last video project was a Video Year Book DVD for a Gate Class. That took an ungodly amount of hours to fix. Let alone to burn the disks.

As a note, I won't be talking in the basic series about cost. The costs are too variable depending on where you buy. I buy Citadel paints for 4.45, but Vallejo Model Color even in one store varied between 3 and 5. While again the prices are different on AMAZON or WARSTORE, etc. This all being in USD. VAT, shipping, store offerings, markups are all going to swing costs enough that cost as a comparative is only marginally useful vs properties and use. At 5USD a bottle the Vallejo Model Color is only 5ml more for 75 cents more in my local over the Citadel, that's not a significant cost difference (35 cents/ml for citadel vs 29 cents/ml for vallejo, 6 cents a ml at the rate we consume the paints isn't really going to hit anyone's wallet that deeply, by the gallon might seem a lot but.. at a factor of 1L of paint you are talking a 60 USD difference in out of pocket cost).