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For example on an ultramarine - airbrush prime, lay down the Ultramarines blue, then go over details with Wraithbone/Seer/Something else and contrast paints?

I'm just starting to dabble with it and I'm liking results so far. I did some Shadowspear Eliminators and after covering the black pouches with wraithbone, then covering with contrast Black Templar turned out a little nice. I'm thinking I have to play with it some more to figure out. Perhaps not using wraithbone, but something else for the undercoat.

Just seeing if anyone else has played with it, and what they've learned in case I don't have to reinvent a wheel.

Can you clarify a little?

I’ve read and re-read your post, you seem to be asking “has anybody used contrast paints over a basecoat of Wraithbone”.

Isn’t that how they are supposed to be used? Over a base coat or spray of wraithbone( or other light, off-white colours)?

I haven’t tried this exact process but I have found that contrast paints can be used along these lines. For clarity I don’t use GW contrast paints, I bought dark angles green and thought it was rubbish but I have been using Green Stuff Stuff worlds intensity inks which I have found a range of uses for that I haven’t seen GW contrast paints used for and for the price I’m not buying them to experiment. As far as I am aware GSW intensity inks are contrast paints but a slightly different formula

On the khorne breaker at some stage, can’t remember right now, I covered it in brown intensity ink which created the dark areas for the Dry brushing over the gold colours and Colour in the dark recesses. I also used a black intensity ink over the silver chains instead of nuln oil.

I think the GSW paints go over different colour bases well where as GW seem to only work over white to grey bases

For the cultist, I was experimenting with putting one intensity ink over another. I put red down first and then added a green over the trench coat (expecting purple) and got a nice blue/black leather colour. The boots are good aswell but can remember the colour combo. But if I wasn’t just playing around I could have painted the cultist properly quite quick using these combos

What I have just tried is a pre-shade under the contrast, which has gone rather nicely.

Painting my Indomitus marines as Salamanders. Have primed them with Vallejo grey PU primer which looks more or less the same as Grey Seer. Then sprayed blue (Vallejo equivalent of ultramarine blue colour) from underneath the model to provide a shade, and tidied up again with grey primer sprayed from above the model.

After that, the warp lightning green contrast went on beautifully, with a nice subtle shade on the underside of the model.

I’m sure that GW contrast paints are very good I just haven’t had a good experience with one of them. I haven’t seen a GW demo where they explain how to use them over a base that’s not one of the 3 specific sprays they created for contrast paints. I think it’s a shame because I think there’s lots things that you can do with them and possibly a different range of Styles that could become a main stay of many mini painters

Great idea!

Can you post WIP photos?

Sorta sounds like zenithal priming over a colored primer, followed by contrast paints.

I'm doing it in a cruder non-color way. (: Brown color primer brush-on, ochre Army Painter Skeleton Bone (as bone and undercoat), then brown Soft Tone Army Painter (even on the undercoat).

Obviously, not done, but good results for slop-and-glop.

Model is Tiny Furnitures' Troll King Throne.

Tinting pre-shaded models is my favorite application of Contrast and I think it works really well once you've figured out which base colors you want to use. That's the tricky part, really. Different colors shine through and are tinted differently, so that may need a bit of experimentation.

This Battle Sister's armor uses Skeleton Horde:



As a base I drybrushed four colors over a Dryad Bark base: Jokaero Orange, Lugganath Orange, Ushabti Bone, Pallid Wych Flesh. The layers are drybrushed in such a way as to get zenithal highlights. This is then followed by a thinnish coat of Skeleton Horde for the final look.

I like the way drybrushing gives the surface a bit of a worn look, but I've also used Contrast over standard layering on this Imperial Fist:



Which also happens to be the only before/after picture of the process I have. I don't remember all the colors involved, but I took it up from a medium brown and orange base over yellow to beige, then followed it up with a coat Iyanden Yellow. Again applied thinly to avoid paint from pooling. Being a quick job and the first time I tried it, that didn't work too well yet, but it will with practice.

For contrast, here's an Imperial Fist that uses the same technique as the Sister:



Drybrushed like the Sister with several layers of paint with the goal of highlighting certain areas over others (not zenithal,but similar in principle), the top layer was kept darker (by staying in the yellow range instead of taking it up to beige or off-white) for a more muted finish.

Going off of that experience, I'd say if you want nicely layered Ultramarines you should consider a darker blue, lighter blue, pastel blue and then either beige or off-white as the basis for your Contrast paint. As a traditional painted I don't have a clue how an airbrush figures into all that, but if you layer like that you should get a decent result.

Depending on taste, you should consider what your darkest and lightest base color is. Intense and dark colors will keep much of their quality under a layer of lighter Contrast colors while lighter and neutral tones take on a lot of the Contrast color.

 Undead_Love-Machine wrote:
Can you clarify a little?

I’ve read and re-read your post, you seem to be asking “has anybody used contrast paints over a basecoat of Wraithbone”.

Isn’t that how they are supposed to be used? Over a base coat or spray of wraithbone( or other light, off-white colours)?

I’m talking about people who may have experimented in ways not laid down by GW.

I’ve heard of zenithal priming under contrast paints for example. Also other primers people may have used.

I personally like the idea of airbrushing primer, and primary colors/big areas them picking out secondary details like pouches, holsters etc in contrast, finally tertiary like shoulder pad rims and the really small details skulls and wings on blowers etc with a layer paint. Seeing what others have come up with and who color combos of primer + contrast they may have found.

Sorry about the delay in replying to this. I've done some playing around with contrast with spot applications. I'm putting photos of a Primaris Blood Angel I painted up in about 2 hours last week. I had him already zenithal primed with a black undercoat, and then a soft brown on the top via sprays/airbrush. I then painted Vallejo Gory Red followed by GW Mephiston Red, finished off with a Code D'Arms Red Ink (the old GW inks).

I then went back and picked out the chest eagle, purity seals, pouches, shin eagle, sword handle, eyes, etc in WraithBone contrast primer by brush (I may have used Grey Seer on the chest and shoulder and shin eagles), then used various contrast paints on top, and at most followed that up with a spot or edge highlight just to give it a little more.

I now incorporate the contrast paints as much as possible for that detail work, and usually all clothing/organic applications. Unless I'm doing something like zombies, I'll spot apply the contrast primer rather than use the rattle can on the entire model.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
On the subject of Ultras, I also just did a couple of Primaris in the same manner you mention in the OP: Airbrushed dark GW blue, airbrush zenithal with McCragge(?), then I used Contrast Ultramarine Blue in the creases and for shadow. Gave an overall darkening effect when thinned. Then again spot applied contrast primer to the same areas as the BA model. Worked well and gave a nice simple look. I can provide photos if anyone wants to see them.