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I hear good stuff about gw contrast but it’s pricey.
Any other suggestions for a novice painter with shakey hands who hates to paint?

For a cheaper alternative to GW's Contrast, there is Army Painter's Speedpaints.

If you don't want that style of painting, then another easy option is what is referred to as the "Dip Method". Basecoat the model, then paint a wash over it or literally dip the whole model into a product like Army Painter's Quickshade or Minwax varnish+stain from the hardware store. I think Vallejo makes a dip, too.

For just basic, good quality paints to work with for cheaper than GW, Vallejo and Reaper make good paints.

What level of quality are you aiming for? I really like green stuff world paints and they are competitively priced. They do paint sets do, for example, they do a blue paint set which has all the blues that you would need to layer and highlight. But you can get the paints loose if you are doing something else.

I’d also recommend using spray cans to prime and base your model if they are mostly one colour like necrons or space marines.

Contrast paints are good but they are as easy to use well as GW would tell you and you will need to buy the proper primer for the contrast paints.

Level of detail is slightly more than plastic grey. lol

I’m thinking two or three colors, nothing special

Contrasts are expensive but they're good for painting fast if you aren't looking for a passable paint job.

Speed paints from army painter are similar, I haven't decided which ones I prefer. Over here in Oz the army painter stuff is expensive and most stores either don't have it or only have the starter set.

Sometimes a good opaque paint can be useful if it's something not well suited to contrasts and you just want to lay down a solid colour in as few coats as possible, for that GW's base range are good, as is most of Vallejo's model colour (not game colour) range.

 usernamesareannoying wrote:
I hear good stuff about gw contrast but it’s pricey.
Any other suggestions for a novice painter with shakey hands who hates to paint?

Markers. Sharpie sells metallics and there are a ton of options and media for colors.
I base my models with the traditional black Sharpie, which makes a very tacky starting surface.

Shakey hands is an issue, and one I currently have. I could recommend a more forgiving airbrush and contrast to make light work of several armies. Even ink or oil washes are something that make life easier without requiring a steady hand, as well as dry rushing.

As for the hands having both wrists on the edge of the desk and the mini or base also touching the desk gives 3 points of contact making the shake less of an issue. I also tend to load the brush a bit more and gradually work my way out to the edges to kind of gauge where the brush needs to be against where I can get it. (hard to describe)

May also be helpful to mention what you are painting as people will have advice and tips for making life simpler.

thanks for the help everyone.
i dont paint anything but i have a few different GW armies waiting.

lumineth
skaven
orruks

but the one im working on most recently is nighthaunt.

so i still haven't bought any paint but am looking at the army painter mega set.
any reason to stay away?
the shop i buy from has very limited speed paint and they have a good selection of contrast but man i dont know if i can justify the cost.
almost twice as much for half the amount plus i don't understand what the difference between contrast vs regular paint is.
whats so great about it?

Contrast paint is now hard to describe

Originally it was a system that if you put it over a smooth white base coat, then you got at least half-decent colour, shading and highlighting all in one coat of paint.

The contrast line has just been expanded and now has some entries that still do that and other entries that provide apparently excellent coverage of vibrant colours that can be hard to get using conventional paints, but that don't really have the shading/highlight effect.

The benefit for non-painters is that you rapidly get a decent tabletop finish in fewer steps, provided that you can paint reasonably neatly.

So against the additional cost, you need to balance the lower time you spend painting. To some that is more valuable than the cost of the paint.

Regarding the army-painter line, I have a few of their paints, and I find the coverage isn't great. You need several coats to get decent solid colour down. I may be using a previous generation though, so others may be bale to give a more up to date opinion.

time spent painting is indeed important to me... good point flinty thank you.

A brief introduction to Contrast paints by Chris 'Peachy' Peach

What kind of finish are you after, what kind of quality? If you just want a quick battle ready army then contrasts are fine but if you want to get into the hobby of painting and learn to do good paint jobs then don’t just invest in contrast or quick paints. You will need acrylics for layers and highlights etc. and you will need at least one metallic paint for guns. I would pick one model or unit and buy the paints you need to complete it.

Also contrast and quic paints run out much quicker than acrylic paints as they are very thin so you will need to replace them more often

Just table top, i have no aspirations to win any awards

Im new to painting too and just trying out a method called "slap chop" I spied while watching some youtube videos

It might be useful to you, seems beginner friendly, I have only tried it on a space marine so far - you can find it on youtube

I think alot can be achieved by just drybrushing then adding a few details

I just spilled my dark angels green contrast all over my desk last night so I cant recommend citadel paints right at this point in time

Do not start out with a 'mega paint set' from any company. First off you probably won't use half the colours in it, secondly you don't even know if you like the brand yet!

Buy 2-3 samples of any brands or products you're interested in. Take them for a test drive. You'll likely develop opinions on how much you like or dislike each one. A SMALL starter set (10-12 paints) is fine, but leave the all inclusive options for the point if you decide brand X is your ride or die for life.

Here's a quick and dirty opinion piece:
Vallejo Model Color - good value, good coverage. Separates like crazy and needs regular shaking if you aren't using the paints often.
Vallejo Game Color - good value, hit or miss coverage. Same separation issues, but worse. Somewhat matches mid-2000's GW colours. Game Ink has poor handling and separates insanely fast, often during use. Get Model Colors instead.
P3 - pots, which many don't like. Good coverage, medium value, metallics are very sparkly. Creamy, thick. Harmonized colour range.
P3 Inks - just what it says on the tin. They're inks, good for mixing with paint or medium. Not for beginners. Only complaint is their Turquoise and Green are too similar.
GW - expensive, crappy pot design. Paint is good until it dries out. Except their whites, which suck. Shades are excellent. Technical paints heavily overpriced, get Vallejo texture paint instead or make your own.
GW Contrast - ridic. expensive but uniquely suited to fast painting. Inconsistent in coverage / intensity, so watch video reviews and pick your colours. There are a few duds and 'so similar you would be hard pressed to tell them apart' colours.
AP - inexpensive, middling quality. Yellows and oranges have very poor coverage, the rest are average but not great. Quickshade washes in the dropper are amazing and highly recommend if nothing else, grab a Strong Tone and Dark Tone.
AP Speedpaint - midding cost, not quite equivalent to GW Contrast. Has some issues with reactivation but if you want a one-and-done solution, this may suit.
Coat D'arms - middling cost, middling to weak coverage. Good option for matching vintage colour schemes, has some unique colours.
Reaper MSP - Very flow-y, mixed coverage, middling price. Needs shaking before each use but mixes easily. Intended for layering painting techniques. Has some unique things like Liners which are very nice.
Scale75 - pricey, lots of specialty options, very unique feel. Personally I didn't like it but many people do. Extremely matte and good opacity.

 Flinty wrote:
Contrast paint is now hard to describe

Originally it was a system that if you put it over a smooth white base coat, then you got at least half-decent colour, shading and highlighting all in one coat of paint.

The contrast line has just been expanded and now has some entries that still do that and other entries that provide apparently excellent coverage of vibrant colours that can be hard to get using conventional paints, but that don't really have the shading/highlight effect.

The benefit for non-painters is that you rapidly get a decent tabletop finish in fewer steps, provided that you can paint reasonably neatly.

So against the additional cost, you need to balance the lower time you spend painting. To some that is more valuable than the cost of the paint.

Regarding the army-painter line, I have a few of their paints, and I find the coverage isn't great. You need several coats to get decent solid colour down. I may be using a previous generation though, so others may be bale to give a more up to date opinion.

Also while pot is more expensive you don't need multiple bottles. No base, wash and 1+ highlight colour.

Fire_Forever wrote:
Do not start out with a 'mega paint set' from any company. First off you probably won't use half the colours in it, secondly you don't even know if you like the brand yet!

Buy 2-3 samples of any brands or products you're interested in. Take them for a test drive. You'll likely develop opinions on how much you like or dislike each one. A SMALL starter set (10-12 paints) is fine, but leave the all inclusive options for the point if you decide brand X is your ride or die for life.

Here's a quick and dirty opinion piece:
Vallejo Model Color - good value, good coverage. Separates like crazy and needs regular shaking if you aren't using the paints often.
Vallejo Game Color - good value, hit or miss coverage. Same separation issues, but worse. Somewhat matches mid-2000's GW colours. Game Ink has poor handling and separates insanely fast, often during use. Get Model Colors instead.
P3 - pots, which many don't like. Good coverage, medium value, metallics are very sparkly. Creamy, thick. Harmonized colour range.
P3 Inks - just what it says on the tin. They're inks, good for mixing with paint or medium. Not for beginners. Only complaint is their Turquoise and Green are too similar.
GW - expensive, crappy pot design. Paint is good until it dries out. Except their whites, which suck. Shades are excellent. Technical paints heavily overpriced, get Vallejo texture paint instead or make your own.
GW Contrast - ridic. expensive but uniquely suited to fast painting. Inconsistent in coverage / intensity, so watch video reviews and pick your colours. There are a few duds and 'so similar you would be hard pressed to tell them apart' colours.
AP - inexpensive, middling quality. Yellows and oranges have very poor coverage, the rest are average but not great. Quickshade washes in the dropper are amazing and highly recommend if nothing else, grab a Strong Tone and Dark Tone.
AP Speedpaint - midding cost, not quite equivalent to GW Contrast. Has some issues with reactivation but if you want a one-and-done solution, this may suit.
Coat D'arms - middling cost, middling to weak coverage. Good option for matching vintage colour schemes, has some unique colours.
Reaper MSP - Very flow-y, mixed coverage, middling price. Needs shaking before each use but mixes easily. Intended for layering painting techniques. Has some unique things like Liners which are very nice.
Scale75 - pricey, lots of specialty options, very unique feel. Personally I didn't like it but many people do. Extremely matte and good opacity.

Vallejo might separate more than some paints but I wouldn't call it a problem or an issue in the slightest. I give mine a good shake on first purchasing, then a quick shake before each use. Every paint I use I give a quick shake before use and I've never really noticed Vallejo being worse in any noteworthy way. If you don't shake your paints before use you'll be running into lots of issues with most brands. Certain paints from other manufacturers are as bad or worse, for example Soulblight Grey from GW's shade range separates quickly and takes a bit of work to get it mixed back together.

Separation only becomes an issue when paints start separating on the palette though, and the only paints that come to mind where that's an issue is certain metallics.

A few months back Squidmar did a big paint comparison. Because he did it as a "versus" type thing, you kind of need to watch the whole video to see each comparison, as some good brands got eliminated early simply because they were pitted against other good brands right from the beginning.




And the follow up...




But I think in the end it comes down to your painting style. I'm not a "many thin coats" kind of guy, so I steer away from paints with poor coverage even if they have god tier flow properties, while someone who loves glazing might think the opposite.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Vallejo might separate more than some paints but I wouldn't call it a problem or an issue in the slightest. I give mine a good shake on first purchasing, then a quick shake before each use. Every paint I use I give a quick shake before use and I've never really noticed Vallejo being worse in any noteworthy way. If you don't shake your paints before use you'll be running into lots of issues with most brands. Certain paints from other manufacturers are as bad or worse, for example Soulblight Grey from GW's shade range separates quickly and takes a bit of work to get it mixed back together.

Separation only becomes an issue when paints start separating on the palette though, and the only paints that come to mind where that's an issue is certain metallics.

Separation on the (wet) palette has been my near universal experience with Vallejo, and the primary reason I didn't go with them as my main paint brand. Of course paints need to be shaken on the regular (or better yet, vortex mixer) but I do not appreciate having a well mixed paint blob pool out into various strata in the middle of a painting session. To me that's not acceptable. For my climate, wet palette setup and painting style Vallejo just isn't a contender.

Fair enough, I don't usually use a wet palette and it's not a problem I've experienced or even heard of before to have separation during a painting session. Some painters I know who do use wet palettes have spoken highly of Vallejo, indeed Squidmar rates them highly and uses wet palettes, so I guess it doesn't bother them so much.

A lot of it comes down to personal preference for paint handling characteristics. In that sense, it doesn't surprise me that Squidmar picked Vallejo as their favourite - it's what they use and have the most familiarity with. Like a well worn pair of shoes.

And thus the suggestion to any new painter - try 'em all, or at least a good variety of brands. You won't know what you like best otherwise.

Thanks all.
It sounds like my hope of one paint to rule them all doesn’t exist.
I think I’m going to start with either some small starters or a few singles instead of the mega set like fire_forever suggested.
Everyone was a lot of help, thank you all.

@tearlach - slap chop. lol. That googled so many throw back bad memories😁
Once i added paint to the search though it was cool but i don’t get the name.
I will admit i watched it without sound though 🙂

Regarding shaky hands, this was probably the most helpful video for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqp76vAJu9g

Typically my hands are OK and by cycling through three different positions, and focusing on breathing, I can find the spot that will work for me in a given moment. The three are elbows on table, wrists on table, and forearms on belly. Other times I just need to find something else to do for a while and try again later. Being mindful about what I'm eating also seems to help, things like avoiding high-sugar foods and moderating the coffee intake for example.