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I'm looking for a better white paint, or, perhaps tips on how to make it work.

I usually use GW's paint range. Recently I based a unit of white scars using Ceramite White and I'm unimpressed.

I tried it straight, I tried it with various layers while thinning to various degrees using water and other mediums. In all cases the paint looks very chalky. Putting a layer of White Scar doesn't seem to improve things.

So, either that paint is garbage or I'm doing it wrong.

Are there any best practices with GW's whites or should I go with a different brand?

Never paint white white. Always base in a suitable grey or use a white primer and shade down.

I can't really give much advice on the new gw paints as I don't use them much. But in general a chalky result is due to pigment clumping over too big a contrast underlying colour. Try building up a few layers of grey first. Thin, even coats are necessary so practice your brush control, its important not to flood and to allow each layer time to dry before putting on the next, or you'll just end up getting visible strokes.

I've tried a few white primers but I haven't been thrilled with them. Do you have a brand preference?

Vallejo grey PU surface primer is light enough for a white basecoat. It's a very light grey. If I were painting something predominantly white that's what I'd use. Give it a pin wash in deep recesses then highlight up. Remember that only extremes are ever pure white. Block areas should not be.

Edit: airbrush recommended. I hear you can brush the stuff on but I don't.

Lately, ive used a idea from youtube i found

prime black
use kommando Khaki lightly on the black
use balor brown on the dried khaki
use skull white on top of the dried brown
dry brush lighly with white scars white.

Turned out perfectly and didnt take to long to do. Ive found that using white as white doesnt work. you have to build it up in layers to get the proper effect as seen here on the bag and the gas mask:

If you want a good white try vallejo's white. Has some additives in it that help it go on smoother.

Vallejo will fix all your problems lol.. this coming from a person with a 500 dollar gw paint collection. That is currently on ebay if anyone is interested.

But seriously, I feel the GW is also very chorky and dries out very fast.

The new GW whites are pretty bad, so it's better to use off-whites and then use pure white as highlights.

If your going with a White, prime light grey, and work your way up from off grey to the superbright you want. Use VERY thin coats to circumvent the chalkyness and you should have better success.....

Vallejo and P3 whites are much much better than the GW.

Seconding what others have said:

P3 Morrow White is the best white I've tried so far. When painting, it needs to be thinned and I have had the best success when basecoating with a medium gray (P3 Bastion Gray or GW Dawnstone). After that you need to paint in thin, multiple coats to get a smooth, consistent covering.

White is one of the paints that I've had the hardest time finding a good one for. And yeah, the GW whites SUCK with this iteration of paints.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/504446.page

This model i painted was basecoated with ceramite white. I airbrushed a few thin layers over white primer and the basecoat was done. I havnt had any problems with it.

kronicpsycho wrote:
Vallejo will fix all your problems lol.. this coming from a person with a 500 dollar gw paint collection. That is currently on ebay if anyone is interested.

But seriously, I feel the GW is also very chorky and dries out very fast.

Vallejo has some good products but overall I prefer GW. So, im interested. You selling any individually? Any unopened? Price per pot?

I always paint white with some grey mixed in and always avoid GW whites. The best I have used so far is Reaper Linen White.

I think I figured out the biggest issue: bad primer. I had picked up a cheap can of armory white, and I know better but thought it couldn't be that bad. The ceramite white wasnt great either, so it made a bad situation worse.

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. I'm going to strip these bikes again and start over.

I've had some good luck with Army Painter's colored primers and Warpaints. Everybody knows the issues with GW's reds and yellows, and I've had no issues with coverage or streaking using those paints.